CAST:

The usual. Xena, Gabby, Joxer, with one assassin-archer thrown in. He doesn't have any dialogue, though.

Rating: G. Maybe PG.
Summary:
Joxer tells Gabrielle about how she and Xena saved his life for the first time.
Spoilers: Callisto, King of Assassins.

Gabrielle couldn't hear it: she was talking idly to Xena. Xena couldn't hear it: she was listening absently to Gabrielle. But Joxer heard it, and recognized it, and reacted just in time.

He jumped at Gabrielle, knocked her aside, and they both fell to the ground in a tangle. The arrow that had been aimed at her back went through his shoulder instead. Xena sent her chakram screaming through the trees, and the hidden archer could be heard scrambling away. Xena didn't go after him.

"Another one!" she hissed. "These guys are really starting to annoy me. Are you two all right?"

"I'm okay," Gabrielle affirmed as she wriggled out from under Joxer. "But Joxer's gone and gotten himself shot again."

Xena sighed. "All right." She knelt beside Joxer and examined his shoulder. "Boy, did you get lucky. That'll come out pretty easy. But for the love of Olympus, Joxer, can you stop getting in danger's way?"

"I can't help it," he protested. His eyes and jaw were clamped tightly shut against the pain. "Gabrielle, you all right?"

"A little bruised, but I'm fine," she assured him. "Thank you, Joxer."

He tried to smile, but the faint lapse of control caused tears to seep from his eyes. He forgot about basking in Gabrielle's praise and concentrated on ignoring the burning where the arrow had gone through.

"Okay, Gabrielle, you know the routine," Xena said as she helped Joxer to sit up slowly. "Get one of those mid-sized branches over there and heat it up well. And find some bandages."

Gabrielle nodded. She hated doing this, but Xena's treatment for arrow wounds almost never failed. She hurried around camp, getting the necessary materials.

Joxer had already taken off his armor, so Xena had only to slice open the cloth of his shirt to expose the wound. She let him lean against her, and counted down from three before breaking off the arrow's head.

A pained, pitiful cry escaped him. "Okay," Xena said calmly, "okay, Joxer, you're doing fine. I know it hurts. Just hang on."

"Gabrielle . . ." he begged weakly.

"I'm right here, Joxer." The bard knelt down and took his good hand. He clung painfully to her as Xena pulled the shaft out and cauterized the entrance and exit wounds.

In another fifteen minutes, Joxer had his shoulder bandaged and was resting on his bedroll next to the fire. He was still in some pain, but it was tolerable as long as he didn't move. Gabrielle sat next to him, still holding his hand, and Xena was already half asleep across the fire.

"How are you doing?" Gabrielle asked quietly.

"I'll live."

"You're insane, you know that."

"Yes, I know."

"Joxer," Gabrielle said with a sigh, "I don't understand you. This is the fifth time in as many weeks that you've nearly killed yourself for either Xena or me. Why do you do it?"

"You would," he answered promptly. "Why shouldn't I?"

"That's not what I mean. What I want to know is, why do you travel with us at all? You're always getting yourself hurt, and besides, Xena and I are always ordering you around like a common servant." Her tone wasn't apologetic: just matter-of-fact. "Why do you put up with us?"

"Because you're my best friends, Gabby. You know that."

"Forgive me for sounding like a four-year-old child, but why? We have never given you the slightest reason to do anything but hate us."

Joxer took a deep breath and struggled to sit up. "That's where you're wrong. Right from day one, I owed my life to you."

Gabrielle went back in her memory and tried to remember that first day she had met Joxer. Had either she or Xena saved his life that day? Not that she could recall.

"I don't understand," she protested. "What did we save you from? If I remember correctly, you saved me."

Joxer shook his head; slowly, so as not to aggravate his shoulder. "You were the ones who saved me, Gabrielle. From myself."

Gabrielle didn't answer. It was evident from her expression that she wanted a straight explanation and she wanted it now.

"I think I told you that my father and I never really got along," he began hesitantly.

"Yes, I think you did."

"Well, to put it briefly, he wanted me to be just like Jett. I didn't. The older I got, the more we fought about it, until he kicked me right out of the house and told me I couldn't come back until I'd killed ten men and fathered ten children."

"I don't think I'd get along with your father very well," Gabrielle observed.

"No one got along with my father very well. Especially me. Anyway, I left, feeling pretty angry with him and just dying to get even. So I came up with a plan, and if I do say so myself, it was a darn good plan too.

"See, my dad knew Callisto. They'd made some deals a while back, mutual favors of a sort. He admired her a lot, and was constantly telling me 'If a woman can be a great warlord, you ought to at least be able to handle a sword right!' and stuff like that. So I didn't like Callisto too much either. When I ran across her army, I decided it would be the perfect way to get back at my father if I killed her."

Gabrielle tried unsuccessfully to stifle a giggle. "You kill Callisto? I'm sorry, Joxer, but you never stood any sort of chance against her."

"I know, I know. I knew then. I didn't intend to beat her. I was going to get into her army, stay there a few months, then stab her in her sleep or poison her or something. Then, when Alexandros or whatever he was called found me out, he'd kill me. Plain and simple. Suicide mission."

Gabrielle stopped laughing. "You . . . you were going to kill yourself."

"Yep." Joxer smiled halfheartedly. "Basically, I was. My mind was made up. I wasn't scared or anything. It was a cool feeling, knowing exactly the way the rest of my life was going to go."

Without noticing it, she reached out and took his hand in both of hers. "If you were so determined, why didn't you do it?"

He smiled at her, a full, real smile. "Because you found me just in time. And you changed my whole life."

Gabrielle smiled back, her eyes a little moist. "Thank you," she whispered, "for telling me. I never knew."

"I wasn't really sure I wanted you to know. But now you do, and there's no changing it. And I guess I'm glad."

"I'm glad, too. And I'm glad that you came with us, I truly am. You're the best friend besides Xena that I've ever had."

"That means a lot to me, Gabrielle. A whole lot."

"Joxer?"

"Yeah?"

"Don't you ever so much as think about killing yourself again, understand? Don't even think it. I would be extremely disappointed if you did something like that to me."

Joxer grinned and gave her a friendly hug with his good arm. "I won't. Cross my heart. I would never want to disappoint you."

Gabrielle would remember those words, years later, as she looked into the same warm and loving eyes. And that night, in her mind, she whispered her answer.

"You could never disappoint me."

Please take the time to write to Seri at silverhawkwarrior@netzero.com, and let her know how you liked the story!

COPYRIGHT DISCLAIMER:
Xena: Warrior Princess, Xena, Gabrielle, Joxer, and all other characters who have appeared in either series, together with the names, titles and backstory are the sole copyright property of StudiosUSA and Renaissance Pictures. The lyrics to "Just In Time" 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 © 2000 by Seriana Ritani 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.