“I’m going to take a shower,”
Xena said and Ulysses nodded and watched as she walked away and
headed into the bath chamber. He let out a breath and went into the
sitting room where he sat down and thought about the best way to
talk to Xena about what happened earlier and what he was keeping
from her. As he sat there and thought time passed Ulysses by and
before he knew it, it was almost an hour later. He walked back into
the bedroom and found Xena sitting on the floor in front of the
fire place brushing her wet hair dry, as she looked into the fire.
Ulysses changed into his pajama’s then walked over to Xena
with a glass of wine, “here,” he said and she looked up
at him and grinned as she took the glass from him.
“Thanks,” she said and he nodded as he sat down behind
Xena, placing his legs on either side of her as he scooted up
behind her and Xena took a sip of the wine then sat the glass
down.

 

 

Ulysses picked up the brush and began brushing
Xena’s hair and she let him as she continued to look into the
fire and they sat there for a while in silence until Ulysses broke
it fifteen minutes later. “I think we should talk about what
happened earlier,” Ulysses said softly as he continued to
brush Xena’s hair while running his fingers through it.
“I don’t think there’s really much to talk about,
today I found out that you’re hiding a piece of yourself from
me, an important piece I think,” Xena said and Ulysses let
out a breath as he stopped brushing Xena’s hair, sat the
brush down and wrapped his arm around her as he leaned into her and
looked into the fire with her. “I’m sorry Xena, this
part of myself, I’ve hidden for so long around certain people
that its hard for me to just…let loose,” Ulysses said
as he struggled to find the words on how to explain what he was
feeling to Xena.

 

 

“I want to let you in Xena, I crave for you
to know this part of me but I’m afraid…afraid that you
won’t like what you see in me and I feel as if you’re
not ready.” Ulysses said and Xena turned slightly and looked
into his eyes, “you can’t make that decision for
me,” Xena said as she looked at him and he looked at her.
“And I love everything I see in you Ulysses, even some not so
good qualities but loving you, loving all of you is what is meant
when they say love a person for who they are, not who you want them
to be.” Xena said then placed her hand against his cheek as
she continued to speak to him, “I love you Ulysses for who
you are, for all of who you are and I don’t want you to be
anything that you already aren’t or that you don’t want
to be.” Xena said and Ulysses looked away but Xena turned his
face back, “there are a lot of things in this world that
people want but do you know what I want?”