DISCLAIMER:
Nobody belongs to me... etc., etc.

WARNING:
This story contains explicit descriptions of female/female sexual relations. If you're under 18, you know the rules.....

I'm now going to ramble on for a bit. This story is a departure from my usual stuff. It was written about a year ago and has been floating around since then. Personally, I don't really like reading (or writing) fan fic that involves Xena with anyone but Gabrielle. However, my honeys, being the non bard one, thought up of a story line and asked me to write and develop it. Which I did, and this was the end result. A few days ago, once she found out I still had it, she asked me to post it up since that was as close as she was ever going to get to feeling like a bard. So, on that note, I apologize if it's not too good, and you can all give me a public flogging. Lace

Send feedback to Lacepriest@aol.com. Comments would be greatly appreciated.

You can find more stories by Lace Priest at her site Cavern Of Alternative Tales

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A Frozen Moment
by Lace Priest

Two women walked casually down a well worn path. The tall dark haired woman seemed alert, eyes darting everywhere as if looking for danger. Her blonde companion seemed oblivious to her surroundings, her expression showing frustration in the quickly fading sunlight.

"Xena, I really want to stop at the market in town. We need supplies and you did say you were going to think about letting me go."

"Gabrielle, I've thought about it and I'm saying no. It's going to be too crowded and I won't be able to keep an eye on you. What if you get in trouble?" Exasperation clearly evident.

"I am not a child. Haven't I shown you by now that I know how to take care of myself?" The bard pointed out.

Xena looked at her best friend. No, no she wasn't. She had grown into a beautiful woman. But what if something happened to her? She knew her feelings for the woman were borderline something. She hadn't examined them too deeply, not being sure she was ready to confront it just yet. All she knew was that she she had to protect her friend.

Gabrielle ran up ahead, stopped walking and turned around to face the warrior. "Well?" The small woman glared defiantly. She really hated when Xena got overprotective even if at the same time, it gave her a warm feeling that reached deep inside her, giving her butterflies whenever she thought about it. She had been questioning those feelings for quite some time now.

Xena looked at the woman blocking her way, an amused grin edging it's way out. She rarely had what it took to say no to her. One look at that adorable face and her heart always melted. "All right, on two conditions."

Gabrielle's face glowed like the morning sun. "Name it."

"Be sure you're done before dark... and stay in one piece."

Gabrielle rolled her eyes. "Got it, what's the second?"

"Don't buy me anything." The warrior broke out into one of her classic beautiful smiles.

Gabrielle laughed. "You got it, almighty Warrior Princess." Feeling happy, she practically skipped the rest of the way, gabbing away about all the things she could buy.

Xena patiently listened to the chatter, knowing she would miss the soothing voice once they separated, realizing that she couldn't live without a lot of her cute quirks.

"Xena, Xena... are you listening to me?"

Xena turned and looked at her. She had on such an innocent look to her that it made her momentarily lose her concentration. "Yes, Gabrielle, of course I am." She received a sour look.

"Good, 'cause I hate it when you tune me out. Anyway...." Gabrielle happily kept on.

Xena couldn't help but smile to herself. 'Gabrielle, I hope you never change.'

They finally reached the point where they would go their separate ways.

"Gabrielle, if I remember correctly, this place only has one inn. I should get there before it gets dark. I expect you already there when I arrive. Understood?"

"Yeah, right, it's all under control." Gabrielle gave her a quick peck on the cheek and turned and walked away. After a few steps, she turned around to wave. Xena was still standing in the same spot. She knew Xena was unhappy about letting her go off alone. Even she had to admit, she did seem to find trouble everywhere. She turned around once again. Xena hadn't moved. Gabrielle waved again. The warrior waved back. She hesitated, moved by the sad look on Xena's face. Though the warrior was quite a distance from her, those blue eyes seemed to be filled with an incredible amount of intense emotions, a swirl of dark stormy blue. Maybe me leaving her was not such a good idea. She didn't like being without Xena either, it left her feeling like there was a big empty hole in her heart. Gods, barely out of her sight and she was already missing her! She suddenly got a dark feeling, her mind screamed, 'Xena needs you now'! Gabrielle quickly turned around and started walking back. Wait a minute, just get a grip! You're only feeling guilty about leaving her because you know she didn't want you to since the beginning. Grabbing her staff tightly, she turned around once again, grim determination filled her body. No! Xena knows how to take care of herself, she doesn't need me to baby her. Shaking the dark thoughts out of her head and the sad look on her friends face, she forced herself to smile and think happy thoughts and kept on walking.

Xena waited until Gabrielle was no longer in sight, wondering why Gabrielle looked like she was walking kinda funny. She felt a deep ache spread and fill her heart. She was missing her companion already. She wondered if the bard ever felt the same way about her. Deep into her thoughts, Xena headed towards her destination.

After paying the innkeeper, she went to go tend to Argo. As soon as she walked into the stables and led Argo in, the door slammed behind her with great force. Xena quickly turned around, startled by the sound, her hand on her chakram.

"Hello, Xena."

Xena whirled around again, surprised to hear Callisto's voice. She quickly slapped Argo's back hoping to get her out of harm's way.

"Well, isn't this a pleasant surprise. It's always such a pleasure to see my favorite warrior," she sing songed. "Do you have any idea how much I've missed you?"

"No, but I have a feeling you're going to let me know." Xena said sarcastically. Xena quickly looked around for surprises or ambushes, trying to come up with a plan. She was glad to see Argo run to the last stall. No doubt, she remembered how Callisto had hurt her once.

Callisto threw her head back, letting out a maniacal laugh. "Did anyone tell you have a poor sense of humor?" Then with a sudden fury, the blonde screamed, "You're so pathetic! Did you think lava could stop a god? You can't even begin to imagine all the things I can do." She let out balls of fire, a bright display of her powers. "You should have cut me up to pieces when you had the chance, Xena." Then, just as quickly, she calmed down. "Anyway, I came here to teach you a lesson." She finished sweetly.

"I made you into a god, what more do you want from me? You know you can't kill me." Xena used a bored tone, not wanting to let on how disturbed she really was. "Where's the fun in that?" her arms opened wide.

"Oh Xena, I think you've been in one too many battles. I'm not going to kill you. You're right, that would be too easy and no fun at all. Instead," Callisto whispered as she walked right up to Xena, just a few inches away from her face. "Instead, I have a proposition for you." She waited for the words to sink in. "I'm going to give you the chance to get rid of me for good."

Xena raised an eyebrow. She didn't like the sound of that. Knowing Callisto, that could mean anything and she desperately hoped Gabrielle had nothing to do with the proposition. A low threatening voice rumbled through the warrior, "What do you want, Callisto?"

"Well, one." Callisto held up one finger. "You can walk out that door and refuse to play our little game. Of course, that means I get to have fun with you and that annoying bard you seem so fond of. Or you can go through door number two and you get rid of me permanently."

Xena stared at her with hard ice cold eyes. "Stop with the games and just come out with it," she hissed.

"Xena, Xena, Xena, so impatient." Callisto leaned in and whispered. "I wonder if you would still be so impatient if you knew what you had to do."

Xena waited, body tense, as she focused to clear her mind, tired of feeling like she was going around in circles.

"Well... you see...", Callisto casually reached up and wrapped her arms around Xena's neck.

Xena tensed but held back a flinch. She quieted the sudden urge to hash up the woman in front of her.

"Do me, Xena." The blond whispered seductively, snaking out her tongue.

"What!" The warrior violently flung Callisto away from her. "You're out of your mind!"

Hay fell off the lean body as Callisto raised herself off the floor, pure rage on her face. "Yes, I am out of my mind and I owe it all to you! Have you forgotten?" Again, a sudden innocent look transformed her face. She swaggered back to Xena. "Come on, use that pretty little evil head of yours for once. Can you imagine how sweet life would be without worrying about me hurting your blonde plaything?" The warrior walked around Xena, lightly trailing a finger over leather, armor, and skin.

The troubled warrior shivered at the cold touch.

"All you have to do is make love to me." She tilted her head back as loud laughter erupted from her again.

Xena stood immobilized. She couldn't have heard right. She wants me to make love to her? Why? She took a deep breath to clear her head and closed her eyes. Because I would hate it, that's why. Such a simple a solution, yet more difficult than anything else she could have asked for. "Let me get this straight. You're telling me that's all I have to do to get rid of you once and for all?" Xena shrugged the trailing hand off her body and walked away from the god. "There's more to it, isn't there?" She asked without turning around.

"Just a little more, nothing major, nothing you can't handle, I'm sure." Callisto laughed as she clapped her hands and jumped up and down.

Gods, how much worse could it possibly get? She waited, barely noticing she was holding her breath.

"The fun part is that you have to make it feel real." Callisto walked over to stand once again in front of Xena. "You have to be tender and gentle, with hugs and kisses, and all of it has to feel very real." Callisto purred. "Otherwise, the deal if off. So think hard, Xena, think hard before you do anything," pure venom in her voice.

Xena paced back and forth. She should have known that nothing that came from Callisto would be without heavy strings attached. Real? Maybe if she pretended it was Gabrielle, she might be able to pull it off. She stopped pacing and just stared at the smaller warrior. She slowly walked over to Callisto. Brown eyes stared back at her.

"You know, Xena, now that I think about it, I'm going to enjoy this a lot more than I thought. You are absolutely gorgeous," she breathed huskily.

Xena smiled. "Yes I know, I've been told by gods and mortals alike," she replied smugly.

"Then I guess we'll see have to see how good you can put that ego to use. Show me what you can do."

Callisto hastily drew Xena's lips toward hers. After a few seconds, the blonde warrior roughly threw Xena backwards. "I said it had to feel real, Xena," she shrieked hysterically. "I can practically taste your disgust."

"Hades, Callisto, all right! Give me a break. You aren't making it any easier. I didn't feel you putting any effort into it either."

It was Callisto's turned to give Xena a hard stare. "Fine, come here, I'll show you effort."

Once again, Xena approached her enemy and bent her head down to kiss her. This time, to her relief, Callisto said nothing. She imagined it was Gabrielle and she kissed her tenderly. Soon, however, her mind and heart started racing. Why did it feel like she was cheating on the bard? Pushing back the thought, she silently went through the motions while her mind continued to wonder.

Xena kissed her way down Callisto's neck, hearing the woman's breath quicken. Good, it looked like she was going to pull this off after all.

Callisto decided she was enjoying herself very much. Oh yes she was. She had gotten the great Warrior Princess to make love to her. She desperately wished she could be inside Xena's head, wondering what she was thinking. She could only guess at the anguish she was causing the warrior. She reveled in it, ecstatic over the power she had over Xena. Though, it would have been just as great if her enemy had turned her down, she thought, imagining a lifetime of torturing the dark haired beauty. The feel of her armor being removed snapped her out of her thoughts. She felt her body respond to the warrior's touch as desire spread quickly.

As she undressed her, Xena wondered what Callisto was thinking of. Laughter she thought. She must be laughing, knowing she was hating this.

The small warrior now fully undressed, she kissed a wet trail to a dark nipple. She felt the smaller body arch underneath and hands pressing her head down harder. Hades, Callisto was having too much fun at her expense.

Xena roughly threw the demon on the floor.

"Hey! What are...."

"Shut up Callisto, you said to do it with feeling. Well, I'm feeling this." Before the blonde could protest any further, Xena dropped down to the floor and leaned over Callisto, taking the other neglected breast into her mouth.

Callisto moaned and closed her eyes at the exquisite pleasure. "You sure know what you're doing, Xena. Have you done this before?" She mocked huskily. The tables were turned as she screamed with pain/pleasure from a bitten nipple, accepting the reply.

Xena started on a downward path. However, she didn't get very far when she was stopped by gentle hands on her shoulders.

"Stop. Wait. Look at me, Xena. I want you to look at my naked body. Do you like what you see?" She asked in a strange childlike voice.

Xena moved away to do as she was told but didn't answer. She wasn't about to admit to her that she did have a great body, maybe a little soft, but still a great body.

She accepted the warrior's silent appreciation. "I'm going to take that as a yes. Now come back. You are doing so well for your first time," she added wryly.

Not bothering to give her an answer, Xena came down again and resumed kissing her. Lips opened up for her, an invitation. She entered and battled, feeling Callisto writhe underneath her. She moved to the side, kissing and softly biting her neck.

Callisto heard herself moan. Gods, she never expected Xena to make her feel this way. Her whole body felt like it was on fire. The experience was completely alien, beautiful, new doors opening up.

Xena returned to one nicely shaped breast, suckling briefly before moving on to the next one. Fingers reached for the just abandoned nipple, body responding to the arched goddess that moved in sync with her. Xena planted tiny butterfly kisses down the woman's belly, leaving a trail of goose bumps. She then brought her hand down, softly teasing, feeling wetness. She heard Callisto moan even louder.

"Please." Was heard, barely above a whisper.

Xena smiled. Maybe she should just tease her, torture her. Then she thought better of it. She should just finish and get it over with.

Xena touched her harder, fingers now thoroughly soaked. She smiled smugly. She loved the responses she was drawing from the goddess.

The body beneath her thrust upwards, increasing the contact, pressing harder and harder. She leaned over and whispered in Callisto's ear, "You are so wet! Is it just for me?" All she got in response was a louder moan and incoherent ramblings. Xena settled herself further in between Callisto's legs, spreading them wider and slid her fingers slowly up and down, occasionally circling and teasing the little pleasure button. Callisto gasped and moaned very loud. Xena briefly wondered if anyone could hear them outside.

Judging by the responses she was getting, she knew Callisto was almost there. Closing her eyes, trying to ignore her own body's responses, Xena was inside with a sudden thrust of her hand.

"Oh gods, Xena, yes, yes!" Callisto thrashed wildly, vaguely registering that she was calling out Xena's name. Realizing in the back of her head that she had never called out anyone's name before. What was Xena doing to her mind, her body?

Xena thrust again and again, keeping a steady pace 'til she felt Callisto's body stiffen and shake, hearing her name screamed out in ecstasy. She stopped slowly, feeling disturbed as she felt her own wetness, the throbbing, the pulsing, and an incredible deep ache.

Not saying a word, Callisto threw Xena on the ground and kissed her passionately. She suddenly stopped and looked at Xena. They locked eyes.

Xena laid there, trying to figure out what she saw in those haunted brown eyes. She closed her eyes as the blonde lowered her head to kiss her again.

Gods, Xena was such a great kisser! Callisto took her tongue and she lovingly outlined the perfect lips, sucking on the bottom one softly. Her lips were so soft, so sweet!

Xena felt like she was in shock. Not only was Callisto a very tender lover, but she found herself feverishly wanting the woman. She felt Callisto lifting her up to undress her. Gods, maybe she had been in one too many battles. She was letting this mad woman undress her, actually helping her in haste, wanting to feel those hands back on her body. She thought Callisto would make a smart remark, maybe sensing her eagerness, but none came.

Callisto laid Xena back down gently, never taking her eyes off the gorgeous body. With a low husky voice, she said, "Xena, you are absolutely breathtaking."

Xena only closed her eyes and tilted her head back to expose a neck, a silent invitation.

Callisto drew her head down, burying her head, as her lips found the delicious neck, licking, sucking, and biting. She softly blew air on the wetness, watching as goose bumps formed almost instantly, feeling the warrior tremble. Moving further down to hungrily latch onto a nipple, her hand found a breast to hold, caress, treasure.

Xena couldn't help but gasp, pleasure coursing through her body. Callisto seemed to be hitting all the right spots. How could I be responding this way to this woman, her mind kept questioning. She hated Callisto, right? She opened her eyes and looked closely at the blond hair splayed out in every direction, at the head moving all over her body, kissing every spot, sending raw sensations everywhere.

Callisto knew she was in trouble. She was consumed with an overwhelming need to please, satisfy, but not to conquer Xena. She wanted the dark warrior to experience pure ecstasy. As she spread the long legs apart, she almost fainted, as the sweet smelling essence that was Xena surrounded her.

Unexplainable joy filled Callisto's heart at the knowledge that it was her that had made the woman so wet and full of desire. This was such a new emotion for her. With urgency and passion, she grinded her hips against Xena, grabbed muscular arms, and pinned them above Xena's head. Callisto came down hard, kissing the warrior with an intensity and passion that she never knew she was capable of.

Xena started to moan louder. Callisto joined her as she felt the moans go right through her. There was wild abandonment between the two.

Callisto started kissing down the long length of Xena, fascinated by the hard muscled flat surface. She kept going down to nuzzle her face against dark curly hairs, inhaling the sweetest smell she has ever known. Tentatively, she licked her softly, feeling Xena shudder, hearing her moans, and reveling in the feel of her hands as they pressed down on her head, probing harder, deeper, hearing loud cries above her. She flicked her tongue back and forth, 'till she heard a faint plea amidst the sounds of lust.

"Callisto, now," Xena rasped, deeply disturbed at how much she wanted Callisto inside. All thoughts stopped however, as she felt fingers plunge deep and hard insider her and she heard herself calling out Callisto's name.

Callisto continued, trying to match Xena's frantic rhythm. Suddenly Xena's body convulsed and shuddered, as she shouted one last time.

The blonde woman laid motionless on top of Xena, exhausted, sweating, satiated. She didn't know what to do now, couldn't even explain what had happened, or the connection she suddenly felt. Callisto rolled off and got up slowly, not looking at Xena, afraid to speak, afraid of what she could say, afraid of what she wanted to say.

Callisto quickly started to dress, ignoring Xena. By the sounds she heard, she knew Xena too was getting dressed. Turning around, Callisto took a moment to admire the muscular body one last time, sighing, she turned back to finish.

They both finished at the same time and ended up facing one another. They locked eyes and no words were spoken.

Callisto looked like she was about to say something, but turned and walked away instead.

Not sure of what to do or say, Xena took long strides to reach the woman. She stopped her, moving in close behind Callisto, wrapping arms lightly on the bare waist, pulling her tighter, inhaling the fresh scent of her hair, close, almost a hug.

They shared a frozen moment, but Callisto moved out of her grasp and vanished. Xena heard the stable doors flung open behind her.

"Xena! Hi, see, I made it back before dark and I managed to stay out of trouble. I can't wait to tell you...uh Xena,... Xena...?"

Xena finally focused on Gabrielle.

"What's the matter? What happened?" Gabrielle worriedly looked around, wondering why Xena was giving her a guilty look. "Is Argo ok?" She glanced at the horse that still looked uncared for.

"I don't...nothing, nothing happened and yes, she's fine," Xena answered as she led Gabrielle out of the stables. However, she turned back one more time to look at the spot Callisto had disappeared to, wondering if any of it had really happened.

The End