This is set at the end of "You Are There".
Once the crew got the battery recharged and Nigel got an answer to his question, which answer should surprise no one at this point, Nigel thrust his microphone into Xena's face and asked, "So, when was the first time you two had sex?"
"That's it!" shouted Xena, and grabbed the little man by the neck.
"Xena, take it easy," said Gabby.
"You take it easy. I'm gonna destroy this little troll."
Nigel found himself lifted into the air, and he clawed at the powerful fingers around his neck. He tried to complain but could only make a strangled, gurgling sound.
"Xena, put him down! Please."
Xena released him and waited to hear what Gabrielle had to say.
"Xena, our adventures have inspired millions. Our relationship, the power of love to transform and redeem, has inspired millions."
"So what? We have no right to privacy?"
"Of course we do, but I think you should think about the greater good and stop worrying that everyone's going to judge us. I think you should answer the question."
"You answer it. I'm outta here."
Xena strode out of camera range. The camera tried to follow her, but Gabrielle said, "Let her go, Nigel. Leave her alone. I'll answer your question."
A few signals from Nigel brought the camera back to the lovely Gabrielle. Nigel's voice wasn't working too well, but he managed to croak out, "So, then, what's your answer?"
Gabrielle sighed.
"First I want to say, I know this is Greece and I know everyone thinks all of Greece has this cosmopolitan attitude toward two women being intimate, but let me tell you, townsfolk are not tolerant about this sort of thing at all, not even Greek townsfolk. When you come from a small town as Xena and I do, you can always feel the eyes of judgement on you wherever you go. Xena and I will always be small-town girls at heart, and that's why we're having such a hard time with this. The problem with living in a small town is not so much that everyone knows your business, it's that you have to know everyone else's business, whether you want to or not."
"I understand," said Nigel, impatiently. He signaled the film editor to edit all this out.
Gabrielle took a deep breath and prepared to answer.
"Our first time was after Xena took down a giant named Gareth. Xena and I used to play this little game to hone my skills. I would attack her when she wasn't expecting it and see if I could score a blow. And when I say score a blow, I mean?well, you know what I mean. Anyway, we didn't play that anymore after that night, because I managed to bop her on the nose with my staff, and I felt so bad about it. I didn't think I'd actually tag her one, but here her nose was all red and bruised, and I felt just awful. She said it wasn't broken, but it looked terrible. I tried to give her an out. I tried to pretend she let me hit her, but she wasn't having it. She said I got her fair and square, and I knew she was kicking herself for it.
"And then in the middle of the night I tried to cuddle close to her, and she wasn't there. I sat up and looked for her, and saw her sitting on a log with her back to me. I stood up and walked over and sat next to her. I asked if anything was wrong.
"She said, 'You got past my defenses.'
"I knew she wasn't talking about her nose. I put my head on her shoulder, trying to tickle her a little with my hair. I know she likes that. I can't do that so well nowadays.
"Instead of feeling her relax, I felt her whole body stiffen. She said, 'Gabrielle, this isn't working out between us.'
"I said, 'Not this again.'
"She said, 'Gabrielle, I can't do this. I can't be with you any more.'
"I asked why not, and she grabbed me and kissed me. Oh, I'd been dreaming of that moment for almost two years, and it was a hundred times better than I could've ever imagined. It was like a lightning bolt running through me. And when she was done, we separated and looked at each other, and she said, 'That's why.'
"She really was expecting me to be shocked. I swear, she can be so stupid about love, some times. How could she not know how much I wanted it? How much I wanted her? How long I'd been dreaming of the two of us together?
"So I jumped on her. I attacked her. She kept protesting, but I kept telling her how much I loved her, over and over again, and I didn't give a damn if she said it back, because I knew she loved me. I didn't need to be told. I knew.
"So, that was our first time. I overpowered her. Not physically, of course. She was overpowered by my love. Love is helpless in the face of cruelty, but in the face of loneliness and pain and despair, love is the most powerful force in the universe."
Xena walked back into the shot. The camera panned up to catch her beautiful features. She appeared shaken.
"Listen, Nigel," said Xena, "you want a story, I'll tell you the only story that's worth telling. This is the story of a lonely, sad warrior, all used up, unable to take another step, ready to just lie down and die. And a beautiful bard came into her life. She believed in her when her own mother turned against her. She trusted her. She forgave her. And she loved her, Nigel. By the gods I don't know how she did it. But she loved her. And she?"
Gabrielle was rising slowly from her seat. She had that look in her eyes that made Xena lose the power of speech. Sometimes their love was so powerful it scared even them, like it was something outside themselves that had nothing to do with them. This was one of those times. Gabrielle put one hand behind Xena's neck, moved it up behind her head, and pulled her down for a powerful kiss. This was no little kiss containing just the memory of warmth and love. This was love. This was just the sort of kiss that Xena would never want to happen before a camera, but Xena wasn't in control any more. Gabrielle was in control, and Xena lost the will and the ability to protest.
When they were through, Xena turned back to the camera. She was breathless, but she managed to say, "That's your story, Nigel. It's about love. And anything else is a lot of sensationalistic pap. Now turn off the damn camera."
THE END