A gun fired and a woman screamed....

And the writer deleted the beginning in disgust. She sighed and closed her eyes for a long moment. That kind of story was so over done it wasn't even funny any more. It was has pitiful has 'It was a dark and stormy night....'.

She scrubbed a hand over her face and put her fingers back on the keyboard. She took a deep breath and started typing without looking at the small screen in front of her.

Janna: Amazon Warrior

by Ephiney, Amazon Bard

Copyright 1999

Janna sat up and scrubbed at her eyes. Her brother, Joxer, was asleep on the other side of the burned out fire. She smiled as he snored softly. Without waking him, Janna went to catch breakfast. She was in the mood for rabbit, and she had seen a run while they had looked for a place to camp. She had also left a snare on that run while she was going after dinner. In the mood for rabbit or not, she was willing to eat what ever she could catch. Janna chuckled as she found the sprung trap. Then a frown creased her forehead. The snare was empty. Janna's eyes dropped to the ground.

Foot prints. They weren't hers, or her brother's. Some one had stolen her catch. Janna sighed and resigned herself to actually hunting something down. Like a thief.

Janna nudged her brother awake. "Come on, Joxer the Mighty. Someone stole our breakfast, and I want to find them."

Joxer blinked his eyes open and glared up at his sister. "Huh?"

"Relax, brother, I caught something else to eat. And once you've stuffed your face, we'll go find who ever stole that rabbit." Janna smiled down at him. "You'll have to make do with quail."

"Quail is fine. Why do you want to find who ever stole your rabbit?" Joxer sat up and yawned, scrubbing at his eyes.

"Because from the rabbit's tracks, it wasn't very large. No even worth stealing really." Janna shrugged. "Who ever it was has to be starving. Isn't helping them the heroic thing to do?"

Joxer grunted around his meal. "Right."

"Good." Janna smiled at him has she sat down on the other side of the wide wooden platter. "So? Are we going to get your armor from the house?"

"No." Joxer shook his head. "It was just getting in my way."

Janna tilted her head to one side as she pulled off one of the drumsticks. "So you're going to stay with the light spears?"

"Yeah." Joxer blushed. "Xenan showed me how to use them and some of the girls..."

Janna arched an eyebrow. "The girls?"

"It's not like that!" Joxer protested. "You know how I feel about Gabrielle."

"Relax, I'm just teasing." She licked the grease off of her fingers.

"Oh, let's just go find your rabbit thief." Joxer pushed himself to his feet and glared down at her. He could just imagine Jett's commentary on the current situation. Joxer the Mighty, sidekick to his little sister.

"All right." Janna scrambled to her feet and lead him to the tracks.

Joxer crouched down to get a better look at the foot prints. "Too small for a grown up. But who would leave a kid all the way out here?"

"That's what I want to know." Janna muttered. "Come on."

Joxer nodded and followed her into the woods. Janna was going slowly and paused to check the tracks again. It seemed that she wasn't very sure about the trail sometimes. But she kept at it. Eventually, they came to a small rotting hut. There was no smoke coming from the roof. They exchanged a look, something felt wrong about the place. Joxer made a circle in the air and pointed at Janna for one direction and himself in another. Janna bit her tongue and after a moment nodded.

They moved off in opposite directions. Joxer went ducking from cover to cover while Janna slithered across the dirt, her dusty brown leathers blending easily into the dried out ground. They met on the other side of the house and explained what they had seen in the code they had used in childhood to keep secrets from their brothers. There was no real sign of life, but Janna was adamant about someone being in there. Joxer shrugged and motioned that they should take a look if she was so sure.

Janna slipped up to the back window and peeked in. A small boy was gnawing on a raw rabbit. Janna waved Joxer over and pointed to the window. She saw the frown creep across his lean face. He slid down with his back to the wall and gestured to Janna. She nodded and stood up.

The boy started when Janna stepped into the doorway. He tried to run passed her but she grabbed his arm and spun him around. He was dark-haired and dark eyed, and looked very much like she, Joxer, Jett and Jase had looked as kids.

Janna stared at him in shock for a long moment as he struggled in her iron grip. "Who are you, boy?"

"Daddy!" The boy shouted as he caught sight of Joxer.

Joxer and Janna exchanged confused looks. Joxer looked down at the boy, "What's your father's name, boy?"

"But, Daddy..." The boy frowned.

"I have two brothers," Joxer explained. "We all look alike. There names are Jett and Jase."

The boy blinked. "My father is Jett."

"And your name is?" Janna asked softly.

"Jerrin." He muttered.

"Well Jerrin, I'm your Uncle Joxer, and she's your Aunt Janna." Joxer smoothed back Jerrin's tangled hair. "Why don't you come with us?"

The boy looked from one to the other then nodded slowly. "Where's my dad?"

"Prison." Joxer said gently.

Xena looked up from the trail and saw three forms coming toward her and Gabrielle. One of the taller lanky forms raised an arm to wave to her, then tripped. Joxer, naturally.

The other tall form must be Janna then, but who could the smaller one be?

Gabrielle caught sight of their friends and an odd look painted itself across her face. It was sort of as if pain, hope and worry all tried to find their places at once.

Janna caught a hold of the smaller one with them when he tried to run. "Hold on Jerrin, these are our friends."

"Hi there, Jerrin. I'm Gabrielle." The strawberry-blonde smiled at the boy. He looked so much like Joxer that she had to wonder. After all, he had to have had a life before they had ever met. "Where did you come from?"

The boy stared balefully at her and shifted his dark eyes to Xena. The Warrior Princess arched an eyebrow at him trying not to think about her son. Solon had given her the same look the first time he had seen her. Janna sighed, she had hoped that meeting others would jar Jerrin out of the sulk he'd fallen in to when they'd told him Jett was in prison.

"Who are you?" Jerrin demanded petulantly.

"The name's Xena, kid. I'm a friend of Joxer's." she answered.

Jerrin was not happy when they made camp that night. He sulked while the adults set up the camp. Janna dropped a water skin into his lap.

"What's this for?" Jerrin glared up at his aunt.

"You, young man, are going to go get water. Xena took care of Argo, and caught dinner. Joxer started the fire. Gabrielle and I are cooking. You get the water." Janna explained patiently.

"No." Jerrin scowled and tossed the water skin at Janna's feet.

Janna scowled right back and kicked the water skin up into the air with a flip of her foot. She caught it and dropped it back into Jerrin's lap. "Go get the water, Jerrin. I don't like telling people things twice."

"Why should I?" Jerrin growled.

"If you want to eat, you are going to help." Janna said coldly. "And I know you want to eat."

Jerrin stared up at the tall lean woman who resembled his father, as much in attitude as in looks. Finally he got up and went to get the water. Xena glanced at Janna has she started to cut up the carrots and onions that she had kept in her travel sack.

"How did you know how to handle him?" Xena asked softly.

"I know what it's like to be hungry." Janna said calmly. "Mom didn't always remember to feed us."

Gabrielle shot a sidelong glance at Joxer. Missed meals would explain why he and Janna were so lean even though they seemed to eat so much. Well, she had to admit, Janna never really stopped moving either. Certainly not when she slept, not that she slept much. For one reason or an other Janna was always getting up in the night.

"So you told him he wouldn't eat if he didn't help?" Xena sounded surprised.

"That's how I got Jett and Jase to help with the chores when we were kids. If they didn't help, they didn't eat."

"And Janna could enforce it," Joxer chuckled has he added a few more sticks to the fire.

Janna snorted and tossed a piece of carrot in to her brother's open mouth. She made a face at him and giggled. "Jerrin is a good boy. He just needs someone to take care of him."

Jerrin listened from behind a tree. Janna wanted to take care of him. Well, wanted someone to take care of him. For some reason, he wasn't sure if that was a good idea. He stepped out from behind the tree and took the water skin over to the blonde called Gabrielle.

Jerrin waited until he was sure everyone was asleep. Even the restless Janna was still when he slipped out of his blankets. He wondered what kind of reputation he would have after he killed Xena at his age. He pulled a slim long knife out of his knee high boots. Has he knelt beside Xena her eyes snapped open and her hand closed like stone over the hand he held the blade in.

"What do you think you're doing?" Xena hissed at him.

Jerrin stared at her with wide scared eyes, looking very much like Joxer then. "I....I..."

"Jerrin, go back to sleep." Xena took the knife away from him and after nudging him back toward his blankets went to sleep. Jerrin stopped and looked back over his shoulder at the sleeping woman. Xena was really everything they had said about her in the village he'd been in last. No one could kill her. He went back to his blankets and lay down to stare at the fire until it died to embers.

Janna woke him in the morning with a gentle shake and a smile. "Time to go."

Jerrin yawned and saw that almost everything was packed up into saddle bags and carry-sacks. Quickly he rolled up his blankets and slung them over his back. Xena motioned him over and swung him up on to Argo's saddle.

"Just sit there all right?" Xena said when he started to say something.

Jerrin nodded. Janna and Gabrielle exchanged amused looks. Gabrielle was glad to see her best friend interacting with a child the way a mother would. Joxer just smiled and glanced at Gabrielle. It was nice to be walking with her again. But he did wonder about the look she had given him yesterday when they'd met on the road. Janna noticed the expression on her brother's face but didn't say anything, as far as she was concerned Joxer and Gabrielle were on their own. Janna started to whistle as they walked.

Jerrin looked around from where he was perched on top of Argo as the woods thinned out and eventually became rolling hills. It felt strange not to be alone and hiding, but he still felt safe. Even if Xena had taken away his only weapon. Suddenly there was an increase in the weight of his right boot. It was a very familiar weight, that of his long knife. He looked down at the head of the black-haired woman walking beside him.

Janna silently handed her carry-sack to Joxer and ran ahead of the small group. Xena nodded in approval. They did need a scout, especially since they were heading into trouble.

"There's a warlord up a head." Xena warned the others.

"And you let Janna go ahead alone?" Joxer's eyes widened. "Will she be all right?"

"You should know that better than anyone," Xena looked over her shoulder at him. "Janna is a smart girl, and can take care of herself."

Janna slipped across the open field on her stomach and peered around a clump of feather tail grass. The troops in the dell between two hill had gathered around a standard she had seen before has the daughter of a warlord. Crasix, he was called the Mace.

Janna slid backwards still on her belly and grateful that she wore homespun leggings instead of a skirt like Gabrielle's or Xena's. Swift and silent she made her way back toward her friends. Xena was the only one not surprised when she rose ghost-like from the grass.

"It's Crasix the Mace." She reported.

"Crasix?" Joxer blanched. That man had been their father's best captain before he was captured and thrown in prison. "I thought he was in Gaul."

"So did I." Xena sighed. Crasix was worse than she expected. He would burn down a village just because he could, with out taking anything at all.

Janna shrugged and spoke her voice icy cold. "So what are we going to do about him?"

"Do? What do you mean do?" Jerrin asked. His eyes had gone wide.

"Obviously he's planing a raid, and I recognized a lot of his men from Dad's army." Janna looked up at her nephew. "Don't worry, we can handle him."

"You maybe." Joxer muttered.

Gabrielle was the only one who heard him and frowned. He wasn't really that bad a warrior, especially not with those light spears. It wasn't as if he was alone.

Suddenly she wondered about why Joxer had spent so much of his time with them trying to be someone he wasn't. Janna obviously accepted him, how could their brothers not?

"The only village around here is Corriman." Xena was saying when Gabrielle started to listen again. "What could be there that he'd want?"

"Crasix?" Janna arched her eyebrows. "He likes to kill, rape, maim and burn. Dad didn't even like him. He called him a Tarturus spawned terror."

"And if our Dad said that, well..." Joxer shook his head.

"Then we're going to stop him?" Jerrin stared from Xena to Janna then looked to Joxer and Gabrielle to tell them they were insane.

"We should warn the village." Joxer said before frowning up at Jerrin. "Not we. You are going to be somewhere safe."

Jerrin's jaw locked and he growled from between clenched teeth, "I can fight."

"We know that, but you shouldn't have to." Janna said patting his leg. "And those men are a lot larger and more experienced that you are. I need you to be safe, Jerrin."

"You're dad would never forgive us if something happened to you." Joxer added as he pulled one of his light spears from their holder on his back. He hefted it easily and gave it a spin before passing it to the boy. "Hold on to this would you?"

Xena spared a glance to the spear holder on his back and noted the five remaining light spears. Her head snapped around at the same instance Janna's did, but they were looking in opposite directions.

"I take it we're surrounded?" Joxer said quietly.

Gabrielle glanced around and felt a weird tingle in her scalp. Joxer felt it too. Jerrin's eyes were shifting around like a cornered rat's.

"Argo! Go!" Xena swatted the golden horse's flank and Argo went off at a gallop. Janna sent a dagger end over end at a man who came up from the ground to go after the boy clinging to the horse.

The soldier reached vaguely for the blade that sprung suddenly from between his shoulder blades. Janna had another set of daggers in her hands as more men rose from the dust much like she had.

"Come and play, boys." Janna said mockingly. "Come play with us, and die."

Joxer gave her a side long glance and sighed. She had told several of their father's men the same thing, and they had died. Joxer noticed that several of the soldiers hesitated.

"Janna?" one of them asked.

"None other." Janna started flipping one of her blades in her hand. She grabbed it by the hilt over and over again. "Want to play, Torimin? You do remember what happened last time you played with me, don't you?"

"Four men bled to death." Torimin said has he pulled off his helmet.

"Good for you." Janna looked at him while Xena and Gabrielle stared at her back. "Call of your little friends, or we'll gut the lot like fresh fish."

"My little friends out number yours, Janna." Torimin said as if bestowing a favor. "Surrender and Crasix might let you join him."

"I know what Crasix wants from me, but at the moment I'm working with my brother and his friends here."

"Jase?" Torimin looked hard at the lean man beside her.

"I'm Joxer."

"Joxer?" Torimin looked at him again and started to laugh.

"Laugh all you want, but there isn't a man I'd rather have at my side." Xena said, reaching for her chakram. Her eyes narrowed at the horse and rider returning, it was Argo and Jerrin.

"And you are?"

"Her name is Xena. Perhaps you've heard of her?" Gabrielle's eyes sifted from man to man has the soldiers moved closer. They stopped in their tracks.

"Leave Crasix now, Torimin. You're too smart to fall in with him." Joxer said calmly to the man who'd known him has a boy. "You know that burning everything in your path is bad for business."

"Not to mention supplies." Xena's eyes swept over the gathered men again has Argo and Jerrin stopped behind the soldiers.

"Not to mention your health." Jerrin added with the spear Joxer had given him leveled at the soldiers. "I warned the village, Xena. They're assembling their reserves."

Janna nodded her approval with out looking. "They're ready for you, Torimin, and we're not going to let you slaughter those people."

Torimin shrugged. "To be honest, we were leaving anyway."

"Then why did you attack us?" Gabrielle asked softly.

"We didn't," one of the soldiers said. "Garus was just trying to steal the horse."

Janna rolled her eyes. "Get going then."

Torimin and his men went wide around the small group. Several of the men eyed Xena, Gabrielle and Janna, but none of them tried to touch.

Jerrin held Joxer's spear out to him. He took it with a grin. They continued on to the village, going wide around Crasix's camp.

Corriman was quiet until they came to the center of the village. Men were gathered there with swords, maces, and anything that could be used has a weapon. Janna and Xena glanced at each other. They nodded.

Jerrin kept his eyes open and moving. Xena noticed and wondered where a child had learned to be that observant. Jerrin dropped from Argo's back as soon as the horse stopped. Jerrin tugged the great golden head down to his level and whispered in the presented ear, "Don't you tell."

Joxer joined the men while Xena and Janna went in search of the commander. Gabrielle and Jerrin were left to themselves, at least until Xena called for Gabrielle. Jerrin ducked away and went roaming around the virtually deserted village. He looked up from the rat he was trying to catch and right into the eyes of one of Crasix's men.

Jerrin wasn't given time to scream or even reach for his boot dagger.

They took him to Crasix.

"Well, hello there." Crasix growled when he set eyes on the slender boy with the pale skin. "Who are you?"

"J...Jerrin."

"Well, Jerrin," Crasix chuckled. "You and I are going to have a little fun before you answer all of my questions."

Jerrin struggled between the soldiers holding him by the arms. Crasix came at him leering with a knife in his hand. The blade slashed open the front of Jerrin's homespun shirt.

Crasix's eyes locked on the wrappings that had been hidden under the loose material. "What have we here? Lying to Crasix, girl?"

"Let me go! My father will kill you when he gets his hands on you! Let go!" Jerrin screamed.

Janna left the strategy session to look for Jerrin after she had told Xena and Commander Perdian everything she knew about Crasix. She found Joxer practicing with the called up soldiers in the town square, but saw no sign of Jerrin. She was starting to get worried. Then she saw the tracks. They had to have been made with in the last few minutes.

Someone had taken Jerrin, and she was going to get him back.

Janna went to tell Joxer what had happened.

"I'm going with you." Joxer said bluntly.

Janna nodded.

They set off at a run. Their long legs stretched out and they moved low to the ground. Finally they reached to outer edges of Crasix's camp.

That's when they heard the scream.

Janna leapt to her feet and pulled her long knives. Joxer followed hot on her heels to the back of Crasix's tent. Joxer's spearhead sliced through the cloth.

They only had an instant to take in the scene before them.

Janna's knives found the throats of the men holding Jerrin.

Joxer threw his spear hard, fast, deadly. Someone was threatening his family, he didn't have time to think. The spear's shaft vibrated in Crasix's back has he fell slowly back to snap the shaft under his weight. Jerrin collapsed, clutching the cut front of his shirt together, sobbing.

"Jerrin?" Janna knelt beside the trembling child and put her arms around him.

"It...it's not J.....Jerrin." The girl wrapped her arms around her aunt. "My...my name's Jerrina."

"Shhhhh, Jerrina." Janna whispered has she lifted her. "Let's get back to the village."

Joxer was still running on instinct when he lead them out of the camp. Janna wondered if Gabrielle and Xena had ever seen him when his eyes blazed like that. She clutched Jerrina to her chest has they ran. Jerrina kept sobbing that she was sorry.

Janna slipped into an empty house near the center of town while Joxer went to find Xena and Gabrielle.

"Aunt Janna?" Jerrina murmured. "Are you mad at me?"

"For what, little one?" Janna smoothed Jerrina's ragged cut hair out of her thin pale face.

"Lying to you."

"Hush, Jerrina." Janna smiled softly. "It doesn't matter right now. Just tell me you're all right."

"I'm....I'm fine." Jerrina gulped. She shivered at what had almost happened.

Gabrielle started at the bleak look on her friend's face. "Joxer? What's the matter?"

Xena glanced up at the tone of Gabrielle's voice then her eyes snapped to Joxer's face. The last time she had seen that expression she'd been coming to kill Gabrielle. Xena winced at the memory of her striking Joxer down. "What happened?"

"Crasix is dead." Joxer's voice was harsh. "I don't know if his army will still attack. At the moment I don't care. Xena, I need you to make sure Jerrina's not hurt."

"Jerrina?" Gabrielle followed them out of the room. "What are you talking about?"

"Jett's daughter." Joxer said before moving ahead.

Janna and Joxer waited outside the house while Xena and Gabrielle looked over Jerrina.

"Why didn't she tell us she's a girl?" Joxer asked the world at large.

"Afraid, I suppose." Janna said. "She was alone in the middle of nowhere, Joxer. She had no reason to trust us once she realized you weren't Jett."

"I don't think Jett knows," Gabrielle said from the door. "Jerrina told us her mother always dressed her like a boy."

"I'll let you two talk." Janna said has she slipped into the house.

"I never saw you like that before." Gabrielle said softly.

"Is Jerrina all right?" Joxer asked simply trying to make conversation.

"She'll be fine. Crasix didn't get a chance to hurt her." Gabrielle assured him with a pat on the arm.

Joxer glanced down at where Gabrielle's hand still rested on his arm. "Thanks, Gabrielle."

Gabrielle leaned her head on his shoulder, just to give him some comfort. "Jerrina's a good kid."

"Yeah." Joxer just looked up at the moon and the stars.

Janna slipped away from the window and went into the room where Jerrina and Xena were.

Xena looked up at Janna. Jerrina was asleep. Xena motioned her out of the room and followed silently. She closed the door softly. "He didn't lay a hand on her. No one has, not that way at least. Who killed Crasix?"

"Joxer." Janna said with a shake of her head. "I never thought he could ever do something like that."

"He's been a good friend, Janna. We wouldn't have been able to stop Dahoth without him."

"Have you ever seen him like that? Like he would rip anyone limb from limb for hurting someone he loved?"

"Just once." Xena closed her eyes against the memory of Joxer charging at her to save Gabrielle. "I nearly killed him. But he came at me like the warrior he wanted to be."

"Wanted. He's finally moved beyond that hasn't he?"

"You don't sound surprised about the fact I almost killed one of my best friends."

"You'd just lost your son." Janna shrugged. "I just didn't know he'd challenged you like that."

"Joxer." Xena shook her head in much the same manner Janna had a moment ago. "He just needs some thing to push him."

"Yeah." Janna sighed. "But you've got to love him."

"The question is does Gabrielle?" Xena glanced out the window.

"Not yet anyway." Janna chuckled.

Xena shot a look at Janna. "Match making?"

"More like waiting for nature to take its course. But it's certainly taking its time."

The scouts went out at dawn and came back before the sun had reached its zenith. Their leader approached Xena. He was frowning.

"Is something wrong?" Janna looked up from the map.

"They're gone," the man said. "The entire army just packed up and left. We found Crasix's body with a spearhead in the back."

"Joxer's work." Janna said absently. She locked eyes with Xena. "Without Crasix they have no leader. They'll most likely scatter and join other armies."

"Victory with no battle." Xena chuckled. "I think I like that."

Xena looked at her friends in the soft light of the cloudy day.

Gabrielle was asking Janna where she was going.

"I'm going to take Jerrina to the Amazon village." Janna smiled at the girl leaning against her side. "I think I'll settle down there with her."

"And you Joxer?" Xena asked.

"Oh, I thought I'd travel with you two for a while." Joxer looked at his feet.

"Good." Xena grinned at him.

Janna and Jerrina waved as they moved off in another direction from the others.

"Do you think Jerrina will get used to being a girl now?" Gabrielle asked her friends.

"I think she's going to have a great example to follow." Joxer grinned at the bard. "Three of them in fact."

æ

The End

Disclaimers:
Joxer's relationship with Gabrielle was not harmed or really helped during the writing of this story.
Jerrina still occasionally dresses up has a boy, but that's just for comfort.
Xena is now guilt free about beating on Joxer at the beginning of The Bitter Suite.
No warlords were harmed during the writing of this fan fic.

Please take the time 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, Argo, 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 © 1999 by Ephiney and is her sole property along with the story idea. The characters of Janna and Jerrina are her own creation and may not be used without permission. 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.