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Xena struck her with the staff again, her arm this time.
“Ow!” Gabrielle rubbed the mark, glaring at her. “What’s gotten into you?”
“Isn’t it obvious?” She straightened, spinning the staff, her face adopting a sly expression. “I’m Callisto. I escaped somehow.” She brought the staff up again, Gabrielle felt the wind of it as she dodged. Xena smiled, cruelly. She didn’t look like herself at all. “And now I’m back, back to keep killing, and pillaging.” She brought the staff down twice more. Gabrielle tripped, the second one catching her across the stomach and slamming her against one of the trees in the glen. What had begun as a training maneuver now felt deadly.
“Xena--”
“Gods, you just won’t act, will you?” Xena slammed the staff down across her chest, leaning on it, pinning her to the tree. This close she could see herself reflected in Xena’s eyes. They looked feral, wrong.
“You’ve been circling, circling each other but sweet, innocent Gabrielle would never make a move.”
Xena dropped the staff, barring Gabrielle casually with one forearm as she brought up her other hand to grip Gabrielle’s jaw painfully. One thumb swiped over her lips. “How funny, I bet you’ve dreamed of her taking charge like this.” Gabrielle’s stomach roiled.
“Oh gods, it really is you.”
Something in the gaze changed, clouding. Gabrielle inhaled a moment before Xena’s rough lips crashed into hers. However she had imagined Xena kissing her for the first time, this was not it. Teeth drew at her bottom lip, scaling the soft skin as fingernails clawed at her scalp. Her spine shook, each sensation setting her skin on fire. She felt helpless, pinned in place.
Suddenly the weight left and she could breathe again. The light rose again in the clearing, Xena had moved away, back to her, pulling out her sword to polish.
“Don’t be silly, Gabrielle, it’s only me.” But her voice was strange, not quite her own. Gabrielle picked her staff up off the ground, stalking towards Xena.
She had felt it in her gut when her eyes were closed. The touch of her hands, the pace of her breathing, it was feral, determined, clever. Her stomach still trembled.
She raised the staff in a swing. Callisto turned to catch it at the last second, yanking it in both hands to flip Gabrielle onto her back.
She smiled, warping Xena’s features into something younger, more malicious. Gabrielle kicked out Callisto’s legs, using her sudden lack of balance to topple her. Gabrielle dug a fist into her hair, straddling her waist, pinning one of her hands down in a punishing grip.
“Well look who finally made a move,” She laughed then broke Gabrielle’s grip as if it were nothing, pulling herself up to sitting with Gabrielle on her lap. “Too bad mommy’s not here to see it.” Gabrielle gasped as Callisto gripped her by the nape of her neck. She flushed as she watched Callisto’s eyes flicker to her mouth.
“You--” They stared at each for a still moment, waiting, analyzing. Gabrielle watched vulnerability pull at Callisto’s mouth, the corners of her eyes, hidden once again behind a cruel smile, the lazy batting of her eyes.
“If you’re Callisto, why kiss me?” Xe--Callisto shifted salaciously beneath Gabrielle. Gabrielle could feel the muscles of Callisto's stomach tense between her thighs.
“What can I say? I’m a jealous girl, I always want what I can’t have.” Gabrielle’s heart thundered in her chest. The words struck her to her core. Was that what she was doing with Xena? Always chasing the one person she couldn’t have?
“Who says you can’t have me?” The words were out of her mouth before she could think. But she wouldn’t take them back. She let her resolve, her open dare shine in her eyes and took satisfaction in the fact that for once she had taken the advantage of surprise. Before Callisto could speak Gabrielle cupped her face and drew her into a kiss. She let her lips mold to Callisto’s, stealing her harsh hot breath into her mouth. It was like kissing a statue at first, Callisto had gone still beneath her. Then all of a sudden she came alive, like a wild animal under her grip, all teeth and tongue and savagery.
“Didn’t expect you to be so easy. Guess Xena has you well-trained.” Callisto laughed into her mouth. Gabrielle tensed angrily, fighting the iron grip across her back. Where was her staff? She could feel it with her foot. She kicked it toward her hand, bringing it down over Callisto’s shoulders with a crack. Callisto yelped. Gabrielle wriggled free, using her staff to stand. She tried to bring it up in a defensive maneuver, but she was too slow. Callisto smacked it away, backing Gabrielle up against a tree.
“Now this is more familiar.” Callisto drew her thumb over Gabrielle’s lips, it came away bloody. She hadn’t even noticed the bleeding. “Did you want me to play Xena? Is that what this is?” She adopted Xena’s cold, schooled expression, lowering her voice to Xena’s sensual, slow accent, “Gabrielle?” Gabrielle couldn’t help the instinctual rise of disgust. It was so close and yet too mechanical, lacking all of Xena's surety.
“No!” She gripped the straps of Xena’s breastplate, hauling her closer. “Just…Gods don’t make me question this.” Gabrielle ripped the hooks from their closures, tossing the metal aside so she could run a hand over the softened leather over her breasts. Callisto pushed closer, crushing Gabrielle’s hand between them. She showed her teeth.
“As you wish.” She gasped as Callisto’s teeth sank into the soft juncture of jaw and neck. Callisto’s other hand drew down Gabrielle’s body, squeezing her breast before sneaking beneath her skirt. She bit down on every moan, strangling them in Callisto's shoulder. It seemed to drive Callisto into a frenzy, her tongue working over the bites as her hand cupped her, fingers finding her clit. Gabrielle bit her lip, trying to be silent. Callisto slapped her hard enough to see stars.
“None of that,” She snarled. “I like the pathetic sounds you make,” She whispered in her ear.
Gabrielle flushed again. Her other hand pushed Callisto enough to make its way to her belt. She found her small dagger and brought her hand down along Callisto’s spine. She felt the woman stutter beneath her as the cut straps of her leather corset loosened, sending the whole thing to the ground.
Gabrielle grinned as Callisto glared at her, clad in nothing but the leather skirt. God what a pair they must make, half naked, tousled and covered in blood. The thought brought her blood to a boil. She grabbed Callisto’s breast in a rough grip, rolling her nipple in two fingers. Callisto’s lips thinned.
“Is that the best you can do?” She thrust two fingers into Gabrielle, squeezing her clit between her fingers and palm. Gabrielle’s legs seized in surprise. With her other hand, Callisto hauled her legs around her waist before reaching forward to rip her top open.
“Hey! I only have one shirt.” Callisto cocked her head in a picture of mock innocence.
“Oops.” She bent her head to continue her biting path across Gabrielle’s collarbone. The sudden intrusion of her fingers filled her, straddling the line between pain and pleasure.
Callisto thrust slowly but roughly, the pads of her fingers finding the sensitive points savagely. Tears sprang in Gabrielle’s eyes at the overstimulation.
“I can’t cum like this, Callisto, Callisto, please, touch me.”
Callisto only laughed as her teeth found her breast, tongue circling her nipple, toying with her. Each attempt to throw her off was batted away, limbs pinned to the ground like wheat stalks. Callisto withdrew her fingers and instead planted her thigh between Gabrielle’s legs, watching her intently.
“Go on.”
Gabrielle blushed, squeezing her eyes shut. It was humiliating but she had shed her dignity and pride the second Callisto had touched her. She stretched her hips to grind into Callisto’s leg. Her grip grew painful around Gabrielle’s wrists, the only other point of contact between them. Callisto slapped her, face hovering above her own.
“Look at me.” Gods, but she couldn’t. It was Xena’s hair tickling her neck, Xena’s face contorted in vicious pleasure.
She could feel herself slicking Callisto’s leg and grimaced against the moan rising in her throat. The degradation of it felt like a fine razor in the haze of her pleasure, splitting her finely along its edge as she was none the wiser. Her motions grew more erratic, straining at Callisto’s hold to get closer. Nails raked across her scalp, catching in her hair. The friction of their bodies brought her off with a cry. She fisted her trapped hands in the dirt, bucking against Callisto’s thigh as she came in waves.
Callisto didn’t even wait for her to finish, merely moved up Gabrielle’s body to sit across her hips. Gabrielle watched her breathless as she spread her legs, fingering herself with her free hand. She was wet and warm against Gabrielle’s stomach, she could feel every flex of Callisto’s fingers as she worked herself.
Gabrielle arched beneath her, attempting to grind up into her hand. It was almost enough, the phantom feeling of Callisto, hot and wet, and tightening around her fingers.
“Please, let me, let me--” She cut off with a choked moan as Callisto sank her teeth into her neck. She scrabbled beneath her, pressing her breasts into Callisto’s chest.
“You sound so much better screaming, Gabrielle.” Callisto rose just enough to kiss her savagely, drawing her lower lip into her mouth.
Gabrielle’s mouth fell open, sounds spilling from her unguarded. She could feel Callisto tensing above her like a bowstring, her fingers moving faster. She was shaking as she thrust her tongue past Gabrielle’s teeth, driving her into the dirt as she came on Gabrielle’s stomach. Gabrielle drove her hips upward, catching enough friction to send her over the edge again.
It took less than a minute for their breathing to even, for Gabrielle’s thighs to stop twitching. Callisto withdrew her fingers and prodded at Gabrielle’s mouth. Her cheeks burned at her eagerness as she sucked her fingers clean. Callisto wiped them on Gabrielle’s skirt, standing in a fluid motion that betrayed nothing. And with the abrupt silence, it was over.
“What have you done with Xena?” Her voice was hoarse and unsteady. She was not as good an actor as Callisto. She eyed Gabrielle over her shoulder as she slung Xena’s plate armor back over her chest.
“Don’t worry your little head about it, you’ll see her soon enough.” She grinned in a way Xena never had. The sight brought the events of the past hour into sharp focus. Gabrielle didn’t have the will to stop her as she stalked into the forest.