CHAPTER SIX
Dinner

Xena and Gabrielle easily found their way to the dining room. The dark room was large with a long table already set, a placesetting at either end and one in the middle. The food was already set out as well and a stereo was situated in the corner.

Gabrielle grabbed the silverware from the middle placesetting and moved them closer to where Xena sat. The warrior looked at the bard.

"Are we supposed to just dig in or wait for Ares or what?" asked Gabrielle rhetorically, knowing Xena couldn't answer her. Just then, Riff-Raff entered the room. He put the weapons on a chair near the entrance.

"Ares sent me to tell you that he will not be dining with you this evening. Serve yourselves. I'll turn on some music for you."

"Thank you, Riff-Raff," said Gabrielle.

The hunchback turned to look at the bard at the simple courtesy, unable to think of the last time that his "master," Frank N. Furter, ever said that to him or his sister. He smiled, then turned on the stereo.

His careful study of humans taught him that these two attractive women were deeply in love with each other yet, for whatever reason, hadn't confessed. *Maybe I can help them along,* he thought as he pushed a few buttons, cueing up a few songs certain to draw some emotional response between them.

"Enjoy your dinner." Riff-Raff turned and left the women to eat in peace, hearing again the simple, courteous gratitude issue forth from the bard's lips.

The two ate in silence until the stereo kicked in with "Tower of Strength" by the Mission U.K.

"You raise me up
When I'm on the floor.
You see me through
When I'm lonely and scared and I'm
Feeling true to the written word.
And you're true to me
And still I need more.
It would tear me apart
To think no one ever cared
For me
For me
For me
You are a tower of strength to me."

Gabrielle found herself drawn into the song and how it spoke to her, reminding her of the tumultous past couple of years with the warrior of her dreams. She smiled.

"You stand firm and proud
When the wind blows in your face.
And when the sun shines in your eyes
You just turn your head away
To me
To me
To me
You are a tower of strength to me."

Xena looked at Gabrielle and studied her, the strong, stubborn, often vexing, beautiful bard that accompanied her down her long, winding road towards Redemption.

"You rescue me
You are my faith
My hope
My liberty.
And when there's darkness all around.
You shine bright for me
You are the guiding light
To me
To me
To me
You are a tower of strength to me."

Gabrielle could feel Xena's eyes on her and looked up to meet the blue full on with her own stunning green. Neither flinched from the eye contact. Instead, they smiled at each other, silently acknowledging that both felt the song was about them.

"You are all passion and heart
As I lay in your embrace.
And heaven is in your kiss.
Salvation lies just a touch away
To me
To me
To me
You are a tower of strength to me."

*I don't know about that yet...* both women thought as they broke the gaze at the end of the song. Riff-Raff programmed the stereo so that there was silence in between songs to force the two women to talk.

The bard cleared her throat. "I liked that song."

"Mmmhmm," agreed Xena.

"It kinda reminded me of...uh, of..."

"Us?" the warrior asked, not looking at the bard, feeling suddenly morose.

"Yeah..."

Just then, another song started. "Need Your Love So Bad" by Fleetwood Mac. Gabrielle took a deep breath, gently pushed herself away from the table, and stood close to Xena. She cupped the warrior's chin and turned her so she could gaze into those questioning blue depths.

"Dance with me?"

"Gabrielle..."

"Please?"

At the simple word, the walls around the warrior's heart crumbled just that little bit more. She couldn't deny this woman anything and if she wanted to dance, and with her, by the Gods she would fulfill that wish. Xena stood and lead her away from the table and put her hands on the bard's shoulders. They were at least two hand lengths apart.

"I need someone's hand to lead me through the night
I need someone's arms to hold and squeeze me tight
Now, when the night begins I'm at an end
Because I need your love so bad."

Gabrielle arched an eyebrow and smirked as she placed her hands on Xena's hips and pulled her close. Even when the warrior was snug against her body, the bard tried to pull her closer still. The only air between them was because Gabrielle leaned back to gaze into Xena's eyes, trying to convey a part of the hunger for the warrior that she was experiencing.

"I need someone's lips to feel next to mine
I need someone to stand up, stand up and tell me when I1m lyin'
And when the lights are low, and it's time to go
That's when I need your love so bad."

Xena smiled at Gabrielle, and tucked her head under her chin. The bard wrapped her arms around the warrior's waist, pulling them even closer together. *This feels so right,* they thought.

"So why don't you give it up, baby, and bring it home to me
Or write it on a piece of paper, woman, so it can be read to me?
Tell me that you love me and stop drivin' me mad
Because I...I need your love so bad."

Gabrielle pulled back again to look into the warrior's eyes. The love and desire that imminated from the crystalline blue nearly stopped her heart.

"I need a soft voice to talk to me at night
Don't want you to worry, baby,
I know we can make everything alright
Listen to my plea, baby, come on bring it to me,
'Cause I need your love so bad."

Xena could not contain herself any longer."Gabrielle?" she asked, her voice husky with desire.

The bard gently cleared her throat."Yeah?"

Xena didn't need to think about why her voice was weak, she knew why. She could feel the bard's heartbeat and the heat of her body.

The warrior cupped Gabrielle's chin and bent down."I love you," whispered Xena before she claimed the bard's lips with her own.

"Baby I need, I need...
Woman I need your love so bad."

The kiss was tentative, neither wanting to push the other, nor wanting to end their bliss. However, when song faded, Gabrielle broke the kiss. "I love you, too...." Feeling bold with that weight off her shoulders, Gabrielle kissed her again, easing her tongue into the warrior's mouth.

Once over the initial shock at feeling one of the bard's most important tools explore and memorize her mouth, Xena let go, pouring all the passion she could into the kiss. She found that her knees were weak, unable to hold her up, and that her heart pounded in fear and excitement. Her blood rushed through her veins and her breathing increased. *Is this a dream?* she thought to herself as she felt the edge of the table behind her.

Gabrielle shoved aside the plates and silverware, then pushed the warrior onto her back onto the table. The bard, with a seductively feral smile, crawled on top of Xena and straddled her.

"I felt like givin' in.
Like I couldn't win.
I've only ever drempt of kissin' you before."

The warrior was shocked at the admission of fantasies about her. "You mean you...?"

"Uh huh," the bard answered.

"But now there's no pretending
I feel our steel wills bending
This may lead to trouble, but
Take me, I'm ready."

Xena sat up and wrapped her arms around Gabrielle to look deep within the emerald green eyes for a silent affirmation and an acceptance of what this would mean. She was met with such an animalistic hunger and intense love that she would have fainted if it weren't for a few of her many skills.

"Now all I want to know
Is how to go
I've tasted your lips, but I want more."

"More, more, more..." chanted the woman writhing in sweet agony beneath the bard.

"And so my Warrior Princess
Don't put up any resistance
I've got an itch to scratch,
I need your assistance."

Xena entwined one of her hands in Gabrielle's hair and pulled her close, covering the bard's neck in kisses, licks and gentle bites.

"Toucha toucha touch me
You make me feel lovely.
Thrill me, chill me, fulfill me
For the rest of my life."

The blonde pushed the warrior away from her neck so she could look into her cerulean blue eyes.

"I feel our love grow
As we explore
I want to oil you up
And rub you down."

"Down, down, down..." chanted Xena breathlessly.

"This is just one small fraction
Of the main attraction
Your soul needs my healing hand
And we both need action."

Gabrielle suddenly found herself on her back and didn't fight it. She wrapped her legs around Xena's waist as the warrior renewed her loving assault on the soft flesh of the bard's neck.

"Toucha toucha touch me
You make me feel lovely
Thrill me, chill me, fulfill me
For the rest of my life."

Gabrielle arched her back to press more of her fevered body against Xena.

"Toucha toucha touch me
You make me feel lovely
Thrill me, chill me, fulfill me
For the rest of my life."

The nips and licks and kisses made by the warrior found their way up the bard's jawline to the softness of her lips and enveloped them in a deep, searing kiss.

=====

"Master, there's a problem in the dining room that requires your immediate attention," said Riff-Raff over the closed-circuit television in Ares' bedroom. He and Frank were sharing a cigarette and talking about nothing in particular when the hunchback interrupted.

Riff-Raff hoped that Frank would go investigate, find Gabrielle and Xena making love and be jealous that he wasn't invited, and throw a fit, making Xena teach him a lesson. The servant didn't want to teach Frank to play nice himself, he figured that he1d let the guests do all the work.

"Coming." Frank took one last drag off the cigarette, then put it out to get his clothes back on. "Ares, why don't you come too? And bring your sword with you...I do like forceful men..."

Ares smiled. "Sure, why not. You might need the help," he said as he stood up and slipped on the new leather codpiece Frank gave to him. "Fits well, Frank. Thanks."

"Mmm...no problem."

The two of them left the bedroom and headed towards the dining room. As soon as they walked into the hallway, exotic sounds caressed their ears.

"Oh Gods! Xena...mmm...yes!" moaned Gabrielle.

Ares spun his sword around as he stomped to the dining room doors and flung them open. He found Xena and Gabrielle on top of the dining room table, the bard's arms and legs wrapped around Xena's body, pulling her closer. A small hand had entwined itself in raven tresses, pulling the head even closer to her neck. The warrior braced herself with one arm while the other disappeared between them. Neither had bothered to take off their clothes, working around them in an almost possessed state.

"XXXEEENNNAAA!" came the anguished cry from Ares as he ran towards the entwined women. He grabbed the warrior and threw her towards the entrance of the room before she knew exactly what was happening, knocking her out.

Then, the God of War turned towards Gabrielle, the blood lust practically pouring from his eyes. Ares held his sword so tight that his godly knuckles were turning white.

Without hesitation, the bard kicked him in the stomach, then again in the face, then took the opportunity to roll off the table and run out of the dining room. Ares recovered quickly and ran after her.

"The sword of Ares is hangin' over my head.
And I've got the feelin' that he's gonna be cutting the thread.
Before this night, my life was a mystery.
Why can't he see, she doesn't love him, she loves only me."

As Gabrielle and Ares ran through the house, filling it with the pitter-patter of bare feet and singing, Frank looked lustily at the unconscious and luscious body of Xena that was on the ground. *Ah, well...if I can't have blondie, I'll have you...*

"Master," shouted Riff-Raff as he and Magenta ran past the dining room doors, huffing and puffing as they tried to keep up with Ares and Gabrielle. "They're heading towards the lab room."

"Damn...we'll have to wait until later, pet," comforted Frank as he walked away to stop the fight from breaking something in the laboratory.

"I woke up this morning with a start as I rolled onto Xena."

"Their love's no crime," Riff-Raff and Magenta breathlessly sang.

"And left from my dream it was a feeling that I really want her."

"Their love's no crime," the hunchback and his sister sang again, this time joined by Frank as they all ran into the lab.

"Gods, her hand was low...
Now I'm revved up with no place to go.
And all I know is
She doesn't love him, she loves only me."

Xena woke up to find herself deserted. She also found her sword and chakram on the ground by her knees. Not pausing one whit, just knowing that Gabrielle was in trouble, the warrior strapped the sword to her back and held onto the chakram as she ran towards the singing.

"The sword of Ares is hangin' over my head."

"Their love's no crime," sang Riff-Raff, Magenta and Frank as they stood next to each other by the railing on the stairs the lead into the main area of the lab and boogied to the beat.

"And I've got the feelin' that he's gonna be cutting the thread."

"Their love's no crime." Xena ran into the lab and narrowly missed knocking Riff-Raff over the railing as she turned to go down the stairs to stop Ares, coming the other way 'round as if she were heading him off at the pass.

"Before this night, my life was a misery.
Oh WHY can't he see, she doesn't love him, she loves only me."

"Sha-la-la their love's no crime.
Sha-la-la their love's no crime.
Sha-la-la their love's no crime.
Their love's no crime, sha-la-la," sang Frank, Magenta and Riff-Raff as Ares ran into a seething Warrior Princess, whom Gabrielle ran behind.

"Hello, Ares," she said in a disarmingly calm tone. The God of War knew he was in trouble. Xena looked down at the odd thing 'round his waist and arched an eyebrow, returning her cold blue gaze to the god's smoldering brown.

Ares smirked cutely and stepped back to give them both a good look and to make his case.

"How do you do I
See you've noticed my
Brand new codpiece.
You look a little brought down
Could it be because
You don't see me like you do in
Desperate Remedies?"

Xena and Gabrielle looked at each other, silently mouthing "What in Tartarus is Desperate Remedies?"

"Don't get strung out by
The way it looks
Don't judge a cod by it's cover.
I am so much more man than
Gab could ever be
I am one hell of a lover.
I'm just a sweet leatherclad wargod
From Mount Olympus, Ancient Greece."

Frank found himself digging the groovy beat that Ares was singing, not noticing when Riff-Raff left his side to approach Gabrielle about something.

"Xena, won't you let me have you?
I can deal with two
You look like you're both pretty groovy.
But, if you'd like something visual
That's not too abysmal
We can take in an old Sam Raimi movie."

"Ares, what's gotten into you?
There's no way in Tartarus I'd sleep with you
C'mon, we're both in a bit of a hurry," rhymed Gabrielle in response to his approach.

"Right," Xena chimed in.

"We want to go home
Where the ruffians roam
And we kick their asses every day," she added as Riff-Raff arrived next to her and pulled her away, whispering in her ear.

"Listen, babies, it's plain to see
That you both belong with me
You wanna ignore it? Be my guest.
By the light of the night
It'll all seem alright.
Do you wanna wear Aphrodite's nightie?
I'm just a sweet leatherclad wargod
From Mount Olympus, Ancient Greece.
Succumb to me tonight
Only if you want me to will I bite.
I could make you my favourite obsession.
I've been pining for you,
Dark warrior with eyes of blue.
I promise one helluva love making session.
I'm just a sweet leatherclad wargod
From Mount Olympus, Ancient Greece.
So come up to my bed
Your thirst for knowledge will be fed.
I can see you shiver with anticipation.
We can't blame the Space/Time Continuum
For leading us to Him.
Fighting was the cause
Is love the symptom?"

Silence enveloped the laboratory as Ares finished his song. Xena arched an eyebrow at the god and started to walk towards him.

"Here's the definative answer, Ares. No, I will not come back to you, nor will I sleep with you," said the warrior, who then turned to see Gabrielle and Riff-Raff whispering animatedly.

"Is that your final answer?"

Before Ares knew what hit him, Xena spun around in a tight crescent kick and knocked the powerless-in-Ohio WarGod out cold.

"Hey!" screamed Frank as he descended the stairs towards the Transducer, that will seduce them if he flips that switch. "Don't get blood on my floor!"

"Xena!" shouted the domestic siblings to alert the warrior to the danger.

She smirked and threw her chakram, cutting the Transducer switch close to the wall so Frank couldn1t use it. The doctor stomped his way over to Xena, chest-to-chest.

"Master," said Riff-Raff, trying to stop him before he started. Gabrielle approached Xena and wrapped her arms around her waist, trying to gently pull her away. "Master, it's nearly three in the morning...they're not going anywhere tonight.
"This is all fun and games, but I remind you-"

The doctor held up his hand to stop the hunchback from saying more and smiled. "Yes...I know. The Old Queen is expecting my call...besides, I got all I need from Ares."

The bard, trying to get the warrior's attention, stood on her tippy toes and latched onto one of Xena's earlobes. She tried to remain stoic, but the teeth and tongue, along with the bard's roaming hands, distracted her.

The doctor sighed, he did want to sample a bit of the delectible blonde. "You're right, Riff-Raff. They're not going to go anywhere.
"Good night," he said to Xena as he turned away and went into the elevator to take him back to his room, apparently not interested in his guests any longer.

Xena couldn't care less about Frank, or Riff-Raff or Magenta or the unconscious god at her feet. The could only think about Gabrielle, who tore her mouth away from Xena's neck enough to thank Riff-Raff for something undisclosed.

The warrior tried to look sternly into the green eyes that were smokey with passion, but found herself instead succumbing to her bard's will.

"C'mon, you," mumbled Xena as she grabbed onto the WarGod's new codpiece dragged him into the elevator.

*****

Finished here.