Rating: PG to be on the safe side
Summary: An unexpected guest appears while Gabrielle is gathering wood for camp, making some observations that hit a little too close to the belt for comfort.
Timeline: AU late Season Five - approximately three months after the events of "Kindred Spirits", or the real last show in the series (from my timeline). 'Nuff said. Denialville's a great place to live in, isn't it?
Author's Notes: Thanks to Jerry Hendy for the lyrics.

It had been a long, hard day of traveling on the road, and nobody had welcomed its halt more than Joxer when Xena deemed that it was finally time to make evening camp. He quickly threw aside his helmet and armor so he could indulge in a good, long stretch of tired, aching muscles before going over to his pack and breaking out his bedroll.

Tonight, it was Gabrielle's turn to gather some firewood while Xena began skinning the first of three rabbits that she had managed to catch for the evening meal. As she walked away, she heard Joxer noisily getting the pots from Horse's saddlebags and she rolled her eyes in exasperation when she heard one go crashing to the ground. She sighed as Joxer began stammering an apology, only to have Xena cut him off with a murmured, "Don't worry about it, Joxer. Watch Eve while I finish up doing this, okay?"

"Sure..."

Gabrielle moved farther away from camp as she continued her search for as much wood as she could carry in her arms. Her mind mechanically went over the day's events as she pushed her way through some bushes and knelt down. Get up. Eat breakfast. Break camp. Ride. Deliver message to Iphicles. Ride some more. Help Xena prevent warlord and his hired thugs from taking over a village and get into a fight with them when they don't take the easy way out. Make sure that Joxer doesn't get beaten up while we're fighting with thugs. Still more riding. Take a quick 'Eve needs a diaper change' break and ride some more... Yep. Just another ordinary, boring day... She winced as she rose to full height and turned around to join her friends, arms loaded with wood.

She was just a short distance away from camp when she heard Eve giggling loudly. Curious, she came to a halt just outside where the others couldn't see her and she watched in bemusement as Joxer crawled very slowly behind Eve while Xena squatted down on her knees, her arms held out in front of her.

"C'mon Evie! Go!" Xena yelled encouragingly.

Still giggling, Eve lurched towards her mother, who picked her up and whirled her around a few times once she was within reach. "Yay! You won again!" she exclaimed before lowering her daughter down so she could place a gentle kiss on her forehead. She then turned towards Joxer, who was sitting on the ground with his legs sprawled before him as he gazed up at mother and child. "You're the only person I know who would be willing to race a crawling baby - and let her win," she observed with a wicked grin.

"Aw... She's worth it, Xena," Joxer shrugged, returning the grin with a lopsided one of his own. "Aren't you, Evie?" he crooned as he rose to his feet.

Eve burbled happily, content in the knowledge that she was worth it.

"It seems that she agrees with you," Xena said as she handed the baby over to Joxer.

"She's a smart kid."

Gabrielle smiled as she watched Xena sit back down on the ground and pick up the last of the rabbits that needed to be skinned, trying to keep a straight face as she watched Joxer make funny faces to make Eve laugh. Her attention became focused on the lanky man and the smile left her face as conflicting emotions that she thought she had conquered long before suddenly resurfaced. Her lips pressed together in a tight line and she scowled, pushing them away.

"Shoving those feelings you've got for Studmuffin aside again like last year's hottest fashions, sweet cheeks?"

Gabrielle whirled around as Aphrodite appeared in a rain of golden sparkles. "What do you want? And I don't have feelings for Joxer!" she whispered.

Aphrodite tossed her hair back, laughing throatily. "Whoa! Repressing much?"

Gabrielle sighed heavily. "I'm not repressing anything!"

The Love Goddess shook her head. "Yeah, tell me another one, Miss Thing!" she sniffed derisively.

"You don't know what you're talking about!"

"Like ex-squeeze me already, Blondie! You do realize who you're talking to, don't you?" Aphrodite asked, eyebrows disappearing underneath her bangs.

Gabrielle averted her eyes to gaze up at the early evening sky. "It's... complicated..." she finally answered after a long pause. "I've got everything I want, Aphrodite - with Xena, Eve, and yes, with Joxer too... They're my home, my family..." She shrugged her shoulders. "Why does it have to be more than that? What's wrong with leaving things the way they are?"

Aphrodite gazed at her, shaking her head in frustration as she crossed her arms over her chest. "What's the crime in knowing your mind, sweet cheeks? You're gonna suffocate in that bell jar you're living in if you keep going on the way you are," she murmured before disappearing in a soft golden shimmer.

Gabrielle stared in the spot that the Goddess stood in for a while with wide eyes, breathing heavily.

"Gabrielle? Are you all right?"

The wood fell from Gabrielle's arms with a loud clatter as she turned around to face Xena, who was gazing at her curiously. "Is there something the matter?" Her eyes darted back and forth, searching in the darkness. "You didn't see something out here, did you?"

"N-n-no," Gabrielle mumbled as she leaned down and quickly picked up the wood she had dropped. "It's nothing," she added in as she walked into camp, studiously ignoring the look that Xena gave her as she strode by.

Xena followed Gabrielle into camp and watched in thoughtful silence as Gabrielle threw some sticks inside the stone circle that Joxer had set up before and coaxed the fire to life after struggling with the flint for a minute. She put the pot over the fire once it was blazing and poured water into it before rising up to get her scrolls, inkpot, and quill from her saddlebag. She sat back down, yanked the scroll open, and began writing furiously.

Xena's gaze then momentarily turned towards Joxer, who was softly singing an old nursery song to Eve before turning her attention back to cutting up some root vegetables to toss in the pot for stew. She sighed silently, keeping her thoughts to herself as the moon rose into the nighttime sky.

Please take the time to write to Sandy at fiebrans@prodigy.net, and let her know how you liked the story!

COPYRIGHT DISCLAIMER:
Xena: Warrior Princess, Xena, Gabrielle, Joxer, and all 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 lyrics to "Bell Jar" are owned by the appropriate copyright holders. No infringement of copyrights or trademarks is intended in the writing of this fan fiction. This story is copyright © 2004 by Sandy Fiebranz 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.