DISCLAIMER: First of all, the story is mine, but all things Xena belong to MCA/Universal. No infringement is intended, yadda, yadda, yadda. Second, there’s big-time sex here and yes, it’s between Xena and Gabrielle, so if you can’t handle the lesbian thing, take a walk. And grow up, while you’re at it. Third, a small warning. Don’t search too hard for a plot, cuz there ain’t one. I actually can’t believe I wrote it. This is basically a sex scene I couldn’t get out of my head. Frankly, it was interfering in my life, so I had to put it down on paper to make it leave me alone so I could finish the *real* story I’m working on, one that actually *has* a plot.. And I didn’t say ‘love scene’, I said ‘sex scene’. Just so you know. No heavy feelings, just heavy feeling. Please direct all complaints to: geobon612@yahoo.com

INTO THE WOODS

by Georgia

"Gods, Gods, Gods..." Xena mumbled to herself as she hurried aimlessly away from the campsite she had set up with Gabrielle. She had made a quick, meaningless excuse to the young bard about scouting or some such activity and was gone before a response could be made.

She paid no attention to where she was going, which direction she was facing or anything else that may prove useful in getting her back. All she could think of was the burning ache in the center of her being and she knew if she didn’t find some relief immediately, she might very well explode.

She had tried all evening to shake the images from her head, going so far as to bang on it several times with the hilt of her sword. Why couldn’t Gabrielle be that same young, frumpy, peasant-like waif who had first decided to follow the warrior princess? She’d been cute, sure, but not alluring. Not enticing. Not captivating. And certainly not sexy. Absolutely no way, not sexy. That old Gabrielle was safe for Xena to be around. Xena hadn’t wanted the old Gabrielle. She hadn’t watched her every chance she could. She hadn’t fantasized about making love to her late into the night. Not the old Gabrielle. But the new one... Gods, the new one was downright dangerous.

Xena stopped to catch her breath, not realizing she’d been moving so fast. She bent over with her hands on her knees and squeezed her eyes shut, concentrating on slowing her breathing. Behind her eyelids, visions of Gabrielle danced. Xena had watched her work out that morning, unbeknownst to the bard herself. She’d swung the staff expertly at make-believe attackers, her movements smooth and practiced. Before long, a thin layer of sweat had broken out across her creamy skin, causing her body to glisten in the morning sunlight. Xena’s breath had caught in her throat at the sight of her companion of two and a half years. All the soft baby pudge was gone, replaced with lean, powerful muscle. The sea-green eyes were no longer full of naivete and gullibility, but of knowledge, compassion and smoldering, unintentional sensuality. Gabrielle had become a woman right before Xena’s eyes.

And she was absolutely beautiful.

Just thinking about her started Xena’s heart pounding once again and she quickly found a suitable clearing. Sure she was far enough away from the campsite, she dropped to her knees, slipped her hand into the waistband of her briefs and slid her finger into her own wetness. She collapsed at the anticipated touch, falling forward and catching herself on her free hand, relief washing over her as she expertly stroked the swollen area. The only thought in her lust-driven mind was that of the sweet, golden-haired bard back at the campsite, who was probably wondering where in Hades the warrior had disappeared to.

Contrary to what Xena was thinking, Gabrielle was not back at the campsite. She had grown way too curious about the sudden end-of-the-day trysts into the woods Xena seemed to be taking more and more often. Scouting, trapping, checking the perimeter. These were all the excuses she’d offered and Gabrielle wasn’t buying any of them. After two and a half years, she knew Xena too well. This time, she would find out the secret of the warrior princess.

Xena was not particularly careful as she’d bee-lined into the woods and Gabrielle was able to follow fairly close behind without being heard. She was confused when Xena stopped and knelt in the clearing. She immediately flushed a deep red when she realized exactly what it was the warrior was doing. She heard Xena’s breath quicken and become ragged. She knew she should leave, kept telling herself she should leave... go!... run!... now!... but she couldn’t tear her eyes away from the sight and she was surprised to feel a sudden increase in her own heart rate.

From her vantage point, she had a side view. Xena was on her knees and one hand, the other disappeared beneath her leathers and moved rhythmically. Her ice-blue eyes were squeezed shut as she rocked slightly against her own ministrations. Gabrielle felt a surge low in her body, wet her lips with the tip of her tongue and swallowed hard. Her eyes were pinned on the dark woman before her, a woman who seemed almost desperate for release. Hadn’t Gabrielle seen this vision in her dreams dozens of times? Xena on the edge of ecstasy? Of course, in the dreams, Gabrielle had been the cause, the means to that ecstasy. In the dreams, it was the young bard who sent the warrior princess over the edge. In the dreams, it was the bard who touched and kissed and stroked the warrior to unbelievable heights. But in reality, it was the bard who was just a kid in the eyes of the warrior. If only...

Then she heard it.

Just as the bard was about to force her eyes away and return to the campsite, depressed beyond belief that Xena had to run into the woods and masturbate rather than look to the woman right under her nose, she heard the most beautiful thing she could have ever hoped to hear. Just one word. At first, she almost couldn’t make it out, it was such a low whisper. But, as the warrior approached the edge of her release, the fingers of her left hand digging into the earth, she began to repeat the word over and over in a hushed and purposely restrained chant.

"Gabrielle... Gabrielle... Gabrielle...."

The bard made the decision in a split second, so fast she didn’t even remember debating with herself. She had no idea where the courage came from, but with purpose and determination, she stepped out of her hiding place and closed the distance between herself and the warrior in a flash. Xena was completely flustered for a fraction of a second, then her confusion became acute embarrassment as she yanked her hand out of her underwear and tried to stand. Her eyes darted around like a cornered animal’s and her mouth opened and closed several times, no words to be found.

Before she could make a move or utter a sound, Gabrielle knelt in front of her, grasped her head in both hands and kissed her with resolve, deeply and thoroughly. They’re lips parted slowly until they made eye contact. Xena swallowed hard. "Gabrielle, I... I... I don’t know what..."

"Shut up."

"Shut up?" Xena repeated, startled.

"Yeah. Shut up. And kiss me again."

Xena didn’t need Gabrielle to tell her twice. She threw caution to the wind. Her lips came down on the bard’s, not so gently this time. They kissed with passion and hunger, tongues twisting together in the timeless dance of desire. Soon they were both heaving breathlessly, the repressed wants and needs of two years threatening to electrocute them both. Gabrielle took control, much to Xena’s surprise. She pushed Xena backward to the ground and slid her knee between the powerful thighs. She pushed it up gently into the wet undergarment, earning a quiet gasp from the warrior. She tsked and shook her head disapprovingly.

"It’s not like the Warrior Princess to leave something unfinished."

"I didn’t expect to be interrupted," the warrior pointed out.

"Well, then. Let me help you complete the job, hmm?" She punctuated this statement with a soul-searing kiss that left Xena’s head spinning. Where had this come from? she wondered in amazement. Was this her little bard? The little girl from Potedeia who had followed her around like a puppy? Gods! If she had only known!

She was snapped from her train of thought when Gabrielle slid a hand up the inside of the warrior’s thigh. Xena had gotten herself extremely close to the edge before the bard had interrupted her and she knew as soon as Gabrielle touched her, she’d careen over it. Amazingly, Gabrielle seemed aware of this, too. She moved her lips from Xena’s mouth to her neck, nibbling and sucking the bronze warrior skin. Her surprisingly knowledgeable fingers danced all around Xena’s center, never quite touching and driving the warrior insane with need.

After several teasing minutes went by, Xena startled herself by realizing exactly how long she had relinquished control to the bard. She felt a surge of irritation, which was immediately replaced by a surge of pure sexual energy as she easily flipped them both so she was on her hands and knees with the smaller woman beneath her. She silenced Gabrielle’s protests with her mouth, protests that didn’t last long.

She pulled her lips from the bard’s and looked her in the eye. Gabrielle stroked her cheek, returning the gaze steadily. Xena smiled wickedly. "Are you sure you’re ready for this, little girl?" she teased.

Gabrielle grabbed a handful of dark hair, shocking the warrior yet again, and yanked Xena’s ear to her lips. "I am not a little girl," she hissed, flicking the ear with her tongue. With that, she slid her other hand between the warrior’s thighs and expertly maneuvered her fingers under the crotch of the briefs and into the wetness that had begun hours before.

Xena gasped in surprise and could do nothing but hold on. Within a few short minutes, she was clutching handfuls of dirt, her teeth clenched and eyes shut tightly, rocking on her knees to the rhythm of Gabrielle’s fingers, completely at the mercy of the bard. A low, primitive moan escaped from deep in her throat at the sound of Gabrielle’s voice, still in her ear, coaxing, "That’s it. Come on. Gods, you feel good. Come for me, Xena. Come on..."

It was too much. The warrior couldn’t take it any more. She let go of what little control she still held and buried her face in the shoulder of the bard, groaning her name as the wave of orgasm washed over her. Gabrielle stopped the stroking and pressed her fingers against the warrior so she could feel each contraction, a satisfied smile on her face.

When Xena was finally able to move, she rolled onto her back, still panting. She turned her head to meet the sparkling green eyes of the smiling bard. "Who are you and what have you done with Gabrielle?"

The bard giggled. "I am Gabrielle."

"Oh no." Xena shook her head. "No you’re not. Gabrielle is young and innocent. She’s naive. She doesn’t know much at all about sex and I’m sure she doesn’t know about sex between two women."

Gabrielle propped herself up on an elbow and looked down at the warrior with an amused grin. "Xena," she said, matter-of-factly. "I’m a grown woman. You’re always running off and leaving me for days on end. Do you really think I just sit around and wait for you to return?"

"Well... yeah. Don’t you?"

Gabrielle raised an eyebrow and slowly shook her head from side to side with a grin. "A girl gets lonely, you know."

Xena’s mouth dropped open in mock horror. "Gabrielle! Have you been having sex while I’m away?"

"Only for the sake of education," the bard defended herself. "I wanted to learn."

"Gabrielle, I could’ve taught you."

"No you couldn’t, Xena," she said pointedly. "You think I’m young and innocent and naive, remember?" The warrior smiled sheepishly. "Besides, I didn’t want you to have to teach me. I wanted to surprise you."

Xena smiled and kissed the bard tenderly. "Surprise is an understatement."

They kissed again, slowly and passionately. Gabrielle pulled up and looked at Xena seriously. "Xena? Any time it gets that bad for you, just say something, okay? I’ll be glad to lend a hand... or a mouth... or a tongue..."

Xena chuckled, knowing this new, grown-up version of Gabrielle was going to take some getting used to. "What on earth have you been learning while I’m away?" she teased.

Gabrielle’s eyes glinted wickedly as she lowered her mouth to Xena’s. "Hold on tight, Warrior. You ain’t seen nothin’ yet."

THE END

Copyright 1998

by Georgia

January 6