"That's it. I've had it." Mulder halted in place, rubbing the palms of his hands into his
strained eyes. "We're going to have to stop for the rest of the night."
"Why?" Gabrielle demanded harshly. Bad enough their progress had been slow,
stopping was too much. "When YOU felt like it we managed to walk through the
entire night and day." The blonde reminded him in a sharp tone. "We're so close. We
can't stop now Fox."
"I've done as much as I can. I can barely see anything." The Canadian had to orient
on her voice. In the gloom and at a distance Dana and Gabrielle were hard to tell
apart. "Your Princesa's tracks are too subtle." He began, sounding tired and
annoyed. "I can't risk a torch because that would draw the French sentries from a
mile away. I'm sure they stopped some time ago and I've no desire to stumble over
them by accident. We can't afford mistakes with twenty-odd nervous, enemy
soldiers sharing the area."
Gabrielle tried to bite down on the tirade that threatened to escape. Fox did have a
valid point but her frustration was boiling over. "You said you were good at this.
You should have found her by now." All of her anxiety was simply too much to
contain. She lashed out at the only target available. "Was that just hollow boasting?"
"I am good. I'm just not a miracle worker." He growled back the declaration. "If you
can wave your hands and make the sun rise then I'll keep at the trail." Mulder
snarked. "If not... you're on first watch for as long as this bitchy mood of your's
keeps you awake."
"Fox!" Dana interrupted in shock.
{Don't be more of an ass than you need to be, Colonel.} Gabrielle flipped to French.
{If you weren't a woman, I'd... }
{And since when has that ever stopped you?} The words were out before the bard
had time to edit them. She saw his flinch only in silhouette, unable to make out his
features. [Too far.] Her own wince was mostly mental.
"There's a clearing." Fox announced softly. He turned and slipped through the thick
undergrowth without inviting either of his companions to join him.
"Gabrielle." The Irish woman caught at her friend's arm. "One night isn't going to
make that much of a difference." She assured. "We'll find her tomorrow. I just know
it." The grip slid into a hug. "Would you like me to sit with you?"
"I'm not very good company right now." The storyteller shook her head. "The idea
that she could be only half a mile away yet... I'd rather be alone right now. Go lay
down with Fox. I'm just going to walk a circle then pick out a post."
Dana squeezed slightly then released the blonde and wiggled through the hedging.
Fox had been generous to call it a clearing, but it did have room enough for them to
lay down amid the tree trunks.
The Canadian was already digging a thin blanket out of his pack. He practically
threw himself down into a hollow and turned his back on Dana without speaking.
She shrugged out of the straps of her own backpack and settled down near his
shoulder. "I think I owe you an apology, Fox." Dana listened. His breath was coming
too fast for sleep but he didn't respond. "I didn't make my point properly earlier. I
didn't mean to hurt your feelings. I was just trying to stop you from wounding
Gabrielle any more than... " She sighed. "I admit that I don't know much about war
and the specifics of how to wage one. What you said earlier makes sense." Her gaze
drifted slowly across his prone form. "You're probably right about how the people
on the leading edge of the conflict care more for results than appearances... that
winning is all that matters sometimes. I suppose you're right about Gabrielle being a
warrior too. She certainly comes across that way at times."
He shifted slightly, turning more towards the sky. "I thought she understood. I
didn't mean to disgust her." Mulder said in a quiet voice.
"I'm sure... intellectually... that Gabrielle is well aware of Xena's capabilities." Dana
stated. "But I've gotten the impression that they have been apart for a fair while.
Being presented with the most grisly aspects of Xena's campaign is hard on
Gabrielle. I know if you had done those things I would... "
A grunt of annoyance cut off her words. "You knew what I was when you got into
this."
"Of course I knew." The Irish woman responded intensely. "Samantha knows what
you do as well." She shifted her attack. "But I somehow doubt that you've hauled
her out and shown her the end result of your work. I doubt that she's seen a single
one of the many corpses you've created."
He visibly flinched. "Leave Sam out of this!" Mulder's voice was almost a snarl.
"Don't you even say her name."
Dana noted his body's violent reaction but she didn't dare let up until her point was
made. "It's one thing to be aware that someone you love deals death for a living. It's
quite another to have your nose rubbed in the destroyed bodies that result." She
edged a bit closer so her hip grazed him. "This is not a clear-cut situation, Fox.
Gabrielle is a warrior but she considers motivations more important than the actual
side someone takes in a battle. On top of that... she would rather walk away than
fight when given a choice."
His voice was gritty with hostility. "Considering what just happened I'm finding that
a little difficult to accept."
"It's not you she's angry at, Fox." Dana explained. "She's frustrated and you're just a
convenient target... one she thinks can handle her aggression. She doesn't mean to
hurt you." Dana leaned, giving in to a desire that had been tugging at her since they
had met. She smoothed her hand across the line of the blanket attempting to feel the
stiff leather and hard muscle underneath. Surprisingly, he recoiled from the physical
contact.
"Don't touch me."
His protest sounded like an ingrained reflex. Dana stared in surprise. "What's
wrong?" She asked cautiously.
"You hurt me. You're sorry. It'll never happen again... yeah, right. Like giving me a
treat afterwards is going to make it all go away." His voice was tight with strain. At
least she wasn't still calling him William like his mother did. That would make the
parallel too much to bear.
"You misunderstand." She denied the implication immediately. "Fox, I've figured out
that you've suffered a lot of damage over the years and I suppose you've earned
the right to be defensive but I honestly don't mean you any harm." Mulder actually
looked her way, a good sign. She could see the glitter of his eyes. "Will you trust
me?"
Fox pulled the blanket he was wrapped in even tighter. "I'm really tired. Can we talk
about this in the morning?"
"Do you trust anyone, Fox?"
He shifted uncomfortably. "Can we please dissect my personality flaws some other
time? Gabrielle is going to want me to relieve her in a few hours and I need some
sleep."
"One name." Dana bargained. "Give me one name... someone you trust implicitly to
never hurt you... even by accident."
"The people we believe in have the greatest potential to do us damage... simply
because of our faith in them." Mulder recited. "It's safer to expect nothing." His
breath hissed out.
"Give me a name." Dana persisted. The Lord knew that she would have been able to
list her entire family and a few friends besides. It spoke badly that he hadn't said his
mother or father.
"Sam... but she's just a kid." Fox dismissed his sister's importance. "I
suppose... Skinner." Fox finally provided. "He's disappointed me a few times, but
he's never hurt me."
"How did he disappoint you?" The redhead pressed.
"You said one name. I gave you two." He reminded her. "I'm going to sleep now."
Closing his eyes, Mulder turned away from his fiancee.
"Can I kiss you goodnight?"
He actually started laughing, a low, subdued noise. "You don't want me to get any
rest tonight, do you?"
Dana shrugged. "I'm wandering around Spain... unchaperoned... with a handsome
man. My reputation, for what it was worth, is absolutely ruined. It seems a shame
we've gotten no pleasure to offset the scandal this is going to cause."
"Are you suggesting something, Miss Scully?" His voice was suddenly rich with a
refined accent and amusement sparkled through the question.
Dana liked the difference. "I'm just attempting to improve your mood... and it seems
I've succeeded." She rose. "Pleasant dreams Colonel Mulder. I'm going to check on
Gabrielle before I settle."
"Goodnight Dana." He whispered quietly as she stood and padded away.
The Irish woman smiled at the ease with which she had lightened the mood
between them. Perhaps Fox wasn't going to be as difficult to deal with as she had
feared yesterday. Dana looked about, not seeing where Gabrielle had stationed
herself. For just a moment she feared that her friend had continued on without
them. "Gabrielle?" The redhead called out in a hushed voice. "Where are you?"
"Here." A vague shadow that Dana had mistaken for a bush answered off to her left,
lifting one arm to further identify herself.
"How are you feeling?" Dana sank down to the ground beside her companion.
"Frustrated. Embarrassed." Gabrielle responded. "I keep thinking that if I shouted
her name out loudly enough... she might hear me and answer."
"But so would a pack a very angry French soldiers." Dana chided. Her arm moved to
wrap around the other. "Would it help to talk about it?"
Gabrielle laid her staff down into the bed of old leaves and discarded needles they
sat on. "In all the years we were together... " The bard mused aloud. "In all the time
I've watched over her... I've never seen her doing anything quite so... " She leaned.
"Before we met Xena was one of the most vicious warlords to walk the earth, a force
to strike fear into the hearts of the helpless and fierce alike. The shame that she felt
for that time, for her behaviour was so... at times the regret was almost crippling."
Dana petted pale hair. It was almost white in the minimal light. "At least she's taking
her anger out on soldiers."
"But that's not going to matter. When the time comes and Xena calms down enough
to reflect on her actions she's going to feel such self-loathing." Gabrielle predicted. "I
can get past almost everything but that. The hurt she's inflicting on herself, that's
what pains me the most."
Dana turned her face, setting a kiss on top of that dusty gold hair. "You say she's
survived the guilt once before. I'm sure you can help her find the strength to do it
again."
"Assuming she wants to." Gabrielle murmured. "I've a fear... " She began in a tiny
whisper. "It seems ridiculous in the light of cool reason but... a spark of... " Her head
shook gently, not wanting to dislodge Dana's comforting touch. "What if this time
Xena decides not to return to the path she's been walking? What if she's gotten so
angry with me during our separation... that I didn't come to her sooner." The pain of
that thought was a physical agony. "If I'd realised it was possible I would have,
but... " There was no way to discuss this properly with Dana. The younger woman
wasn't prepared to deal with the reality of where Gabrielle had been. There was no
way that the redhead would believe.
"Last night you were so sure." Dana reminded.
"You saw that... spectacle." The bard shivered. "She's so far gone."
"As disgusting as it was, Fox said it all made logical sense. It's not like she was doing
it for fun." Dana turned sideways so she could wrap both her arms around the other
woman. "Doubting yourself now isn't going to help."
Gabrielle leaned gratefully into the hug. The contact was a soothing balm, settling
her. Dana's palm, running a slow caress up and down her spine felt wonderful.
The night was peaceful with only the faintest sounds of animal life stirring about
them.
"Meeting you was one of the best things that's happened on this trip." Dana
whispered into Gabrielle's soft hair. "I never thought to find so dear a friend so
quickly... or in such a different sort of person than myself." She smiled. "Being with
you feels so... comfortable. You have a radiant spirit, Gabrielle." The absent stroking
lengthened to include the bard's shoulder. "You've got what my sister, Melissa,
would call an old soul. I can feel a sense of time wash over me when I look into your
eyes." Dana's conversation wandered.
Gabrielle stirred so she actually met the other woman's gaze. The clear blue was
hard to make out in the low light but the bard's memory filled it in.
"Listen to me." Dana laughed faintly, her head tipping forward so their brows
touched. "I sound like a child playing with poetry that I'm incapable of
understanding." She sighed. "I want so much to appreciate the concepts of
spiritualism and romance but they're always just beyond my reach."
"You underestimate yourself."
The storyteller's voice melted into Dana's ear, urging her to look up fractionally. A
reckless urge made the redhead press forward to touch those sweet lips with her
own. The resulting sensation was devastating, pure and addicting. Dana finally
pulled back, gasping for air and shocked that she hadn't been thrust away sooner.
"I'm so sorry."
Gabrielle's hand shot out to curve around the back of Dana's neck, holding her in
place. "It's all right. I was enjoying that."
"But you and Xena?"
"Xena and I have time and love enough between us not to sweat over issues of
ownership. I suppose we're products of a different age." She confided honestly. "I'm
flattered." Gabrielle kissed a reddened cheek then dragged her mouth acoss the
warm skin to meld mouths once more. This kiss held, deepening every second until
they had to break apart slightly to gasp for air. "I'm interested." The storyteller stole
another searching kiss. "It's been so long since I've felt the desires you're stirring
up."
Dana whimpered slightly, pushing forward. "Don't stop." Her own hunger was
raging, inflamed by a night and day's worth of wishful speculation on what
touching Gabrielle would feel like. She instigated the next kiss, using her own
tongue to prove she was no novice. The Irish woman hadn't ever tasted anything so
delicious as the blonde's rising passion. Her hands lifted cautiously, smoothing
down the other woman's arms. Their bodies unconsciously slid closer together,
rubbing slightly. Dana's mouth eventually moved, smearing across soft cheeks. "So
good." Her hips rocked against her friend, needing more contact.
Gabrielle's fingers loosened their hold on red hair and drifted to trace the line of
Dana's throat. "The uniform is nice but it doesn't completely suit you." The bard
plucked the buttons of the dark green jacket open one at a time. She paused to
admire the way the other woman's chest heaved in reaction to each flicking release.
"Are you comfortable with this?" Gabrielle questioned. "Is this what you want?" Her
hand melded into the curve of one soft breast.
"I want everything." Dana proclaimed breathlessly. "I've been craving this since last
night." Her body arched into the contact. Finally, the promise of relief, after days of
feeling that her skin was too tight to contain all the sensations assailing her. Dana
rose up onto her knees so she could gather the beautiful blonde closer to her chest.
Running her hands over the shoulders and down the back of her companion was
enough to make her fingertips scald even though Gabrielle was completely dressed.
The feel of the storyteller's warm breath against her provoked a choked off moan of
pleasure.
"Easy." Gabrielle soothed. "Take it easy. You're shaking hard enough to fly apart."
She reached around and began to carefully massage the backs of Dana's trembling
legs. When the shivers became less dramatic Gabrielle moved the fondling higher,
stroking across the redhead's trim behind.
Dana's hips undulated. "Skin." She fumbled at her own clothing. "Hurry."
"Speed... " Gabrielle gently levered away the other's hands. "Is not a valuable
component of romance. Relax and just feel." She suggested, pulling away long
enough to open the top layer of her own clothing. Gabrielle levered up to her own
knees so they were level once more. With an undulating movement their bodies slid
up and across one another.
Dana's nipples chafed against the drag of fabric with an almost painful rush of
sensation. She tossed her head back, emitting a stifled moan of arousal. The jacket
she had on practically slid off her thrown back shoulders.
"Fashions... were so much simpler... " Gabrielle lifted the loose shirt Dana wore,
discovering a thin chemise underneath. Still, the silky undershirt felt delightful
against her hot cheek. "... in my youth."
Dana let out a hissing breath. Tossing her shirt to one side, she pushed, toppling
them both. Now the Irish woman, on hands and knees, was over the other woman.
Dusty red hair tickled Gabrielle's nose and chin as Dana lowered her mouth to
explore the curve of the bard's throat. A warm tongue tickled the salty skin,
descending gradually into cleavage.
"Ooo, nice." The bard threaded her fingers into the other's hair and pulled tight until
the scrape of teeth grazed her breast. Moisture gradually seeped through the
material as Dana suckled. When the mouth lifted away the rush of cool damp air
made the blonde quake.
Resting her weight on her elbows Dana loosened the lacings on Gabrielle's high
trousers and peeled them back. She impatiently bunched the shirt in front of her
higher. The redhead paused a moment to gaze down before diving down to rim
Gabrielle's belly button. The blonde moaned deep in her chest and her hips lifted
inviting Dana to pull the pants further down.
What neither of them expected was the faint answering noise that Fox made from
the other end of the small clearing.
Dana froze in place, breathing hotly against Gabrielle's flat stomach. "This is such a
mistake." Her lips brushed sweaty skin as she spoke, provoking more tremors.
"You're right... " Gabrielle's voice wasn't completely steady.
Dana wasn't stopping. Despite her words she continued to place damp kisses across
the taunt stomach under her.
Fox thrashed a little against his blanket, whimpering. Gabrielle thought she heard a
name, Alex, but that couldn't be right.
"Merciful Brighid." The air seemed to go out of Dana. She all but collapsed, pressing
her face into her friend's warm skin. "We can't, can we?"
"If things were different." Gabrielle sighed as their bodies pulled apart.
They straightened out their clothing in silence, not looking at each other.
"How can someone who's business is stealth be such a noisy sleeper?" Gabrielle
mused aloud. The frustration was there but so was a certain amount of jesting. If
nothing else the brief near-encounter had taken her mind off the morose thoughts
plaguing her. Her hands reached up to shake old pine needles from her long hair.
"I suppose I should... " Dana hitched a thumb over towards where she'd left her
pack.
"Stay." The bard requested. "Keep me company." Gabrielle settled into a comfortable
position, her back to a tree. "I like it when you're close to me."
Dana's smile was a brief flash of white. "I like it too." With a rustle of movement she
squirmed over to rest against the other woman. Gentle pressure urged Dana to lay
her head in the storyteller's lap.
"Close your eyes." Gabrielle suggested. "Relax."
"It's difficult." The redhead admitted. "I'm all tensed up."
"Okay." A chuckle tickled the back of the bard's throat. "Once upon a time... "
"A bedtime story?" Dana's answering giggle was breathy. "How wonderful."
"Please, I'm trying to bore you to sleep here... now hush, or I'll stop." Came the
mock warning. "Once upon a time in a kingdom far, far away a farmer's daughter
leaned against a half-built wall dreaming of adventure."
"Does a handsome prince come to save her?"
"No, a princess comes... but the farmer's daughter is going to save the princess. Now
lay quietly little girl and let me do my job." Gabrielle warned in a less than stern
tone. "One day bandits decended on the village where the farmer's daughter
lived... " She began again, her hand absently petting the tangle of red hair under her
fingers.
XENA: "I need a volunteer ... I pick you."
The overcast sky made for a very dark night. First watch was over and Harper
wasn't on duty until third watch. He had slept while Hagmen and Harris were on
picket but awoke when they called Perkins and Major Sharpe for their turn.
[Probably the Major is still upset about my teasing him and that's why I'm on duty
with Cooper instead of him.] Patrick thought, as he resigned himself to losing sleep
for the rest of the night.
Patrick got up and set to making some tea as he continued to think about what had
happened over the last few days. The chosen men were the best soldiers in 'old
nosey's' forces. [How could we lose a Colonel even one as
useless as Mulder?] Patrick knew that Mulder's loss was a big problem, especially
for the Major. Hogan may have joked about getting rid of useless officers but losing
Mulder could be the end of Sharpe's career. [Or possibly his life.]
The Sergeant poured some tea into two mugs and made his way to where Sharpe
was standing his watch.
Xena observed silently as the big man walked away from the fire. She was crouched
behind a tree, waiting for the soldiers to become more relaxed in their vigilance so
she could approach the officer a few yards in front of her without disturbing the
others. The warrior had overheard one of the soldiers call this man 'Major Sharpe'
and believed that he would be the best way to getting the help she needed. Teresa
had told her friend a lot about her husband and Xena was sure that the Richard
must have heard as much about Teresa's sister-in-arms from his wife. She wanted to
approach him alone so as not to alert the rest of the men, but now the Sergeant was
walking towards her target. [I'll have to wait a bit longer. They're all a little jumpy
and libel to shoot first and ask questions later. A commotion would notify the Frogs
of someone else encroaching on their position.] Xena thought as she settled down
against the tree.
"You're supposed to be asleep, Sergeant." Richard observed in a quiet voice.
"Aye Sir, but I need to settle my mind first and I thought a wee bit of tea would
help." Harper replied and sat next to Sharpe. "I brought some for you, Sir, might
chase away the night's chill from you."
"A peace offering, Pat?"
"No Sir. Nothing of the kind. Just being a good Sergeant and looking out for my
commanding officer."
"Mulder seemed to need a little more looking after than he got." Sharpe sipped some
of the hot brew. "I suppose I shouldn't have avoided him as much as I did. Maybe he
wouldn't have been taken."
"Are you sure he was taken, Sir? I mean, Dan is the best tracker we have and he
couldn't find a sign of anyone else anywhere near Mulder's prints. It looks like he
just took off."
"I know it does, I've chased it around inside my head all day... but he had to have
been abducted." Richard protested. "Nothing else makes sense. If he were intending
to leave he would have grabbed his gear and weapons. He left his rifle behind, for
God's sake. I don't think you scared him quite that much, Pat. Somehow he had to
have been coerced."
"Aye, and he would have taken his horse. He seemed to like sitting up there, all high
and mighty, looking down at everyone." Patrick sneered.
"Don't start, Pat. I know you didn't like him, hell, I wasn't too fond of him
either... but we have to find him or at least figure out what happened to him... else
I'm in for it with Wellington." Sharpe shivered. "They might actually get it right and
really hang me this time."
They sat in companionable silence for a few moments before Harper spoke again.
"What's the plan, Sir? I mean... do we keep after the Warrior Princess again
tomorrow or start looking for the Colonel on our own again?"
"I think we should stick to searching for Xena and hope to run across a sign of what
happened to Mulder along the way." Sharpe replied.
"Is that wise, Sir? We can always tell their Lordships that we couldn't find Xena and
spend the rest of our time tracking Mulder. Myself, I don't relish having to tell Miss
Dana we misplaced the bugger... no matter that she'd be better off without him."
Sharpe didn't reply right away. He sipped his tea and looked around. Finally he said
"Teresa told me that Xena was very good at what she does. I still think if we want to
find Mulder... our best bet would be to enlist her aid."
"But if all these Frogs are out for her hide... wouldn't she be avoiding that big a
column of them... keeping to another part of the area?" Harper asked.
"That's not her style. She's more likely to stand in their midst and cut them apart."
"She's that good?"
"She's deadly." Sharpe nodded. "Teresa said Xena is the most honourable warrior
she'd ever met... and the most lethal. She can sneak into a guarded camp, cut the
throats of all the officers, steal their supplies and leave without alerting the guards at
all."
"If she's as clever as all that... what chance do we stand of finding her?"
"If she doesn't want to be found, nobody will find her." The Major shrugged. "We'll
continue looking but I've been letting my contacts know that Richard Sharpe needs
to speak to La Princesa Guerrera."
"Then you're hoping she'll find us."
"Yeah, and then maybe we can ask her help to find Mulder." Sharpe said. "I'm fair
sure Teresa mentioned me to Xena and I'm trustin' she'll contact us."
Xena had moved closer to the two men as they talked. [Teresa seems to have
spread my reputation almost as much as Gabrielle did.] She slithered up to settle
quietly right behind the soldiers, reaching to the Sergeant's side and stealing his
forgotten mug of tea. Xena sipped the lukewarm liquid and grimaced while listening
to them talk, she wondered if this 'Mulder' that they were looking for was the same
English officer that she had seen with the French column. [And I'd really like a hot
cup of tea.]
Harper looked thoughtful down at his hands then asked. "If Miss Teresa only
mentioned you... are you sure that Xena will contact you? Why not just attack us for
mucking about here?"
"She's only killing the French, Pat." Sharpe replied. "I don't think we need to worry
about being attacked by her. Teresa said she could be absolutely ruthless towards
her enemies but fiercely loyal to her friends."
"A lot like us and the lads, right Sir?"
Sharpe chuckled. "Yeah Pat, that's true enough... but I'm guessing that she would
beat the shit out of anyone who teased her the way you've been tearing at me."
"Only meant as a jest, Sir. Besides... " Pat smiled. "That button on your coat is still
loose."
Sharpe tossed Harper a severe look and then sighed. "Enough already, Sergeant.
Leave it be."
"Aye Sir." Harper acknowledged as he reached for his mug then looked at Sharpe
with a puzzled expression. "Where's my tea?"
A long arm snaked between the men, a hand returning the empty mug. "Sorry
boys." Xena purred. "Listening to you made me rather thirsty."
Both men stared at the vision before them. Xena was relaxed and calm but she held
them in a gaze that was unnerving. Harper reacted first by raising his volley gun
toward the tall figure. Before it was half-raised Xena had stood up and moved
behind Sharpe. A long broadsword was quickly removed from the sheath on her
back. In a swift, seamless motion the blade extended menacingly, over the Major's
shoulder, and pointed at the Sergeant's throat.
"Easy Pat." Shape said in a small voice. "This could get ugly."
"But Sir... " Patrick protested.
"It would be best to listen to your Major." Xena hissed. "You'll both be dead before
you raise that cannon any higher."
Harper lowered his gun and took a step back. "No offence, M'lady. You just startled
me a wee bit."
In a soundless move, so smooth as to have been a skill acquired over a long time,
the warrior sheathed her sword and replied with a growl. "I'm no Lady." Turning
toward Sharpe she continued. "You wanted to talk to me."
Richard studied the 'Lady' before him. She was as tall as Harper, with long black
hair, high cheekbones, and piercing blue eyes. [Teresa said she was a beautiful
woman, but that's a hell of an understatement.] She raised her eyebrow at his
appraisal and he realised he had been staring. "Well... um... " Sharpe stammered.
"Maybe I should make the introductions. I'm Major Richard Sharpe of the South
Essex in the army of Lord Wellington. This is my Sergeant, Patrick Harper. My late
wife, Teresa, told me of her friendship with you but her description of your beauty
falls short of the reality."
Xena chuckled and relaxed by settling against a tree. She offered a carefully crafted
smile. "Teresa was a romantic at heart, Richard. She also told me about her charming
husband and his best friend." She looked at Harper. "How are Ramona and your son,
Patrick?"
Xena's tone and attitude seemed to ease the tension in both men. Sharpe was warmed by the
smile and its possible implications. They sat down and appeared to relax before Harper
replied. "Ramona and the wee one are well, Miss Xena. Thank you for asking."
Xena didn't inquire after Sharpe's daughter as she knew he had left the child in the care of
Teresa's family. She looked at the man who had been husband to a close friend and asked.
"Did Wellington send you to find me or is this just a social call?"
"Our mission was to contact you and try to find out what your intentions are. We're to
invite you back to speak with his Lordship." Richard answered. "There was concern that
your activities as of late may hinder our own."
"Hogan thought I might turn against the English or your allies." Xena deduced. "He wants
some control over the direction that I will take."
Sharpe nodded. "The rumours have been that you are only after the French and that they are
spending a lot of time and manpower trying to hunt you down. Hogan would like to see this
continue but even he realises that eventually the Frogs may succeed. You have information
on troop strengths and activities that Wellington will need for his future plans. Hogan
doesn't want the knowledge lost."
Xena sneered at Sharpe and said. "He wants the information, yes... but he also doesn't want
the French to get me... as I may know enough about Wellington's forces to give the Frogs an
advantage." Xena considered for a moment, then continued. "He can't afford to let them get
me so he sent my late friend's husband to bring me back for a debriefing... .. or possibly to
eliminate me." She concluded.
Sharpe looked honestly shocked. "Hogan never said that... and I wouldn't force you into
returning. Besides, he knows I wouldn't kill an ally... or a friend." Still, that was just the
kind of trick the spymaster was notorious for.
Harper seemed to think so too, considering his next words. "I'm ashamed that a fellow
countryman can be as devious as that." The Irishman supplied. "But 'tis likely that he
wouldn't have told us our true mission. Knowing that you were Miss Teresa's friend, he
might use the Major to find you... but, if you refused to co-operate, someone else would have
to kill you."
"DAMN!" Sharpe exclaimed. It was like a flash of lightening striking him. "That's why they
gave the mission briefing to Mulder alone. I'll bet he's supposed to kill you if you won't come
back with us."
"Who's Mulder?" Xena questioned.
"A bloody, useless bugger." The Sergeant growled. "Our commanding officer. The twit
went missing last night while he was taking a leak." He looked sheepishly at Xena. "Begging
your pardon, Miss Xena."
"Don't worry about it, Patrick." Xena replied. She had overheard the two men speaking
about Mulder but didn't want to seem too knowledgeable about the subject.
"That's the other part of our problem." Richard glanced at Xena and explained. "He's our
new Lieutenant Colonel. We were showing him the area as we attempted to contact you.
Now that he's gone missing we have to try and find him. I was hoping you might help us,
but in light of what we just figured out... I'll understand if you don't."
Xena smiled over at Sharpe and then turned to Harper. "And what's your opinion,
Sergeant?"
"Tis no secret that I don't like the bugger and would rather leave him for the Frogs." Patrick
responded. " If we don't at least try to get him back Major Sharpe will be in a lot of trouble.
However, I can't see you helping us to rescue a man who may be under orders to kill you."
"I appreciate your concern on my behalf, boys, but I can take care of myself." Xena looked
about then sighed. She returned her gaze to Sharpe before continuing. "Is your officer in his
mid-twenties... dark haired, about six foot tall and dressed in a uniform like yours?"
"You've seen him." Sharpe stated.
"Yes." She responded. "He's being held by a small French patrol about a half day's journey
east of here." Xena didn't bother to mention that the man was acting as though he wanted to
be with the Frogs... especially their commanding officer. By telling Sharpe where to find his
missing officer she now had the help needed to take on the enemy patrol. Hopefully Teresa
hadn't exaggerated the skills that Sharpe and his 'Chosen Men' had in dealing with an
enemy that out-numbered them three to one. Xena didn't want to let them know the odds as
it might give them pause. She badly wanted the officer in command to suffer for allowing the
atrocities that she had been coming across for the last while. "Would you like my help in
retrieving your missing Colonel, Richard?"
"I would." The Major replied. "But not if it will cause conflict between my duty as an officer
and my loyalty to a friend. Maybe you could just point us in the right direction and we'll
take it from there. I don't want you to get hurt."
Xena cast a charming smile toward Sharpe. Even in the dark her blue eyes burned. "I don't
run from trouble, Richard. When we rescue your Colonel Mulder I will decide how to
proceed based on his actions and my conscience." She thought quietly for a moment then
added. "I'll try not to put you or your men in a position that might force you to make a
decision that will compromise your duty."
"And supposin' Colonel Mulder's orders are to kill you?" Harper asked. "What then?"
"I'm a Spanish partisan... not an English soldier. Wellington has no authority over me or the
people of Spain. If your Colonel tries to kill me I will defend myself, but I don't think
Wellington will openly try to stop me."
Sharpe cut in. "That would cost him the support of the people and may provoke other
partisans into opposing him."
Harper excused himself and went back to the camp. He returned in a few minutes with fresh
tea and passed it around. "If you don't mind my asking, Miss Xena, why are you doing
this?" The Sergeant sipped his tea and continued. "I can understand you fighting the
Frogs... but why alone? You could have avoided contacting us and just disappeared or
continued on and led us a merry chase with little chance of catching you. So why look for
allies now?"
Xena stared into the steam rising from the tea that Harper had brought her. [Should I tell
the truth? Maybe a part of it.] She thought of where to begin and raised her head to answer.
"I'm sure you heard how the partisans I worked with were slaughtered. I have continued the
fight alone because I'm able to hide from the French better than if I'm with a group." The
warrior shoved a hank of hair out of her eyes. Her voice dropped to a harsh whisper. "I'm
tired of watching those I care about die. The Frogs are looking for the Warrior Princess, not a
whole partisan group."
"So you're the only one at risk." Richard deduced, approving of her decision. "You've been
avoiding contact with everyone so as not to give the Frogs a target or a trail to follow."
Sharpe looked at Xena and added. "So why contact us? Why now?"
"You're soldiers. You're already targets." Xena glared at her cup, the anger she was feeling
apparent in the set of her shoulders. "Over the last fortnight I've come across a trail of
destruction to make anyone's stomach heave in disgust. This morning I saw one farm and
it's occupants utterly destroyed. I found the old farmer and his wife butchered and their half
grown boys gutted. All the livestock had been killed... at least what hadn't been taken." She
paused and in dead voice continued inciting their anger. "At the next place a couple of Frogs
were at the same trick only that time the family was younger... with a crowd of children
screaming in terror." She considered, deciding not to go into details of the revenge she had
taken on the perpetrators. Sharpe, being a proper soldier, wouldn't likely approve. "The
trail... and the line of responsibility led back to a slightly larger French patrol and the Major
commanding it." There was no sense scaring them off by admitting to the actual size of the
column. Xena sneered down at the ground before turning and looking directly at Sharpe. "I
want them dead. I would have killed them right then, but I felt it might cost their English
prisoner his life." She lied. "So I came to find you and help you retrieve your Colonel." Her
voice dripped malice and the honest truth escaped at last. "Then I will kill them all."
Sharpe set his cup down and returned Xena's stare. "You won't be doing it alone." He
looked to Harper and saw his Sergeant's confirming nod. "We recover Mulder... but that
patrol does not get away."
The smile that curved the immortal's lips this time was much more natural, if a bit predatory.
So far Sharpe was falling into line quite nicely but it wouldn't hurt to bind the man a little
tighter. She was going to need control over the patrol in order to accomplish her goals
tomorrow. That meant she needed to master the Major. "While I'm thinking of it... " Xena
glanced over one shoulder. "I've some documents I've taken off the French over the last
month." She took one step closer to the shadows that surrounded them. "Would you come
with me while I fetch my mount, Richard?" It would be easier to twist him about her finger if
his Irish guardian weren't hovering at his shoulder.
"I'm on watch." Sharpe stated. "I need to stay close to our camp." A hint of a request
threaded through his tone but not his words.
Patrick, with the ease of a long-time companion, picked up the cloaked request. "I'll take over
the duty, Major." He offered immediately. "I'm not tired." That wasn't entirely true but
he'd functioned on far less sleep before.
"This way." Xena crooked her finger and glided backwards, drawing the blonde officer along
with the intensity of her gaze. "It's dark tonight." Cautiously she reached to take his hand.
"Let me guide you."
It was strange, Richard thought, to feel the calluses of a soldier on a woman's hand. Even
Teresa, the most martial woman he had ever laid with, hadn't been marked by the regular
use of a sword. That realisation sent a twinge of guilt through him but the motion of Xena's
thumb across his skin was quickly shredding any objections that his mind wished to raise.
How could so small an action affect him so severely?
Xena halted in place, seeming to consider her direction. The pause gave her the excuse to
close the distance between them. When she turned her head her lips were only an inch from
his ear. "Are we in a hurry, Richard?" The immortal brushed her mouth over the sensitive
outer edge of his ear.
"I don't think so." Sharpe took the opportunity to run his free hand up her arm. Prepared for
a possible rejection, it came as a pleasant surprise when she leaned even further into his
proximity. This powerful, beautiful woman responding to his attention washed away any
doubts that Colonel Mulder's provoking flirtations had planted in Sharpe's ego. It was odd
not having to bend to accept the kiss that Xena turned his face into and the body pressing
ever closer to his was decidedly muscular. The comforting swell of breasts pushed into his
chest and the hip just beginning to dig into him was deliciously curved.
"Your rifle... " Xena tapped the weapon, wanting him to set it aside before he dropped it. She
allowed just a little space between them so she could shrug off her belt and sword. The female
warrior stole another kiss when Sharpe seemed to be on the verge of hesitating. She didn't
want the man thinking. She needed the officer pliable and from what she had heard about the
Major this was a damned effective way to get a hook into his loyalty... and the quickest too. A
twinge of guilt at using the husband of a friend nipped at her but Xena shoved it down. It's
not like she was harming him.
Richard placed his weapon carefully aside and reached for Xena once more. His arm hooked
around her waist and he drew the woman tight against him. When his free hand lifted to
trace the line of her lips she licked him briefly, making him grin. Xena's teasing hip shifted,
stroking the front of his trousers. "Will your Sergeant come to investigate if he hears you
groaning, Richard?" Her voice tickled across his sideburn. She told herself again that Teresa
would understand. The fiery partisan had always understood that the end result often
justified using other people's emotions and besides, Sharpe could well use some pleasure in
his life and so could she. Even through the layers of leather and linen his hand curving over
her breast felt good. Xena hadn't indulged in a sexual encounter in over five years now. Her
body was over-due for a little mindless satisfaction. Even if her motives were less than pure,
the need that his touch was igniting was honest enough.
"Let him come. He'll know enough to leave again right quick." Richard almost hoped that
Patrick would catch a glimpse. It would gag off some of the flack Pat was giving him over
Mulder.
When Sharpe pressed for another kiss her mouth opened against his and one of her hands
lifted to dig into his messy blonde hair, holding him tight. The tormenting contact between
their groins turned into an inciting grind.
"Bloody hell." Richard whispered out the curse as he discovered exactly how tight the lacings
were on Xena's vest. This was going to require more thought than he'd planned and two
hands.
"And double damn." Xena answered back when her fingers encountered the multitude of
buttons on his uniform jacket. "Still... unwrapping the present is half the fun." She purred
out, provoking a head to toe shiver from the man pressed against her. Xena shook off his
restraining embrace and pushed him backwards until his spine met a supporting tree trunk.
A grab at her was stopped by simply catching at his wrists and shoving them down. "Just
stand still." The partisan told him. A light swat pushed Sharpe's broad shoulders back. "I
know what I'm doing, Richard."
His head thumped back against bark. It had been a long time since he'd been with such a
controlling lover. It was arousing to stand passive for a change.
Xena's mouth pressed into the hollow of his throat, nuzzling, as strong fingers began
pushing silver balls back through their buttonholes. "Pity." She whispered quietly against
his neck. "We'll do a proper job of it next time... once we've gotten those Frogs out of the
way. Next time we'll have lots of bare skin and blanket... and all the trimmings... " She
shoved his jacket open and yanked the hem of his shirt out of his pants. "You've no idea what
I'm capable of." Xena teased. "But for now this will have to do." Her body rocked against his
once more and one hand skimmed up under his shirt kneading his flat stomach. "Very nice."
"Xena." Richard tried to catch hold of her but it only earned him another light thump
backwards. Her body pressed tightly against the length of him. The partisan's mouth melded
to his stifling any protest he might wish to make, not that he could think of any objections at
this moment.
GABRIELLE: "You don't have to be strong all the time, Xena. Sometimes it's good for the
soul to be soft."
Fox woke up feeling a jolt of disorientation. The dawning sun shining down on his face was a
surprise. Gabrielle should have woken him hours ago to take his turn at watch. Mulder sat
up, looking anxiously around the area to find his companions. If something had happened
again last night and it hadn't awoken him he'd never forgive himself. His panic was just
beginning to grow when he realised that Gabrielle wasn't far away. The blonde sat,
unmoving, with her back to a young tree while Dana rested her head on the other woman's
lap. The heavily slanted light made the scene seem like something near a painting.
Clear green eyes shifted to meet his gaze as Gabrielle noticed his startled behaviour. "I
wasn't tired." The bard answered his unspoken complaint. "I had a lot of things on my mind
that needed sorting out."
He nodded. Climbing to his feet, Mulder shook out his blanket and began rolling it up. An
apology was pushing at the back of his throat but he wasn't ready to give voice to it quite yet.
He couldn't help but object to speaking first. Dana had forced him to acknowledge that he had
done damage to Gabrielle, but it had been blind carelessness. The things the blonde had said
to him were clearly intended malice. His jaw stiffened with the need to hold his tongue.
"I'm sorry Fox." Gabrielle began.
His face was dragged in her direction by the surprising ease of the apology.
"I know you're trying. I shouldn't have torn into you like I did last night. It was thoughtless
and cruel. I apologise." She paused, looking expectantly up at him. He had to be on the edge
of saying something. His expression was certainly intense enough.
"I'm sorry too." Fox ground out. He looked down at the crushed needles that he had been
laying on. "I honestly admire what La Princesa... Xena... did at that farm but I can see how it
was a bit much for you. I shouldn't have... " He mentally sought for the correct words, not
wanting to compound his error. "I shouldn't have shoved your face in it, not like I did. I was
out of line. I forget sometimes that other people see things differently than I do."
"Thank you for trying." She said softly. "I think you've spent too much time building
barricades, Fox. It must be hard for you to look at things from another person's perspective
considering how much of your energy is invested in simply maintaining yourself."
"I sense an insult in there somewhere." His laugh was gravelly and forced.
"Not an intentional one." Her head shook side to side. "You're so damned defensive. You
need to let someone inside your walls... someone to share with. No, not me." Gabrielle
noticed his raised eyebrow. "Dana."
"I like my walls. They keep me safe."
"You don't know what's good for you." The Amazon sighed.
"So tell me something I don't know." His chuckle was only slightly more genuine this time.
"I told you Gabrielle." He said. "Dana and I are going to make it work. Don't you worry
about us."
The bard smoothed a hand through the tangled red hair on her lap and smiled. "I believe
you're going to try." She turned her attention to waking Dana.
The Irish woman grumbled and stretched. Her eyes blinked open and focused slowly. "Good
morning." Dana offered up a look of unrestrained affection. Her voice was as meltingly sweet
as her expression.
Fox fixed a measuring stare on the two women. Curiosity warred with mild confusion and he
frowned. Something was different this morning but he wasn't exactly sure what it was. The
comfortable rapport between his two companions made him feel even more like an outsider.
"Excuse me for a moment." Mulder faded into the brush behind him.
Dana sat up, dusting herself off. "I didn't mean to sleep on top of you all night. Sorry. Did
you get any rest?"
"Actually... I did." Gabrielle assured her. "I feel much more settled than I did last night. I
spent the time putting things into perspective. Whatever we find today, I think I can handle
it."
"But you didn't get enough sleep." Dana scolded.
"I know my capabilities and my limits." Gabrielle countered. "I'm all right." She groped
after her pack. "Lets get something in our stomachs so we can move out."
"When we find Xena... " Dana uncorked her waterskin. "And I think we will today, I
suppose the two of you will be pretty wrapped up in each other." She took a swig.
"You've got Fox." The bard reminded her friend.
"Not quite yet." Dana laughed. "But I will." She glanced in the direction he had vanished.
"He's going to need some polishing but I can see a future for us. Still, I can't help but envy
the bond you and Xena have."
"He may surprise you yet." Gabrielle heard the snap of a twig, warning her of Fox's return.
"Time will tell."
Dana sank down by her own backpack. "I've got cheese and apples." She offered.
"How about some slightly stale rolls." Gabrielle contributed with a wince.
"I've had worse." Mulder caught the apple that his fiancee tossed his way. Despite the hard
time they had put in on the road she looked good this morning, he thought. The sun-tinted
rose of her cheeks faded her freckles away. The strained creases around her eyes had
disappeared overnight and a sweet smile was playing across her lips. She must have loosened
her clothes to make sleeping more comfortable because Fox was catching sight of a fair bit of
cleavage. The pale, unfamiliar flesh was enough to set his imagination into action.
So body to body they had a connection. Dana's remark last night about him being handsome
suggested that he was physically acceptable to her. Mulder chewed on the apple absently.
She was bright enough, he supposed. She'd thought to pick up that bandit's pistol. In
conversation her quick grasp of some of his odder ideas was refreshing. He had no desire to
spend the rest of life explaining abstract concepts and building up her vocabulary so he could
talk to her on an adult level.
It's not like he had to live with her yet. Another year or three in Wellington's service was
likely before he'd be forced to deal with the day to day running of an estate he'd never laid
eyes on. That was bound to be as boring as hell so he'd need decent company to keep him
sane. Sam would be there by the time he arrived, thankfully. The kid was maturing into a
vaguely interesting teenager. Dana's parents and sister would be there too but what he had
heard of them so far hadn't made much of an impression. After Father it would take a lot for
Wallace Scully to seem much of a challenge. Fox made a mental note to ask Dana about her
family, his future family-by-marriage. That thought earned a cold shiver. As if one family
wasn't bad enough, now he was expected to join another and start one of his own.
Fox couldn't help but wonder what kind of a father he was going to be. He wanted to believe
that he would be a good one, that he'd never hit a defenceless kid or spend all his time yelling
about flaws in his offspring. Dana would help, he expected. Considering how the little
redhead had stood up to him over Gabrielle's welfare she wasn't likely to be a doormat where
her children were concerned.
"Fox!"
Dana's voice finally penetrated the haze he had fallen into. Mulder suspected that she had
called his name several times.
"You look a thousand miles away." Dana observed, handing over some cheese and bread.
"I was thinking about our children." He admitted carelessly. Her responding blush was
intriguing. It went all the way down her throat and into the shadows of her neckline. He
traced the path with his eyes.
"You're running ahead of yourself." Dana laughed softly. "I would like to be married before I
start swelling my belly with a child, Colonel Mulder... and we've a task to tend to before we
can see about having the ceremony." She teased.
"Yes'm." Fox set to devouring the food. It was liable to be some time before they'd eat again.
"Fox." Gabrielle jumped in, not willing to let the rapport that almost clicked in slip away
without further exploration. "Dana told me about that old Greek tale that you sent her.
Where did you turn it up?" She asked.
"Oh, that two-headed people story." One rangy shoulder twitched. "My mother had this
huge trunk of books in the attic. I think someone must have given them to her because she
wasn't much of a reader." His eyes, darkening to a murky brownish tint, dropped down to
study his boot tips. "I spent a lot of time up there when I was younger." Hiding... his mind
filled in what his voice wouldn't. "I found that particular story when I was about ten in a
book of ancient legends. The language was so archaic, it had eluded my understanding before
that. It was completely outside the realm of all the other volumes. They were mostly flowery
romances and heavy-handed children's stories. It struck me." The portion of the bun that he
hadn't eaten yet was quickly being compressed into a hard rock. "Those kind of sentiments
were alien to me."
His expression was so desolate that Dana wanted to jump up and gather him into her arms.
"Why did you sent it to me, Fox?" She murmured.
His head shook slightly, illustrating his confusion. He wasn't sure how to respond. He had
done it in a flight of impracticable fancy after first listening to Samantha crying the night
away... only to face the breakfast table full of bright-eyed optimism over her brother's long
distance romance. Father had wilted the girl's fairy tale daydreams with a harsh glower. Fox
had written out the story as much to make his sister smile as to woo a woman that Sam swore
was his foreign Princess. "I hoped... I thought maybe there might be something more to
destiny besides other people's obligations." Fox threw away the mangled remains of his
breakfast. "We should get moving." He wasn't ready to emotionally expose himself to his
companions, not in that regard.
"I did enjoy it." Dana pulled her gear together. "I loved it in fact. I had it tucked in my diary
but now it's gone. What with all that's happened, I shouldn't be surprised." She tried to
catch his gaze but he was avoiding her. "Maybe you could re-write it, or even send for the
book."
"Father burned most of the books when I was twelve." He announced flatly.
"Why?" The query emerged involuntarily. She could see it was mistake almost instantly.
"Because he could." Fox snapped before heading back to the roadway.
"Ouch." Gabrielle commented. "Were those blades or words?"
"Both." Dana confirmed the observation. She accepted the helping hand that Gabrielle offered
and climbed to her feet.
"He hates his father." The Bard passed along her insight. "Possibly with just cause. Step
carefully around that topic, Dana."
As grim as that revelation was it couldn't completely obliterate the flutter of pleasure that
the casual physical contact caused Dana. She squeezed the blonde's hand. "For as long as it
lasts... I'm glad you're with us, Gabrielle."
"Me too."
The women followed the path Fox had taken.
SHARPE: "We don't use muskets. We use rifles. My men are all crack shots. We call them
the Chosen men. They never miss."
Their brief encounter last night had been great fun but what Sharpe now observed was a
thing of heart-stopping beauty. Xena had stripped down to her thin chemise and pants while
she ran through a drill by the light of false dawn. Every movement the gorgeous woman
made from the placement of her feet to the arch of her sword arm was impressive. At one
point she sprang up from a crouch to perform a complete flip and land in a battle ready
position. Her bare blade danced through a set of slashes and stabs that skimmed the edges of
several trees without cutting the bark. The control her actions suggested was almost
frightening.
She probably noticed him long before she actually acknowledged his arrival. One moment
Xena was whirling in place, her legs kicking out, the next she whipped into a headstand and
jump that landed her right in front of the observing Major. A sheen of sweat slicked her skin.
Xena's pale eyes were glittering with excitement.
"Would you like to duel, Richard?"
The timbre of her voice shot straight to his groin, grabbing and squeezing. Sharpe had to
swallow twice before he could get his own voice to work properly. "How about a shooting
match instead." He was certain he stood a better chance if rifles, rather than blades, were
involved. "We could make a wager on the outcome." His confidence expanded even more as
her dark head shook a negative.
Xena ran her free hand over his shoulder and down one uniformed arm. "I suspect the forfeit
you would choose, Richard, and you've already won that prize as soon as time and the Frogs
allow."
Sharpe leaned to take a kiss. He was well aware how close the action brought him to the edge
of her naked blade but that was a factor in his pleasure. Pity they couldn't take the time to
indulge but duty, as always, had to come first. Richard pulled back sooner than he wanted to.
"We should get going." Xena prompted.
"Aye. The lads are ready to go." He informed her. "We've all the gear stashed on the
Colonel's horse so we can move quickly." He put some space between them to help his
composure.
"All right, but how about you move your baggage to my pack animal so you can ride beside
me, Richard." Xena stared into his eyes, promising much.
"Should have thought of that myself." The Major nodded. "So... " He swallowed. "Are we
going overland or on roadways?"
"A bit of both." Xena sheathed her sword and set to donning her outer clothes as if they
were her long retired armour. "I was thinking that getting ahead of them and setting up an
ambush might be the way to go." She extracted her hair from under her collar with a
purposefully seductive lift of her arms. "If you agree, Richard."
"Aye." Sharpe gave himself a mental slap, striving for focus. "You said they outnumbered
us, by how much?"
"I'm confident it's no more than your men can handle. I've heard how good your lot
are... and I'm worth my weight in a scrap too." Her tone was light and coaxing.
When she finished putting herself together and they had collected Xena's horses the Major
took her over to where his patrol was waiting. Every one of them was staring her way as the
couple entered the small clearing. Their faces were painted with varying shades of
admiration. Xena wasn't sure if it was a credit to her appearance or her reputation.
"These are the lads." Richard introduced. "Hagman, Harris, Cooper and Perkins." He
pointed each out in turn.
"Boys." Xena inclined her head. "I hope you're in the mood to shoot some Frogs." She
smiled. "I've just the spot for a little target practice... assuming they keep on the path I
expect."
"Tuck yer tongue away, Perkins. It's draggin' on the ground." Harper whispered to the
youngest rifleman.
"I'm riding with Xena." Sharpe announced with a smug grin. "Move this gear over to her
second horse, Patrick."
"Right away, Sir." Pat grinned. A hand-sign sent the men scrambling to the job.
"Nice animals you've got here, Miss Xena." Harris ran a hand down one golden flank.
"Fortunes of war." She commented. "They stole my horse so I took a couple of theirs." Xena
looked over the animal Sharpe was going to ride. Their wayward Colonel had good taste in
horseflesh. Xena waited until she was certain Sharpe was watching then she vaulted
gracefully up into her saddle. As soon as it was available Sharpe was up on the other horse
and beside her. Marking his territory in front of the men, Xena thought with dark
amusement. The poor boy didn't have a clue what he was dealing with.
"What's our direction?" Richard asked. "I want to send a couple of the lads ahead to scout
out the column and the terrain."
"I've been hearing a lot about you from the locals." Xena ignored his query. Her knees
nudged her mare into movement forcing them to follow her lead. "You've been doing some
fine work."
"Thank you... "
She couldn't allow him much time for questioning her about the French troop. "So tell me,
when are your Generals going to move their flabby, white asses into France where the front
belongs?"
Below and behind them Harper let out a bark of amusement. Sharpe's snicker was much
more subdued. "You can ask them yourself when we finish up here. They're more likely to
tell an ally what's going on than confide in me." He tried to catch her eyes. "You are coming
back to base with us, aren't you Xena?"
"Probably." She forced herself to smile yet again. Her cheeks were starting to hurt from
using out of practice muscles. "How could I miss an opportunity for more... time in your
charming company." Xena suggested something else entirely with a quirk of one black
eyebrow. Let him think what he wanted, she wasn't prepared to make any decisions until the
French Major's head was rolling in the dirt and she had a chance to grill Sharpe's
wandering Colonel about his odd behaviour and true mission. The fact that the strange Brit
had guarded her target's back at the farm had to be answered for. "Everyone's company... "
She added. "How could I miss a chance to see the finest riflemen in Wellington's army in
action?" Xena twisted slightly in her saddle. "If I'm to believe everything I've heard you've
a least one man who can shoot a flea off a hare's ear at 50 paces."
"That'd be Hagman, Miss Xena." Harper offered up. "He's got a hawk's eye, he does."
The man in question smiled self-conconciously, his shoulders shrugging, but he didn't
verbally respond to the compliement.
"And if your considerable battle skills weren't enough... " Xena caught Patrick's eye,
offering yet another smile... this time just for him. "It's been ages since I've seen so many
strong, handsome men all in one place." She stroked their egos. "I haven't felt so secure
since the war began."
DEEP THROAT: "A lie Mr Mulder, is most convincingly hidden, between two truths..."
It was a strange situation, Aleksandr decided, waking up next to the same person he'd gone
to sleep with. Normally he would have hit the door as soon as his partner was finished with
him, at least the men. Women sometimes let him stay the night. Of course he and Navarre
were dressed so it hardly seemed as intimate a scene as it could have been. Bare skin simply
wasn't practical with the Princesa and Sharpe's lot stalking them.
"We need to get moving I suppose." Etienne stated absently right at Alek's ear. "You need
to get to Paris." But despite his words Navarre showed no sign of rising just yet.
[As if that weren't the primary thought in my head.] Aleksandr sighed, complaining
internally. The Russian made himself lay without protest as a finger extended to trace the
line of his face. It tickled. "I need some letters from you to your friends instructing them to
help me... or a token of some kind." Alek prompted cautiously.
"You're too innocent looking to be an assassin. How can your victims take such a choirboy's
face seriously?" Navarre touched the other's mouth.
Aleksandr had no wish to be complimented in such a fashion or coddled. The urge to slap the
annoyance away was strong but instead he purposefully turned into the caress. If the
affection was simply a reaction to bodies clashing it was an annoying waste of time but if it
was sincere it gave him another tool. Alek reminded himself what really mattered. Navarre
had money, connections in Paris and an out of the way estate. Those were all things that
Aleksandr needed.
Etienne pulled his hand back. "We'll get you a little further into safe territory then you can
go. I've got to stay out here." Navarre sat up. "What do you know about 'La Princesa
Guerrera', Alek?"
"The Princesa's name is Xena. She's working alone on the fringe..." The spy outlined.
"... not taking orders from anyone. The British are worried that she might turn on them if the
mood strikes her so they've sent out a small rifle company to collect her for a little chat with
Wellington. The Major I ditched seems to know her in a round about way. His dead wife was
a partisan." Aleksandr supplied.
"Tell me about the company you ran from. Where are they? Do we need to be concerned
with them?"
"It's just a Major, a Sergeant and four riflemen." Alek summarised. "Although I'm told
they're all crack shots. I got a little turned around but I think they're somewhere to the
south-west of here. The Major is stopping at every settlement to drop his name with the
locals. That's Major Richard Sharpe. He's expecting this Xena woman to come find him.
They thought I was a Colonel named Mulder. I slipped away without breaking cover. God
knows what they think happened to me."
Navarre considered a passing fancy. "If we were to take this Major Sharpe captive would the
Princesa attempt a rescue? Is he that good a friend?"
"I don't know." Alek shrugged. "But killing Sharpe would put you in Ducos' good book for a
while, which can't hurt until I get myself into place at your manor. I'd be careful though.
Sharpe's a tricky bastard."
Navarre rolled away and grabbed after his uniform jacket. "I've a map in one of the packs. I
need to show you how to find my family's winery. My ink and paper are stored with it so I
can fix you up some notes." He caught Alek's stolen officer's coat at the same time. "I'm not
comfortable with the idea of you wearing this." What looked like a dozen knives tumbled from
the folds of it as he lifted the green jacket. "Holy mother, Alek." Etienne stared across at the
young man he was about to send to his home and family.
"I work alone... behind enemy lines." Aleksandr reminded him in a mild, harmless tone. "I
have to be able to protect myself. These are for self-defence." He attempted to soothe the
distrust he saw forming in Navarre's grey eyes. "If I was harmless then I wouldn't be much
of a guard for your parents, would I?" Alek moved to tug Mulder's uniform away. "Please, I
need this, Etienne... just for a little while longer."
"Impersonating an officer is a hanging offence." Navarre didn't release the fabric. "Don't
make me regret this Alek."
Using the jacket as a rope, Aleksandr pulled Navarre to him and then leaned forward himself.
"I know that my past doesn't exactly encourage you to trust me." His voice was a breathy
whisper. "But I want what you're offering so you have me under control." Alek
submissively offered his mouth up for a kiss.
Etienne couldn't help himself. He took it, devouring the younger man. He was also the one
who chose when to end the kiss. "Behave."
"Whatever you say, I'll do." The Russian assured the blonde but he kept a tight grip on the
jacket. Alek stayed in his passive crouch until the Major withdrew from the small tent. Once
he was safely alone a faint snort of amusement escaped. What was the point of buying a
guard-dog if it's teeth weren't strong enough to protect your property? Still it wouldn't be
smart to annoy the Frenchman until he had what he needed to enact the escape of his brother
and sister.
...and all the paths begin to converge...
La Princesa Guerrera VIII
by Carla Jane and Jim
SCULLY: "Thinking about what?"
MULDER: "The usual. Destiny. Fate. How to throw a curve ball. The inextricable
relationships in our lives that are neither accidental nor somehow in our control
either." 
