over the horizon when Melanie heard the soft tap at the
door. She put down the one of hundreds of paint swatches strewn over the little breakfast
table, rubbing at her eyes as she got up. Something in her stomach fluttered when she opened
the door and saw Taylor's smiling face.
"Hey, you," the brunette said playfully, almost seductively. Seductively? Where the hel did that come from? "Hey, yourself.
Come on in." She stood aside, allowing the taller woman to enter, noting with approval that she definitely preferred Taylor's hair down, as it was now, falling in big, dark, fluffy waves around
her shoulders. Her dream from the previous night came unbidden into her mind, and she
swallowed hard.
"I'm not interrupting anything, am I?"
"Absolutely not. I was just looking at some colors." She gestured to the swatches.
"What are you painting?"
"I can’t stand the brown any longer. If Sam wants to kil me, she can. Serves her right,
anyway, for leaving me. How long does she think I can sit around and do nothing?"
Taylor plopped down on the couch as Melanie retrieved some Pepsi from the fridge. "Have you
heard from her?"
"Oh, didn’t I tel you?" Melanie called from the kitchen. "She and Rob are biking across Canada."
"What?"
"Yup." She handed a glass to Taylor. "Who knows when the hell she’ll be back."
Taylor hated to see the disappointment in the older woman’s eyes. Although the move didn’t
surprise her, she was angry at Samantha for hurting her cousin. "Well, that was a lousy thing
to do." A sudden thought struck her, causing her to nearly choke on her Pepsi. "You’re not leaving, are you?"
A corner of Melanie’s mouth quirked up at the barely veiled panic in Taylor's voice, and a
warmth she couldn't explain filled her.
"No. I don't think so. Not right away."
Taylor's sigh of relief was audible, and she blushed. "Good. I haven't gotten to show you
around my city yet."
"I'd like that."
There was a long, comfortable silence.
"Hey," Taylor said suddenly. "Did you get a chance to watch the tapes?"
It was Melanie's turn to blush.
"You didn't?" Taylor guessed.
"Actually, I did. All six episodes. I stayed up way too late." She studied her glass, waiting for the inevitable.
"Ha! I knew it. You liked them, didn't you?"
Melanie blew out a breath in defeat, and grinned. "Okay, you win. I liked them...a lot." She'd actually been thinking about the show quite a bit throughout the day, surprised by how it had
affected her. She startled herself by sitting down on the couch right next to Taylor, their
legs touching. "Let me ask you something."
"Fire away," Taylor said, trying not to notice the heat her own body was generating from
having Melanie so close. She watched the blue eyes search the ceiling for what she wanted to
say.
"Are Xena and Gabriel e... um... together?" She wasn't quite sure how to word it. Oh, for
Christ's sake, just say it, her head screamed at her. What the hel 's the big deal? "I mean,
like... more than friends?"
A huge grin split across Taylor's face, and she nodded appreciatively. "I'm impressed. Not a
lot of straight people pick that up right away. Good catch."
"You mean, they are?" She was actually surprised by this.
"Wel , it depends on who you ask." Taylor launched into an entire Xena education, explaining to Melanie the whole concept of the "subtext" that portrayed Xena the warrior princess and her sidekick, Gabrielle, as lovers, how it came about accidentally. The creators of the show
decided to have a little fun with it, never solidly admitting to it, of course, lest the censors
get wind, and before long, Xena had become a lesbian icon.
Melanie was not only impressed by Taylor's knowledge and charmed by her obvious passion for
the show, but she realized that the relationship between the two characters was exactly what
she had liked so much. Sure, the action was fun, and it was great to finally see a female lead
character on television who didn't take any shit from
door. She put down the one of hundreds of paint swatches strewn over the little breakfast
table, rubbing at her eyes as she got up. Something in her stomach fluttered when she opened
the door and saw Taylor's smiling face.
"Hey, you," the brunette said playfully, almost seductively. Seductively? Where the hel did that come from? "Hey, yourself.
Come on in." She stood aside, allowing the taller woman to enter, noting with approval that she definitely preferred Taylor's hair down, as it was now, falling in big, dark, fluffy waves around
her shoulders. Her dream from the previous night came unbidden into her mind, and she
swallowed hard.
"I'm not interrupting anything, am I?"
"Absolutely not. I was just looking at some colors." She gestured to the swatches.
"What are you painting?"
"I can’t stand the brown any longer. If Sam wants to kil me, she can. Serves her right,
anyway, for leaving me. How long does she think I can sit around and do nothing?"
Taylor plopped down on the couch as Melanie retrieved some Pepsi from the fridge. "Have you
heard from her?"
"Oh, didn’t I tel you?" Melanie called from the kitchen. "She and Rob are biking across Canada."
"What?"
"Yup." She handed a glass to Taylor. "Who knows when the hell she’ll be back."
Taylor hated to see the disappointment in the older woman’s eyes. Although the move didn’t
surprise her, she was angry at Samantha for hurting her cousin. "Well, that was a lousy thing
to do." A sudden thought struck her, causing her to nearly choke on her Pepsi. "You’re not leaving, are you?"
A corner of Melanie’s mouth quirked up at the barely veiled panic in Taylor's voice, and a
warmth she couldn't explain filled her.
"No. I don't think so. Not right away."
Taylor's sigh of relief was audible, and she blushed. "Good. I haven't gotten to show you
around my city yet."
"I'd like that."
There was a long, comfortable silence.
"Hey," Taylor said suddenly. "Did you get a chance to watch the tapes?"
It was Melanie's turn to blush.
"You didn't?" Taylor guessed.
"Actually, I did. All six episodes. I stayed up way too late." She studied her glass, waiting for the inevitable.
"Ha! I knew it. You liked them, didn't you?"
Melanie blew out a breath in defeat, and grinned. "Okay, you win. I liked them...a lot." She'd actually been thinking about the show quite a bit throughout the day, surprised by how it had
affected her. She startled herself by sitting down on the couch right next to Taylor, their
legs touching. "Let me ask you something."
"Fire away," Taylor said, trying not to notice the heat her own body was generating from
having Melanie so close. She watched the blue eyes search the ceiling for what she wanted to
say.
"Are Xena and Gabriel e... um... together?" She wasn't quite sure how to word it. Oh, for
Christ's sake, just say it, her head screamed at her. What the hel 's the big deal? "I mean,
like... more than friends?"
A huge grin split across Taylor's face, and she nodded appreciatively. "I'm impressed. Not a
lot of straight people pick that up right away. Good catch."
"You mean, they are?" She was actually surprised by this.
"Wel , it depends on who you ask." Taylor launched into an entire Xena education, explaining to Melanie the whole concept of the "subtext" that portrayed Xena the warrior princess and her sidekick, Gabrielle, as lovers, how it came about accidentally. The creators of the show
decided to have a little fun with it, never solidly admitting to it, of course, lest the censors
get wind, and before long, Xena had become a lesbian icon.
Melanie was not only impressed by Taylor's knowledge and charmed by her obvious passion for
the show, but she realized that the relationship between the two characters was exactly what
she had liked so much. Sure, the action was fun, and it was great to finally see a female lead
character on television who didn't take any shit from
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