ÝWARNINGS AND DISCLAMERS

A couple of candlemarks later there was again a knock at their door. Gabrielle answered the door this time and it was again Karyna. "Gabrielle, Mikka wanted me to tell you that the evening crowd had started coming in and you can come down to tell your stories any time." Karyna smiled warmly at the bard.

"Ok, that sounds good. I'll be down in a few minutes. I just finished a new story I want to tell. " The bard shut the door and turned to Xena. "Won't you come down for a little while at least? I hate the thought of you sitting up here all by yourself."

"Gabrielle, I'll be just fine. You go on now and have a good time. I'll be here when you get back." The warrior said with a smile. She still felt that a little distance between them wouldn't be a bad idea for a little while. "By the way who's Mikka?"

"That's the innkeeper's name." Gabrielle replied as she opened the door and headed down the stairs.

Xena got up and poured her third mug of ale. She walked back over and sat down by the window and watched as the customers arrived and then turned her attention on the stars that were slowly starting to peek out of hiding as darkness fell. As the shadows started to lengthen she got up and lit the candle that had been placed by the bed, so it wouldn't be too dark in the room when the bard return.

Xena returned to her chair by the window and sat back down, but kept her hearing trained on listening for the bard's voice and the other sounds coming to her from downstairs. If any trouble started she would be there in a heartbeat.

A couple of candlemarks and mugs of ale later, Xena heard a loud crash downstairs and hurried from the room to investigate. When she got about halfway down the stairs she could see that a couple of locals had decided it was time for a fistfight and one of them had dumped a table over. Xena slowed her pace, but continued down the stairs as the innkeeper and some others threw the two men out the door and Gabrielle continued with her story.

Xena went to the bar and got another mug of ale and moved to the back of the room in the shadows to listen to her favorite bard tell her tales. She honestly loved the sound of the bard's voice and enjoyed the stories she told. She would have preferred that they weren't about her though; she found it uncomfortable to sit and listen to them. She'd decided that it might be better if she stayed downstairs to protect the bard in case of any more trouble.

Xena sat mesmerized by the bard's voice and paid little attention to the stories that the bard was telling. Her eyes were for the small honey-blonde only, but her thoughts were of the bard and her love for her. Xena continued to drink the ale as she listened to the sound of the bard's voice.

Xena watched as Gabrielle got up from her chair and was telling the customer's goodnight. She told them that she'd be there tomorrow night and if they liked the stories they should tell their friends.

Gabrielle had only taken a couple of steps when Xena saw her fall. The warrior practically leaped over the heads of everyone trying to get to the bard to make sure she was all right.

There had been too many people between her and the bard for her to see what had caused the bard's fall and it was just as well, the warrior would have hurt anyone she thought had hurt the bard no matter if it was an accident.

A couple of guys had gotten to Gabrielle ahead of the warrior and she threw them out of the way as she knelt beside the small bard. "Gabrielle are you Ok?" Xena said with concern.

Gabrielle smiled up at her realizing that Xena had come down to listen to her stories anyway. "Sure I'm fine, just help me off the floor."

Xena started to help Gabrielle to her feet when the bard nearly fell again. Xena grabbed her and looked into the bard's face with concern. "What's wrong."

"I think I twisted my ankle, it hurt when I tried to put my weight on it." The bard said in a whisper.

Without another word Xena scooped the small bard up into her strong arms and headed up the stairs to their room. Xena carried her over and gently sat her down on the bed. "Let me get your boot off before it swells so bad we have to cut it off." Without another word the warrior went to work removing the boot and then checking the ankle to make sure it hadn't been broken. It was just a slight sprain that would cause the bard to limp for a couple of days, but she'd be fine.

Xena wrapped the ankle and then walked over and picked up the bard's shift. "Here." She said as she tossed the bard's shift to her. "I don't want you up on that ankle any more than you have to be, it will heal quicker that way. Just let me know if there's something you need and I'll get it for you." As the warrior was talking she walked back over and sat down in the chair she'd occupied earlier. She picked up her unfinished ale and took a swallow. This time she wasn't looking at the stars, but had her steady gaze trained on Gabrielle.

Gabrielle had just finished removing her clothing so she could put on the shift that Xena had tossed to her when she looked up to see what the warrior was doing. Gabrielle felt herself squirm a little when she looked over into the frank appreciative stare of the intense blue eyes of the warrior. Xena had a small grin playing across her lips. Gabrielle sat there hypnotized by the sapphire-blue eyes until it felt like she had little ants crawling all over her body. She shivered and quickly pulled her shift on over her head. Gods... what that woman can do to me with just a look! Gabrielle thought.

As Gabrielle pulled her shift over her head Xena took another drink from her mug and turned to again look out the window. Warrior... get a grip on yourself! Xena thought to herself as she turned to look at the stars again.

Gabrielle lay back on the bed and watched the warrior furtively. It almost seemed that there was some kind of game being played out and she wasn't at all sure what the rules were. Xena, always the stoic warrior, had never looked at her like that before. It might be the ale, but the bard had seen the warrior a lot drunker than she appeared to be now. Come to think of it, I've never seen the warrior look at anyone that way.

About a half candlemark later the warrior rose from her chair and walked over and changed into her shift she was going to sleep in. She then walked back over and sat down by the window again. She picked up her mug of ale, drained it and continued to just sit staring out the window.

It was when the warrior had turned back toward the window that the bard could see that the warrior's face was wet. Gabrielle got out of bed and walked up behind the warrior putting her arms around her. "Xena can you tell me what's wrong?"

"It's nothing. And I told you not to walk around on that ankle unless it was necessary... now you get back in bed." The warrior spoke to the bard without ever turning around to face her.

"Xena most people have a reason when they cry. Please tell me what's wrong."

"I'm fine Gabrielle... I told you it was nothing. Please go back to bed." The warrior's voice had an exhausted quality to it.

"I'll go back to bed on one condition... deal?" the bard replied.

"What kind of 'deal' is that my little bard?" Xena replied still gazing intently out the window.

"I'll go back to bed if you carry me AND if you come to bed yourself. You haven't fully recovered from your own injury and you need to rest too."

The warrior wiped her face and turned to look Gabrielle in the eye. "Gabrielle I'll be glad to carry you back to bed, but I think I'll use my bedroll and sleep on the floor. I'm not used to soft beds anyway." Xena stood and scooped Gabrielle into her arms, letting the sensation of the bard's body touching hers soak in for a second before she headed to the bed with her precious package.

Xena bent over to lay the bard down on the bed but she refused to let go of the warrior's neck. "I told you I'd let you bring me to bed only if you laid down too." The bard said defiantly.

"Gabrielle don't be silly..." the warrior started to reply.

"Xena I am not being silly and you know you need your rest even more than I do, maybe I should sleep on the floor and let you have the bed."

Xena was tired and knew that Gabrielle didn't intend to give up until she had her way. "OK you win... now let go."

Gabrielle released the warrior's neck and she lay down in the bed next to the bard and turned her back to her. Xena had lain down as close to the edge of the bed as she could without falling off onto the floor. Xena was fairly sure she wasn't going to get much sleep, if any at all, with the way her body was singing out at the bard being so close. Xena closed her eyes and at least made an attempt to go to sleep.

When Xena had lain down on the edge of the bed and turned away from her, the bard turned over and was watching the warrior's back. Gabrielle didn't know why things had gotten so complicated between her and the warrior lately and she wished she could figure out some way to work things out. Gabrielle went to sleep still worrying about things between her and the warrior.

Xena's mind drifted off to replay the ride on Argo that had left her with the turmoil she was trying to resolve within herself now. Xena wasn't sure if she'd dozed off to sleep or not because the visions of the bard's body so close to hers kept playing over and over in her mind, when suddenly Gabrielle jerked and screamed.

Xena quickly turned over and could hear the sobs racking the body of the girl lying next to her. She put hers arms around Gabrielle and pulled her up tight against her. "Hush Gabrielle... I have you, you're fine."

Gabrielle awoke and could feel the warrior's arms around her and talking gently into her ear. With the nightmare of Xena dying again, the bard needed to know that Xena was really alive. The warrior's arms and voice helped provide the reassurance that she needed right at that moment. Gabrielle reached out wrapping her own arms tightly around the warrior just to make sure that this wasn't part of her dream and that the warrior was really lying there next to her.

Xena could feel the bard shivering as she continued to cry. The warrior wasn't sure what these nightmares were all about that the bard was having, but the small bard seemed terrified by them. Everything had seemed all right before they'd gone to bed, the warrior just couldn't figure out what was scaring the bard so badly. It worried Xena to see the bard like this. "Gabrielle please tell me what's wrong?" The warrior asked worriedly.

"It was just a sad dream... I'll be all right." The bard replied, crying and her body still shaking.

"Gabrielle you said that last night... please tell me what's wrong, maybe I can help." The warrior pleaded.

"Xena this is helping... you are helping. Please just hold me." The bard said still clinging to the warrior.

Xena figured that sooner or later the bard would decide to talk about it. Right now she needed to calm the bard down and some how reassure her that everything was OK and that she was safe.

The fragrance that was the bard, the girl she loved, again started to fill her senses. "Gods Gabrielle, I..." Xena couldn't even think to finish... the warrior knew she was in trouble. She felt as though she was standing in the middle of a raging fire that she was desperately trying to put out. Xena also kept reminding herself how she'd lost this same battle that afternoon and needed to be careful.

Gabrielle wasn't thinking about that afternoon. She just knew she needed to feel Xena next to her and she wanted to touch her to know that she was real. It didn't take long for her own body to tell her that wasn't a good idea as she was getting lost in the feelings that it was causing.

Xena felt herself losing what little control that she had left. She hugged Gabrielle once more and kissed her on the forehead and then extracted herself from the beautiful girl's embrace. She got up from the bed and walked over and poured another mug of ale and took a large swallow before turning around and facing the bard.

Gabrielle wasn't completely puzzled by Xena's actions... her own body was reminding her of the ride to the village. "Xena... what's wrong?" The bard asked in a subdued voice.

"Gabrielle this would honestly be better discussed in the morning when I'm sober... not now." Gods please... not now.

"Are you mad at me?" The bard said hanging her head and feeling guilty about having done something wrong again.

"No Gabrielle I'm not mad at you. You've done nothing wrong. Look I'll try to explain." The warrior put her head in her hands trying to figure out how she was going to handle this mess. "Gabrielle you're a beautiful girl and anyone who gets you will be the luckiest person in the world. You're just emotionally upset right now... in the morning you'll feel better."

"Xena look at me." The bard requested. Xena lifted her head and was instantly drowning in emerald green eyes. "Please tell me why you left the bed."

"Gabrielle you are so very special... you're young, you'll no doubt find someone you'd like to marry and have a family with. It just... I just..." With that the warrior lowered her head back into her hands and said no more.

"Xena don't shut me out, please talk to me." The bard pleaded.

"Gabrielle... it's been a long day, we're both tired and need rest and there's no way to fix everything tonight. Please lay down and try to get some sleep. If you want to, we can talk tomorrow." The warrior rose and laid out her bedroll and lay down on the floor.

This time Gabrielle said nothing and turned over and tried to go to sleep, but fearing the nightmares would return if she did. She was feeling like she'd already caused enough trouble for one day.

² Copyrighted January 1998 by DelShannon