Disclaimer: Perdicus and Gabrielle belong to their creators at Ren Pic. I'm only borrowing them to use in my imagination. I promise to return them only a bit worse for wear.

Type: Romance/Angst.

Sex: M/F considered, but not performed

Violence: None

Ick Factor: None, but if you want read about Gabrielle having sex with Perdicus, read Perdicus 2.

Perdicus 1

by Caley Woulfe

Perdicus 1

Gabrielle leaned forward as Perdicus gently slid the dress off her shoulders. They met for another kiss, the first of many. It was feather soft and hesitant; Perdicus leaned back and stared at her, drowning in her emerald pools. "You are so beautiful," he murmured, still unable to believe she had actually said yes. The ceremony, the entire stretch of time since the word "yes" had come out of her precious mouth, was more like a dream than reality, and he was tempted to pinch himself. Gabby smiled that amazing smile of hers and turned a becoming shade of pink. At times she cursed her fair skin, and this was one of them. "And you are as handsome as Hades." And he was, but... It had happened so quickly. Was she really married? Forever? Never to wander Greece with Xena again? A niggling doubt over her decision squirmed in the back of her mind. Had she made a mistake?. Xena was forever telling her not to be so impetuous. As if the Warrior should talk, Ms. Act-don't-react; all action and hardly any talk at all.

Perdicus watched his bride's eyes lose focus as she lost herself in thought. "Gabrielle? What are you thinking about?" The Bard blinked and came back to the present. "Us." Perdicus smiled and drew her forward again, this time kissing her just a bit harder. She returned it with equal ardor. "I'm not made of glass, you know," she said quietly before kissing him yet again, this time with passion. She opened her mouth and slipped it between his lips, seeking permission to enter. He let her in willingly, a bit surprised at her enthusiasm. If she was as ardent about lovemaking as everything else she enjoyed, he was in for some serious passion.

Her dress lay on her upper arms. Leaning into him, her breasts fell forward into the loose fabric, billowing it out. He slid his hands slowly up her arms and just as slowly drew it down again. Gabrielle shrugged her shoulders to help him, unaware that the movement shook her pert breasts only inches from his face. He took a deep breath to steady himself as the filmy fabric slid off her lithe body to pool at her sandaled feet.

For her part, she held her breath as her dress revealed her to Perdicus's wonder struck eyes. She had never, to her knowledge, been naked in front of a man before. Suddenly she felt self conscious, exposed, and nervous; even though she knew Perdicus would never hurt her. He picked up on it immediately. Not because he was a mind reader, but because the she suddenly tensed all over and looked away, unable to meet his eyes.

"Sit, Gabrielle," he said softly, taking her hand. She did, hesitantly, and was engulfed in strong arms. "We don't have to do this tonight, you know. We have the rest of our lives."

"But I want to," Gabrielle replied, her head buried in his chest under his chin. 'Xena hugs me like this' she thought, then flinched. Xena was gone; out camped somewhere along some road. Alone. 'What have I gotten myself into,' she asked herself. But as much as she missed Xena already, she did want to be with Perdicus. 'Or do I?'

She lifted her head and searched his earnest face. He gazed back lovingly, following her eyes as they traveled around his features before finally meeting his eyes. Feeling very bold, she put her hands on his collar bones under his tunic. He took her hands in his and bunched fabric in each palm. She took the hint as he lifted his arms. She got on her knees and tugged the tunic up over his head. Dropping it on the floor next to the bed, she sat again. His chest was muscled from soldiering and was peppered with small scars. It begged her touch.

Slowly she reached for it with one hand, stopping just short of contact. He took it and laid it on his skin. It was warm, but hairy and sort of rough. Not like Xena's skin at all. But not repellent by any means. Just different. She twirled her fingers through the curly hairs and decided it was becoming repellent very quickly. Chest hair, she realized, was not something that excited her. If anything, it took the mood away.

But before she could react on her distaste, Perdicus lifted her face and kissed her. It was a tinier bit more forceful than the ones they had shared before her disrobing. She kissed him back, his hairy chest forgotten in the warmth of his lips. She wondered what it would be like to kiss Xena this way, and imagined her kisses would be somehow better. Suddenly she had second thoughts. "Maybe you're right. I am pretty tired. We're both nervous...." she let the sentence dangle.

"Of course," he agreed, pulling the bedcovers down. He slipped under them beckoned to her. "Can I.. Can I hold you?" he asked. Gabrielle joined him, feeling the course hair on his legs and wincing inwardly. Xena had leg hair, too, but it was baby fine and hardly there at all.

"Yes," she replied, laying down and snuggling into his arms. His muscles were hard, almost stiff, and his arms were just as hairy as his legs. His skin was rougher than Xena's, too; and he smelled.....wrong. Not bad, just wrong. All men did, but until now, she hadn't really noticed or thought about it.

A sobering though crept down her spine. 'I think I've made a monumental blunder,' she thought, wondering how she was going to get out of this if what she suspected was true; that she was attracted to women, not men, and that she loved Xena, not Perdicus. She swallowed and tried to still her pounding heart, hyper-aware of her husband's body so close to her own. Her mind whirled, and only eventual exhaustion allowed her to fall asleep.

"Hey, Golden Girl, wake up."

Perdicus's smooth voice pulled her to wakefulness from a really weird dream. She slowly opened her eyes to see him looking down at her with what she could only think of as total adoration. He was straddling her, butt naked, and leaned down to give her a soft kiss. "How did you sleep, Honey" he asked kindly, brushing her hair off her face.

"Fine," she fibbed. "You?"

"I dreamed of you all night," he replied, kissing her again.

She let him, resisting the urge to turn her head away.

"How about a walk before breakfast?' he asked, indicating the sun just showing through the window.

"Sure."

He helped her dress, touching her at every opportunity. She made herself return the favor, wishing he were Xena instead. 'Gods, what am I gonna do?' she thought fervently, now sure she had mistaken compassion for love. Holding hands, they went downstairs and out the door into cool, bracing air.

"Which way?" he asked, stealing another kiss.

She kissed him back so he wouldn't suspect, and dredged up her seldom used acting ability. Down the road was a shallow, sandy stream edged with tall, feathery plants. "How about there?" She pointed.

He winked at her. "Works for me. They can't see us from the inn there."

That fact hadn't occurred to her, but she couldn't change her mind now. She let him hold her hand and take her there. They wandered about, picking up pretty stones, talking, laughing, and kissing. All the while she felt like running away as fast as she could back to Xena; where ever she was.

The swift and somehow ominous approach of hoof beats made him grab her and put her behind him as Callisto galloped into the clearing....

The end