DISCLAIMER: Xena and the rest of the Xena universe are copyrighted characters owned by Ren Pics and Universal. Lucky bastards!
CHALLENGE: Written for Passion & Perfection's Big 5000.
ARCHIVING: Only with the permission of the author.
The Next Generation of Amazons
By Calliope
We had traveled gradually further eastward. She wouldn't tell me why, just that we had to go. A heaviness and weight had been on me. I remember it distinctively. I hadn't been able to shake the darkness hanging over us. Something was going to happen. Something bad and I had been terrified. I remembered our last night together in Japa and wanted to etch the memory on my soul.
Silently, we sat close on the log by the fire, fighting off the increasing cold. The more east we went the colder it became. It matched the trepidation in my soul. She had put away her sword and leaned closer. The warmth of her skin drew me in without thought.
"Something's on your mind," rarely did she start the serious conversations. Tonight was different. I stared into the fire.
"I have a bad feeling about this trip, Xena," the tears welled up. I didn't even realize I had been on the precipice of crying.
"It'll be okay, baby," she put her arm around my waist and pulled me close, "it always is." I felt safe in her arms, invincible.
Leaning back, I looked into fiery sapphire eyes, "Prove it! Prove to me nothing will happen, that we'll be okay." My jaw clenched trying to hold back the tears. She pulled me tightly to her, whispering in my ear, "I love you so much, Gabrielle." I caught the slight catch in her voice. She knew it too. She sensed the darkness forcing its way in on us. But even after all these years together, her deep, rich voice still sent shivers down my spine. I never wanted to lose that and I was determined to hold onto these moments as long as possible.
I wrapped my hands in her dark hair, "Make love to me, Xena."
The blonde goddess looked down on her two favorite lovers. A small smile graced her pink lips. Xena and Gabrielle were the purest example of her power on earth, exemplifying an eternal love that even death couldn't separate. She intended to keep it that way.
"Don't give me crap, Ares. You know it's the right thing to do. Tell him," she gestured frantically at Callisto and Michael, her pink sheer sleeves flying everywhere.
Callisto showed off her trademark smirk, "I think you already did, 'Dite." She walked forward throwing her arm over the goddess' shoulder before continuing, looking at the dark God of War.
"Whatcha afraid of, Ares?" She looked down at the two lovers, a familiar evil chuckle bubbling up. "That there are actually two women in this world that won't need your manly, um, presence?"
Ares crossed his bulging arms and huffed in a very unmanly manner, "No, that's not it."
"Uh, huh," Michael piped up.
"Oh shut up!" Ares turned on the archangel. "What do you know about this anyway? You're asexual." The angel fought to hold back a snicker. He loved to piss off the god.
"Get over it, bro. Xena's made it clear she doesn't want or need your services, and as I recall, so has Gabrielle," he looked at her with fake shock, "Yeah, don't think I didn't know you tried to tempt her. Besides, it no longer matters. The deed is done…well, nearly." The goddess chuckled and turned back to watch her friends below, while Callisto and Michael peered over her shoulder.
"Fine, be that way," Ares glared at their turned backs before disappearing in a flash of smoke and light.
Our kisses were deep, slow, and searching as if we were trying to hold back the march of time with our pace. I'd never tire of feeling Xena's lean, muscular body stretched out on top of me. Her hips slipped between my legs as I wrapped them around her waist, pulling her to me, trying to get as close as possible. If I could melt into her skin and live inside of her, I swear I would.
When she moved down to my neck to nibble, our pace quickened. Our bodies slipped and moved together in perfect unison, the friction building a fire between us. She pushed herself up on her hands, looking down at me, her raven hair covering and protecting us both.
"I need you inside, Xena. Please," she ground her hips into me as I reached up to meet her, her kisses stealing my breath. I closed my eyes and threw my head back feeling the pressure between my legs build until it was replaced with a gentle invasion.
"Gods, yes," she felt so good that I had to grab onto her to ground myself so I wouldn't float away. The slow in and out movements began to quicken. I felt a strange, but not unwelcome, sensation in my belly.
"Oh, um, oh gods…uh, Gabrielle," it wasn't until she pushed up away from me on both hands that I realized that both of her arms were still beside me. Then what was…both of us looked down between our bodies. A look of panic was in Xena's eyes.
"Gabrielle, I…I can't…I can't stop."
"Don't…don't stop." Neither of us could believe this was happening and at the moment we didn't care why. Her tempo quickened but we never broke eye contact.
"Oh gods, Gabrielle. I'm gonna…I've got to," her eyes were wide, not in panic, but amazement.
I pulled her to me, whispering in her ear, "It's okay, baby. Let go."
That small encouragement was all she needed and with a loud grunt she pushed hard into me and held it as she shivered and quaked.
"I love you, Gabrielle. I love you so much," she held onto me tight, until her unshed tears finally came.
As I look out over the Aegean, the distant shore of Greece barely a speck on the horizon, I cradle the urn of ashes in my hands. I sense her ghost long before I see her. I hear the words from long ago in my memory, "Even in death, Gabrielle, I'll never leave you."
Looking at her dark hair flying in the wind, a proud smile gracing her now eternally ageless face, I touch my hand to my stomach to feel the small swell unnoticeable to anyone but me, and I know that she's kept her promise.
The End