Part 1

The two rode in silence each with their own thoughts. Xena in front with Gabrielle on back, her arms lazily around the Warrior waste.

"Gabrielle are you asleep?"

Her embrace tighten "No I'm awake Xena, just thinking about the Inn and the warm food, gods its been awhile since we have indulged ourselves."

Xena noticed her body reacting to Gabrielle?s embrace and shuddered.

"Xena are you cold, are you getting sick?"

Xena smiled to her self, always concerned for her, "No I'm fine Gabrielle, I think we better not get too excited about the Inn. Look at the cloud formation over there, its coming our way, and I think its going to be a bad rain storm, there is a cave not too far from here that we will head to.

"Hmmmm," the bard thought, "well it?s not an Inn but it will be close quarters." She smiled to herself too. "Oh Xena look at the rainbow, isn't it beautiful? "

"Yea" was her reply.

"Gods Xena is that all you can say?, I mean the ?yea?? Don't you ever notice things other than warlord stuff?"

"Oh, yea, I notice a lot more than you think or should." Shaking her head, "Ok Gabrielle yes its lovely, and thank you for sharing it with me."

Each to their thoughts again they ride on to their destination. The wind kicked up, and sent leaves swirling about. The sky darkened and the rain was sure to follow. Xena picked up the pace, she hated to be caught out in the rain, it made her leathers uncomfortable, and that also meant she would have to remove them to dry by the fire. And that means, ..........well she shuddered again, and Gabrielle noticed.

"Xena are you sure your OK?", when we get to the cave I'm going to check you over, I swear if you are sick and not telling me......"

Xena had to control these feeling, they were surfacing much to much. "I'm fine Gabrielle, the weather change I can feel it in my body, it?s one of my many skills you know."

"Well, OK I guess I can believe that, but just the same lets get there fast cause I don't want to get caught in the rain." She shuddered, because then I will have to get undressed and.......... Same thoughts invaded their minds.

"Are you OK Gabrielle?"

"Oh, this is not good" Gabrielle thought, "must think about something else." That changed, as Zeus opened the gates and the rain and wind blew hard.

"Xena are we almost there?, I'm soaked here, gods I have never seen it rain like this." She nuzzled her head into Xena's shoulders.

Xena shivered, "Almost there just around the next bend in the road."

The combination of wind and rain began to seep into Gabrielle, and she started shivering.

"Oh, Xena I?M getting cold here," she wrapped her arms tighter around Xena and then a sneeze. "Hachoo."

Argo came to a halt, "Ok Gabrielle we're here."

Xena slid off Argo and offered Gabrielle her hand to help her off, and as she started to slide off the thunder came and Argo sped off. Leaving Gabrielle suspended in air, Xena lost her footing and fell, and Gabrielle landed right on top of her, in a big mud puddle.

"Oh Hades, I'M sorry Xena", trying to regain her composure, she raised her head and looked at Xena, and started to laugh hysterically.

"I don't see this to be funny Gabrielle"' a warm sensation started to creep in as the two lay there, inches away from contact, Xena shivered,

"Ok! real funny, lets just get to the cave." Gabrielle shifted herself off Xena , and stood up, offering Xena her hand.

"Oh no, I will get up on my own, I don't want to find myself on my back again."

Xena went to get Argo, and Gabrielle went straight to the cave, to get a fire started. The cave was small but was supplied well, dry wood, and a food cache, must be why Xena wanted to come here, its one of her many skills to have these places to come when in danger, she thought. Smiling to herself she was always amazed at her Warrior, hmmmm she liked that, her Warrior, fire blazing a good steady heat filling the cave, she decided to get out of her wet clothes.

Xena tended to Argo, making sure she was out of the weather, and fed. Her thoughts consumed her, and telling herself that these feelings are just not going to surface. She shuddered again, "Gabrielle is my friend, and I won?t jeopardize our friendship Argo" she uttered to herself. With her feelings in some what control, she made her way to the cave. Taking a deep breath she entered.

Gabrielle was stoking the fire, draped in a blanket, and Xena looked around the cave and saw her wet clothes hung over a rock. "Oh, great" she mused. The cave had a warm heat that swept through her chilled leathers. And Gabrielle noticing, she looked up and spoke.

"Xena you need to get out of those wet leathers, before you get a chill that won?t quit, here let me help you."

Gabrielle rose up and moved across the fire and as she was just about there, her blanket snagged on a piece of firewood and pulled it away from her body.

"Oh, Hades."

She yanked it clear and covered herself up again.

"Now let me help you with these hasps."

Xena just stood there, frozen, and let Gabrielle remove her armor, just like she did many times before. But this was different, her hands were warm and she hummed as she undid the final clasp. Xena shivered again, as she felt Gabrielle's breath on her neck.

"There all done, I think you can handle the rest."

"Thanks Gabrielle, yea I can do the rest."

"Your welcome my friend, anytime." and smiled the warmest smile Xena had ever seen, and went back to the fire and sat down.

Reaching for her saddle bag she pulled out her parchments and pen.

As she sits and contemplates her thoughts, they swirl about so. Her eyes darting up glancing at Xena as "Oh my, got to stop this Gab" she muses. Hmmmmmmmm she thought I could write about what I would like to take place here, and with that thought she began her story, smiling ever so often as she put her seduction on paper.

Xena for the most part was busy with her ritual of polishing and sharpening her sword, throwing in wood, keeping the fire at a steady burn. Looking up indiscreetly eyeing the bard as she lay on her bedroll, leaning on her elbows, Xena could not help but notice the soft white flesh of her breasts protruding out. Signing she stopped her gaze and continued on with her task. She would stare into the fire and recall the day that Gabrielle came into her life, smiling now and then as her thoughts were of pleasant times, for there had been many of them, thank the gods for that she mused. Still she shivered at the times of such close contact, as they rode on Argo, or went swimming in the lake, taking turns washing each others hair, the moonlight that seemed to memorize the bard beauty even more.

Xena had been with several women in her life, mostly for selfish pleasure, drunk escapades and such, never letting her heart enter into it. For she was not too keen on getting emotionally involved with no one, male or female. All this changed, three years ago. Yep, and having to deal with this new traveling companion was anything but routine, their encounter with bandits and ruffins always was frightful experience, always concerned for her friend, and trying not to show it. All in all it has been a adventure that she would not trade it for anything.

As the fire continued to burn, so did the fire burn inside the Warrior, and with this ever ending agony she sighed once again. Looking up at Xena upon hearing this quite long sigh she heard.

"Xena why don't you turn in and I will keep the fire burning awhile longer, I'm not really all that tired." Awwwwwww the fire, the burning.

"Yea, Gabrielle I think I will I'm kinda tired," yawning she stood up and roll out her bed roll. Tired !! right, she thought to herself, I'm far from being tired she uttered under her breath,

"What did you say Xena,?" still writing as she spoke.

"Awe, nothing Gabrielle, think I will turn in, hey, what story are you conjuring up now? Another epic of our adventures?" laying down on her bedroll.

"Oh yea something like that Xena but this is one that hasn't happened yet."

"Oh well I'm sure it will fascinating coming from you". she smiled at her and said good night.

imalex41@hotmail.com