note: This story is not written by me, it is by my wonderful friend Jessy aka Amazonbard who you may already know from her oh so inteeligent quotes hehe.

Disclaimers and what-not: The characters Xena and Gabrielle do not-I repeat-do not belong to me. I don’t own anything having to do with them, and I do not profit from them at all. I wish I owned them, but since I don’t I’ll just be borrowing them for a bit. Don’t worry, I’ll return them when I’m done.  This is my first attempt at fan fic, so please be gentle. I’ve written another story, and I plan to write more, so drop me a line and let me know what you think. You can mail me at: [email protected] Subtext Alert!: Lions and tigers and lesbians, oh my! Okie, so the story doesn’t have lions or tigers, but trust me…once you get into it I don’t think you’ll miss them *at all*. However, if the thought of two women in love bothers you, go play elsewhere. Or if you’re under 18—Shh, don’t let your parents catch you reading this! And now, without further ado, I give you “Memories Past”…

I watched them carry her body into the small hut where it had been prepared for viewing, and now I watched as they carried her out. Tears came to my eyes, and my heart ached, as I realised this would be the last time I’d ever see her. I watched as they lay her body on the pyre, and as I stood next to her body, her hand in mine, I told her for the last time I loved her, and memories past poured into my mind…

As I walked down the road with my best friend, my mind started to wander. I thought about how my life had changed since we met, and what my life back home may have been like had we not met; I silently thanked the gods for bringing her into my life. We walked on in silence for nearly half an hour, each of us contemplating our lives while keeping an eye out for an attack.

The woods were still damp from the morning dew and as I inhaled I could smell the wet pines and furs that surrounded us. I turned to her and asked, “When do you think we’ll get there? It can’t be long now, I feel as though I’ve been walking for months!”

She turned and started to say something but stopped. She let out a throaty laugh and said, “We’ll be there soon. If you rode with me it wouldn’t take so long.”

I turned back to the road shaking my head. ‘No way,’ I thought to myself, I hated to ride and even if it took years I wasn’t getting on that horse. Eventually though, my feet won and I was soon bouncing along in back of her, her hair whipping in my face. I inhaled a deep breath taking in the scents of the forest, the horse, the leather, and her, my favourite scent of all.

I quietly walked back to my place to the side of her pyre and glanced back to look at the women around me. I watched as my tribe started to shuffle toward her body, murmuring to one another about what a great loss this was for not only their Queen but the tribe as a whole, and formed two rows that eventually melded into one…

We finally reached our destination just as the sun was about to disappear behind the trees. Finally we saw it; it was an old log cabin that had been left vacant for years. The door was hanging partially off its hinges, and the windows were either broken or missing. It wasn’t the most comfortable looking place we’ve stayed, but it was shelter nonetheless and it protected us from any would-be attackers.

As I was unpacking my saddle bag I noticed that my night shift was not in its usual place. I turned to her and asked, “Do you know where my shift is? I can’t seem to find it. I know I packed it before we left.”

She continued unpacking her bag, and looked up. “Oh, I took it out to wash when I washed mine. It’s right here.”

She reached into her bag and pulled out the two clean shifts, held them to her nose, and inhaled. “Mmm, these smell great. Good thing I washed ‘em, otherwise we’d have to sleep on opposite sides of the fire tonight.” She laughed…gods I love that laugh. I smiled my appreciation and stripped off my clothes, slipping the fresh shift on.

I watched the Amazons line up in a single line to pay their last respects. It made me happy—when I first brought her to visit my Amazon sisters, they had rejected her; they saw her as the enemy. Now they were bowing and kissing her forehead, a sign of great respect for a warrior to give someone who was once thought of as her greatest enemy…

Morning found us curled up together in the big, comfy bed that was located in the only bedroom in the cabin. My arm was thrown over her stomach, and her arm was around my neck cradling me. My head was tucked in the crook of her neck and as I woke, I breathed in her wonderful scent, and smiled against her neck.

“Morning, sleepy. Rise and shine!” She gently nudged me and lowered her head to kiss my forehead. She raised her head once again and began stroking my face with the back of her hand.

I turned my face toward her hand and kissed it, smiling. “I’ll rise, but I refuse to shine,” I muttered as I started to sit up.

I moaned and groaned as I sat up and she found this amusing. I could tell she was enjoying the little show by her laugh…gods, that laugh!

As I watched the woman walk over to the pyre with the torch I wanted to run to her, wanted to pull her out of it before it was too late…after all, she wasn’t really dead. She always came back for me—always…

We cleaned up our breakfast plates and made the bed before heading out to do some work on the cabin. Xena went outside and gathered up so more wood to patch the roof, and I stayed inside preparing more food for our lunch.

After I had finished my lunch preparations, I walked outside to check on Xena. She was crouched low on the roof hammering away…

“Hey, how are things coming along up there? It’s looking better already,” I shouted up to her, cupping my hands around my mouth to make sure my voice would carry.

“Hey, sweetheart…yes, it—SHIT!” She dropped the hammer and it slid down off the roof, nearly hitting me in the head. She cursed some more and sucked on her injured finger. I grabbed the hammer off the ground and quickly climbed the ladder.

“Here, let me,” I said as I took her hand. I pulled her finger until it was straight and she yelped in pain. That yelp soon changed to a sensual moan as I sucked that finger into my own mouth and swirled my tongue around the tip, nipping it softly. “Feel better?”

“Mm, Gabrielle…you know what that does to me,” she said, her voice raw and husky. She looked me in the eye. “And yes, it feels much better. Thank you.”

I leaned over and gave her a quick hug and a peck on the lips, then climbed back down the ladder to finish my own tasks. I walked over to the garden, bent over and smelled the roses.

It was a good two and a half candlemarks before either of us was done. We both washed up quickly, and took our seats at the small kitchen table eager to dive into our meals. I looked at the flowers through the kitchen window, then back to the table. I stood up and walked outside. When I came back in, she gave me a quizzical look, accompanied by her trademark raised eyebrow…so I held out my fist, showing her the bouquet of roses I had just picked. She smiled at me and stood up. Slowly, she crossed the distance between us and took the flowers out of my hand, placing them gently on the table.

“You’re so beautiful…my little home-maker bard. Those roses are beautiful,” she leaned in and smelled my neck. I could tell what she was thinking by the way her hands clenched and unclenched my ass as she nibbled, licked, and sucked on my neck.

We had made love in a bed of roses back in Amphipolis, when we had last visited her mother. It was a week after visiting my parents. I had been keeping our relationship a secret from them, for fear of their reactions. Apparently that fear was not as irrational as I tried to convince myself it was…

My parents were going to the market to get supplies and for food so that Mother could have enough for us all for supper, and Lila was off with a friend. They told us they’d be gone the better part of three candlemarks because they had a lot on their list. No sooner had the cart left our road Xena had me pinned to the wall.

“Oh, Xena…what if Lila comes home?” I gasped as she sucked my earlobe into her mouth, running her teeth along it. Her only response to that was a low growl, followed by her deft removal of my top. She grabbed my breasts in her hands and kneaded them with her hands, her forefingers and thumbs pinching my nipples. As she continued her assault on my body, I realised that I had missed this aspect of our relationship while in Potedaia. I was very careful not to let my feelings for her show while we were here, and all that bottling up of my lust for her was ready to shoot out of me all at once. I grabbed her firm ass, sliding my hands under her skirt to get a better hold, and pulled her hips against me. As I began my own oral assault on her neck and ears, I growled into the closest ear: “Gods, you’re so beautiful…fuck me, Xena. I need you deep inside me, and I can’t wait any longer.”

She groaned and picked me up. I wrapped my legs around her waist and continued kissing her neck as she carried me over to the bedroom. She kicked open the door and dumped me on the bed, shutting the door behind her.

“You’re so beautiful, Gabrielle,” she said as she began removing her leathers. She peeled them off and let them drop at her feet. “So beautiful…and so mine.” She grabbed the hem of her shift and pulled it over her head. I licked my lips and arched my back as I watched her breasts getting close and closer to my hungry mouth…

I came back from my reverie as I felt my top being loosened. Her hands were still on my ass, and as she kissed her way down my neck, I could feel every breath cascading over my skin. All of this was almost enough to make me forget about Potedaia….almost.

“Get out of my house, you little bitch!” he’d yelled. “And don’t come back, you’re not my daughter anymore!”

Mother sat in her chair, sobbing. Whether she was crying because she knew, or because my father had just disowned me was not fully clear to me. I hesitated a second, then turned and ran out the door. Xena sat on Argo, and pulled me up behind her as I came out of the house. We’d galloped out of there so fast that before I realised it, we were already at our campsite, a few miles from Potedaia.

We spent the night at that campsite and in the morning we packed up and headed toward Amphipolis. Cyrene was expecting us, so when she heard the hoof-beats she dropped everything and ran out to greet us, a huge smile on her face.

“Hello, girls! I’ve missed you,” she greeted each of us with a hug and kiss. “Gabrielle, honey, what’s wrong? You look like you haven’t slept all night.”

“I, uh…had a fight with my parents two nights ago. They told me not to come back.” I started to cry again, replaying the scene in my mind. Cyrene put a protective arm around me and held me as I sobbed.

Later that evening, Xena and I were getting ready for bed when I looked up at her, the pain clear in my eyes.

“Oh, Xena…I’m so sorry for all those things my father said to you. Please don’t hate me.” I started to cry again, and she puts her arms around me.

“Let’s go for a walk.”

We walked for half a candlemark, hand-in-hand, until we reached a beautiful rose garden. She kissed me and we stepped off the road and into the garden. She lay me down gently on the ground and started to undress me.

“Gods, you’re beautiful,” she moaned as she thrust two fingers deep inside me. “I love you, no matter what you’re father says. And I’m going to make sure you know just how much I love you.”

That was the strongest orgasm I can remember having, and as we lay in bed back at Cyrene’s inn, I finally felt like I was “home”.

Xena touched my cheek gently and kissed my temple.

“Hey,” she whispered, “where’d you go?”

I smiled at her and kissed her lips…those lips, so soft and smooth. I kissed her harder as we fell back onto the small bed, and I slipped my tongue into her mouth. We moaned together and climaxed together a little while later.

“You are my home, Xena. I love you,” I whispered as I drifted off to sleep in her arms…

I smelled the bouquet of flowers in my hand. They were the same kind of roses from the garden…so red, and so perfect. Fully bloomed and intoxicatingly sweet in smell, they reminded me of her. I gripped them tightly as I stepped forward and walked to the front of the crowd.

I cried as I placed the flowers on Xena’s body, atop the funeral pyre the Amazons had made for her. I leaned in and kissed her cheek one last time; even in death she was the most gorgeous woman—no, make that human being—that I’d ever seen. The Amazons came up and ushered me back to my place in the front, holding me and comforting me as my entire body shook with grief. The woman walked over to her pyre with a torch, and as I watched her pyre go up in flames, I wept for my lover, my wife, my best friend…it had been many seasons since that night in the rose garden, but it was still fresh in my mind and I knew in my heart that we’d be together again soon.