*****

CHAPTER SEVEN
Getting Dressed
Xena not-so-carefully dropped Ares onto the floor of his room, then rushed back into her own, where she found Gabrielle sitting on her legs on the foot of the bed waiting for her. She was still clothed, but she also wore that feral smile that she knew drove the warrior nuts.

As the raven haired woman approached her, she raised herself to a kneeling position so she could look into those blue eyes that had ensnared her from the first moment she saw them. She cupped Xena's face, feeling the warrior's strong arms wrap around her and pull her close.

"Xena, you know I love you, right?"

"Yes..." said the warrior, puzzled by the odd question, afraid that Gabrielle was regretting what almost happened in the dining room.

"Don't get all distancy with me now, warrior," she said, then she kissed Xena gently. The warrior deepened their kiss and laid the blonde down.

Without realizing it, Gabrielle again found herself on her back with her legs wrapped around Xena's waist. The object of her desire had her hands underneath the white t-shirt, moving up her body towards her breasts, torturously slow.

"Xena," she mumbled around the warrior's tongue as she stopped the ascent of the battle-calloused hands with her own. "Stop for a moment and look at me."

She did as she was asked, confused and even a little hurt. Gabrielle could read that in her eyes. "I want to make love to you so bad I'm about to explode from the years of pent up sexual frustration, but right now isn't the time.
"We've got to somehow grab Ares and get the Tartarus out of here before the sun comes up."

Xena, relieved to hear that Gabrielle still wanted her, nipped at her pulse point. "And how to do you expect to do that, bard?"

"Mmm...do what? Oh yeah...leave. Riff-Raff told me about a...umm...a, uh..." Xena kissed along Gabrielle's neck to the hollow of her throat, distracting the bard.

"A what?"

"A, uh, book that is in Frank's basement that could...dear Gods..." The bard lost her train of thought as Xena's hand cupped her breasts under the t-shirt.

"What could it do?" The warrior knew Gabrielle was right, they did have to leave, but they did have to get into their own clothes...and that means they'd have to get naked first...

The bard whimpered when Xena's hands left her flesh, but she quickly realised that the warrior was actually taking off the shirt and raised her arms above her head to help.

"Gabrielle?" asked the warrior, looking at the blonde writhing beneath her, wishing they had more time.

"Mmm?"

"What can the book do?" Xena asked as she slipped the green top onto the bard, but didn't tie it.

"The book can send us back home."

"Oh? And how can it do that?" The warrior nibbled her way down Gabrielle's chest.

"Ya gotta say the magic words..." The bard trailed off when Xena got to her belly button.

"And what are the magic words?"

"Please? Now, before I burst?! Take me!"

Xena grinned evilly. "No...what are the magic words for the book."

Gabrielle sat up and cupped Xena's face in her hands. "Oh forget the damned book," she said as she brought their lips together in a deep kiss.

=====

*I'm the God of War and I let her knock me out...*

Ares woke up back in his bedroom next to his clothes which were in a pile on the floor. He stood up holding his throbbing head. *I need to get out of this wacko castle and back to Greece where all my powers are intact...if word got out that I got my ass kicked because I, Ares, was caught off-guard...my life would be over. All my warriors would go worship Xena and do goodie goodie two shoes things...*

He straightened up and started to go through some mental techniques to get rid of the pesky headache and get dressed. *One leg at a time, just like any other God. Except 'Dite...she's got it easy with those skimpy seethrough numbers.*

Losing concentration, having a sudden vision of Xena in one of Aphrodite's outfits, Ares misplaced his foot in his tight leather pants. Trying to regain his Godly composure while hopping around, he bumped into a table, scraping it against the floor.

=====

*As much as I'd like to forget about the book...,* thought the warrior as she heard Ares stir in the room down the hall, Xena broke the kiss and resumed kissing the bard's abdomen.

"Hey, why did you put this shirt on...me...oh...kay..."

Again, the warrior distracted Gabrielle from her line of questioning, kissing her as she gently pulled the shorts off and quickly put the brown wraparound skirt on her, then stood up, still between her knees.

"Isn't this the opposite of where we WANT to be, oh confused Warrior Princess?" the bard asked when she realized that Xena had just dressed her.

Xena took off her own shirt and dropped it to the floor. "You want to leave here with or without your clothes?"

"Dumb question." Gabrielle looped her fingers through the waistband of Xena's shorts then pulled them off, kissing along the warrior's scarred chest. The blonde pulled her close, then got a bump on the nose as Xena shrugged on her leathers.

"No fair, dammit. You dressed me," the bard playfully whined as she rubbed her nose.

"Yeah, well, I can hear Ares up and about...I figure if we make just enough noise as we go to the basement, he'll follow us. That'll save me the trouble of dragging him down there." Xena buckled her armour and slipped on her grieves and gauntlets and smirked at the bard. She kneeled in front of Gabrielle and slipped the bard's boots on, kissing her knees. The bard moved her legs apart to encourage the warrior to go further.

Xena smiled and reached up to tie the laces to the green top, then stood, bringing the bard to her feet as well. She strapped her sword to her back and hooked her chakram to the belt. The blonde kneeled to help the warrior get her own boots on, kissing her knees and thighs.

With her blue eyes flashing, Xena helped Gabrielle up, then bent down and kissed her deeply, making the bard's knees go weak. She wrapped her arms around the warrior to keep from falling to the floor.

"Hold that thought," said the warrior as she pulled away taking Gabrielle's hand to lead her out and into the basement.

"I'd rather hold a couple of other things, Xena..."

*****

CHAPTER EIGHT
Good-Bye Denton
"Where's the basement?" Xena asked loud enough for Ares to hear as they headed hand-in-hand towards the elevator.

"We have to go back downstairs to what they called the lab room and through one of the secret doors Riff-Raff told me about."

Xena listened intently for sounds from behind them, anything that would tip them off that Ares came out after them. She was rewarded with the sound of another table scuffing the floor, this time in the hallway they just left, and a curt "Oww, shit!" from the WarGod that followed them.

*I hope for his sake that he got dressed,* Xena thought. *Otherwise Zeus will have a field day...* The two women got in the elevator and pressed the buttons to go down into the basement.

Xena winked at Gabrielle and said, "Okay, so we get to the lab room and find the special door, what then?"

Smiling, she replied, "Well, we've got to sing this song and follow the echoes to find the Necronomicon-"

"Wait...did you say 'Necronomicon'?" asked the warrior, getting a faraway, glazed look in her eye.

"Yeah, why? Wait, lemme guess...'Ten summers ago I encountered the Necronomicon..blah, blah, blah.' Xena, I hate to make light of your past, but why is it always ten summers ago?
"Look, the fact is that we need that book to get home. We have to sing and then follow the echoes through the maze, then say the magic words and PFOOF! We're home."

Xena chose to ignore the bard, instead concentrating on that one word. "Ooh...say 'pfoof' again," purred the warrior, her volume too low to be heard by anyone other than her intended target.

Gabrielle arched an eyebrow and stood on her tip toes. "Pfoof," she whispered before nibbling on the earlobe. Xena's eyes rolled into the back of her head as the lids fluttered shut. All too soon, the sensations ended as the elevator jerked to a stop in the basement.

Gabrielle opened the gate and stepped out ahead of Xena, a big grin on her face at the warrior's whimper at the loss of the mouth on her skin.

=====

Meanwhile, Ares, hearing of Xena and Gabrielle's intentions, remembered the way they ended up in the lab room when he chased the blonde around the house. He hurried to get down there as soon as possible.

*Great! As soon as I get back to Greece, I'm gonna do someting about Gabrielle seducing MY Warrior Princess,* he thought, the scene in the dining room flashing before his eyes.

*That should have been me under Xena,* thought the WarGod as he entered the lab room in enough time to see the bard and the warrior walk through the secret door into the basement.

=====

"D'ya think he saw us?" asked the bard, frustraitingly close to the warrior's sensitive earlobe...again.

Xena nodded. "Start singing..."

A flash of uncertainty darkened Gabrielle's face, but she WAS the only one who knew the song, Xena only knew a few of the words that she'd have to chime in with inbetween most of the bard's lines...besides, she could be looped later on in post...

"On the day I went away
Goodbye
Was all I had to say
Now I
I've come again and stay
oh my my
Smile and that will mean I may.
'Cause I've seen blue skies
Through the tears in my eyes
And I realize
I'm going home."
Xena knew that Ares would have no trouble following them with the temporarily dischordant vocals of the bard floating through the air. Right now, she had to concentrate on adding her part and listening to the echoes so they could find the book and go home.

"Ev'rywhere, it's been the same
Feeling
Like I'm outside in the rain
Wheeling
Free to try and find a game
Dealing
Cards for sorrow, cards for pain
'Cause I've seen blue skies
Throught the tears in my eyes.
And I realize
I'm going home."

As Gabrielle repeated the title line a few more times, the two of them found the book...rather three books on a medieval-looking stone pedistal.

"Which one?" asked Xena. She was answered by a shrug from the perplexed bard.

"Riff-Raff didn't say anything about three books."

Just then, Ares burst into the room, his sword poised over his head to come down and slice the bard in two.

"IYIYIYIYI" cried Xena as she flipped herself into Ares path, drew her sword and blocked the downward thrust.

"C'mon Xena, lemme kill the irritating blonde. You and I make beautiful music together."

The warrior gave him a steely gaze and disarmed him, knocking him to his knees in the process.

"What's she got that I haven't?"

Xena smirked. "Me." With that, she brought the hilt of her sword down on his head, knocking him out. She grabbed a hold of his leather top and pressed herself against the back of the bard.

"Now Gabrielle! Say the words and pick one of the books."

The blonde cleared her throat. "Klaatu...verata...necto!" She grabbed the book on the middle tier of the pedistal and opened it. There was a great rumble as the air shimmered then broke, the Space / Time Continuum opening up and sucking the three back into it.

The hole cleanly closed up behind them, leaving a little of the Time/Space Continuum ooze on the pedistal where the book Gabrielle chose used to be.

Later on, Frank would find his guests gone. He wouldn't be too angry, he'd gotten what he wanted from Ares - a golly good romp and his measurements for a new...toy...that was under construction in the lab. He was just missing that spark that is the breath of life...but that ooze, which could be termed an accident...was the key...

*****

CHAPTER NINE
The Sun Never Sets on Those Who Ride Into It
With a not-so-soft "thud", Xena, Gabrielle and Ares landed on the ground in the forest where the accident first happened, conveniently close to the warrior and the bard1s camp where their bedrolls were waiting for them.

Ares was the first one to stand, getting all his God powers back. "Man, I am NEVER doing that again..."

"Sleeping with a man?" asked Gabrielle as she stood and dusted herself off.

"No, wearing leather underwear under tight leather pants...they chafe horribly." The WarGod did a weird little dance as he adjusted himself.
"Well, Gabrielle, it's been swell, but the swelling's gone down. I'm gonna have to kill you now."

Ares pulled his arm back to throw a fireball at the bard, when suddenly he stopped and tilted his head as if to listen to something. "Oh, this always happens...I get summoned away to some awfully bloody battle or another when I'm about to have some fun of my own."

The WarGod shuffled his feet. "I never get what I want... I'll be back to finish this, Gabrielle...you'd better believe it." With that, he spirited himself away from the two women.

"Is he gone?" asked the bard quietly.

Xena smiled at her. "Yeah...he's gone, Gabrielle." The warrior looked into the green eyes before her.

"Gabrielle, I...uh...I've got something to say.
I really loved the skillful way
You evaded Ares sword today."

"Oh...Oh Xena..." replied the bard, shyly looking down at her boots.

"It took me a while, but I'm happy
Gabby.
Oh won't you please be mine
Gabby.
I don't deserve you, but I'll try.
Gabby.
I've one thing to say and that's
Golly, Gabby, I love you."

Gabrielle leaned in for a kiss from the warrior and was only slightly disappointed find Xena's tongue wrapped around another verse instead of her own.

"I'm all nervous and my throat's dry
Gabby
My pulse is racing and my palms're sweaty
Gabby
You're the cause, my wonderful bardy.
Gabby.
I've one thing to say and that's
Golly, Gabby, I love you."

The warrior went down on one knee, holding the bard's hands in her own and looking deep within the emerald depths.

"Here're the words to prove that I'm no Joxer.
There's three ways that love can grow
That's good, bad or mediocre.
Oh G-A-B-B-Y I love you so!"

Gabrielle smiled lovingly at Xena and her promise, cupping the warrior's face in her hands.

"It's the nicest thing you've said to me...
Xena
You couldn't have made me happier
Xena
Mom won't like this, nor dada
Xena
But I've one thing to say and that's
Oh Xena, kiss me will ya?"

Xena leaned in for the kiss, but Gabrielle found herself swept up in the song.

"Oh Xena
Oh...golly...
Kiss me
Oh, Gabby
Will ya
I love you too.
There is just one thing left to do-ah-ooh."

The warrior was experiencing something unfamiliar while she was singing this song with the love of her life, he only words she could come up with later to describe it was..."Giddy."

"And that1s hurry back to our camp-y
Gabby
So I can love you real well, make you happy
Gabby
You are the only one fer me
Gabby
I've one thing to say and that's
Golly, Gabby, I love you."

They knelt in front of each other on the bedroll that they would share for the rest of their lives together, pressing closer and closer until the only thing that came between them was the cloying armour and clothing they wore.

"Golly, Gabby
Oh Xena...Kiss me
Golly, Gabby
I love you!"

When Xena and Gabrielle made love that day, and every day since, they sealed their fate as soulmates. They knew they weren't perfect, but they knew what they were just the right fit for each other.

FIN

---

copyright 2000 Kimyoo Films

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