Disclaimers: Ya know, I don't feel much like going through this whole disclaimer thing again. It's just a big 'ol pain in my a**. We all know that Xena, Gabrielle, Mel, Jan, Cyrene, Ares, and Ephiny don't belong to me. I want them to though. Oh what games we could play! Whoo hoo!

Taylor (Whom I am in love with) Candace, Terra, Skye, Skye/Time/Spencer, Terran, Giva, Jules, Krista, and Lissa belong to moi. We play all the time! Even when I'm not writing. All the interesting little concepts (well most of them) are created in my demented mind. If you want to borrow any of these odd ideas, please contact me. We'll work something out. Wink, Wink. Nudge, Nudge. (Come on! It's been a while!)

Sex Disclaimers: I am pretty sure we are continuing on with the massive sex binge I seem to be on. Well heck, I've got seven couples working out here, not to mention several other combinations to work with. I'll try and get to the story line.....no, honest, I will. Anyhoo, these are same sex couples loving and falling in love. If this type of activity is illegal where you live, just do us all a favor and don't read this. If you have to ask, "Momma, what's a magical d-i-l-d-o?" then maybe you're a little too young to be reading this. I think it's best that you read something else.

*NEW* Wife swapping disclaimer: I have had some complaints about the sexual adventures of some of my characters. Those characters shall remain nameless, but Candace and Gabrielle get very heated at the end of this chapter. (Read that Hoo Yah!) Don’t read it if it bothers you. There is a reason for all of this. I swear. It's important to the plot. You'll see.

Language Disclaimer: Yes, they swear! For heaven's sake, They're warriors. Oh yeah and Jan.

Spoilers: Here and there. I'm trying to edge away from the show, but this story is based on one particular thread. OK it's a pretty big thread, but..... Anyway, if you don't want to have certain things spoiled for you, put them in the fridge.

Thank you for reading my stories! I have a grand time writing them! Comments are necessary to my survival. PUHHHLEEAASE E-mail me UgoXena@aol.com

©kg5/23/00

Part 20

Good Lord this is getting long!

Jan pulled the strip tightly around the heavy canvas and then hoisted the entire weight of it to her shoulder. Melinda watched with an appreciative eye as her lover showed the greater Amazon nation exactly how strong a small woman could be. Her muscles bunched and danced with the heavy workload. Many others stood watching her while shaking their collective heads. She certainly had strength greater than was indicated by her diminutive size. Melinda considered that perhaps the blood of a God that ran through her veins truly was on display. The thought and sight of her raw power made her slightly awe struck with her fiancée. She smiled to herself and turned back to her work.

"Miss Melinda, may I help you?"

A soft voice spoke from behind her. She frowned in recognition of the voice. "Shouldn't you be in bed?" She turned to face the sweet woman.

"My brother's gift is quite special, you know." Skye smiled brightly at her friend.

Melinda pulled Skye into her embrace. "Ah know. Ah you suah you feel alright?" Skye shook her head emphatically. As she pulled the young woman closer, potent emotions rose to the surface. "Ah was so worried about you, sweet child. Please, try youah best not to cause me heaht trouble again."

"I will." There was a comfortable silence for long moments as the two women reconnected.

"Heah, help me fold these confounded things." The southern professor pointed to the tents laying across the ground.

"Certainly." Skye was silent for a few minutes before she spoke. "Sk....Spencer told me many interesting facts concerning your adventure. Is it true that both Xena and Gabrielle are part God?"

"Quite true. Ah hope that they are not related. That would be much too backwoods foah mah tastes." She laughed at her own southern humor.

"Backwoods? I don't understand."

"It's a verah long and quite distasteful story mah deah, perhaps anothah tahm. Let's just say it's improper for close relatives to be involved."

"But not unheard of." She was getting the idea.

"Unfortunately not. Let's change the subject, shall we?" Melinda raised an eyebrow.

Skye understood the unspoken directive. "Yes, let's shall. Tell me, do they have powers?"

"Ah suppose you could put it that way. Personally, Ah believe theah is more to it than even Aphrodite let on." Mel directed Skye with the point of her finger. "Right theah. Put it ovah heah. Anyway, the fouah women together..."

"With Candace and Taylor?"

"Yes. The fouah of them have the powah to control the Gods somehow. I suah would like to figuah that one out."

"They can defeat them in battle." Skye pulled her corner tightly across and lifted it for a quick shake.

Melinda stared at her dumbfounded. "Skye, how do you know such things. You just pop out with bombshells like they were boiled peanuts on a Georgia roadside."

"Excuse me?" The small blonde empath was confused by the analogy.

"Like they were just everahday news, deah. Please explain how you know about Xena and Gabrielle."

"I just know." She shrugged. If she could explain half of the things that she knew it would be miracle.

"Can you tell me how?" This was building her curiosity ten fold. She would love to help the four to harness what they had.

"How what?" Skye straightened a wrinkle with a determined tug.

"How can they defeat the Gods." Mel pulled opposite of her to get the stubborn crease smoothed out.

Skye gave the heavy canvas a quick shake then flattened it by stepping on it. "It's not that simple. They can overcome them but they can't kill them."

The two women lifted the tent making an effort to carry it to the cart. Without fanfare, Janice swept the tent to her shoulder and walked away with it. Mel smiled as Skye watched the powerhouse walk forward with the weight on her back.

"That was amazing." Skye had a new respect for the petite warrior.

"Just 'cause they'ah small doesn't mean they ahn't mighty. Now, back to the subject at hand." Mel led the golden haired girl to the next tent. "Pull the stakes up and put them in that sack hangin' right theah. Continue."

Skye tried her strength at the peg but failed. She kicked it t few times to loosen the dirt gripping it. "Well, if they are in unison, and that doesn't mean that they need to be together necessarily, they can not only fend off any attack they can injure them in return. Render them helpless so to speak."

"What do you mean togethah?"

"In their case, it is a connection only they share. They have to learn to touch each other on a level they have not yet reached." She tried to get her thoughts across.

Melinda stepped inside the tent thinking all the while. She knew how they would learn this connection, but defeating the Gods. There was the question. A muffled retort came from inside the canvas covering. "But, HOW do they do it? How do they defeat the Gods?" Mel pulled the center pole and ran out.

"Hell if I know." Skye shrugged and wiped the sweat from her brow.

Melinda stopped what she was doing. "And just what kind of language is that?" Skye gave her a blank stare. "Honey, it was a little moah rough than Ah am used to coming from yoah lips. Would you care to explain?"

The young woman blushed. "Forgive me. Janice talked to me for quite sometime while I was recovering. I guess I picked up some of her rather colorful expressions."

"Now you sound like Cyrene. You ah a product of influence." She waved her comments off and went back to her work. "So what you'ah tellin' me is that you know they can do it, you just don't know how."

"Exactly. It's a fireball, tazer type thing. It will paralyze a God for a long while. Perhaps long enough to imprison them. I don't know." Skye finished tying down the window flaps

"Ah know. Ah did it. I don't know how Ah did it. Ah just did." Mel wound cords around her arms as she shrugged off her feat.

Now it was Skye's turn to stare. "You did? What happened? When? How? Why?" The only thing she didn't ask was where.

"That damnedable Ares showed up on Charon's boat tryin' ta take Skye, oah Spensah, oah Tahm, oah whatevah he's goin' by now days, away. Kidnappin' him again. Well, I just grabbed a hold a Jan's hand and POW! Lightnin' flew from mah hand right at that sword of his. That thing took off like a hound dog on a coon hunt! Ah'll tell you what. It was truly amazin'. You shoulda seen the look on that 'ol boy's face. You'd a thought I took his last bite of sweet bread." She laughed hysterically while Skye watched her with a broad grin on her face. Melinda was getting a huge kick out of this.

The small blonde had never heard Miss Melinda talk as she was doing now. She was usually very reserved and articulate. Not that she wasn't getting her point across, she was. It was just a bit more picturesque than she was accustomed to from the normally reserved teacher. "You can tell an interesting story. Miss Melinda."

Despite the tears of humor in her eyes, Mel gave her a rather stern look. "It's not a story. These ah cold hahd facts."

"I'm sorry. I wasn't suggesting that they weren't true. It's just that...well...like you told me, it was quite colorful."

The professor stood for a few seconds to replay in her mind the elegance of her words. Skye was very correct in her assessment. "Ah do believe mah deah that Janice has had quite an influence on me as well." She wrapped the last cord and threw it in the center with the rest of the tent accouterments. "Stand to the othah side, deah."

Skye lifted her end with an audible grunt. "Suuuoh, you used this power against Ares. Very interesting. But, yours, I should say ours, is different. Correct?"

"Quite. At least according to Aphrodite and Artemis it is. Ah have a sneakin' suspicion theah is moah to it, but they may be unwillin' to shauh with us."

"You know, I think you may be right." Skye held the rolled canvas and allowed Mel to tie it off.

Janice approached them once again this time with a question in mind. "Right about what?" She stood breathing heavily, wiping the sweat from her brow.

"Heah, dahlin'. Ah think you might need some watah befoah you faint." She pulled her skin out of the shade and handed it to the overheated warrior.

"Thanks, Belle. Right about what?" In her dogged determination to be nosy, she persisted in her questioning. She drew deeply on the skin then poured a generous amount of the cool water over her head face and shoulders.

"Skye and Ah believe that the Gods have not been fully honest with us as fah as our collective.... .um...powahs ah concerned." Melinda had a deep desire building in very center of her being. She loved when her lover showed off her unusual strength.

Jan squinted at the late mid-day sun. "Sounds like them all over. I think the only way we'll ever find out is if we face any of the Gods one on one. Then again we could run a little experiment of our own." She glanced back and forth between the two women with a grin on her face.

"And you suggest we do this how?" Skye raised a typical characteristic eyebrow. She was getting it down to an art.

Jan raised an eyebrow back but was unable to intimidate the younger woman. She smiled at the growing strength of their progeny. "I propose that we all assemble and try as many different combinations of connection as we can. Then we try it all together and see what we find."

"I am hoping you don't mean the type of.....connection the others used to release their souls to power." Skye loved them all, just not like that.

Jan squinted again, but this time it was not at the sun but at Skye. "I'm not sure what you mean by that."

"Well, sometimes...." The very forward younger woman began to explain.

Skye was quickly interrupted by her mentor. "It's a close and quite personhal thing Skye. Ah don't think we should be discussing it. Perhaps we ah jumpin' to conclusions heah. We have seen what it is that we can do, on top of that we have the explanations of two Gods." She let the other two women come to their own conclusions.

The doctor smirked. Of course she didn't want details. "I still think it would be worth a look see, Belle. We need to just sit around by the fire pit, hold hands and see what happens." Jan took another swig of water.

"When we return to the compound, Ah'll suggest it to them." Melinda smiled at her lover.

"Good idea. Hey Skye, you busy?" Janice smiled at her in a way that made the younger woman wonder what the good doctor was up to.

"Are we finished, Miss Melinda?" Skye noted that the only tents left were the few left in use.

"Quite. Ah am going to retiah for a short while. Ah feel a tad ovahheated." Melinda gave Janice a knowing nod. "If you ladies will excuse me."

Janice caught her before she could slip by her. "You don't think you can get by me without a kiss do you?" Emerald eyes played lovingly with the curves of Melinda's fine features.

Blue eyes loved her desperately. "Of course not. Forgive me." She leaned down to her fiancée. Their lips met with gentle love. "Ah shall meet you foah dinnah. Skye?"

"I will be famished. See you then." The blonde dipped her head as Mel took her leave.

"Like that's a surprise." Jan laughed to herself. "Skye. I have a gift for you."

Green eyes grew wide with excitement. "Really? Oh Jan, you didn't have to." Skye was like any girl that just loved surprises. Her excitement was bubbling up quickly.

"I didn't. It's from Aphrodite." Jan giggled inwardly, since warriors don't do that out loud.

"Aphrodite? Why would she send me a gift?" Skye gave Janice the same trademark squint. They walked in time toward the small tent set aside for Jan and her lover.

"It's not just for you, my dear. It's for both of you." Jan put both hands behind her back as they walked together.

"Both of us? You mean Terra and me?" She looked forward with a slight smile on her face at the thought of her lover.

"That would be the two. Where is Terra?" Jan thought it would be better to introduce one of them to the 'gift' and then let nature take its course.

"She went hunting with Kimi. I think she took Spencer with them." She pointed with her chin toward the forest.

Janice started laughing. "You mean they took girly boy? God help them."

"Girly boy? I don't understand." Skye turned her head with a slight tilt.

Skye was frowning at Jan making the doctor squirm internally. "Well, he's kinda....girly. Feminine. You know, weak."

Skye stopped walking and set her feet firmly. She had a point to make and she would make it! "He is very much a man, Janice. He has certain traits that may seem less masculine than you are used to, but he is strong, fast, handsome, loving and honorable. I know few men who are as much of a true man as he. If I were to base my opinion of what makes a man on masculinity, I would have to consider Creighton a real man. He was leader among men, bold, charismatic, ready to 'prove' his manhood at a moments notice. He was not a man. He had no idea what the words meant. He was a coward and a bully."

Janice ceased her steps. That Skye was coming into her own was a fact that could not be argued. Under Melinda's tutoring, she had blossomed into an articulate woman that could teach her a thing or two. "Well said, Skye. You'll teach this old bat something yet."

"I only speak the truth." Skye waited patiently for Janice to continue their path to wherever they had been headed.

"That you do, Skye, that you do." Janice's tan face crinkled up with a broad smile. "Come on."

A very few minutes later Skye was once again shocked by certain sexual activities it seem that she had been missing out on. "I do What? You're kidding!" She almost laughed.

"You put it on." Jan held her hand in a circular shape and put it up to her groin.

"Down there?" She pointed to the general vicinity of her pubic area.

"Exactly." Jan nodded with pursed lips. She was trying so hard not to laugh.

"And then I have a....an....a..um." She didn't want to say it.

"An erection." Jan cringed inwardly at the word. It was nice to have one, disgusting to say.

"That just sounds nasty. Are you sure about this?" She held the object between thumb and forefinger as if it would bite her at any moment.

"It's not dangerous, Skye. It's really cool! Try it on." The doctor touched an urging hand to Skye's elbow.

"I don't think so." Skye frowned with an emphatically negative shake of her head.

"Come on. Be brave." She pushed the empath's arm again.

"Bravery has nothing to do with this, Janice. It seems a tad inappropriate for you to be here when I do it." She was making excuses and Jan knew it.

"I'll leave. Try it on." She stepped towards the door flap.

Panicking, Skye caught Jan's arm with her free hand. "Waitwaitwait! I'm supposed to use this for lovemaking right?"

"Well, technically. But, you're so skittish about new things I think you should get used to it first." This was so priceless. She was wishing Xena was with her.

"How do I know Terra will like it?" Skye's green eyes were huge with uncertainty.

"I don't. But you might." Jan wagged her eyebrows in a mischievous way.

Skye hated when she did that. It always seemed like a challenge to her. "I never cared for that type of intimacy."

"Yeah, but have you done it with Ter?" Jan's voice took on a low seductive tone.

Skye blushed at the very thoughts suddenly running through her mind. "OH! Miss JAN! Hoo! That's a different story. Anything she does is.......oh!"

"I thought so. I'll go out while you give that a try. Holler when you're ready." Jan stepped to the tent access. Her hand rested on the canvas flap.

"Ready for what?" She was totally confused.

"A cigarette." Jan's sarcasm was lost on Skye, but she was so amused.

"A what?"

"Nevermind. Just come out when you've tried it out. We'll find some more work to do when you're done." Jan nodded at her and at the phallus.

"OK. I'll be right out." She was sure this would take a rather short time. She would try it on for Jan's sake.

"Riiight. Take your time." Jan stepped under the flap laughing to herself all the way. She held her ear to the side of the tent waiting.

Skye eyed the unusual object with suspicion. Jan had teased her quite a bit in the past, but she had never lied to her. She lifted her skirt and untied her breeches. She folded the soft chamois and set it aside. "Here goes nothing." She placed the phallus against her skin and almost buckled under the impact. "MY GOD! Oh Yeeeesssss! Yesyesyesyes!"

Jan grinned. She walked a short distance away from the tent and just waited. It wasn't too many minutes later that a rather red faced, none altogether, Skye emerged from the canvas shelter. The grin on her fair face told a very interesting tale.

"You did say we could keep this, right?" Her eyes danced with absolute glee as she swung the small pouch in front of her. She had a new understanding of Jan's enthusiasm for the magical appendage.

"Yep. It's all yours." Jan wanted to laugh out loud but held her humor in check. "One thing you do need to know, however. It can get you pregnant."

"Pregnant. As in with child?" She was suddenly concerned.

"Quite. But only when you both agree the time is right." Jan thought about that for a long moment. Would she and Melinda decide to have children again? Would she be willing to carry a child? There were many factors that would lead to making that decision.

"You said 'you'. Do mean we or just me." Skye put a delicate hand to her chest.

Jan was shaken out of her thoughts by the question. "You."

"Me? Why just me?" Skye's analytical mind was working over time.

"It is a gift of Aphrodite for her descendants." Jan shrugged.

"That's right! Gabrielle is her daughter. Children. I'm too young for that." She decided rather quickly.

"Then make sure you keep that safe for a long time." Jan winked at her.

"Oh, don't you worry! This puppy stays safe with me....us." She patted the pouch protectively. She added the next sentence as an aside. "By the way, you and Miss Melinda will have children again."

Jan stopped dead in her tracks. "How do you know that? And how do you know I was even thinking about it?"

"I don't know to both questions, but I'm right." She turned and walked toward where the Commander was coordinating the camp.

All Jan could do was stared after her. She wasn't telling Mel. No way. Uh uh. *Damn! Fuck! Shit! Damn! Damn!* She followed Skye swearing mentally all the way.

=/~~~~~~~~~~~~~~>

Two men crouched in the underbrush waiting for the young buck to draw within range of bow and arrow. The smaller of the two men shifted his position causing the animal to look up.

The very buff man whispered to the point of inaudible. "Shhh. Ter, if I am going to shoot that thing, you need to be quiet." The newly re-named Spencer drew his bow back carefully.

"But Spencer, I don't want you to shoot it." The deer took off at the sound of Terran's voice.

Time sighed at the young man at his side. "Honey, if we are going to eat at all, we have to hunt. I have never done this before either. It's kinda cool though." The tall white haired stood from his crouched position.

Terran followed suit with an argument on his lips. "Do we have to kill things? There were no animals on Mars. It would seem to me we could do the same thing here."

"The technology there allowed you to get protein from other sources. Here, in this time, we don't have that choice." A strong protective arm went around the man at his side. "I promise to make it as painless as possible. OK?"

"I guess." Terran moped.

"You guess." With a slight laugh, Spencer smiled sweetly at him. They had only known each other since that very morning. It seemed a lifetime and yet only short minutes at the same time. He knew Terran as well as, if not better than, he knew himself. "Terran, do you like me because I remind you of him?"

"You are him." The statement was so matter of fact that Spencer had to stop and think about it for more than a moment.

"In a way, I suppose you are right. But, I am not him in this reality. Do you see? I have no memories of you and I together, although I know we belong to each other. You have the advantage here. In a way, you've been with me in the past." His bright blue eyes sparkled at Terran.

"I see your point. Ifff you wwant to know what there was betweetween us, all you nneed to do is ask." He was getting nervous about the conversation but was determined to become brave.

"Ter, calm. Deep breath. Better?" Terran shook his head. "Do you want to tell me?"

The golden head nodded the affirmative. "We...he....nothing ever hhhappened."

Spencer frowned. "Nothing like nothing, nothing?" His hand made waving gestures in front of his body.

"No." His head bent. "He ssaid hhhe would nevver ususe me tthhat way." He punched his hand as tears formed in his soft eyes. He hated being weak like this.

Spencer put his very large arms around him. His lips met the top of Terran's blonde head he then laid a cheek to it. "He was a good and honorable man, Terran. I am proud to bear his name."

Terran looked up at him. "Really?"

"Yeah, really. Skye must have known what she was doing when she suggested it." Spencer smiled again. "So you never made love? Have you ever?"

"Not the way love should be, no. I was used in many different ways. I have...experience with both men and women." Terran was obviously disheartened by his revelation. He refused to meet Spencer's piercing gaze.

Spencer's heart wrenched for his new old friend. "Terran, look here." With a hand beneath the chin he gently persuaded the handsome man to look at him.

Emerald eyes met tenderness so pure Terran's broken heart threatened to melt within his chest.

"Terran, what has happened to you was...is insane and wrong, and NONE of it was your fault. Your heart and kindness makes you so very precious." Spencer bent to him with gentle purpose. Terran's green eyes grew wide. Time pulled away. "Don't worry, Terran. I won't if you don't want."

"Iiit's nnot that III don't want...it's......I'm......I've nnnever kkkiisssed anyone before." His eyes search within the blue heaven that gazed back at him. If there was any condemnation or disappointment in them, he couldn't find it.

"Then I'll make sure it's well worth it." A slight smile crossed the tall man's face. He bent to Terran again. This time the shy young man didn't draw away. Spencer pressed his lips every so gently to Terran's. The rush of blood to his head made the shorter man light headed. His body wanted to pass out from the intensity of the emotion. For the first time, Terran felt the love of the man he would give his life to. He had never done this, but instinct soon took over as his hands caressed the strong face that pressed to him. Spencer felt the walls beginning to fall. He pressed to Terran as fully as the timid man would allow. He never wanted to cause fear in the one that held his very soul. With this one kiss his only desire was to convey every emotion and need he had in his being for the love of the former slave. The very tip of his tongue drew a soft path along Terran's bottom lip. Terran didn't grasp the suggestion, but the sensation made a small moan escape his lips. He pulled back from the contact with a sudden fear gripping his heart. His body shook with seeming violence.

Remorse hit Spencer as a freight train to his chest. "I'm sorry, Terran! Forgive me! I...I I didn't.. Please, don't be afraid." He held Terran in his arms as he rocked them both.

"Iiiiit's OOOOKK. I jjjjust nneever..... WhhhooOo!" His body jumped with penned up energy.

"Is that good or bad?" Spencer laughed at his movement.

"It wasss bbbboth." His head turned abruptly to glance up at the man that still held him.

A look of deep disquiet crossed the features of the platinum blonde. "I'm so sorry, Ter. I never meant..." Soft lips quieted his apology. Terran placed his arms around Spencer's strong neck and pressed gently but very firmly to him. Taking a risk, Spencer's strong hand slid down to the small of Terran's back. With sweet persuasion, Spencer pulled him closer. The moment was full of loving tenderness. There was no desperation or hurried desire.

The kiss broke with perfect green eyes brimming over with total devotion staring up at the man who made him complete. Straight white teeth smiled at him. Terran couldn't help but smile back.

"Better?"

Terran shook his head emphatically.

A voice from behind them brought them back to striking reality. "Can't leave you two alone for a minute can I?" A steady foot kept time on the dirt.

Spencer's eyes saw his own perfect patch of sky blue reflected back at him. He grinned the grin of a man caught with his hand in the cookie jar. "Doesn't seem that way, does it."

"You know she looks mad, but I can feel she's not." Terran smiled at his future sister in law.

She couldn't help but smile back at them.

"You going to tell her?" Terran grinned back and forth at them.

"Tell her? Tell her what?" Spencer stared at Terran.

"Yeah, tell me what?" The tall woman looked to Spencer as if he should know.

He looked at Spencer. "You know."

"No." His brows raised and he looked at his sister.

"Yes you do." Terran elbowed him.

'"Care to give me a hint?" He wasn't sure where this was going.

"About the Fates." Terran smiled with a wide toothy grin.

"About the......you KNOW about that?" Spencer was shocked beyond himself.

"Sure." Terran acted like what he had to say was every day news.

"Know about what? What about the Fates?" Terra tried to get her questions answered.

"How do you know?" Spencer acted as if he hadn't heard her.

She kept trying. "S'cuse me. Tell..."

"I just know. I know lots of things." Terran shrugged.

The tall dark haired woman tried for the last time. "Hello? Tell me...."

"I can see that."

"Creighton! TELL ME WHAT?" Terra was losing her patience. That much was obvious.

"I'm not supposed to tell you." Spencer looked directly at her.

"YAAAaaaHH!" Terra's features turned bright red.

"OK. Now she's mad." Terran coward behind his large companion.

Spencer stepped up to her, unafraid of her prominent anger. "Terra. Stop." He looked keenly into her face, wavering in neither his gaze nor his acute demeanor.

She fumed at him. "Bite me."

"I will if you want." It wasn't a challenge, but she took it as one.

"Asshole!" She swung at him.

He deftly blocked the on coming distraction blow and searched for the real move. She didn't telegraph it as most would, but he saw the roundhouse kick long before it hit his head. He easily avoided it. His keen senses saw the finger tip strike questing for his shoulder. He side stepped and the hand went directly in front of his chest. She wasn't aiming to kill him or she would have gone for his neck. Her other arm came across with her elbow cocked for a direct hit on his temple. He bent at the knees allowing the attempt to sail harmlessly over his head. She tried one more time. With every ounce of power she had, she drew the same elbow straight back trying to catch him while he was straightening his legs. He put out one large hand and simply caught the offending joint. He wasn't even breathing hard. Terra, on the other hand, was huffing, mostly with anger

"Hhuhhuhow did you do that?" She stared at his hand as it kept her elbow prisoner.

He smiled slyly and released her. "Magic."

"No. Spencer, how did you do that? No one has ever....." She wasn't sure how to get to the point.

"Lived to talk about it?" He finished her sentence.

She took a deep breath full of control. "Yeah." She looked to the ground, replaying the practiced moves in her mind. It didn't compute.

"Terra, look at me." She reluctantly looked up at him. "Understand this. I know you. I know every move, every breath, ever idiosyncrasy that is yours. We are the same flesh and blood whether you like it or not." He leaned in and placed a quick kiss on her forehead.

She squinted at him. *Who is this guy?*

"I'm your brother." He grinned knowingly at her.

All she could do was shake her head. A new respect was a good definition of the emotions she had for him. That mixed with a little awe. He had flowed around her as if she weren't moving at all, reading her moves and her mind. She looked to find Terran.

Frightened by the activity of the other two, he had shrunk back into the underbrush.

"Terran? Hey, Ter?" Terra found the hiding man shivering with his arms wrapped tightly around him. The tall woman was crushed by the sight, knowing the cause of his reaction. "Oh, Terran." She bent to him as she reached a tender hand to his head. "I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to frighten you." He shrunk from her touch.

Spencer was crouching directly behind her. "It's OK, Ter."

She moved away letting him in closer. If it were her, she knew who she'd rather have close to her.

The large white haired man moved in close to Terran. He didn't move. Spencer whispered to him softly. "It's OK, baby. Come here." He held his hands wide to allow Terran into them if he chose.

"Yyyyou wwon't hurt me?" He buried his forehead in his knees.

"No. I would never hurt you, Terran. It's me. Remember?" Spencer put a hand on his arm. Terran relaxed visibly under the touch. Spencer continued to caress his arms, helping him to relax. Looking over his shoulder, Spencer caught the gaze of his sister. They shared guilty emotions.

"I'm sorry, Spencer." Terra spoke to her brother. "It's just......well..nevermind." She stood up.

Spencer stayed where he was, comforting his friend. "You're upset because I just waltz in here all high and mighty. You think I want to steal your friends away from you. You're the one that saved Terran and I just take off with him. I got it, Ter. It's the way it's always been. I'm not here to take your friends. I'm here to be yours."

"Then why are you hiding things from me?" She wasn't sure she trusted everything he said about his desire for friendship but the way he described how she felt was right on.

"Always to the point, eh Terra? I'm not hiding anything. If you really want to know I'll tell you, but it involves both of you, you and Skye, and I think you both need to be there when we discuss it."

She thought long and hard about the words. "OK. For now." She gave him a look full of doubt. She didn't care for dealing with the Godlike beings any more than Xena. She didn't want to know what they had to do with the Fates and she really wasn't sure she wanted to find out.

"Terran? Honey, can you come out now?" Spencer spoke softly trying to speak to his heart. Emerald eyes were unsure. "It's OK. I promise I won't ever touch you unless you want it. Deal?"

"Aaaarre yyou ttoww dodone? Pppplease, don'tt hhuhhuhurt eeach other." Large tears streamed down his face.

"We won't, Terran. I promise." Terra spoke her vow to the young ex-slave. "I'll never do it again. As a matter of fact, I will defend him should he require it. I doubt that he ever will, but one never knows does one?" She laughed lightly in an attempt to lighten the mood.

"Nno. Oone never does." Terran wiped his eyes and put a hand on Spencer's large shoulder. "Help me."

The broad chested, newly named Spencer helped his soulmate to his feet then took him into a fierce embrace. "God, I'm so sorry."

"You guys scared me." He mumbled into Spencer's shoulder. Terra ruffled the hair on his head.

"We won't do it again." She inclined to him and kissed his head sweetly.

Familiar eyes met hers. "OK."

"You know guys, this isn't getting much hunting done." The Xena twin reminded them of their true purpose for being out here.

"I almost had a nice buck, but Terran decided he would rather I didn't kill it."

"I see. He and Skye need to talk. However, we need food. So, if you don't mind, Ter, we are going to track that bad boy and see where he's off to."

"Bad boy? The deer is bad? Then why do we want to eat him? If he is bad, won't he make us sick?"

Terran was now full of queries.

"Has anyone ever told you that you ask too many questions?" Terra looked at him. He was just like Skye. No doubt they were related.

+?````````````````````````.

The trek back to Amazon head camp had been truly uneventful. The Guard had secretly hoped for a few bad guys to vent some of their still seething frustrations on. That they had lost some of their sisters in the battle saddened and angered them deeply. Revenge on anyone at this point sounded good. The trainers would need to keep a close eye on the practice rings for the next few weeks. The escort for their fallen comrades was several hours behind them and most likely would not make it in until late in the morning of the next day. Candace and Gabrielle expected the rest of the camp by sundown tomorrow. The funeral for all fallen would be an all day affair the day after next. Any negotiations had to be finished by tomorrow at mid day or early afternoon at the latest.

The sun was beginning to draw long shadows across the landscape as the royal band made it's way into the compound. Most of the camp came to meet and greet them with a hero's welcome. They were the first of the war party to come home.

Gabrielle had sent word ahead to Rian that they would be in soon. The great warrior had missed the battle due to a broken leg from an unfortunate fall off a sheer cliff face. Candace had called her an adrenaline junkie for the climbing she did. It was often that Taylor went with her, much to the chagrin of the co-Regent. Needless to say Rian was not pleased with the injury's timing.

The Regent's had also sent word ahead of those fallen. The list was given to Lineah who in turn delivered it to the Queen. It wasn't as if Ephiny hadn't gone through enough already due to the army of Creighton. She was pleased in a vengeful way that the evil man had gotten his due. The problem now was that soon time would be set right and she herself would be in the land beyond. To her it was a small price to pay for the return of her lover to the land of the living. Senar deserved a full life with a woman that could love her as she did. She prayed that would happen.

"Lineah, please call these women to the Queen's Chamber as soon as Candace and Gabrielle arrive." Ephiny looked with great seriousness at her daughter. "I'm sorry to have to have you do this."

"Mom, it's OK. I know that it will one day be my responsibility to tell them that their loved ones are passed." The mature teenager gently hugged her mother and placed a soft kiss in her hair. She whispered to her mother and her queen. "I love you, Mom. I'm sorry you lost mother. I wish.....I wish I could help you."

Ephiny turned to face her youngest daughter. She took the girl's face in her hands. "Oh, honey. I love you so very much. You have done more than I could have hoped for. Everything you do, the way you walk, talk, and sometimes the look in your eye brings her back to me just for a second. And sometimes....that's enough. Thank you."

"You don't need to thank me for being like her. It is my honor." Lineah spoke her heart to the mother who sacrificed her very life for her nation.

"You are definitely her child, Lin." The queen put a solid hug around Lineah's shoulder. Ephiny was amazed and thankful everyday that the Gods had blessed her life with the beauty of her daughters.

"I am yours as well, Mom. I only hope I can be a great a leader as you." She smiled up at her mother.

"You know your sister won't want to be queen, don't you?" She wasn't surprised. Her daughters knew each other better than she knew them. Certainly they had talked about it.

"Of course. She is to be my Champion." She nodded at the queen. They had never discussed it with their mother, but the girls knew how things would go.

"You think so?" Royal eyebrows raised.

"We have talked about it." Lineah looked down at the floor then back up to her mother.

"You have?" She didn't know whether to be shocked or thrilled.

"Since we were very young. We used to play a game where I was the Queen of the nation she was my Champion. Now she is Champion. She will never give up the honored place Mother held."

"Until you find a mate."

"No. Krista is the best warrior that there is, save Xena. If I am to be Queen I will choose a consort, but the position of Champion belongs to my sister. She holds the position unless one can defeat her. I doubt that will happen. Even Jules cannot stand against her. It's logical."

"Of course. Leave it to you to have inherited Senar's logic. Run along and gather these women to the Chambers. I will be along shortly." Lineah turned to the door. From the back, from the breadth of her shoulders she looked just like Senar. Ephiny's heart warmed for short moment. "Lin?"

The Princess turned with grace. "Yes?"

"Be gentle with them. Their world is about to be shattered." She sighed heavily as she recalled when they had carried her lover's body to the camp. Her world had been broken into millions of pieces that day.

A perceptive emotion crossed the young face. "I will, mother."

"Very well. If you see Candace or Gabrielle ask them to come see me."

"Both or just any one of them I may catch?" She kept a straight face.

"If you can catch one of them that will be enough. But please, don't make a spectacle of chasing Regents through the camp." She remained stoic as well.

"Of course, your Majesty." She bowed trying not to laugh. A small smile crept across her lips even as she left the hut.

Ephiny smiled after her youngest daughter. Thank the Gods they all had each other. Were it not for them, she had doubts she could endure. She sighed again and did what she called royal puttering. Moving things around the hut from here to there and back again. She still refused to sleep in their wedding bed. It broke her heart knowing that they would never again share it. She had requested a new bed made for her, but what she had gotten was a work of art. The woodworkers had truly out done themselves with the intricate carvings. It was more than she could have asked for or even wanted. She ran an errant finger across the deep patterns. A sound at the door caught her attention. She turned to find both of her friends awaiting her.

"Candace! Gabrielle! It is so good to see you safe!" She rushed to the two women, enfolding both.

The returning Regents returned the embrace with vigor. Gabrielle spoke her greetings first. "We would never let you run the show by yourself, Eph."

"Nor would I ever want to."

"So why did you send for us?" Candace had wanted to see their friend she didn't expect a call from the queen.

"There is an assembly to be held in private chambers in few minutes. I want you to be there." She didn't expound further.

Gabrielle looked at her companion with dread. That Candace didn't understand was evident in her frown. "Why are you having a meeting this late in the day?"

"Candace, we have to inform the wives and families of those lost. It is the responsibility of the court to attend." Gabrielle met her eyes in all seriousness.

"Of course. How horrid. Not that we have to do it, but those women lost their....." She stopped and looked to their queen. "I'm sorry Eph. I didn't mean t....."

Ephiny waved off her apology. "I know what I lost. It will make it easier for me to help them through this awful time. If we don't go through first, there won't be anyone on the other side to guide them through as well. I hate that I lost Senar, but in her honor I will help those in need. Let's go."

=/~~~~~> =/~~~~~>

Candace threw herself on the bed with her arm covering her eyes. She never wanted to go through that again. War sucked. She knew that things in time would be set right, but that didn't make it any easier now. "God, Gab! That was awful. I don't ever experience anything like that again."

"I know. Can you imagine.." Gabrielle started the sentence that would never be finished.

Candace sat quickly up from the bed. "NO! And I never want to have to. I don't know how I would go one without any of you. And Taylor?" Tears welled up. "I wouldn't want to live."

"Trust me. I understand. When I lost Xena I didn't think I'd ever be the same. Thank the Gods she was returned to me." Gabrielle contemplated the loss of her warrior with a heavy heart. "Enough of this. We could dig ourselves so in a funk so deep they'd never find us in the morning." The Regent looked at the empty tub in the corner of the room. They needed to relax. "Bath?"

"That sounds like heaven. Have them draw it and I'm going to go find a snack. Do you want anything to eat?" Candace asked and innocent question. The reply she received was far from it. The look in the other Regent's eyes displayed quite clearly her desire to eat. Candace approached Gabrielle. Eye to eye they made a meaningful contact. The emotions they had experienced in the private chambers of the queen created an atmosphere that boded well for passion. When one is faced with death head on, it's sometimes necessary to prove love and life to those who held your heart. The two Regent's felt that now.

Candace spoke to break the tension. "You know how I feel about you, right?"

The heat generated between them was palpable. Gabrielle answered her steadily. "Of course. We shared a body. I know everything about you. I was there every time you made love to my wife." The bard moved in for the kill. "I watched every time you touched her here." Her hand trailed a path down Candace's naked shoulder, across her bicep, down the rippled forearm to her hand.

Candace eyes watched the determined hand staking claim to her body. She swallowed hard and brought her gaze back up to meet the fire in the eyes of the woman before her.

"I was there when you kissed her here." Gabrielle leaned in and trailed a light tongue caress up the side of her neck. She planted a firm kiss right behind a delicate ear. Candace breathed out heavily through her nose. Gabrielle continued her assault. "I felt it every time you reached between her legs and put your fingers...," the golden blonde woman made a path up the inside of a very firm thigh to the material covered apex of Candace's sex, "here." With practiced expertise she found the freshly swelling bundle of nerves that would make turning back impossible.

A soft groan escaped Candace's lips. "Am I to take it that you enjoyed watching?" She pushed her mound into the caress.

Gabrielle looked down, watching her arm move with the undulations of her hidden fingers. "Oh yeah." She wasted no time in capturing Candace's mouth in a burning kiss. Strong arms snaked around her shoulders as Candace searched for support. Gabrielle tenderly bit the bottom lip of the singer. Candace returned the assault with vigor.

Without warning there was a knock at the door. Reluctantly the two women broke apart. "This isn't finished." Gabrielle whispered in Candace's ear. "One minute!" she spoke to the person waiting.

"My God, I should hope not." The wetness between Candace's legs dribbled out the side of her briefs. "Feel this." She guided Gabrielle's hand to her thigh and the wetness there.

Small fingers wiped the wetness away. Gabrielle brought her fingers to her mouth to taste the moisture her touches had started. She licked seductively then kissed Candace hard again. The singer was almost unable to stand. Candace struggled with her words. "Get the door." They stepped away from each other and Candace crossed the room to the window.

"Come!" Gabrielle almost laughed at the word while Candace blushed at the very thought.

Krista stepped through the door eyeing the situation with a knowing glance. There was a tension in the room that one could slice through with a sword. Glancing at Candace she made a quick assessment of the situation. She raised an eyebrow but wisely didn't comment. Looking back to Gabrielle she noted the flush crawling across her chest. *I do not want to know.*

"Your Highness', I wish to thank you for supporting my mother during the assembly. It was a very difficult thing for her as it was a personal reminder of her loss."

"And of yours, Krista." Gabrielle walked the short distance to the brave teenager. She may be the bravest, the strongest, and the fastest, but she had lost her mother and it had to hurt.

The Champion was caught unprepared for the words. Tears welled up uncontrollably. "I...yes." Water fell to the floor as she refused to acknowledge her sorrow.

"Sweetheart, you have to let it go." Candace now approached the Queen's Champion. "Holding in all the anger and grief will only make it worse."

Krista wiped at her nose. Gabrielle got her a cloth from beside the table. She took the tissue. "Thank you. My loss is nothing to be compared with my mother's."

"Krista, look at me. Your loss is as valid and heartbreaking as any other. You lost your mother. Nothing can ever replace her." Candace searched the strong features of the warrior. Despite her earned and well deserved position, she still carried some youth on her cheeks. They were dealing with a young woman struggling with her desire to be strong and her need to be a child grieving for her mother.

Krista gritted her teeth trying to force the tears away. She knew the time would come for her to break down, but now was not it. "I know that the tears will come. Right now I have a funeral to prepare for. Excuse me." She turned abruptly and left the hut. She walked swiftly to the forest's edge and lost herself amongst the trees. A mighty pine would lose its place that night as the warrior vented her anger and some of her sorrow.

Candace and Gabrielle watched her leave with a heaviness in their hearts for the young warrior.

"She'll deal with it in her own time. She reminds me of Xena. So determined to keep it all to herself." Gabrielle contemplated her warrior.

"I never saw that in her. Maybe after she lost you she learned that letting herself feel was in her best interest." Candace smiled at Gabrielle.

"Maybe after she met you she knew it was OK to open her heart and let the feelings flow." Gabrielle gave a meaningful look to the woman that had held the heart of her wife. Come to think of it, she still did. "Are you still in love with Xena?"

The singer felt uncomfortable with the question even though it was obvious to all of them what was happening with them. "Wow! Where did that come from." Candace untied the small string that held her top in place while Gabrielle leaned her head out the door to ask the guard to send someone to fill their bath and bring food.

"I want to know." Gabrielle stepped behind the changing screen.

"Truth?" The signer pulled her top off of her shoulders.

"No. Lie to me. OF course I want the truth." A small chamois was hung over the panel.

Candace unwrapped the leather belt from around her waist. She contemplated the weight of it in her hand before she answered. "Yes. Whoever said you can't love more than one person at a time never met Xena and Taylor, or you for that matter." She spoke over her shoulder.

"I'm glad to hear that." The cotton wrap that was Gabrielle's skirt joined her underwear on the frame.

"Why? I would think that you would be upset by it." Candace stepped behind the screen with Gabrielle before the workers came in with the water.

The former queen's voice lowered to a whisper. "Let me put it to you this way. Are you in love with me?"

"Well yeah, I just said that." The regent took her boots off and placed them on the other side of the partition.

Green eyes looked straight into green. "What about Taylor?"

"There is no question about that. She is my completion." Candace whispered back while dropping her skirt to the floor. She picked it up and folded it neatly.

"So, you're in love with three women." Gabrielle stood naked without fear or shame.

Candace shook her head with it bowed. "Swear to God, I never thought I would ever say this, but yeah, I am."

Gabrielle's' voice was kind in her reply to the revelation. "That's why it's good. Skye was right. I'm in love with you. I have been since I saw you for the very first time."

"We didn't even meet until I got here. How could you...."

Candace quieted as a long stream of women trailed into the hut carrying water pails. It wasn't long before the tub was ready for them.

Gabrielle continued the conversation coming out from behind the curtain with a towel wrapped around her. Candace followed close behind. The bard spoke as she walked to the steaming tub. "I saw you for the very first at the bar playing pool with a bunch of your friends. You had on these little shorts and a sleeveless denim shirt. Drinkin' a beer. The way you stroked that bottle, hoo girl! You would put your mouth to it and suck it down. I watched you while you ran your tongue around the rim, dipping it in, teasing your friends. My Gods! It gave me the sweats."

"You were watching me?" She wasn't sure what to think. Candace tested the water then, setting her towel aside, stepped in.

Gabrielle turned around before she sat in the heated water. She stared hard at Candace trying to convey her meaning. "How do you think I picked you? You were exactly what Xena would find attractive. Small, blonde, tight and sexy. I felt the attraction then. When we were together, I found your heart matched your looks. How could I not fall in love?"

Candace snickered in a way that showed her doubts. "Maybe because you were already in love?" She stood up and rubbed the slick soap over her body. She slid the soap up her thighs then pressed the bar between her legs. Setting it aside she carefully cleansed the folds then reached behind and cleaned all the rest of the good parts.

Gabrielle swallowed hard trying not to let the sight get to her just yet. "Don't you think I knew that?" It was obvious that the emotional turmoil of her love for the singer was something she had struggled with in the past. When Candace had left she had fought the emptiness along with Xena. Now her friend was here. What would she do when they had to leave? Her hand grabbed the soap as she proceeded to bathe as well.

To Gabrielle's relief Candace sat to rinse. "Sorry. I just...look when I left here, left you and Xena, I wanted to die. If it had not been for Taylor, I know I would have. Now." She shrugged. "Now, I have all of you."

"I feel the same way. I have you back with an extra thrown in. I get another Xena in Taylor." Gabrielle laid her head back on the edge of the tub staring at the ceiling.

"That's one way to look at it I guess. What is it with those two anyway?" Candace laughed at the thought of the two tall warriors. She dipped her head back causing her breasts to jut proudly. Her nipples hardened in the coolness of the air.

Gabrielle sat up fast enough to make herself dizzy. "I have no idea, but ooooh. It makes me want to touch myself."

Candace laughed and scooted her body next to the bard. She leaned over to whisper seductively.

"I would love to watch you."

Gabrielle blushed as she looked down at the ripples in the water. She looked back into the green eyes that studied her depths. "That can be arranged." She looked back at the flickering light in the water. Candace's eyes followed her intently. She lifted her head again. "I love you. You know that right?"

Candace kissed her sweetly. "Yeah, I know." She kissed her again. "And strange as it may seem, I love you, too."

"Strange, huh? Am I that bad?" The Regent ran her hand along the top of Candace's thigh.

"That's not how I meant it. I was raised, and you know this, in a time when people had just one spouse at a time for the most part. It wasn't a normal practice to have…… extras." Her hands danced in the air as she tried to explain. She creased her brows trying to help the bard understand.

"Extras. Interesting way to put that. I can tell you this, I never thought that I would ever be willing to share my wife, but with you and Taylor it's like a perfect fit. I wish we could all just up and settle down together."

"Now THAT would be different. You know, I used to have these friends, three guys, that did just that. They were in this threesome relationship, and it worked. They bought a piece of land in Arizona, built a house on it and lived happily ever after. It can work."

"What do you think about us doing that?" Gabrielle kicked her feet causing ripples to rise to the surface of the water.

"I think we are going back to the twenty first century, like it or not." Candace looked into the water trying to hide tears that welled in her eyes.

"Maybe we could ask that you stay." Gabrielle was wishing and hoping beyond hope. It would feel incomplete without Taylor and Candace.

Candace splashed water in her face washing the tears aside. "I don't know Gabrielle. I think it would mess up time more than it already is. I could end up being my own relative." She laughed through her sadness.

The bard giggled with her. "I hadn't thought of it like that." She pondered the prospect further for brief moments. "Let's not think about it now, OK? Right now I have you naked and alone. What more invitation do I need?"

"Invitation? Do you think just because I bathe with you that you can have your way with me?"

"Yes." Gabrielle nipped at the naked shoulder next to her. "I want you, Candace." She paused long enough to move close to Candace's ear. "All of you."

Candace peered into the serious eyes that implored her. Gabrielle meant what she said. Without a single word, the blonde woman from the distant future laid claim to the soft pink lips that had whispered in her ear. The kiss was slow and deliberate. Candace licked agonizingly along Gabrielle's bottom lip. Her lips then captured that full portion of flesh, sucking it in gently. She allowed it to slide slowly out of her mouth.

Gabrielle followed it back to the lips that intoxicated her. She greedily opened her mouth to accept the tongue that assaulted her very senses.

Candace pulled the bard up to her lap. Facing her, Gabrielle lifted her head so the small woman had access to her sensitive neck. Candace took full advantage of the offered flesh. Her mouth plastered searing kisses up the slick skin to the bard's jaw line. Her teeth lightly grazed the strong bone. Her hands pulled Gabrielle closer who in turn wrapped her arms possessively around the singer's strong shoulders. Small hands moved up slowly against the wet flesh. Candace hesitated. She hadn't touched anyone save Taylor and Xena for many years. She rested her forehead on Gabrielle's chest and watched as her own hands engulfed the pert breasts of the willing bard.

"Oh yes!" Gabrielle pushed into the contact.

Candace observed as her thumb and forefinger grasped the hard straining nipples while her palms caressed the underside of the bard's firm breasts. She couldn't restrain herself any longer. She bent to the soft globes attacking with her greedy mouth every spot that wasn't covered with her hands. The singer's mouth suckled at one turgid peak as her hand continued to manipulate the other. Gabrielle moaned her approval.

"Suck harder, baby. Oh yeah.. MMMMM! Haaa." Her hips began to grind it heated desire.

Candace's hands moved around to Gabrielle's back and down. Her small hands grasped the tight rear end that belonged to the bard and scooted forward. Gabrielle's legs instinctively wrapped around the slim waist of her Regent partner. Her blonde curls pressed against Candace's abdomen. Candace moaned with a very full mouth. She spoke as she ran her mouth against Gabrielle's skin. "God, Gab. I never thought I would feel like this."

"Mmmm. And how is that?"

"I just......I need you!" Her mouth returned to the offered breasts. "I want you!"

Gabrielle put a hand on either side of the blonde's face. She persuaded her to look up. She slid off her lap to stand. "Come on." She held the hand of her partner in royalty, leading her out of the tub. On her way out she grabbed a towel. Turning to face Candace she wrapped her in the large soft cloth. Taking the other towel from the hook she wrapped herself as well. Candace moved in close with open arms and enwrapped the bard in a safe haven of warmth and love. Gabrielle laid her head on Candace's shoulder.

"You know they know." Gabrielle lifted her head.

"Yes. Taylor should be on sentry duty right now. I hope we don't kill her." Candace smiled into the emerald eyes of the bard.

"Xe should be in bed soon. If she's not she'll get there in a hurry." Gab stared off into the distance.

"I can just see her....." Candace flushed red at the thought of Xena pleasuring herself.

"Hoo ya." Gab shook her head. She looked back at Candace. "Let's make 'em squirm."

An evil smile crept across the singer's countenance. "Hoooo yaaa." She inclined her head and slowly kissed Gabrielle again. Her towel dropped to the floor. With out breaking away she unwrapped the bard and soon their moist skin touched. Their arms wrapped their bodies tightly together.

"I'm not doing this standing up." The queen turned Regent whispered. Her lips nibbled a tender ear lobe.

Candace sexually cringed at the touch. "Why not? They did."

"Because I want to taste you." Gabrielle licked her behind the lobe she had nibbled.

"Mmmmmm. You can do that standing up." She grinned at the thought of Gabrielle on her knees pleasuring her.

"Yeah. But I wouldn't want you to fall, because when I'm through with you, your legs will be screaming for mercy." Her teeth nipped tender skin.

"Confident are we?" Candace tilted her head for better access.

"You tell me when you're screaming my name."

"I best not scream it too loud."

"Use a pillow." Gab took Candace by the hand and led her to the bed.

Gabrielle felt a resistance behind her as she sat down. She looked to Candace with understanding. "It's OK."

"I know. I just....I don't know." She felt lost but wasn't sure why.

"Lay down with me. That's it if that's all we do, that will be enough." Gabrielle tugged her hand.

"Scoot back." Candace directed with her head. "No. Don't turn over, just scoot back and lay down."

Gabrielle frowned at her but did as she was directed. She laid back on the soft covers. Her eyes closed at the feel of the fresh cloth on her back. She smiled as she sensed Candace crawling up, kneeling over her. She slowly opened her eyes finding deep green looking back at her. There was no hesitation in the gaze she saw. Candace bent to her and they kissed deeply. Gabrielle's tongue requested entrance to the mouth that had seduced her so sweetly. Candace opened her lips allowing the deep search of her very being. Fervor and pulsing desire raced through the contact. Both women moaned.

Candace decided there would be no more waiting for either one of them. She turned her body around so that the bard's sex was within inches of her mouth. Her knees straddle Gabrielle's face. She looked back at Gabrielle with a grin.

The bard laughed. "You're so good." She grabbed a pillow and set it under her head. Before she moved, she let her eyes take in the sensual lines of her companion. Her hands set themselves on soft firm cheeks. She pushed up spreading Candace apart. Wetness glistened temptingly. She succumbed to the temptation that was offered to her. She flicked at a single droplet. The heady taste of the ambrosia spread like honey across her tongue. She kissed at the delicate curls of blonde before her. "Nnnnnnn." Her tongue delved seductively into the folds and ran the tip of it around the yearning opening. She played with the small expanse of skin between the wetness and the small puckered opening just above. Her questing muscle bravely rimmed the tight bud.

Candace pushed back into the contact loving the feel of the invasion. She hissed with pleasure as she felt a strong determined tongue flicker across her now engorged nerve center and down through her own folds. This would never work.

Candace wrapped her hands around strong thighs and ran her tongue hotly along the folds of Gabrielle's pink furrows. She never dreamt of a taste so sweet. It reminded her of a sweet peachy nectar. The very tip of her tongue brushed the very sensitive hood of the bard's clitoris. Gabrielle gasped at the fleeting sensation. The reaction made Candace smile. She pulled Gabrielle's legs apart, watching her sex open in invitation. Her mouth placed soft feathery kisses on the most sensitive areas of the small poet's body. A slight whimper issued from the woman beneath her. "Maybe this isn't such a good idea."

"Don't mooo....oooooh yeeeeah." Gabrielle legs spread wide with need.

Candace smiled. "That's what I thought." She turned around and moved her body down between very strong legs. Her mouth worshiped the soft flesh that covered taut muscles with scorching kisses. She reached the soft down that covered Gabrielle's sex and kissed her with the intimate kiss of a lover. Her mouth sought out the tiny folds of her inner lips. She let her tongue play along their length until they parted under her gentle insistence. She slipped her tongue inside the woman with whom she had shared her very soul.

Gabrielle could feel the intensity growing in her belly. The finale of what had started that afternoon was soon to be reached. She felt strong fingers enter her with screaming purpose. Her heart skipped a steady beat as the mouth that pleased her took jealous possession of her throbbing ridge. She couldn't help the undulating rhythm that took over her body by instinct. She thrust on the fingers that plunged to her depths. Gabrielle slid her hands into Candace's short golden hair while Candace's head slowly drew circles around her throbbing center. Soft butterfly flickering sent her excitement to a new level as a tiny tremble snuck down her spine She was lost to everything around her save the sensations that assailed her sex. Her conscious mind seemed to be seated in the apex of her legs. Candace touched a spot just on the left side of her aching bud.

"Ooh yesss! Right there! Oh yeah ommmmm." Trembling began to overtake her legs. Sparkling crystal desire fluttered through her. She was so close.

Candace knew the signs of her own release and saw them echoed in Gabrielle. With aching slowness she ran the very tip of her tongue along the left side of the bard's hood. She felt the jump in Gab's thighs when she snuck over it. Her small two small fingers were finding a perfect rhythm. She curved them up and Gabrielle cried out. With determined desire, Candace grazed her other hand across tight stomach muscles to a very needy breast. She squeezed the nipple. In desperate response, Gabrielle pushed her hips into the hungry mouth that tortured her.

"GODS! Do it, Candace! Don't....tease .ohhh.... me."

Candace's only answer was to put more pressure and flickering speed on the bard's now uncovered and exposed clitoris. Her tongue never wavered in its intense purpose. Gabrielle tensed under her touch. With a loud groan of release, the explosive power of Gabrielle's sex began to pulse possessively, gripping her fingers. She pushed deeper, seeking the complete depths of the woman that had once known her every secret.

Gabrielle thrust for further contact as her body was wracked with pleasure. Tingles of wicked delight ran roughshod through her legs up to her center. She pulsed from deep within. Her mind and her soul reached out for the completion of her climax. Candace felt the feather light tingling on the perimeter of her being. With little thought or effort she joined her companion in the connection they once shared in life. Through the pulsing sensations, Candace shared the release. She felt the tingling pleasure racing through Gabrielle's body. She felt the fullness of her fingers buried in willing wetness and burning ecstasy as her tongue danced across the bard's tender ridge. She knew within Gabrielle's soul the pleasure she gave and the very love they all shared. She slowly came back to herself as the remainder of the small pulsations rippled through the poet.

Gabrielle sighed full of satisfaction. Small residual shudders crept through her. She smiled at their tingles.

Candace withdrew and crawled up next to the small blonde. Small but strong arms embraced the small bard beside her. Gabrielle turned on her side while the singer snuck behind her. Their bodies spooned together. Candace planted a sweet kiss on Gabrielle's shoulder.

"I want you to know I will always treasure that. Thank you." Candace kissed her soft skin again.

Gabrielle turned over and put fingers to the singers mouth. "Don't say it."

Candace kissed her nose. "Say what?"

"That you're leaving." She dropped her head.

"I'll never say it. But just because I don't....."

"NO! Please, no. OK?" Green eyes plead with desperation.

"OK. We'll stay forever." Candace smiled at her sweetly.

"Good answer."

Candace searched the depths of the sea green eyes that watched her intently. "I love you, Gabrielle. With you, Taylor and Xena, I finally understand who we are."

"Who we are? What do you mean?" Her brows drew together.

"Taylor said it once and I didn't get it. We are love. Together we can defeat the evil that Gods like Ares bring. We are one. As one we are the love that defends against evil. See?" She tried to help Gabrielle understand.

"So all this does have a purpose. We're not just a group of twisted woman swapping wives?" She giggled. "I can see it now. You're right. I love you, too." Gabrielle kissed her soundly.

Candace let out a moan of need. Her body hadn't forgotten the building pressure between her legs.

Gabrielle whispered in her ear. "Fast or slow?" Her hand trailed down letting her fingers roam between short curls. The singer's wet desperation pooled on her fingertips.

"Now." Was the desperate answer.

"I can do that." The tips of her fingers found the slick hooded member, swollen with desire. Small circles ran lightly around the fiery flesh. Candace spread her legs involuntarily as she pushed her hips into the touch. The bard smiled at the action. She kissed Candace's lips once more before her mouth traveled down her neck across her shoulder to the strong pectoral muscle that jumped at her caress. Gabrielle nipped at the skin causing a moan to escape the lips of the Regent. Her mouth finished its course ending up suckling on a tight, very sensitive nipple. She played the hard nub with her tongue back and forth, sucking all the while. Candace groaned. It wouldn't be long before she exploded. Gabrielle's talented fingers played the length of the slick ridge beneath her touch.

"Oh my God! Gabrielle! uuuuunn. Don't stop. Oh yeah! Oh yeah!"

Gabrielle pulled hard on the nipple in her mouth flicking it quickly with her tongue. Candace's clitoris jumped under her fingers. "So sensitive." She used her other hand to assault the puckered flesh with her fingernails.

"Ahhhhhhh Shit!" The words were forced through clenched teeth.

The bard moved back up to Candace's ear. Hot whispers echoed through her. She continued to slowly rub tiny circles on the now aching ridge. "I want you to come for me, but only when I tell you. OK?"

Candace couldn't answer. She just shook her head which was now dripping with sweat.

"Very good." Gabrielle watched the play of emotions criss-cross the singers face with each different touch she made with her hand. She was searching for the singularly most sensitive spot. When she thought she had found it she smiled. She held her hand still as her finger rested agonizingly on that one tiny patch of flesh. Candace grimaced. She couldn't believe the pressure that was building in her loins as the bard sat deadly still, waiting for the exact moment. She wanted to cry out. She growled through her teeth.

"Shhhh. Wait." For several more moments Gabrielle watched the struggle on the singer's face. Sweat was pouring in droplets down her delicate features. Her breath was out of control. Gabrielle slowly moved her hand again.

"Now. Come for me." Her fingers sped up little by little. A small push was all it took.

With a silent scream Candace released with all of her being. Her toes curled with the power as she was devoured from with in. The pulsations went up her calves through her thighs to the very center of her being. Then she did cry out.

"Gaaaaaahhhddd!!! Oh Ohhhh! Mmm. Mmm. Mmm. Mmm." A moan emphasized each pulse as it wracked her body. Gabrielle bent to her center and placed her mouth on the already jumping flesh. Her tongue flicked out across the very tip under the hood. Candace grasped the bed covers for all she was worth. A second orgasm ripped her apart. More intensely than the first, it raced through her. Light danced in bright halos behind her eyes. She was lost in another world. A world of divine pleasure. She reached out to her soulmate. She found Taylor and shared with her the power of love.

The tall warrior crumpled to her knees. She felt all the pleasure and power running in bright crystals through her very soul. Tears came to her eyes. "Oh my God!" She screamed her lover's name. "CAAAANDAAACE!" The name echoed through the surrounding forest.

Xena heard the warrior's cry and experienced from her bed the essence of the singer's release as she let go of her own.

They were beginning to understand.

=/~~~~~~~~~~~~~~>

TBC>>>>>>>>>>. Ok deep breath. Feel better? Me, too!