Ages Apart
by dawnm
Girls Night Out
[reviews]
Title: Ages Apart
Author's Note: Please read and review. I'd love to know what you think of the story. Also, feel free to email me with any questions or comments if you like. Email: dawnm92@yahoo.com.
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Chapter 6 - Girls Night Out
"Hey, guys, over here." Xander called as they entered the Bronze a little before nine o'clock.
"Xena and I will get us some drinks and meet you at the table." Buffy offered.
Willow and Gabrielle made their way through the throng of people and over to where Xander was waiting.
"What can I get for you?" The bartender asked, addressing Xena as they approached the bar.
"Two mugs of port."
Buffy laughed. "She's always making jokes. You mean two beers, right?" The slayer suggested, hoping the warrior would take the hint.
"Yeah, sure. Two beers will be fine."
"And I need two cokes." Buffy added, pulling some money from her pocket to pay for the drinks.
"So, what'd we miss?" Buffy asked, sitting down next to Willow.
"Nothing much, unless you were dying to see Xander drooling over Gabrielle." Willow said, rolling her eyes.
"I was not drooling." Xander insisted. "I was merely commenting on how her shirt accentuates the color of her eyes." He added, leaning toward Gabrielle with a dreamy look in his eyes.
Xena raised an eyebrow at the sight as if to say 'Not another one.' And Gabrielle shifted closer to the warrior, trying to escape Xander's attention.
"Hey, Xander, why don't you give the girl a break?" Buffy suggested, with a little laugh.
"Alright, if you ladies don't appreciate me...then I'll just have to go and find someone who does." He said with a smile, getting up from the table, all the while scouring the room for his next victim. "Ah, yes, I think I see a lonely lady in need of my company right now."
"Joxer." Xena and Gabrielle said in unison, watching as Xander walked away.
"Huh?" Buffy inquired.
"Oh nothing." Xena said with a lopsided grin. "He just reminds us of a...friend of ours."
"Huh. Hard to believe." Gabrielle said, shaking her head in amazement.
"Yeah. I guess some things never change." Xena noted with a dry smile.
Buffy and Willow looked at each other, then at the warrior and bard who were obviously sharing an inside joke.
"Do you guys wanna clue us in?" Buffy finally asked.
By the time Xander returned from his latest rejection, the bard had told her tale of "Joxer the Mighty" and was just finishing up an enthusiastic rendition of his self-proclaimed theme song much to the amusement of the others.
"Hello, ladies. Did ya miss me?" Xander greeted them, taking his seat. The four women looked at him, then at each other and started laughing.
"What's so funny? I could hear you guys laughing all the way across the room."
"Oh nothing, Xander." Willow assured him, trying to regain her composure. "Hey, when's the band starting?" She asked, changing the subject.
"Should be any minute." Xander said. "Have you talked to Oz yet?" He asked Willow.
"Nope. I haven't seen him."
"He was looking for you...said you were supposed to meet him here earlier." Xander told her.
"I completely forgot." Willow said, feeling suddenly guilty. "Maybe I should go and apologize before the band starts."
A few minutes later, Dingoes took the stage. When the music started, Buffy felt its pull. "This is a great song. You two up for dancing?" She asked.
Gabrielle nodded and looked to Xena. "You two go on. I think I'll sit this one out." The warrior replied.
Buffy and Gabrielle took to the dance floor, leaving Xena and Xander alone at the table. Xena watched appreciatively as Gabrielle tried to mimic the slayer's gyrations.
"So, how long have you known Buffy?" Xander asked, attempting to make small-talk with the warrior.
"A while." Xena answered vaguely, before taking a drink of her beer.
"Really? She never mentioned you." Xander said.
"Funny, she never mentioned you either." Xena replied, without taking her eyes from the dance floor.
"Will! Good to have you back." Xander said, latching onto the redhead as she returned to the table. "Your friend here is not much of a conversationalist." He said in a low voice as Willow sat down. Xena, whose senses were just as sharp as the slayer's, heard his comment and flashed him an annoyed look.
"I, uh, think I'll go to the little boys' room." Xander said nervously, excusing himself from the table to escape the warrior's glare.
Willow giggled at his hasty departure before following Xena's gaze to the dance floor. "Didn't you want to dance?" Willow asked.
"Nah. I'm not much for dancing." Xena admitted.
"I know what you mean. I think I look kind of silly when I dance, so I usually just watch too." The redhead confided, looking at the warrior. A flash of the warrior naked in the shower invaded Willow's mind and she averted her eyes nervously, hoping to banish the image.
As if reading the redhead's thoughts, Xena offered, "About what happened earlier...I'm sorry if Gabrielle and I...startled you."
"What do you mean? Oh, the shower. It was no big deal, really." Willow rushed to say, hoping she sounded convincing, though her voice must have been two octaves higher and she felt her face growing redder by the second. "Besides, I'm the one who should apologize for...for barging in on you like that."
"Don't worry about it." Xena said, trying to put Willow's mind at ease. "The way Gabrielle screamed, you'd think a Bacchae had a hold of her. If I were you, I would have done the same thing." The warrior added with an easy smile.
Willow laughed at that and visibly relaxed, then chanced another glance at the warrior. "I don't know what Xander was talking about. I think your conversation skills are just fine." Willow remarked. "At first I found you a little...intimidating, but now you don't seem like that at all."
"Thanks." Xena said, accepting the compliment with a smile.
"Can I ask you something?" Willow said, feeling brave.
"Sure." Xena replied before downing the last of her beer.
"Do you...and Gabrielle...usually bathe together?"
"Yeah. Why?" The warrior replied.
"Oh, no reason. " Willow said hurriedly, dismissing the topic as Buffy and Gabrielle approached the table.
"So, what do you think of the music, Xena?" Gabrielle asked. "It's great, isn't it?"
Xena nodded. "You looked like you were enjoying it."
"It was a lot of fun."
"Come on, Will, you have to come dance with us." Buffy urged, pulling the redhead from her seat.
"It's okay, Buffy. You go ahead. I'm good with the watching." Willow said, trying to get out of it.
"Oh no you don't." Buffy said, shaking her head. "Why watch when you can be dancing instead?" She asked, flashing a smile that Willow couldn't resist. The redhead's resolve broken, she willingly allowed Buffy to pull her onto the dance floor, while Gabrielle opted for a break.
Gabrielle finished her beer in one long drink. "Thirsty?" Xena asked, raising an eyebrow. Gabrielle nodded, still breathing heavily from dancing. "You might think about slowing down. That stuff's a little stronger than the water you usually drink." The warrior commented, gesturing to Gabrielle's empty mug.
"I'm fine. I think I can handle it, Xena." Gabrielle retorted, annoyed as usual when she felt that Xena was treating her like a child.
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A couple of hours and several rounds of drinks later, the party - minus Xander - was still in full swing.
"Hi. I couldn't help noticing you." Random strange guy said, sidling up to Gabrielle. "How about a dance?"
"She's not interested." Xena said, standing up to glare at the intruder.
Defiantly, Gabrielle stood up between them. "Actually, I'd love to dance." The bard replied enthusiastically, with a noticeable slur in her voice.
Buffy and Willow looked curiously at each other, then at Xena, who sat fuming with her eyes glued to Gabrielle's back as she and her partner moved toward the dance floor.
Before the song was halfway finished, Xena had already seen more than she cared to see. "I think I'll get some air." The warrior announced, getting up from the table and heading toward the door.
"What was that all about?" Buffy asked.
"I don't know." Willow admitted. "But Xena sure looked mad."
"Maybe I should try to talk to her." Buffy said.
"Yeah, okay. I'll stay here and wait for Gabrielle."
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"Hey." Buffy said by way of greeting, as she rounded the corner of the building to find Xena reclining against the wall. Getting no response from the warrior, Buffy claimed a spot next to her and asked, "Wanna talk about it?"
"About what?" Xena replied.
"About what happened in there."
"Nothing to talk about really." Xena said. "Gabrielle just had a little too much to drink. And she probably thought I was treating her like a kid. So...she's trying to get under my skin."
"Looks like she succeeded." Buffy commented.
"How do you figure?"
"Well, for starters, if looks could kill, that guy would be dead." Buffy said with a laugh.
"Buffy? Xena? Are you out here?" Willow called, her voice bordering on frantic.
"We're over here, Will." Buffy answered. "What's up?" The slayer asked, as the redhead approached.
"I lost her, Buffy." Willow said, panting as she came to a halt in front of them.
"Gabrielle?" Xena asked.
Willow nodded. "I went to the bathroom and when I came back, she wasn't on the dance floor. I looked all over inside and couldn't find her."
"Son of a Bacchae." Xena shouted.
"Don't worry. We'll find her." Buffy said. "You go that way and we'll go this way. Here, take this...just in case." She said, tossing Xena her spare stake.
Xena brandished the offered weapon and disappeared around the corner of the building as Willow and Buffy headed in the opposite direction. Moments later, the slayer and hacker stopped in their tracks at the sound of a distant scream.
"Gabrielle!" The warrior cried, quickly closing in on the source of the cry.
She found the bard limp in the arms of her attacker. The vampire looked up from his meal as Xena approached. He dropped Gabrielle, who crumpled to the ground at his feet. "Mmmm dessert." He said, leering at Xena with Gabrielle's blood still coloring his lips.
Buffy and Willow heard the warrior's distinctive battle cry as they closed in on the scene. The two watched in awe as Xena pummeled the vamp. "You shouldn't have messed with my friend." The warrior ground out, delivering a fierce kick that sent the vamp crashing into the wall. Ruthlessly, she plunged the stake into his chest.
Without missing a beat, she dropped to her knees, gathering the bard in her arms, her anger instantly replaced by fear and concern for her friend. "Gabrielle." She urged, cradling the bard, feeling a weak pulse at the base of her throat.
Buffy and Willow closed the last bit of distance between them. "Is she okay?" Willow asked softly.
Gabrielle stirred slightly in the warrior's arms. "Xena?" She said softly.
"I'm right here, Gabrielle." Xena soothed, rocking the bard gently in her arms.
"You saved me. I knew you would..." Gabrielle said quietly, her voice trailing off as she drifted in and out of awareness.
"You got to her in time. She'll be okay." Buffy reassured them. "Let's get her back to Willow's house."
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"You gave us quite a scare." Xena confided, helping the bard settle on the sofa as they entered the house.
"I'm sorry, Xena."
"Shhh. Don't worry about it." The warrior said, tenderly brushing the hair back from the bard's face.
"Is everyone okay?" Gabrielle asked weakly, searching the room for Buffy and Willow.
"We're fine." Buffy assured her from the edge of the room where she and Willow stood looking on.
"It's your fault, you know." Gabrielle said turning back to Xena, trying to lighten the mood. "I was looking for you when he grabbed me."
"Well...if you hadn't gotten drunk and started acting up..." Xena teased.
"Okay," Buffy said, interrupting. "Well, we should probably bandage that wound and let her get some rest, don't you think, Will?"
"Uh...yeah. I'll get the first aid kit." The redhead said, heading up the stairs.
"I am feeling kind of...woozy." Gabrielle confirmed, slurring the words a little.
"Between the beer and the blood loss, it's a wonder you're coherent at all." Buffy noted. "I can help you get her upstairs." The slayer offered, turning to Xena.
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After helping Xena clean and bandage Gabrielle's neck, Buffy and Willow said goodnight and excused themselves, leaving the warrior and bard alone.
Xena quickly changed into her sleeping shift while Gabrielle, still reeling from the beer and the attack, managed only to get her shirt half off before giving up and collapsing on the bed. "Xena...can you help me out of this?" Gabrielle asked.
The warrior looked up at the bard and smiled, but made no move to help her.
"Please?" Gabrielle asked with an irresistible smile.
"Alright." Xena conceded, stepping up to help the bard out of the shirt she was tangled in.
"Thanks." The bard said, looking up at the warrior sweetly. "You should have danced with me Xena."
"Yeah? Why's that?"
"Because...it would have been nice...and then I wouldn't have had to dance with that strange man."
"Is that so?" Xena said absently, bending down to tug at the bard's pant legs.
"Uh huh." Gabrielle said drowsily.
"Here, let's get this on you." Xena said, working to get the sleeping shift on the uncooperative blonde.
"It's okay...I don't need it." Gabrielle said. "Why don't you just come to bed?" The bard added with a smile, pulling Xena to her and resting her head on the warrior's stomach.
"Come on, Gabrielle, help me out here." Xena pleaded, trying to extricate herself from the bard's grasp as her heart began to race.
"You smell so good, Xena." Gabrielle continued, ignoring the warrior's plea.
"You're drunk. You don't know what you're saying." Xena said, taking a step back from the bed.
"I'm not drunk." Gabrielle insisted, meeting the warrior's blue eyes. "I know exactly what I'm saying."
"First the henbane and now this." Xena muttered to herself, shaking her head. She stepped forward and pulled the sleeping shift down over the bard's head and quickly crossed to the other side of the bed.
"Goodnight, Gabrielle." Xena said, getting into bed and turning her back to the bard.
Not so easily deterred, Gabrielle snuggled up to Xena's back and said, "Xena?"
"What is it now?" Xena asked, turning to look at the bard.
"Would you kiss me?" The bard asked, closing her eyes in anticipation.
"What?!" Xena cried in disbelief. "Go to sleep, Gabrielle, before you do something you'll really regret in the morning." Xena advised, again turning her back on the bard and willing herself to think about something other than the bard's sweet lips.
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