She had the most beautiful blonde she'd ever seen in her arms, and they were having the sweetest, most sensual, most? passionate sex she'd ever had. She was savoring every moment of it. Enjoying the touch and feel of the other woman's hands on her naked body and enjoying the feel of her own hands on, and in, the blonde's body.

Gradually she woke and realized with crushing disappointment that it had only been a dream. Oh, the beautiful blonde was still in her arms, but in all the years they'd been together, they had never once had sex. Never even discussed the possibility of the two of them moving their relationship in that direction.

Not that Xena wouldn't have liked to? there'd been plenty of times that she'd wanted to tell Gabrielle just how much she loved her, but there had always been something in the way. Things like Xena dying, then Gabrielle dying, Xena dying again and Gabrielle's trauma over that together with Xena's coming back to life and that whole Velasca thing. Then there was everything with Dahak and Hope, and Chin, and Solan? and Gabrielle dying again with Hope? or so Xena'd thought. After that, came Alti's vision of the two of them being crucified, and Xena had been sure that if she'd told Gabrielle her feelings then, that that's what would have led to their deaths, little did she know at the time that it might actually have led away from the crucifixion.

Then just as she was finally ready to tell Gabrielle the truth, Xena'd found out she was pregnant. Pregnant! How could that be? She hadn't been with a man since? well, she couldn't remember the last time. How would that conversation have gone? "Gabrielle, I'm in love with you? and, oh, by the way, I'm pregnant, and I don't know who the father is"? Gods! So she bit her tongue again and said nothing.

This whole last year, they'd been trying to rebuild their lives together after having been frozen for twenty-five years? well, twenty-six if you count the year Xena had amnesia and Gabrielle was sleeping on that stupid rock surrounded by the Valkyrie's fire? Well, maybe now it was finally time to just come out and tell Gabrielle that she was in love with her. The bard's birthday was past and Xena's revelation wouldn't get wrapped up in that? though, a part of her had actually wished that Gabrielle would figure out what Xena was really trying to say with that poem she'd had Sappho write for her? Gods! What had she been thinking with that poem?

Just then, the bard moaned softly in her sleep and her left hand slid up to gently cup Xena's left breast. Xena let out the tiniest of gasps at the sensation, but didn't want to wake her blonde friend? she was enjoying this too much. Xena tried to control her breathing and her heart rate, and was beginning to have marginal success when Gabrielle called out Xena's name and that same hand slid languidly down Xena's stomach to her inner thigh. This sent scintillating jolts throughout Xena's body and she gasped again. That darn left hand was now stroking Xena's inner thigh. In her sleep Gabrielle turned her head toward Xena's collarbone and started kissing it as she slid her hand up under Xena's leathers.

Xena's mind was whirling! She was thoroughly enjoying this and really didn't want it to stop, but she couldn't let Gabrielle do this - especially if she was asleep? it just wasn't right, so she shot out her right hand to grab Gabrielle's wrist just as that darn left hand made contact with a very sensitive area. A small moan escaped both women's lips at the same moment. Xena continued to hold onto Gabrielle's wrist, fearing what the hand might do if left to its own devices, or what her own hand would do if she let go. Xena got her breathing under control, kissed Gabrielle on the forehead and gently called the bard's name. She had to call her name two more times before the blonde finally stirred.

"What did you have to go and wake me for?" complained the bard, her eyes still closed and a dreamy expression on her face. "I was having the most wonderful dream," she finished looking up into Xena's blue eyes.

"Um, what were you dreaming about?" asked the warrior.

"Oh, ah, nnnn-othing, nothing really. I forget," Gabrielle stammered averting her eyes and blushing as far down as Xena could see.

"Um, I think I can guess what you were dreaming, Gabrielle"

"Oh? I don't know about that," replied the bard still refusing to meet the warrior princess's eyes.

"Um, Gabrielle? do you know where your hand it?" asked Xena. "I didn't put it there, you did?" the sentence trailed off, but the warrior did not release the bard's hand.

"Wha- ?Oh, Xena, I'm sorry!" cried the bard as shock registered on her face. "I didn't mean? I was asleep, and? Uh, sorry."

"Gabrielle? I don't mind? if it's what you want, that is."

"What?"

"I kind of like your hand where it is, or rather what it was doing before I stopped you?" said the warrior princess shyly.

"Then why did you stop me?" Gabrielle dazedly asked.

"Because I didn't want it like this. Not with you asleep and not even realizing what you were doing. I love you too much to take advantage of you that way, Gabrielle."

"You ? what?!? What did you say, Xena?" asked the bard, not believing her ears.

"I think you heard me, but I'll say it again. I love you Gabrielle. I am in love with you, and have been for years, and if this is what you really want, then I'm all yours," answered the warrior princess gazing steadily into the green eyes of the woman she loved.

"Xena," breathed Gabrielle, "Why didn't you ever tell me? I've been holding it in all these years thinking it was just me?"

"Honestly?"

"Yes, honestly."

"I wish I had said something sooner," grinned the warrior ruefully, "but at first, I couldn't tell you because I thought you were too young to? introduce? to this kind of lifestyle?"

"But I wasn't too young to take into danger?" quipped the bard.

"Yes, you were too young for that too, but I knew I couldn't stop you from following me. This is something I had a little more control over," Xena teased. "Anyway, once I realized that your age didn't matter, things kept getting in the way every time I wanted to tell you?" she trailed off, but both women had an idea of what kinds of things Xena was talking about - the same kinds of things that had kept Gabrielle from expressing her true feelings.

"Soooo? are you saying that you wouldn't mind adding a physical aspect to our relationship?" joked the bard, green eyes twinkling.

"Absolutely!" cried the warrior princess. "But you've got to understand, Gabrielle, it's not just a physical thing. I am in love with you. I love everything about you, and want to be with you always."

"Xena, I love you too. Am in love with you, and have been for years? Now, shut up and kiss me? and let my hand do whatever it wants," commanded the blonde. Xena readily complied with this request and let her hands begin their own explorations.

In a few moments, the two were so caught up in their passion that they didn't notice the tingling down their spines when an invisible God of War intruded. So, he thought, it's finally happened. The blonde jumped the princess? Well, we'll see if this changes things any. Ares snapped his fingers and disappeared completely.

Xena rolled Gabrielle onto her back, and she was half straddling the blonde. Though their clothes were off, Xena felt something between them, so she reached down to move the offending object. She broke off their kiss with a startled, "What in Tartarus!" and moved back off Gabrielle. She glanced down to confirm what she'd felt, and there was now something there that had never been part of her anatomy before? "Where'd that come from?" she asked of no one in particular.

"Xena, what's wrong? Why'd you move away? Don't stop now, I want you to take me," pleaded the bard kneading Xena's breasts with both hands.

"Um, Gabrielle? I don't know how to tell you this? buuut something's changed?"

"What, don't tell me you've changed your mind after all this time?" asked Gabrielle with longing in her eyes.

"No. It's not that. It's just that my anatomy seems to have changed in the last few minutes," Xena said moving one of Gabrielle's hands so the bard could examine the change for herself.

"Where'd that come from?" cried the bard. "I've seen you naked before, and I know I would have noticed that before? Hmmm is everything else still the same?" she asked examining further? Hades! I was really looking forward to sharing that experience with you?"

"Gabrielle, we can stop? at least until we get this problem sorted out," said Xena wistfully. "Or, if you want, I can still pleasure you? You'll just have to wait to return the favor."

"Xena, don't ask me to stop now? I've waited to long for this, but I want you to be able to enjoy this too," mumbled the bard, "Hmmmm? I wonder? let me try something and tell me how this feels." Gabrielle gently stroked the offending object and watched as Xena closed her eyes with pure pleasure. "I take it that it feels good, huh?"

Xena merely nodded, unable to say anything as Gabrielle continued stroking her? appendage "Well," the bard said with a wicked gleam in her green eyes, "we could do this the 'old fashioned' way so that we can both get some pleasure out of the experience? then later we try to figure out who did this, and why?" She pulled Xena on top of her into a passionate embrace, kissing her fiercely? soon inviting the warrior to enter her.



*****



"Well? that was different," Gabrielle said. "Sleeping with my best friend just took on a whole new meaning," she grinned.

Xena chuckled, "Yeah, I guess it did at that. Of course that's the first time I've experienced it that way? I wonder who did this to me? And why?"

The two women looked at each other and both said, "Ares!" The God of War, however, did not appear this time or any of the many other times the women called for him to show himself. He remained conspicuously absent.

Finally Gabrielle suggested, "Maybe Aphrodite could help you with your 'little' problem."

"Hey!" Xena quipped, "It's not exactly little."

"True, bigger than some I've seen," replied Gabrielle sweetly. "No, seriously, though I wonder if Aph could fix things for you."

"Bad choice of words? 'fix'," Xena shuddered, "but it couldn't hurt to ask her if she can correct the problem - return me to the way I was when I woke up this morning. Give her a call Gabrielle, she responds better to you anyway?"

So Gabrielle called out for Aphrodite, on the third call the Goddess of Love decided to show herself. "Alright! All right, enough with the pages already. I've got a life too ya know." Quickly Gabrielle explained the problem to Aphrodite.

"Yup, that was Ares alright? he's been grinning all morning. He looked like the cat who swallowed the canary. I'd wondered what he'd been up to. Can't believe he'd pull a trick like this on my two favorite warrior babes."

"Aphrodite, can you fix? I mean correct the problem," Gabrielle amended at the painful jab in the ribs Xena had given her.

"Sure I can fix it," said the Goddess of Love grinning at Xena. "Course if it got you two to finally hook up, maybe I should leave things well enough alone."

"We were well enough on our way to 'hooking up' as you put it before this happened," huffed Xena gesturing at the offending appendage.

"You were, huh?" grinned Aphrodite. "It's about time. You are two of the most stubborn mortals I've worked with. Cupie and I've been working on you two since the day you met trying to get one of you to make a move, but nooooooo you had to be secretive and hide your feelings from each other. Give me a break!"

"Aphrodite!" cried Gabrielle exasperated, "Will you please just return Xena to the way she was so we can get on with things?"

"Alright. Geez, can't a girl vent in peace?" Aphrodite snapped her fingers saying, "Voila, you're back babe."

Xena and Gabrielle both looked down apprehensively to see if the offending object was indeed gone. They'd both been on the wrong end of some of Aphrodite's 'help' before. The appendage was indeed gone from Xena, and Gabrielle quickly checked herself to make sure it hadn't suddenly appeared anywhere on her anatomy. Fortunately it hadn't. Both women breathed a sigh of relief and thanked Aphrodite profusely.

"Alright, babes, enjoy things the way they were meant to be," said the Goddess of Love, "Catch ya later!"

The two women, their passion renewed, proceeded to take Aphrodite's advice and spent the rest of the day in each other's arms reveling in this newfound level to their relationship.



A few nights later Gabrielle relaxed looking at the stars. She couldn't help waxing poetic, "Looking out at the cosmos makes you think? about where we are, where we've been, where we're going now."

"Yeah," Xena said sitting up, "and like the bigger now. I mean, Gabrielle, what are we gonna do? Wander around Greece for our whole lives, looking for trouble? Why don't we go away - far away? What do ya say?"

"I can't believe you're awake, much less listening to me," replied Gabrielle.

"Let's go south to the land of the pharaohs," suggested the warrior. I hear they're in need of a girl with a chakram."



*****



Gabrielle looked down at the jar in her hands. It held all that remained of her best friend, her soul mate? her lover. She was sad at the loss, but knew Xena would always be near her heart no matter where she went.

At least I'm not seasick, too, this time, she thought. The trip to Japa had been bad? she hadn't felt that seasick since she was on Cecrops's ship - before Xena had taught her that pressure point. For some reason it didn't seem to work very well on the trip to Japa - especially when she first woke up each day? later on it wasn't so bad.

She was staring out across the water thinking of Xena and wishing that the warrior were there with her, when she felt a flutter in her belly. She assumed it was just a reaction to thinking about her soul mate and what they'd finally shared these last few weeks. It had been wonderful and Gabrielle would always treasure that special time they had together.

She looked down as she felt that faint flutter in her abdomen again. Oh, no, she thought, I can't be? I haven't been with a man since Perdicus! Then she remembered, "Xeeeeenaaaaa!"



The End?