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/Erotica/Angst.

Sex: M/F

Violence: None

Ick Factor: Only if reading about Gabrielle having sex with Perdicus totally turns you off. In Perdicus 1, they don't 'do it'. Read that version instead.

Perdicus 2

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 her tongue 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 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 sensed 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 against his chest, just 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 couldn't make up her mind, and she was very curious about sex; had been since she was a teenager.

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. He took her hands in his and bunched the fabric of his tunic 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 disagreeable by any means. Just different. But then she twirled her fingers through the stiff, curly hairs and decided it was becoming downright repellent. 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, but her curiosity got the better of her. After all, her older, married friends had told her coupling wasn't much fun at first, but quickly got better. Maybe her antipathy was really ignorance. "Maybe we should.." She let the sentence dangle and tugged at the bedspread.

"Of course," he agreed, pulling the bedcovers down. He slipped under them and beckoned to her. 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. His muscles were hard, almost stiff, and his arms were just as hairy as his legs. His skin was rougher than Xena's, and he smelled..... wrong. Not bad, just wrong. All men did, but until now, she hadn't really noticed or thought about it.

He continued to kiss her, and slid a hesitant hand down her arm..then across her chest, brushing her breast and nipple. That felt good, and a tiny sound escaped her lips. She kissed him back as he began massaging the soft mound. His touch was ok until he twisted her nipple between his fingers. "Ouch.. Not so hard," she said, breaking their kiss. "Sorry, Honey. How's this?" The pressure lessened. "Better," she replied truthfully, but she somehow knew Xena wouldn't have done it so hard to begin with.

The kissing and breast play made her feel somewhat excited, but he was raring to go. He took her hand and placed it on his erection. She marveled at the stiff shaft with it's loose, sliding skin and swollen head. She had to look, and did so. "Wow," she breathed, now wanting it in her, not knowing why, since the rest of him didn't do much for her. In some ways it actually turned her off.

"Can I.." He paused. "Can I touch you, too?" he asked, moving his hand down to her toned stomach.

The question made her feel strangely uncertain whether or not she wanted to continue, but said, "Yes."

His hand moved further and combed through her nest before finding it's way, sort of, inside. He poked around a bit, as if he didn't know what was where. 'Didn't he say he'd done this before?' she thought. 'Or am I different from other women?' After a few moments he found what he was searching for and began stroking it. Again, just a little too hard. She pulled away.

"What's the matter?" he asked, reaching for her.

"It..kinda hurts. You were pressing too much."

He was obviously contrite. "Sorry.... You're pretty dry...That makes it worse."

"Um..yeah. I guess so." She didn't feel comfortable telling him she had no problem getting saturated while pleasuring herself; men's egos were so delicate."

"Don't worry, I'll get you wet," he teased, waggling his eyebrows at her.

She laughed without thinking and lay back as he began kissing her again. This time he trailed kisses all over her face, down her neck, and to the breast nearest him. He sucked her nipple into his mouth and laved it with his tongue. Again, his action was bit too aggressive, but after a few minutes the familiar excitement began to build. She held his head close, trying not to breathe in his scent, now quite strong due to his excitement. Wishing Xena's delicious scent was washing over her instead...

So.. She lay back and thought about Xena, pretending it was her, not Perdicus making love to her. It worked. Not long after he again slid his hand between her legs, this time finding her slick. "May I?" he asked breathlessly. "You're so beautiful and sexy.... I love you."

The words did it, even uttered in a male voice. "Yes.. I think."

"Let me try this first. If it hurts, say so, the last thing I want to do is hurt you.""Ok," she answered, waiting to see what he did. She felt his finger ease to her opening, then slowly slide in. It hurt a little, but not much. Her inner muscles clamped it tightly with no will on her part.

"Ya ok," he asked, still sucking her breast... Spreading spit all over it. 'Yuck...'

"Yeah.. It doesn't hurt."

He stroked back and forth a few times, then withdrew. "Ready?" he asked, rising to his knees with his erection standing up at an angle.

Gabrielle eyed it with both anticipation and trepidation. Not just because this was new, and might hurt, but because she might get pregnant, too. She wasn't sure she was ready for children quite yet. But, at the same time, she wanted that part of him, deep inside, and just looking at it primed and waiting made her flood. "Yeah."

He settled between her legs, supporting himself with one hand while guiding himself with the other. She felt the tip contact her, and she spread her legs wider. He came down closer and began to slide himself in. He was big. Bigger than she expected, but he took his time, stopping to let her get used to the unfamiliar feeling. "Am I hurting you?" he asked, muscles in his supporting beginning to show the strain.

"No, you're fine. Keep going," she replied truthfully.

Taking her at her word, he slowly slid all the way in until their groins met. Her inner muscles clamped and released, stimulating him in a way he never thought possible. "How's that?" he asked, nearly panting; wanting to make sure her first experience was a good one.

"Good." She looked up at him and saw Xena in her mind's eye. 'Too bad Xena doesn't have one of these,' she thought, relishing the fullness inside.

Perdicus began slow, soft strokes, watching her carefully for any signs of discomfort. Now that he was inside, he came down onto both elbows and kissed her as he gradually increased his speed and penetration. His chest now hair rasped her sensitive nipples with each stroke, interfering with the nice sensations inside. Unable to bear the pain, she pushed him up a bit. "Too heavy," she lied.

He adjusted immediately. "Better?"

"Yeah." 'I wonder what Xena's chest would fell like against mine,' she thought.

"Good," he panted. "Let me know if I do anything that hurts, or that you don't like, ok?"

"Ok."

Unfortunately for him, it had been a long time since he'd last been with a woman, and Gabrielle was so gorgeous... and so desirable.... He tried to stop himself, but couldn't; she felt too good. Divine, in fact. He arched his back and grunted as he ejaculated deep inside her warm, breathtaking body.

Gabrielle watched in confusion, not knowing what he was doing, or why.... Until she remembered seeing mares being mounted by stallions in the fields back home. 'Aha.'

Perdicus heaved a sigh and withdrew, laying next to her, panting.

'That's it? It's over?' she asked herself.

As if he had heard her thoughts, he took her hand. "Sorry, Honey, it's been a while. Let me rest a little while and I'll make sure you enjoy it as much as I did."

"..Ok. What was it like?"

He smiled and took her into his arms. "Wonderful."

Being young, he quickly recovered. She was still somewhat excited and it didn't take him long to get her going again. This time he took longer to climax, but Gabrielle reached a plateau, then stopped. The negative aspects of his body piled up and she couldn't enjoy it anymore, even while imagining Xena in his place... Well, except for the penetration, his erection moving back and forth, deep inside. Even that wasn't enough to make up for the adverse male traits. He came again, but she didn't. He kissed her and lay down next to her. "Don't worry, Honey, you'll get to like it.. It just takes a while, that's all. You're probably nervous or something."

'Yeah, something, alright,' she thought as she nestled close to him. The way he expected her to. Realizing she didn't want to because he now smelled bad, not just wrong. She surreptitiously slid a finger between her legs and brought it back for a sniff. The odor was acrid and nasty; she immediately wiped it off with the sheet and shuddered with the knowledge that the slimy, offensive substance was lodged deep inside her, and that she couldn't get it out.

"Ya cold?" he mumbled, pulling up the sheet and blanket without waiting for her answer.

"I'm fine," she whispered back, hoping he was asleep. Soon he was snoring softly. 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.

'Xena's the one always making snap decisions. I always weigh the different points, it drives her nuts. I wore my rose colored spectacles and thought about what Perdicus felt for me, not what I honestly felt for him. I let my compassion blind me to the truth. I am *not* attracted to men, I'm attracted to women, specifically Xena. I *don't* love him, at least not as a wife should. He's more like a good friend, or a brother.'

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, still 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.

"Great," she fibbed. "You?"

"I dreamed of you all night," he replied, kissing her again. "You're not sore?"

"A little. Not much," she conceded

She let him kiss her but didn't return them, 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