Chapter Nine

That night after the wedding celebration and Iolaus and White Dove left for a short honeymoon, Joxer was tucking Adora into bed. She smiled up at him. "Oh Papa, wasn't the wedding nice? I thought White Dove looked so beautiful and I couldn't believe how Aphrodite could sign in White Dove's language."

Joxer smiled at his daughter. "Well, she's a Goddess, Dorie." He gently tousled her hair, making her giggle. "Now it's time for the sandman to come visit you so can go to the land of Morpheus."

"Papa, I'm not sleepy. Could you tell me a story?"

"What kind of story?"

Adora's eyes sparkled with excitement. "A story about a princess!"

"Yeah, a princess!" Eve chimed in.

Joxer looked over at Eve, who was now sitting up and grinned at her. "Okay. But you two get under the quilts before I start." Both girls scurried under the quilts. Joxer smiled and began his story. "A long time ago in a far off land called Poteidaia, there lived a peasant girl named Gabrielle..."

"Papa, Gabrielle's not a princess!" Adora protested.

"Hey! Who's telling this story?" Joxer asked, folding his arms over his chest and gazing at them sternly.

"You are, Uncle Joxer."

"Good. Now listen and don't interrupt."

Both girls giggled. Eve saw Gabrielle standing at the door and smiled at her. Gabrielle placed her finger to her lips, silently telling Eve not to say that she was there. Eve nodded and looked up at Joxer with shining blue eyes. "Go on, Uncle Joxer. Tell us more."

Joxer nodded. "All right. Now, Gabrielle was very unhappy. She longed for adventure, thrills, and excitement, but she felt that it was hopeless because she was trapped in Poteidaia. She was sad because she was told that she was to marry an ogre's son so the village would not be destroyed..."

"An ogre's son, Papa? I thought Aunt Gabrielle loved the man she married."

"This was before Perdicas," Joxer explained.

"Oh, okay." Adora looked at her father curiously. "So, what happened?"

"Gabrielle didn't want to marry him, so she ran out into the barn to cry. Suddenly, she heard a war cry..."

Joxer did an imitation of Xena's war cry that had both Eve and Adora laughing and Gabrielle trying hard not to laugh, but the cry summoned Hercules and Xena. Gabrielle whispered, "Be quiet. Joxer's telling the girls a story!"

"I thought that he was strangling a chicken, being the great chicken liberator that he is and all that!" Xena snickered.

"Actually, he was doing your war cry," Gabrielle explained over her soft giggles. Xena's mouth dropped open in shock.

"SHHH!" Hercules hissed and the adults quieted down just as the girls stopped laughing.

Joxer looked at the girls, lips twisting up into a pout. "Hey! It wasn't that bad."

Both girls reached up and gave him a hug and then Eve said, "It was great, Uncle Joxer!" Gabrielle clapped her hands over her mouth to stop herself from laughing out loud and Xena rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, it was. What happened next, Papa?" Adora asked.

"Well, Dorie, Gabrielle looked up and saw a beautiful woman riding a blond horse coming down from the sky..." Joxer continued.

"Oh, good grief!" Xena mumbled under her breath.

"SSSHHH!" Hercules and Gabrielle hushed their friend so they could listen to Joxer's story.

"Who are you?" Gabrielle asked.

"I am Xena and I am here to help you, Princess Gabrielle."

"But I'm not a princess. I'm nothing but a peasant."

"You are a princess! Now stop arguing with me!" At that, Gabrielle turned to Xena, who was rolling her eyes and trying not to burst into laughter at the same time.

"He's got you down perfectly, Xena!" Gabrielle whispered with a wide grin on her face.

"Hush!" Xena growled, shaking her head.

"Does that mean my parents are really a king and queen?"

"Yeah, it does. Now do you want to be a princess again or what?"

"Yes, but I have to marry the ogre's son or he will destroy the village."

"Don't worry about that. I can take care of them." Xena waved her sword in the air a couple of times. "There. It's done."

"What did you do?"

"Oh, I sent them back to where they belong. You're safe from them..."

"Papa, Xena doesn't have powers!"

"Adora, it's a story! Be quiet! I want to hear the rest of it."

"Okay. Sorry Papa, Eve."

"That's okay, honey." Joxer stroked his chin. "Now where was I?" he asked.

"Mom had just gotten rid of the ogres," Eve said.

Joxer nodded. "Oh yeah! Thanks, Eve. So, Xena said to Princess Gabrielle, "Now you must come with me. Together, we will fight wrongs and sing songs."

"Good. I love to sing!" Gabrielle began to sing.

Xena looked at her and said, "Hmmm. Maybe singing songs isn't really our gig..."

"Cheap shot!" Hercules snorted softly. Gabrielle hit him on the arm and stuck her tongue out at him.

Xena made a SSSHHH noise and they tried to quiet down again as Joxer continued his story. "Maybe not, but we can help people."

"Yes, so let's go..."

"They traveled together for a long time. They met some Amazons one day and after they helped settled trouble between them and the centaurs, Gabrielle became an Amazon Princess. She said to Xena with a smile, "I am now a princess again. Thank you, Xena."

"You still need to find your prince," Xena reminded Gabrielle.

"I know that I'll find him someday."

"Now there was this evil person who was doing bad things. Xena and Gabrielle knew they had to stop her - and they did. But they also met a strange man. He was wearing the most unusual armor and the weirdest helmet that either of them had seen and his fighting skills stunk. Gabrielle looked at him. "What a loser!" she said to Xena..."

"Papa! Gabrielle would never call you a loser!" Adora shouted, interrupting Joxer again.

Joxer kissed her on the forehead and smiled. "Shhh. It's just a story, Dorie."

Adora returned the smile. "I know, Papa."

Xena stared at Gabrielle and said, "That loser's your prince and someday you'll know it!"

"I think I'm going to be deathly ill!" Xena whispered, rolling her eyes. Hercules and Gabrielle glared at her.

"Gabrielle looked at the man and then back at Xena. "Uh uh! No way, Xena! The day he becomes my prince is the day I eat mashed peas and I hate mashed peas!"

"Okay, I will hold you to that," Xena replied.

Joxer smiled at the girls. "That's the end."

"But you never told us if Princess Gabrielle fell in love with the man, Papa!"

"She did, Adora."

"Yeah? How do you know that, Eve?" Adora asked curiously.

"I saw Aunt Gabrielle eating mashed peas," Eve replied, making a face. "Yuck!"

Joxer laughed and kissed the girls goodnight. He started to rise to his feet when Adora softly called out, "Wait, Papa."

"What is it, Dorie?"

"Could you sing something? I'm still not sleepy."

Joxer gazed at his daughter then turned to Eve, who nodded eagerly. "Okay. Just one song," he agreed as he sat down on the side of the bed again. He softly sang one of his mother's favorite songs to them in French, watching as their eyes slowly closed and they fell asleep.

Hercules, listening to Joxer singing, blinked in surprise. "He really has a nice voice!" he whispered. He gazed at Joxer for a moment, remembering when he had first met Joxer and the way he used to dress and act. He turned around to gaze at Xena and Gabrielle, both of whom smiled and nodded in agreement. They turned back to watch.

Joxer finished his song, and seeing that both the girls were sound asleep, he leaned over and kissed them both gently on the forehead. "Bon nuit," he murmured with a smile.

"Come on. Let's go before he sees us!" Gabrielle whispered. The three turned around and quickly left the hallway as Joxer rose to his feet and blew the candle that was sitting on the small table next to the bed out. Then he walked from the room and back into the main room. He looked at everyone sitting around the fire.

"Well?" Joxer asked, leaning against the wall and folding his arms over his chest.

"Well what?" asked Hercules.

"Did you enjoy the story?"

Hercules' face fell. "You heard us?"

Joxer laughed softly. "You guys are about as quiet as a herd of baby water buffalo with all your whispering and making SSHHH noises! So, did you like the story or not?"

Gabrielle smiled as she rose to her feet and kissed him. "I loved it, my prince."

Joxer returned the kiss and murmured, "I'm glad, my princess."

Chapter Ten

The next morning everyone was up bright and early - even Gabrielle - and ready to go. "Say Hercules, where are you headed while Iolaus and White Dove are on their honeymoon?"

Hercules smiled at Joxer. "Well, I heard something about trouble in Sparta. Thought I might check it out."

"Hey, that's great! Maybe we can go with you and help."

Both women looked at Joxer sternly. "Joxer, did you forget? We made other plans," Xena said sharply.

"Yeah! We're going to see Grandma and Uncle Jett," both girls chorused.

Joxer shook his head. "No, I haven't forgotten. I just thought Hercules could use our help." Joxer thought for a moment. "I know! Why don't I take the girls on to Cyrene's and you two could go help Hercules?" he suggested.

Gabrielle smiled at Joxer then at Xena. "Hey, that sounds like a plan to me."

Xena slowly shook her head. "I don't know."

"C'mon, Xena! I can do this. I know the way and if I get lost I've got Eve and Dorie to help. Please let me do this."

"Joxer, it's not that I don't trust you to get there. It's just that..." Xena bit her lip uncertainly.

Joxer sighed, his posture slumping a little. "Yeah, I know. I can't fight very well and if something were to happen to the girls... I understand, Xena."

"And what about if something happened to you, huh?" Xena murmured as she placed her hand on his shoulder and smiled softly. "Thanks, Joxer."

Joxer returned the smile and thought for a moment. "Hey, wait a second! Hercules could go with us then you two can go and help him while Cyrene and I stay with the girls. Xena, you and Gabrielle need this. I've noticed you've both been itching for some action. "

Xena laughed. "You know Joxer, if I didn't know any better I'd say you were trying to get rid of us!" she teased.

Joxer felt his face turn a little red. "I just want you two to have a little fun."

"All right, then. Hercules, you mind having a little company on the way to Sparta then?"

Hercules nodded and after saying goodbye to Erythia, they made their way to Cyrene's. It was nightfall by the time they arrived and both girls were sound asleep. Cyrene was cleaning up when she heard them riding in. She went out to meet them. Seeing her granddaughter and Joxer's daughter, she smiled. "Oh, the little angels! Bring them inside," she said softly. "It's good to see all of you."

"Good to see you too, Mom."

Joxer took Adora and Hercules took Eve inside, while Xena and Gabrielle took care of the horses. Once they had the horses settled in for the night, they returned to the tavern. Gabrielle looked around and frowned. Not seeing Jett, she turned to Cyrene and asked curiously, "Isn't Jett supposed to be here this weekend?"

Cyrene looked up at her. "There was an attempted prison break yesterday and the warden believed Jett was behind it. His privileges were taken away and he's been put into solitary confinement. I'm sorry to give you such bad news, Joxer."

Joxer stood up. "Did he do it? Do they know for sure?" he asked sharply.

"He said he didn't," replied Cyrene.

"If Jett said he didn't do it, then he didn't! Jett may kill for a living but he's not a liar!"

Gabrielle could feel that Joxer was getting very upset. She went to him and held him. "It's okay, Joxer."

He smiled at her sadly. "It's not fair, Gabrielle. Jett shouldn't be punished for something he didn't do."

"I know Joxer, and we'll take care of it."

Xena looked at her friends. "Gabrielle... Joxer, I'm sorry, but we can't interfere - at least not now. Joxer, it'll be all right. Besides, we already promised that we'd help Hercules," she reminded them.

Both lovers nodded at Xena's words. Joxer yawned and stretched. "I understand, but it's still not fair. I'm going to check on the girls and then go to bed myself."

Cyrene stood up. "Joxer, I already checked on them and they're both fine. Now why don't you go get some sleep yourself?"

Joxer nodded and turned around to go upstairs. Gabrielle ran over and gave him a kiss. "I'll be joining you shortly. Sleep well."

Joxer returned the kiss. "Thanks, Gabrielle. I'll try." He turned to the others. "Goodnight, all."

"Goodnight Joxer," everyone replied.

Adora turned over and shook Eve. "Eve! Eve, wake up."

"Uh huh ...what?" Eve mumbled.

"WAKE UP!" Adora shook her harder.

"What's wrong, Dorie?"

"My Uncle Jett's being blamed for something he didn't do and you and me are going to help him."

Eve was immediately wide awake. "What? How are we going to do that?"

"We're going to go and get him."

"Adora, are you crazy? I'm in enough trouble already!"

"Eve, please! I'd help you. We won't be gone long. We'll teleport..."

"Tele-what? What's teleport?"

"I mean that we'll pop into where Uncle Jett is and get him out."

"You are crazy! And how do we hide him from the others if we get him out?"

"Oh, don't worry! They won't even know he's here."

"I don't know, Dorie," Eve said doubtfully.

"Please, Eve?"

Eve rolled her eyes. "Stop doing that!"

"Doing what?"

"Using your puppy eyes to get me to give in."

"But it always works."

Eve groaned. "I know, I know! Okay Dorie, but we better be back before anyone knows we're gone."

Adora gave Eve a hug. "We will! I promise you, Eve. Okay, give me your hand."

Eve reached out and Adora took her hand and they vanished. When they reappeared, Jett was sitting up on the sole piece of rat-chewed fur he was allowed for a bedroll and staring at them openmouthed. "What are you two doing here? How in Hades did you get inside?" he demanded.

Adora smiled at him. "Sorry Uncle Jett, we don't have time to talk. We've got to get back!" Before Jett could say anything else, Adora waved her hand. When the bright light cleared, she ran over and picked her uncle up. "Okay. Give me your hand again, Eve."

Eve stared at Jett and shook her head. "I guess they won't know it's him," she said finally as she took her friend's hand once more.

Adora smiled again and with a flash of light, they were inside the bedroom they were sharing for the night at Cyrene's tavern. With her uncle in her arms, she turned to Eve. "Good night, Eve."

Eve looked over at her. "Good night, Dorie." She laid down wondering if they could really get away with this. She stared at Adora's uncle who looked, she thought, very confused.

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