DISCLAIMERS: I don't own Xena, Gabrielle or Perdicas. They belong to Renaissance Pictures and Studios USA.

SPOILER WARNING: This is an alternate version of the events after the wedding in "Return of Callisto." It just struck me and I typed this baby out in about an hour and a half.

SEX / SUBTEXT: yes. It's there. Kaybye.

LANGUAGE: Yes...there are some naughty words...consider yourself warned.

Copyright 2000 Kimyoo Films (27 April, 2000 started and completed)

"Wedding Night" by Magenta. the_AURYN@angelfire.com

Xena was numb. Head to toe numb. She couldn't hear the priest tell Gabrielle and Perdicas what to say in their ceremony and if it weren't for those two tiny words which carried so much weight - "I do" - she would still be there, frozen to the spot as if by some vengeful god. All she could see was the woman she loved marrying someone else and she was powerless to do anything about it.

*No, I'm not powerless,* she thought to herself. *I'm giving her happiness and life. I'm sacrificing myself for Gabrielle's own good.
*If I wanted to...if I really, really wanted to, I could stop this whole marriage non-sense...but that would involve telling her how I feel and I don't want to bother her with it. It's my problem and I've gotta deal with it in my own way.*

Xena clasped arms with Perdicas and put her arm around Gabrielle's shoulder, hoping he and Joxer - who happened to be in the right place at the right time to be the Best Man, go figure - would take a hike so the women could say their good-byes.

The warrior turned and looked into the bard's entrancing green eyes, nearly losing herself. She responded to all of Gabrielle's questions on automatic, afraid...but she couldn't stop herself from bending down to kiss the sweet lips she had been dreaming of for what seemed like an eternity. When she pulled away, she noticed that Gabrielle's eyes were closed, even for that short amount of time. *Could it be?* she asked herself, but quickly dismissed the thought as she watched Gabrielle walk away.

Then, they were gone. Out of the entire ceremony, the only thing that Xena could remember was the kiss. The feel of Gabrielle's warm, soft lips haunted and nearly consumed her, but she shook herself out of it, telling herself that it was for the best. With that, Xena walked out of the temple to restart her life journey alone.

*****

*Dammit, you big, dumb warrior. Stop the wedding. Sweep me off my feet, rush me outta this temple, get us on Argo and get us the Tartarus outta here.*

She was afraid to stop the wedding herself, but knew that Perdicas wasn't the one for her. She just didn't know what to do. She replied at all the right times, said all the right things during the ceremony, but she was mainly paying attention to the powerful presence of the woman behind her.

She watched as Xena clasped arms with her husband and nearly melted when she felt the arm around her shoulder. *Dammit, you two...get outta here. We deserve some peace to say our good-byes in...*

"I'm gonna miss you," Gabrielle said. She noted how numb Xena seemed, how stiff and wordless. Not that words were Xena's strong suit ordinarily, but she seemed as though she was doing it on purpose in order to stifle something. Everything she said was normal, but there was a lack of emotion behind it that bothered Gabrielle...but all annoyances vanished when the warrior gently kissed her. Her will almost vanished, too, but any pursuit should be Xena's choice.

*If she wants me, she'll stop this...right?* the bard thought to herself as she walked away from the woman she loved and left the temple with Perdicas.

*****

*Gods, what am I DOING?* thought Xena as she stood underneath the balcony to the room where Gabrielle would soon be making love to Perdicas.

"You're torturing yourself...duh." In a flash of pink light and perfume, the Love Goddess herself appeared in front of Xena.

"What do YOU want, Aphrodite?" Xena didn't bother to hide her sneer from the goddess. She was convinced that it was all her fault anyway.

"To give you some advice: Do yourself a favour, Warrior Babe, and just walk away. Apparently you're not confident enough to take Gabrielle from Perdicas. It's what you both want anyway, but no...you have to make yourselves into Love's Martyrs.
"Scratch that, you're not confident enough to give yourself over to another person, you're afraid of your feelings for her. Gabrielle loves you, Xena, how in the world did you ever miss that?
"Look at you now...proud warrior standing underneath a balcony all brokenhearted and lonely like, thinking about what some little bard and her husband are doing in their bed."

Aphrodite adjusted her frilly pink bodice. "Ugh...all this 'pity me, the big, dumb, love struck warrior' business is bumming me out. Later..."

With that, the Goddess disappeared leaving Xena alone in her vigil. *I never thought I would say this, but Aphrodite's right. I'm big, dumb and love struck...but on top of all that, I'm a warrior.* A plan started to form in her mind as she snuck back to Argo and rummaged through her saddlebags.

*****

*Oh Gods...what'm I gonna do?* thought Gabrielle as Perdicas approached her and sat on the bed they would be sharing, pulling her close.

She kissed him, hoping for even a spark of what she felt when Xena kissed her, but there was no use...it wasn't there. Now, she was bound to this man forever while Xena was off fighting evil warlords and saving villages and bedding every person she chose since the bard wasn't around. *Yeah, Xena must be having some fun now that I'm gone,* she thought, the notion ripping her soul even further apart.

Suddenly, before Perdicas could claim her lips again, a knock sounded on the door to their room. Motioning for her to sit, Perdicas stood up and went to the door. Outside stood a messenger holding a scroll in his hands. "Sir, are you Perdicas?"

Upon a nod, the messenger continued, "Sir, this is a message from the army of Chaironeia. They urgently request your presence on the field."

Perdicas thought for a moment. "I thought the battle was already fought."

"I'm just the messenger, sir. The rest is up to you," he replied, handing Perdicas the scroll and walking away. *A messenger with plenty o' dinars in his pocket and the memory of vivid blue eyes to keep his dreams warm.*

Perdicas unrolled the message and looked it over. "I've gotta go, Gabrielle and I'll be gone for a while. Why don't you stay here and wait for me?" He put the scroll down on a drawer as he rummaged though it.

"How long will you be gone?" she asked, trying to keep the excitement out of her voice.

"I don't know, honey...maybe a moon or two. If it's any longer, I'll send for you." He packed some of his clothes and belongings before kissing Gabrielle good-bye and heading off.

The bard flopped back onto the bed in relief. *A two moon reprieve...whew,* she thought.

"What a pity...such a beautiful bride left alone on her wedding night."

Gabrielle sat up and looked in the direction of that unmistakable voice, but couldn't see anyone. Suddenly, a shape, familiar and welcome, walked forward from the shadows and curtains by the open balcony window, motioning for Gabrielle to remain seated as she approached.

Xena knelt in front of the bard and cupped her chin. Gabrielle's eyes closed at the sweet contact and she leaned into the touch. It was only momentary as she regained control over herself and opened her eyes, to be met by Xena's blue mere inches away and coming slowly closer.

Not a word was said for fear that the spell would be broken and each would wake up, alone and brokenhearted. However, Gabrielle was becoming impatient, evidenced by the hand that snaked its way up and behind the warrior's neck, pulling her in for a deep, soul searching kiss. Caution and fear were thrown to the wind and replaced with all the answers either of them would ever need.

Xena continued to move forward, pushing the bard onto her back on the bed and, without breaking the kiss, they took off the warrior's cloying breastplates and armbands, gauntlets and grieves strewn all over the floor.

The kiss intensified as Xena removed Gabrielle's nightgown and her warm leather battle-dress seemed to caress the bard's bare flesh. The blonde clawed at the leather, desperate for as much bodily contact with the warrior as she could get. As Xena peeled herself away from the kiss to lavish attention upon the bard's neck, she also shrugged and pushed her way out of the leather.

Once bare skin was against bare skin, Gabrielle wrapped her legs around the warrior's waist and entwined a hand in the raven tresses, the other one caressing the muscular back. Xena kissed her way down the bard's throat to her breasts. She wanted to take her time, savour every moment and worship every inch of skin that Gabrielle offered to her, but the bard herself urged Xena on, pressing her head down.

"Gods, Xena...take me, please..."

The warrior smiled against the breast she was suckling and was about to fulfill her bard's plea when the door to the room opened and Perdicas entered. He didn't even look around the room, nor did he notice the two very naked women in the middle of making love on the bed he was supposed to have shared with one of them.

"That musta been an old message...I was just told that Chaironeia fell a few weeks ago."

Perdicas glanced quickly at the bed as he started to put his clothing away. "Oh. Hi Xena. How are you?" he asked, not pausing a bit...until something clicked and he slowly turned around from his task and saw that Xena was doing considerably better than he.

"What th-... What's going on? What were you doing on top of my wife? Naked...and sweaty????"

"Perdicas, I can explain everything..."

Drawing his sword, he walked towards Xena, only to be stopped by Gabrielle who rolled off the bed and covered herself in a sheet. "Oh you can, can you? You can explain to me why you were forcing yourself onto your best friend?"

"Perdicas, it was nothing like that-" Xena stood her ground, but still tried to diffuse the situation.

"You know, Xena...you haven't changed at all. You'd like to make villagers think that you have, but you're still a vile warlord at heart, aren't you, you Gods damned whore?" He didn't see where it came from, but all of a sudden his head was snapped to the side and a sharp pain shot through his cheek.

"Don't you EVER talk to her like that, Perdicas. Ever," said Gabrielle, shaking off the pain in her right hand after slapping her husband.

"Why did you hit me? You don't expect me to believe that you were willing, Gabrielle?" asked Perdicas as he rubbed his face.

"Yes...I was and am willing. I've been in love with Xena since the first time I saw her."

The warrior quietly stepped away and put on her battle-dress and armour, listening to the heated exchange. Her heart melted further with every word Gabrielle said.

"Why'd you marry me then?" asked Perdicas as he stumbled back onto a chair and sat down, his heart being slowly ripped from his chest.

"I always felt that she should make the first move...I didn't know any better. I knew you were in love with me and I thought maybe I could learn to love you, but all I could pay attention to during our wedding was Xena."

Gabrielle took off her wedding bracelet and gave it back to Perdicas. "I hate to see you hurt because of me, but this is for the best. You'll find someone who truly loves you, Perdicas...but I'm afraid that person is not me. I love you, but just not in the way you would like me to."

When his hand wouldn't come up to take the bracelet, Gabrielle bent over and placed it in his pocket. Xena, in the meantime, had gathered Gabrielle's things and put them into a bag then grabbed her staff from it's resting place under the bed.

Silently, the two women left the room and Perdicas.

*****

Epilogue:

Breathless, passionate moans echoed through the forest as the bard and the warrior consummated their love for each other. Gabrielle rolled off of Xena and lay on her side next to her, caressing the breast she was kissing mere moments ago. The women locked eyes and looked deeply into each others souls. No words were needed as they wrapped each other in their limbs and fell asleep, content in the knowledge that they were finally truly together and all was just as it should be.

---

copyright 2000 Kimyoo Films

Send correspondence for Magenta to the_AURYN@angelfire.com and place "Magenta" and the name of the piece you're referring to into the subject line.

Table of Contents