Author's Notes: Knocked this story up in day - which bizarrely was based on a Banana Splits sketch(!). It's silly but brief.

Gabrielle had foregone her usual choice of leather clothes and was currently wearing a roughly-sewn jacket and trousers of animal skin. Waving a staff of sorts at Argo, her face was cast in deep concentration, muttering a few words to herself before scrunching her eyes closed.

"Hey Gabby, wotcher doing?" Joxer greeted his paramour.

"Oh, hi Joxer," she answered, opening her eyes again. "I'm learning to be a Shamaness."

"Kewl! When are you going into the underworld?" he exclaimed.

"Not yet - I'm learning simple things first."

He watched curiously as she waved her staff again. "So what are you learning at the moment?"

"I'm trying to make Argo disappear," the trainee Shamaness explained.

Argo snorted in response and dipped her head down to munch some grass.

"Won't Xena be mad if Argo vanishes?" Joxer wondered.

"It's not a permanent disappearance - at least, I don't think so," she mused.

"Would it help if I rang a bell when yo're done, to summon the spirits?" Joxer suggested.

She thought for a moment, then shrugged. "It couldn't hurt."

"Back in a moment," he called out as he ran back to his pack.

Gabrielle looked at her target, whom was ignoring her completely. A shake of the staff wasn't helping either. She unrolled the scroll "Shamaness for beginners - Amaze your friends and astound your enemies!" again.

"Back," Joxer declared, ringing his bell enthusiastically.

Gabrielle looked at the bell uncertainly, then brightened as she recognised it. It was the bell that he'd been charmed by Aphrodite - perhaps an Olympian device would assist her? "When I say my piece and wave the staff, you ring the bell, okay?"

"Alright Gabby," he replied cheerily.

She took up a stance and stared fiercely at Argo. "O dark spirits of the Underworld and Hades/Help me to become one of the Shamaness ladies!"

Shaking her staff vigourously with one hand, she pointed at the mare with the other and shut her eyes tight. The bell jangled on cue, and she peered cautiously at her target.

"Did it work?" Joxer asked, keeping his eyes tight shut likewise.

Gabrielle cupped her chin in frustration. "I don't think so. I'll try again."

Joxer opened his eyes and waited expectantly.

"I think it's just me that's supposed to close my eyes," she added.

"Um, okay."

"Abra-cadabra!" Gabrielle cried, wielding her staff and glaring at Argo before shutting her eyes tight.

She opened her eyes again at the sound of the bell, frowning at the sight of the obstinate beast refusing to leave the mortal plane. "By the Gods and Charon below/I command this mare to go!"

"Hmm, maybe it's the bell?" the amateur Shamaness offered, on opening her eyes to the peals of the bell.

"If you say so Gabby," Joxer said doubtfully and took it back to the camp as Gabrielle continued to invoke the Shamanic spirits.

"Morning Joxer," Xena hailed him, carrying an armful of fish skewered on a spear.

"Hi Xena - are you going to be helping Gabby out later?"

"Helping her out?" she queried.

"She's learning to become a Shamaness," he explained, ringing the bell loudly and then stopping abruptly as Xena stilled the clapper.

"Really?" Xena said in surprise, raising her eyebrows.

"She wants to make Argo disappear," he continued.

"Does she now?" Xena laid the spear down slowly and deliberately as she took this information in. "Then I'll teach her a lesson of how to make things disappear."

"I hear you're learning to become a Shamaness," Xena remarked as she joined Gabrielle.

Gabrielle practised a few poises, concentrating on the horse to her front. "One step at a time - it's a course Salmoneus sold me."

"Ah. Why don't you show me what you can do?"

The solitary comment regarding the quality of the course passed by unnoticed as Gabrielle went into her routine of assorted incantations, waving the staff and scrunching her eyes shut.

"Hmm, I think I see where you're going wrong," Xena commented thoughtfully. "What you need to do is this..."

The Warrior Princess took up an aggressive stance, and launched into a vigorous dance with hand gestures and facial expressions; at her signal, Gabrielle shook the staff wildly and pointed at the horse. They both closed their eyes tight and opened them again. Argo was indeed gone to another place.

"Looks like you've awoken the Shamanic spirits," Xena said in an impressed tone. "But can you bring her back again?"

"What's this dance called, Xena?" the blonde enquired.

"The Haka," Xena replied in hushed tones. "It's an ancient ritual used by the natives south of Ch'in."

"Right," Gabrielle said determinedly and launched into the same dance routine Xena had just shown her, gestures and all. Wielding her staff and scrunching her eyes closed, she waited a moment before opening them. "Where's Argo? She should be here - it worked for you!"

"Hmm, maybe you need to concentrate more," Xena reflected. "Let the Spirits know that you want her back from whence she came. Relax, sit down, close your eyes and empty your mind to Argo. Send those thoughts to her, Gabrielle!"

Taking a deep breath, the Shaman-in-training sat crosslegged, putting her fingers to the forehead as she closed her eyes - her face a picture of concentration.

Tiptoeing away, Xena gestured to Joxer to release Argo. He followed deftly behind her, leaving a bemused Palomino mare standing close by her "shaman".

"Xena, how long will it take Gabby to realise that she didn't vanish Argo after all?" Joxer asked quietly back at the camp.

"About as long as it takes her to realise that learning to be a Shaman is dangerous and can't be taught in easy lessons," Xena said grimly.

Gabrielle was still thinking hard of the horse, when she felt hot breath on the back of her neck. "Argo! Xena, it worked, I knew -"

Now it was Gabrielle's turn to look puzzled as she found herself with just Argo for company in the clearing. "Xena? Xena? Oh! Xena!"

"That long?" Joxer asked, on hearing Gabrielle's testy voice.

"Long enough," Xena said shortly.

Please take the time to write to Jerry at studmuffin_jer@yahoo.com, and let him 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 © 2002 by Jerry Hendy and is his 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.