Series/Sequel: TAJMAV
Warning: There is some violence (attempted rape). You are warned.
Summary: Joxer travels from Corinth to Olympia, but the journey isn't as simple as he'd thought.
Note: This story contains an OFC. She's definitely *not* MS, so feel free to enjoy her (and fear her).

It had been two days since Joxer had said goodbye to Virgil and he already missed the kid. Hercules and Iphicles did their best to make him feel welcome in Corinth, but he couldn't help but feel he was intruding on the brothers' time together. He decided to head out to Olympia early and spend some time alone in the city until Virgil arrived.

He dreaded the journey. Without the distraction of a companion, he would have time to think, and he didn't want to think about anything. When he thought too much, it would only upset him, and he didn't want to get upset.

For example, he thought as he avoided a fallen tree on the road, seeing my brother with Auto. What in Tartarus was that all about? Jett was raised the same way I was, and we both saw what happened to our other brother, so how could he do that? With him? If Dad ever finds out, Jett'll be shut out of the family too and I'll be the only one left to deal with Mom and Dad! How could he do that to them, to me, to Auto?

Joxer shivered. He wanted to stop the memories, the thoughts that were pouring through his mind, but once they'd begun, he couldn't stop them.

Who does he think he is? Does he think he knows better than Dad does? Dad always told us that was wrong... Though there were a lot of things Dad taught us were right and wrong, and I realized he wasn't always right in my travels with Xena and Gabby...

He shook his head, trying to rid himself of the memories of his best friends - former best friends? He hadn't seen them since they'd left Nebula's ship and he didn't know whether to be sad or relieved.

I loved her, I still love her - I'm such a fool. I swear to the Gods I thought they were just very good friends. Sure, sometimes they would get very emotional and hug each other, or put their bedrolls close together, or something. But nothing ever pointed to *this*, well, not really.

Joxer looked up at the sky and realized it would soon turn dark. He began searching and soon found a good place to camp for the night.

It's still so hard to believe. Dad always told me you can tell them a mile away, but I had no clue. He said it was just so unnatural, that they were evil because they couldn't have a family, not a normal one anyway.

Joxer pulled out his bedroll and began making camp for the night. Well, it's not like I'll ever have a family, so maybe I'm as much of a freak as they are. No one will ever want me. Well, that isn't true. There's always Meg, but I just don't love her and that's what she deserves, someone who will love her as much as she loves him. I can't do that. Even if I did decide to make a go with her, I'd just be keeping her from who she's really meant to be with.

Joxer sat on his bedroll, still thinking, not yet ready to think about that night's supper.

And she'd probably get annoyed with me eventually anyway. Everybody does. Nobody ever really wants to be around me. Nobody except Virgil... I still have no idea why he sticks around me. We don't have any really big adventures, and we spend most of our time walking and talking. But he actually seems interested in whatever I'm saying, and he seems to genuinely like my lute playing.

A smile spread across Joxer's face as he thought about his 'sidekick'.

You know, he seems to look up to me for some reason. It must have been real hard for him, losing his dad like he did. Maybe he sees me as some kind of father figure or something. I know Armaan does. I hope they're having fun together. And I guess I kind of see Virgil as my own kid, or what he would be like if I had one. Maybe I don't need a girl and kids and stuff anyway. I've got my own family right here.

Finally feeling somewhat content, Joxer decided to put his mind towards dinner. What should he have? He had some jerky and other stuff in his small pack, but he felt like something fresh. Maybe there was a stream nearby, or maybe he could catch a rabbit or a squirrel. Getting up from his roll, he removed his armour and set out into the woods, keeping his lute on his back in case the muses chose to speak with him while he was gone.

There were no bodies of water nearby, so he decided to see what kind of animals he could catch. He tried tracking a couple of squirrels, but they got away from him easily. After his third attempt, he plopped down on the ground, defeated. He needed to rest before he headed back to his campsite for yet another meal of beef jerky.

His senses perked up when he heard voices nearby.

"The boss isn't gonna like this."

"It doesn't matter. If there's no fish, there's no fish."

"But you know how much the boss likes fish."

"I know. We'll just have to think about something else. We'll all need our energy for tomorrow's training session."

"The boss is really working us hard. I almost wish we weren't scheduled to raid that village until next month."

"Yeah, well what the boss says goes around here..." The scruffy man paused when he heard a rustling in the bushes. He placed a finger against his lips and moved quietly to where he heard the noise. He took out his sword and jumped to the other side of the bush, seeing a cowering Joxer. "Who're you?"

"I'm, well umm, I'm..."

"Look at 'im. He's a spy. He must be from that village. They know!"

"I don't think so. Villagers dress much better than he does."

"Hey!"

"Shut up. Ploebus, get some rope. We'll take him back to camp and the boss will decide what to do with him in the morning."

In a matter of minutes, Joxer's hands were tied behind his back and he was being dragged to another campsite. There were only a handful of men around. This was a far cry from an army; they were nothing but bandits.

One of the bandits approached the new arrivals. "Cyril, Ploebus, what's this you brought us? A new toy for the boss?"

"We'll find out in the morning when the boss returns, Horus. For now, he's ours."

The bandit, Horus, smiled a truly evil smile that scared Joxer. "Hmm, sounds good to me. Tie him up to that tree and we'll see what use he is to us."

The two bandits pulled Joxer over to the tree and untied his hands, only to tie them up again so that his arms were wrapped around the tree trunk that was now pressed against his face. When they had untied his hands, they'd taken his lute from his back and dropped it on the ground next to the tree. This isn't so bad, he thought. I've been tied up and held captive before. Though it's not like Xena and Gabby are around to save me this time. Nothing too bad can happen if they're waiting until morning, though.

He was wrong.

He shivered as he felt the cold steel of a dagger slide into the waistline of his pants. He winced as the dagger sliced through the material, eventually leaving his pants in shreds at his feet. Oh no, Gods no, please don't let this happen to me, please Aphrodite, Ares, whoever is listening, don't let this happen... He kept his eyes down on his fallen lute, trying to concentrate on nothing but his beloved instrument.

"W-w-what are you doing?" He knew the answer already, but he hoped that by asking it the bandits might change their minds.

"Just having a little fun." With one more slice of the dagger, his loincloth fell to the ground, joining the remains of his pants. He shivered both from the cool air against his buttocks but also from the knowledge of what was to come.

Please, Gods, don't let me live through this.

"What is going on here?!" The strong voice startled them all. Joxer couldn't see what was going on behind him, but he could sense the bandits had all of a sudden become nervous.

"Ummm, boss, what're you doing back so soon?" Cyril was the only one brave enough to speak.

"You didn't answer my question."

"Well, umm, we found this spy out in the bushes and thought we should bring him in for you to deal with."

"That still doesn't explain what it is you're doing."

"Well, we thought that since you wouldn't be here till morning, we'd punish him for you."

Joxer heard a loud smack. "What did I tell you about this kind of behaviour? If I catch any of you trying anything like this you'll see the end of my sword. And as for the three of you, come here."

All Joxer could hear were swishing sounds and three loud thumps. He realized his three attackers must have been killed, and he felt guilty at the satisfaction that gave him. A shadow passed beside him and he dared to look up from the instrument on the ground. He couldn't see who it was that was untying his hands until the person walked around the tree trunk.

He gasped. The face before him carried deep scars on each cheek. The square chin and pointed nose may have looked rugged on a man, but not on the woman that stood before him. Her long brown hair was pulled back in a sort of braid. What caught Joxer's attention most, however, were the grey eyes that looked into him. They were filled with pain, anger, and rage.

"Silas, get this man some pants. That's the last thing I want to see right now." Joxer didn't know whether to be grateful or offended. He didn't get the chance to decide when she turned her eyes on him again. "Sit here and don't move. You try to escape, and we will kill you."

As Joxer watched her walk away from him, he wondered what kind of cruel joke this was. What kind of saviour was this? Well, he thought, it's better than what those others had in mind for you. He sat down and noticed some of the bandits moving to remove the corpses of the slain men. Oh Gods, what have I gotten myself into this time?

Joxer had been given a pair of pants, then his hands had been retied. This time, a length of rope went from the rope around his wrists to the tree, giving him some room to move. He'd managed to find a semi-comfortable spot to sleep for the night, and luckily did so uninterrupted.

Now the sun shone bright on the make-shift camp and Joxer was able to really examine it for the first time. It was little more than a clearing in the woods with a fire pit built into the ground and a small lean-to constructed around one of the larger trees. None of the bandits entered the tent, so it must belong to their boss.

His mind drifted back to the mysteriously frightening woman he'd encountered the night before. She'd refused to let her men r... he couldn't even think the word, but she hadn't let them do that to him, yet she had no problem killing them in cold blood. Maybe she knows there are some things worse than death, he thought.

The flap on the lean-to opened and the woman stepped out. Her mere presence commanded the bandits to attention. If it wasn't for her hair and a certain look of her face, I'd have thought she was a man. Her loose brown pants, matching shirt, and heavy black vest were a far cry from what most women wore, even warrioresses. It was almost as if she went to pains to hide her own femininity.

Joxer shook his head. Why am I even taking the time to think about her? I'm her prisoner. For all I know, she's going to kill me.

"What are all of you waiting for? You've eaten already, so get training. We've got a village to raid."

"But boss," one of the bandits bravely - or idiotically - interrupted. "What about the spy?"

"You get to work. I'll take care of him."

As the men collected their weapons and grouped together, the woman walked towards him until she was standing only a few feet away, looking down on where he sat.

"Who are you?"

"Joxer."

"Well, Joxer, what were you doing near my camp?"

"I didn't know your camp was here. You see, I'm on my way to Olympia and I stopped for the night off the road and I was looking for something to eat and I took a break and that's when those two guys were passing by talking about fish and I moved accidentally and they heard me and took me here and..." He stopped his rambling when she raised a hand to silence him.

"All right, I believe you. However, you've heard of our plans by now. Can you cook?"

Joxer was taken aback by the question, but quickly nodded.

"Good. If you can do something useful than I won't kill you yet, though I'll most likely kill you in the morning. I'll come get you when we break for lunch."

The woman kept to her word and when the men broke for lunch, she untied Joxer so he could prepare them something to eat. He was allowed to eat with them, then retied until he was to cook supper.

After the evening meal, the men and their boss sat around the fire. He sat with them, the bandits either trusting him not to run off or trusting that they could easily pick him off should he decide to make an escape. Surrounded by the scruffy men, he found he could not keep his attention away from the mysterious woman that led them.

As the night wore on, a strange silence fell over the group. "Hey," one of the men spoke up. "We need some entertainment around here."

"What do you suggest, Miro? You gonna give us a little song and dance?" The woman's words brought about a round of laughter.

"Not me, but what about the little prisoner there. He had a lute with him when the others brought him here."

The woman seemed to contemplate while sipping a goblet of wine, then nodded. "All right. Joxer, why don't you fetch your lute and play for us."

"Umm, but I-I'm not that good."

Her eyes turned icy as she repeated her question, which was more a command than a request. "Joxer, will you play for us?"

Pushing his fear deep down into his belly, Joxer nodded and made his way to the tree to which they tied him. His lute was still lying on the ground and he picked it up with care, carrying it back to the group around the fire.

He thought a few moments about which songs were and weren't appropriate, and finally decided upon an old war ballad he'd learnt from one of his father's soldiers. As he played, he realized how perfect his choice was when the men sang along with his playing. He noticed, however, that the woman didn't join in, preferring to stare into the fire as she listened to the others enjoying themselves.

As he tried to find another semi-comfortable spot by the tree he was once again tied to, he thought about how the woman had not smiled once. This was her band, she was in charge, and she had no real reason to smile.

He couldn't help but feel sorry for her.

His eyes sprung open, pulling him out of sleep, as he felt a pair of hands on his body. Somebody was behind him, trying to pull his pants down.

"Hey! What..!" He tried crying out, but a hand was clapped over his mouth. He tried biting it, but the hand wouldn't let go. He felt his pants being pulled down over his hips and began to panic. Gods, no, not again.

Suddenly, the hands fell away and a great weight fell on top of him. He looked up and saw the woman approaching, a look of pure rage on her face. She bent over and pulled a dagger from the back of the man who now lay dead over Joxer. She pulled the body off her prisoner and tossed it aside.

"Somebody get up and clean up this mess." She bent back down to untie the end of the rope that was tied to the tree. "Come with me."

Joxer followed her into her lean-to where she tied the rope to the tree the tent was leaning against. He laid on the ground and tried to sleep, but something was bothering him.

"Why?"

"What do you want now? Why don't you just shut up and go to sleep?"

"Why did you stop them?"

There was silence for several moments, then the woman's voice rang in the silence. "Only the most cowardly of men do that. I don't need cowards in my band." There was a pause before she continued. "It is something I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy."

"Thank you."

"Don't thank me. I'll most likely kill you in the morning."

As sleep slowly claimed him, Joxer had the first inkling as to how the woman may have received the scars she wore, both on her cheeks and within her soul.

The next day proceeded much as the previous day. The men trained by day, pausing only when Joxer cooked their meals. Joxer was still tied to the tree outside between meals and was again allowed to sit with the men after supper. However, the woman did not sit with the rest. After a final warning glare at her men, she went walking through the woods. As the night before, Joxer played his lute for the band as they relaxed for the evening.

The sounds produced by the lute rose above the trees, until it reached the ears of two traveling companions who had set up camp for the night.

"Listen, can you hear that?"

"It sounds like a lute. It's beautiful."

The companions listened as the song changed to another one - one which was strangely familiar.

"Oh Gods, I know that..."

"It must be..."

Together they murmured the lyrics to the song that drifted through the trees. "...Roaming through the countryside, he never needs a place to hide..."

They smiled at each other, giggling, and rose to follow the music to its owner. Once they reached the edge of the clearing, however, they stopped. Something wasn't quite right. They pulled out their weapons before they approached the group around the fire.

"Joxer!"

He stopped his plucking and immediately turned around. "Xena! Gabby! Thank the Gods, you've come to save me!"

As Joxer rose to meet his friends, one of the bandits stepped in front of him. "Don't even think of it. You belong to the boss."

"But those are my friends..."

"We're your friends now."

"I don't think so." The voice behind the man made him turn in time to find a fist in his face. The bandits surrounded them and Xena pushed Joxer to the side for safety. She and Gabrielle, who Joxer just noticed was dressed quite differently and who was now using a pair of strange weapons, began fighting the bandits as they came at them, until eventually all the men were defeated.

"Hi guys. Nice look, Gabby, but I thought you were still following 'the way'?"

"I figured out that 'the way' wasn't my path." She went up to her friend and hugged him, releasing him so Xena could do the same. "We've missed you."

"You have?" Both women nodded. "I've missed you guys a little too. But it's different now that I've got my own sidekick."

"Where is Virgil, by the way?" Xena asked, leading the way back to the women's camp, pausing so Joxer could retrieve his fallen lute.

"He's visiting Armaan at the Academy. We're meeting up in Olympia, and then..."

Joxer was interrupted as the bandits' leader swung down from the trees, landing before the threesome with her sword drawn.

"Where are you taking him?" She spoke to Xena, but her eyes were held by Joxer's.

"Who are you?" Xena faced off against the woman.

"That is none of your concern. Now answer my question."

"He's our friend, and he's going with us." Joxer gave an imperceptible nod and the woman lowered her sword. "Watch out for him. There are bandits in these woods."

Before they knew what had happened, the woman had disappeared once again in the woods. Xena and Gabrielle looked at Joxer.

"She was the boss. That's all I know."

Nodding, the women led him back to their campsite. As Xena helped set Joxer a place to sleep, she asked Gabrielle to go collect some more firewood. Gabrielle nodded, understanding Xena wished to speak with Joxer privately. Once the bard was gone, Xena finally spoke.

"Joxer, what's wrong?"

"What, me? Nothing's wrong."

"Stop lying to me, Joxer. You never did before, so please don't start now. I noticed there was something wrong as we left Nebula's ship, but you left with Virgil before I could talk to you about it. Now what is it? You can tell me."

Joxer sighed and sat on the ground. "I know."

"What do you know?"

"I know. I know about you and Gabrielle."

"What?" The shock was evident on the Warrior Princess' face. "What makes you think that there's something between me and Gabrielle?"

"Back on the ship. I wanted to talk to the two of you and I was outside your door. I heard things."

Xena's jaw dropped. "I'm sorry, Joxer. I had no idea. That wasn't the way we wanted to let you know."

"You mean you were actually going to tell me? When? After the Bliss incident? After Gabby almost died? You two kept this secret from me for how long?"

"It wasn't like that Joxer. If you'll wait a moment, I'll explain." When Joxer said nothing, she continued. "Gabrielle and I became lovers shortly after we started traveling together. However, it didn't take us long to realize that it was interfering in the lives we wanted to have. It's hard battling Cyclops and giants when you're constantly worrying about whether or not your lover's going to survive. We eventually decided to set aside that part of our relationship and leave each other open to other possibilities, so to speak. That was shortly before we met you."

"But on the ship..."

"Let me finish. When that prophecy came so close to coming true in Rome, Gabrielle and I realized not only how much we cared for each other, but how empty our lives were without that love. We knew each other so much better and we decided that we were now ready for a more intimate relationship."

"So on the ship, you'd just gotten back together."

"Yes. We weren't planning on keeping it a secret from you, Joxer. And we didn't think you needed to know about our relationship before we met you."

He nodded and sighed. "I understand. Thank you for explaining this to me." Xena caught his eye and gently punched him on the arm, making him laugh.

When Gabrielle returned, she was relieved to see her two best friends acting like friends again. "I see you two talked?"

"Yeah, we talked." Xena smiled and patted the spot next to her. Gabrielle sat next to her, sliding her arm around her lover's back.

"So, you're headed for Olympia?" Joxer nodded. "Good. So are we."

"Are we?" Xena quirked up an eyebrow.

"Of course we are. And anyway, I can't wait to see Virgil again. He was a nice kid."

"Yeah," Joxer agreed. "He's a great kid."

"Well, I guess," Xena conceded. "It's late. Let's get some sleep."

As Joxer laid down for the night, he was able to admit that for the first in a long time he was truly happy. He was with his two best friends again and he now understood what had upset him. Soon they would meet up with his sidekick in Olympia and who knew what would happen next. Maybe the four of them could travel together for a while.

"Oh, Joxer, before you go to sleep," Xena threw a scroll over to him. "I found this in the last town we were in. I don't know whether it's a joke or not."

Joxer unrolled the scroll and groaned when he read the words.

***Do you need something stolen or killed? Are you tired of sub-standard thieves and assassins? Then look no further than the Two Kings. For a reasonable sum, you can hire the services of the best assassin and thief in Greece. No job is too hard. Hurry now and qualify for our 2-for-1 deal: we'll kill the warlord and steal the family jewels for free. The Two Kings: Jett and Autolycus. For arrangements, contact our agent, Salmoneus.***

"What's wrong, Joxer?"

"I'll explain in the morning."

Setting the scroll aside, Joxer closed his eyes. As he slipped into the land of dreams, the last image he saw was that of a pair of grey eyes.

Please take the time to write to Jaime at russia_girl@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. No infringement of copyrights or trademarks is intended in the writing of this fan fiction. This story is copyright © 2000 by JaimeBlue 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.