"Arr! You do that one more time, you scurvy scum and you'll be walking the plank and feeding the fishes! Now..."

"Hold it right there! That's enough!"

Joxer lifted up the piece of cloth that he was using to cover his left eye. "Too dramatic?" he asked, straightening up to full height.

"No, Joxer." Xena closed her eyes and mentally counted to deka before turning around to glare at Gabrielle. "Never in my life have I ever said anything like that when I was a pirate, nor have I worn an eyepatch!"

Gabrielle crossed her arms over her chest and returned the glare. "Xena, it's called artistic license!"

Xena's jaw actually dropped open and closed a few times before she was able to speak again. "Gabrielle, that's not artistic license! It's... It's..."

"Outright slander?" Joxer piped in.

"Joxer, be quiet! You're not helping!" Gabrielle rolled her eyes and slapped her forehead in frustration. "Xena, of course I added in bits and pieces to the story because it makes it more exciting!"

Xena's eyes narrowed as her nostrils twitched. "And just how many bits and pieces did you "add in" to make it more exciting, huh?" she asked with a sneer on her lips. She then felt a gentle tugging on her arm and she turned her head to look down at Eve, her facial features visibly softening. "What is it, honey?"

"Is Uncle Joxer gonna finish Auntie Gabby's story, Mommy?" the little girl asked, her blue eyes huge and pleading.

Xena briefly turned her head to look at her friends and saw that Joxer was shifting in the spot that he stood, nervously biting his bottom lip as he waited for the verdict. Raising her eyebrow, she then gazed at Gabrielle, who calmly returned her stare before she finally turned back to look at her child with a smile. "Yes, he's going to finish the story."

"YAY!" Eve clapped her hands in excitement and laughed.

As Joxer enthusiastically took up the story from where he left off for his captive audience, Xena murmured in an aside, "Oh, and Gabrielle? By the way, remind me to look at your other scrolls later on so I can see just exactly how much artistic license you've been taking with those stories..."

"What for?" Gabrielle asked with a suspicious look on her face.

Xena replied with a smirk, "You're in desperate need of an editor - and I'm the perfect person for the job."

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.