Disclaimers: This story uses the characters Xena and Gabrielle (and related hangers-on) without permission from MCA/Universal. This piece contains lesbian subtext. It occurs right after the season finale Sacrifice II.
"-Whew- Thanks Ares!" Gabrielle enthuses as the God of War sets her down. They had made the journey out of the Temple of Dahak safely, and were now in Ares' temple.
"No sweat." Ares responds egotistically, striding over to his scrying pool. "It was tricky teleporting you while you were falling into the lava pit and entangled with Hope, but I managed."
"What is Xena doing now?" the bard asks, brushing her fingers through her hair.
"See for yourself." the god notes, gesturing before him.
Gabrielle walks over and looks down into the colored waters. Xena was peering down into Dahak's hole, tears in her eyes.
"I will always cherish your memory... for eternity..." Xena sobs, gazing down in the hole. "Goodbye, my love."
"Yeah yeah..." the strawberry blonde notes to the image. "She only gets sentimental when she thinks I'm dead."
"Gabrielle..." Xena moans pitifully through the reflection.
"Sayonara, sucker!" the bard exults, spinning gaily away from the pool.
"I still don't get why you wanted this elaborate deception." Ares asks, stroking his beard. "Why let Xena think you died? Why fool her into thinking I had mated with Hope? That was a particularly nasty touch, by the way."
"Thank you..." the bard trails off, smiling to herself. "I'll tell you why. I waited the whole year for her to apologize for dragging me over every rock in Greece, and she never did!"
"But you're not angry with me for asking her to kill you then?" Ares asks quizzically.
"Please." Gabrielle rolls her eyes. "You asked her to kill her Mom when she was cursed by the Furies, and she didn't do it. And she was nuts then! Yet at the drop of a hat, she'd drag me to death? I don't think so."
"But she apologized to you the other night, didn't she?" the god distractedly asks, not really caring.
"Ha!" the bard laughs. "We've both made confused decisions? What kind of apology is that?! I send my daughter to a hut, she drags me to death. Sure, those are equally as bad, right?"
"Whatever." Ares waves, walking away to go sit on his throne.
"No, I waited all this time for an apology, and never got it." the bard continues angrily. "So let her think me dead. Let her travel with Joxer the rest of her life. She deserves him, anyway."
"Because of my debt to you in ridding the world of Dahak and Hope," Ares begins, "I'm willing to send you anywhere you like. But make it quick. I'm only generous for so long."
"Don't get your undies in a bundle, I'm thinking." Gabrielle retorts, as she walks over to the God's gallery of weapons.
"You want to go home? To Poteidaia?" the War God calls out, wanting to get the chatty storyteller out of his temple as quickly as possible.
"No..." Gabrielle notes, looking over some staves. "I saw enough of my sister in Illusia. She's just as annoying in real life. Ah!" the bard exclaims, finding a beautiful maple piece. She begins twirling it experimentally as she walks back over to Ares.
"Hey! You can't have that." Ares motions at her. "It's very valuable."
"What is it?" she asks, a grin spreading across her face as she relishes the exquisite balance.
"It's an unbreakable staff. It was carved by Kronos."
"The Titan?" Gabrielle notes, nodding her head. "What did he use it for, a toothpick?"
A back-scratcher actually, the god thinks to himself. "It's for Gods only. Give it up."
"Xena and I saved your entire cringing Pantheon from that overgrown Roman candle, and you can't even give me a stick in return?"
"Alright. You can have it." Ares growls disgustedly. "Have you decided where you want to go yet, or shall I ask Discord to send you somewhere for me?"
"Mmmm... I got it!" the bard decides brightly. "Send me to Glaphyra."
"The blond slaver?" Ares raises his eyebrows. "The one who helped Xena kill my Chosen, Agathon?"
"That's the one!" Gabrielle answers. "Ex-slaver, though. I wonder if she needs a sidekick."
"Uh huh. I should warn you, though..." Ares trails off, thinking.
"What?"
"Never mind." the god smiles evilly, waving his hand at her. Gabrielle vanishes. Let her deal with it, he thinks, chuckling to himself.
"Halt!" a female voice calls from within the sedan. One of her four sedan-bearers edges himself out from under it and walks around to the sedan door.
"Yes, Mistress?" he asks.
"Could you please step on the same foot at the same time?!" Glaphyra scowls, her eyes speaking daggers. "My tits are falling off!!!"
"My apologies, Mistress." he bows, and moves back to take his position.
"Glaphyra? Glaphyra!" a voice calls out, making the blond in question look out her window.
"Gabrielle?" she yells in response, beaming as the strawberry blonde approaches the sedan with her trusty staff.
"Glaphyra, how are you?" the bard asks, reaching out to her.
"I'm fine, Gabrielle." the warrior coos, taking Gabrielle's hand and warmly shaking it. "Where's Xena?"
"Long story." the bard notes, smiling. "Mind if I join you?"
"Please." Glaphyra shakes her head. Then her expression turns vicious. "Down!"
Gabrielle watches in wonder as four sweaty, muscled men synchronize their movements, and carefully set Glaphyra's sedan down. The door swings open, and Gabrielle gingerly ducks inside.
"March!" the beautiful blond bellows, closing the door, as the sedan staggers up into the air. "It's so hard to get good help these days."
"Are these men your... slaves?" Gabrielle hesitantly asks.
"No, my dear." Glaphyra soothes. "They are my servants, but paid servants. I'm no longer a slaver. You and Xena reformed me, remember?"
"Xena and I had a wager going on whether you and Darnelle would actually..." Gabrielle trails off.
"Do it?"
"No!" the bard hastily corrects. "I mean, you know, actually stay... good." Then her features crinkle into a frown. "How are things going between you and Darnelle?"
"Oh, him?" the blond asks, raising her eyebrows. Gabrielle's face is so pretty, even when she frowns. "Well, he was cute, but it didn't work out." she leans forward conspiratorially. "He wanted to..." Glaphyra leans even closer.
"Eww!" Gabrielle grimaces. "What did you say?"
"I told him I'd rather drink Nile water than do that." Glaphyra leans back, inspecting her fingernails. "The effect is pretty much the same."
Gabrielle nods, and relaxes a bit, enjoying the bucking ride.
"Besides, he ate like a blind billy goat."
"He had poor table manners, too?" the bard asks.
"I'm not talking about dining, dear." Glaphyra slyly says, causing both women to break out in giggles. Gabrielle blushes as she laughs.
"It feels good to laugh again, Glaphyra. It's been a long time."
"So what happened to Xena?" the blond warrior carefully asks. She didn't want to sound too anxious.
"We had a... falling out." Gabrielle innocently replies, with a twinkle in her eye.
"I... see." Glaphyra gives her a strange look, but decides to go on. "So why are you here?"
"Well, I'm a sidekick without a partner." the bard starts, poking her tongue around in her cheek. "And I thought we hit it off pretty well after we got to know each other, so..."
"So you want to be my sidekick."
"Well, friend, at least." Gabrielle corrects. "From there, who knows?"
Glaphyra smiles at her, with depths of hidden meaning within her expression.
"Who knows, indeed?"
"So Darnelle is still your partner?" Gabrielle asks.
"Oh, yes!" Glaphyra replies as she tours the bard through her manor. "He imports and I export. But his business is in Pergemon, and mine here. We decided it would be best to operate separately."
"And what do you make?" the bard asks, as Glaphyra leads her up to a closed door.
"These!" the blond happily announces as she opens the door, beckoning the storyteller within.
"Oh... my." Gabrielle notes, raising her eyebrows as she takes in the inventory. "And how are your... profits?"
"Rising. Always rising." Glaphyra responds.
"So are you going to tell me about Xena?" Glaphyra asks, draping her slinky form across some pillows.
"What's to tell." Gabrielle says softly, sipping her wine as she luxuriates in the silk Glaphyra has dressed her in. "We had some good times, some great adventures. Things changed between us. I had to move on."
"I see." the blond notes, inclining her wine glass to her lips. "And now you're here with me."
"Yes." the bard nods. "I couldn't tell you the last time we met, but uh, oh gosh. There's something I've always wanted to do with you..."
Glaphyra mock chokes on her wine, and wipes her lips off. "That was rather direct. That's not your style."
"Being around Xena can do that to a person." Gabrielle nods, sipping again. Then she adopts a mock harsh expression. "Do this Gabrielle, don't do that Gabrielle. No, Gabrielle. You learn to be subtle around a person like that."
"I know what you mean." the blond smiles.
"Then you two were..."
"Inseperable." Glaphyra laughs, slipping her toe across Gabrielle's foot. "Xena and I shared some good times."
Gabrielle sets her glass down on the table, and scuffles forward across the soft carpet towards the warrior. She lays down next to Glaphyra and props herself up on her elbow.
"Let's compare notes, shall we?" the bard breathes huskily in her ear.
Gabrielle lifts her head up from between Glaphyra's legs. "How's that?"
"Mmmmm... Keep going."
Gabrielle resumes her labor for almost a minute, then stops with a gasp. "That's it. I quit. I can't buff you anymore."
"Well, you tried your best, and that's sweet." Glaphyra says with a disappointed sigh.
"Are you saying my technique's not good enough?" Gabrielle hotly asks, sitting up.
"You know I didn't say that." Glaphyra responds, raising her foot up in the air. "It's not your fault. I guess I'm just used to how... Xena does it, that's all."
"You mean Xena painted your toenails for you, too?" Gabrielle asks, surprised. She inspected the polish she had put on Glaphyra's toes, but couldn't see any flaws with her technique.
"She may seem tough and all that, but underneath she has a soft side." the blond notes, setting her leg down. "You miss her, don't you?"
"Well, maybe a little." Gabrielle softly admits. "You know how it is... once you look into those brilliant blue eyes..."
Glaphyra seems to deflate at that. "Yeah. I know." then her expression brightens. "Now let me do yours!"
"Where is she?" Xena demands, holding the beefcake against the wall.
The guard was astonished anyone could be holding him a foot off the ground, let alone a woman. "M-My Mistress is d-doing her now."
"Gods, no!" Xena swears, tossing the man aside like a sack of olives. "I'm too late."
Xena remembered the fiendish games Glaphyra had wanted her to play, the unspeakable acts she was into. And now, Gabrielle was in her sick clutches. What vile perversions was she visiting on her precious one now??
Xena strode through the corridor to the large doorway before her, dreading what she would find. Approaching the door stealthily, she heard a giggle from within. Deciding to chance it, Xena placed her ear against the door.
"Alright, give me your leg." a voice says from within.
"Glaphyra!" a voice Xena recognizes as Gabrielle's says hesitantly. "Your hands are cold. Are you sure you know what you're doing?"
"Trust me, Gabrielle." the other responds. "I have a much better technique than ol' leather britches."
"I can't take it anymore!" Xena swears as she steps back from the door.
Gabrielle looks up to see the door fly off its hinges, as a very angry Warrior Princess enters the room with her sword drawn.
Xena enters to see Gabrielle sitting on a chair, her legs wide, with Glaphyra kneeling between her knees. "Say your prayers, Glaphyra!"
Glaphyra whirls, and her eyes go wide at the sight of Xena. Quickly getting to her feet, she hides behind the bard.
"Why Xena!" Gabrielle says brightly. "What are you doing here?"
"Ares told me everything!" Xena snarls, closing the distance between them. "The whole thing was a hoax! I had to find you before it was too late."
"That's ridiculous!" Gabrielle steams right back at her, as Glaphyra clutches her shoulders. "Why would Ares tell you anything? He's a God, remember?"
"He may be a god..." Xena admits, raising her hand up in a cupping gesture. "But he's still a man. I was able to... squeeze the information out of him, you might say."
"I see." Gabrielle admits, nodding her head.
"Look, I'm really sorry about all the things that happened to you recently." Xena apologizes, her features softening. "Please come back to me. I'll make it all up to you, I promise."
Gabrielle suddenly pulls Glaphyra around, embracing the blond. "Well you're too late, Xena! I'm Glaphyra's companion now."
To emphasize this, Gabrielle seizes the blond's head and gives her a long, sloppy kiss. Then she separates from her with a -Pop!-
"And I will not leave her over her dead body!" the bard declares, embracing her tightly.
"You won't?" Xena asks.
"I will?" Glaphyra says in a falsetto voice.
"This oughtta take about five seconds." Xena says coldly, moving towards them.
"Now Xena!" Glaphyra says with alarm, backing away just as quickly. "Nothing happened! I swear, I didn't touch her."
"I saw what you were doing." Xena insists, sidestepping Gabrielle as she follows relentlessly. "I can do it better than ol' leather britches."
"Oh, that? I was just putting toenail polish on her, honest!" the blond explains, holding up a glass vial.
"Really?" Xena stops. She turns to look back at Gabrielle. "You were making me jealous."
"It worked too, didn't it?" Gabrielle grins, as Xena sheathes her sword.
"That was very nasty."
"And uncalled for!" Glaphyra chimes in.
"I don't know if I'm going to get used to this new side of you." Xena shakes her head, stepping closer to Gabrielle.
"Get used to it." the bard notes, pulling Xena into a hug. "Apology accepted."
"Gods, it feels so good to hold you again." Xena admits, pulling her tightly to her. "I'm so glad you're alive."
They share the moment together, as Glaphyra puts her hands on her hips and waits.
"I uh, hate to break up this major love-fest." the blond interjects. "But Xena, just how many of my servants did you maim or kill in order to get in here?"
"None." Xena smiles, leaning back to look at her bard's beautiful face. "They're all fine."
"Really?" the blond nods, mollified. "You're getting soft."
"Not yet." Xena admits, gazing deep into Gabrielle's eyes. She adds with a whisper, "But I'm trying, though."
| Go To Top | Back to Fiction | infiniteseeto@yahoo.com |
|---|