A Different Time, A Better Time

By: ARS Williams

Disclaimer: Xena and all other characters from Xena: Warrior Princess are not mine, they don’t belong to me. They belong to USA Universal Studios and all those other great people. All of the rest of the characters in this story are mine. There are also a few songs in the story, don’t worry this isn’t a musical. There are just special times, like dancing, when a song is being played. So the songs aren’t mine either.

Sex Warning: Yes there is some sex between a male and female as well as implications towards sex in this story. It wouldn’t be a story with out a little lovemaking. <lol> If you’re not old enough to read it then don’t and if its too much for you, then my apologies, I have a very vivid imagination.

Subtext Warning: There’s a little cursing but nothing to run home and tell mother about. And there is also reference to two women being together. There is no more violence than your regular Xena episode.

Chapter Four: The First Fight

The next few days that passed Xena wasn’t really herself; not talking like she usually did, when Ulysses tried to kiss her she turned so that he kissed her cheek instead. She spent most of her time with Argo than she did with Ulysses and it had been three days now since she started doing that and he almost regretted buying her that horse. She did more talking to the horse than she did to Ulysses and that hurt him. On the fourth day Ulysses decided to confront Xena and when he did she was in the stable sitting on the floor next to Argo’s stall. “Xena,” Ulysses called and she raised her head and looked at him, “we need to talk,” he said. “About what?” She asked and he let out a breath, “I think you know about what. You’ve been cold and distant these past few days and I want to know why. Is there something I’ve done?” He asked and she stood and let out a breath, “no I just need some time to myself.”

She said and he looked at her, “please don’t lie to me. I know that’s not all,” he said and she spun and looked at him, “look, this is my life, I’ll live it how I want.” She said and he nodded, “and that’s fine but I don’t deserve the way you’ve been treating me. Why don’t you tell me what’s wrong,” he said and she let out a breath. “Because I don’t want to and why do you have to be so damn understanding all the time? Why can’t you be like other men and pressure me to have sex?” She asked and he looked at her, “is that what this is about? The other night, when YOU asked me to stop and I did. You would have rather I pushed you and pressured you until what happened to you before, happened again?” Ulysses asked and Xena looked at him, “maybe,” she said and he let out a breath as he shook his head. “You’re not making sense,” he said and she hunched her shoulders at him, “it’s who I am, if you don’t like it then leave.” Xena said and Ulysses looked at her, “oh I see,” Ulysses said as he looked at Xena. “When you can’t fix a problem you blame it on the other person and then you push them away,” Ulysses said as he walked up to Xena and she looked at him.

“You are my problem and you know what, I want you to leave, leave this stable, my mother’s Inn and leave my town. Leave me alone,” she yelled at him then turned away but he grabbed her arm and walked up to her. “You think it’s that easy for me to walk away. I love you Xena, more than I’ve loved anyone in my entire life, I want you to be with me, why are you pushing me away?” He asked and she looked at him then pulled her arm free, “because I’m tired, I’m tired of you and I’m tired of this relationship.” Ulysses looked at her and he wasn’t going to let it be like this, he wasn’t going to let it end like this and they winded up arguing back and forth, getting loud with it, until Lyceus walked into the stable. “What in the world is going on?” He asked, “your sister is acting like an idiot,” Ulysses said and Xena looked at him then punched him hard ‘why is it when someone’s mad at me they hit me’ he asked himself. ‘God’s that hurt’ he thought to himself as he moved his jaw around.

“Xena what in the world is wrong with you?” Lyceus asked her and she looked at him then at Ulysses who looked at her, “did that make you feel better? Will beating up on me make you feel better about the fact that you’re confused and you’re driving me away because you don’t want to have to deal with your feelings?” Ulysses asked and Xena looked at him and he looked at her then shook his head, “you’re not the woman I thought you were,” he said then walked out of the stables and when the door closed Xena sank to the floor. “What did I do?” She asked herself and Lyceus walked over to her and stooped down next to her, “I hate to be blunt but you’re pushing the man you love away.” He said and Xena let out a breath, “and may I ask why?” Lyceus asked and Xena shook her head, “I can’t be with him,” Xena said, “why?” Lyceus asked, “because my heart won’t let me be with him.” Xena said then looked at her brother with tears in her eyes and she leaned her head on his shoulder, “I’m gonna always be alone,” she said and Lyceus wrapped his arm around her. “That’s not true Xena, you have a man that loves you very much and I know you love him.”

Lyceus said and Xena nodded, “I do, I really do but maybe we aren’t meant to be together. I want so much to let him into my heart, to truly know the love I believe I have for him but no matter how hard I try, these walls that I keep around my heart won’t lower for him and I don’t know why. And it hurts Ly, it really hurts,” Xena said and her brother just held her as she cried into his shoulder. “What happened to you?” Virgil asked as Ulysses stormed into the kitchen, “we’re leaving,” he said and Toris, Cyrene and Corrinna all looked at him. “What?” Virgil asked, “we’re leaving,” Ulysses said and Virgil walked up to his friend grabbing his arm. “Will you calm down and tell me what happened,” Virgil said and Ulysses let out a breath. “I can’t tell you what happened because I don’t know what happened. She just picked a fight with me and we started arguing. She says she’s tired of me, tired of our relationship and she wants me to leave,” Ulysses said and Cyrene looked at him. “Ulysses both you and Xena need to calm down, I’m sure she didn’t mean it,” Cyrene said and Ulysses let out a breath as he sat down at the table.

“I left home to find happiness; I just knew it was out there waiting for me to grasp it. I thought I found it in the love I have for Xena, the love she has for me. But I was wrong,” he said then ran his fingers through his hair, “I’ve abandoned my family for a happiness I will never find,” Ulysses said then looked up as the door opened and Xena and Lyceus walked into the kitchen. Ulysses stood and walked out of the kitchen heading up to his room, “Xena what…” Cyrene started to ask her daughter, “not now mom,” Lyceus said and they watched as Xena headed downstairs to her own room where she closed the door and sat on her bed as she thought about what she had just done. Three days passed and both Xena and Ulysses were extremely miserable, they didn’t know they could hurt so badly. Ulysses kept himself busy by working himself into exhaustion in the fields and Xena stayed busy around the Inn and training Argo. She also found herself training and exercising, even when she didn’t have training with Athena.

On the fourth day, she took a walk by the river as she thought and she was really missing Ulysses but maybe this was the way things had to be. “Why do you drive away what makes you happiest?” Athena asked as she appeared before Xena and she looked at her. “Because I can’t love him,” Xena said and Athena shook her head. “I don’t believe that and neither do you,” Athena said and Xena let out a breath as she started walking. “STOP and look at ME,” Athena yelled and Xena stopped and after a minute she turned and looked at Athena. “Do you remember Xena, months ago you were feeling empty and alone, like you were missing something important. Do you remember that you stood there and looked at me with tears of frustration in your eyes?” Athena asked and Xena nodded, “yes,” she said and Athena walked up to her. “Have you ever paid attention to the fact that since you’ve known Ulysses those feeling have gone away?” Athena asked and Xena looked at her, “what?” She asked beginning to see what Athena was saying, “I promised you that what your heart, what your soul was yearning for would come soon and it did.

I also told you that you wouldn’t recognize it right away,” Athena said and Xena looked at her. “You’re telling me that…” Xena started to say and Athena nodded. “Yes, yes Xena. He is what you have been looking for, you are what he has been looking for.” Athena said and Xena looked at her, “why are you pushing him away?” Athena asked and Xena looked at her, “my heart…won’t let me love him,” Xena said and Athena looked at her. “Because you’re stopping it. Whatever you’re afraid of, whatever fear it is that you’re holding, let it go,” Athena said and Xena looked at her. “I can’t,” she said tears rolling down her cheek and Athena looked at her, “take my hand Xena,” Athena said and Xena looked at the goddess then stepped forward and placed her hand in Athena’s and soon she felt the world swirl away like she often did when Athena transported her somewhere. “Where are we?” Xena asked as she looked around the huge temple, “the hall of destiny,” Athena said and Xena turned and looked at Athena who was walking over to where three women were and she followed Athena.

“Are those the fates?” Xena asked and Athena looked at her, “mortals aren’t usually allowed here but when I have a mortal on my hands whose as stubborn as you are, I have to show them a little of what they won’t see.” Athena said then walked closer to the tapestry of life and looked at it until she found Xena’s thread, “here Xena is your thread,” Athena said as she pointed to the deep red thread and Xena looked at it. “Very thick, very strong, long and bright; all signs that you have a strong, magnificent and long life ahead of you.” Athena said, “now look right below your line,” Athena said and Xena looked below her line to see a deep green line, “touch it,” Athena said and Xena looked at her then at the line. She slowly reached her hand out and when she closed her fingers around it she felt so much and that feeling was so familiar, like it was herself, “this…this is Ulysses,” Xena said and Athena nodded. “Follow the line Xena,” Athena said and Xena followed the line and the further she moved down she saw that her line and Ulysses’ line began to intertwine around each other.

She touched their lines and her mouth and eyes opened in surprise as she felt the connection, the extreme amount of love they had for each other. A tear fell from each eye and Athena took Xena’s hand from the thread and looked at the young woman who would be her best chosen yet. “Do you see now Xena? You’re fighting something that doesn’t need to be fought,” Athena said then stepped closer to Xena placing her hands on Xena’s face as she looked into her eyes and Xena looked into Athena’s eyes. “You and he are meant to be, its as simple as that,” Athena said and Xena looked at Athena then shook her head as she swallowed hard then walked away to a window where she looked out at the bright, beautiful country then placed her hands on the glass as she leaned her head forward. “I’m so confused Athena, there’s so much love in my heart for Ulysses but there is also fear. Fear that he’ll hurt me,” Xena said and Athena looked at Xena as she walked up to her. “That’s not the fear that’s controlling you. You’re a strong woman Xena, even if you were to get hurt, even if your heart were to be broken again, it would undeniable hurt yes, but you would get through it and come out for the better, stronger.”

Athena said and she now stood by Xena’s side and Xena turned her head and looked at the goddess, “what is it that I fear then?” Xena asked and Athena looked into her eyes, “you tell me.” Athena said and Xena stood there and looked out of the window as she thought about that, “ask yourself why you won’t let him into your heart? What are you really afraid of?” Athena said and Xena stood there and thought about that; she thought about all of the wonderful things Ulysses made her feel yet when she felt herself become closer and closer to him she threw up those walls, keeping him out, keeping her away from her heart. “I’m afraid that if I let him into my heart, then I’ll really love him and I know if we make love I’ll give him my heart; the thought of loving him completely and utterly scares me. Because if we were to get so close, then have something happen to him or it turns out we don’t make it…” Xena said then looked at Athena with pain in her eyes. “I won’t make it Athena, I won’t survive.”

Xena said and Athena looked into her eyes then stepped forward and took Xena’s hand holding it in her own. “Xena don’t you see that despite your best attempts Ulysses has found a crack in those walls you throw up and he has already wriggled his way into your heart?” Athena asked and Xena looked at her, “that’s why you feel the pain you feel in your heart. You and Ulysses are already bound so tightly, he’s hurting just like you’re hurting,” Athena said and Xena shook her head. “I don’t think he feels like this,” Xena said and Athena looked at Xena then waved her hand over the window and Xena found herself looking at Ulysses who was sitting on the bed in his room in the Inn with one knee drawn up and the other stretched out; his elbow rested on his raised knee, his forehead leaning against his hand and when he turned his face slightly Xena could see that his cheeks were wet. “He is hurting like you’re hurting Xena, he has the same fears you have but he’s just not as stubborn as you. He realizes what he has with you and he was trying to make it work,” Athena said then waved her hand so that the portal was gone.

“Now its your turn to realize what you and he have and make it work; Xena as a warrior you’ve already learned that you can’t let fear control you, that if you do, it could be the end of you and possibly the end of those you love, of things that mean the most to you. Take the same way in love, embrace that fear, don’t let it control you. People think that a hero is someone who risks their life for someone else’s life or for the greater good and that is true, but the greatest hero there is, is a person who risks their heart. They risk their heart despite what the outcome may be, that right there is a true hero.” Athena said and Xena looked at her, “any fool can risk his life but it takes a hero to risk his heart,” Xena said and Athena nodded. “Exactly,” Athena said and Xena looked at her then looked back out of the window as she thought about things. “You know Xena, you don’t have to defeat that fear in one day, take steps and you’ll find that one day that fear won’t be as strong and you’ll conquer it without even thinking about it.”

Athena said and Xena nodded then let out a breath, “I never thought of it that way,” Xena said then let out a breath. “I hurt him bad with my words,” Xena said and Athena looked at her. “I’ll take your advice but I need your help with something that’ll help me make it up to Ulysses,” Xena said and Athena looked at her. “Alright but as long as it’s not anything outrageous,” Athena said and Xena grinned. “I promise you its not,” she said and Athena nodded and then they were both gone in golden sparkles. Back at the Inn Ulysses still sat in his room on his bed; he didn’t know what Xena had done to him, he was sitting there and tears had just started rolling down his face. He wiped his face dry then let out a breath as he ran his fingers through his hair, “love sucks,” Ulysses said to himself as he thought about the argument he and Xena had. He thought about it over and over again, he even went back in his mind days before that to see if there was anything he could have done to make her react that way.

He couldn’t find anything and that just frustrated him, he wanted so badly to fix things with Xena, he loved her so much he didn’t even know it was possible to love someone this much and so fast. They had only known each other for about four months and he was deeply in love with Xena and he thought she was with him, but it turned out he was wrong or so he thought. Ulysses ran his hands over his face up to his hair where he had the urge to just want to pull his hair out in frustration ‘uh…why does being in love have to be so damn complicated? I mean it was going slowly, I was being a gentle man or at least I thought so. I didn’t pressure her for sex or even for our first kiss and still things have just fallen apart. Damn it, I bought her a horse. I risked being found out where I am and all for her, all just to see her happy’ Ulysses thought to himself then let out a breath as he looked out of the window. ‘All I want is her to be happy, for us to be together’ he thought to himself and he continued to think until he was startled out of his thoughts by a knock at the door.

He wanted to ignore it, he wanted to be left alone but he knew it was probably Virgil, who was worried about him. There was another knock and Ulysses let out a breath, “yea,” he called and when the door opened Xena walked it with something large in her hands. She sat what she was holding down by the door against the wall and looked at Ulysses who was looking out of the window, “hi,” she said and he turned his head and looked at her in surprise. “Hey,” he said, “is it okay if I come in?” Xena asked as she looked at him and he swallowed as he nodded his head, “yea, yea,” he said as he sat up straight in the bed. She walked into the room closing the door behind her then walked over to the bed and stood by the bed post as she looked at Ulysses. “I uh…I wanted to apologize for the way I’ve been treating you,” she said then let out a breath as she looked down for a moment trying to gather her thoughts. “I’m sorry Ulysses,” Xena said as she raised her head and looked at him, looked into his eyes, “I know I said some hurtful things to you and I had no right, truth is I didn’t even mean any of it.”

Xena said and Ulysses looked at her, “then why did you say them?” He asked and she let out a breath as she walked a little closer up to him, “because I was…I am afraid,” Xena said. “It’s taken me a while to admit that,” Xena said with a small grin and Ulysses looked at her, “what are you afraid of? Is it me? I swear to you Xena, I would never hurt you,” Ulysses said and Xena looked at him. “I know and you can keep saying it but my heart has to believe it and having been broken already, it’s going to take some heavy convincing.” Xena said then let out a breath, “but that’s not what’s stopping me from being with you. It’s not the fear that made me pick a fight with you,” Xena said then let out a breath as she looked at Ulysses who was looking straight into her eyes, begging her for an explanation. Xena let out a breath as she moved closer to Ulysses then sat down side ways on the bed and looked down for a moment before she looked up at Ulysses, looking him straight in his eyes. “Ulysses I’m in love with you and…” Xena said then closed her eyes and let out a breath as she prepared to tell him her worst fear.

Ulysses looked at Xena and could tell she was having problems telling him what she was truly afraid of and he couldn’t help himself as he reached out his hand and placed her hair behind her ear then placed his hand on her cheek and she couldn’t help as she leaned into it. “I love you so much,” she said as she placed her hand on top of his then turned her face so that she placed a kiss on his palm and he looked at her. “This love scares me because it’s already so strong and we’ve only known each other for about four months and what I’m really afraid of, is that this love will become stronger. That when we do finally make love I’ll give you my heart and you’ll give me yours, there will be no going back from that Ulysses. And what if we don’t make it? Or what if something happens to either one of us? I don’t…I don’t think I would survive it, I love you that much and it scares me.” Xena said then let out a breath as she held Ulysses’ hand in her own and looked into his eyes as he looked into hers. “The closer we got, the more that fear started to take over and control me, that’s why I picked that fight with you, that’s why I hit you.

I was hoping you would back up and take another look at me and truly see if I was worth it, if you wanted to go through all that trouble. It was a way for me to escape and a way for you,” Xena said and Ulysses looked at Xena. “I’m not one to give up easily Xena,” Ulysses said and she nodded. “I just wished you would have come to talk to me about your fears,” he said and Xena looked at him. “I just did find out today what I was truly afraid of and I’m sorry Ulysses, I’m so sorry that I put you through all of this, that I hurt you the way I did.” Xena said then looked into Ulysses’ eyes and before she knew it she climbed into the bed and over to Ulysses where she hugged him tightly. “Please forgive me,” she said as she hugged him tightly and Ulysses closed his eyes and hugged her tightly, pulling her tightly to him as he inhaled her wonderful scent. “I love you,” Xena whispered in Ulysses’ ear as she grasped his hair and Ulysses just closed his eyes tightly as he continued to hold Xena, “I love you too,” he whispered then placed a soft kiss on her neck. They hugged for a while longer and when they finally pulled back it wasn’t much and Xena placed her hands on Ulysses’ face her thumb wiping away the stray tear that ran down his cheek.

“I’m sorry that I hurt you so much but I want us to be together, I just need you to work with me, continuing to take it slowly, step by step so that I can conquer my fears.” Xena said then looked deep into Ulysses’ eyes, “and then I’ll finally be able to give myself to you,” Xena said then began leaning in. “Body, heart and soul,” she whispered to Ulysses just before they kissed and his moan of pleasure was louder than her own. As they shared a passionate tasting of lips, Xena caressed Ulysses’ face, her hands running up his neck to his hair where she gripped it tightly and pulled his mouth down closer to hers. Ulysses had his hands on Xena’s back and as she pulled him closer, he slowly lowered her down to the bed; this kiss deepened and Xena moaned as she ran her fingers through Ulysses’ hair and when the kiss ended they looked deeply into each other’s eyes. “I’m sorry also that I said some hurtful things,” Ulysses said and Xena shook her head, “it doesn’t matter. Let’s just put it all behind us and promise never to fight again. It hurts too much,” Xena said and Ulysses grinned as he leaned his forehead against Xena’s, “yes it does, I’ve never known pain like that before and I don’t care to experience it again.”

Ulysses said and Xena grinned as she caressed his cheeks, “did you miss me?” Xena asked and Ulysses nodded as he looked into her eyes and his fingers ran through her hair. “I did, very much so,” he said and Xena grinned as she raised her head and kissed him softly and he returned the kiss. “I missed you too,” she said as she looked at him and he grinned, “especially looking into these sexy brown eyes,” she said and he smiled at that. “My eyes don’t compare to yours; those beautiful blue eyes of yours. Sometimes they’re as clear as the blue sky, when you’re angry they’re dark, cold and stormy,” Ulysses said then brought up his hand and ran his finger right by her eye as he looked into them. “And then there are moments like this when you look at me with the love you have for me and your eyes are so blue, so deep like the ocean and I could fall into them and often do.” Ulysses said as he ran his fingers down her cheek and she grinned at him, “you are so beautiful Xena, gorgeous.”

He said then smiled and chuckled, “what?” Xena asked with a grin on her face, “I um…when I first saw you, when we bumped into each other in the market, I uh…I thought you were a goddess.” He said with a smile and Xena smiled at him, “really?” She asked and Ulysses nodded as he lay down on his side and Xena turned on her side and faced him, “yea. You probably think that I just tell you you’re beautiful because that’s what every girl likes to hear but…” Ulysses said then shook his head as he looked at her. “You are gorgeous, the most magnificent creature the gods have put on this earth,” Ulysses said and Xena grinned as she shook her head and looked down because she was blushing. Ulysses grinned at her then leaned his head down and stole a sweet, soft kiss and when it ended they looked into each other’s eyes. “That day Xena, I truly thought you were a goddess, I’m not even lying, you can ask Virgil; you were the most beautiful thing I had ever seen and it was like you were glowing. Then when I looked into your eyes and just fell into them and gods when you spoke to me…” Ulysses said then shook his head and she looked at him.

“What?” She asked all wrapped up in what he was saying and he looked at her, “you stole my heart at that very moment. It was then that I knew I had to find out who you were, I had to talk to you again and get to know you.” Ulysses said and Xena looked into Ulysses’ eyes then leaned in and kissed him softly and they just lay there and kissed softly for a while. “I love you so much,” Xena said as she looked into Ulysses’ eyes and he looked into hers, “I know sometimes I may make it hard for us but please just bear with me. I really do want us to be together,” Xena said and Ulysses grinned as his fingers intertwined with hers and he brought their hands up so that he could kiss the back of Xena’s hand. “So do I and we will be, I promise you that,” Ulysses said and Xena grinned as she looked into his eyes seeing so much love for her in them; she couldn’t help herself as she leaned in and kissed him and they just lay in the bed sharing soft passionate tasting of lips and some deep passionate kisses.

They lay on the bed close together chest pressed against chest, their legs in between each others and their arms were wrapped around each other. Xena ran her hand under Ulysses’ shirt caressing his back and Ulysses moaned at her touch and she pulled him closer to her. As they continued to kiss, Xena reached her hand behind her and pulled her shirt out of her skirt then grabbed Ulysses’ hand placing it under her shirt on her back. “Mmmmm,” she moaned as his warm comforting hand touched her back. It was as if he were soothing it and when his fingers caressed her back she pushed into him while running her fingers over his cheek. Ulysses moaned into the kiss as he caressed her soft skin and her nails scraped along his back driving him insane as he caressed her stomach. Ulysses’ touch to Xena just felt so good it was as if she couldn’t get enough of it, “pull me closer,” she whispered to him between a kiss, “hold me tighter,” she whispered once more breaking another kiss and Ulysses moaned as he did just that.

A half an hour passed and they continued to lay there and kiss like they had all the time in the world. Finally when a kiss ended Xena leaned in and placed a kiss on Ulysses’ forehead, grinning as he pulled her closer, his head in her chest as he inhaled her scent. She grinned as she ran her fingers through Ulysses’ hair then looked over towards the door remembering she had brought him something. “Oh I forgot,” Xena said, “forgot what?” Ulysses said as he continued to hold her close getting himself drunk off of her sweet smell. “I got something for you,” Xena said as she pulled Ulysses back and he looked at her, “what do you have for me?” He asked and she grinned as she untangled herself from him getting off of the bed and walking over to the door. “What is that?” Ulysses asked as he sat up in the bed and Xena brought the big item that was covered in a cloth over to him. “Remove the cloth and see,” Xena said as she placed the object on his lap and she sat down on the bed next to him. He looked at the large item on his lap, “well it can’t be a horse because it’s way too small,” Ulysses said and Xena grinned at him.

“You don’t even like horses,” she said and he shook his head as he turned and looked at her, “no, I don’t like riding them. I like horses just fine as long as I don’t have to get on one.” He said and she shook her head at him, “open it,” she said and he looked back down at the object. “Maybe it’s a beautiful and very large picture of you,” Ulysses guess and Xena chuckled at him as she rolled her eyes. “Will you just open it,” she said and Ulysses grinned at her then let out a breath as he untied the string that held it close. He sat the string to the side then removed the cloth to see a beautifully crafted, golden lyre on his lap. “Oh Xena,” he said as he looked at it running his fingers over the craftsmanship, the groves and carvings. “Do you like it?” She asked and he shook his head in awe as he looked at it, “I love it, it’s…its magnificent.” He said then picked it up and looked over it, “I mean who ever made this is a genius, I mean look at how perfectly crafted this is.” Ulysses said then ran his fingers over the strings hearing the beautiful sound, “oh that is a thing of beauty.”

He said as he shook his head and looked at it and Xena smiled, “I’m glad you like it,” she said and he looked at her, “I love it, thank you,” he said and she nodded. “Um Xena, something like this had to cost you a whole lot of money,” Ulysses said as he looked at her and she grinned as she shook her head, “not really,” she said and he looked at her. “Are you sure?” He asked and she nodded as she placed her hand on his cheek, “it’s a gift Ulysses and I swear to you I didn’t tap into my life savings or anything, so you don’t have to worry. I just wanted to do something nice for you, to show you how much I care and how sorry I was,” she said and he looked into her eyes for a moment then grinned. “Well it is really beautiful,” he said and she grinned then leaned in and kissed him softly. “I’m really glad you love it,” she said and Ulysses grinned then sat up all the way in the bed with his back leaning against the head board. Xena sat close next to him her arm on his shoulder as she ran her fingers through his hair, “play me something,” she said and he looked at her then grinned as he looked down at the lyre.

“Hey I wanted to ask you something; is it true you can sing?” Ulysses asked and Xena looked at him, “where’d you hear that?” She asked and he hunched his shoulders, “around, so is it true?” Ulysses asked and Xena looked into his eyes and grinned, “I guess I have somewhat of a voice,” Xena said and Ulysses nodded. “Why don’t you let me hear you sing,” Xena said to Ulysses who grinned at her, “it’s been a while,” he said and she hunched her shoulders. “So, I still wanna hear,” she said and he looked at her as he grinned and nodded. He cleared his throat then let out a breath as his fingers began to slide along the strings of the lyre and he began to make up a tune; it was a slow, loving tune that could make you feel so much just from listening to it.

When he had a melody he closed his eyes and let the words come from his heart and he began to sing, “never knew I could feel like this…like I’ve never seen the sky before. I want to vanish inside your kiss…everyday I love you more and more. Listen to my heart can you hear it sings…telling me to give you everything…seasons may change, winter to spring, but I love you…until the end of time. Come what may…come what may…I will love you until my dying day,” Ulysses sung then looked at Xena who had a smile on her face at his great voice.

“Your turn,” Ulysses said and Xena grinned at him, “what? I don’t know this song,” Xena said and Ulysses grinned, “neither did I, I just made it up. The words came from my heart, they’re how I feel about you, about us,” he said and Xena looked into his eyes. “Tell me how you feel Xena,” he said and she looked into his eyes then grinned as she nodded and he started up with the melody where he left off; and Xena did exactly what Ulysses said, she let the words come from her heart. “Suddenly the world seems such a perfect place…suddenly in moves with such a perfect grace…suddenly my life doesn’t seem such a waste…it all revolves around you.” Xena sung with a huge smile on her face and Ulysses smiled as well and he couldn’t believe she said she had some what of a voice. She had a magnificent voice, he was sure she could out sing the sirens or any muse. How great her voice was shouldn’t have surprised him, for the simple fact he thought everything about Xena was perfect and he loved every part of her.

What did surprise him and her too was he began singing with her and their words matched and though it was weird they both smiled at each other as they continued to sing. “And there’s no mountain too high…no river too wide…sing out this song and I’ll be there by your side. Storm clouds may gather…and stars may collide,” they sung their voices going high as did Ulysses’ melody and then they went down as they looked at each other. “But I love you,” Ulysses sung with a smile on his face and Xena grinned, “I love you,” she sung. “Until the end,” he sung, “until the end…of time,” Xena finished in sync with him and the music they were making was beautiful as they continued to sing with each other. “Come what may…come what may, I will love you until my dying day. Oh come what may…come what may,” Xena smiled as Ulysses’ voice went up at that point and she could tell he loved singing. “I will…love…you,” they sung together their voices coming down and Ulysses continued to play the lyre while Xena sung the last part. “I will love you, suddenly the world seems such a perfect place,” she sung and Ulysses grinned as he finished up the melody then looked at Xena.

“Woman you can sing,” Ulysses said and Xena grinned at him, “I’ve never heard a voice as beautiful as yours and trust me I’ve heard my share of women singers.” Ulysses said and Xena grinned, “well thank you and I must say Ulysses, I’m impressed. You can really sing yourself and you’re great with the lyre, plus I can tell you love singing. Why aren’t you out there singing and having fun? I know you would love it,” Xena said and Ulysses let out a breath as he looked down at the lyre, “I have responsibilities at home Xena, a lot of responsibilities and there just wasn’t time for me to do that. It wasn’t what was expected of me,” he said then looked at her and grinned. “But I had my rebellion years, where I did what I wanted and didn’t care if I got in trouble. Virgil was always there with me getting into trouble, of course he was wilder than I was and at times still is,” Ulysses said and Xena grinned at him. “You two have been friends for a long time,” Xena said and Ulysses grinned and nodded.

“Since we were children; his father works for my father so we were always around each other, our mothers hung out and things like that. Then we went to the same academy, got into loads of trouble all of the time,” Ulysses said with a smile and Xena grinned at him. “He may not be my brother by blood but by heart he is,” Ulysses said and Xena nodded. “He left with you when you decided to leave home,” Xena said and Ulysses nodded. “Yea, his father holds a high position as well, just not as high as my father’s but his father was basically pushing him the same way mine was pushing me.” Ulysses said then let out a breath as he lowered the lyre down on his lap, “you know, you and he have something in common,” Ulysses said and Xena looked at him. “What?” Xena asked and Ulysses grinned, “you both like to punch me when I say something you don’t like and you both hit damn hard,” Ulysses said bringing his hand up to his jaw where Xena hit him and she gave him a small grin. “I’m sorry,” she said and he nodded, “yea, well, can I have a kiss there?”

Ulysses asked and Xena grinned at him as she placed her arm around his shoulder then leaned in and placed a kiss on his jaw then another and another. “Is that better?” She whispered to him and he nodded, “yea,” he said after he cleared his throat and Xena grinned at him. “Why did your father hit you?” Xena asked and Ulysses let out a breath, “I was angry, really angry and I was tired. He just dumped all of these responsibilities on me and they were huge, I got mad when he did that. That’s when I had the talk with the tree,” Ulysses said and Xena ran her fingers over his hand. “But I took it in stride and did the best I could which was a damn good job. But while I was doing what I was asked, I just felt like I was dying in the inside; they, meaning my family, wanted me to stop sulking and I just…I got angry.” Ulysses said as he shook his head, “I talked to my mother about the way I was feeling and I talked to my father, neither one of them seemed to hear me and then they have the nerve to tell me to stop sulking. How could they not understand that I was feeling totally lost, alone and empty?

I tried every way to explain it to them and they just didn’t hear me. My father’s excuse was he heard me and he understood how I felt but that didn’t stop him from adding more and more responsibilities on me. His thing was, that I felt lost because I didn’t have enough work to do, enough involvement in what we did. So giving me job after job after job was his way of helping me to find myself and to mold me into the man he wants me to be which I think is himself.” Ulysses said then let out a breath as he turned and looked at Xena, “well that day I left we had an argument at dinner. He wanted me to stop sulking and acting like a petulant child and I wanted to know what in Tartarus he wanted from me.” Ulysses said then got up of the bed sitting the lyre to the side as he began pacing and Xena watched him, “I told him he wanted me to be like him, all dried up of life and well, that’s when he hit me.” Ulysses said and Xena looked at him, “I of course didn’t hit him back, though I wanted to; I just told him he would never get that from me and then I walked away and that was the last time they saw me.”

Ulysses said and Xena looked at him, “have you tried contacting them in any way? You know they’re probably worried about you Ulysses,” Xena said and Ulysses nodded. “Yea, but this is how it has to be Xena. I wrote my mother a note before I left and asked Victoria to give it to her two weeks after I was gone.” Ulysses said then let out a breath as he sat down on the bed sideways so that he was looking at Xena. “They’re searching for me now I know it, they’re searching every village, every town, and city. I left no trail though; I didn’t take a ship from the docks. When we were dropped off in Macedonia, it wasn’t at a dock. I traded my clothes for common clothes and did the same with my money. I changed my name too,” Ulysses said then grinned, “but when I met you, I don’t know what happened.” Ulysses said and Xena grinned at him, “so there’s no way they can find you?” Xena asked and Ulysses shook his head, “not really, other than I used money from home to buy you Argo and the man recognized the money and wanted to know who I was.

Of course I didn’t tell him but I’m sure if there were a reward he would give me up. They’ll probably get here and search Amphipolis but I’ll just hide until they leave,” Ulysses said and Xena looked at him. “You bought Argo for me even though it would risk you being caught,” Xena said as she looked into Ulysses’ eyes and he nodded. “I want to see you happy Xena; I know you’ve wanted a horse for a long time. I saw you with Argo and I knew you liked her, when I came to see you in the stables it confirmed that and I decided to get her for you. Seeing you happy makes me happy Xena, that’s all there is to it,” Ulysses said and Xena looked at him then grinned as she shook her head. “You know I was just thinking we’ve known each other for all this time and we’ve never talked about our families. I mean you know I have a sister, father and a mother and I know you have a mother and two brothers but that’s it.”

Ulysses said and Xena nodded, “why don’t you go first then,” Xena suggested and Ulysses looked at her. “I have a father, mother and sister,” he said and Xena chuckled at him and he grinned at her. “What are their names?” Xena asked, “oh, if that’s what you wanted to know you should have said so,” Ulysses said and Xena grinned as she shook her head. “My father’s name is Julian and he’s about ten years older than Cyrene. His age shows in his hair at the most but he’s still strong and still has a good body. My mother, her name is Marguerite and she is very beautiful.” He said with a grin and Xena grinned at him, “I get my eyes from her, she has dark brown hair to her shoulders and is about the same height as Corrinna. She’s sassy when she wants to be and normally plays peacekeeper between my father and I. I thought she understood me,” Ulysses said then went quiet as he thought about that his mother not understanding him hurting him the most. Xena looked at him and could tell he was hurting when he said that, she could see it in his body language and in his eyes.

“Tell me about your sister,” Xena said trying to get his mind off of the pain and he looked at her, “Camilla,” Ulysses said then smiled. “Ah Camilla,” he said then shook his head, “that girl there,” he said then smiled and shook his head. “Camilla is sassy, spunky, doesn’t mind telling you what’s on her mind, will nag the Tartarus out of you.” He said with a grin and Xena looked at him, “but you love her,” she said and he smiled and nodded. “I do, I wonder if she knew though. She could really work on my nerves sometimes, just drive me crazy and she was doing that two weeks before I left.” Ulysses said then let out a breath as he stood, “she wasn’t talking to me. She was upset with me about being with one of her best friends. Supposedly she thinks she knows how I am,” Ulysses said and Xena looked at him. “How is that?” She asked and he let out a breath, “that I sleep with a different woman every night or every other night and I don’t care about their feelings, I only want to get between their thighs. So she put it,” he said then let out a breath as he turned and looked at Xena.

“In some cases that was true especially when I lost my virginity, Virgil and I went kind of crazy. But I always told who ever I was with that I wasn’t looking for a relationship or to get married. I just wanted pleasure for the sake of pleasure and most women understood that and there were others who didn’t.” Ulysses said then sat down on the bed, “tell me about her,” Xena said and Ulysses looked at her. “Victoria is a little like you and what I mean by that, is she isn’t afraid to tell me what’s on her mind and when she gets angry those green eyes turned a deep emerald. Those two things attracted me to her most; I hadn’t been myself in a month or so, so I hadn’t had sex for a while. Then came Camilla and her group of friends; Virgil started flirting with one of them, Camilla got angry saying we were standing by the well trying to see what women we could sleep with. Virgil and Gary were doing that but I wasn’t, in fact I had just gotten there. Anyway to make a long story short, Victoria told me just because other women threw themselves at my feet didn’t mean she was going to be one of them.”

Ulysses said and Xena watched as he grinned some, “I wasn’t even flirting with her, but when she said that, it was like she was throwing a challenge in my face.” He said, “a challenge you couldn’t ignore,” Xena said and he looked at her looked into her eyes and saw that strangely she understood. “No I couldn’t. So I kissed her, I kissed her good and she fought for a second if it was even that; I had her where I wanted her. Camilla got angry and the next thing I knew at dinner she’s telling me not to sleep with Victoria. I ignored her, she’s kicking me under the table; I’m getting tired of it. She tries to hit me and misses, father gets upset and the next thing I know she’s telling our parents who she thinks she knows who I am and what I will do to Victoria. Then my father is telling me not to sleep with her and that’s an order,” Ulysses said and Xena looked at him a grin appearing on her face.

“You didn’t like that,” she said and he shook his head, “I hate when people tell me not to do something and I hate it even more so when I’m forbade to do something.” Ulysses said and Xena nodded, “I know the feeling,” Xena said and he grinned at her. “Anyway, I was tempted to sleep with her just to show them that they don’t control me but I wasn’t in the mood; of course she was and she walked me to my room and we talked and I think you get the picture.” Ulysses said and Xena nodded, “well Camilla knew it, that morning we had breakfast and that was the morning my father gave me all that work to do. Victoria was someone I could talk to, she listened to me and when I needed pleasure and comfort she was there for me. We became good friends but like I let every other woman know, I let her know, I didn’t want to get married and I didn’t want a relationship. I just needed companionship without all the strings attached, I thought she understood that.” He said then let out a breath, “she began to fall in love with you,” Xena said and Ulysses nodded as he stood.

“We were only together two weeks but…” Ulysses said then hunched his shoulders, “you know I don’t understand women sometimes,” he said then turned around and looked at Xena as she chuckled at him. “No you don’t do you?” She asked and he walked over to her and sat down, “meaning?” He asked and she looked at him, “she was probably in love or at least infatuated with you for a while.” Xena said and Ulysses looked at her, “how do you know?” Ulysses asked and she grinned at him, “I’m a woman and just because I’m not sexually active doesn’t mean I don’t know the rest of things that go on with women.” Xena said and Ulysses grinned and nodded, “I guess you’re right. She was always picking an argument with me maybe that was her way of saying I want you and I want you now.” He said and Xena laughed at him and he smiled as he looked at her, “you don’t think that was it?” He asked with a smile and she smiled at him, “no that was probably it but it’s just the way you said it.”

Xena said and Ulysses grinned at her, “did I capture it good?” He asked and she chuckled at him as she shook her head at him, “you’re crazy,” she said and he grinned as he got up on his hands and knees on the bed. “Only about you,” he said and she looked at him as he leaned in and kissed her softly and as they kissed she lay down on the bed and he lay down next to her but slightly on top of her. And when the kiss ended Xena looked into Ulysses’ eyes as she caressed his cheek, “so you didn’t love her?” She asked and he shook his head, “no,” he said and she looked at him. “How many lovers have you had before me?” She asked, “none,” he replied as he looked into her eyes. “And after me?” She asked, “absolutely none,” he said immediately as he looked into her eyes then leaned down preparing to kiss her. “There will be none after you because you are the only one for me,” he whispered to her just before they kissed. “Mmmm,” Xena moaned into the kiss as she ran her fingers through his hair and pushed her body up into his. Minutes later when the kiss ended Xena looked into Ulysses’ eyes, “you will be my first,” she whispered to him then rose up and brushed her lips against his, “my only and my last.”

She whispered and he moaned at that then took her lips in a kiss and they kissed for a while then began rolling around on the bed as they kissed. They smiled, talked and laughed between kisses and once they almost rolled onto the lyre so Ulysses picked it up and placed it against the wall by the bed then resumed his kisses with Xena. “Are you ticklish?” He asked as he ran his fingers up her sides and she tried to hold it in, she tried to look at him with a straight face but soon she started laughing. “You are,” he said then began tickling her, “ah…stop,” she said between her laughter then began searching his body for ticklish spots. “Hey…yah…that’s not fair,” he said as he began hoping and jumping all over the place as Xena found a ticklish spot behind his leg and on his lower side. They rolled on the bed tickling each other and laughing and then Xena grabbed a pillow and hit Ulysses with it. “Oh you cheat,” he said then picked up a pillow of his own and hit her with it and before they knew it they were having a pillow fight. About ten minutes later Xena was on one side of the bed and Ulysses was on the other and they were looking at each other.

“You might as well give up,” he said with a grin and she smiled at him, “never,” she said then faked right and he went for it and as he did Xena jumped on the bed jumping down on the other side and headed for the door dropping her pillow on the floor as she left. “Oh she’s good,” Ulysses said with a smile then dropped his pillow on the bed and ran after her. Xena ran down the stairs jumping two at a time and she zoomed through the dinning area and went straight into the kitchen. “Xena what in the world?” Cyrene asked her daughter and Xena looked at her, “you haven’t seen me,” Xena said then smiled as she heard Ulysses, then ran down the stairs. Cyrene and Corrinna looked at Ulysses came bursting through the kitchen doors and they looked at him, “I know she came this way,” Ulysses said as he looked around and they looked at him. “Haven’t seen her,” Cyrene said and he looked at her then shook his head and went down the stairs, moments later they heard a squeal and Xena came running up the stairs with Ulysses hot on her tail as she ran out the back door.

Cyrene walked over to the window as did Corrinna and they watched Xena and Ulysses zig zag as Xena tried to avoid him and he tried to catch her. Finally he tricked her and caught her from behind picking her up and they grinned as Xena squealed in pleasure then smiled and laughed. After a bit Ulysses put her down and Xena turned around in his arms then leaned in and kissed him softly but passionately, “I guess things are back to normal,” Corrinna said and Cyrene nodded. “Thank goodness, between the two of them I was running out of work for Ulysses to do and the Inn was beginning to lose customers with Xena’s cooking.” Cyrene said and Corrinna chuckled a few minutes later Xena walked into the kitchen with Ulysses behind her and they were holding hands. “So I see you guys worked everything out,” Cyrene said and Xena grinned and nodded. “We did,” Xena said, smiling as Ulysses wrapped his arm around her, “Cyrene do you mind if I take your daughter for a walk, I promise we won’t be long.”

Ulysses said and Cyrene grinned at them, “no you guys go ahead,” Cyrene said, “are you sure mom? You don’t need my help with any thing?” Xena asked and Cyrene grinned as she shook her head, “no dear, we’ve got it, you two go and have fun,” Cyrene said and Xena smiled. “I’ll see you later,” Xena said and Cyrene nodded and watched as her daughter left out of the Inn with Ulysses with her. They went for a walk along the river but this walk was different from all the others, before Xena held Ulysses’ hand and now she still held it but she leaned on his arm and he loved it. They talked about anything and everything, there were no bounds and Ulysses found that he placed sweet, soft kisses on her forehead without really thinking about it and Xena liked that as well. When they got back to the Inn it was late; Xena helped her mother close as did Ulysses and then they all went to bed. The next morning Xena and Ulysses both woke up happy and extremely ready to start the day. Again they were close but in a way they were closer than they had ever been.

Ulysses could often sense the things Xena wanted or needed and she could do the same with him but they didn’t really pay it any mind. They went for walks and swims; the exercised and sparred together, Ulysses seeing that Xena’s training was obviously helping since she was getting a lot better. In his spare time when he wasn’t with Xena and those were days when the Inn was really busy Ulysses would practice on his lyre and Virgil had went and bought him one so that he and Ulysses could practice together. Before they knew it, another month had passed and they were all enjoying it. Xena did like Athena said and took her relationship with Ulysses step by step, day by day and found herself falling deeper in love with Ulysses. There were times when he made it impossible for her to fight it even if she wanted to. There was this one particular day when the Inn had been real busy from the time they opened to the time they closed; people were passing through and things like that. Xena and her mother worked all day but Xena was more on her feet as a waitress and then seeing to the needs of the guests that were staying over night.

Her mother stayed in the kitchen and cooked which was hard as well since they had twice the people they usually had and with two waitresses sick, Xena and the others were pulling doubles. By the end of the day they were all dead tired and Xena took a hot bath to soak her feet which were killing her but that didn’t seem to help. When she was finished her bath she limped her way back to her room where she put on a tunic then laid down on the bed, letting out a breath. She had just laid down when they was a knock on her door, “yea,” she called not even considering getting up. The door open and Ulysses stuck his head in with his hand covering his eyes, “are you decent?” He asked and she chuckled at him, “please don’t make me laugh, it takes up too much energy and I’m just too tired.” Xena said and Ulysses looked at Xena as he walked into her room closing the door behind him. “Yea it was crazy today,” he said and Xena nodded, “you’re telling me. Tired I can handle but my feet feel like they’re about to fall off,” Xena said and Ulysses sat down on the bed by her feet.

He grabbed her foot and began massaging it, “what are you doing?” She asked and he looked at her, “what does it look like? Now just lay back, relax and enjoy,” he said then began pressing down hard as he massaged her feet and she closed her eyes and moaned as she began feeling relief. “That feels really good,” she said and Ulysses grinned as he massaged her left foot; he looked at her as he brought her foot up to his face and leaned down some so that he could place a kiss on what hurt her as if that would remove the pain. She smiled at him and continued to watch him massage her foot while he placed his healing kiss all over her foot. He massaged that foot for about ten minutes then worked on her right foot doing the same. When he was done she had dosed off to sleep so he carefully placed her foot on the bed then stood making sure he didn’t wake her. He pulled the cover up over her then placed a kiss on her forehead, “sweet dreams my love,” he whispered to her then headed for the door.

“Ulysses,” Xena called just as he opened the door and he turned and looked at her, “go back to sleep,” he whispered to her and she turned on her side and looked at him. “Will you stay with me tonight?” She asked him and he looked at her, “Xena,” he said not sure if that was a good idea. “Please,” she said and he looked at her, “I need you,” she whispered to him and he looked into her eyes where he did see a need. He closed the door then walked over to the bed where her sat down on the bed and removed his boots sitting them to the side then took off his shirt putting it on a nearby chair. He crawled into the bed laying by the wall leaving Xena on the outside; he laid down on his back getting under the cover and she instantly moved into his arms. She was tight against him with her hand on his chest and her leg between his; he had his arm wrapped tightly around her pulling her even closer. “Thank you,” she said and Ulysses looked down at her, “anything for you,” he whispered to her then placed a kiss on her forehead. “Sleep,” he whispered to her and Xena let out a breath as she closed her eyes and her hand caressed Ulysses’ chest for a few minutes before sleep took her.

Ulysses felt Xena’s breathing even out and he looked down at her to see that she was asleep. He grinned to himself then placed another kiss on her forehead as he tightened his hold around her. He lay there and thought about Xena and their relationship and soon he fell asleep and he slept better than he had in a long time. That morning when he woke up he was actually rested and feeling really good and energetic, he looked down at Xena who was still deeply asleep. “The gods know I love you,” he whispered as he placed a soft kiss on her forehead, “I love you too,” she said in her sleep and Ulysses looked at her to make sure she was still asleep and when he saw that she was he grinned to himself. Ulysses lay there for a while then eased himself from under Xena who moaned at the protest and Ulysses grinned as he gave her his pillow. He watched as she moaned while squeezing the pillow but she stayed asleep. Ulysses put on his shirt then grabbed his boots and quietly walked out of the room.

When he was in the hall he put his boots on then walked up the stairs where Cyrene was already up and preparing breakfast. “Good morning,” he said startling Cyrene and she looked at him, “Ulysses gods you scared me. I didn’t hear you come down,” she said as she went back to stirring her pot. “That’s because I came up,” he said and she turned and looked at him,
”you were in Xena’s room,” she said and he nodded as he sat down on a stool by the corner. “Yea she was exhausted last night and her feet were killing her so I massaged them and she fell asleep. I was leaving when she asked me to stay, I didn’t know if it was a good idea but she needed me, needed the comfort I could provide her.” Ulysses said and Cyrene nodded, “yes I know about that kind of comfort.” Cyrene said then looked out of the window to see the rain start, “let her sleep in, I don’t think its going to be busy today. When it rains people usually stay in their homes or in their rooms, and I’m sure we could all use the rest.” Cyrene said and Ulysses nodded, “in that case I was thinking about bringing her breakfast in bed,” Ulysses said and Cyrene grinned at him.

“I think she would love that,” Cyrene said and Ulysses grinned. An hour later Xena opened her eyes and reached out for Ulysses, when she didn’t find him she sat up and looked around the room. She ran her fingers through her hair then over her face then looked up as the door opened, “you’re up,” Ulysses said as he walked into the room with a tray full of food in his hands and she looked at him. “What are you doing?” She asked him and he grinned at her as he kicked the door closed then walked over to the bed sitting the tray down in the middle, “bringing you breakfast in bed,” he said then kicked off his boots and crawled back into the bed sitting over by the wall. “As much as I appreciate the thought and love the fact that you did this for me, I have to get up and help mother,” Xena said and Ulysses shook his head. “Nope your mother has given us the day off since it’s raining, it won’t be busy today so this will be a day for us to relax and just enjoy each other’s company.” Ulysses said and she looked at him then grinned as he leaned in and kissed her softly, when the kiss ended he caressed her cheek as he looked into her eyes.

“Now I went through a lot of trouble preparing this,” Ulysses said as he looked down at the food as did Xena, “you cooked this?” She asked and he looked at her, “well no, but I had to figure out what you liked,” he said with a grin and she chuckled at him. “We have a variety of fruits and cheeses, some warm cereal with honey in it since I’ve seen you eat it like this so many times.” Ulysses said and Xena grinned and nodded, “we also have some flap jacks which your mother says you also like with honey and here we have some sausage and toast bread. And to wash it all down we have some orange juice and some water,” Ulysses said and Xena grinned at him, “it all looks good,” she said and he grinned. “Which would you like to start with?” He asked and she looked down at it, “how about some fruit?” She said and he nodded, “fruit it is,” he said then picked up a piece of melon. “What you’re gonna feed it to me?” Xena asked with a grin and he smiled and nodded, “if you’ll let me,” he said and she looked into his eyes then opened her mouth and he grinned as he fed her the melon.

Next was a strawberry then a slice of peach and their eyes stayed connected the entire time. When that was done they moved to the cereal and he fed her that along with some sausage and toast eating some himself. They talked while they ate and when they were finished Ulysses got out of the bed and placed the tray on the table then got back into bed. “That was wonderful Ulysses, thank you,” Xena said and he grinned at her, “I’m glad you enjoyed it,” he said and she nodded. “You know I find that I have to get use to some of the things you do, since I’ve never had it done before,” she said. “I use to envy the village girls sometimes because they had someone who loved them and would do nice romantic things for them and I thought I would never have that.” Xena said then grinned, “now all the girls envy me because I have a very handsome man tending to my every need. He massages my feet and brings me breakfast in bed,” Xena said with a smile and Ulysses smiled at her. “So I’m your man?” He asked and she grinned as she looked at him, “you better know it,” she said and he chuckled at her, “possessive aren’t you?”

He asked her and she looked at him, “when it comes to certain things, yes,” she said and he smiled as he leaned in, “I find that very, very sexy,” he said and she smiled as he kissed her. “Are you my woman?” He asked and she grinned at him, “you better know it,” she said and he smiled at her. “I like that,” he said and she smiled at him. They spent the rest of the morning talking to each other and then they had lunch with Cyrene, Corrinna, Toris, Lyceus and Virgil and they all had a great time talking, joking and laughing. When lunch was over they all decided to take naps but Ulysses and Xena just lay in Xena’s bed; Xena lay in Ulysses’ arms as he read a story to her and though the story was good she loved hearing his voice, loved hearing him talk. She moved closer to him and he ran his fingers up and down her back then placed a kiss on her forehead before he continued reading. Ulysses continued reading for another half an hour then looked down to see Xena had dosed off and he grinned as he sat the scroll to the side and joined her. An hour and a half later, Xena woke up and she looked down at Ulysses who was still asleep, she lay there for a while watching him sleep and listening to his heart beat.

After a while, she eased herself out of his arms and he moaned but just turned on his side and stayed asleep. She quietly put a belt on around her tunic then put her boots on. She grabbed her cloak and put it on then quietly left the room and headed up to the kitchen where she walked out the back door into the rain and headed to the stables where she proceeded to check on Argo. “Hey girl,” she said to the palomino who neighed at her mistress and Xena grinned as she rubbed Argo’s neck then decided to give her a nice brush down. When she was finished she made sure Argo had enough water and food then gave her a few treats and talked to her while she rubbed her neck getting the strange sense that Argo understood her and enjoyed the talk. “Well girl hopefully this rain will let up and we can go for a nice run,” Xena said and Argo bobbed her head in agreement and Xena smiled. “Alright girl I’ll see you later,” Xena said as she patted the horse on her neck then walked out of the stable and walked back to the Inn. She walked into the Inn and her mother looked at her, “where have you been?”

She asked her daughter and Xena looked at her, “I went to check on Argo,” Xena said and Cyrene shook her head at her daughter. “You and that horse; go and put on some dry clothes before you catch your death,” Cyrene said and with that Xena headed down stairs then quietly walked into her room. She looked towards the bed and saw he was still asleep so she quietly but quickly took off her wet clothes laying them out to dry and she put on a fresh, dry, white tunic. She walked back over to the bed and got in carefully under the cover as to not wake Ulysses. She lay on her side facing away from the wall and Ulysses moved up behind her, wrapping his arm around her waist, “how’s Argo?” He asked and she grinned as she ran her hand over his arm, “she’s fine. When ever this rain lets up I’m gonna take her for a run,” Xena said and Ulysses nodded as he held Xena closer. “I missed you while you were gone,” he said as he placed a kiss on the back of her neck and she grinned as she picked up his hand, “I missed you too,” she said then kissed the palm of his hand.

Ulysses moaned then dosed back off to sleep and it took a while but Xena followed behind him. The rest of the day pretty much went by like that and when they woke up Ulysses read more to Xena and this story was funny so she was on his chest laughing away with him. It was times like these that Xena couldn’t keep those walls up even though Ulysses was slowly lowering each one. But the times like these when they were close and they felt each other’s love and they were so happy, Xena couldn’t help as Ulysses moved more into her heart. About a week passed and after the rainy day they had nothing but beautiful sunny days after that and still Xena and Ulysses’ love for one another seemed to grow and grow. There was a day when business was slow in the Inn so Xena decided to keep Ulysses company; he was moving heavy barrels of mead and cider around and boxes of other things. It was a hot day and the sun was beaming down on Ulysses as he moved around so he had his shirt off and a sheen of sweat covered his chest and face.

As he continued to move things Xena sat on the stone wall that was there since Ulysses just built it and she read a scroll to him and just like she loved hearing his voice, he loved hearing her voice. As Xena read the story her eyes looked at Ulysses’ body every now and then and she had to admit that he was a fine looking man. When he was done moving things he went to chopping up fire wood since they were getting low, most of the wood getting used up on Cyrene’s bread baking days. “Ulysses come get something to drink,” Xena called to him and he nodded, “I’ll be there in a minute,” he said as he picked up the wood he had chopped, placing it in his arms and carrying it over to the other piles that were set up neatly. When he was done he walked over to Xena who still sat on the wall and had poured him a cool glass of water. She handed the water to him and he downed it in three gulps, “you want some more?” She asked him and he nodded; she poured him some more water and he drained that glass as well. “Thanks,” he told Xena and she grinned at him, “you need to take it easy in this heat,” she said and he nodded.

“I will, I promise,” he said as he moved between her legs then placed his hands on the wall and pushed himself up so that he could kiss her and she smiled as she leaned down and kissed him. She ran her hands over his sweaty arms just wanting to feel the muscles ripple underneath, Ulysses could tell she liked his muscular body so he rose up even more and pressed his body into hers. She smiled into the kiss, “you’re bad,” she told him and he grinned and nodded as he resumed their kiss. “Would you look at them,” Cyrene said and Corrinna looked out of the window at Xena and Ulysses, “it’s good to see her so in love,” Corrinna said and Cyrene nodded. “Yes it is and I hope they stay together,” Cyrene said and Corrinna nodded. “Yea they’re good for each other, they fit perfectly together like two halves of a whole,” Corrinna said and Cyrene nodded. Back outside the kiss finally ended and Ulysses was back on his feet as he looked into Xena’s eyes, “I love you,” he said and she grinned at him as she caressed his cheek, “I love you too.” She said and he looked into her eyes as he kissed the palm of her hand and she smiled at him.

“I have to get back to work but will you keep reading?” He asked and she grinned and nodded and that’s what they did. The next two weeks were very busy and very hard for everyone. Amphipolis was getting ready for the summer harvest festival which meant that Lyceus, Toris and Virgil were working extra hard; Ulysses was working double hard since they needed his help in the fields and helped Cyrene out a lot around the Inn, plus since the village had heard Ulysses was great at building and fixing things people were asking him to fix things as well as build things, such as stalls for what they were selling and the head elder had found some popular entertainment for the festival, so a stage needed to be built in an open space. So they all worked hard, Xena having to cut her training down to a half a day just so she could get other things done. Everyday that passed things were getting busier and busier, especially with travelers coming in and staying at the Inn or with relatives no matter what, the Inn was always crowded.

Though there was a lot to do Xena found time out of everyday to go and check on Ulysses and to bring him lunch where ever he was. Today he was in the town square building the stage with the help of others and as Xena walked over to the square she could see women all around with their eyes on Ulysses. She grinned to herself as she looked at him; he was bent over sanding something down on the half built stage and he didn’t have his shirt on and it was hot outside so he was sweating. With him bent over you got the perfect picture of his butt and he looked absolutely delicious, Xena had to admit to herself that she was glad that he was hers. She walked up behind Ulysses and couldn’t help but reach out and pinch his butt, “hey,” he said as he spun around and looked at Xena then let out a breath. “Oh it’s you,” he said and she looked at him, “such a warm welcome,” she said with a grin and he looked at him. “I’m sorry Xe, I didn’t mean it that way, it’s just that women have been pinching and caressing my butt all day and I think there were a few men in there some where.”

He said and Xena chuckled at him, “well I can see why they’re so attracted,” she said as she walked up closer to him and he looked into her eyes, “really?” He said and she nodded as she ran her finger down his chest, “you are a delightful sight,” she said and he looked into her eyes and grinned then closed his eyes and moaned as she softly kissed him. She sat the basket down on the stage then ran her hands up his arms as she pushed into him and tasted his lips. “Mmmm…Ummm,” Ulysses moaned as his hands held Xena’s waist and he pulled her closer and Xena placed her arms on Ulysses’ shoulders. As the kiss ended she ran her fingers through his hair. When the kiss finally ended her hands were holding Ulysses’ face and he looked into her eyes as she looked into his, “Wow,” he said and she chuckled at him then kissed him softly once more. “I brought you some lunch,” she said and he grinned at her, “thanks,” he said then took her hand and pulled her over to the stage where they sat down.

Ulysses opened the basket and looked into it to see what Xena brought him, “ooh you brought me some of those apple pastries I love,” Ulysses said and Xena grinned. “I made them myself,” she said then picked up one out of the bowl. “Here, tell me what you think,” she said as she fed it to him and he closed his eyes as he bit into it. She looked at him as he chewed and he smiled and nodded as he opened his eyes and looked at Xena, “that’s great,” he said and Xena smiled. “Really?” She asked and Ulysses grinned and nodded as he continued to eat the pastry,” yea, don’t tell Cyrene but yours are better than hers,” Ulysses said and Xena grinned at him. “I fixed them all for you so you’ll have some for dinner,” Xena said and Ulysses nodded. “Thanks,” he said with a mouth full of sandwich, “sorry,” he said and Xena grinned at him. “Its okay, I figured you would be hungry so I fixed you two sandwiches and brought you a cool bottle of cider.” Xena said and Ulysses grinned and Xena sat there with him for about ten minutes while he ate and they talked.

“I have to head back to the Inn, we’re still really busy and I told mom I wouldn’t be more than twenty minutes,” Xena said and Ulysses nodded as he drained his cup then placed it in the basket and wiped his mouth with a napkin. “Thank you very much for taking time out for me, even though you are very busy, I wish I could do the same,” he said as he stood and looked at Xena and she grinned at him as she brought her hand up to his cheek. “It’s alright, I know how it is, we’re all busy,” Xena said and Ulysses let out a breath and nodded as he looked into her eyes. “Still I want to spend time with you, hold you and kiss you,” he said and she grinned as he leaned in and kissed her softly. When the kiss ended Ulysses wrapped his arms around Xena, holding her close and their foreheads leaned against each other. They looked into each other’s eyes and then Ulysses began humming and moving and Xena smiled as she began moving in small steps with him in a circle.

“Come what may,” Ulysses sung and Xena smiled as she held his face in her hands, “I will love you,” Xena sung and Ulysses smiled. “Until the end of time,” Ulysses finished and they both smiled at each other then leaned in for a small brief kiss. When the kiss ended Ulysses looked into Xena’s eyes, “stay with me tonight,” Ulysses said and Xena looked into his eyes. “Are you sure?” She asked him and he nodded, “I want to hold you so much and I want to wake up and see your face. We won’t do anything you wouldn’t approve of, or you’re not ready for, I swear.” He said and she grinned at him, “alright,” she said and Ulysses smiled then leaned in and kissed Xena and as they kissed, his hands went under her arms and he lifted her up off the ground some. Xena smiled into the kiss as she placed her hands on Ulysses’ arms feeling his muscles flex as he used them. When the kiss ended Ulysses lowered Xena back to the ground and they smiled at each other, “I’ll see you later,” he said and she grinned and nodded as she picked up the basket.

“That you will,” Xena said and Ulysses smiled as she watched her turn around and walked away and watched her he did. He continued to smile as he shook his head and turned around to continue working on the stage and for the rest of the day he was no longer bothered by straying hands, most of the women having seen his display of love and affection with Xena. It was late when Ulysses was finally finished for the day and when he got to the Inn he washed his hands and sat down at the table, smiling at Xena who placed a plate of steaming hot food in front of him. “Thanks,” he said and she grinned as she ran her fingers through his hair then placed a loving kiss on his forehead. “When you’re done there’s a hot bath waiting for you in your room,” Xena whispered to him and he nodded then watched as she continued to move around the kitchen from time to time going into the dinning area.

Virgil and the others had arrived an hour before Ulysses and they had ate and taken a bath and were probably deeply asleep right now. When Ulysses was finished eating he stood and headed up to his room; when he opened the door and walked into the room his feet froze at the scene before him. There in the nice size room, was a tub off to the side so that it was totally in the middle of the floor. Steam rose from the tub and the aroma in the room smelled delightful but that wasn’t the only thing that made his feet stick to that particular spot on the floor. It was the fact that there were candles on the tub and a few around the room, in fact those candles were the only light. It was a romantic yet calming atmosphere; Ulysses looked towards the bed to see it had been turned down and his pajamas were laid out for him. He couldn’t help but smile and shake his head as he closed the door behind him then began to strip as he prepared to get into that inviting water. Moments later when he was completely naked, he let out a moan as his body submerged into the hot water, immediately relaxing his muscles.

He soaked for a long while, basically until the water became cold and then he began to bathe himself. The inn was finally closed and Xena helped her mother clean up. “Good night mom,” Xena said as she started heading through the kitchen door, “where are you going?” Cyrene asked her daughter and Xena looked at her mother, “I’m staying with Ulysses tonight,” Xena said and Cyrene looked at her daughter. “Don’t look at me like that mom, he just wants to spend some time with me, hold me and things like that and I want to spend time with him.” Xena said and Cyrene nodded, “alright dear, you’re old enough to know what you’re doing, just don’t do anything you’ll regret in the morning.” Cyrene said and Xena nodded, “I know momma,” Xena said and Cyrene nodded and headed downstairs to her bedroom and Xena headed upstairs to Ulysses’ room. When she walked into his room her head was down as she thought about a few things; she closed the door behind her then looked up at Ulysses who was just getting out of the tub.

“Oh,” Xena said then turned her head and Ulysses looked at her, “I…I thought you…you would be finished and dressed by now,” Xena said as she brought her hand up to her eyes covering them while she stuttered and Ulysses looked at her then grinned as he wrapped his towel around his waist after drying himself off. “Xena its fine,” Ulysses said as he walked over to her and she looked at him and saw he only wore a towel and barely that so she brought her hand back up to her face. “Um…will you please put some clothes on,” Xena said and Ulysses looked at her. “Look at me Xena,” Ulysses said and Xena shook her head and Ulysses grinned as he took her hand from her face and moved closer to her. “Look at me,” he said as he moved even closer while gently turning her face towards him until finally he was looking into those blue eyes. Xena swallowed hard as she looked at Ulysses, “are you afraid to see me naked?” He asked and she looked at him, “no…I uh…I just…” she started saying but her eyes couldn’t help but run over Ulysses’ body.

Ulysses looked at her then leaned forward and placed a soft kiss on her cheek, “I’m yours Xena, you can look if you want,” he said then pulled back and looked at Xena who stared into his eyes. “You can touch me if you want,” he whispered to her as he leaned in and kissed her softly. The kiss was a soft tasting of lips and as they kissed, Xena brought her hands up hesitantly at first then placed them on his chest. She caressed his chest as the kiss slowly deepened and her hands began to caress their way down. Her hands stopped when they reached the towel and she just caressed his waist as they continued to kiss; Ulysses could tell by Xena’s touch that she was tempted and curious. They kissed a little while longer and when it ended, Ulysses looked into Xena’s eyes and she looked into his. “I’m not going to pressure you but if you want to look then look,” he said and Xena looked into his eyes as her hands fiddled with the towel. She was tempted very tempted but she looked up at Ulysses, “I’d rather not. I know if I do, it’ll take us to a place where we…I’m not ready to go,” Xena said and Ulysses nodded.

“I understand and respect that,” he said then placed another kiss on her cheek before he turned around and walked over to the bed where he began putting on his pants and Xena stole a look at his butt and it was nice, round and firm making her want to walk over and grab it but she didn’t. Ulysses put his shirt on but only buttoned the top button leaving some of his chest exposed and the rest of his lower chest and stomach. “You can look now,” Ulysses said and Xena turned and looked at him; she walked over to the bed and went to the other side where her clothes were since she had brought a shift up earlier along with a fresh pair of clothes for in the morning. Ulysses’ back was facing Xena as she undressed then put on her shift, “alright,” Xena said as she got into the bed under the covers and Ulysses did the same. He lay down on his back and Xena moved into his arms; he ran his fingers up and down her back while she caressed his chest.

They lay there for a few minutes in silence then Xena raised up and looked down at Ulysses who looked at her, “what?” He asked and Xena shook her head as she looked into his eyes while caressing his cheek. Xena leaned down and kissed Ulysses’ softly; the kiss was a soft tasting of lips that slowly escalated to more. They both moaned into the kiss and Xena surprised Ulysses as she pushed her tongue into his mouth and began to explore it. Ulysses held on tight to Xena and they rolled on their sides facing each other as they continued to kiss and their hands caressed each other. They lay there and kissed lazily but it felt so good to them both as time passed they inched closer and closer to each other. Xena was caressing Ulysses’ back and chest and keeping his word he didn’t go under her shift, he just caressed her through it. They continued to kiss until Xena bumped into Ulysses and she felt the huge bulge in his rather loose pants.

She pulled back and looked into his eyes, “does being with me always arouse you?” Xena asked and Ulysses grinned, “honestly, yes. Its’ not just that you’re beautiful and sexy that arouses me but how much I love you and want to be with you.” Ulysses said and Xena nodded, “that and you haven’t had sex in a while,” Xena said with a grin and Ulysses looked at her and grinned as well. “It could be that too but don’t take it as a sign that I’m rushing you because I’m not,” Ulysses said and Xena nodded then looked down at the bulge. “Does it hurt? I mean is it uncomfortable for you to get that way and not have release?” Xena asked and Ulysses looked at her as he ran his fingers through her hair, “yea it can sometimes be real uncomfortable when I’m really aroused.” Ulysses said and Xena nodded, “have you been like that with me?” Xena asked and Ulysses grinned at her, “oh yeah and you cause me to be a little bit worse but I deal with it.” Ulysses said and Xena just looked at him, “what do you do for it?” Xena asked, “a very, very cold bath or swim.”

Ulysses said and Xena nodded then leaned in and kissed Ulysses softly and when the kiss ended Xena looked into Ulysses’ eyes, “I’m curios,” Xena said and Ulysses grinned as he looked into her eyes. “About?” He asked and Xena looked down and Ulysses nodded then leaned in and placed a kiss on Xena’s neck, “what else do you want to know?” Ulysses asked and Xena moaned as Ulysses sucked on her neck and she brought her hand up to his neck where she held him there. “Can I touch you?” Xena asked and Ulysses grinned against Xena’s neck, “against my better judgment,” he said and Xena pulled back and looked into Ulysses’ eyes as her hand slowly traveled down until she was touching the bulge. Ulysses placed soft kisses on Xena’s cheek and neck, trying to keep his mind off of what Xena was doing, hoping he wouldn’t become more aroused especially when her hand held him completely.

‘He’s really hard and from the feel of it he’s big but I’ve got to see it. Its not like I haven’t seen a man before but I want to see this man, my man’ Xena thought to herself and since she was sure her hands went down to his pants and she loosened the draw string. “Uh…what are you doing?” Ulysses asked as he stopped kissing Xena, “I want to see you,” she said as she began pulling his pants down. “I…wait…I don’t think that’s…Xena hold on,” Ulysses said grabbing his pants and stopping her from pulling them down and she looked at him. “What’s the matter?” Xena asked and Ulysses let out a breath, “its one thing to want to touch me through my pants, I can keep my mind off of that, but if you’re looking at me and then you touch me…Xena I don’t know if I can handle that,” Ulysses said and Xena looked at him. “I thought you said you were mine,” Xena said and Ulysses looked at her, “I am, I don’t deny that but Xena you don’t know what you’re asking.” Ulysses said and Xena looked into his eyes, “I think I do. I want to see you Ulysses, touch you maybe even bring you pleasure.

I’m not ready for us to make love yet but I do want to know how some things feel before it does happen. I told you I’m curious, I want to know things and feel things. Let me touch you and you can touch me,” Xena said and Ulysses looked into her eyes, “what if it goes beyond that? What if we make love and we’re not ready for it?” Ulysses asked and Xena looked at him. “We’ll stop before then,” Xena said and Ulysses looked into her eyes seeing that this was what she wanted so he let out a breath and removed his hands. “You’re in control Xena, we stop when you’re ready to stop,” Ulysses said and Xena nodded. “Thank you,” Xena said then went back to pulling his pants down until he sprung free; she pushed his pants down to his knees then looked at him. He was very hard and very erect as he stood to attention, Xena looked at him then reached out and touched him a little surprised at the warmth.

Ulysses let out a breath as he lay on his back and tried his best not to react to Xena’s touch. Xena was curious indeed as she ran her finger over his shaft feeling the muscles. She ran her fingers down to his balls where she caressed them and couldn’t help as she squeezed them. “Uh,” Ulysses let out a breath and Xena looked at him, “did that hurt?” She asked and he swallowed hard as he shook his head. Xena examined his testicles a while longer then went back up to his shaft, where she ran her finger up to the tip and caressed it. Ulysses closed his eyes tighter as she continued to examine him but try as he might he couldn’t hold his moans in. Xena looked at Ulysses then lay down next to him and kissed him. When the kiss ended she looked into his eyes, “show me how to pleasure you,” she said and he looked at her then leaned forward and reclaimed her lips. As they kissed Ulysses took his hand and wrapped it around Xena’s hand that was holding his shaft. His hand told her to squeeze and as she squeezed he moved her hand up and down.

Ulysses moaned into the kiss and Xena ended the kiss to look at Ulysses then down at their hands, “like this?” She asked and he moaned and nodded then leaned in and started kissing on her neck. “You’re so hard, so big,” Xena said and Ulysses moaned as he turned Xena’s face towards his then leaned in and kissed her softly. They shared a soft, passionate tasting of lips as Xena continued to pleasure Ulysses. Five minutes passed and they continued to taste each other’s lips while Xena continued to pleasure Ulysses. “Ummm,” Ulysses moaned as he stopped a kiss then leaned back in and resumed. Xena had a pretty good idea of what to do to make him release so she squeezed her hand tighter and moved her motions faster. “Sss…Ah,” Ulysses moaned as he ended the kiss and just lay back on the bed. Xena looked at Ulysses as she continued to pleasure him like that for a few more minutes then slowed down her strokes but still squeezed hard.

“Ah…Xena,” Ulysses moaned as he brought his hands up and held his pillows while his legs bent and he turned his head as he moaned. Xena looked down at Ulysses’ penis and saw a little fluid escape the slit on his head; it was as if she couldn’t help herself as she moved down a little then leaned her head down and ran her tongue over his head, collecting the fluid on her tongue and she moaned at its taste. Ulysses opened his eyes in surprise and looked at Xena as she tasted his head, “Unnnngh,” he moaned as he threw his head back in pleasure. Xena had just engulfed his entire shaft and she was moaning as she pleasured him. When she was finished, she sucked on his balls for a while then kissed her way back up to his shaft and continued to suck him. Three minutes later Ulysses groaned loudly and Xena was a little surprised when her mouth was filled with his hot seed and she thought about spitting it out but she remembered from earlier how good he tasted so she swallowed some of it down and let the rest run from her mouth. She continued to suck him for all he was worth and Ulysses groaned one more time as the last of his release escaped him. He lay on the bed breathing hard with a light sheen of sweat covering his body and his hands that were in Xena’s hair were now on her back caressing her shoulders.

She looked up at Ulysses as she held him in her hands while cleaning the tip of his shaft and when she was done she grabbed the towel Ulysses used earlier to dry off with, from the floor, and wiped his private area off. When she was done she dropped the towel back to the floor then moved up back by Ulysses, laying next to him. She ran her finger over his chest and he turned his head and looked at her, “that was amazing,” he said and she grinned. “Really? You’re probably just saying that to spare my feeling but I know you’ve had women who could do better.” Xena said and Ulysses sat up some as he shook his head. “No I’m serious Xena, that was amazing. Women have pleasured me that way before yes, but they were never as good as you. I had to show them how to please me and you just knew, you did things to me that I loved and I didn’t even know I loved them. I have never expressed my pleasure like I have with you tonight,” Ulysses said and Xena grinned at him.

“I’m glad that I pleasured you like you like, and thank you for giving me the chance and letting me be curios,” Xena said and Ulysses nodded. “Any time you want to be curios again, you just let me know,” Ulysses said and Xena grinned at him. “I really enjoyed myself,” Xena said and Ulysses nodded as he leaned in, “good,” he said then kissed her softly. He could taste himself on her lips and he delighted in it. They lay there and kissed for a while and then Ulysses brought his hand up and began pushing the strap to Xena’s shift down. She ended the kiss and looked at him, “you touch me, I touch you,” Ulysses said and Xena looked into his eyes and nodded. “If you don’t want me to…” he started and Xena shook her head, “no, I want you to.” She said and he nodded then leaned back in and kissed Xena and as they kissed he pushed the straps down her arms and Xena took one arm out and then the other. The shift fell to her waist and Ulysses still continued to taste her lips as his hand went from her shoulder to her neck and down to her chest.

Xena was beginning to breathe a little fast with anticipation and fear. She ended the kiss and looked at Ulysses, she had to look into his eyes as he touched her. “I’m not going to hurt you,” Ulysses whispered to her as he brought his hand down to her breasts; he ran his fingers over the globe then over her nipple watching as that small touch made her nipple hardened. Ulysses grabbed her entire globe with care and Xena closed her eyes as she moaned and Ulysses took his eyes from Xena and looked down at her breasts which were for a lack of a better word perfect. They were nice, full, medium sized round breasts with a pink rosy nipple. He squeezed the globe letting her get use to the feeling then went a little further and began squeezing her nipple. “Ah…” Xena moaned in surprise at the thousands of tiny feelings of pleasure shot from her nipple down to the area between her legs. She moaned again as Ulysses continued to do that and she grabbed Ulysses’ arm holding on. Ulysses looked at Xena’s nipple and they looked so delicious and so inviting he had to taste them.

“Xena I’m gonna put my mouth on your breast,” Ulysses said and Xena nodded and just held on tighter to Ulysses’ arm as she awaited the feeling. He leaned forward and placed kisses all around the globe and he grinned as he could tell Xena was waiting for him to suck her into his mouth, by the way she rubbed her hand up and down his arm and pulled on him a little. Xena waited anxiously, especially since she felt his breath on her nipple; he made her wait a moment longer then finally wrapped his lips around her erect nipple. “Ummm,” Xena moaned and Ulysses caressed her back as he sucked on her nipple softly at first then started adding a little firmness. Ulysses alternated from breast to breast and continued to suck and stimulate Xena’s breasts until she was on her back breathing hard, feeling a pressure building inside of her that needed to be released but she didn’t know how to release it.

“Ulysses,” Xena called and he stopped from kissing her neck which he was doing to give her some time to calm down. “Yea,” he answered and she looked at him, “I have this feeling inside of me, it’s like a pressure building up and it needs to be released, otherwise I’m gonna explode.” Xena said and Ulysses grinned as he placed a kiss on her cheek, “I can make that feeling go away, I can release that pleasure,” Ulysses said and Xena looked at him. “Please,” she said and he grinned then leaned down and kissed her and she wrapped her arm around his shoulder, pulling him to her as they kissed. As they kissed, Ulysses slowly ran his hand down Xena’s stomach to her underwear. He caressed the area just above the band before he slowly slid his hand inside. He could feel that Xena kept her hair cut really short and he caressed it then slowly slid his hand lower until his fingers slid between her lips into her warm wetness.

“Unngh,” Xena moaned as she ended the kiss and looked at Ulysses who looked at her. He continued to look at her as he began stroking her and Xena moaned in pleasure. She grabbed Ulysses’ arm tightly then leaned in and kissed him again and as she tasted his lips, he rubbed her clit making her hips jerk in pleasure as she moaned loudly into the kiss. ‘Gods this feels so good I want to feel more’ she thought to herself then ended the kiss and grabbed her underwear pulling them down her legs. Ulysses watched her as she did that in a rush and he grinned as he leaned in and placed a kiss on her cheek and jaw; when Xena finally had her underwear off she raised Ulysses’ face and kissed him passionately moaning as he continued to stroke her. “Touch me more, explore me,” Xena told Ulysses when the kiss ended and Ulysses grinned as he leaned in and kissed her again. When the kiss ended he looked at her, “lay back and relax, I promise you’ll enjoy this,” Ulysses said and Xena looked at him as she lay back, let out a breath and relaxed.

Ulysses sat up and looked at Xena, “open your legs a little wider,” Ulysses said and Xena opened her legs and Ulysses could tell she was nervous by the way she opened them. “Relax,” he said as he pushed her leg outward and he looked down at her cunt as he spread her lips open with his fingers of one hand and explored her with the fingers of his other hand. “Unnnngh…un…un,” Xena moaned as she rubbed herself into Ulysses’ fingers; her eyes were closed and head turned to the side as one hand gripped the sheets and the other ran over Ulysses’ back. “Ooh…you’re so wet,” he moaned as he stroked her, “so beautiful,” he said as he looked at how open she was for him. Ulysses stroked and caressed her all over, his fingers covered in her essence and she was smelling so good. He caressed her clit and Xena’s head slammed back into the pillow as she moaned loudly while her nails dug into his back.

Xena could feel that pressure building up more and more; a few minutes passed and Ulysses stopped stroking Xena and lay down next to her and kissed her deeply, softly and passionately. When the kiss ended Xena looked at Ulysses, “don’t stop,” she said and he grinned at her. “I’m not, I just want to do something with you so that we both can enjoy it,” he said then lay down flat down on his back. “Come here,” he said as he held out his hand to Xena and she took it and straddled his stomach and Ulysses guided her until she was pushed back enough that his erect cock was pressed tightly against her butt. “Open yourself then sit back down holding yourself open,” Ulysses said and Xena looked at him as she used her fingers to open her lips then lowered herself back down onto Ulysses’ stomach and she felt her clit rub against his hard stomach. He grinned as he saw the pleasure on her face. Ulysses took his cock and parted Xena’s cheeks, slipping it in between them so that when she moved she rubbed against it.

“Move against me,” Ulysses said as he looked into Xena’s eyes; he held her waist and her hands were on his chest as she began to rock back and forth rubbing her clit against his hard stomach and she moaned as she felt the pleasure radiate through her body. Ulysses looked at her and grinned then moaned as she started stimulating him; after a while Ulysses sat up and wrapped his arms around Xena who wrapped her arms around him as they kissed. As time passed Ulysses kissed and sucked on her breasts but they always kissed. Soon Xena began moving herself harder and faster against Ulysses and he moaned as he caressed her back then held her tightly. “Un…Un…Un…Ummm,” Xena moaned as she held Ulysses’ tightly while moving harder and faster against him. “Ulysses…Unngh…I feel,” Xena moaned as she began feeling the beginnings of her release and he moaned as he felt that he was real close too. “Let it come, I’ve got you,” he said then pulled back and looked into her eyes before he leaned in and kissed her softly but passionately.

“Ah…Ah…Unnnngh,” Xena moaned when she broke the kiss and her release ran through her body as she wrapped her arms tightly around Ulysses, pulling him closer as she moaned into his neck while continuing to move against him. Ulysses moaned as he held onto Xena and with a few more of her movements, he groaned loudly in pleasure as he released his seed spurting all over her butt. Ulysses moaned as he felt Xena’s wetness seep from her onto him and when their releases ended they continued to hold each other tightly Xena placing kisses on Ulysses’ shoulder and neck, still feeling remnants of the pleasure left in her body but it was enough to make her want more. So she began moving against him hard and fast like she had never stopped and Ulysses moaned as he held onto her and she stimulated him more. Xena moaned in Ulysses’ ear and he moaned into hers; five minutes later Xena released and her essence ran from her to Ulysses’ stomach. Ulysses continued to hold Xena close and he kissed her neck as he stroked himself; he parted Xena’s cheeks and she pulled back and looked at him and he looked at her as he moaned and groaned until he released.

His seed squirted all onto Xena’s butt and Ulysses stroked himself a couple more times making sure he was done. Xena looked at him and he looked at her both leaning in for a kiss. When the kiss ended Ulysses lay down and Xena lay down on top of him. Ulysses caressed her back as they lay there in silence in such an intimate position, “that was wonderful,” Xena said and Ulysses grinned as he caressed her head. “Yes it was but when the day comes when we make love trust me you’ll think this doesn’t even compare to what we’ll feel.” Ulysses said and Xena nodded then pushed into Ulysses as she got a little more comfortable. He could see she was sleepy so he placed a kiss on her forehead and continued to caress her back as he watched her dose off to sleep and he watched her sleep for a while before he finally stop fighting his own sleep and let it claim him. When morning came Xena woke first and she took in her surroundings remembering she was in Ulysses’ room and then she looked down at Ulysses who she still lay on.

He was sleeping soundly and peacefully that she smiled at him then carefully ran her fingers through his hair. She smiled as she remembered last night and it was great, she then bent down and placed a kiss on his cheek. Ulysses moaned and tightened his hold on Xena but didn’t wake up and Xena just grinned as she lay her head back down on his chest. She lay there for about twenty minutes listening to his even breathing and his strong beating heart. She began caressing his chest with her fingers and he slowly began to wake up, “mmmm,” he moaned then opened his eyes and looked up at Xena. “Good morning,” she said and he smiled at her. “Good morning indeed,” he said and they grinned at each other as they leaned in for a soft passionate good morning kiss. The kiss was a tasting of lips and when it ended their lips lingered on each others and Xena grinned, “you know I might be ready to make love sooner than I thought,” she said and he grinned at her. “Oh yeah?” He asked and she nodded, “yea. I was a little afraid last night but I conquered that fear because I knew you wouldn’t hurt me, you would only love me.”

She said and he smiled at her, “that’s all I’ll ever want to do my love,” he said and Xena smiled then leaned in and kissed him softly. When the kiss ended she rested her forehead against his as she caressed his face and he caressed her back, “I wish this didn’t have to end,” she said and he looked into her eyes. “It doesn’t have to, I can stay with you tonight,” he said and she grinned as she looked into his eyes. “Okay but even though I enjoyed last night very much I don’t want a repeat, I’d rather wait until we make love before we have another night like that.” Xena said and Ulysses looked at her and nodded, “okay I have no problems with that,” Ulysses said and Xena grinned at him as she leaned down and kissed him softly. When the kiss ended she looked into his eyes, “I wonder if the gods know what they’ve given up. You’re such a wonderful man Ulysses, much better than the average guy. Women and the world would be alright if there were more men like you in it.”

Xena said and Ulysses grinned as he caressed her cheek, “I can say the same about you. A good man needs a great, loving, strong, understanding woman by his side to help him and comfort him. And you are definitely that Xena,” Ulysses said and she just smiled at him then kissed him again. When the kiss ended she rolled off of him, “we need to take a bath and there is still a lot that needs to be done before the festival which is three days away.” Xena said and she put on her clothes and Ulysses grinned and nodded as he sat up and put on his clothes and they headed downstairs to the bathing room. They each took showers but in separate stalls and when they were done, Xena headed to her room to put on clean clothes and Ulysses headed back to his room to do the same. By the time Xena got to the kitchen, the Inn was already real busy so she went to work taking bites from an apple just to have something in her stomach.

Ulysses came down and ate a little something then had to get to work so he left out of the kitchen back door, placing a kiss on Xena’s cheek as he walked by and she grinned at him. The next couple of days went by pretty much the same; the days exhausted everyone but Xena looked forward to the nights for more than sleep. It was her chance to be with Ulysses in the night like they hadn’t been in the day. She would be glad when the festival was over so that things would get back to normal with her being able to spend more time with Ulysses. “Ulysses do you dance?” Xena asked the next night as she lay in Ulysses’ arms, “why do you ask?” He asked and she raised her head and looked at him, “at the festival on the third day, there’s this big dance contest, great dancers come from all over to compete in it.” Xena said, “and you want to join the contest?” He asked and she looked at him, “the prize is 500 hundred dinars and we could do a lot with that money around here in the Inn and in the fields.”

Xena said and Ulysses nodded as he looked into Xena’s eyes while he caressed her cheek, “yes I can dance, pretty well actually. It was a part of the whole rebellion thing,” he said and Xena grinned at him. “Now can you dance?” He asked and she nodded, “yea,” she said, “we’ll see,” he said and she rolled her eyes at him then lay her head back down on his shoulder. “Are you and Virgil thinking about singing at the festival? You’ve guys been practicing enough and I know you’ve been writing a few songs,” Xena said and Ulysses chuckled at her. “You know all of that huh?” He asked, “I pride myself on knowing everything that goes on,” Xena said as she raised her head and looked at Ulysses and he smiled and nodded. “Yes ma’am,” he said and she chuckled at him. “To answer your question, no, we need more than two people and well, I just haven’t thought about it.” He said and Xena nodded and just lay there; they talked for a little while longer and then they both fell asleep.

The next two days were like this and on the third day everyone relaxed since the festival would be starting the next day. The day of the festival came and the Inn was still busy but everyone was out in about in the town doing different things and having a good time. Virgil and Ulysses sat around the Inn keeping an eye on things making sure there were no problems and everyone stayed civil. Xena helped her mother around the Inn and a couple of hours later when Lyceus and Toris came back it was there turn to keep their eyes on things while they went out and had some fun. “What are you gonna to do Virgil?” Ulysses asked and Virgil looked at him, “find me some women, it has been a long while,” Virgil said and Ulysses smiled and nodded then watched as his friend left. Ulysses let out a breath and walked into the kitchen and over to Xena who stirring up some dough. He leaned on the counter where she stood and looked at her, “what cha’ doin’?” He asked and she grinned at him as she looked at him, “making something sweet,” she said and he nodded.

“Sounds good,” he said and she just shook her head at him, Cyrene looked at them and saw Ulysses lean in and whispered something in Xena’s ear making her chuckle as she shook her head. Ulysses looked at Xena as he moved a strand of fallen hair from in front of her face and Xena looked at him then leaned in and kissed him softly. Cyrene turned back to what she was doing and when the kiss ended Xena looked at Ulysses, “there,” she said and he looked at her. “I want something else,” he said and she looked at him, “and that would be?” She asked and he looked at her, “come with me to the festival. Lets look around, have fun,” Ulysses said and Xena looked at him. “I have to stay here and help mother,” she said and Ulysses looked at her. “Please,” he whined, “please, please, please,” he whined making Xena smile and Cyrene chuckled at him as did everyone else in the kitchen.

“Xena go with the man so he can stop whining like a puppy,” Cyrene said and Xena looked at her mother, “are you sure? Its real busy out there, plus I have to finish the deserts,” Xena said. “I and the other waitresses can handle it,” Cyrene said, “but…” Xena said then looked at Corrinna who took the bowl from her. “I can finish these, go and have some fun,” Corrinna said and Xena looked at her then at Cyrene who smiled and nodded. Xena grinned, “if you guys are sure,” she said as she began taking off her apron. “We’re sure,” Cyrene said and Xena smiled as she wiped her face and hands then looked at Ulysses. “Let’s go,” she said as she took his hand and he smiled as they went out of the back door; they continued to hold hands as they walked through the town looking at different things while they talked, laughed and had a good time. When they got into the market they were countless stands up, Ulysses ought to know since he built half of them.

They stopped at some of the food stalls tasting foods and feeding them to each other, Xena fed Ulysses a sweet roll that was filled with some kind of cream and honey and when he bit into some of it oozed out and got onto his lips. Xena chuckled and Ulysses smiled as he tried to fix it with his fingers, “here let me get it,” she said then leaned forward and kissed his lips tasting them and the sweetness they held. She sucked on the top one then the bottom one, kissed him softly once more then ended the kiss. Xena looked at Ulysses and he looked at her, “there all gone,” she said as she wiped the bottom of his lip and he grinned at her then looked at the old woman behind the booth who grinned at them. “We’ll take some of those,” he said then looked at Xena who ate the other end and was grinning at Ulysses. He surprised her as he wrapped his arms around her and picked her up; she laughed then met him half way for a kiss. When the kiss ended he put her down, “thanks,” Xena told the woman who smiled and nodded and watched them walk away.

“Now there’s two people in love,” the old woman said to her husband who walked over and looked at them Xena who was holding Ulysses’ hand and leaning against his arm. “Reminds me of us,” he said then placed a kiss on his wife’s cheek before he sat down and she smiled at him. Xena and Ulysses continued to look at the different things that were there, stopping to glace at things making comments about them. They passed a booth where there were fabrics and clothes; Xena looked at the dresses and skirts they had, running her fingers over a blue silk dress. “That dress is made from silk from the land of Chin,” the woman said and Xena looked at her then back at the dress. “It’s very beautiful,” she said then grinned when she felt Ulysses’ arms snaked their way around her waist. “It is a beautiful dress and I bet you would look gorgeous in it,” Ulysses said and Xena grinned. “Yea but I can’t afford a dress like this,” she said and Ulysses looked at her, “do you want the dress?” He asked her, “yea but…” Xena started saying but Ulysses’ words stopped her. “Then it’s yours,” he said then looked at the woman, “how much for the dress?”

He asked her, “thirty five dinars,” she said and Ulysses nodded and went into the pouch on his belt and pulled out the money and handed it to the woman. The lady grinned and nodded then wrapped the dress up in a cloth and handed it to Xena, “it was nice doing business with you,” she said and Xena nodded. “Is there anything else you want?” Ulysses asked her and Xena looked at him, “can you afford…” she was about to ask him but he nodded, “I can,” he said and Xena looked at him. “Well I won’t know if there’s anything else I want until I look,” she said as she placed her hand on his arm and he smiled at her and they continued walking, talking and looking. They passed a booth with jewelry and while Xena looked at that booth Ulysses went to the leather booth to have him some new boots made. There weren’t many things that caught Xena’s eye but there was the one necklace that was intriguingly designed; it was the design it self that caught Xena’s eye and it looked like it was molded out of ground up diamonds or gems making it sparkle.

“How much for this?” Xena asked the vendor and he looked at her, “ah this piece comes from a far away land. Even further than the land of Chin. It’s made from pure gold and beautiful gem stones, one hundred and fifty dinars,” the man said and Xena looked at him, “you can’t be serious.” She said and he looked at her, “this is my most prize piece miss and I’m telling the truth about where it comes from,” he said and Xena looked at him then back at the necklace. It was beautiful but that was a lot of money he was asking and even though she knew Ulysses would buy it for her she didn’t want to use up all of his money. Xena let out a breath and turned to see Ulysses coming her way and she couldn’t help but grin, “see anything you like?” He asked and she shook her head, “not really. There were some nice things but nothing really caught my eye,” Xena said and Ulysses nodded but could tell otherwise from the vendor who looked at Xena in surprise. “Well let’s keep walking then,” Ulysses said and that’s what they did.

Ulysses bought Xena a couple more things, like a pair of shoes to go with her dress and a few small accessories for her hair. They passed a guy who drew pictures of people and sold them to the people; Ulysses stopped and looked at his work and thought he was pretty good so he looked at Xena. “You want to do it?” He asked Xena and she grinned at him, “I guess,” she said and Ulysses smiled and looked at the middle aged man. “How much for a picture?” Ulysses asked and the man looked at him, “seven if you just want me to draw, fifteen if you want me to paint.” The man said and Ulysses nodded, “I want one with me and her just drawn and I want one of her by herself painted,” Ulysses said and Xena grinned. “If you can have a picture of me I want one of you,” Xena said and Ulysses grinned. “One of me by myself painted and another with her and I painted.” Ulysses said and the man nodded, “that’ll be fifty two dinars,” the man said and Ulysses nodded. “If it’s alright with you I’ll pay you after I’ve seen your work,” Ulysses said and the man nodded.

“Of course, I understand, my name is Devon,” the man said and Ulysses nodded. “Ulysses and Xena,” Ulysses introduced them and the man nodded. “Okay for the drawing come over here and take your pose,” Devon said and Xena and Ulysses walked over to the spot where he pointed which was a clear spot with lots of sun light. Ulysses stood behind Xena wrapping his arms around her and she smiled as she placed her hands on his arms. “That’s great, stay just like that,” Devon said as he sat down behind his stand then looked at them and began drawing. It took him twenty minutes to draw their picture since he was capturing every single thing. When he was finished they looked at the picture and they both really liked it, “this is great, here you go,” Ulysses said as he paid Devon seven dinars and Devon took it from him then neatly rolled their picture up and put a band around it.

“Okay take your next pose,” he said and this time they turned towards each other; Ulysses wrapped his arms around Xena and she placed her hands on his upper hands and they just stared into each other’s eyes. “That’s good but lean your heads in a little like you’re going to kiss,” Devon said and that’s what they did. “Perfect, now hold it there,” he said and began lightly drawing and when he was finished he began to add color to the important places so that he could remember what went where. After forty five minutes Devon looked at them, “you guys can relax,” he said and relaxing for Xena and Ulysses was to kiss and when it ended the grinned at each other. “I’ll be done in ten more minutes,” he said and they nodded. It actually took twenty minutes but you can’t rush perfection and when they saw the picture they definitely liked it better than the other. Ulysses paid him fifteen dinars and Devon let that one dry. “Okay whose going first?”

He asked and Xena and Ulysses looked at each other and they grinned, “you go first,” they both said then chuckled at themselves. “I’ll go first,” they said again together and this time laughed. Devon grinned at them as he shook his head, “okay I have an idea.” He said and they looked at him, “Xena it’s going to take me a while to catch such beauty as yours so you go first.” He said and Xena grinned and nodded. “I have a pose in mind also,” Devon said, “so if you two would please follow me into my tent,” he said and that’s what they did. “Ulysses pick out something from over here you would love to see her in,” Devon said and Ulysses nodded as he walked over to a rack of beautiful clothes and looked through them. Ulysses found a sort of sheer powder blue dress or the way it was made night gown. “How about this?” Ulysses asked Xena and she walked over to him and looked at it and found that she liked it herself, “this is good,” she said then took it from him and walked over to the changing curtain where she changed and Ulysses looked at Devon who was setting up things for Xena’s picture.

A couple of minutes later Xena walked out with the dress on and Ulysses looked at her, “you look gorgeous,” he said and Xena grinned as she looked at him. Ulysses looked at the dress and it was see through in some places like her thighs and the tops of her breasts, not that you could tell since the dress showed quite of bit of cleavage. The straps were a little wide and her arms were out since the dress was sleeveless and it fell just below her knees. “Okay Xena, come over here and lay down,” Devon said pointing to the burgundy lounger he had in the tent. Xena sat down then lay down on the white pillow, “okay turn on your side facing me,” Devon said and Xena turned. Devon stood back and looked at her, “take off her shoes,” he told Ulysses who walked over to Xena and took off her boots sitting them off to the side. “Okay I’m just going to fix you a little bit,” Devon said as he walked over to her.

“Ulysses you want a sexy yet loving pose?” Devon asked and Ulysses nodded, “yea, that’s exactly right,” Ulysses said and Devon nodded. Devon brought Xena’s knees up a little then pulled one strap down her arm some; he pushed her hair back to her back on one side then had her place her hand underneath the pillow helping to elevate her head some and to give it that natural pose. He fixed the dress a little bit then stood back and looked at Xena, “I love it,” Ulysses said and Devon nodded. “So do I,” he said then walked over to his stool where his canvas was, “Ulysses I need you to stand behind me,” Devon said and that’s what Ulysses’ did. “Okay Xena relax and look into Ulysses’ eyes, let the love you have for him shine through your eyes.” Devon said and when Xena did that he began drawing; Devon was right this picture would take longer than the others as he drew down every last tiny detail. When he was done he began adding the colors; an hour and a half later he was finally finished and Xena put her clothes back on then went and looked at the picture and thought it was pretty. “This is really good,” Ulysses said as he looked at it then paid Devon giving him five extra for the great work.

“Your turn,” Xena told Ulysses and he grinned at her, “okay, how do you want me?” He asked with a double meaning that Xena caught onto and she grinned at him. “Any and every way possible but right now I just want you to take off your shirt,” Xena said and Ulysses smiled at her and nodded then pulled his shirt out of his pants and began unbuttoning it. He pulled his shirt off and threw it on the sofa then looked at Xena, “now what?” He asked her with a grin and she smiled at him as she took his hand and led him over to the base of a tree the tent had been built around. “Sit,” she told him and he sat down by the tree and leaned back against it, “raise one leg up,” Xena told him and Ulysses bent his leg and raised it up. “Rest your arm on that leg,” Xena said and Ulysses’ arm rested on the leg he just raised with his hand hanging over. “Now what?” Ulysses asked, “don’t move,” Xena said then grinned as she leaned down and kissed him passionately. Ulysses moaned as she ran her fingers through his hair, then gripped it pulling him closer as she tasted his lips. When the kiss ended she quickly stood, “capture that look Devon,” Xena said and Devon grinned as he sat down and began to work trying his best to capture that dazed look in on Ulysses’ face and that I’m so in love look in his eyes.

It took Devon an hour to do Ulysses picture and when he was finished Xena looked at it and smiled, “oh that is so right,” Xena said as she chuckled and Devon smiled. “What?” Ulysses asked as he put on his shirt and walked over to the canvas to see, “I do not look like that,” he said and Xena grinned and nodded. “When I kiss you like that, you do,” she said and he looked at her, “I do not,” he said and she smiled at him and he smiled at her. “Alright I do but you know you kiss so good,” Ulysses said and Xena smiled as she ran her hand over his arm. “Thanks Devon, these pictures are really great,” Xena said as Ulysses paid Devon and he smiled at them. “Thank you, you two have been my best customers all day,” he said and they smiled at him. Ulysses picked up their things they bought earlier and Xena picked up the four pictures and they headed out of the tent.

They continued walking and talking until Ulysses passed a tent that caught his interest, “let’s stop in here,” Ulysses said and Xena followed him into the tent. Ulysses looked around that the different words, saying and symbols that were on a parchment for all to see. “You want a tattoo?” Xena asked and Ulysses looked at her, “yea, I’ve always wanted one but I didn’t know what to get tattooed.” He said and they turned their heads as a man walked from behind a curtain of beads, “how can I help you?” He asked and Ulysses looked at the man, “I want to get a tattoo, how much do you charge?” Ulysses asked and the old man looked at him, “depends on what you get,” he said and Ulysses nodded. Xena walked over to Ulysses and ran her hand over her arm, “what are you going to get and where?” Xena asked and Ulysses looked at her, “I want it on my upper arm but I don’t know what to get. I want to get a saying but I want it to really mean something to me, something down to my heart and soul.”

He said and Xena nodded as she looked into Ulysses’ eyes and he looked into hers; the old man looked at them and grinned to himself. “Dangerously in love,” Ulysses said and Xena looked at him a grin appearing on her face, “what?” She asked and he grinned at her as he caressed her cheek, “I’m so in love with you, Dangerously in love; you mean so much to me, I would do anything for you. Kill for you, die for you, steal for you, lie for you,” Ulysses said and Xena smiled at him. “I know we’re meant to be together and I’d die if I lost you. You are my world, I love you so much it hurts; I’m Dangerously in love.” He said and Xena smiled at him, “I like that,” she said. “You do?” He asked and she nodded as she leaned in and kissed him and when the kiss ended Ulysses smiled then looked at the old man. “How much would it cost to get that around my upper arm and I want a dash after it then an X.” Ulysses said and the man nodded as he began to write that on a piece of parchment, “it’ll cost you about twenty dinars,” he said and Ulysses nodded then went to sit down in the chair next to where the man was sitting.

When he was finished writing it on the parchment he made sure the ink was dry then placed the parchment on Ulysses’ arm wrapping it around his upper arm like Ulysses wanted it. Next he grabbed a wet sponge and wet the parchment pretty thoroughly pressing down on it and when he removed it he had a copy of what he wrote on Ulysses’ arm which gave him an outline for what he was about to do. “Hey what’s your name?” Ulysses asked the man, “Wan,” the man answered and Ulysses nodded as he watched the man pour what was obviously the permanent black ink into a small bowl then clean four very skinny, sharp needles that were buddle together. “Um and how long have you been doing this?” Ulysses asked starting to get a little nervous and Wan looked at him, “since I can remember. Now sit very still and don’t jump, this is going to hurt,” he said and Ulysses looked at him. “I think I changed my mind,” he said and Xena grinned at him as she sat down on his lap pulling his other arm around her.

“Relax,” she told him and Ulysses let out a breath which made him feel a lot better. “Okay you can go head,” Ulysses told the man and Wan dipped the needles into the ink then went back to Ulysses’ arm where he pressed the needles in hard to Ulysses’ skin as he began to slowly trace the outline. “Shit,” Ulysses cursed but he didn’t jump and Xena ran her fingers through her hair in a soothing manner and held his hand that he did squeeze but not to bad. She leaned down and placed soft kisses on his cheek and chin, “I love you so much,” she whispered in his ear trying to keep his mind off of the pain. Ulysses turned his face towards her and looked into her eyes before he leaned in and kissed her; the kiss they shared was a soft, passionate, tasting of lips that they both enjoyed. Wan grinned as he saw them and he continued his work wiping the excess ink of with a cloth. Xena moaned into the kiss as she brought her hand up to Ulysses’ cheek, caressing it as the kiss began to deepen. Ulysses remembered not to move his other arm but he held Xena tightly with the arm that wasn’t in use.

The kiss ended when Ulysses hissed in pain and looked at Wan who was starting on the next letter; Xena leaned forward and started kissing on Ulysses’ neck, distracting him again and sometime later they started kissing again. The pain was bad but it wasn’t that bad when Xena was keeping Ulysses distracted. Forty five minutes later Wan was finished and Ulysses looked at him as he used a cloth and put oil onto Ulysses’ arm where the tattoo now was. Ulysses looked at it as did Xena, “I think that’s pretty good, that’s much better than some I’ve seen,” Xena said. “That’s a whole lot better than I’ve seen and I’ve seen a lot,” Ulysses said. “Like I said, I’ve been doing this ever since I can remember,” Wan said as he wrapped Ulysses’ arm where the tattoo was in a bandage. “This bandage can come off tomorrow, just make sure for the next couple of weeks you keep the area oiled good. Your skin will start peeling a little bit but don’t worry about that, as long as you keep oil on it until it heals, you’ll be fine.”

Wan said and Ulysses nodded then handed Wan his money, “thanks,” Ulysses said and Wan nodded and watched as they left his tent. “Let’s go back to the Inn, we can do more tomorrow,” Xena said and Ulysses nodded. The walked in through the back door where everyone was sitting down eating dinner, “we were beginning to wonder if you guys were coming back,” Lyceus said and Xena grinned at her brother then at Ulysses as he pulled his chair out and she sat down and he sat down next to her. “Did you two have a good time?” Cyrene asked and Xena grinned, “yea, we had a really good time,” Xena said then looked down at the rolled up pictures on her laps. She found the drawing of her and Ulysses and unrolled it so the other’s could see, “look at this,” Xena said as she handed it to her mother and Cyrene smiled at the picture. “This is nice,” she said then handed it to Corrinna, “there’s a guy there, his name is Devon and he did a great job,” Ulysses said and Corrinna nodded. “I see,” she said, “you haven’t seen anything,” he said then grinned as he picked up the picture with Xena by herself and handed it to Corrinna.

“Look at that,” Ulysses said and Corrinna broke out into a smile as she saw the picture, “this is beautiful,” she said then looked at Xena, “you look gorgeous,” Corrinna said and Xena grinned at her. “Cyrene look at how beautiful she is,” Corrinna said as she handed Cyrene the picture and Cyrene smiled. “You hungry?” Xena asked Ulysses who nodded so Xena stood and went over to the stove where she fixed herself and Ulysses a plate of food. “Who knew I had a hot sister,” Toris said, “Toris that’s gross,” Xena said as she passed by her brother and pushed his head. She walked over to Ulysses placing his plate in front of him and he grinned as she ran her fingers through his hair then walked back over to the counter to grab her plate. “Show them your picture Ulysses,” Xena said and he unrolled his picture and handed it to Cyrene, “whoa Ulysses don’t you look hot,” Cyrene said and Xena chuckled while Ulysses smiled.

“Thanks for the food,” Ulysses whispered to Xena then placed a kiss on her forehead and she grinned at him; they passed around the other pictures and when they were done Xena rolled them back up, placing the band back around them. It was a great dinner with the whole family there especially since Cyrene considered Ulysses and Virgil family and while they ate they talked, joked and laughed just having a good old time. “Hey Ulysses what did you do you your arm?” Virgil asked seeing the bandage around it and Ulysses looked at him. “I got a tattoo,” Ulysses said, “no, really?” Virgil asked with delight in his eyes and Ulysses grinned and nodded. “You’ve been wanting to get one for ages what made you get one now?” Virgil asked, “I found something that really means a lot to me so I got it tattooed on my arm,” Ulysses said and Virgil nodded. “So what did you get?” Toris asked and Ulysses grinned at him, “you’ll see tomorrow when I take the bandage o