Rating: PG-13
Series: Fourth and final part of my 25-year series. The previous stories in this series are "In Healing Arms", "Love Changes Everything", and "The Value of Family". This final part takes place seven years after the end of the last story, and eight years before Livia, so Virgil is now 12 and the family is now living in the house we see them in in the final episodes of the fifth season of Xena.
Pairing: Joxer/Meg
Content Warning: Issues about Meg's past and pregnancy complications make this story inappropriate for younger readers.
Disclaimer: Joxer, Meg, Virgil, Xena, Gabrielle, Theon, Kara, and any other familiar characters don't belong to me, they belong to Rob Tapert and company. Anyone else, including Briax and Deanna, belong to me. References are made to the previous stories in this series.

The teacher walked among his students as they practiced swordplay with blades that had been slightly dulled for safety. "That's it, boys. Keep focused on your opponent. One wrong move and you're dead. Parry, thrust, parry, thrust! Keep going." He stopped a few moments later. "Virgil, don't keep blocking the blows. Start attacking more, or you won't last a day."

Virgil took a steadying breath. "Okay," he said, and tentatively took a few swipes at his opponent. The teacher nodded in appreciation and moved on.

"Okay, class, your time is up for today," he said a few minutes later. "Monday, we'll work on finding an opening during combat. Class dismissed."

Virgil gratefully put his practice sword away with the others, then wiped himself off. He was glad to be taking this class in case he ever had to use combat skills, but fighting made him nervous. It didn't matter how good or bad his opponent was, he just blocked any blow he could. He was almost hopeless when it came to attacking.

"Hey, Virgil, you going to Derryn's place after school?" said his friend Klaron. "We're having a great party to kick off the weekend. His parents are outta town, so we can do anything we want."

"No, thanks, I can't," said Virgil. "I've got to take my little brother home first. Besides, my parents need me around the house. Dad's getting old, and mom... well, she hasn't been feeling too good, you know?"

"Yeah," said Klaron. "Hey, when I told my mom how your mom's having another kid so late, she couldn't believe it. She had me and my older brother, but she couldn't have any more. I think she's jealous."

Virgil chuckled. "Hey, speaking of jealous, you should see my sister Deanna. She's upset that she won't be the baby anymore. She's 'mommy's little princess', and she's gonna stay on the throne."

Klaron laughed. "Well, sorry you're going to miss a great party, Virg. See you Monday." He headed off to join his other friends, and they started chatting about what to do for the party.

Virgil headed toward his brother's class, feeling down. He was in his adolescence now, and he'd love to go to parties and be on dates, but he just couldn't. His dad Joxer was getting older, and he couldn't do many chores anymore. Mostly he ran the restaurant he and Meg had started after Deanna was born, a restaurant devoted to Xena and Gabrielle. Virgil loved to look at the place sometimes before business started for the day, and before he went to school. It was because of the money they were making at the restaurant that Virgil and his brother Briax were even able to go to school in the first place. Joxer and Meg had insisted on them getting an education so they would have a better future than they did. The restaurant also looked great because of the care and time Joxer had put into it. He had made some of the items and had others contribute a few. Virgil often looked at the figures of the two women his father had loved so much, one of whom looked so much like his own mom, and wondered just what they had been like. All he knew about them came from his dad's stories.

Virgil helped with household chores and taking care of the horses. His favorite horse was Argo II, daughter of Xena's horse that his dad had taken care of, and Vesta's chestnut stallion. Even though his dad never allowed him to ride the horse, he still enjoyed brushing and feeding her. The elder Argo had passed away a few years back, not long after the family had moved to their new home, and Joxer had decided to give up searching for Xena and Gabrielle. It was like losing Argo had severed Joxer's last ties to his friends, so he felt no desire to keep searching. Virgil knew his dad still hoped they weren't dead, but he couldn't do anything about it.

Virgil was only at the outdoors classroom a few minutes, waiting while the teacher finished, before Briax came running over. Briax looked a lot more like Joxer than Virgil did, except that he had blue eyes like Meg and reddish-brown hair like his late grandmother Jacinda. He was also gangly and a little awkward, while Virgil was growing tall and muscular. "Ready for the weekend?" Virgil asked.

Briax's face lit up. "Yeah! Hey, I heard the older kids have this party going on this weekend. One of my classmates said-"

"Yeah, I heard about it," said Virgil glumly.

"You think dad'll let us go?" asked Briax hopefully.

"Oh no, he won't," said Virgil. "We have to help around the house, remember?"

Briax pouted. "Everyone else's parents aren't that old. Why do we have to be stuck doing chores?"

"Hey, mom and dad may be old, but they're a lot better than half the moms and dads around here," said Virgil. "I hate chores too, but I wouldn't give mom and dad up for anything."

Briax pouted, then smiled and nodded. "Yeah, me either."

Virgil and Briax arrived home a half hour later. "Ah, boys, I'm glad you're home," said Meg, without lifting her head. She was sitting on the couch with her largely-swollen feet propped up and her head back. She knew it was them only because they came home at the same time every day. "Could one of you go get your sister? She's been in the diner all day with your dad."

"I'll get Teeny Deeny, mom," said Briax, ducking out quick.

"And don't call her that," Meg called back. Deanna was a little small for her age, at four, but Briax was the only one she'd let call her teeny.

Virgil came over and sat by Meg. "Hi, mom. You feeling any better?"

Meg rolled her head towards him and gave him a weak smile. "I'll be okay, honey. I'm just a bit warn. The baby's kicking up a storm. I bet you'll have another brother."

"You need anything?" Virgil asked, trying not to sound too worried.

Meg nodded slightly. "Yeah, finish getting supper ready. I bet it's gonna boil over any minute. And get me some water from out back, okay?"

"Okay, mom," said Virgil, getting up and heading to the kitchen. He tried not to let his mom know he was worried about her. Meg had had difficulty early in the pregnancy, but she had kept the baby. She had mentioned to his father when she didn't know Virgil was listening that he should remember it wasn't the first time she had almost lost a baby. She hadn't said anything else, though, so Virgil didn't know what she was talking about. Meg had seemed fine for months after the danger passed, but in the last few weeks she had started complaining of swelling and feeling hot and tired. Joxer came back and forth from the restaurant to help her, and to take care of meals. He also watched over Deanna, letting her stay at the restaurant all day since she wasn't ready for school yet, so that Meg would have less stress. Something still felt wrong, though. At first it was just one day out of the week that Meg was feeling bad, but now she hardly moved from the couch unless it was time for bed, every day. The doctor had come to check on her, but he couldn't find anything wrong that he knew about. Joxer had argued with Meg that they should get Prescripos to come, even though he had retired and was still living back in their old neighborhood, since he had been an excellent doctor for her. He argued that this doctor was no good for her. Meg, though, thought he should be more reasonable, and said this doctor was fine for now. If anything went wrong, they should just give him a try. She didn't want to try any new doctors this late in the pregnancy.

After finishing dinner, Virgil went out back to get water for Meg. He had just finished filling the buckets and was about to stand when Deanna came running out of the restaurant and jumped onto his back, causing him to drop the buckets. "I wanna play, Virgie," said Deanna.

"Dee, look what you made me do!" Virgil shouted, getting up. "Now mom has to wait another five minutes for water!"

Deanna pouted. Virgil felt instantly sorry. "Aw, Dee. Dee, I'm sorry, honest."

"Way to go, Virg," said Briax, who was right behind her.

Virgil knelt down to his sister's level. "Hey, I'll tell you what. If you wait a while, I'll read you one of my stories. How does that sound?" He knew she liked his stories and poems.

Deanna thought it over. "Can I have the centaur one?"

Virgil nodded. "Anything you want."

Deanna brightened. "Okay. C'mon, Bree, let's play," she said, and the two ran off together.

Virgil ran a hand through his hair. He needed some relief from all this.

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