Virgil collapsed on the ground next to the grave marker. His vision was blurry from the tears in his eyes, as well as the darkness of the night. He struggled to control the sobs that shook him to his core.

"I'm so sorry, Dad. I've tried so hard. Not even Uncle Jett could help me. I've failed you. No matter what I try, I cannot avenge your death."

He pulled a dagger from inside his vest and examined it closely. "Someone must be held responsible. If it cannot be her, than it must be me."

He took several steadying breaths as he traced the long vein in his arm with the tip of the knife. He felt considerable grief at the thought of leaving his mother and siblings, yet that grief was overshadowed by the thought of seeing the father he'd so idolized.

Just as he felt ready to do what he felt he must, a strange light shone from behind him. He turned around to face two beings standing at his back.

"I told you we should have come to him sooner, honeybuns. We were almost too late."

"Dite, I thought I told you the Light does things at its own pace."

"Whatever. As I said, as long as there's any chance of getting my Hephy back."

Virgil looked on in shock. The two beings in front of him were the blondest people he'd ever met. Dite? That must be Aphrodite. He remembered his father telling him all about her. However, he had no clue as to the identity of the other one.

"Who are you?"

"I am the Archangel Michael." That would explain the wings, Virgil thought. "We have come because we have a very important question to ask you. We would like to offer you an opportunity few, if any, are ever given: the opportunity to change the past."

His mouth opened and closed several times before he decided not to respond. Aphrodite could sense his distress and knelt beside him, laying a hand on his shoulder.

"I know this is hard studmuffin, but why don't you listen to what Mikey here has to say." She hazarded a glance behind him. "It's what Joxie would want." She reached up to wipe away a tear, for Hephaestus or Joxer, maybe for both.

"All that has happened, the deaths of the Olympians, this twilight, the deaths caused by Livia, as well as the chaos caused by the absence of the Greek God of War, it has all been traced to one event -- the crucifixion and consequent deaths of Gabrielle and Xena. We would like to offer you the chance to go back in time to prevent this."

Virgil looked up and met the dark angel's eyes. "I'll do it."

"Wait a moment. Before I accept your answer, you must understand the ultimate consequences of your actions. Should you succeed, Eve/Livia will not be born. Your father will not marry your mother, and neither you nor your siblings will exist."

"Will my father still be alive?"

Michael looked over at Aphrodite, who simply shook her shoulders. "We do not know. We cannot see what might have been, only what has been."

Virgil breathed in deeply and thought about what he had just been offered. He remembered his mother's smile when she had watched him and his brothers and sisters playing in the yard. He remembered teaching his younger sibling to read and write, babysitting them when their parents needed time to themselves.

He then remembered that day oh so long ago when he and his sister followed their father out to the barn after their mother had finished yelling at him. He read to them a scroll telling about the adventures of a beautiful warrior princess, Xena. He remembered the look in his father's eyes when he spoke of his first love, Gabrielle, and the light that shone in his eyes after she had returned after a twenty-five-year absence. Finally, he remembered the faces of his mother and siblings when he'd come home to tell them Dad was dead. He made his decision.

"As I said, I'll do it."

"You will give your life to change the past?"

"Yes."

"Then sleep here tonight. When you wake up, you will be in another time and place. But do not worry, you will have help."

All of a sudden, Virgil could barely keep his eyes open. He lay down on the ground and lay his head on his crossed arms.

"I hope you know what you're doing, Mikey." Aphrodite disappeared in her usual manner.

"I hope so too, or else may the Lord have mercy on our souls."

Virgil's eyes fluttered as the sunlight crossed his face. He opened one eye, then the other, getting used to the bright light. Once both eyes were open, he realized he was no longer at his father's grave -- just as the Archangel had said. He looked down and saw he was lying on a bedroll at the side of a road. There was a pack at his side which he immediately opened. He had some food, smoked meats and other such traveling supplies. There were rope and an extra change of clothes, among other things. He closed up the bag and began rolling up the bedroll. Just as he'd finished attaching the roll to his pack, he heard a horse coming from down the road.

There were two men talking to each other as they led the horse. Virgil decided to ask them where he was when they were nearer. Perhaps they were the help he'd been promised. As they approached, Virgil could make out the strange shape of the man to the right, for his helmet stuck out at strange angles and his armour was quite unusual.

"No, it can't be."

He'd just about convinced himself against his suspicions when an all too familiar tune floated his way over the breeze.

"Joxer the Mighty
He's very tidy
Everyone admires him
He's so handsome it's a sin . . . "

A broad smile broke out on his face. He was afraid he'd never hear that tune again. "Dad." Briefly, he wondered who was the man his father was traveling with. As far as he knew, his father had only traveled with Xena and Gabrielle, and Hercules and Iolaus at times.

When the men spotted him, they automatically assumed he was in need of assistance and rushed to his side.

"Hey there! I'm Joxer the Mighty, and this is my friend Armaan. Can we be of any assistance?"

Virgil was overcome with his emotions. He stepped over to Joxer and pulled him into a big hug.

"Umm, maybe I didn't explain myself. That's not exactly the kind of assistance I meant."

Virgil realized his mistake and pulled away. "I'm sorry. My name's Virgil. I'm a very long way from home I bet, and I was just so happy to see another person. I don't even know where I am."

"Let me guess -- the Gods, right?" Virgil just nodded. "Been there, done that. They can really mess with your life it they can gain something from it. But in the end, they're not really all that bad. We're a couple days outside Helios. Where are you heading?"

"All I know is I have to go to Rome."

"Rome, eh? My friends Xena and Gabrielle are heading that way."

"You mean they're already on their way there? I've got to go. Maybe I can get there before it's too late."

"Whoa, wait a minute. What do you mean too late?"

Virgil looked at the man his father had been and knew there was no one he would rather have at his side. "I've had a vision that they will be crucified by Caesar in Rome. I'm on my way to make sure they don't die there."

"Oh. I wouldn't worry. Xena's too tough for that. Nothing can kill her, and trust me, I've seen a lot of people try."

"But Da... Joxer, I wouldn't underestimate Caesar. He's a heartless bastard who'd stop at nothing to get what he wants. We can't take the chance that you may be wrong."

Joxer looked over at the dark young man next to him, then at Virgil. "All right. But first we're going back to Helios to take Armaan back to the Academy."

"No Joxer," the young man finally spoke up. "I can help, and if he's right, you're going to need all the help you can get."

Joxer looked once again at each of the young faces that awaited his answer. They both looked up to him. He knew whatever he decided from now on would affect them all. It was a sense of responsibility he wasn't used to. He took a deep breath and let it out slowly.

"All right, you can come, Armaan. But we're going to need more help than this. We'll continue on to Vereos. It's only a day away or so. I heard of an old friend of mine doing some work out there, and it shouldn't take long to find him. On the way, we can get to know Virgil a little better."

By the time the sun began to fall and they had chosen a camp for the night, Virgil had heard the story of how his father had met this man, Armaan. He thought it strange how he'd never heard it before. Then again, the meeting wasn't exactly under the best circumstances. He couldn't help but admire the dark man for his courage. He was able to put aside his grief and find the strength to forgive the man who'd killed his father. It was an achievement Virgil was not yet capable of.

They all scrounged through their packs and each came out with something to contribute to a shared supper, then lit a fire to cook it over. Once they were done eating, Joxer asked Virgil to tell a little about himself.

"Well, I had a pretty normal life for a while. Mother, Father, brothers and sisters. Then one day, two really old friends of my dad's come back after being gone about twenty-five years. Long story short, the daughter of one of Dad's friends killed him. I spent months trying to get revenge, but nothing seemed to work. I'd decided to give up not only on revenge, but on life as well, when I got this vision. Then I met the two of you. I've had a pretty boring life, all in all."

Armaan took a long look at Joxer, then looked over at Virgil. "I can understand how you must have felt. When you lose someone you loved and idolized, the pain can block out everything else. Eventually you have to make a choice. You either can teach yourself to forgive, or watch your heart die before your very eyes. I learnt to forgive, and I gained a good friend in the process. Maybe one day you will learn too, but it will have to be your decision."

Virgil stared off into the fire. His eyes shone bright with unshed tears as he remembered the feel of his father's body in his arms as he carried him off to be buried, and the look of that bitch Livia as she dared to try to apologize to him. The same voice that had comforted him so many times in his childhood now broke him out of his reverie.

"It's getting late, and we have a long day tomorrow. Why don't we try to get some sleep?" Joxer looked from one boy to the other and moved over to where he'd spread out his bedroll. The other two followed his example and soon they were all lying down.

Virgil tossed and turned, but was still unable to sleep. He could still barely believe his father was but a few feet away. He looked over and saw the man was snoring softly. "I love you, Dad," he whispered to the sleeping man.

Armaan looked away from the stars above to his newest traveling companion. Apparently they were both having trouble sleeping. He got up and walked over to the other's bedroll. He sat down next to him and stared into the fire.

"Do you feel like talking?" he asked softly so as not to wake Joxer.

"How did you do it? Forgive him."

"I can't explain it. Tell me, what do you think of Joxer so far?"

"I think whatever I say will be biased. He reminds me so much of my father."

"He's a good man. I think he was almost as upset as I was. You see, my father was the first man he'd ever killed. I guess eventually I thought he'd put himself through enough punishment that nothing I could do would be as bad. It's hard to stay mad at someone who's genuinely remorseful, especially if they're like Joxer."

"I don't think I feel like talking about it right now."

"That's ok. Goodnight Virgil." Armaan got up and began walking back to his bedroll.

"Armaan?"

"Yes?"

"Thanks."

Armaan smiled. "No problem. I'm here if you ever need to talk."

"Goodnight." Virgil rolled over and was finally able to fall asleep.

It only took them half a day to reach Vereos. They stopped at a tavern for lunch, and Virgil was curious to see his father stop the waiter and ask about the local nobility. When their food arrived, he couldn't help but voice his thoughts.

"Joxer, why did you want to know about this city's royalty?"

"Because I need to know who in town has the most money and the most valuables. Wherever there's something of worth, that's where we'll find my friend."

Virgil dropped the subject more confused than he was a few moments ago. After lunch, Joxer left him and Armaan at the tavern, telling them to stay out of trouble as he left. He had to stifle the laugh that almost escaped him upon hearing that phrase. He'd heard all too often.

"So Virgil, you feel like taking a walk around the town?"

"But I thought Joxer said to stay here?"

"Oh, we won't be gone for long. Just a little walk along the marketplace. Come on."

Virgil got up and followed Armaan out of the tavern. They casually walked up and down the market stalls, admiring the goods with no intention of buying anything. As he admired the craftsmanship on a broadsword, he walked into an unsuspecting customer. As he looked up, he froze in place. Armaan's voice at his back pulled him out of his shock.

"Hey, Joxer! Nice look. The leather is so much nicer than your armour."

"Umm, Armaan, I don't think this is Joxer."

Armaan looked at Virgil in confusion, then looked at the man he assumed was Joxer. While the man looked exactly like his friend, he realized the eyes were much different. But how could someone look like Joxer?

"So, the two of you know my brother."

"Brother? Oh, now I remember. Which one are you again?"

"He's Jett."

"Yeah, right. Jett." Armaan nodded in agreement. "Wait a minute, how did you know about Jett?"

"Well, umm, remember, I did all that research when I was thinking of a way to avenge my father's death, and along the way I heard about the King of Assassins." Virgil thanked the Gods for the quick explanation.

"That's good research." Jett just sneered at the young men. Virgil realized the last thing he wanted was to risk death at his uncle's hands. Joxer had tried to hide this uncle's profession from him and his siblings for so long, but once he'd come of age he'd learned the truth. At first it had been difficult to imagine his Uncle Jett, the man who'd patiently taught him accuracy at throwing knives and shooting arrows, as an assassin. But with much help from his father, he came to accept it as just a part of who Jett was.

"Well, speaking of Joxer, we'd better head back to the tavern, Armaan. He'll be expecting us."

Virgil tried to lead the way around Jett and almost made his getaway when he felt a familiar and powerful hand on his shoulder.

"Wait a minute," the gravelly voice called to them. "I wouldn't mind seeing my brother again. The two of you wouldn't mind me waiting with you, now would you."

Virgil and Armaan looked first at each other, then ahead of them to their destination. They responded with a chorus of, "No, of course not," and "Anything for a brother of Joxer's."

Once at the tavern, they didn't have to wait long. They all looked up when the door opened to see Joxer enter with another man in tow -- another man who tried to turn and run the moment he saw who was waiting for Joxer at the table. Joxer turned and grabbed the man by the arm, dragging him over.

"Joxer, you didn't say anything about that psychotic brother of yours. He's going to kill me. He still hasn't forgiven me for that Cleopatra business."

"Him being here's as much a surprise to me as it is to you. But as I told you earlier, I'm going to need all the help I can get. He won't touch you if I ask right."

"And how do you ask? Pretty please with a dagger on top?"

As the two men approached the table, Jett rose to meet them. "Well little brother, it looks like you've brought me a snack."

"Come on, Jett. Can't the two of you just get along?"

Both men chorused, "No!"

"Jett, for me?"

Jett rolled his eyes and shook his head. "Remind me why I do things for you?"

"Because I let you call me little brother."

The two identical men chuckled, then grabbed each other in a big hug. Jett took the opportunity to throw a look over at Autolycus, letting him know he wasn't quite off the hook yet. When they pulled away, Joxer smiled at Autolycus as if to say, that wasn't so bad.

"Autolycus, this is Armaan and Virgil. Guys, this is Auto, the King of Thieves." The three of them exchanged handshakes. "Now, if you don't mind me asking, how do the two of you know my brother?"

Virgil looked over at Armaan before speaking. "We kind of met up with him in the marketplace."

"Ah. Oh well. The more the merrier."

Joxer and Autolycus sat down with the others, and Joxer began explaining the situation to Jett.

"So, you want me to help you save the bitch who put me in jail."

Joxer looked sheepish for a moment, then answered his brother. "Yeah, more or less. So how about it. Will you help us?"

"You know I'm still angry about that, Jox. However, if anyone's going to kill them, it's gonna be me."

"Jett!"

"I didn't say I was going to kill them, just if it was gonna happen. All right. I'm in."

Joxer couldn't hide his excitement. "Wow, imagine that. Joxer and Jett, fighting for the right, side by sid..." His words were muffled by a hand across his mouth.

"If you dare start singing that song of yours, I may temporarily forget you're my brother." At Joxer's nod, Jett let go.

"Since the day's almost over, I thought we'd spend the night here. Ionia's about a day away, and from there we can take a ship over to Taranto. Rome should only be a couple days away from there. Does that sound right to everyone?" Four nodding faces answered Joxer. "Okay. So Auto, Jett, what does one do for fun around here?"

The moon was already high in the sky and Joxer kept shooting looks over his shoulder.

"Jett, are you sure this area is safe? It looks kind of rough to me."

"Oh, don't be such a baby. I hear there's this great tavern that just opened up down this street over here. The ale's not bad, and the women aren't too expensive."

"Hmph," Autolycus could be heard from the back of the group. "Some of us don't need to pay for a woman's company."

Jett looked back at the thief. "And some of us don't need to breathe."

"Point taken."

"Come on, Jett," Joxer continued. "Aren't the boys here kind of young for that kind of place?"

Virgil and Armaan displayed identical expressions of shock. "We're not that young Dad." Virgil clapped a hand over his mouth. He could hear Armaan giggling next to him.

Joxer just looked back at them and smiled. "I guess I have been a bit over-protective. Sorry guys."

"No problem," Armaan cut in, slapping a hand on Joxer's shoulder, "Pops." He was shaken by another wave of giggling. Virgil couldn't have been happier his little slip had been misinterpreted.

Jett paused and the others stopped behind him. "I think this is the place."

They walked into the tavern and were immediately hit by the noise. A couple of a dozen drunken patrons were being waited on by several beautiful wenches. They spotted an empty table and, as they headed over, were shocked by a high-pitched scream from across the room.

"Joxie!!!" A figure pushed through the crowd and came up to Joxer, pulling him down into a passionate kiss.

When she finally let go of the would-be warrior, he struggled to regain his breath. "Hi Meg. What are you doing here in Vereos?"

"The last place wasn't quite appreciated and I heard the men around here needed someone who could take care of them right." She looked over at the others who'd come in with Joxer. "And hello Mister Stinky."

"Meg, I thought I asked you not to call me that in front of other people."

"Yeah, you did. But I never said I would, now did I." She paused as she noticed Virgil standing behind the other men doing a pretty good impression of a fish out of water. "What's the matter with him?"

Joxer looked over at the boy. "I think it's his first time in a place like this. Don't worry. He should snap out of it any time."

Virgil, however, could not move. He couldn't believe the sight before him. Mom? What was his mother doing in a place like this? Did she own the place? Did she, Gods forbid, work there? No, it couldn't be. Not his Mom. He decided this couldn't be his mother. Not his sweet, kind, innocent mother.

"And who's this cutie who looks just like my Joxie? You must be Jett. Welcome to my tavern." She pulled the man down into another passionate kiss, shocking the assassin to everyone's amusement. Once she let him go, she walked over to the two younger men and placed an arm over each of their shoulders. "I'm sure we can find a nice young lady for each of you boys."

Armaan smiled shyly and looked away. Virgil simply looked dejected. The moment the woman had placed an arm over his shoulder, he realized it was just the way his mother would have done it. It felt the same. This . . . this tramp was his mother.

Joxer couldn't help but notice the effect Meg was having on Virgil. "I don't think they're quite ready for any of your girls just yet, Meg. I can't speak for Auto or Jett, but I'm just in the mood for an ale tonight."

She released the boys and patted Joxer on the cheek. "Okay Joxie. But if you change your minds later, you know where to find me. Sit down and I'll bring you boys something to drink."

Moments after they settled into the empty table, Meg reappeared with two jugs of ale and five mugs. "This should do you boys for now. If you need anything else, just holler."

"Thanks Meg," Autolycus called out.

"My pleasure, Stinky."

"Nice kid, that Meg."

"Yeah, she's great. It's just too bad she keeps getting run out of the towns she tries to settle in. All she tries to do is make a living."

"I know, but you know how some people are. They think she should just find a man and settle down."

"I'd like to see them try to tell that to Xena." They all laughed at that image.

The five men spent some time drinking, then decided to call it a night. Meg had one room left over in the tavern, which they rented for the night. Luckily it had two beds. Joxer and Jett were used to sharing a bed from their childhood and decided to take one of them. Virgil and Armaan decided to rush to the second bed before the thief could get there first. Autolycus begrudgingly laid out a bedroll on the floor.

Virgil once again had trouble falling asleep. He was still in shock from what he'd found out about his mother. He gently lifted himself from the bed so as not to wake Armaan and made his way to the door. He passed through the tavern until he found the back exit. He needed some air to help clear his mind.

After he'd taken a few breaths of fresh air, he realized he wasn't alone.

"Meg?" She was sitting on a bench against the outer wall of the tavern.

"Hiya, kid. Sorry if I came on a little strong earlier. No hard feeling, huh?"

"No, no hard feelings."

"You look a little shook up. Do you want to talk?"

"No, not really. Thanks anyway."

"No problem. Why don't you come sit down over here and keep me company?"

"All right." Virgil made his way over and sat on the wooden bench.

"You seem like a good kid. My Joxie's really taken a shine to you."

"He's a great man."

"I'm glad to hear you say that. Not many people look deep enough to see that about him. He's one of the few men to ever stand up for me. I know he's not such a hot fighter, but he's still my hero."

"Yeah, he's mine too."

Meg could see a tear shine from the corner of the boy's eye. She wrapped an arm around his shoulders and pulled his head down to her bosom. She began softly singing a song Virgil had heard many times in his childhood.

"As long as the stars shine brightly
As long as the night turns to day
As long as love lives in our hearts
Then heroes are here to stay."

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