CHARACTERS

Xena
Gabrielle
Joxer
Eve

Rating: G
Summary: After a battle, Joxer and Gabrielle talk
Timeline: AU. Takes place in what would have been the sixth season if the 25-year jump never happened. Denialville: it's a wonderful place to live.
Author's Notes: This little vignette was inspired from the wonderful duet of this song performed by The Corrs and Bono that can be found on "The Corrs Live In Dublin" CD. Although this piece is presented in the form of a Lyrics Challenge, it actually is NOT a formal challenge. I just wanted to prove to myself as to whether or not I could actually write a story based around song lyrics.

When The Stars Go Blue
Lyrics by Ryan Adams

Dancin' where the stars go blue
Dancin' where the evening fell
Dancin' in your wooden shoes
In a wedding gown

Dancin' out on 7th street
Dancin' through the underground
Dancin' little marionette
Are you happy now?

Where do you go when you're lonely
Where do you go when you're blue
Where do you go when you're lonely
I'll follow you
When the stars go blue

Laughing with your pretty mouth
Laughing with your broken eyes
Laughing with your lover's tongue
In a lullaby

Where do you go when you're lonely
Where do you go when you're blue
Where do you go when you're lonely
I'll follow you
When the stars go blue
The stars go blue, stars go blue

Gabrielle's gaze turned away from watching Xena putting Eve to bed to studying her feet. Her eyes lit on the sais attached to her boots and she frowned at them. Is this what I've become? Did I really want to be like this? I thought I did, but now I'm not so sure... Her thoughts turned darker as she continued staring down at her weapons until her concentration was broken by the sound of Joxer tuning his lute.

Gabrielle looked across the campsite to gaze at the warrior wannabe, the firelight making odd shadows across the planes of his angular, lean features. She saw that he had shed his helmet and homemade armor, placing them in a neat pile next to his bedroll. He looked up for a moment from his tuning and his eyes met hers briefly. He smiled at her, but the smile didn't reach the deep brown depths of his eyes and he turned his attention back to his lute.

Gabrielle felt her eyes fill with sudden tears of frustration that she quickly blinked away. It's Joxer; you fool! You don't... You can't... But why can't... She leaned back to gaze up at the stars twinkling serenely in the nighttime sky and sighed.

Joxer finished tuning his lute and was playing softly now, the gentle melody drifting over the campsite and into the nighttime air. Xena smiled as she made a final check to see that Eve was comfortably asleep underneath the blankets. She kissed the one-year old on the cheek, rose to her feet and sat down in front of the fire. She then removed a sharpening stone from her pack and began to sharpen her sword in quick, efficient movements, somehow managing to create an accompanying rhythm to Joxer's melody. Joxer looked up from his playing to gaze in Xena's direction and the two exchanged grins.

Gabrielle closed her eyes, allowing the music to overwhelm her senses. The song Joxer played was something the three of them had heard in a tavern a week ago. He had only heard the music once, yet he was playing it note for note and ten times better than the lutist at the tavern. Why does he feel so ashamed of his musical talent? she wondered. She opened her eyes to gaze up at the stars once more and was surprised to see that some of them seemed to have turned blue. Must be a trick of the imagination... She turned her head in Xena's direction to say something but changed her mind when she saw the intent expression on her friend's face as she continued sharpening her sword.

Gabrielle then turned back to Joxer. He had finished the song and now allowed his fingers to dance on the strings Ð it was something that she had never heard before. His facial expression was soft, almost dreamy, but his eyes... She shuddered inwardly at the profound sadness she saw echoing in them.

Without realizing that she was doing so at first, Gabrielle rose to her feet and walked the short distance between where she sat at the campfire to over where Joxer sat on his bedroll. She squatted down before him, frowning slightly.

Joxer looked up and stopped playing when he saw her face. "Gabrielle?" he murmured. A dark eyebrow rose in puzzlement. "What's the matter?" He removed the lute's strap from his shoulder.

"Where do you go?" Gabrielle whispered.

Joxer's face twisted up in puzzlement. "Huh?"

Gabrielle started rubbing the back of her neck, feeling the tension burning underneath her skin. "Where do go when you're lonely?" Oh, how her neck hurt, how everything hurt... She just wanted the hurting to stop.

Joxer carefully placed the instrument on his bedroll and stared into the bard's eyes. "Where do you go, Gabrielle?" he asked softly.

"I..." Gabrielle couldn't take the intensity of his gaze and her eyes shifted up to the sky.

Joxer's eyes followed hers and widened at what he saw up there. "When the stars go blue," he murmured.

"What?" Gabrielle's sharp whisper quickly drew him back to earth. "What are you talking about?"

"That's where I go - up there," Joxer said, waving a hand in the general direction of the sky. He turned away from her, embarrassed. "Silly, isn't it?" He nervously ran his fingers through his hair, making it even spikier than it already was. The silence between them grew heavier as time marched on. Xena finished sharpening her sword and began working on her chakram, bluish-white sparks flying from where stone met metal.

"Can I follow you?" Gabrielle wasn't sure where the words came from. She didn't understand why she had to say them, but she needed to - before she lost the courage to say anything to him.

"No. You can't," Joxer said huskily after a long pause. Gabrielle felt her eyes tearing up again and she blinked furiously to keep them at bay, frustrated, embarrassed and angry with herself for saying something so stupid.

Joxer gently placed a finger underneath her chin and raised it so that she could gaze directly into his eyes. He then took her left hand in his right hand and placed it directly over his heart so she could feel it beating underneath his ragged shirt. "You can't because you're already where you're supposed to be," he explained in a whisper. "I'm the one who follows you." He leaned forward and impulsively kissed her on the forehead before letting her hand go and moving away until he was on the far edge of his bedroll, avoiding her gaze. "I'm sorry," he muttered, pulling his knees up to his chin. "I shouldn't have done that."

Gabrielle stared at Joxer hugging his knees for a minute before she rose to her feet and stepped forward a couple of paces so that she stood right next to his bedroll. She turned around, knelt down to move his lute and sat down next to him so that her shoulder touched his arm. She reached out and put her hand over his knees. Startled, he turned towards her and his eyes widened in shock when he saw tears brimming in her eyes. "Gabrielle?"

Gabrielle suddenly moved forward and slipped her arms around Joxer's neck. He automatically returned the embrace. "Thank you," she whispered in his ear, a single tear slipping down her cheek.

"For what?"

"For making it not hurt so much."

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 "When the Stars Go Blue" 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 © 2002 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.