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Not Be Denied

by asov

Disclaimers: Well, everyone knows that Xena and Gabrielle belong to MCA/Universal and Renaissance Pictures (well, the characters anyway...)  And I'm not getting any money from this, or trying to harm the above in any way by writing this so just lay off me, ok?  Right.

No heavy breathing, pant pant stuff in this one, folks.  Just some maybe lovey-dovey mush.

So that said, this story assumes that, from the "Return of Callisto" storyline (so don't read any further if you never saw that yet!), Perd and Gab are still married cuz Callie wasn't there to conveniently kill Perdie off.  Yeah.  Ergo, we have this....

"I've got to see her again, I've got to!"

Xena rode through the forest with a purpose, eating up the miles between her and Poteidia.  What had been her best friend's happiest day had somehow turned out to be Xena's nightmare during the month they were apart.  Gabrielle's marriage had been an even more haunting memory than any of the innocents Xena had killed while at the head of her army.  She hadn't even managed to get far enough away from the place, every mile seemed to tell her that she was digging her grave even deeper.

So she rode towards Poteidia.  Argo seemed to sense her mistress' distress, as she put up no complaint of the maddening pace they set.  They slowed as they came upon the edge of the forest, and came near the outskirts of the village.  Xena stopped, entranced, as she witnessed a familiar red-gold head turning back into one of the huts.  She dismounted, and sent Argo off, still not sure how she was supposed to explain her visit as she numbly headed towards the hut with her heart still pounding.

As she approached, her keen hearing advised her that Gabrielle was alone, but her mind hadn't registered anything but that she was going to see the woman that held her heart again.  "Gabrielle?" she hoarsely called, pausing in the doorway.

The woman in the hut whirled around, her face lit up in a dazzling smile.  "Xena?"

Gabrielle threw herself at the figure at the door, hugging Xena with all her might.  Xena, a bit startled by her friend's enthusiasm, composed herself before she brought her arms up to hug Gabrielle back.  Too soon, though, her friend pulled back to look at her fully.  "I can't believe you're really here!" she breathed, still holding on to Xena's arms as she drew her into a chair to sit down.

Xena, still dazed and trying to savor the sound of the bard's voice, took awhile before she smiled and affectionately replied, "I just missed you too much to stay away for long."

At that, Gabrielle drew in for another hug.  "That's got to be one of the nicest things you've said to me."

Xena smiled, closing her eyes and stroking the bard's soft red-gold hair.  "It feels so good to hold you again," she whispered softly, too caught up in emotion to realize she'd intoned her thoughts orally, or that she was now nuzzling her friend's neck.

Gabrielle, though, had been having her feelings too long to not realize when her dreams were being turned into reality.  She leaned in and sat on Xena's lap, her hands to coaxing the warrior's face up to meet her kiss.  It was soft and gentle, yet filled with the passions both had been harboring.

By the time Xena had come back to herself, she found her lips pleasantly engaged with the bard's, and rather than interrupt the situation, she kissed back more forcefully, letting Gabrielle know she was indeed enjoying the pleasure.

As they broke their kiss, Xena became fully, and painfully, aware that she had been passionately kissing her best friend, in the house she shared with her husband!  "Gabrielle....I..." she sputtered.

"Shh...no, Xena.  Don't talk.  We both know it's right.  This..." she gestured around the hut, "is wrong.  Take me away, Xena.  I don't want to be anywhere but with you."  She got up, and urged Xena from her chair.  "Let's go, my love," she whispered, stroking Xena's cheek.

The warrior nodded mutely, still caught in the wonder of what a young, beautiful bard had done to her senses.  She led Gabrielle out of the hut and whistled for Argo.  As they rode away from the village, she revelled in the sense of contentment she felt with her love at her back, her trusted steed under them both, and the future they were heading into together.

End.