Joxer sighed loudly as he trudged home, not even realizing that some of his neighbors greeted him cheerfully as he walked past their homes. Instead, he continued to walk onwards with a troubled expression on his face. His flabbergasted neighbors watched him pass by and shook their heads.

Joxer's head lifted when he heard the sound of childish laughter up ahead and he smiled slightly as he watched Andy chasing after Eve in a game of tag. Obviously, his little nephew was 'it' and he was trying to tag the much taller and older girl.

Andy happened to notice Joxer approaching and he stopped in the middle of his playing. "Uncle Joxer!" he shouted happily and ran over to his uncle's outstretched arms, giggling merrily as Joxer picked him up, whirled him around once, and kissed him on the forehead before setting him back down onto the ground.

"Hi Andy," Joxer greeted his nephew with a smile, affectionately ruffling the boy's blond hair. He looked up as Eve walked over to the two with a smile on her face. "Hi Evie," he said, leaning over to give her a kiss on the cheek.

"Hi Uncle Joxer," Eve replied, returning the affectionate gesture. She sighed as she watched the merry expression fade away from Joxer's dark eyes and change over to worry. "Dorie's over at Jace and Pierre's place."

Joxer nodded. "Thanks, Evie." A smile that didn't reach his eyes appeared on his face. "Have fun with Andy but come inside when it gets dark, huh?" He gazed down at the little boy. "And aren't you still 'it'?" he reminded the five-year old.

"YEAH!" Andy shouted. He suddenly reached out and tagged Eve. "Now Evie is!" he giggled and raced down the street.

"Hey! I'll get you for that!" Eve laughed, shaking her fist in the air as she went after her charge.

Joxer chuckled as he watched Eve run after Andy and then he turned around and walked up the two stairs that led to the main sitting area of the house he and Gabrielle had bought. "Gabrielle," he said huskily as he walked inside.

Gabrielle smiled as she rose to her feet after carefully putting her quill aside. "Hi Joxer," she greeted her husband. She embraced him warmly, following it up with a deep kiss that he eagerly returned. She slowly withdrew from the kiss and gazed into Joxer's dark eyes and sighed at the worry she saw echoing in them. "Do you want something to eat?" she asked, gently caressing his cheek. "I haven't had anything yet, but Dorie ate before she went over to the studio."

Joxer nodded and together they walked out into the kitchen to have a light supper. Gabrielle silently watched as Joxer listlessly picked at his meal and finally had enough when he picked up an olive and stared at it with his right hand while he drummed the fingers of his left hand on the table. She reached out and put her hand over his. Joxer stopped drumming his fingers and his eyes slowly focused on Gabrielle. He sighed heavily and slowly put the olive back down on the plate.

"I guess things didn't go too well in class today, huh?" Gabrielle asked softly.

Joxer chuckled ruefully. "That's an understatement, Gabrielle." He took a drink of cool water from his mug and plunked it back on the table, some of the liquid sloshing over the side. He leaned back in his seat and shook his head.

"This is the third time this week Dorie's gotten detention, Gabrielle. Today, it was for passing notes to Ioannes. The other day, it was for putting glue on someone's seat... And then there was that business with the stink bomb in Jace's studio!" Joxer sighed again as he put his elbows on the table and cupped his face with his hands, his lips jutting out in an unhappy pout. "I just don't understand it, Gabrielle. Up until a few months ago, she was such a happy, go-lucky kid and now it's like we're dealing with a complete stranger! If you ask her to do something, she loses her temper. Now she's started playing tricks at school and she's gone absolutely boy-crazy..."

"Honey, Dorie was always boy-crazy," Gabrielle pointed out.

Joxer's lips curled up into a tiny smile. "That's true," he admitted. "But now..."

Gabrielle moved her chair so that she was sitting right next to Joxer. "It's teenage rebellion, Pookie. It's completely normal for someone her age to act out when she's frustrated. Both Lila and I pushed my parents at that age for a little while. Heck, Xena just went through the same thing with Eve a couple of years ago, remember? Didn't you feel like that when you were her age?"

Joxer's eyebrow rose. "I felt that way, but I sure didn't act on it. Not if I wanted to keep breathing," he said quietly.

Gabrielle nodded, knowing how he and his brothers grew up. "I know. Honestly, Joxer. It's just a phase she's going through," she said, trying to reassure him.

"I guess so," Joxer replied doubtfully.

Gabrielle searched Joxer's face carefully. "It's more than Dorie acting up that's bothering you," she said. Her eyes widened in alarm as she thought of something else. "You haven't seen her...?" she waved her arm vaguely.

"No, I haven't seen anything suddenly appear from thin air, Gabrielle," Joxer quickly reassured his wife. "It's just that..." he broke off, turning away from her gaze. "Never mind," he muttered.

"Never mind what, Joxer?" Gabrielle's eyes narrowed suspiciously.

Joxer didn't say anything for a long time, and when he did, his voice was very soft, almost a whisper. "I've messed up with so many things in the past, Gabrielle. What if I've..." He couldn't finish the rest of his thoughts, but passed his hand over his eyes.

Gabrielle suddenly reached out and grabbed both of his hands in hers, gripping them so tightly that it made him wince. Her green eyes flashed angrily as she stared into his eyes. "Joxer, I haven't heard you talk like this in a long time, and I'm not going to listen to you put yourself down now! You are not a failure as a parent!" she exclaimed sharply.

Joxer didn't say anything, but he didn't look convinced by Gabrielle's words either.

Gabrielle sighed and loosened her grip on Joxer's hands, but she didn't let them go. "Joxer, I'm serious. You're a good dad. You listen to Dorie when she wants to talk to you. You rarely raise your voice to her, and when you do have to punish her for something she's done, it's a fair punishment. You're not perfect, but who is?"

Joxer thought for a few moments, taking in everything that Gabrielle said. "You really think so?" he asked, gazing into her eyes intently.

Gabrielle smiled. "I wouldn't have said it if I didn't mean it." She reached out and ran her fingers through his hair, mussing it up even more than it already was.

Joxer laughed as he suddenly reached out and pulled Gabrielle from her chair and onto his lap, making her squeal in surprise. As she put her arms around his neck he said, "You're a good mom too, y'know." He kissed her gently.

"Thanks," Gabrielle replied, leaning her cheek against his. "Don't worry so much, Joxer, okay? It's just going to take some time," she murmured. The two were silent for a while before Gabrielle spoke up again. "I got a scroll from Xena today."

"You did?"

"Uh huh. She's on her way home. Her friend is feeling much better," Gabrielle told Joxer. "I've missed her a lot."

Joxer nodded. "I've missed her too. You really should've gone with her, Gabrielle."

"I know, but I think she wanted a little bit of time to herself," Gabrielle replied. Her eyes began twinkling with mischief. "It really will be good to have her back home, though. I can only have so many conversations about the latest fashions from Athens with Jace!" she giggled.

Joxer began laughing and hugged Gabrielle to him tightly as Eve and Andy entered the kitchen, both of them looking for something to eat.

"I hope you don't plan to kiss in front of you-know-who," Eve said teasingly to the couple as she took a plate for herself and placed some bread, ham, and cheese on it. She then took another plate and put some food on it for Andy, who sat down.

Andy rolled his eyes as Eve set the plate down in front of him. "Evie, I've seen kissing before! Daddy and Mommy do it all the time!" He watched as Joxer leaned over and kissed Gabrielle. "See?" he said as he pointed at the adults before starting his own meal.

Gabrielle returned the kiss, laughed, and got off Joxer's lap. "Hi, Eve. I've got some good news for you that I didn't get to tell you before you took Andy outside to play. Your mom's on her way home," she said as she got a drink of water for herself.

Eve's blue eyes lit up with happiness. "That's great, Aunt Gabrielle! I've missed Mom so much while she's been away. I wish I could've gone with her," she said wistfully. She hungrily bit into a piece of bread, following it up with a drink of water.

Andy rose to his feet and began jumping up and down, his meal temporarily forgotten. "Oh boy! Aunt Zena's coming back!" he exclaimed.

Eve shook her head and sighed. "Andy, my mom's name is Xena."

Andy sat back down and ate a piece of cheese. "That's what I said. Zena."

Eve giggled, reached out and affectionately mussed the boy's hair. "When is she coming home?"

"She said that she'll be here in a few days, but you can read it for yourself. The scroll's in the other room," Gabrielle told the teen.

"Thanks, Aunt Gabrielle." Eve put her plate aside, her meal finished. She looked over at Andy and saw that he had also finished his supper. "Okay. Well, I've got to get Andy ready for a nap. Aunt Melody was rather insistent about him having one when I saw her earlier."

The adults nodded as Eve took Andy's hand and left the room. The little boy looked up at her and made a face. "Aw Evie, do I have to take a nap?"

"Sorry kiddo, but your mom said you have to. Now come on and afterwards I'll treat you to some honey cake," Eve told the boy.

Andy let out a whoop and gave Eve a hug. Once she had him in the bed and tucked in, he smiled up at her.

"What is it, Andy?" Eve asked as she sat down next to the bed.

"Will you sing to me, Evie?"

"Sure. I'll sing you the song Mom always sung to me when I was little." Andy's dark eyes sparkled as Eve softly sang to him. She had just finished the last line when she saw that he had fallen asleep. She leaned down and kissed him gently on the nose, being careful not to wake him up. "You know kiddo, you've sure got your mom's looks and your dad's eyes... Wonder what else you got from your dad," she mused to herself as she rose to her feet and left the room to allow Andy to peacefully sleep.

"Now, let's see... I think you can move that piece over there," a tall and pretty blonde-haired woman said as she put her hands on her hips and gazed around the room with a frown.

Her husband of six years stared at her, the muscles in his arms straining as he and another man held the heavy table up. "Melody, sweetheart, this is really heavy! Where do you want this thing?" Jett asked, grunting a little from the weight.

Melody looked at the two men. "Yeah! Wouldya make your mind up already? I'm not cut out for this kind of work. I don't mind keep myself in top condition, but moving furniture's not the way I like to do it!" Autolycus complained.

Jett glared at Autolycus. "Listen, thief..." he snarled.

Melody's eyebrow rose. "Jett, none of that please! I want you and Autolycus to get along."

Both men looked at her. "Sorry Melody, but could you hurry up? This is really heavy!" Jett exclaimed.

Melody looked around the large room again. "Oh, okay. Place it over there in that corner. I think it will look good over there," she said, indicating the spot where she thought the table could be put.

"Thank the Gods!" Autolycus muttered as he and Jett carefully walked over to the spot that Melody had indicated.

"Coming through! Gotta get this place swept," Adora said, brandishing her broom before her. She immediately put it down and began sweeping.

"Dorie, can't you do that somewhere else? We've got to finish the set up for tonight's class."

Adora stopped her sweeping to look at Melody. "Sorry, Aunt Melody, but I've got to get the rest of this done so I can run home and do my homework."

Jett wiped his forehead with the back of his hand and gazed at her, his eyebrows rising up in surprise and then suspicion. "Since when do you like doing homework?" he asked.

"I don't, but maybe if I do it, Papa will let me go to the dance Saturday," Adora replied briskly.

"I wouldn't count on it, kiddo. Once Joxer's made up his mind, he can be very stubborn about changing it," Autolycus observed. "I should know!"

"I wasn't talking to you! I was talking to my uncle and aunt!" Adora said coldly.

Autolycus was taken aback by the teen's rude reply. "But I'm your uncle too!"

Adora began to sweep again, ignoring the adults. They all looked at each other. "Did you act like that when you were her age, Melody?" Jett asked.

"Of course I was mouthy at that age," Melody said. She then lowered her voice so that only the two men could hear her. "But then again, I didn't have the ability to..." she made a gesture with her hand.

"Joxer and Gabrielle better find out what's bugging her before it's too late," Autolycus mumbled, watching Adora finish sweeping the room and leave with a worried expression on his face.

Jett nodded in agreement. "Yeah. For once, I think you're right. Come on, let's get this finished up."

Melody smiled. "I'm going to go home and change. I'll see you when you get home," she said. She leaned over and gave Jett a quick kiss on the cheek.

"Okay. See you then," Jett replied. He smiled as he watched her leave and then turned back to the handsome thief. "C'mon, back to work, doofus-brain!"

Autolycus rolled his eyes, but he picked up a chair and walked into the next room with it. With the two of them working together, the room was set up for the evening's class in a short period of time. Having finished everything, both men sat down and admired their work. "The place looks great... Eh... Thanks for helping out," Jett said.

Autolycus nodded as he handed Jett a mug of water. "Well, you know me. Always there to help a friend... We are friends, right?" He took out a clean white handkerchief from his vest pocket and mopped his forehead with it.

Jett took a drink of water then gazed at Autolycus for a long time before he spoke. "Yeah, we're friends."

"Sheesh! Took you long enough to answer. I've seen people get their teeth pulled faster than that!" Autolycus exclaimed. He leaned back in his chair and stared at Jett. "Say... How did you and Melody meet, anyway? She doesn't exactly look like the type to get hauled off to the hoosegow."

Jett took another sip of his water. "We met ten years ago while I was still in prison - shortly after Jox and Gabrielle got married. Melody was part of this group of women who called themselves The Age of New Life. It's a group that tries to help reform prisoners."

Autolycus' eyebrow rose in surprise. "I've heard of them, but don't they usually try reforming relatively model prisoners - preferably model non-dangerous type prisoners?"

Jett cleared his throat and shifted in his chair. "Yeah, they do," he admitted. Autolycus watched in silent amusement as Jett's eyes softened as he continued speaking. "But there was something about Melody that I just had to get to know her better. Her voice... The way she moves... Her hair..."

"Yeah, I've noticed that about you three. You're all attached to blonds," Autolycus snickered.

Jett's eyes lost their soft focus and he scowled at the handsome thief. "Do you want to hear this or not?" he growled.

Autolycus gulped when he saw the scowl appear on the oldest triplet's face. "Yeah. Sorry 'bout that. Please go on," he muttered.

"I had to start becoming a good prisoner to at least get a shot at getting into the program. It took time, but I was lucky enough to manage to get in. I was told I would never be able to get parole whenever I became eligible for it because of my past, but Melody kept coming to see me anyway," Jett said quietly.

"I didn't understand the way I felt about Melody at first, but I figured out that I had fallen in love with her and I wanted to change - not just for her, but for me, too. Eventually, I was able to work outside the prison, but I never tried to escape - and believe me, I was really tempted to do it at first. Two years later, I was up for parole again, and this time I got it. I moved in with Melody, and two months after that, we were married." Jett leaned back in his chair and took another drink of water.

Autolycus grinned as he lifted his mug towards Jett's. "Here's to happy endings then," he said, and the two hit their mugs together in a toast.

Jace walked inside then and looked around the large room with a frown. "Hey, you two! I've got a class to teach tonight. Get off your butts and get to work!" he complained, putting his hands on his hips.

Both men stared at Jace for a moment, exchanged glances, put their mugs down next to the chairs they were sitting in, got up, and began walking towards him. Jace backed up, not liking the grins he saw on their faces. "Hey... What are you doing?" The two reached out and grabbed an arm. "Hey! Let go of me! Pierre, help!"

Pierre walked inside the room, quietly munching on an apple. He calmly watched as Jett and Autolycus took a struggling Jace outside and then he followed them. The two men finally came to a halt in front of the town fountain.

Jace's eyes grew wide when he realized what the two were planning on doing. "No! No! Jett! Autolycus! Please, guys! I've got a new outfit on! Water will ruin it," he pleaded as he tried to free himself from their combined grasp.

"Jace, I think you need to cool off because the heat's getting to you," Jett said as he and Autolycus pushed Jace into the water. As Jace surfaced from his forced dip, spitting and coughing up water, Jett turned around and placed his arm over Autolycus' shoulder. "Well, I've got to get home to Melody and change for tonight," he said.

Autolycus laughed and nodded. "There's a lovely lady just waiting for me to steal her heart at yon tavern," he replied, pointing towards it. "Maybe there's more than one," he continued as they walked away.

Jace stared at Jett and Autolycus, both of them laughing and joking as they walked away, his mouth open in shock. He then turned to Pierre, who was just finishing up his apple. "Why didn't you try to stop them?" he asked. "You just let them do this to me! Why?" Jace's bottom lip started trembling when Pierre didn't say anything in response. "Could you at least help me out of here?" he asked finally.

Pierre took a final bite of his apple and carelessly threw the core away. He gazed down at Jace with a distant look in his blue eyes - a look that made Jace's heart fall to the pit of his stomach. He slowly wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and his left eyebrow rose. "You're a big boy. You can get out of there yourself. I have things I need to get for tonight's class." With those words, Pierre turned around and walked off in the same direction Jett and Autolycus had gone earlier before turning into the street that the marketplace was located in.

Jace stared at Pierre's retreating form until the taller man turned towards the marketplace. Finally, he slowly rose to his feet after retrieving the curly wig he had worn and got out of the fountain. He walked towards his and Pierre's home with his head hung low, dripping wet and wiping away the tears that streamed from his eyes as he ignored the shocked stares of his neighbors. He stomped up the stairs, walked over the threshold, and slammed the door behind him.

Aer, keeping herself invisible to the mortals that were in the area smiled wickedly at the trouble that she had just created between Jace and Pierre. "Now that was fun!" she exclaimed, laughing heartily. Her eyes narrowed and she licked her lips in anticipation. "Ahhh... What fools these mortals are! Tomorrow's going to be even better!" she finished with a high-pitched giggle as she disappeared into the ether.

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