Subtext: We definitely are subtext writers.
Copyright: Universal/MCA owns Xena, Gabrielle, Argo, and Joxer. Karena and Red Hope own the story line, so do not touch it!
Time Frame: Fifth season based.
Started: December 7th 2000, Thursday
Chapter Five: Bedtime
Gabrielle was silent while she leaned against the tree, she stared into the fire.
Xena sheathed her sword after having sharpened it for half a candlemark. She glanced over at her partner and studied her profile. She decided it was time to play with her friend and see what kind of reactions she would get. With a glance, she noted Joxer already settled into bed with soft snores. She stood up quietly.
The warrior-bard hadn't heard her friend moving about so she jumped out of her skin when the warrior sat down beside her. "Gods, Xena…" she rasped lowly.
The older woman chuckled and settled down beside her partner. "Sorry." She smiled softly at the younger woman. "Tired?"
"Getting there," admitted Gabrielle. "You know, I kinda feel like I am still tired from… from what happened. You know?"
Xena nodded slowly, she knew what her friend spoke of- the crucifixion. "I'm just happy we made it back," she whispered sincerely.
"Me too." The Amazon Queen smiled at her best friend before her attention went back to the fire.
"Hmmm, you were an amazing archangel," mentioned the warrior.
Gabrielle peeked up at the other woman from the random comment. "You're serious?"
Xena grinned. "Oh yeah. Those wings were cute," she teased.
"Whatever." The warrior-bard patted her friend's thigh.
"Are you calling me a liar?" challenged the Warrior Princess.
Gabrielle giggled quietly. "No." She leaned against her friend. "It was just random that you said that."
"Oh, hmmm." Xena nodded and wrapped her arm around her partner's shoulders from behind. "Can't I compliment my warrior?" Her deep voice emphasized the 'my' in her words.
The younger warrior lifted her glowing spring eyes to her friend. "I don't think I have much choice in the matter," she whispered. She'd certainly picked up on the strong ownership her friend had given.
"No you don't," teased the tall woman. "Come here." She shifted and leaned against the tree now and pulled her friend's head down into her lap.
The blond warrior folded her hands together over her stomach and settled her head in her friend's lap. "Hmmm, this is nice," she murmured and closed her eyes.
Xena chuckled and begun slowly running her fingers through the short blond hair. "These are nice leathers you picked out," she casually mentioned.
"I didn't think you had noticed," teased the warrior-bard.
"How couldn't I?" whispered the Warrior Princess in a sensual voice.
Gabrielle opened her eyes instantly and looked up to try and confirm her suspicious of her friend's passionate voice. She studied blue eyes that were rather calm and unreadable. Is she flirting with me or not? Hell if I can tell. "What's that suppose to mean?" she whispered in hopes to get her partner to reveal more.
The dark warrior chuckled and grinned. "Exactly what it sounds like… you look good in them."
The warrior-bard knitted her eyebrows together. "You're a piece of work," she joked as a grin spread across her lips.
Xena laughed softly and stopped stroking her friend's hair. She placed her hand down on Gabrielle's chest. "Feel like getting some sleep?" she asked quietly.
"Not yet," whispered Gabrielle. "Are we traveling bright and early tomorrow?"
The older woman shrugged. "Doesn't matter either way." She moved her fingertips over her friend's chest lightly. "I take it you want to sleep in?" She revealed an evil grin.
"You know me too well." The Amazon Queen gave her own grin and reached for her friend's free hand. She grasped the larger hand and held onto it. "You know, I was scared I wouldn't get you back from Hell," she whispered.
Xena swallowed and nodded. "Me too," she admitted quietly. She smiled but a bit sadly. "But we made it." She traced her fingertips along her friend's collarbone. "Right?"
"Yeah," whispered Gabrielle and her eyes drifted shut. She shivered from the sensation of Xena's touch on her chest. "Xena?" she uttered and opened her eyes.
The warrior's fingertips stop traveling right along the edge of her friend's leather top. "Yes?" she whispered in a silky voice.
The Amazon Queen closed her eyes as the battle of control waved through her. "I can't…" she trailed off but began sitting up.
Xena was surprised by the action and very scared she'd done something wrong. She quickly made a decision and pushed her friend back down in her lap. "Its okay," she reassured quietly and smiled. "Relax," she whispered warmly. She watched as the remains of the fear disappeared from her friend's eyes. She removed her hand from Gabrielle's chest and went back to stroking her hair.
Gabrielle chewed her lower lip as she debated on what to say. "Why so physical?" she whispered so quietly that she had to wonder if Xena even heard her.
The Warrior Princess sighed and brushed blond hair behind her friend's ear. "Because I almost lost you somewhere between Heaven and Hell."
"And you've almost lost me somewhere between a lava pit and a fire pit but you never were as physical," stated Gabrielle.
"You're rubbing off on me," joked the warrior.
The small warrior curved an eyebrow up. "Really?"
Xena grinned and replied, "Later huh?" She caressed her friend's cheek. "Get some sleep."
Gabrielle sighed because she knew she wasn't going to get any real answers… just yet. "On you?" she mocked.
The tall woman smirked. "If I do recall you were the one that wanted to sleep on me."
"Not if you don't want me to," muttered Gabrielle as she considered sitting up again.
"I do," stated the older warrior. "So don't worry." She received a chuckle from her tiny friend. "How about you let me get my armor off and you can take care of the bedroll huh?"
"Sounds good." Gabrielle sat up but found herself on her knees. She faced her friend, leaned in, and hugged her tightly.
Xena was caught off guard for a second but quickly hugged her partner back strongly. "You okay?" she whispered when the Queen pulled back.
"Yeah, just needed a hug." The warrior-bard winked and stood up. She proceeded to get their bedroll ready.
The Warrior Princess took her armor off and strolled over to the bedroll that Gabrielle already laid in. She settled her armor down on the ground then placed her weapons close by. "Sais?" she motioned to them in the smaller warrior's boots.
"Whoops." Gabrielle laughed sheepishly, propped her legs up, and extracted them. "Not use to having them quite yet." She rolled onto her side and placed them near the bedroll. When she rolled back into her position, Xena was laying down. "Hi," she greeted shyly.
"Hi," replied the warrior with grin. She raised an eyebrow in question. "How would you like your warrior pillow?" she joked.
"Hold on, lets do some trial and error," taunted the warrior-bard.
"Oh wonderful," grumbled the warrior before she soon found the small woman crawling on her. "Gabrielle," she growled, however she was grinning from ear to ear.
The Amazon Queen settled on top of her friend and sighed contently. "This is perfect." She folded her arms on top of her friend's chest. "Oh yeah." She snuggled her body down into the large, leather clad, warm body. "Perfect."
Xena laughed quietly and brought her arms around her companion. "Happy?"
"Very." Gabrielle lowered her head onto her arms and closed her eyes. "Why didn't we do this sooner?"
"Because my idea of waking up to a sore back everyday isn't fun," mocked the older woman.
"Old woman," taunted the warrior-bard.
The warrior blew at her panther black bangs and said, "Yeah, couple of gray hairs."
"Whatever," retorted the small woman. "Gray hairs my ass." She sighed dramatically. "Go to sleep," she ordered.
Xena laughed, reached over, and pulled the fur blanket over them. "Thought that was my line."
"Key word; was," teased Gabrielle. "Goodnight, Xena."
"Sleep well, Gabrielle."
"Hmmm, I will." And to emphasize her point, she snuggled her body more into her friend's.
The warrior smiled softly. "I know," she whispered, lifted her head and kissed her partner's head.
Gabrielle raised her head up after the gentle kiss. She had a confused look.
Xena just smiled.
The Amazon Queen smiled back and rested her head back down.
Xena closed her eyes with her smile never faltering. She quickly went to sleep just as Gabrielle did.
Chapter Six: Towards Amphipolis
Queen Karena
Gabrielle felt the warm rays of the sun slide gently across her face. She burrowed deeper into her bedroll to avoid the inevitable wakeup call. A deep chuckle entered into her consciousness. My bedroll is chuckling. Gabrielle shook her head to clear the cobwebs. Something definitely wasn’t right. She slowly opened one eye and found herself staring into Xena’s beautiful blue eyes. Memories of the previous night helped her realize that Xena was her bedroll. What exactly did I snuggle into then?
Gabrielle quickly looked down. Both her hands were gripping onto Xena’s breast. A blush quickly spread up into her face. She could even feel the tips of her ears burning.
"Have a nice sleep, did we?" Xena laughingly asked.
Gabrielle could only nod.
Xena was thoroughly enjoying her friend’s embarrassment. She had been laying awake just enjoying the feeling of Gabrielle being so close when she had begun to sense Gabrielle’s journey to wakefulness. Then suddenly her breasts had been grabbed and Gabrielle’s head had burrowed into her cleavage. Xena could not get over the jolt this has given her. She had felt it right down to her toes. She knew she should have extradited herself from Gabrielle but she just couldn’t bring herself to do it.
"Do you think you could let me go now? We do have to get Amphipolis sometime today." Xena purred her request into Gabrielle’s ear. She felt Gabrielle’s body shudder.
Gabrielle suddenly realized what Xena had said. She quickly removed her hands from Xena’s breasts and swiftly sat up. She put her wayward hands onto her thighs and sheepishly looked down at Xena.
"Sorry about that." She got the rest of way up and offered her hand to Xena.
"Nothing to apologize for. I thought it was a lovely way to wake up. Feel free to do it again." With that, Xena grabbed Gabrielle’s hand and hauled herself up. With a smile and a wink she grabbed the soap and headed down to the lake.
Gabrielle just stood there watching Xena disappear to the lake. Feel free to do it again. What was she referring to when she said that? Before she had time to think about it more deeply she heard Joxer start to stir behind her. Her mind went into automatic as she started the early morning chores. In no time she had a fire blazing and water on for some tea.
"Joxer, please keep an eye on the fire while I go and wash up." Gabrielle asked Joxer distractedly. Her mind was still mulling over the events of this morning.
"No problem, Gabby." Joxer watched Gabrielle head off to the lake. He was quite pleased to have this time to himself. He still found it difficult to believe that Gabrielle didn’t love him back. In all his fantasies her not loving him had not really been an option. Maybe she is just confused and using Xena as an excuse. Now that she knows I love her it will just be a matter of time before she realizes it is me that she loves. I will just show her how much I love. Joxer started humming his theme song. He felt better now that he had worked out the problem. He would just make sure that he stayed close to Gabrielle.
Gabrielle arrived at the lake just as Xena was emerging from her bath. The sight took her breath away. She would never get over just how incredibly beautiful Xena was. Her body was such a contradiction of strength and softness. Her eyes slowly traversed Xena’s naked body until they reached her face. Xena smiled at Gabrielle as another blush slowly crept up Gabrielle’s face. She smiled back at Xena, embarrassed to have been caught staring.
"The water is reasonably warm. We will head off to Amphipolis as soon as you have washed up. We can eat travel rations as we go. This way we should be at Mom’s inn for lunch." Xena made no mention of noticing Gabrielle staring at her body.
"Sounds good to me. It will be great to see Cyrene again." Gabrielle was pleased that Xena hadn’t teased her. Her equilibrium was just a bit out of kilter and she needed to regroup. This morning’s conversation had definitely thrown her. However, it also gave her hope that her declaration of love, when she finally made it, would not be received badly.
"There is water on the fire so why don’t you make us some tea while I quickly wash up. And go easy on the honey this time, Miss Sweet Tooth." Gabrielle couldn’t help giving Xena a friendly jibe about her habit of putting in lots of honey in their tea.
"I would if you really meant that. But as you drink my tea twice as fast as yours I think your tooth is just as sweet as mine." Xena jumped out of the way just in time as an elbow jabbed at her ribs.
Gabrielle grinned sheepishly at Xena. She did have a relevant point. One that she had hoped Xena hadn’t noticed. But of course Xena would notice. How could she have thought otherwise.
"Move it, my Warrior Bard, the day is a-wasting." As Xena headed back to the campsite she heard joyous laughter then the splashing of water. She stopped behind the bushes and watched as Gabrielle played in the water. It is really good to see her so happy. She is truly beautiful. I hope she doesn’t take too long to tell me how she feels. This could be torture; knowing but unable to do anything about it. But it has to be her move.
Gabrielle felt such a great rush of joy. Xena called me hers. That is the second time in as many days. We definitely need some time alone Xena when we are in Amphipolis. I think it is definitely time for us to have a talk.
Gabrielle finished her bath and jogged back to the campsite. Xena had finished packing up all their gear and loaded it on the horses. She handed Gabrielle her cup of tea with a definite glint in her eye. Gabrielle took a sip and her eyes grew wide.
"Was there any room for the tea in this cup of honey, Xena?" Gabrielle couldn’t believe how sweet the tea was. Xena was such a brat sometimes. Should have known she would get me back for my comment.
Xena burst out laughing. Joxer looked at them both quizzically. "What is going on with you two? You have both been giggling and carrying on all morning. Was there something in the tea I didn’t know about?" Joxer felt quite put out. Neither of them had said hardly anything to him. He really felt like a third wheel.
Both women stared at Joxer in stunned silence. Had they really been acting that way? They both shyly smiled at each other. Yes, they had. Then they burst out laughing. The tears started streaming down their faces.
"Sorry, Joxer," Gabrielle gasped out. "It is just really good to be alive." She walked over to Joxer and gave him a hug. "Let’s head off to Amphipolis and see what wonderful meal Cyrene can cook up for us. I am starved."
Xena warmly watched the way Gabrielle included him. Personally, she would have liked for him to ride one way and them the other. But if it wasn’t for Joxer she would not have known how Gabrielle felt. She would give him some leeway, but when they got to Amphipolis things would definitely be different.
"Let’s move it people. We have a hungry bard to feed." Xena jumped on Argo. Turning to Gabrielle, she threw her some trail rations. "Hopefully this will tide you over until we get there."
Gabrielle eagerly grabbed the rations and started nibbling on them. She climbed onto Horse and followed after Xena.
"Wait up, warrior chums." Joxer clambered onto his horse and trotted up behind Gabrielle. The three friends headed off towards Amphipolis in single file, the road being too narrow to ride any other way.
They had been traveling for a few candlemarks when Xena suddenly stopped. Something seemed out of place. She tilted her head to the right and then to the left. It was the absence of birds that bothered her. She raised her hand to stop the others. In the distance she could hear the sound that she was listening for.
"How many, Xena?" Gabrielle softly asked.
"Six, maybe eight. They are on foot. And from the smell of them they are your typical thugs." Xena smiled at Gabrielle - the joy of a good fight shining in her eyes.
"Don’t hog them all," Gabrielle shot back as she leaned down to remove the sais from her boots.
"You can have anything that you want," Xena saucily replied.
Gabrielle’s eyebrows flew up to her bangs. "Is that a promise?"
"Oh most definitely," purred Xena.
"What about me, what do you want me to do?" Joxer thought this would be a great chance to show Gabrielle that he was the one for her, not Xena.
Turning to Joxer Xena shortly answered. "Stay out of it, Joxer. We can handle this. The last thing we need is you getting injured so closed to Amphipolis."
Before he could argue, eight men came around the corner.
"Well, well, well. What do we have here?" The men were leering at the two women.
"Can’t they ever say anything original, Xena. These lines are getting seriously boring." Gabrielle grinned at her friend.
"Tell me about it. I am sure if these men ever had an original thought it would kill them." Xena smirked back at Gabrielle.
The men weren’t sure what these women were saying but it was obvious they were being insulted. "Get them," yelled the leader of the pack.
"It would appear that you have to be the ugliest to be the leader of this pack," quipped Xena as she intercepted the first man. Xena couldn’t help but smile. There was nothing much she liked more than a good fight.
Gabrielle grinned at her friend. Okay, maybe there is something I definitely like better. Xena smiled back then leapt into action.
It didn’t take long before the leader realized they were outclassed by the two women. He circled his way around the women towards the weak link, Joxer. This is my big chance. Joxer squared his shoulder and clambered off his horse. I will take down the leader and Gabrielle will realise that I am just as good as Xena. The leader only took a moment to disarm Joxer and swung his sword downwards in a killing stroke. Just as the blade was about to strike a pair of sais intercepted the blade and flung it to the side. A foot impacted with his chest and the next thing the leader knew, he was laying on the ground with a short-haired blond woman grinning down at him.
"That was not very nice. Joxer is our friend and I don’t take kindly to people trying to hurt our friends," growled Gabrielle.
Xena leaned against Argo enjoying the view. Gabrielle sure is sexy when she fights. Gabrielle climbed off the leader and he took off running. Looking up, she noticed Xena staring at her with darkened eyes. There was something about her eyes that set her heart racing. Oh, we definitely have to talk, Xena. That absolutely looks like desire in your eyes. Turning to Joxer she held out her hand to help him up.
Joxer could not believe it. His great chance and Gabrielle, of all people, has to save him. Who am I kidding? Of course she would love Xena. The two of them together are absolutely awesome. Joxer sighed as he took Gabrielle’s hand.
"Are you alright, Joxer? He didn’t hurt you did he?" Gabrielle was quite concerned. Joxer seemed awfully quiet.
"No, I am fine. Let’s just go."
Xena and Gabrielle exchanged looks then nodded. There was something up but they would deal with it later. They climbed on to their horses and headed off to Cyrene’s where they knew a nice hot meal would be waiting for them.
Chapter Seven: Arrival in Amphipolis
Red Hope
Xena released her mother slowly and had a smile on her lips as she pulled back. "Its good to see you too, Mother."
Cyrene stepped back and studied her daughter. "You look rather well."
"I am," agreed the warrior, she was about to add more but heard light footfall behind her. She caught her mother's expression suddenly brightening up again.
"Gabrielle," greeted the innkeeper happily. She instantly engulfed her second 'adopted' daughter in a hug.
The warrior-bard laughed and squeezed Xena's mother tightly. "Hi, Cyrene."
The tavern owner quickly pulled back and stated, "Mom, please."
Gabrielle chuckled and corrected herself. "Hi, Mom. How are you doing?"
"Very well," replied Cyrene, and she stepped back again. "Oh you look well too, pumpkin."
The Amazon Queen smiled softly and nodded. "I am, Mom… both Xena and I."
"I've noticed." Cyrene smiled happily but suddenly got a confused look. "Who was the young man that rode in with you?"
"Oh." Gabrielle shook her head and grinned. "That is Joxer."
"That's right, I recall now."
Soon as his name was spoken, he entered in with rattling armor. "Hi… Cyrene?"
Cyrene moved to the young man and said, "Its good to see you again, Joxer."
Before the warrior wannabe could say anything, he was pulled into a hug and it seemed to make him feel a little better.
Gabrielle peered up at her partner and raised an eyebrow.
Xena caught the look so decided to rub her friend's back in reassurance to talk to him later.
"This is wonderful," announced Cyrene and smiled at the group. "How long is everybody staying?"
"We're no sure, mother," stated Xena, "For awhile though."
The innkeeper nodded her approval and put her hands on her hips. "Well then, best that everybody gets settled in. Dinner will be in a candlemark or so."
"Sounds good to me," agreed the Amazon Queen.
"When food is involved anything sounds good to you," chided the warrior.
Gabrielle suddenly rammed her elbow into her friend's stomach.
Xena's eyes bugged out, and she coughed hard.
The warrior-bard smirked up at her partner. "Serves-"
"You right," finished Cyrene in a saucy voice.
The Warrior Princess rubbed her side and asked, "For what?" A small grin touching the corner of her lips.
"Never make jokes about one's appetite," answered Cyrene, "Dangerous thing to joke about."
"I noticed." The warrior huffed and added, "Especially with Gabrielle." Her smirk reappeared.
"Xena," growled the warrior-bard quickly brought up her elbow again.
Xena moved faster, caught her friend's arm, and grabbed her opposite in a quick motion. Without question, she picked up her partner into her arms and cradling her.
"Xena, put me down this is no fair," growled the small woman.
The Warrior Princess grinned at her mother. "And she gets grumpy if she doesn't get enough sleep."
Cyrene laughed and shook her head.
"Xena…" Gabrielle trailed off after catching sight of passion in Xena's eyes.
"Yes?" uttered the warrior.
"Uh…" The Amazon Queen squirmed a little. "Nap time."
"Thought so," teased the tall woman. She glanced at her mother. "We'll be back for dinner."
The innkeeper laugh gently and watched the pair go upstairs.
Joxer folded his arms and huffed before silently walking outside.
Xena's mother watched him briefly and felt an ache in her heart for the young man. "They better talk to him." She sighed and headed into the kitchen.
Gabrielle struggled to get out of her friend's arms some. "Xena, come on I can walk."
The warrior laughed and kicked her bedroom door open. "Do you really want to get out of my arms?" she asked quietly.
The warrior-bard looked up into gentle blue eyes about to answer but thought different. "No," she whispered honestly.
"Uh huh." Xena grinned then winked. She neared the bed's side and bent over it. She suddenly dropped Gabrielle.
"Aaah!" The Amazon Queen hit the bed and rolled into the middle. "Thanks," she muttered.
The warrior smirked before walking to the other side. She sat down and started working her armor off.
"Here." Gabrielle grabbed her friend's hand and lowered them to her lap. "I got it."
"Thanks," uttered Xena and a content sigh escaped her.
The warrior-bard sat behind the warrior and started unsnapping the clasps. "What we doing about Joxer?"
The Warrior Princess shook her head and stared down at her hands. "We need to talk to him." She stretched out her fingers, watching them.
"And about what exactly?" The small woman huffed. "That you and I are suddenly in flirting mode?" Her hands stopped working the clasps, and she closed her eyes while mumbling, "Shit."
A small grin curled up in Xena's expression. "And when aren't we flirting?" she whispered sensually.
"Xena," warned Gabrielle as she went back to unhooking the last clasp. "We're… flirting a lot more now… more openly."
"Hmmm," agreed the warrior. She felt the last claps go undone so she took off her armor. "And you're complaining?" she asked as she turned to her partner.
"Um." Gabrielle sat back, legs propped up, and eyes locked with her friend's. "No," she admitted.
Xena's lips slipped into a warm smile. "Good," she whispered and her eyes lowered into a gentle softness.
The warrior-bard just studied her friend as the silence increased. Without much thought just instinct, she moved to sit on her legs and touched Xena's cheek.
The warrior closed her eyes and leaned into the warm touch.
Gabrielle leaned in gradually and covered her lips over Xena's.
They kissed very slowly at first and with just lips against lips.
The Warrior Princess moved one hand to rest against her friend's side. She released a quiet moan of pleasure.
That's when the short warrior made the kiss stronger.
Xena moaned only again but this time she held both her friend's sides and gave a tug.
Gabrielle moaned at that, she followed the signal and found herself sitting in the warrior's lap. She pulled back from the kiss and just stared at Xena.
The older woman smiled and brushed back short blond hair. She then leaned into Gabrielle.
The warrior-bard opened her mouth when Xena's mouth sealed over hers. She quickly felt Xena's tongue enter into her mouth At the end of the long, hot kiss, she smiled warmly.
The warrior smiled back but more shyly at what happened.
"Oh gods…" Gabrielle's eyes widened, and she practically fell out of her partner's lap but large hands saved her.
"What, what?" asked the warrior, worry filling her.
The Amazon Queen scrambled off her friend and fell down on the bed near the foot of the bed. She was breathing heavy, head dropped forward, and her hand over her chest. "Oh gods…"
Xena shook her head, her heart racing in fear. "Gabrielle, I'm sorry."
"No… no." The warrior-bard held up her hand then just one finger. "Just give me a second." She dropped her hand to her lap and took large breathes followed with gradually releases. "Oh gods." She covered her forehead with her left hand, eyes closing.
Xena brushed back her bangs and whispered, "Gabrielle, I didn't mean anything. I thought…"
Gabrielle nodded and looked up. "No, its okay, Xena." She saw her friend wasn't reassured so she held out her hand and revealed a warm smile.
Xena carefully took the much smaller hand and clung to it. She nodded and asked, "Are you okay?"
The Amazon Queen nodded before lacing her hand through her friend's. "Yeah… that just took me by surprise." She laughed nervously. "Sorry about that."
The warrior grinned at the smaller woman. "Don't be… you kiss real good."
The younger warrior flushed and looked away. "Um thanks."
Xena chuckled and squeezed the small, warm hand. "What's wrong?" she asked in worry.
Gabrielle brought back her attention to her friend. "Nothing wrong… just was fast, ya know?"
The warrior nodded and licked her lips. "I've been instigating things all day," she admitted quietly. "I… I heard what you said to Joxer last night."
"Oh gods… you did?"
The tall woman nodded and rubbed her thumb over Gabrielle's. "I did… thought I'd help you along."
The small warrior-bard laughed and replied, "You did do that." Her head bobbed while she thought. "Um… so exactly what's going on?" She lifted her eyes and locked them on Xena.
The Warrior Princess studied their hands before answering. "Serious talk huh?" She grinned at her partner.
Gabrielle chuckled. "Yes, help me out here, Xena."
Xena sighed and whispered, "I'm… I'm in love with you, Gabrielle." She raised her head and locked her eyes with Gabrielle's. "I have been… for awhile now."
Gabrielle held her mouth closed but just stared at her friend in surprise. She shook her head and asked, "Xena, are you saying…?"
"Yeah," replied the warrior with a tiny grin.
"Oooh gods…" The warrior-bard laughed and felt relief wash over her. "I… I… well…"
"Not really sure," cut in the warrior. Xena pressed her lips together in thought. "Just think about it."
"It?" Gabrielle shook her head and raised an eyebrow. "It as in… having a love relationship with you?"
The Warrior Princess nodded. "You know how I feel… its up to you, Gabrielle."
The Amazon Queen tilted her head and grinned. "The Warrior Princess's girlfriend huh?"
Xena laughed a little herself. "Guess so." She paused then stated, "Just think about it huh?" She gave a sad smile. "I know you need time."
The gentle smile reappeared on the warrior-bard's lips. "I do… and thank you, Xena."
The warrior laughed softly and nodded. "You're welcome."
Gabrielle shook her head, her smile never faltering. She quickly moved and kissed her friend on the cheek. "I do love you, Xena."
"I know," whispered the warrior as she squeezed the small hand. "Take your time, I've waited this long."
The warrior-bard nodded. "Not too much longer though." She squeezed her friend's hand back.
Xena smiled and said, "Let's get some sleep."
"Agreed."
The pair quickly removed their weapons, boots, and crawled into bed.
"Hey?"
Xena rolled onto her back and turned her head to Gabrielle. "Yeah?"
The warrior-bard propped herself up on her elbow and a smug look crossed her expression. "Where's my warrior-pillow?"
The warrior laughed and pulled her friend on top of her. "Better?"
Gabrielle twined her legs with Xena's and replied, "Much." She rested her head on Xena's shoulder and closed her eyes. "We still didn't figure out what to do about Joxer?"
"Later," whispered the older woman. "Time for sleep right now."
"Rrright," teased the Amazon Queen.
"Go to sleep," ordered the Warrior Princess.
Gabrielle laughed but fell silent and let herself drift off while being kept safe in her friend's arms.
Chapter Eight: Confessions all round
Queen Karena
Gabrielle did not remain asleep long. Her mind was in turmoil over what Xena had said to her. This was moving a lot faster than she expected. Is it moving faster than I want? She knew that Xena would wait for her but did she want to. She could still feel Xena’s lips on her, her tongue inside her mouth, the fire burning through her body as a result. That was what had scared her. She had never experienced anything close to that. Her one night for Perdicus was seriously lacking if this was any indication.
She looked down at her best friend, her confidant. Am I ready for the next step? She thought back over the last few days. It had felt good when they were flirting. More importantly, it had felt right. As did laying here in Xena’s arms. So what’s the problem? I am scared it will change things and I will end up losing her completely. That is always a possibility even if we don’t take this final step. Then again, our commitment to each other is such that everyone thinks we have anyway. Except Joxer. Okay, I don’t think I will go there just yet. Xena and I will sort that little problem out later.
"What are you thinking about?" Xena had woken up to feel Gabrielle’s eyes on her. She could tell Gabrielle was deep in thought. Part of her wasn’t sure whether she should interrupt or not, but the majority of her wanted to be there for Gabrielle.
"Us … Joxer ..." Gabrielle didn’t mean to be so vague and gave an apologetic smile down at Xena. "Well, not much about Joxer actually. Decided you and I could work that issue out later."
"Mmmm, I definitely do think we need to. He is not coping with … us at all." Xena caught herself at the last moment. She didn’t want to pressure Gabrielle or make assumptions about any changes in their relationship.
Gabrielle had picked up the slip and realized how hard this must be on Xena. She had been brave enough to say all that was in her heart. She gently caressed the side of Xena’s face. Let’s be honest here, you coward. You want this as much as Xena does. You’re just scared because you have no idea what to do. Just be open with her. No more secrets. With that insight, Gabrielle knew what she had to do.
"Yeah, he always thought that once he confessed his love that I would become his. Unfortunately, he couldn’t see what half of the known world already has. I am yours. I always have been and I always will be." Gabrielle watched Xena as the words sunk into. Her eyes lit up like a child at solstice and her smile could have lit up the whole room. "I love you, Xena, with all that I am." She sealed her words with a very thorough kiss that left both of them panting.
"Are you sure about this, Gabrielle?" Xena had no intention of doing anything that Gabrielle didn’t want. She was happy for everything to move at Gabrielle’s pace.
"I am sure that I love you, yes. I am sure that I am in love with you, yes. As to what we do about it. In that, I don’t have a clue. I would like to take that part of our relationship slowly, if that is okay with you. But I do want there to be an ‘us’. I want to be able to flirt with you, to snuggle into you, to kiss you, without hesitation or fear. And I know my body definitely wants to do all those things and more. I just don’t want to rush into it. I want to savor the change." Gabrielle punctuated every statement with a light kiss to different parts of Xena’s face. After the last comment, she light kissed her lips.
Xena lightly kissed Gabrielle back then pulled her tighter against her body in a bone-crushing hug. "I love you, my warrior-bard. And I want all those things too. You set the pace, my love, and I will happily follow." She released Gabrielle from her hug and let out a very contented sigh. "Do you want to talk about Joxer now?"
"Nope, I am going to just relax into my very comfortable pillow and doze to the sound of your heart beating." Snuggling in deeper, she closed her eyes. It did not take long for Gabrielle’s breathing to even out.
Xena just held onto Gabrielle as she slept. She had no desire to move at all. She could not imagine a time when she was happier. Every now and then she kissed the head of her precious cargo. When the sun slowly started to sink into the horizon Xena knew it was time to rouse her partner.
"Gabrielle … Gabrielle, time to wake up." She gently shook Gabrielle in the hopes of waking her up. Instead, Gabrielle just tightened her arms around Xena and continued sleeping.
Xena considered tickling her awake then changed her mind. She didn't want to startle her. Well, not today anyway. So instead she used her hands to massage her into wakefulness. The patterns she created over Gabrielle's back were feather-light but broad. She also placed butterfly kisses on the side of Gabrielle's face that was exposed. Xena noticed the change in Gabrielle's breathing at the same time that Gabrielle started moving into the caresses. The unexpected result was Gabrielle slowly gliding over Xena's body as she arched her back. Xena breathing quickened and her body came to full alert. This was not what she had in mind when she had decided on this particular technique. The soft moans coming from Gabrielle indicated that it was obviously having a similar effect on her. Slow. Slow. She wanted slow. Xena knew that desperate measures were necessary to maintain any semblance of control. Unfortunately her mind was coming up completely blank as to what these measures could possibly be. Kiss her. She wasn't sure where that thought came from but who was she to argue. She quickly leaned down and captured Gabrielle's lips. Gentle at first, the kiss suddenly deepened when Gabrielle returned it with fervor.
Gabrielle could not believe the sensations that were racing through her body. She had actually woken up when Xena had started playing with her back but it was so nice she didn't want it to end. However, her body had wanted further contact and Gabrielle had seemed powerless to stop it. She knew she had been the one who wanted it to go slowly but she didn't want the feelings to end. Then Xena had kissed her. Although enjoying the gentleness at first, Gabrielle quickly wanted more. She wanted to share with Xena all the feelings that were currently racing through her body. Her hands entangled themselves into Xena's hair as she deepened the kiss. The sound of Xena's moaning heightened the pleasure she was feeling.
Xena suddenly broke the kiss and looked into eyes filled with such passion that it stopped her breath. It took all her willpower not to reclaim those lips. But Gabrielle had said, slow and she was going to ensure that happened, no many how cold baths would be required. She let her eyes show all the love she was feeling for Gabrielle and watched as Gabrielle's eyes gradually followed suit.
"What a wonderful way to be woken up. And thanks for pulling us back there. I don't know if I could have stopped by myself." Gabrielle really did appreciate what Xena had done even though her body was calling her all the names under the sun.
"I would just like you to know that my body is not very happy with my mind at the moment. But a quick bath should sort that problem out." Though Xena sounded exasperated, the loving smile was enough for Gabrielle to know that there was no recrimination here.
"I would suggest joining you but that may very well defeat the purpose." Even though Gabrielle was teasing she knew that if they were to recommence again, there would be no stopping next time for either of them.
Xena chuckled at Gabrielle's comment. "I think individual bathing would be a good idea at the moment. I will go first to give you time to wake up completely and then we will go down and grab some dinner." With that, Xena gently lifted Gabrielle off her body and laid her down on the bed beside. She lent over and chastely kissed Gabrielle on the lips before vaulting off the bed. "See you shortly."
Gabrielle watched as Xena grabbed a towel and headed off to the bathing room. That really was a wonderful way to wake up. Climbing off the bed, she grabbed the saddlebags and sorted out some clean clothes. The fears she had earlier seemed really inconsequential now. All she had really needed was some time to make the transition in her head from friends to lovers. Somehow I don’t think this is going to go anywhere near as slow as Xena thinks I want. Of course, now I am going to have to deal with her iron control but that could be fun as well. Gabrielle laughed softly to herself. It was just so good to finally be able to acknowledge their feelings and build from there. On that happy note she grabbed her own towel and headed off after Xena. Just because we can't bathe together, doesn't mean I can't watch. Bit of tension never hurt anyone.
Xena had just settled into the tub when the door burst open and in walked Gabrielle, wearing nothing but a towel.
"Gabrielle … what are you doing in here?" growled Xena. She was only just starting to get her body to calm down and the last thing she needed was Gabrielle in here heating it all up again.
"Relax, I am not going to jump in there with you, no matter how much I would love to." Gabrielle saucily winked at Xena as she walked past. "I just figured we needed to sort out this stuff with Joxer before we go downstairs. I will fill up the other tub then we can discuss our plans to deal with it."
Xena was secretly pleased to have Gabrielle’s company. She missed her as soon as she had walked out the door. It had taken all her reserves to stop herself from going back and grabbing Gabrielle. It was also quite nice to be able to openly watch Gabrielle as she wandered around. She had spent so many years looking at her through half-closed eyes it had almost been automatic for her to drop her eyes as she watched. Gabrielle might be seriously sexy in her new leathers, but she sure looked absolutely fantastic wrapped in just a towel. Xena moaned and dipped herself deeper into the tub. This is sheer torture. How I love that woman.
Gabrielle looked over her shoulder in time to see Xena disappear under the water. She quietly chuckled to herself. She waited until Xena was starting to surface then she dropped her towel. Xena’s eye locked onto her body and moaned again. Gabrielle could not control her giggling any longer and laughed out loud. She quickly jumped into her tub.
"You are truly evil, Gabrielle, you know that, don’t you," Xena remarked good humouredly. Though it was torture, she was thoroughly enjoying every minute of it. Her previous sexual encounters were always about control but this was so different. This had love involved.
"Yep, I am, and you love it. Now, what are we going to do about Joxer? He is not coping with us at all." Gabrielle started to wash herself as she contemplated the situation. She waited for Xena to answer but there was only silence from her corner. Looking up, she noticed that Xena’s eyes were transfixed on the washing cloth. Every time her hand moved, so did Xena’s eyes. As quick as a flash, she flicked the cloth in Xena’s direction and scored a direct hit.
"Sorry," Xena sheepishly stated.
"Don’t be, warrior mine. It is nice to know that you find me desirable. Never feel embarrassed about looking at me. I like it, a lot. Actually, I love it. It makes me feel very special." Gabrielle couldn’t stop the blush that traveled up her body.
"You are very special to me, Gabrielle. You are my reason for being. Everything about you makes me want you. You have my heart, my body, my mind, my life in your hands and I couldn’t think of a safer place for them to be." The intensity of Xena’s feelings was evident in her eyes.
Gabrielle could no more stay in her own tub then she could stop the moon from rising. Within seconds she was holding the person she held most dear to her chest. "You are just as much a part of me, Xena. The love I feel for you just continues to grow and I can never imagine a time when that will not be the case." She kissed Xena with all the love she possessed. It wasn’t about desire, it wasn’t about lust, it was completely to do with love. After the kiss came to a finish, Gabrielle rested herself back into Xena’s body and pulled her arms around her. "Now, let’s talk about Joxer."
"Well, that subject is definitely a passion killer." Xena’s face was completely devoid of emotion but she could not hold it. A smirk slowly crept across her face before she broke into a deep laughter. It was only moments before Gabrielle joined in although she couldn’t resist a quick slap to Xena’s thigh for even saying such a thing.
Xena grew serious as she considered what they were going to do about their friend. Joxer had been a part of their life for a number of years and she had a real soft spot for him. He may not be the most coordinated person but his heart was definitely in the right place. "Either one or both of us needs to talk to him. It appears that your not loving him back has really rocked his confidence in himself. We need him to understand how important he still is to us and the he will always have a place with us."
"Hmmm, your right, Xena. And I think it should be both of us. He needs to see us together and understand the depth of our feelings for each other and still know that he is a part of our family. Mom hugging him helped, you could see it in his face. He doesn’t know where he belongs anymore." Gabrielle mused some more the problem. "It will have to be tonight. We don’t want him wandering off to hide his hurt."
"We should finish washing up and head on downstairs, then. We will play it by ear as to when we tell him but I do agree it has to be tonight. And you can go back to your own tub. I can guarantee it would be very difficult to wash myself with you leaning all over me!" Xena stood up to lift Gabrielle out of the tub. She smacked her gently on the backside when she put her down. "Now scat, you troublemaker."
Laughing happily to herself, Gabrielle complied with the request without argument. Just leaning into Xena as they had talked had been difficult enough on her body. It would have been almost impossible to restrain herself if they had been washing themselves or each other in such close proximity. It was hard enough being in the same room.
With unspoken agreement they both finished washing up then exited the bathroom. As they dressed in the bedroom, they talked some more about Joxer. It was decided that Gabrielle would begin the conversation and Xena would be there as backup. Conversation slowly moved towards Xena’s mom and whether they needed to say anything to her as well. Xena was quite adamant that her mother had already guessed but Gabrielle persuaded her that it would still be nice to actually tell her. After a lot of grumbling, Xena acknowledged that she would also have that conversation tonight.
They arrived downstairs in time for Gabrielle to help Cyrene with the final touches over dinner and for Xena to stack up the wood in the kitchen. Joxer was nowhere to be seen but everyone expected him to turn up at dinner time.
Once the final preparations had been completed the three women sat down for a quiet drink before eating. Gabrielle nudged Xena under the table with her foot and smirked at the resulting glare from the Warrior Princess. With a raise of her eyebrows in Cyrene’s direction Gabrielle imparted to Xena that now was the time. With a resigned sigh, Xena quietly acquiescenced.
"Mother, there is something I, well we, need to discuss with you. It’s about us. As in Gabrielle and me." No matter what Gabrielle and her had discussed, part of her was very worried that her mother would not cope with this news. She knew her mom loved Gabrielle but would that be enough.
Cyrene could sense Xena’s hesitation. She had a pretty good idea what Xena was going to say. She had always believed that Xena and Gabrielle loved each other but that they did not seem aware of it. Today, however, their interaction led her to believe that the declarations had finally been made. Looking closely into Xena’s eyes she could see the fear there. That was enough for her to decide that the best thing was to relieve the pressure immediately.
"Does this mean that you two have finally got around to telling each how you feel and there will be a joining ceremony in the very near future?" The look on both girls’ faces was priceless.
Xena could not believe it. Well that means she is not going to reject us. "Well, yes, that we are together was what I was going to tell you. As to the joining ceremony, it may be a bit premature. We only made the declaration today."
"Today! For gods sake, you two are terribly slow aren’t you? Okay, I will let you off the joining ceremony for now, but don’t think I will forget. I will get you married one way or another, Xena. It is every mother’s dream." With that comment, Cyrene finished her drink and headed back to kitchen to dish up dinner. "And find that young man you brought with you. He was looking very depressed this afternoon. He kept looking up the stairs and sighing. Dinner will be ready in a quarter of a candlemark and I expect all three of you seated when I bring it out." The door closed behind her leaving two stunned warriors behind.
"Told you she guessed." Xena couldn’t help the smug tone that snuck into her comment. Even though the resultant smack to the bare thigh really hurt, she did not make a noise and kept the smirk on her face. "Your turn now. Let’s go find Joxer." Xena strutted her way to the front door.
"You are such a brat sometimes." Gabrielle ran after her and jumped on her back. The moment of surprise was enough to cause Xena to stumble forward but not enough for her to fall. She twisted around and proceeded to dump her unexpected addition to the ground in a very unladylike manner. The door opened and Joxer stood there in surprise. The last thing he expected to see was a laughing Xena helping up a scowling Gabrielle from the floor.
"Are you all right, Gabby, you are not hurt are you?" Joxer was really worried and could not believe that Xena was laughing at poor Gabrielle.
"Only my pride, Joxer, only my pride. That will teach me to jump into a brick wall and expect it to move."
Joxer looked around and couldn’t see a brick wall anywhere. Maybe she was more hurt than she realized. "Ummm, Gabby, there are no brick walls here." He tried to say it as gently as possible. The last thing he wanted to do was hurt her anymore.
"She’s standing right in front of you, Joxer, a 6-ft brick wall." Gabrielle mock-glared at Xena who continued to laugh. This was just getting better and better.
Joxer was definitely confused now. "Ummm, Gabby, umm … could you … um … explain what you mean." He really did want to know. Something had happened to Gabby but he couldn’t quite work out what it was.
"Okay, Joxer." Gabrielle really didn’t want to explain this as it would only give Xena more to laugh about but it looked like this could not be avoided. "I jumped on Xena’s back with the intention of knocking her to ground. I would not have got hurt because I would have landed on top of her. Unfortunately, I forgot for a moment who I was jumping on. Needless to say her majesty over there managed to maintain her balance and proceeded to dump me on my royal butt instead. Have you got it now?" Xena’s laughter was enough to get Gabrielle to smile.
Joxer, unfortunately, was still looking bewildered. "Why would you want to jump on Xena’s back?"
Gabrielle started shaking her head in dismay. "We were just playing around, Joxer. Don’t worry about it." The last thing she could do was to explain the situation leading up to her suicidal jump. "We were just coming looking for you. Dinner is about to be served and I am starved."
"You were coming to look for me." Joxer could not believe it. He was sure that they would have nothing to do with him now.
"Of course, Joxer, can’t have a family dinner without all the family there, now can we." Xena put her arm around the wanna-be warrior and directed him to the table. There was a slight straightening of the shoulders as Joxer’s depression started to lift. There was a way to go, but the start had been made. As they walked past Gabrielle she gave Xena’s back a quick rub to let her know how proud she was of the way Xena handled it so matter of factly.
The smell of dinner stopped all further conversation as the three realized just how hungry they all were. It had been a while since they had eaten. Cyrene had put out plenty of food but that didn’t stop Gabrielle from stealing food off Xena’s plate. Laughter surrounded the meal as the antics of the pair continued through to dessert. Xena managed to get to the nutbread before Gabrielle and decided not to share.
Gabrielle lunged at Xena but she just kept it out of her reach courtesy of her long arms. Realizing that was not going to work she put on her most pleading face but to no avail. To really push the point home, Xena actually broke a piece off and waved it under her nose before eating it. The self-satisfied look on Xena’s face was the final straw. Drumming her fingers on the table, Gabrielle contemplated the best way to attack this problem. The frontal attack had failed, as had her other attempts to get that nutbread. What to do. What to do. An evil smirk slid across her face. She lunged at Xena knowing very well that she would raise the nutbread above her head. Instead of going for the nutbread, she leapt into Xena’s lap and kissed her. It was only a mere moment before Xena’s arms enclosed Gabrielle and she started kissing her back. When Xena was completely involved in the kiss, Gabrielle quickly spun around and grabbed the nutbread.
"Ha ha ha, got it." Gabrielle happily broke off a piece and shoved it into her mouth before Xena could retaliate. Xena, for her part, sat there completely stunned. Gabrielle couldn’t help but smirk at Xena. "What’s the matter, Xena? Not use to loosing." To emphasize the point, she ate another piece of the nutbread.
Cyrene could not control her laughter anymore. "That is definitely one way of getting what you want, Gabrielle, but I wouldn’t try it with anyone else. I don’t know how my daughter would cope."
"No worries there, mom, that is definitely a maneuver I would only use on Xena." She smiled at Cyrene.
Xena came out of her stupor and shook her head. "You will pay for that, bard." With that, she quickly snatched the nutbread back and stuffed the remainder into her mouth. The frustrated look Gabrielle gave her was priceless and she almost spat the nutbread straight back out as the laughter bubbled up inside her. It took all of her concentration but she finally managed to swallow it.
"Okay, we are even. I can’t believe you got that all in your mouth." Gabrielle admitted defeat with a sigh and turned to the others as the table.
Xena nudged her shoulder and whispered into her ear. "Oh, I don’t think so, my bard. I will think of a suitable punishment for that little display. Ever heard the saying about paybacks." Xena slyly nipped her ear before moving back in her seat. She didn’t have time to get comfortable before she jumped in shock as a small hand suddenly slid up her inner thigh.
"Are you all right, dear." Cyrene had seen her jump but could not think of any reason for it to occur.
"Uuhh … yeah … I am fine. Just some crumbs on my chair that needed moving."
"Do you want me to check if there are any more?" Gabrielle asked innocently. She almost lost it at the glare she received for her comment.
"No, thanks, its fine." Xena grabbed the wandering hand and held it in place on her thigh. She curled her fingers around Gabrielle’s hand and gave it a quick squeeze to let her know she wasn’t upset with her.
Joxer had grown very quiet as the evening had progressed. It was nice to be included as part of the family but his thoughts were still on what couldn’t be. He had almost come to the decision that the love they had for each other was platonic when Gabrielle had kissed Xena. There was no confusing that kiss with platonic friendship. Obviously Gabrielle had told Xena of her love and it was reciprocated. Of course it would be. Who couldn’t love Gabby? What am I going to do now? I can’t stay here. I know they called me family but they don’t really mean it. I will definitely be seen as the third wheel whenever we travel. Where am I going to go, what am I going to do? I really enjoy hanging out with them.
"Joxer." Gabrielle saw the expressions on his face and knew she had to talk with him now. She hadn’t given him any thought when she had kissed Xena and part of her regretted that. Not the kiss. She would never regret kissing Xena. She just should have told him before she had done it. Though that would be a good place to start. "Joxer." Still she got no reply. "JOXER."
"Oh sorry, Gabrielle, I was just thinking." Joxer pulled himself away from his thoughts to listen to Gabrielle.
"Firstly, I want to apologize for my behavior before. I had planned on telling you tonight that Xena and I have admitted our love for each other and are together. I didn’t mean for you to find out by public display. I got so carried away with retrieving the nutbread that I didn’t consider anyone else." Gabrielle appreciated the gesture as Xena rubbed her hand in support.
"That’s okay, Gabrielle. After our discussion I assumed it would only be a matter of time before you told her." Joxer didn’t want Gabrielle to know how much that had hurt.
Gabrielle was really concerned. Joxer was just not being … Joxer. This must really be hurting him. How are we going to make it better? With a deep breath she carried on. "What I do want you to know is that we were very serious earlier. You are part of this family. Family is more than just blood. Family is about loyalty, about trust, about faith, and about love. You are all those things to us. Do not think because we are together that there is no place for you in our lives. You will always have a place in our lives and you will always be welcome to travel with us. Sometimes we might disappear for some privacy but we will always come back for you. Do you understand what I am saying? We don’t want you to up and disappear on us."
During her talk she had grabbed Joxer’s hand with her free hand. She lifted both her hands up so all three people could see that they were linked. "We are a family, Joxer, and nobody or no thing can change that." She squeezed both hands to stress the point.
Joxer was having problems seeing through the mist in his eyes. Words failed him but his heart felt at peace for the first time since his declaration of love had been gently rejected. All he could do was smile his quirky grin and squeeze her hand back.
Xena lent forward and tapped him on the head with her free hand. "What she said." That was enough to break the tension and Joxer leaned forward and grabbed them both in a hug. Of course, Joxer being Joxer, nothing was quite that simple. His home-made armor caught on the table cloth and sent everything crashing towards the floor. He also managed to hit Cyrene in the side of her head with his hat. But they were small prices to pay to see Joxer smiling again.
"You guys are just so great." Joxer sobbed into both their ears. "I am proud to be part of your family."
It did not look like he had any intention of letting go any time soon. "Okay, Joxer, that’s enough now." Xena still could not cope with long group hugs. She was not a huggy person, except where Gabrielle was concerned. Gabrielle was the exception to the rule, of course. She can hug me as long as she likes. But Joxer was not letting go. Finally, she couldn’t take anymore so grabbed Joxer and sat him down.
"So what are our plans while we are here, warrior chums?" Joxer happily asked the question.
"We are just going to take each day as it comes. See what it brings. Right now, Gabrielle and I are going to bed as this has been one crazy day." She looked lovingly at Gabrielle, who nodded her head in agreement.
"Goodnight, Joxer. We will see you in the morning." Gabrielle and Xena rose as one. They hugged Xena’s mother goodnight and headed up the stairs.