(September 8, 1997)

by Bongo Bear
(bongobear@hotmail.com)

"Not tonight, dear, I'm tired and need to sleep," Xena said quietly into the darkness. Gabrielle stared at her lover in wide-eyed astonishment.

"But we always, you know, every single night for months now. We even get a quickie in the morning sometimes," Gabrielle said.

Xena sat up in bed and took her bard into her arms. She explained matter-of-factly, "Gabrielle, I just can't keep it up every night, every time you need some relief."

"But I thought you enjoy what we do. Unless I've been reading your body language wrong, I'm pretty sure you wring every bit of pleasure out of our love making."

"I am human. Of course I enjoy sex as much as you do. But lately, I've been pulled in too many directions. I need to take a break from sex, sex, sex. Maybe a week of abstinence is what I need," Xena decided.

"A week! Are you out of your mind?!" Gabrielle shook Xena to make sure she wasn't talking nonsense in her sleep.

"Gabrielle, I'm not the Energizer Bunny. I'm a woman who happens to wear leather and kicks some butt and looks damn good doing it," Xena smiled to herself.

"Ah, that's what I love about you, Xena," Gabrielle said, her lyrical voice lowered to smoldering seductive tones.

"I have my own needs, too. Right now, I need to give it," she pointed to her lower anatomy, " a rest. For the next week, you'll just have to fend for yourself."

"You mean --?"

"Yes, think pure, innocent thoughts for the week. It'll make a nice change for both of us. I realize it's not as much fun as carnal lust, but you'll survive. Going without sex is not like going without food."

"It might as well be. What's the point of eating if I can't burn off those excess calories?" Gabrielle whined.

"Good night, Gabrielle. If it helps any, I suggest cold showers every hour or so." Xena rolled over, turning her back to the frustrated bard.

"Ooooh, this sucks!"

"What?"

"Heh, heh, the week's over." Xena winked and nudged seductively.

"Sooo?"

"And you know what that means," Xena purred as she pulled the bard into her arms and gave her a gentle kiss. Gabrielle pushed Xena away, with a bit of a struggle.

"I thought after a full week, you'd be a little more," Xena said looking at her lover with complete bewilderment, "anxious."

"I am, but I spent the last week trying to understand why you needed the time off," Gabrielle explained.

"What did you finally figure out?" Xena asked.

Gabrielle hesitated, "Ummm, you're getting to that stage in your life." Xena's eyes narrowed. She waited to see where Gabrielle was headed. "You are pushing thirty, you know."

"What has my age got to do with anything?" Xena stood a little taller and straighter, trying to look as imposing as possible.

"Well, at your age, people mellow, they slow down...lose their sex drive," Gabrielle said the last part very quietly.

"I'll have you know that women reach their sexual peak in their mid-thirties. Now when I hit forty you can start to worry." Xena grabbed the little bard and threw her over her shoulder. "Until then, I'm raring to go!"

"Put me down, put me down!" Gabrielle's head hung upsidedown as she pounded the warrior's leather-clad back with her fists. Xena carried her struggling burden over to the bedroll and plopped unceremoniously onto her back. The fall knocked the wind out of her. She looked up at Xena, her chest heaving as she tried to catch her breath.

The warrior stood over her lover's supine figure with her hands on her hips and smiled wickedly. "Now who are you calling over the hill?"

Gabrielle shook her head and whispered meekly, "No one."

Xena softened her smile as she knelt beside her bard. Gabrielle reached out and drew the warrior down to her. Together they moved mountains.

FINIS