Sex: Nope.
Violence: Nope again.
Language: Clean as a whistle! Well, sorta. ;-)
Feedback: Pretty please!

"Sometimes"
by Britney Spears

You tell me you're in
love with me
Like you can't take
your pretty eyes away
from me
It's not that I don't want to stay
But every time you come too close
I move away

I wanna believe in everything that you say
'Cause it sounds so good
But if you really want me, move slow
There's things about me you just have to know

Chorus
Sometimes I run
Sometimes I hide
Sometimes I'm scared of you
But all I really want is
to hold you tight
Treat you right, be with you
day and night
Baby all I need is time

I don't wanna be so shy
Every time that I'm
alone I wonder why
Hope that you will wait for me
You'll see that you're the only one for me

I wanna believe in everything that you say
'Cause it sounds so good
But if you really want me, move slow
There's things about me
You just have to know

Repeat Chorus

Just hang around and you'll see
There's nowhere I'd rather be
If you love me, trust in me
The way that I
trust in you

Repeat Chorus

Xena was feeling better now that she was herself again. It was hard to imagine what it'd be like if she stayed nonviolent, not remembering anything about her jaded past. She slowed down to keep up with her best friends behind her. Ever since she and her best friend returned from Paradise, Gabrielle had been more alert and suspicious of everything that moved, especially the man walking alongside her. Those two. she thought, Why can't they just talk? Maybe they'll realize how much they mean to each other.

Joxer looked toward Gabrielle, desperately thinking of something to talk about. What CAN you say, doofus? You've already made her nervous around you, don't add to it! Thinking it a bad idea, he instead trotted next to Xena, with a huge goofy grin on his face. "So! Where to, now? We could go to Athens, see some shows..."

"I hate shows." Xena curtly interrupted.

Joxer frowned for a brief moment. "Uhh, okay. We could take a load off, then, you know. The whole trip back to Greece has been pretty hard on us, don't you think?"

Xena thought of this. "I guess you're right. It's been especially hard on Argo. We'll stop at the next inn. Until then we have to press on," she decided as she nudged Argo to move faster.

Gabrielle had been very quiet the entire time, not knowing what to say or do. The past few days had been hectic: fighting Xena in Heaven and Hell, coming back from the dead, fighting two war gods, Joxer telling her he loved her. Out of all that had happened, his confession had been the hardest to deal with. I wish I had time to discuss this with him, why did he tell me at the wrong time?! Oh, but I can't really blame him for all of this. It must have been horrible for him when Xena and I died. Sometimes, I wish I could just hug him, tell him everything's okay, he's always looking at me, making sure I don't vanish or die on him again. Gabby realized she had stopped walking and that both Joxer and Xena were staring at her.

"What is it, Gabrielle?" Xena asked, concerned.

"No, it's, nothing--I mean it is, but, something worth waiting." Xena shrugged it off and continued walking, but Joxer stood there with a strange look on his face, waiting for his bard to catch up.

"Gabby? If there's something wrong, you can talk to me, ok?"

"Yeah. Of course." she said.

The inn was to its near capacity when the trio arrived. They had been accustomed to the qualities of a place like this, and were prepared, though tired, to take care of any quarrels or fisticuffs. This inn, however was a lot more festive and colorful, with people laughing and singing folklores. "Finally, my kinda place!" Joxer exclaimed.

"Not mine," retorted Xena, with a tone of disgust.

Gabrielle looked about the lovely haven, seeing small children being entertained by people in funny hats and bells on their shoes. It eventually reminded her of how she used to entertain others at the tavern by telling stories, when she actually wrote. Joxer's eyes widened when he saw an unused lute on a table, trotted to it, and began playing. "Ha ha! Still got it!"

Xena smirked and Gab rolled her eyes. They went over to the bartender. "Have anything to cure a headache?" she inquired.

"Why," the tender said gleefully, "yes, I do! Something I acquired from a faraway land! It's called ... coffee!"

"Coffee?" Gabby yawned.

"Yes! Coffee! It even keeps you awake!" the jolly man grinned. "Here, try some. It's 7 dinars a cup."

"Seven?!" Xena yelled. "I'm not going to pay you seven dinars for some stupid drink, that's probably as good as distilled MUD!" Gabrielle sighed, and rummaged through her bag, not finding any money.

"Well, fine! If you're going to be that way!!" the tender scoffed. "Then don't have any!"

Gabrielle walked to Joxer, who was busy entertaining the guests with his lute and songs.

"... as his sidekick! Fighting with her little stick! C'mon everyone!"

Everyone sang -- "Righting wrongs and singing songs, being mighty all day long! He's Joxer, Joxer the Mighty!" -- and everyone cheered, laughing, dancing, having the time of their lives. It was making Gabrielle ill.

"Joxer?"

"What other songs do you know Joxer, the Magnificent?" one woman asked.

"I'll bet he knows 'em all!" a child beamed.

"Joxer!" Gabby called.

"I love my fans!" he sang.

"JOXER!!!" she screamed.

"What?" he said, annoyed. The fans returned to their tables and conversations.

"Do you have any dinars? I'm thirsty."

"Yeah." He handed her seven dinars. "Wanna hear some of my greatest hits?"

"Uh, maybe later."

"Gabby?"

"Yeah?"

"Remember, you can talk to me too." Joxer smiled weakly.

"Ok. I'll remember that. I'll be right back." She turned around the table where he was sitting to talk to Xena. "Xena, I'll be back, I have to do some thinking."

"Sure. Gabrielle, be careful, okay?" she said, drinking some water.

"Yeah, I know. Oh, here's some money. You owe Joxer."

"What? Oh, fine." Xena took the money, slammed it on the counter as the tender smirked at her.

Gabrielle paced back and forth outside the inn. These feelings are scaring me. No matter how hard I try to forget! No matter how childish he is, it doesn't work! She thought of all the times Joxer had saved her life, how many times he's tolerated her tweaks and whacks. You're a bitch, Gabrielle! When she looked up she realized she'd been outside for a couple of hours.

"Gabrielle," she heard someone behind her. In a quick flash she pulled out her sais, turned about to face Joxer. "Ah!" she yelled. "Joxer, gods, you scared me."

"Sorry, didn't mean to. Um, Xena sent me out here to see if you were okay. Are ya?" he smiled.

"No. I'm not, really.No, I need to speak to you. You know how you said I can tell anything?"

"Well, of course, Gabrielle. I'm your friend. I mean, I'm more than that, no, not that I more than just a friend, a close friend! But, uh.."

"Joxer!"

"Sorry." he smiled. "What do ya need?"

"Joxer, we really need to talk about this." Gabrielle intended to be quick about it, knowing that taking too long in her speech would lead to other quarrels. "About what you told me the other day. You said something important at a very difficult time. Why then? Why confess something that was worth waiting for?"

Joxer nodded slightly, his smile gone from his face, leaving a serious, calm look that made her nervous. "Because," Joxer started firmly, "I thought you were going to die. Don't call it an excuse, there's no other reason. I've lost you twice, for gods' sakes! I needed to tell you before you left me again, maybe forever."

"Joxer, I won't leave you again. Xena, you, and I will always be together! We're soulmates! I do care a great deal for you, even when it doesn't seem that way, but just not how you'd like--"

"Say something else."

"What?"

"Please say something else."

"What do you mean? What can I say? Did you expect this to be easy for me?" she growled.

"I'm sick of you being redundant. 'Joxer I love you but I'm not in love with you' is getting pretty old. For once, just tell me what you really feel. Stop treating me like a child. Open your heart to me, please. If you can do that with Xena, why not with me?"

Well, he was right. Gabrielle's excuses were worn out, not even she believed them anymore. This was not how it was supposed to go. How?! How do I say this? Being a bard, I should know. As she stared at Joxer, she no longer saw the annoying, impressionable wannabe warrior. There stood a man who would crawl to Tartarus and back on broken glass for her, a man who's heart was greater than any she'd ever known. Yes, he was inadequate at some times, but why had that ever mattered? For a long while, although never even thinking it to herself, she knew, deep down that there was more than a fondness for him. She no longer thought of him as a brother. My gods, I'm a coward.

"Yeah. It is. You know why?" Gabrielle said, her voice cracking and uncertain. Joxer turned to face her, now seeing her eyes welling up with tears, her face looking pale and nervous, as though she were to reveal a deep, hidden secret. "Because it isn't true." He squinted his eyes, still not completely understanding where she was going. "Joxer, this is not easy for me. I feel like a cowardly idiot, and guilty, because it must have been hard to say what you said."

Joxer nodded in agreement, then looking down, trying to to find something to say to make her feel better. "Gabby, you're good at words. Why can't you just say whatever you need to say?"

"Why?" she choked. " 'Cause, all that I've said is a lie. Me wanting to just be friends is a damned lie! I've known you for years. Certain things develop ... you know what I'm saying. It's ironic how all this time when you've been afraid of telling me the truth, all I was worried about was dealing with the consequences."

Joxer looked up from the floor. "What? Consequences? What are you trying to say?" He took a few steps closer to the bard, never taking his chocolate brown eyes away from her emerald green orbs.

Gabrielle swore she could hear a bit of hope in his tone. "I ... love you."

"I know you do."

"That isn't what I meant," she sobbed. "I'm ...in love ..."

Joxer held his breath in anticipation. He was mostly afraid of passing out.

"... with you."

Gabrielle closed her eyes, longing to exhale, but could not, for she was anxious to hear his reaction. When she opened them, she saw that Joxer had moved closer, so close their noses nearly touched. His eyes welled in joyful tears, and could not help grinning slightly. Simultaneously, he hugged her tightly, not ever intending to let go. "I knew it." he whispered happily.

"You did?" she smiled, letting her tears fall down her cheek.

"Yeah ... not at first, though. When you didn't bother to even look at me on our way to the inn, I thought it was because you were ashamed of me."

"Joxer, I am not ashamed of you, embarrassed, or any of the like. I love you, you love me, that's that." She finally let out a sigh. "Zeus, that did feel good, telling you, telling myself. Saying it out loud!"

"It did. Well?" he said

"Well what?

"What do we do now that we've let it out?" They both hadn't realized that they were still in their embrace.

"I'm still ... afraid. Afraid that it won't work out, or that one of us will get hurt ..."

"Don't be. Just trust in me, the way I trust in you."

"I wanna believe in everything you say, because it sounds so good."

Gabrielle pulled away gently from her beloved. "I don't know. It's been such a long time since I've had a love like this. When Perdicus died, it just--I didn't, at that time, think I was capable of loving again. I know Xena was there, and she's the best friend anyone could have. But I wanted more, I needed more than just a shoulder to cry on, or a confidant. There's you."

Joxer looked lovingly at his bard and stroked her face with his hand. "Yeah. I'm here. I promise I'll never hurt you. I don't want to replace Perdicus, I know I'll never love you the way he did. But no matter where we go, what we do, I'll always be here. To tell you the truth, what I'm really worried about is screwing up, or going too fast. And, what about Xena? How is she gonna react to this?"

His bard looked at him with confidence and embraced him again. "She'll probably laugh and say 'It's about time!'." They both laughed, knowing that the warrior princess would be overjoyed. "But Joxer, before we get into whatever we're getting into, we do need some time to consider all this, don't you think?"

"Well, not really." Joxer whined.

"Joxer.." Gabby nagged.

"Ok. Yeah, time. For now, all I wanna do is hold you tight." Gabrielle leaned close to Joxer and gently brushed her lips against his, stepping back to look at him. However, she was pulled again for another kiss by her mighty warrior. They stood there for another minute or two, before walking back to the inn.

They did not notice that behind a nearby tree hid a grinning Xena, silently cheering.

"All I need is time." she said simply. Xena couldn't help a little victory dance before following her friends, and maybe trying some of that "coffee" drink people are talking about.

Please take the time to write to Ariel at wildefaery16@yahoo.com, and let her know how you liked the story!

COPYRIGHT DISCLAIMER:
Xena: Warrior Princess, Xena, Gabrielle, Joxer, and all other characters who have appeared in the series, together with the names, titles and backstory are the sole copyright property of StudiosUSA and Renaissance Pictures. The lyrics to "Sometimes" are owned by the appropriate copyright holders. No infringement of copyrights or trademarks is intended in the writing of this fan fiction. This story is copyright © 2001 by Ariel Greene and is her sole property along with the story idea. This story cannot be sold or used for profit in any way. Copies of this story may be made for private use only and must include all disclaimers and copyright notices.