Three pairs of eyes stared down suspiciously at the strange-looking food on their plates.

"What did you call this again, Joxer?" Gabrielle asked, carefully raising the plate up to her nose to sniff at the food sitting on it.

"Goat cheeseburgers."

"Eve, don't play with your food," Xena said tiredly as she gently removed tiny and slightly greasy fingers from the cheese-covered meat sandwiched between two slices of a roll. She looked at her oddly attired friend and sighed when she saw the hopeful look on his face. Gingerly, she picked up the cheeseburger and bit into it.

Gabrielle stared at her in wide-eyed amazement when she saw that not only was her friend willingly eating the latest of Joxer's more creative cooking efforts, but actually looked as if she was enjoying it. Well, he did make a killer moo-shu sauce, she thought before she decided to take the plunge and bit in. Her eyes lit up at the taste of perfectly spiced meat combined with the mellow cheese and fresh bread mingling in her mouth. "Wow! This is really good!"

Joxer's lips spread out in a huge grin at his love's praise and then he snapped his fingers. "Oh! I almost forgot!" He put his plate aside and rummaged around briefly in his pack, producing a small bottle. "I bought this at the market the other day. The guy who sold it to me said that everything tastes better with it." He uncapped it and poured a small bit of a thick reddish substance on his meal before picking it up and taking another bite. "Mmm..." He licked his lips and sighed happily as he continued eating.

Xena and Gabrielle exchanged glances and shrugged their shoulders. "You wanna try it?"

"Sure. Why not?"

Joxer tossed Gabrielle the bottle and she put a little of the red stuff on her cheeseburger. She bit in and almost squealed at the taste - tangy yet sweet at the same time. "We've got to get more of this! What's it called - and who's the guy who sold you this?"

"Uh, the guy called it ketchup," Joxer said before biting down again. He swallowed and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. "I think he said his name was Heinzius or something like that..."

Xena looked at the bottle with a gleam in her eyes. "You know, this stuff might actually make goose eggs taste good..."

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, Eve, 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 © 2006 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.