Captured Chapter 2

Captured Chapter 2

Written by Virginia Leonard

Copyright 1997

The darker it got, the more people began to drift in and fill the

place up.   Women, Gabrielle noticed; they were all women.   Well, she

was fairly certain they were all women.  There was a few that, short of

stripping them down to their privates, she could not say for sure one

way or the other. 

                Of course she had read about places like this and had heard

about some of the private gatherings that Sappho was so famous for but

this was the first time that she had actually been in an all woman’s

tavern.

                She scanned the room hoping to see a glimpse of someone,

anyone she knew.   No luck.  Xena was still tending to Argo, spoiled

mare, and since Brandy had finished her shift in the afternoon, Gabrielle

reasoned that Rhoane was somewhere with her, so the bard contented

herself with sitting there and watching the crowd.

                She took in everything, every sound, every piece of clothing

that was worn, which in and of itself was a major task.  Gabrielle saw a

little bit of everything.   Some women were wearing the finest gowns

that only the prosperous could afford, others wore the clothing of crafts

people and still others were dressed just like men.  No other way to

describe them, Gabrielle thought.  They look just like young men.   And

the pairings...Gabrielle puzzled over those as well.  Gowns with

craftspeople, craftspeople with the...what, what should she call

them...breeches she decided.  Breeches with breeches, crafts with crafts

and on and on.

                The musicians were finally ready and they began to play.  Their

first pieces were loud, rhythmic, designed to get people to dance and

they did, much to Gabrielle’s delight. 

                After awhile, the musicians played a slower tune and one by

one, couples began to move about the dancing area, arms locked around

one another and feet keeping pace with the music.

                Gabrielle continued to watch the couples dancing when her

eyes landed on two of the most beautiful women she had ever seen.

They were obviously women of some affluence judging from the

material and cut of the clothing they wore and they obviously had

danced as partners on more than one occasion.  They moved with a

grace and rhythm that threaten to take Gabrielle’s breath away.  She

watched every move they made; she studied the looks on each one’s

face and soon she discovered that her interest had passed from the

admiration of art to something a little more primitive.

                Each time one of them caught her looking, Gabrielle would

quickly lower her eyes, cheeks scarlet, flushed from the embarrassment

of being caught and flush from the thoughts that were tickling the edges

of her mind.

                Finally, after being caught again, one of the women motioned

for Gabrielle to join them and before she was aware of what she was

doing, the bard had left her chair and was standing between them

moving in step with the music.

                They sandwiched Gabrielle.  One moving up behind her,

pressing against Gabrielle’s back so that Gabrielle could feel the

woman’s breast, feel hips driving and guiding her bottom, feel legs

moving with hers and when she felt the woman’s arm snaking around

her waist, Gabrielle’s belly quivered.  She felt it shiver against the flat

hand that pressed against it moving in slow, sensuous circles just below

her naval. 

                Gabrielle covered that hand with both of her own and laid her

head back against the woman’s shoulder, the next conscious thought

was of the woman in front pressing her hips against Gabrielle’s.

                The bard’s hands were raised and held, clasped, behind the

neck of her rear partner and she could feel the second set of hands

resting on her hips, moving up and down her sides in slow, sensual

movements. 

                She found it hard to breathe and it was not from physical

exertion.  To finally feel another woman’s body pressed against hers

filled the red-haired storyteller with an unfamiliar and slightly frightening

passion.  There were strange stirrings taking place between her legs and

while, from various tales she had told, she recognized them for what

they were, they still startled her.             

                The music faded, as did the enchantment, and Gabrielle felt

herself being led from the dancing area back towards her dancing

partners’ table, each hand held firmly in the grasp of the other women. 

                “She’s with me.”  Xena stepped in front of the threesome.

                The two finely dressed women looked the warrior over in such

a manner that even Xena blushed.  A sight that Gabrielle had never seen

before.

                “Perhaps you would care to join us?  The more the merrier,”

one woman smiled.

                “Not tonight.  Maybe another time.  Gabrielle?”  Xena

extended her hand and gently closed it around the bard’s.

                “Pity.  Would have been entertaining,” the women said in unison.

                Xena just smiled and turned around, leading Gabrielle away

from the crowd and back towards their room.  Gabrielle was surprised

and pleased that Xena did not let go of her hand and she even found

herself slightly exhilarated at the thought of being led away by this

woman.

                Xena closed the door behind them and only then did she let go

of Gabrielle’s hand.  She stood there smiling down at Gabrielle then

scrunched her face.  “I’m sorry about that.”

                “Why?  I’m not,” Gabrielle replied with a slight smile on her

face.

                “You’re not...you’re not?”

                “No.” 

                Gabrielle’s voice was barely above a whisper and yet it

thundered in Xena’s mind.  She had played out, just this moment, a

million times in her head and each time was slightly different.  She did

not know what to expect nor did she know what to do.  Her feet felt

rooted to the spot where she was standing and no matter how hard she

tried, nothing intelligible would come out of her mouth.

                “How long had you been watching?” Gabrielle continued.

                Xena paused, letting the image of her friend dancing with the

two women play back across her mind.  She felt a familiar ache begin in

her loins and spread throughout the rest of her body.  There Gabrielle

was, standing in their room with nothing between her and Xena’s desire

except space and indecision.

                “Long enough.’  Xena finally answered, her voice so thick with

emotion that she barely recognized it.

                “And?”

                Xena didn’t answer.  She was afraid to speak.  All she could do

was stare into Gabrielle’s captivating eyes.

                “Xena?”  Gabrielle’s voice was barely above a whisper. “Kiss

me.”  Not so much a request as a demand.

                Xena felt her stomach drop and her heart leap into her throat.

She moved with a purpose and took the bard’s face in her

hands then gently brushed those soft pink lips with her own, serious

warrior lips pressed against the tools of a storytelling artist.

                Xena wrapped her arms around the smaller woman, pulling her

hard against her armor covered body and the two women melted into

one another.  Gabrielle’s arms were around Xena’s waist and despite the

covering of leather, Xena’s skin tingled beneath Gabrielle’s touch.

                Their kiss became more passionate, lips parting, allowing

searching tongues to come together and begin the quest of intimacy. 

Xena brought one hand around and carefully placed it against

Gabrielle’s breast, ready to remove it the instant Gabrielle said stop.

                Rewarded with a soft whimper instead, Xena began to gently

caress the firm flesh, her hand surrounding and trapping the

hardening nipple.  She moved her thumb over it and heard

Gabrielle’s breath catch in her throat.  From that one tiny sound,

Xena knew that there would be no turning back now.

                Xena broke from the kiss and stepped back, stroking the

beautiful storyteller’s face, down angular cheek bones and across soft,

slightly parted lips touching the tip of Gabrielle’s proffered tongue.  She

reached down and slipped the bard’s shirt off, watching as each breast

fell free.

                Xena dropped the shirt and leaned over, kissing each nipple,

taking them, one at a time, into her mouth.  Playing with each one as if

it were a piece of hard candy in her mouth.

                Gabrielle’s body was on fire.  Everywhere that Xena kissed or

touched became sensitive and she could feel the longing between her

legs growing stronger.  When Xena kissed her nipples, Gabrielle could

feel the deep stirrings of passion and felt her hips begin to rock back and

forth without any conscious urging on her part.  She spread her legs

enough to rest against Xena’s thigh and once again felt the

overwhelming urge to move her hips.

                Xena continued to kiss Gabrielle’s nipples, pushing and

nibbling until they felt like pebbles in her mouth.  With one hand, she

began to unfasten her armor and let it slide away from her body until

nothing was left to keep skin from touching skin.

                Gabrielle discarded the rest of her clothing and now the two

women stood toe to toe, naked and unflinching under the other’s stare.

At that moment, Xena knew that she wanted no other woman as much

as she wanted Gabrielle and she saw that same want reflected in the

bard’s eyes. 

                Xena crawled onto the bed and kneeled in the middle of it,

waiting for the bard to join her.  Gabrielle obliged, allowing Xena to

push her back against the pillows.  Gabrielle closed her eyes while Xena

kissed what felt like every inch of her body and the red -haired

storyteller felt herself being carried away by the flood of sensations.

                Xena lowered herself on top of Gabrielle, careful not to put the

full weight of her body on the smaller woman.  She kissed each breast,

stroked each nipple with her tongue and when Gabrielle began to move

beneath her, Xena kissed her way down the taught body, lightly scraping

her teeth against the tender skin of Gabrielle’s sides.

                She knelt between the bard’s legs and kissed the crease at the

top of each leg, running her tongue along the groove, sucking the

delicate flesh into her mouth, her head keeping up with the motions of

Gabrielle’s rising and falling hips.

                Xena took her thumbs and slid them along the wet folds opening

Gabrielle to her then she took her.  Fingers entered with an urgency, reaching

Deeply, guiding, controlling, moving her partner towards their mutual goal of

a climax that would have Gabrielle calling out to the Gods.

                Gabrielle’s hips moved with greater intensity and she cried out

when she felt Xena’s tongue join with Xena’s fingers  suddenly deep

inside her, filling her, spreading and moving against her,

curling and pressing against all of the perfect places.  She clenched

 against those thrusting fingers and pressed against the relentless

tongue until every muscle tensed and contracted.  They lifted

Gabrielle off the bed while her orgasm spread out over her

body, through her limbs, seizing her voice and her breath.

                Xena waited patiently until Gabrielle’s body relaxed and the

last shudders of the climax had faded before removing her fingers. 

She stretched her body out next to the bard’s and wrapped her

strong, loving arms around her new and precious lover.

                Gabrielle smiled then closed her eyes and snuggled closer to

the warrior, allowing sleep to claim them both.

                                @@@

                The next morning, the two women joined Rhoane at her table

and ordered some breakfast.  Rhoane stared.

                “Uh... Gabrielle, don’t you feed this woman?  You’d think

you’d just fought with a titan...”?  Rhoane noticed Gabrielle’s flushed

cheeks and Xena’s quick look at the bard.  A sudden dawning and a

huge grin spread across her face, “...or something,” she continued.

“Well now...?

                “Shut up,” Xena said with a slight lilt in her voice.

                Rhoane roared with laughter.  “It’s about damn time!”

                Suddenly, the door flew open, slamming against the wall with a

loud crack.  "Where is she!" yelled the man filling the doorway.

                Rhoane’s hand stopped halfway to her mouth and she sat like a

stone, for once glad that her back was towards the door.

                “Who is it?” she whispered to her companions.

                “The owner of this place,” Gabrielle whispered back.

                Rhoane groaned.

                Xena shot her a deadly look.  “What?”

                “Nothing.  It’s nothing.”  Rhoane replied.

                Xena raised one eyebrow and in that simple gesture, Rhoane

knew she stood a very good chance of suffering a sound thrashing at the

hands of the warrior.

                “OK, OK.  We went for a little walk yesterday,” her voiced

trailed off.

                “And?”

                Rhoane cut her eyes in Gabrielle’s direction only to see the bard

quickly focus on her breakfast.  “So, maybe we got home a little late.”

                “How little?” 

                “I dunno, couple hours after sunset.  But there’s no way he

could know it was me.  He never saw us together,” Rhoane added

quickly.

                “Shhhh....he’s coming this way.”  Gabrielle warned her

companions then stood up to intercept the angry father.  Gabrielle

reasoned that her mediation skills were better than those of her friends

who happened to carry their skills in a scabbard and knife sheath.  “Sir,

maybe I can help clear up.”

                “Move,” the big man interrupted, pushing Gabrielle back

causing her to stumble over a bench and fall to the floor.  “You!”  He

bellowed, pointing a finger in the direction of their table.  “I’ll have a

word with you.”

                Xena and Rhoane stood up simultaneously, as if it was a move

that they had practiced hundreds of times.  Rhoane took a few steps

towards him and opened her mouth to speak.  “I’m sorry sir.  Is

there....”

                He looked at her, a hint of confusion on his face.  “Not you.

Her!”  He said as he pointed at Xena.

                “Me!?”

                “You.  You have some explaining to do.  Let’s take it outside.

Don’t want my furniture all busted up.”

                Xena looked at both of her friends, especially Gabrielle, who

had made the judicious decision to stay on the floor.  Xena found no

inspiration there.  “I have no idea what you’re talking about,” she finally

said.

                “Don’t play stupid with me.  Brandy told me all about it, now

get outside.”

                “Pop!”  Brandy called out as she walked into the main room

from the kitchen.  Rhoane immediately noticed the cut lip and purple,

swollen eye.  She started to go to Brandy but was stopped by a very

slight shake of the head.  “She’s not the one.  I told you she LOOKED

like Xena, not that she WAS Xena.?

                “Then where is this woman?” he growled.

                “I don’t know.”  Brandy shrugged, flinching away from her

father’s stern stare.  “I swear it,” she finished in a very soft voice.

                He looked at Xena then at Rhoane and finally turned back to face

his daughter.  “Work your shift then return home immediately

afterwards.”  His voice was soft but ominous.

                The four women watched him disappear through the serving

doors and into the back of the tavern before anyone dared move.  It was

Rhoane, who bolted first.  She went to Brandy and took her by the hand then

led her to the table and eased the serving girl into a chair.

                “I’ll kill him,” she whispered as she placed delicate fingers

against the angry purple flesh around Brandy’s eye and lips.  “I swear to

the meanest bastards on Olympus I’ll kill him.”

                “Don’t.”  Brandy reached up and took Rhoane’s hand away from

the swollen eye and held it between her own.  “He was angry.  I was late

and he was worried.”

                “What does that matter?  He had no right to do this.”

                “He’s my father and I’m not yet betrothed.  That gives him the

right.”

                Rhoane snarled, showing a thin line of white teeth through her

lips then leaned back, with a thud, in her chair.  They all sat staring, first

at each other then at nothing before Brandy finally broke the silence.

                “He took my necklace and I want you to help me get it back.”

                Rhoane looked over her clasped fingers at Brandy’s neck and

tried to control the emotions that threatened to play across her face.

She did not want to panic.  Now was not the time.  Later would be

better, she thought, so later it would be.