By Jinxie
Content Warning: This is a series that takes place between episodes. The stories build upon the TV series and it is advised that you watch the episodes then read the post-episode (this story) in between. Many references by the characters are very specific to the episodes, so you may not get everything unless you watch at the same time or have the episodes memorized. The series does lead to a romantic relationship between two women, so if you don't like it don't read it. Please read at least a few of my episodes to give it a chance; it's my first time writing fiction.
Goal: To create a more realistic fan fiction story than some I have read. No random sex scenes that would never take place in real life 'like that' (aka L Word scenes). You know what I'm talking about... that never happens.
Hercules and Iolaus watch Xena and Gabrielle leave. "Hercules, do you believe that everyone has someone out there that shares a part of their soul?"
Hercules watches Xena and waves to her. "I know it."
----
Moments later...
"You and Iolaus looked pretty cozy there under that tree." Xena remarked after they rounded the bend. She was staring straight ahead at the path, teeth gritted.
Gabrielle blushed a little, "Yeah, I guess we were. He kissed me." She looked up at Xena as she said this.
Xena's eyes narrowed. "He did?" I'm gonna kill him, she thought to herself. "Was it ok with you that he did that?"
"I guess. I like him, I suppose. But, I don't know..." She trailed off expecting Xena to probe further. Instead Xena just grunted and kept silent. "What about you and Hercules? Did the old flames re-kindle?" she asked with a smile.
Xena looked down at her, "No. More like old flames finally dying and saying goodbye." In a way I'm glad I got to see him, because now I know that it's not meant to be with us.
Gabrielle slowly walked down the street looking at the product each merchant had to offer. She came across a booth with a large variety of clothing. A smile crossed her face. Maybe it's time for a new wardrobe. This skirt is getting worn out from scrapping the ground. And I get so hot with this jacket on. Yeah, definitely time for new clothes. She stepped into the booth and began to look around in the skirt section. The merchant woman was immediately at her side, "Hi darling, oh this would look great on you!" She pulled out a long blue skirt that was thicker than the one she currently wore.
"Ah, no thanks. I'm actually trying to lighten my skirt. You see, I do a lot of traveling on foot. As you can see from my skirt," she said while lifting its tattered edge off the ground, "it's not happy. So I'd like to find something that won't hit the ground like this. Maybe something that comes to about...here." She held her hand the level of her mid-thigh.
The merchant stared at her as if she was speaking a foreign language; mouth agape. "Oh sweetheart, that's not appropriate for a nice young woman like you. You'll never get a decent man like that. He might think you are a prostitute. Trust me, you don't want him thinking that about you!" The woman grabbed top to go with the long blue skirt. "This would look wonderful with the skirt. Only 30 dinars for the pair."
"30 dinars is robbery! That outfit is not worth that kind of money. Not only that but I'm not getting what I need. I need a shorter skirt. Do you have one or not?" Gabrielle was beginning to get angry. She began to haggle not only for the right skirt and top, but for a lower price.
Meanwhile, Xena had found the bard but decided to hang back and listen to the haggling. Pretty impressive. I knew she could talk her way into and out of anything, but I didn't know she could barter with money and goods. Nice.
As she turns to talk to Xena, she runs into a hand. Xena's hand is held up to stop Gabrielle from talking. "Gabrielle, I'm going to get us a room at the inn. By the time you are done shopping it's going to be midnight. Have fun." Xena walks away, leaving Gabrielle to fend for herself.
Fine, I can handle this on my own anyway. Gods she sure doesn't like to do any girly things! No chatting, no girl talk, no shopping... what's next, no bathing? Oh dear, I hope not. I do not want to be around a grumpy AND smelly warrior. She approaches the new merchant with a new tactic. She looks first at the outfit she wants. She touches it and seems really interested in it. She holds it up to herself to check sizing. The merchant quickly runs out to assist.
"Hello young lady. That is a nice choice. Very beautiful fabric. Do you like?"
Gabrielle responds very expressively, "oh yes I do very much! It's perfect! But how much?"
"Only 25 dinars for the whole set. Shall I put it in a bag for you?"
Pretending to astonished at the price, she puts on an act. "Oh, I can't afford that. I really like it, but I don't quite have enough dinars." She puts on a very sad face and begins to turn around.
"Wait. How about 20 dinars?"
Gabrielle shook her head no. "Well, I... sorry I just can't. It really is beautiful and I think that it would be perfect for me." She continues to walk away.
"Hold on, I can go to 18 dinars. Does that work better for you?" The merchant asks with a desperate twinge to her voice.
"A little better, but not quite there for me yet. You see, I also need to buy a new pair of boots. I need that more than I need a new top and skirt. I'd like to get it all, but the boots are 10 dinars and I only have 20 dinars. Then of course I always need to be able to eat food. I can't, sorry. I'm afraid I'd have to ask you to go too low."
"Tell you what, I have a pair of boots I'll throw in; 15 dinars for all of it. Then you will have enough leftover that you can also have dinner and a place to stay, since I know you are traveling." The merchant was at her last straw.
"Deal! Thank you, I'm so excited I love this outfit. I was really worried I would leave this town without it." She dealt out her money, said her goodbyes then hustled to the inn.
----
Xena had been waiting for close to an hour for Gabrielle. The waitress came over to ask her one more time if she was sure she wanted to wait for her friend before she ordered. "You know what, I guess I'm done waiting. Just give me two of your specials, a mug of port and a mug of water. I think she'll be here soon." The waitress ran off with the order just as Gabrielle burst through the door, all smiles. After looking around for a moment, she spotted Xena giving her a huge smile that wrinkled her nose and lit up her eyes. She is so damn cute. Must have been a good day of shopping.
"Because you haven't stopped talking." Xena deadpanned. "So if you didn't want that outfit, what did you want? It didn't look all that different from what you have."
"Exactly Xena. Have you seen the bottom of this skirt? It's so ragged. I need something off the ground and something easier to move in. Where is the waitress I'm so thirsty?"
"I already ordered you a mug of water and the special. I didn't know what you wanted so I just got the easiest thing. Here comes the waitress now." Xena motioned toward her.
"Alright ladies, here you are. Your food will be out in about five more minutes. Sorry about the wait, it's starting to get really busy in here." She smiled before turning around to leave.
Gabrielle took several swallows of water, "Thanks Xena. I'm starving."
Xena nodded, "So you walked in with a bag, what's in it if you didn't like that outfit?"
"Oh! I found something at another booth. I got a top, skirt, and boots for only 15 dinars! Originally she wanted to charge me 25 just for the skirt and top. But I wore her down." Gabrielle displayed a proud expression.
"A top and boots too? So is the top like the one that lady was holding up..." please say it's a shorter skirt and a smaller top that shows some skin...
"So stop talking and eat already." The warrior said over a mouthful. So they both did just that. After dinner then both walked upstairs to the rooming area. "Gabrielle, there is a double wide bath tub in there that we can use when we want. They even have hot water. However the room only came with one bath worth of hot, so if you want to use it you can."
Without hesitation, she replied "Xena don't be silly. We'll just take a bath together. No sense in either of us missing a hot bath. We don't get those often anymore. Where is our room?"
"Oh, it's right here." She opens the door behind them. "I already unloaded some of your things so they would be ready for you when you got done shopping." Oh boy, I'm in trouble. A hot bath together in a small bathtub is a little different than a cold roomy pond.
Xena interrupts her, "it's ok, it locks." She cracks a wry smile then locks the door behind them. When she turns around Gabrielle is beginning to undress with her back toward her. This is the first time Xena has ever peeked. Gabrielle's skirt hits the ground followed by her top. Xena begins to break out in a cold sweat as she slowly admires her friend's beautiful body. "I'll be right back, I left something in the room. Be right back, lock this behind me ok?" she said as she turned around and bolted out of the room without waiting for a response from the bard.
Gabrielle turns around and Xena is already gone. She locks the bolt. "That was weird. Arg I can't get in otherwise I'll have to get back up to let her in. Hurry Xena I want a bath so bad."
In the other room, Xena is leaning back against the door as if trying to keep out a raging mob. In this case, the raging mob is her raging hormones. "Xena get a grip! You can't have her. She's your friend anyway! No, this is not right." She begins to pace back and forth across the room. "Ok, you can do this. No big deal, just stop peeking. You do not want her like that. Friends don't want each other like that. Got it?" After talking herself down, she walks back over to the door and raises her fist to knock. Just then Gabrielle is opening the door and stepping out covered in a towel.
"Oh! Xena there you are. I was wondering what happened. Everything ok?"
"Never better. Let's get clean." Xena completely avoided looking anywhere except in Gabrielle's eyes. That was the only semi-safe place to look right now.
Gabrielle gets into the bath first, while Xena undresses. She has seen Xena naked before, but only when she streaked by her into that pond the other day. Other than that, she's always given Xena her privacy; until now. She nonchalantly turns her gaze upward as Xena takes off her leathers and under clothes. Her gaze quickly goes back down to her task of scrubbing. Wow, that is a nice body.
Xena joins her in the bath and they both silently scrub avoiding each other's gaze. Once Gabrielle is done she gets up to leave. She notices Xena is looking completely away from her. "Xena I'm going to go try on my new outfit. I'll leave it on until you are back in the room so you can tell me what you think, ok?" She expected Xena to actually look at her once she started talking, but to no avail.
"Mm Hum, that's fine."
Fifteen minutes later, the bard is dressed in her new outfit. The room does not have mirror so she cannot see what she looks like in it. Guess I'll have to rely on Xena's opinion. Oh great...she probably won't have one, Miss-I-don't-like-girly-things. Her top is brown with blue and gold trim. The skirt was the same brown, but hit her about mid thigh.
Xena steps into the room, back in her leathers. She stops at the door as she sees her friend. She smiles, "I like it." She shuts the door then walks to her saddle bag to put away her soap, never taking her eyes off Gabrielle.
"Really? You don't think it's too revealing?" Gabrielle asks with some concern.
"Not at all; look at me. My skirt is way shorter and I show way more cleavage than your top. Why would you think that this is too revealing?" Xena asked.
"Well, it's nothing. I guess I'm just not use to showing so much skin. It's fine, I'll get use to it." She begins to take off the top, then turns around catching Xena staring.
Xena quickly turns away and hops on the far side of the bed. "Sorry I won't look." She settled into bed with her back turned away from Gabrielle.
A few moments later the bed shifts as Gabrielle gets in. "Oh that's nice. So much better than rocky ground. Not that I mind sleeping out in the open with the stars to lull me to sleep. But there is something to be said about a mattress. Night Xena."
"Night Gabrielle."
Falling asleep Gabrielle thought to herself, I really like this outfit. I can't wait to wear it through town tomorrow. Maybe there will be some cute suitors that will take interest in me now. gods that sounds so desperate. Hmm, I just want to experience love so bad now. Why do I want this?! ARGH. Why can't life be easier? Like in a story; on a chance meeting designated by fate, two soul mates' eyes lock across a crowd of people. They are perfect for each other and fall in love. Maybe one saves the other from an estranged life. Their life is constantly on the move, but they love every minute of being together; so much so that they would die for each other. Never from each other's grasp, hand in hand they seek to help the world through troubled times. Hmm maybe I just found my story.
Beginning of Episode 9:
Xena and Gabrielle walk into a grove of fruit trees. There is a couple picking apples, giggling, and kissing. "Looks like they're having fun. Not that I envy them or anything." Gabrielle states resentfully. Xena smiles because she knows that Gabrielle is envious. Gabrielle continues, "I mean, what does she have that I don't have?" A pause, "Ok, love." She nods her head to Xena affirming her own words. Xena continues to smile and just nod her head. "But what about the important things in life; travel, adventure, meeting interesting people? Ha!" she laughs, "As for the apple, I can pick my own!" She reaches for an apple as an arrow flies right through it. Xena takes on the bandits that threaten their welfare.