*****

 

Gabrielle was lost in fantasy, her hands roaming
all over her firm, young body; her right hand coming to rest
between her strong thighs, the other grabbing at her ample breasts
and erect nipples. Her breathing became ragged, as the motion of
her right hand became frenzied, and it wasn’t long before her
back arched and she cried out in ecstasy.

 

“XEEE… AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH…”

 

She fell back with a loud sigh of contentment, and
tried to catch her breath. She looked up at the moon, and realized,
that it couldn’t be long, before Xena would return. She
quickly gathered up her things, put on her shift and curled up in
her bedroll. As satisfying as it had been, the bard couldn’t
help but feel somewhat empty at not having her warrior share the
experience and be available to cuddle up with afterwards. Tears
came unbidden and Gabrielle cried herself to sleep, thoughts of
unrequited love filling her mind.

 

*****

 

Xena was stunned.

 

Not only, had she caught her friend in a most
private moment, and stayed to watch; she could have sworn, that the
bard had cried out her name in the end. The
tiniest flicker of hope sparked inside of her, as she reviewed her
options.

 

Nothing had really changed. Gabrielle still knew
nothing of her desires, and Xena still had no idea, how to broach
the subject. What she did know, however, was that she
couldn’t stay in this tree any longer. A few powerful jumps
brought her far enough away from camp, so as not to be heard. She
never saw Gabrielle crying.

 

She dumped her catch and followed it to the ground,
then leaned against a tree, while her hands quickly sought out her
already damp breeches. Oh, Gods, Gabrielle. How do you do this
to me? Being to far gone for any casual love play, she pulled
her breeches to the side and plunged two fingers deep into her
slick core, shuddering at the power of the release, she obtained in
seconds.

 

“Ga-bri-eeeeeeeeeelle…”

 

Her legs buckled, as she cried out the name of the
woman, who brought her to such heights of ecstasy. She practically
fell to the ground and lay there, panting, for several
minutes.

 

A look at the moon, once again made her realize
that she was late getting back. She returned to the camp at a quick
pace; this time being careful to make as much noise as possible,
not wanting to catch her friend in an inopportune moment and cause
her embarrassment.