By MMW
They stood back-to-back, swords at the ready. The stench of battle and death surrounded them; death they had caused; battle they had won. They hadn't intended to find their way into battle, but for half-gods like them, a peaceful walk would be unlikely indeed. Knowing this, they ensured they were always at the ready, even though they had only met today.
He now scanned the half of the battlefield before him. Bodies bearing the mark of their skill with the broadsword lay scattered about, some still leaking blood, most not. A remnant of the enemy remained and struggled to organize. He knew his partner was doing the same, evaluating the threat.
A bead of sweat traced a downward path between the two. He couldn't tell whose it was, but it didn't matter. The two had fought as one today, symmetry in every motion. An intuitive communication existed between the two causing their fighting techniques to meld into a poetry rarely achieved in life, let alone battle.
"I've got ten circling," came the terse report.
"Same," Vin replied, swinging his broadsword in a circle as he prepared for the attack. No response came from his partner. No response needed to. Each of them knew what needed to be done and each would see to it they emerged victorious. A cruel smile curved his lips and a deadly twinkle lit his eye as the first of the enemy approached.
Thirty intense minutes later, the battle was over. All of the enemy had been defeated. Stepping away from his position, he picked his way across the field of bodies until he reached the edge of the forest where he found their horses. Reaching into his saddlebags, he removed the cloth and oil he used to clean his blade. He didn't need to turn to know his partner was doing the same.
Finally satisfied in the cleanliness of his blade, he turned toward his companion, his breath catching in his throat. She was beautiful. Still flush from the thrill of battle, her eyes glowed with life. The splatters of their enemies' blood did little to deter his growing desire for her. He drank in the sight of her, the shifting of her powerful muscles underneath what had to be the smoothest, softest looking skin he'd ever seen, the grace and fluidity of her motions, each movement which wasted no energy, yet sent his blood singing in a way very different from that of its battle song. As she looked up into his eyes, he felt his mind freeze and his breath catch in his throat. It took several moments for him to process the fact she'd asked him a question. "What?" he asked, wincing at how stupid that sounded.
One side of her mouth lifting in a crooked grin, she glanced at the ground before asking again, "I asked where you studied sword fighting."
"Oh," he said, mentally shaking himself. "Mount Olympus College. You?"
"Elysian Fields University," she replied, mounting her horse.
He nearly choked at the sight of her leg swinging over the back of her horse. His mind projected images of her swinging her leg over him instead. Stop it, he chastised himself. Shaking his head and mounting his own horse, shifting uncomfortably as he tried to accommodate the stiffening bulge at the front of his breeches. Taking a deep breath and forcing his mind to focus on something else, he turned his horse to follow her.
They had been riding about ten minutes when she turned off onto a little used side path. His brow furrowing , he asked, "Where are we going? Is this an unknown shortcut to Athens?"
Turning to face Vin, Meredith smiled and shook her head. "No," she said with a soft laugh. "I just thought we could take a few minutes to bathe. Riding into Athens in our current state could cause a… sensation," she finished, a wry smile resting on her lips.
Vin swallowed hard. When she had turned, he had been caught by her eyes. Knowing he was quickly losing himself in their depths, he focused elsewhere, only to settle on her mouth. Seeing her full, pink lips settle into a wry smile did little for his predicament other than make it worse. Now she was suggesting they bathe together. How had he let these feelings in? She was his partner in battle, not a woman… OK, very much a woman, but not someone he would normally be attracted to. Still there could be no denying his desire.
Watching her dismount the horse, he found his own way to the ground. He bit his lip to suppress a groan that threatened to escape as she easily slid out of her clothes and waded into the water, leaving her sword close by. Seeing her naked form slip into the water, barely creating a ripple, he struggled with his own clothes, praying she would keep her back turned until he was in the water as well.
Finally managing to shed his clothes, he made his way into the clear water, thankful Meredith had kept her back turned. Wetting the cloth he had brought with him, he began scrubbing away the blood of battle, becoming aware of minor aches, bruises and cuts as he proceeded. So intent had he been on scrubbing off one particularly stubborn patch of blood that he failed to notice Meredith's silent approach until she placed her hand over his and took the cloth. Looking up again, he found himself staring into those enticing eyes.
Smiling at the stunned man, Meredith offered, "Let me get your back and help with your hair, then you can help me."
Unable to trust his voice, Vin simply nodded his compliance. He had been terrified to allow his eyes to drop from her face, knowing he wouldn't be able to control his impulses if he were to look at her wet, naked chest, glistening in the golden sunlight as rivulets of water dripped down the swell of her bosom only to hang on her hardened nipple before… NO! he scolded himself mentally. This is Meredith. You only recently met her. She is your partner in battle and damn good with a broadsword, probably with any bladed weapon given she studied at Elysian Fields. You're asking to be split from belly to chin if you try anything, not to mention screwing up a perfectly good fighting team.
Vin managed to keep his self-chastisement focused in the fore of his mind as Meredith scrubbed away the battle residue from his back Soon, though, her ministrations took on a different feel. Instead of the rasp of the harsh cleansing cloth, he felt her hands caressing and kneading his sore back muscles. Tension drained from him as the knots of the day's battles - internal and external - were freed.
Floating on a wave of peace, she caught Vin unaware with her ministrations to his hair. This cleansing, too, had started as just that - a cleansing, but after removing the tangles and blood, her fingers began massaging his temples and scalp. Soon he felt the unmistakable pressure of her lips caressing his forehead. Before he could open his eyes, he felt her body press against his, her hands beginning an exploration of him as her mouth moved its attentions to his throat. Gods this felt good. A smile curved his lips as he thought, I'll let her know exactly how good.
"Vin", Meredith said. "Vin!" came the louder cry.
His head snapping up, Vin opened his eyes and scanned his surroundings. Taking in the incandescent lights, the comfortable sofa, the recliner and the flickering light of the television, he soon realized he was no longer in ancient Greece. He opened his mouth to ask what had happened, but felt the words freeze as he found himself looking into the very pair of eyes about which he'd just been dreaming.
Seeing the confusion in his eyes and passing it off as his having just woken up, Meredith explained, "You fell asleep somewhere around hour eight of the Hercules/Xena marathon JD talked us into. You looked so peaceful I told them to just let you sleep."
"Oh," he managed to get out. That sounded real intelligent, Tanner, he berated himself.
Shifting her eyes to the floor, Meredith paused before continuing. "Everyone else went home about an hour ago. If you're not up to the drive, I have a spare room you can use tonight…" she offered, her voice trailing off as her eyes once more sought the carpet. She worried about how forward she sounded.
Rather spend the night in your room, Vin thought before blinking. Where did that thought come from? he wondered. "Thanks," he finally managed in reply. "I think I'll take you up on that offer."
Smiling at the attractive man and hoping he couldn't hear her heart racing, Meredith responded, "Good. It's pancakes for breakfast tomorrow morning; so don't sleep too late. Now, let me show you to your room" Starting down the hall, she heard Vin's footsteps behind her and wondered if she'd be able to sleep with him under the same roof. Suppressing a sigh, she put those thoughts out of her mind. It was ridiculous. They worked together; nothing could ever come of it; Vin saw her as a co-worker and nothing more. "I've set out some clean towels for you," she said, hoping he didn't notice the way her voice faltered. Where had that image of Vin naked in the shower with her scrubbing his back come from? "If you need anything else, let me know," she finished, stepping to the side to let Vin enter the guestroom.
Just need you… naked… scrubbing my back… in a pond… in my bed…Hell, in a tree or right here in the hall, he thought. "Thanks, but I think I'm all set for now," he said, catching her scent as he stepped past her and suddenly needing, very badly, to adjust his pants.
"OK," Meredith replied, smile still firmly in place. She had felt a light touch of… what? Disappointment? When he said he was all set, but that was to be expected. He wouldn't ever be interested in her. Turning to leave she stopped when Vin called her name. Turning to face him, unconsciously holding her breath, she simply inquired, "Yes?"
Vin opened his mouth, closed it, bit his lip and then, taking a deep breath asked, "Have you ever… used a broadsword?"
Stunned by his off-the wall question, it took Meredith several seconds to formulate an answer. "Well, I had a lesson once at an SCA event, but I was more interested in archery at the time. Why?"
Vin smiled bashfully. "No reason," he replied. "G'night."
Smiling back, Meredith responded with, "Sleep well," wondering if she would get any sleep at all this night. Broadswords, she pondered, heading toward her own room. Shaking her head she decided they had both seen too much bad television that night.
