Rating: PG13
Summary: This is a crossover of X:WP and Romeo and Juliet. It takes place in Season 5 and the 1968 movie of Romeo and Juliet. It's NOT a Joxer/Meg romance. Aphrodite teleports Joxer and Meg a bit in the future, where there they meet and befriend two love-struck teenagers caught in a fued between two families.

Joxer looked around at his surroundings. He was in a forest, which looked different from the one he was just in now. The forest he was in now, it looked so...so clean. Almost like a garden. Suddenly, a pink glow of sparkles flashed before him, causing him to jump and fall on his back to the ground.

"Oops, sorry, studmuffin. I should be more careful when I do that." the love goddess giggled as she materialized before him. He slowly got up, with a disgusted look on his face.

"Aphrodite." He snarled. "Mind telling me why your waisting my valuable time to search for my friends? And where the hell am I?"

Aphrodite threw her hands up, being her innocent self as ussual. "Hey hey, easy boy. Now...your in a place called Fair Verona. I sent you here because I need your help."

Joxer scoffed at this, and turned his back to her, leaving. "What makes you think I'm gonna help you? Your family is the reason my friends are missing. Who knows, maybe where ever or whatever Ares did with them, they're probably dead."

Within seconds, Aphrodite was infront of him, her expression was soft. "Joxer, I wasn't there when my uncle, my husband, and my sister attacked Xena and Gabrielle. I tried to stop them, to reason with them. But...they wouldn't listen." she sighed. A tear ran down her cheek. "My father's death hit everyone pretty badly."

Joxer winced at his words earlier. He really didn't mean to blame Dite for Xena and Gabrielle. He put his hands on her shoulders.

"W-what....what do you need me to do, Dite?"

She looked up at him. Her lips made a small smile. "Well, first thing is first." With that, she snapped her fingers. Right behind her, Meg suddenly materialized. Joxer looked surprised in Meg's direction, curious of why she was here. He then looked down at Aphrodite, whose smile had grown wider. "Now here's what I need for," She looked and pointed to both Joxer and Meg, who were now side by side, "you two to do."

Joxer and Meg walked in the streets of Verona. It was a huge crowd, and Meg found herself nearly getting lost from Joxer. Joxer noticed this, and grabbed her hand. "You really need to keep up."

She snatched her hand away from him. "And you need to keep your hands to yourself." She snarled at him. Since Meg was a twin double of Xena's, her look was pretty much scaring him a bit, making him to let go of her hand.

"Why are you so mad at me, Meg?"

She looked incredilous at him. "Why? WHY?! I'll tell you why! Because you just blew me off when your little bard came back from India, thats why!"

Joxer stopped and turned around, facing Meg with a serious look on his face. "I did not blow you off. I just said it might be a mistake for us to be together, Meg."

"Oh, ok...fine." She simply replied, crossing her arms over her chest. "You dumped me then!"

With that, she walked off. Joxer grabbed her arm to stop her, but noticed that him and Meg were getting an audience. He rushed Meg with him to an empty corner, looking straight into her eyes.

"I didn't dump you! I just...I just thought you needed something else..someone else...someone better. Someone who could give you the best of everything, and love you forever..."

"That's just it Joxer!" She yelled. "You were that somebody. That somebody that could love me forever!"

"What makes you think that?!"

"Because...because..." She looked down at her feet.

"Because what?"

She looked up with tears in her eyes. "Because I love you, you bastard! I love you...and I will forever!"

He was stunned. He couldn't move, nor speak. His eyes were staring directly at her.

Meg looked away from him and moved a distance from him. She felt torn up inside, like her heart was been stabbed right now, or crushing into thousands of pieces.

Joxer, finally able to move, looked down at the ground, leaning his back against the wall. He let out a deep sigh, confused at the situation now. First, him and Meg had to find two teens by the names of Romeo and Juliet, and now...Meg just said she loved him, that she'll love him forever. Why me? he thought.

Suddenly, Joxer heard a bell ringing. He looked into the direction of the sound, and saw what looked like a church. He looked at it more closely, and saw that it was.

"Meg, I think I found our destination." he told her.

Meg turned around, and looked into the direction he pointed too. Indeed he did find the destinations. She smiled brightly.

"Then what are we waiting for?! Come on, we gotta find this Romeo before nightfall." she giggled happy as her and Joxer ran to the church.

Joxer and Meg walked up to the door of Friar Laurance, who new this Romeo pretty well. Joxer looked at Meg, checking to see if she was ready. She nodded, and Joxer knocked on the door. He could hear two voices in the room. One sounded like an old man's, the other a woman's.

The door opened, revealing Friar Laurance. The Friar looked at both the two, and their clothes.

"What brings thou here so late at night to my chambers? And I say, what clothing is this that you were?" He asked.

Joxer and Meg both looked confused at his use of words, but Joxer was the first to speak up.

"We're friends. My name is Joxer the Mi.." He paused and corrected himself. "..Joxer...this is my friend, Meg."

Meg shook hands with Friar Laurance, but blushed bashfully as he kissed that back of her hand. This made Joxer a bit jealous, but Joxer shook the feeling off.

"We're looking for...Romeo, the son of Mont...Montygoose?"

"It's Montague to you sir, and what makes you so sure that Romeo is here? Why, he could have left for Matua by now!"

Meg walked up to the Friar. "We know he's here, because we know about his girlfriend, or his wife now, Juliet of the Capulets."

The Friar gasped at this. These two mysterious, and strangely dressed, strangers knew about Romeo and Juliet's romance?

"Come...come in. The boy is here. Yet he is sad...so sad. His tears have drunked him of all feeling." Friar led them in his chamber, and pointed to an aged woman, who was hold a badly weeping boy in her arms. She was Nurse, a godmother to Juliet, and the boy must've been Romeo.

Meg walked over to the weeping boy, pulling him to his feet, a stern look was on his face. "Now you listen here, boy. Be a man and stop crying!" she hissed.

Without hesitation, he obeyed.

Meg smiled. "That's better."

Romeo looked at them both, then spoke. "Have you also come in service of my dear Juliet?"

Joxer walked over to the teen. "Well...not exactly. But we're here to help you and your girlfriend."

Romeo looked at them both the, bewirlded. "How? The prince of Verona has banished me from Verona, and should I ever step foot again...I will be killed. Either way..." He began to cry again. "..I will never see Juliet's face again, or feel her touch...or..."

"We got the point, kid." Both Joxer and Meg said.

Meg sighed and gripped the boys shoulders. "Ok look, I know that Juliet is set to marry Paris by the day after tomorrow. Juliet will be in great refusal to this, and Friar Laurance will give her a potion that will make her look dead to others, but the truth is that she'll be asleep until four hours past night time."

It was Friar's turn to look bewirlded. "And how does thou know all this?!"

Joxer turned to him. "There's no time to explain. Look, can you make that potion that Meg was talking about?"

Friar thought for a moment, and started to pace around his chamber. He suddenly stopped, looking like he came across a plan.

"Yes...yes I can! Those flowers from the other day that I picked! I..I shall make haste and prepare it now!"

"Thank you, it means alot." Joxer replied as Friar marched into the back of his room. "Including our way home." Joxer mumbled.

Meg watched as Friar Laurance left the room, and looked back at Romeo. "Now, once we get that potion, Joxer will creep in and give her the potion. You'll come with me. I heard that she's been in a droody mood all day and still weeps for you. When I give you the signal, you'll go up to her room." he explained. "Got it?"

Romeo nodded.

Joxer held the small bottle in his hand, careful not to drop at as he climbed up to Juliet's balcony. He made it, and crept over to the backdoors of her room. He looked inside, and saw a young girl, crying as she layed on her bed, hugging one of her pillows. It must be Juliet.

He managed to see her face. Gods, what a sight. She had the beauty of the one creature that could outmatch a goddess anytime. She looked like an angel.

He stirred himself out of his chain of thought immediatly. Gods, Joxer! She's just a kid! She's fourteen-years-old thats...only...eleven years apart from you. he thought to himself.

"Joxer, hurry up, will you?" Meg quietly hissed."

Joxer jumped at her tone, cleared his throat, and knocked on the door gently. The sound of his fist lightly tapping the back door made Juliet jump. He put his finger to his lips, signaling her to be quite. Then he made a word on the glass of the door, spelling ROMEO with his finger.

Juliet jumped off her bed and ran to the door, opening the door quickly. She pulled Joxer in her room and closed the door behind her. She then walked up to Joxer, grabbing on his arm.

"Good man, are you not a messenger from Friar Laurance, here to tell my of my lord?" She whispered. Her eyes told Joxer that she was hoping he would say yes.

"I am, my lady."

She smiled so brightly. A smile that could make the toughest and care-free type of guys cry and fall to their needs. "OH, great stars of the heavens!" She yelled with happiness in her voice. She wrapped her arms tightly around Joxer's neck. "Tell me..tell me of my love? Is he hurt?"

Joxer, being crushed by Juliet's grip, pulled her gently off him. He grabbed both of her hands. "He is fine, my lady. But he is hurt...his heart I mean. He is pretty much crushed since he found out he's to be banished from Verona."

'Pray tell, where is my lord? Where is my love, my husband? Where is my Romeo?" She asked worriedly for her lover.

Joxer let go of her hands and put them on her shoulders. "You'll see him soon. Right now you must listen to me." He took her hand again, this time placing a bottle with the potion inside it in her hand. "You must drink this by tomorrow night as you go to bed. You will be out for the next, entire days, but will wake up in four hours after night. When you awake, Romeo will be with you at your side. After that, wait for me and my friend, ok?"

Juliet nodded. But she suddenly looked up at Joxer. "How can I trust thee? Thou art a stranger to me. How do I know this is not poison that will kill me?!"

Joxer looked at her for awhile. "Because I know you'll drink the potion. You would do anything to be with Romeo, as he would with you. You must trust me, Juliet."

Juliet looked down at the ground for a moment, thinking. Then, she looked back at Joxer. "Very well. I trust thee at thy word."

He smiled, squeezed her hand gently, and turned to leave.

"Wait." She stopped him as she ran up infront of him.

She looked at him for a moment, and suddenly leaned up, and met his lips in a soft kiss. She parted from him, looking in his eyes, and smiled sweetly at him. "What is thy name?"

Joxer stared at her for a moment. "Joxer, my lady."

"I thank you, Joxer. You are the only person that has seized my tears of sadness, and now I cry of joy."

There was a long moment of silence as the both stared at each other, until Joxer bowed to her, and left her room.

He stood out in the balcony for a moment, trying to figure out what just happened. Joxer looked back in her room, watching her hide the bottle he gave her in her dresser, and walked back to her bed.

He watched her, staring at her as she layed down. From that moment, he had no idea what he was saying.

"O, she doth teach the torches to burn bright! It seems she hangs upon the cheek of the night. So shows a snowy dove drooping with crows, as yonder lady o'er her fellows shows. Did my heart love till now? For swear in sight, for I ne'er saw true beauty till this night."

Whoa! WHAT THE HELL?! he thought. He finally tore his gaze from her. and climbed down from the balcony walking up to Meg and Romeo, and motioned for the young man to go to Juliet.

In her room, Juliet touched her lips. They felt warm...the same way the felt when she kissed her beloved Romeo. She couldn't help but think of his image. He was very handsome, especially when the moon light beamed on his face. She could still feel his hands when he touched her....

She stopped, realizing what she was doing. She quickly thought of Romeo. The way how Romeo kissed her, how she felt when they were together, and when he touches her. Suddenly, she heard her backdoor open again.

In the doorway, Romeo looked at his beloved. Within seconds, the two were in each other's arms.

Down below, Joxer watched the two lovers. Feeling a bit of jealousy, he walked away with Meg. Meg looked back at the figures moving in Juliet's room. "Didn't take them long. Aren't they a bit to young for that?" She asked.

The next day, Romeo journied with Joxer and Meg outside of Verona, and waited for night to come. Romeo looked over and noticed Joxer was sitting by himself under a tree. He looked to see Meg talking with his friends.

The young son of the Montague walked over to Joxer, and sat next to him.

"I...I can't tell thee how grateful I am. I thank you for this." He put out his hand infront of Joxer.

Joxer grinned and shook the boy's hand. "No need for thanks, kid. Just doing what Joxer the...well..just doing what I do."

Romeo stared at Joxer for a moment. He noticed something strange about the man. Something was wrong.

"Joxer," he began, "...did...did you ever love somebody, more than anything, in your time?"

Joxer looked back at the boy for a moment, a great deal of pain in his eyes. He looked to his lap. "Yes, I did. More than anything, more than everything....more than the world or anybody else."

There was a pause. Romeo looked to the ground, then back up at Joxer. "If you don't mind me asking, who was this person you loved so dearly?"

"Is, who is. And the person was a girl. Her name is Gabrielle. And before you ask, no, she doesn't love me back. But that won't stop me for loving her so much."

Romeo looked at Joxer, incredilous that he would still love a woman that did not love him back. "But, why? Why not find someone who can return your feelings?"

Joxer looked back up at the young man. "Hope. Hope is why I hold on to...so that maybe someday...she will loveme back. But right now in my time, it doesn't seem like it. Long story." He sighed.

A few more hours were left of day. Joxer had fallen asleep. He was dreaming of her again, of his beloved bard, Gabrielle. It was the same sweet dream. They were laying together in the camp, their bed rolls so close so they could be close.

She would rest on him, feeling each other's body heat. He whispered something to her, he couldn't quite make it out, and she would whisper back with that beautiful smile that made her glow. He would take a daisy that he found at his side, and run it's smoothly against her cheek, and then against her arm, and then her hip, and then go back up. He easily saw that the daisy was replaced with his own hand running smoothly against her body.

They both leaned towards each other, and their lips met in a kiss that would confess all the love they had for each other, a love that was endless, a love so deep, few ever knew it.

He suddenly was woken up when somebody splashed water in his face. DAMN THEM! How dare them wake him from his dream. He looked up to see it was Meg.

"It's time. Romeo already left."

He slowly got to his feet and walked with Meg to their horse, not saying a word, which worried Meg.

"Same dream?" She asked.

Without looking at her, he replied, "Same dream."

Juliet looked over to the city of Verona. She was far away from it now. She turned around and faced Joxer. "What now?" she asked.

Joxer walked over to the beautiful girl. "Everyone in Verona thinks both you and Romeo are dead. Because of this, both your families have called for a truce and peace is now restored. You'll see them again, but wait for a year. When you go back, the peace between your families will be permenant, and you can live happily ever after." Joxer rolled his eyes at the last three words he said.

Juliet took his hand and both hers, and looked deep in her eyes. "Once again, I thank thee."

Joxer bowed his head to her. But, Juliet did not release Joxer's hand from her grip as she still stared into his brown orbs.

"Stay with me." She whisperd, staring at him so lovingly.

Joxer moved his hand from hers, and placed both his hands on her shoulders. "I can't."

She looked at him. He could tell she was saddened by his answer. "I'm sorry." He put his hand on her cheek.

Her tears began to fall down her cheeks, as she embraced with Joxer, resting her cheek against his chest.

Joxer kissed her forehead, and whispered in her ear. "Just know, that no matter what, I'll always be with you." With that, he walked away as Romeo came up to Juliet, wrapping his arms around her from behind.

Joxer walked up beside Meg, and in a flash, the two were gone.

A 15-year-old Jen, the daughter and first child of Joxer and Meg, was sitting with her brother, a 12-year-old Virgil, just outside of their house. Sitting in between them was Cupid, who was unwillingly talked into babysitting the two while Joxer and Meg were away.

There was suddenly a flash of light, and then, Meg and Joxer materialized before cupid and their children. Virgil was the first to get up.

'Dad!" the boy shouted as he smiled and rushed over to his father.

Joxer held his arms out, and the boy jumped into his father's arms. Joxer laughed his hugged his son. "Hey buddy, did you miss us?" He said as he lifted his son.

Virgil looked at his father. "What took you so long, dad?" the boy smiled.

Joxer smiled back at his son. "Oh you know, righting wrongs and singing songs is not that easy." They both laughed.

Joxer put his son down, and Virgil ran up and hugged his mother. Jen walked up to her father and they embraced.

"Welcome back, daddy." She whisperd.

"It's good to be back, sweety."

Late at night, Meg walked out of Jen's and Virgil's room as the went to sleep. She looked over to the fire place to see Joxer sitting infront of it.

She walked over, and sat in the chair next to his. There was a long silence, until Joxer looked up at her.

"Meg. About..about what you said..."

"No, Joxer it's ok..."

"No...no it's not, Meg. What I did, Meg, to me...it felt like the right thing. I knew this because...I knew...that we loved each other, but we were not INlove with each other."

She looked at him with a frown. But she nodded in agreement, knowing that in her heart, he was right.

"So..what now?" she asked.

Joxer leaned forward in his chair, clasping his hands together. "I don't know...I think I might have to find a new home..."

"No, you can stay here. I mean..this is your house."

He looked over his ex-girlfriend. "You really want me to?"

She smiled sweetly at him. "Sure. Even though we're not together, we'll be friends."

Joxer smiled and looked down at his hands.

There was another silence.

"Is it because of Gabrielle?" Meg asked.

Joxer hesitated. He looked back up at Meg. "Yes."

Meg looked over at him. "Even if she comes back, and she doesn't love you the way you love her. Would you still love her?"

He thought for moment, looking at the dancing flames that consumed the firewood. Joxer finally turned to Meg.

"Then I will live and die, loving her more than the world."

He laid back in his chair, and fell asleep, having the same dream he had before. The dream of him and gabrielle.

Please take the time to write to KScott2112 at KScott2112@aol.com, and let him know how you liked the story!

COPYRIGHT DISCLAIMER:
Xena: Warrior Princess, Joxer, Meg, Aphrodite, 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. The play Romeo and Juliet, as well as the characters Romeo, Juliet, Friar Laurence, and all others appearing in the play were created by William Shakespeare. No infringement of copyrights or trademarks is intended in the writing of this fan fiction. This story is copyright © 2001 by KScott2112 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.