Disclaimers: The characters of Xena: Warrior Princess and all other associated with the television series of the same name are owned by MCA/ Universal Pictures. This is a work of fan fiction and no copyright infringement is intended.
Subtext: I guess with my writing so far we'll just quit calling it subtext and call it maintext. Yes they are in love with each other.
Sex: A first kiss.
Violence: None.
Language: None
Other: Just a romantic little piece of fluff.
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Just Look at Them
By T. Novan
Cyrene stood at the bar watching the arm wrestling match going on at the table across the room. She smiled.
Gabrielle looked at if every vein in her head was about to burst, as she tried to pin the muscular arm to the table. Xena smiled contently and sipped from a mug of port with her free hand. There didn’t seem to be the least amount of effort on the warrior’s part as she held her arm up for the bard to wrestle with.
"Ready to give up yet?" She asked after another sip from her mug.
"No." The bard replied through clenched teeth, a bead of sweat forming on her brow.
"You sure?"
"Yes." Gabrielle continued trying to pin the warrior’s unwavering arm.
"You know I admire your spirit Gabrielle, but it’s never going to happen."
"It’s…just…a…matter…of…con…cen…tration." The little blonde growled.
"If you say so Gabrielle." The warrior reached over and took a piece meat from a plate and popped it in her mouth. "I’m just afraid you’re going to hurt yourself. If you keep this up something’s going to pop."
Frustrated, Gabrielle started using her other hand to try and push the offending appendage to the table.
"Hey you’re cheating." Xena said as she placed another piece of meat between her teeth. Xena glanced up at her mother. Cyrene gave her a "let her win" look. Xena took a deep breath and let her arm fall. She quickly looked back at Gabrielle and smiled. "Ya’ got me. You happy?"
Gabrielle took a deep breath and rubbed tired sore muscles. She smiled at her victory and took a drink of Xena’s port. "Okay pay up." She said.
"Mother!" Xena called across the room.
"Yes dear."
"Could you come here please?" She said with a deep sigh.
Cyrene crossed over to the table bringing with her a second mug of port for the warrior. "Yes dear."
"Gabrielle would like to know some extremely embarrassing moment from my childhood and I can’t seem to think of any. Would you care to do the honors?" Xena leaned back in her chair as Cyrene took a seat. Gabrielle nibbled on the meat and cheeses as she gave the warrior’s mother her full attention.
"Well let’s see. There was the time you…no that won’t do." She continued to think back to when her daughter was small. "Do you remember the first time you saw a centaur?"
Xena, who had been taking a drink of her port, snorted at the memory, sending port in every direction. She actually laughed out loud before excusing herself from the table.
"Where do you think your going?" Gabrielle asked.
"I’m not going to set there and listen to her embarrass me with that story. You never said I had to stay and listen to it."
Xena left the common room and went outside. The early evening air was fresh and crisp. She drew it deep into her lungs and held it for a moment. She hadn’t felt this relaxed in several moons. She was glad Gabrielle had suggested this break from the road. They would spent another three days here and then be on their way to Poteidaia to spend some time with Gabrielle’s family. She heard laughter erupt from inside. Both women, it seemed found the centaur story very amusing. Xena just shook her head. "It wasn’t that funny." She said aloud, to no one in particular. She leaned against a pole and watched the sun make its final decent at the horizon. The red and orange glow was beautiful against the blue of the sky. Suddenly she wondered how long it had been since she had taken the time to enjoy a sunset.
She heard her mother step outside. Cyrene put her hands on her daughter’s shoulders. "She’s a lovely girl."
"Yes she is." Xena agreed.
"When are you going to tell her? Cyrene stepped to her daughter’s side and took her hand.
"Tell her what?"
"That you love her."
"Mother!" The warrior was embarrassed again.
"You might be able to hide it from her, but you aren’t hiding it from anyone else. All anybody has to do is look at you." She paused, "especially when you look at her."
"Mother please."
"Tell me I’m wrong." She paused again and waited. "Go on tell me."
"I can’t."
"I know. So why don’t you go in there and tell her?"
"And have her go screaming back to
Poteidaia. I’d rather be with her this way than without her at
all. "
"Do you really think that would happen?"
"I’m not willing to risk it. I’ve come so close to losing her too many times all ready to tempt the fates. Next time they just might take her from me."
"Xena she loves you too."
She turned and looked at her mother, who just smiled. "And how would you know this?"
"She just told me."
"Mother!"
"No really she did. Xena you’ve had so much pain in your life. Don’t you think you deserve a little happiness?"
"Yes, but Gabrielle is so…" Words failed her.
"In love with you. I swear Xena if you don’t go tell her I will."
"You wouldn’t?"
"Try me."
"Mother please."
"Xena I swear you can be more stubborn than any person I know."
"And this is a bad thing because…" She grinned and cocked her eyebrow.
"Because you have the love of your life sitting in there and you’re either to blind or to stupid to do anything about it."
Xena was about to respond, when Gabrielle pushed the doors open and stepped out onto the porch. Cyrene placed a soft kiss on her daughter’s hand and smiled before going back inside. Xena blushed and turned away from Gabrielle. The bard stepped forward and stood next to the warrior, looking everywhere, but at Xena.
"So," Xena finally said. "Did you enjoy your story?"
"Very much." She rubbed her arm. "I’m just not sure if I’ll be able to raise my staff in the morning."
"Sure you will. You’re a tough little bard." She said with a grin as she stepped off the porch and turned to face her.
"Ya’ think?" Gabrielle smiled.
"I know. You’ve gotten pretty good with that thing. I really think with a little more training and all the practicing you do, pretty soon I won’t be able to beat you with a staff."
Gabrielle blushed and dropped her eyes trying to hide her embarrassment from her friend.
"Did I say something wrong?" The warrior asked as she ducked a little trying to regain eye contact with the bard.
Gabrielle looked up, still smiling. "No it’s just that you don’t compliment me very often and when you do I just get kind of…well…it embarrasses me a little."
"Yeah I know that’s why I don’t do it very often. I like watching your ears turn red." The warrior offered with a grin as she grabbed the rail of the porch and vaulted over it so she was on the porch behind the bard. Breathing in her ear. "See right here." She said as she traced a slow line up the back of the bard’s neck with her finger to the back of her ear. "It just climbs up your neck and right into your ears."
Between the closeness of their bodies, Xena’s warm breath in her ear and the feather light touch on her neck Gabrielle felt her legs go weak and that blush start all over again.
"Hmmm…seems to work even when I don’t compliment you." The warrior said with a soft chuckle her mouth even closer to the ear in question.
Gabrielle turned around to face the warrior. They stared at each other for moments on end. Finally Xena swallowed hard, closed her eyes and closed the distance between them. Praying to every God she could think of that she wasn’t making a mistake. Their lips met gently, softly small little kisses at first. Without losing the little kisses, Xena wrapped her arms around the bard and pulled her close as the tip of her tongue licked at the bard’s lips. The question was answered as Gabrielle’s hands went to the warrior’s neck and the kiss deepened. The sun sat as the two found each other on the porch of Cyrene’s Inn.
From inside, Cyrene watched as her daughter gave her heart up for the first time to someone she really loved. She smiled as she watched them. She watched as they talked and shared gentle kisses and soft caresses. She recognized true love when she saw it and was happy for them. She also know that she’d be in big trouble if the warrior ever found out that she had fibbed about Gabrielle’s confession of love for the warrior, but she knew, you only had to just look at them.
The End