Her ink is not yet dry on her scroll when Xena tackles her from behind, knocking her off of her rock and into the cool, green grass below. "Xena!" Gabrielle cries, reaching for the scroll and quill that the Warrior Princess had caused her to drop, but she's too fast for her, sending her rolling down the hill instead of reaching her items with her own body pressing against hers.

Gabrielle's shrieks of protests quickly erupt into giggles. Xena's laughter commingling with hers sounds wonderful to both their ears right up until they come to a stop against a tree. Xena hits it hard, but her laughter is clear evidence that she doesn't even notice the impact. She pulls Gabby up closer to her side.

The bard leans up and gazes down into her beautiful warrioress' baby blue eyes. Xena fondly brushes her blonde hair with more gentleness than any one besides Gabby will ever know she possesses. "The writing can wait." She smirks.

"I was done," Gabby tells her with a pretend pout. "You could have just waited a few minutes."

"I was tired of waiting." Xena leans up and captures her lips in a scorching kiss. Gabby will never tell that she, too, was tired of waiting and that there are some things in her life better than even her stories can tell.

The End