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DISCLAIMER: The characters in this story are uber and based on Xena and Gabrielle who are not my own and no copyright infringement is intended. This is written entirely in fun.

SUBTEXT DISCLAIMER: As far as I’m concerned, these two women are deeply in love and have a wonderful, beautiful, and rare relationship. I only wish everyone could find a love half as wonderful for I believe that if they did, they would be happy beyond their imagination.

OTHER STUFF DISCLAIMER: I got the idea for this from the Garth Brooks’ song Unanswered Prayers. I loved the idea but I didn’t strictly follow the song so forgive that I used the lyrics as I saw fit. I also threw in a couple of lines from the movie "Ghost". Garth Brooks’ song and words from it, anything from "Ghost", and the basic ideas presented here do not belong to me. Anything that’s not copyrighted to someone else is copyrighted to me. Also the ‘Highland Fling’ is a real honest to goodness ride at one of the ‘Six Flags’ theme parks. No I am not inventive enough to make up my own rides with my own names. No copyright infringement is intended.

Comments are always welcome and appreciated. Thank you very much.

Please send comments to: burrisx2@intertek.net

~^~^~

Unanswered Prayers
By Shalon

"Ooh...I wanna go there!" Emerald green eyes lit up as a slim hand reached up and brushed tendrils of honey golden hair back behind a small shell shaped ear, then pointed excitedly towards something proudly proclaiming to be the ‘Highland Fling’.

A much larger, stronger hand reached out and took hold of the outstretched arm, gently spinning its owner around. Vibrant blue eyes stared amusedly down into the upturned heart-shaped face of the younger woman.

"Are you sure?" A well shaped, dark eyebrow inched up into raven bangs where it hung in disbelief. "I mean after all Casey..." Cerulean eyes flicked to the carnival ride then back to her smaller companion. "That thing spins in circles and goes upside down. You can’t stand heights and if you’re not careful you get motion sickness in the car."

"Not one of my better ideas huh?" Gem colored eyes slid to the ride again, then back to the cotton candy she was holding, a small frown tugging at her lips. Casey pulled her hand out of her lover’s grasp and pulled off some of the pink stuff, offering it to the taller woman. When she shook her head, Casey shrugged and popped it into her own mouth, delighting as it melted on her tongue.

"I’m sorry Alex. It’s not fair to you."

"What’s that love?"

"That you can’t enjoy yourself because of me." She waved her arm at the rides scattered throughout the park that were there for the Fourth of July fair.

Alex pulled the younger woman into a hug, careful to keep the cotton candy out of the way.

"Who says I’m not having fun?" She murmured into the honey blond tresses tucked just under her chin.

"I’m having a wonderful time. It doesn’t matter what I’m doing as long as I’m with you, okay?"

She felt Casey nod before pulling back and looking up at her.

"I love you Alex."

"Me too Casey."

"You too what?" Emerald green eyes glinted mischievously up at her companion and an impish grin found its way to her lips.

Sapphire eyes traveled around the park then back to Casey. "Did you take that stuff I gave ya for motion sickness? Maybe we can hit some of the more tame rides."

Alex saw the light in those eyes darken somewhat at the ignored question and felt a pang of guilt, but she pushed it away and buried it deep down.

"Why won’t you tell me you love me? You do...don’t you?" Casey asked in a soft voice.

"Caaaseeey..." She drew her lover’s name out in a low rumble.

"What? Don’t you?" Alex saw the anger blazing in those eyes and knew it was a reaction to her hurting. She sighed and threaded long fingers through her raven locks.

"You know how I feel about you. I care about you very much."

"You care about me." Alex flinched at the flat tone and didn’t dare meet the hurt gaze that she knew was regarding her.

"Casey, we’ve gone over this. I told you when we first started seeing each other..."

"I know, I know..." She swiped an angry hand across burning eyes, determined not to cry. "Because people say it all the time and never really mean it. And when you finally say it..."

"She wants to be sure that it’s to the right person." Both women turned startled faces toward the voice that had just interrupted Casey.

"Hello Alex..." The voice purred.

Alex felt her heart stop and her mouth go dry as soon as she recognized the silky tone.

"Sara." Alex answered evenly. She felt Casey take a barely noticeable step closer to her and she wrapped her arm around the smaller woman’s shoulders drawing her in.

She was slim and a few inches taller than Casey. Shoulder length chestnut brown hair framed a noble face with twinkling brown eyes and a small upturned nose.

The woman’s russet eyes devoured Alex then let her gaze wander to Casey.

"It’s been what...six months...a year?"

Alex felt Casey stiffen under her arm.

"Two years Sara." She growled as she tightened her hold on the younger woman.

"So...is this your new..."

"Uh...Casey..." Alex quickly cut in. "This is Sara Stevens. Sara...Casey Winters."

Casey plastered a grin on her face and switched her cotton candy to her left hand as she stuck her right hand out in greeting.

"So...you were having the famous conversation huh?" She ignored Casey’s hand and her confused look.

"What brings you here?" Alex’s hand found the small of Casey’s back offering silent reassurance.

"Oh...seeing old friends..." Half lidded eyes perused Alex’s lean form, then slid to Casey, turning almost hostile in the same instant. "Making new enemies..."

Sara refocused on Alex and gave a lazy, almost predatory grin. "We could get together and talk about old times..."

Casey’s heart skipped a beat as she held her breath waiting for Alex’s answer.

"I don’t think so. We’ve already talked about all we need to." Sapphire eyes flicked to Casey momentarily when she felt the younger woman exhale and stand a little straighter.

"Oh...well...never hurts to ask...does it?" She waved a negligent hand.

"That’s a matter of opinion."

Hostile brown eyes shifted to Casey.

"You’ll never get those three important words outta her. I should know...I tried for almost three years."

She tossed a glance to Alex. "Take care of yourself Alex. But then...that’s what you’re best at...isn’t it?"

She turned and sauntered away, leaving an angry Alex and a very shaken Casey behind.

~^~^~

Alex looked over to Casey sitting at the table where she was scribbling in her diary.

It had been almost a week since they had ran into Sara and at first Casey had just seemed to shake it off and move on. But Alex had noticed that she was becoming more and more withdrawn lately.

She let out a tired little sigh.

"Casey..." She waited until the younger woman looked up. "C’mere. I wanna talk to you."

Alex waited patiently while the younger woman closed her diary and walked over to the loveseat, sitting down close but not quite touching her lover.

"You wanna tell me what’s bothering you?" Alex began softly.

Emerald green eyes widened slightly before Casey slumped back against the loveseat in defeat.

"Sorry...guess meeting Sara shook me up more than I thought."

"That’s understandable." She reached out and tentatively took the smaller hand in hers, startled at the cool clammy skin.

"About that comment...uh...I haven’t seen her for over two years. She was trying to guess how long we’d been together and shake you up by making you think..."

"I know." A small hand found Alex’s thigh and squeezed. "It’s okay..."

"No, it’s not." Alex blew out a breath. "I wanna tell you something. Just hear me out okay?"

Casey nodded; steeling herself against the knot that had suddenly formed in her stomach.

"When I was seeing Sara, I thought I had the most wonderful thing. I used to spend every night just praying to God to make her mine forever..."

"Alex, you don’t..."

"No...you said you’d listen..." She stroked the smaller hand with her thumb as she blew out a breath. "Please give me a chance?"

Casey stared into the pleading blue eyes and nodded again.

Alex licked her lips and swallowed.

"I swore that if He would just grant me that wish then I’d never ask for anything ever again..."

Casey’s jaw clenched and her eyes dropped to their entwined hands.

Alex knew that look. It was the look of someone steeling herself for a rejection. The look she knew she had worn the night that Sara had told her it was over between them.

Way to go Alex. You’re making it worse, not better.

"I guess what I’m trying to say is that when I saw her again the past came rushing back and there wasn’t really much that I could remember that was good."

Strong hands cupped the small chin and turned emerald green eyes up to meet her own.

"When she walked away and I turned to look at you...well it was then and there that I thanked God for the gifts in my life."

"What are you saying?" The knot in Casey’s stomach loosened just a little.

"I’m saying...the second greatest gift in my life was that unanswered prayer."

"What...what was the first." Casey asked breathlessly.

A callused thumb wiped away a tear, freshly escaped from its emerald prison as a dark head slowly bent to taste sweet red lips...

"You Casey." Alex whispered. "I love you."

~^~^~

By Shalon - 29Jun99

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