All Souls Night.

They ran out of tears almost at the same time, a small mercy Gabrielle was thankful for. Her ribs were starting to sing out for the pressure Xena was putting on them, while her own instinct was to tighten her own hold. Given that she cradled Xena's head, such would *not* have been a good idea. The thought gave her a small, inaudible giggle.

Xena heard it all the same, and the laughter left her relieved instead of offended as it might have others. She this led her press herself even closer to Gabrielle, as though she might absorb the humor through touch of skin.

She felt Gabrielle take a breath and say "Xena?"

"Hmm?" Xena was too engaged in being soothed by the steady beat of Gabrielle's heart to offer more.

"You...you're crushing me."

Xena quickly looked up, panicked, only to meet the mirthy eyes and sly grin of an amused Gabrielle. They grinned in unison, laughter quickly following, though it was more in the attempt than the execution. Neither really had the breath for more than a few puffs.

This didn't stop them from kissing, quite hard.

Amazingly, it was Xena who broke away first. This led to another bout of semi-laughs from both, which quickly descended into a spell of pained-sounding gasps for breath.

Xena loosened her arms and moved to sit on the bed's edge, suddenly *very* self-conscious. Her head bowed once again, shoulders squaring as if tensing for the blow of the *patron's* switch.

All she received was the gentle, undemanding touch of first Gabrielle's fingers, then the smooth warmth as the smaller woman pressed herself against her tall, strong back. Gabrielle's nipples hardened on contact with her, generating the most sensual of pressure there. Xena let her head roll back to rest on Gabrielle's shoulder as her love's arms encircled her tummy, the fingertips tracing nonsense patterns against its firm surface. Gabrielle kissed along her neck, her tongue seeking out pulse there with practiced ease. Finding it, she rendered Xena nearly insensate as she kissed and nipped at the veins. Gabrielle never left a single mark there, and not for lack of passion or pressure.

Xena tried to reach upwards, to hold Gabrielle there forever, only to be defeated by her weak body's inability to defy the laws of gravity. When Gabrielle did pull away, Xena found herself near to tears for the loss.

"Have I told you this morning," Gabrielle whispered into her ear, "how much I love you?"

Xena's eyes crept open at this, and turned slowly within the arms encircling her until she was face-to-face with her love and savior. Sapphire met emerald, both now polished to radiant shine rather than dulled by the tears there. Too many tears already this morning, and still Xena couldn't resist them. Nor would she even try with these.

Their lips met in a kiss unhurried and undemanding. A simple meeting of lips, its meaning deeper and more connecting than all the sonnets and poems written for lovers in all history.

Where Gabrielle had worn a sly grin of teasing sensuality and promise before, she now was gripped by something akin to divine rapture. When Xena broke away, though not surrendering contact completely, she breathed in her deepest, most probing tones "Have I told you the same?"

The effort it had taken Gabrielle to fight off her earlier hysteria was nothing, *nothing* compared to the strength it took to open her eyes just then, to focus once more on the woman she loved so dearly and desperately. Breathing alone was nearly beyond her, and Xena's eyes demanded an answer. Pity she couldn't think what the question was.

Xena breathed a short laugh, a *real* laugh, at the sight of perplexity which crinkled Gabrielle's brow. She leaned forward again, intent on still another kiss.

Immortal though she might be, Gabrielle knew her limits. Another kiss of *any* sort and she'd be catatonic for the rest of the day. After a year together, she'd grown somewhat used to Xena's occasional mood swings; yet another mirror between the child and her lost warrior. The strongest passions coming after these dark moments. Both tested her mettle harder than any of her dark kin or the immortal and clever enemies they'd managed to attract over the millennia.

Knowing she could not withstand even a brush, Gabrielle summoned her reserves and could only move back a single hair and raise arms of leaded iron, hands up in surrender and a plea of mercy.

"Shhh..." Gabrielle shook her head at the sound of her slurred and weakened voice. She tried again. "Shh...shower...first." It took all her breath to force it out, and still more to let the laugh that had bubbled up from how patently absurd she realized it sounded. It came out as a wheezed cough.

Gabrielle looked up when she realized Xena had not joined in, and found herself being studied with all the intensity a scientist might give some new and previously unknown species of insect. The tall woman slid forward, carefully avoiding contact, and lowered her head to sniff all around Gabrielle's shoulders, neck and about her face, lingering quite deliberately near her mouth. Gabrielle froze, letting their breath intermingle. She couldn't help but blink when Xena abruptly pulled away and regarded her with those piercing, precious eyes.

"You're right," Xena said, as if too a petulant child. "You stink."

Gabrielle had only *just* opened her mouth, ready to object in the strongest possible terms, when she was abruptly gathered up in two strong arms and carried to the door. Quick as Xena's pace was, Gabrielle felt herself cradled as though she were the most delicate of crystal, not the least sway to either side or feel of pressure was to be felt.

Xena stopped at the door and tried to stoop to reach the doorknob. Both hands were, however, fully occupied keeping her precious burden aloft, and Xena spent a few moments as though attempting bypass this simple fact. It was a fascinating display of intensity, as though she might twist the ornate knob by sheer force of her gaze. Her brows furrowed again, this time in anger, and her lips puckered with enraged disgust. Gabrielle feared she'd kick the door off the hinges, a feat she knew was fully within Xena's capacity...

...only to see all anger suddenly drain from her expression, a serene sort of acceptance taking its place. A one-shoulder shrug later, and Gabrielle found herself all but tossed over that same shoulder and carried across the threshold and down the hall with all the dignity one affords a sag of potatoes!

Gabrielle's shriek, first of shock, then utter embarrassment, was matched by Xena's delighted laughter. Her squeals of "Xeeeennnnnaaaaa!", as well as her ineffectual pounding and slapping of her tormentor's back and butt, went completely ignored.

This continued even after they arrived at the floor's massive bathroom. Along the way, They passed the open door of Marcous's office (the advisor kept both eyes firmly fixed on the sheet stock quotes before him) and their maid Madrigail, who continued dusting the frames of the wall's portraits before her as though deaf and blind to the scene; she'd long since become used to the antics of these two, and loved them dearly for it. They were quickly joined by the sounds of running water and the sounds of first one body being tossed into a full bathtub, then another jumping in. A good amount of splashing could be heard, each followed by shrieks of delight and abandon.

Madrigail, whose cleaning took her near the door, simply shook her head at the sight of a small wave of sudsy bathwater flowed out from beneath the closed door. "Now I 'ave to get de mop again," was her only observation to be heard, her Slavic accent thickening and eyes shinning bright with affection.

A very long, very active soak later, and a content (not to mention criminally smug) Xena Alexandran stretched out in the massive tub. The tingling of her skin she knew had nothing to do with the bath salts and numbing heat of the water she relaxed in.

Gabrielle had withdrawn a short time before, determined to deal with Marcous and all her other daily business before yielding to Xena's charms yet again. Xena's token protestations had the desired effect of hardening Gabrielle's resolve to see to her affairs, while the provocative pose she'd 'unintentionally' struck as Gabrielle struggled with her bath robe was certain to give the redhead all the motivation needed to complete everything in record time. Xena knew her love well, and would not see her forgo her other commitments; Gabrielle was simply too responsible a creature to let herself ignore such things, and would make herself miserable were she to even try.

"This love thing," Xena mused softly to the steam curling around her, "is *such* a pain." Her smug grin belayed any regret implied by her words.

Rather, she relaxed completely into the warm water and let both eyes drift shut. The tub was a long one, easily accommodating her long frame and allowed her to fairly drift away, both physically as well as consciously.

Experience had taught Xena the dangers of Gabrielle's bathtub, particularly with Gabrielle *in* the tub with her, and hence her personal decree that they would only shower in the morning. Gabrielle had rolled her eyes and done an elaborate curtsy saying "Yes, your royal highness.", but went along with it all the same, privately conceding Xena had a point. Accidentally drowning because of orgasm-induced fatigue would have been *such* an undignified way to go.

In this case, Xena herself was simply too lazy to bother pulling herself out, and so was careful to drape both arms over the sides sufficiently that she wouldn't slip under the water's surface before drifting completely away.

In moments, she was snoring away, purring for all the world like a much-satisfied cat.

Xena dreamed.

The stone was cold beneath her feet, the wind behind her biting into naked flesh.

She stood atop some high plateau, an abyss over the edge, mountain summits and boiling gray clouds overhead. The sky would occasionally light with a lance of lightning off in the distance. There was no sound to be heard: noes howling of hurricane winds, nor cry of birds, nor even the crash of thunder.

Just cold, and silence.

She wrapped both arms about herself and looked out over the expanse. Dense mist and ragged peaks were all that were to be seen. The frequent lightning, becoming even more frequent with each second, did nothing to dispel the deep shadows that covered this place.

She knew this place. It chilled her, making her shake worse than the damn wind did. It made her want to call out...to scream to...to...

There was no one else there. No one to call to. No one...

So why were there a thousand eyes on her? Why did she know there were a thousand eyes on her?

The silent lightning continued flashing, becoming stobe-like in its regularity. Soon the sky was fully alight with it, and the equally-silent wind picked up in speed and strength. It scoured her flesh... biting...ripping...

She was driven to her knees and squeezed teary eyes shut, her breath stolen by the damn wind...she couldn't scream...couldn't breath... hurt to shiver...all she could do was shiver...so...cold...

The silence was suddenly broken.

Thunder, like a hundred thousand drums, exploded overhead.

The wind found its voice in a mournful howl of outrage and despair, enough for all the damned souls of eternity.

Her voice drowned it all out. Screams...nothing but screams...

And then...

Nothing. The sky went dark. The wind fell silent.

Even her own voice went mute.

Still huddled on the hard rock, she opened her eyes. A great cave mouth yawned before her, its high stone arches stretching far above. There was nothing to be seen in the depths beyond, save utter darkness. Nothing to be seen...but still sounds drifted from within.

The snap of a whip...the whimper of suffering...a chuckle as chilling as raw ice...

A shadow detached itself from the rest to her side. She turned to face it with far greater calm than she felt, body tensing to flee, to throw herself into the abyss if that's what it took to escape.

No, she realized, not a shadow. A tall figure in hooded robes. Clean ones, she was relieved to see, remembering the silent, filthy one who'd sat at that table...

"Choose," the figure ordered, its voice booming in her head.

She could only blink in confusion. "What? Choose...?"

The figure approached as though floating across the uneven ground. When it was but inches from her, it raised its bowed head, giving her full view of what lay within.

A jaw and two rows of perfect, pearly teeth, no skin or flesh covering either. Sharp-looking cheekbones. An exposed nasal cavity. Sockets without eyes. The white surface of the entire skull was smooth, almost polished-looking.

She felt no fear seeing this. Only a...familiarity...as though she'd seen this thing before from a distance.

The skull clearly spoke to her, even with the absence of lips.

"You must choose, Xe..."

"...Na?" The voice, ringing out close to her ear, and the hand which fell onto her shoulder so startled her, Xena thrashed about for a moment, catching the hand and applying a vise grip to it.

"Hey!" was Gabrielle's indignant exclamation, more to Xena's grabbing her than the amount of (now cold) bath water that was slopping her suit, skirt, and blouse. She caught sight of the momentary panic in Xena's eyes, the concern in her own reaching out to the startled woman and snapping her out of her shock.

Xena realized how tightly she was gripping Gabrielle's wrist and quickly released it, taking and letting out a ragged breath. "Ohhhh, God," she groaned, feeling cramps and complaints throughout her muscles and bones.

"C'mon, o wrinkled one," Gabrielle said, helping Xena to her unsteady feet and out of the tub. "Time to get out before you catch cold."

Xena only gave a noncommittal grunt, then caught sight of Gabrielle's professional attire. "You certainly dressed quick," she commented as the redhead took to vigorously toweling her dry.

"Excuse me?" Gabrielle looked up from her labors, herself presently on her knees and busy rubbing down a muscular thigh and firm hip, stoically ignoring the ebony thatch of curls she was eye-level with. "You mean you've been in here the past two hours?"

"Two...hours?" Xena was incredulous.

"Two hours," Gabrielle confirmed. "I didn't find you back in the bedroom, so I'd assumed you'd gone out running or something."

"No, I was...dreaming." Xena frowned, as though deep in thought. So deep she missed the clear look of concern Gabrielle gave her.

"Well, I hope *I* was in there somewhere." The redhead's teasing words were lost on their target, whose brows furrowed even tighter as she padded naked to the door. Gabrielle stared after her, calling sharply "Xena?"

This made the taller woman turn, eyes once more focused on her. "What?" Gabrielle smirked and tossed her a terrycloth robe, deliberately aiming for her head and quite please to see it impact on target.

"You forgot something," the redhead smirked, stepping past her mildly embarrassed and confused significant other and quickly making her way back to their bedroom. She made it to the doors when Xena, her poorly tied robe rapidly flapping fully open, fairly sprinted into her. Rather than impacting with the smaller woman, a laughing Xena again gathered her into her arms and carried her past the threshold, kicking the door closed behind her.

Muffled giggles and the occasional "thud" filtered out. Madrigail, who was busy hauling a mop and bucket up the stairs and towards the bathroom, shook her head to these sounds. "Ach," she muttered, looking skyward. "Now eye 'ave to put new sheets on de' bed, too." She frowned hard, lest she begin laughing herself sick. How she *loved* those two!