A Brush With Destiny Part 8

Disclaimer: The main characters don't belong to me. They belong to RenPics and Universal. No copyright infringement was intended. This series is based on the love between Xena and Gabrielle. If this offends you, see ya some other time and place!

Sex : Nothing graphic but definitely implied.

Violence: None

Language: Mild.

Bard's Note : This is my first uber series so please... Be kind!

Gabrielle smiled as she watched her partner weave her way through the trees on her way back to the cabin. The writer was standing on the porch, leaning on the rail with a hot cup of coffee in her hand. Xena's eyes glinted in the sunshine as she approached.

"Hello, My Love," she said softly as she stood in front of her lover. She placed her hands on the porch rail and looked up at Gabrielle, almost blowing her mind with the depth of emotion in her piercing blue eyes. The writer leaned over and gently stroked her partner's hair, smiling tenderly as she kissed her on the forehead.

"Hello, Honey," she replied. "How did you get on?" She received a raised eyebrow and a long sigh. "Not so good, huh?"

Xena climbed the porch steps and flopped onto the swing, patting the space beside her for Gabrielle to sit in.

"They weren't interested in a new karate school. Gabrielle, I have to go back to New York. I have to get back to work," she said. The writer shook her head, tousling her short, blonde hair.

"I wish you didn't have to," she said softly as she shifted to sit closer to her love. She rested her head against her shoulder and sighed.

"So do I, Love, but I have responsibilities I can't ignore. I have a mortgage to pay on my house."

"But your shoulder..." the writer began.

"Is perfectly fine and practically healed," Xena finished for her. "It's not even hurting much anymore."

"Xena, if this is about money... You know I have more than enough..." Gabrielle stopped when a gentle finger rested against her lips.

"I'm not going to live off you, Gabrielle. I... I can't... I mean... it wouldn�t be..."

The writer nodded.

"I know, Xena. It's ok. I don�t expect you to give up your pride just because I'm rich... but you've gotta admit that it's nice."

Xena laughed as she nodded but Gabrielle shook her head and bit her bottom lip slightly.

"When are you leaving?" she whispered.

"Sunday," the ex-Marine replied as she ran her fingers through soft, golden hair. She saw her lover's eyes close and leaned in to kiss her. "Don�t worry, Gabrielle. I'm gonna spend as much time as I can with you. We can visit each other."

"But I don�t want to be without you, Xena," the younger woman replied, clearly beginning to get upset.

"You won't. I promise. I'll call you every day and.." She glanced at the heavy wooden door. "I'll be knocking on this door more often than you want!"

Gabrielle smiled as she hugged her soulmate tightly.

"Do me a favour, Warrior?"

"Anything."

"This is your home. Don�t ever knock."

"You got it, Bard."

"What time is your flight?" Gabrielle asked tiredly as she laid her head on her lover's shoulder. Xena forced her eyes open and smiled. Her breathing was still slightly laboured and her heart was doing its best to pound its way out of her chest but she was VERY happy.

"Four-thirty," she replied as she stroked the writer's naked back with her fingertips. "I should really get ready. We've gotta leave soon." She felt Gabrielle's grip tighten around her ribcage. "I know, Love," she said softly. "I really don�t want to go either but you know I have to."

Tear-filled, emerald green eyes met her gaze and her heart almost broke when a tear spilled over.

"I know," the writer replied as she brushed the tear away. "Let's get ready."

She pulled back the bed sheet to get up but Xena's arms closed around her, holding her close.

"I love you, Gabrielle" she whispered. "Please don�t ever doubt that. You're the first thing I think of when I wake up and the last thing I think of before I go to sleep. I've never felt this way before."

"Me neither," Gabrielle replied. "I love you so much. Now, let's get you ready."

They slid out of bed and went to shower, sharing kisses and touches as they washed each other's bodies and hair. Then they dressed and ate a light lunch. An hour later, they were on the way to the airport.

Xena hefted her bag higher on her good shoulder and smiled, flashing perfect white teeth.

"See you soon, Bard."

"Soon," Gabrielle repeated as she stepped in for a long, tender hug. "I love you."

Xena stroked the writer's cheek with gentle fingers.

"I'll call you as soon as I get home, ok?"

"Ok. Be careful."

The ex-Marine grinned.

"I'm always careful," she stated. "I never start trouble, I just..."

"Finish it," they said together and then laughed.

After one last hug, Xena was striding toward the departure gate and Gabrielle was covering her face to hide her tears. She didn't see a tall, dark, gorgeous, ex-Marine stop off at the bathroom to splash some water on her face in order to ease a conspicuous puffiness around her baby blues.

"This sucks!" Gabrielle yelled as she balled up another sheet of paper and tossed it angrily across the room. She couldn�t keep her mind on her work. The cursor on her monitor had been blinking steadily in the same spot for over an hour and Gabrielle was no closer to finishing the chapter. She had tried jotting down some stuff that came into her head but when she read back over it, she was surprised to find that she had written Xena's name numerous times in the middle of sentences. She glanced at the clock, stood up and leaned against the wall, folding her arms and crossing her legs at her ankles. "You know, this is all your fault," she told the photograph of her partner which was sitting on the mantelpiece. She picked it up and sighed as she ran her finger slowly over the picture. "I miss you."

"Drop!"

Xena grabbed her student by the scruff of the neck and brought his face as close to hers as possible. His eyes grew wide but he knew better than to struggle. "What did I say?" she asked, pinning him with a steel blue gaze.

"D...drop," he stammered.

The ex-Marine smiled coldly.

"That's correct," she purred. "And when I say drop, I mean drop." She let him go, smoothed out his jacket and then poked him in the chest. "SO DROP!" she yelled. He was on his face a heartbeat later with his teacher's bare foot pressed against his back. Xena rubbed her hands together. "That's better. Well done everyone. See you next class." Her bruised and battered students limped their way into their respective dressing rooms, murmuring under their breaths about how hard their sensai had been on them. Xena walked slowly to her office, dropped into her high backed, leather chair and tucked her legs up under her. She picked up the photo of Gabrielle from her desk and ran her finger over it. "I miss you," she whispered.

"Gabrielle, you've successfully churned out a best-seller every six months for the past five years... but you're telling me it�s not going well?"

Gabrielle sighed as she leaned back in her chair.

"Give me a break, Morgan," she said. "I have other things in my life now. I want to slow down a bit, you know?"

"Slow down? Gabrielle, you're twenty-one years of age. You're not supposed to be taking things slowly." She looked carefully into the younger woman's eyes and then smiled. "Ok, I get it," she said. "This is about you and Xena. Look, I know it's hard, Kiddo, but give it time. You'll get used to making the best of the time you have together."

The writer quickly stood up and began to pace back and forward.

"Morgan, I don�t EVER want to get used to not being with her," she said angrily. "I had to do that with Patrick and then, when he died, it felt like we never had any time together. I loved him and it killed me to lose him. I WON'T make the same mistake with Xena."

"Gabrielle," Morgan said quietly as she looked to the door. Xena was standing in the open doorway. She looked deeply into her lover's eyes and then broke eye contact as she turned to leave.

"I'll wait outside," she said softly but the writer followed her out.

"Xena, I'm sorry," Gabrielle said as she placed a hand on her partner's shoulder.

"Why didn't you tell me that it hurts you this much," the taller woman asked without turning to look at her love. "You know I'd do anything to make you happy."

The writer walked around her lover and looked into her eyes.

"Xena, do you remember that time you rode for two days straight to bring me some parchment to write on after I was shot with that poisoned arrow?"

The ex-Marine closed her eyes as the memory surfaced.

"Yeah, I do. Argo didn't talk to me for three days afterwards."

"Oh?" Gabrielle asked with a raised eyebrow. "She told me she thought it was the sweetest thing anyone had ever done for that young bard from Poteidaia." She smiled. "And I agreed. Xena, I know you'll do anything to make me happy but I want you to be happy too. If being here in New York makes you happy then I want you to stay. In fact, I've made a decision."

"Which is?"

"I'm moving back to New York full time. I'm gonna keep the cabin but only for vacations."

Xena was so stunned, she could hardly speak.

"You're moving here? I... I don�t know what to say," she stammered.

"Say you love me," came the soft spoken response.

The warrior pulled her bard into her arms and kissed her deeply. Then they just held each other.

"I love you, Bard. Move in with me?"

"I thought you'd never ask."

From the other side of the open door, Morgan smiled happily. She knew that Xena had just made Gabrielle the happiest woman in the world.

"What, did you say, is in this one?" Xena asked as she lugged a large box up the stairs to her room.

"That one? Um..." Gabrielle bent slightly to examine the label. "That's my collection of Spiderman comics."

The ex-Marine laughed, almost sending herself down the stairs.

"Jesus, Gabrielle. You're such a hoarder. You've changed!"

The writer shook her head as she steadied her partner.

"No, I was always a hoarder. You just never gave me enough room in Argo's saddlebags."

"Ha ha," Xena replied flatly as she continued her trip up the stairs. "One down, only twenty-three more to go," she muttered and then smiled. Twenty-three trips that are making me a very happy woman, she thought. God, I love her...

TBC in part 9