CHARACTERS:
Eve
Joxer
Angel Callisto

Summary: What do you want? It was written at 3am after seeing Eve.

Eve staggered away from the temple of Peace. She moved half-blinded by the memories of her mother's pregnacy and her own birth and infancy. But most off all, a young man's face kept superimposing itself over the face of the old man she had killed.

Younger, handsome, kind, cheerful, loving, Uncle Joxer. She'd murdered her Uncle Joxer, a man her mind couldn't remember, but her heart still loved.

Gabrielle's scream of denile echoed in Eve's ears until she fell moaning against a boulder with her hands clamped over her ears.

"Hey, kid," said a warm male voice that sounded painfully familiar.

Eve whimpered and tried to curl up even tighter into a fetal ball.

"Nope, sorry, Evie," the voice said gently. "None of that. "You and me have to talk. Come on, look at me."

Eve's eyes opened slowly and blinked in the unearthly light. "Jox... Joxer?"

The light faded away until the Joxer of her newly recovered baby memories was crouching in front of her, with the addition of a set of white wings. "Hi, there."

"Are.... Are you going to punish me?" Eve asked almost hopefully.

Joxer sighed and smoothed her tangled brown hair back from her filthy face. "No, sweetie. You're doing a pretty good job of that yourself."

"But, I killed you. I was going to kill Gabrielle, but I killed you." Eve whimpered again.

"No, you didn't," Joxer assured her. "Livia killed my body, not you. And my heart and soul had already been dead for a long time.... Well, mostly dead, except for the bits I gave to Virgil. He's a good guy, by the way."

Eve blinked. "You're telling me that I didn't kill you, then trying to talk up your son? Does being dead make you nuts?"

"Yes, yes, and no," Joxer chuckled. "That last bit was just a passing thought until you get your head screwed on straight again."

"Joxer, it's time to go," said a light female voice.

"In a second, Calisto," Joxer said over his shoulder. "Hey, Eve! This is Calisto, she helped make you, I guess."

Eve looked up beyond Joxer and into her own eyes. She blinked again. "You're... You're me."

"I am a part of you, Eve," Calisto told her softly. "As your mother is a part of you."

"And Calisto's not so bad, you know?" Joxer said as he stood up. "Now, don't worry. I'm never going to be far away. I got this great job until your mom and Gabrielle come join me. I get to be your Guardian Angel, so don't make it too hard for me to keep up, okay, Evie?"

"Joxer?" Eve whispered.

"Yeah?"

"Will you sing me to sleep at night? Like when I was a baby?"

Joxer crouched beside her again. "Every night that you want, sweetie."

Eve nodded. "I'm sorry, Uncle Joxer."

"I love you, Eve," Joxer whispered as he and Calisto faded into a soft white light before that too faded into nothingness.

Eve felt herself start to drift off to sleep when a familiar tune floated to her ears, drowning out the screams for a time.

"Joxer the Mighty, roams through the country side, with Evie as his side kick...."

Please take a moment to write to Ephiney at ephiney@yahoo.com and let her know how you liked the story!

COPYRIGHT NOTICE:
Xena: Warrior Princess, Xena, Gabrielle, Joxer, Eve, 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. No infringement of copyrights or trademarks is intended in the writing of this fan fiction. This story is copyright © 2000 by Ephiney, 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.