Disclaimer: I do not own these characters. I make no money from this.

Notes: "This is Normal speech" (this is thoughts) #This is speaking mind to mind#

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Joxer sighed as he trudged down the road after Xena and Gabrielle. Sometimes he wished…Xena's sudden stop didn't let him finish that thought. Looking ahead he saw his father standing in the road ahead of them holding a few packages.

(I wonder what Pop wants. He doesn't usually appear when there are others around.)

He watched as Gabrielle shifted her grip on her staff and Xena glared at his father. She swung down off Argo and approached his father warily. "What do you want Strife?"

"Don't get your skirt in a twist Leather Lady. Just thought I'd tell you that the war you were rushing to stop has been postponed indefinitely. Seems that the invading warlord came down with a fatal case of indigestion."

Xena gaped at him. He'd actually told her what she wanted to know right out. He didn't make her ask him a bunch of annoying questions first…"Fatal indigestion? …Never mind I don't want to know."

Strife grinned at the Warrior Princess and kind of smirked at Gabrielle's expression. His short and to the point answer had stunned the bard.

"Hey Joxer, How's it hanging?"

"To the left sir." Joxer kept his face straight and his voice innocent sounding as he said it. He knew his father would get a charge from this little scene in front of the two women. Strife giggled and said, "Good one. You've been talking to Jayce again haven't you?"

Joxer shrugged and grinned at the Mischief God. The god in question tossed a package to him. He made a show of fumbling with it before he caught it. It wouldn't do to let the two women think he was anything but what he appeared to be. "I talked to your dad and he asked me to give you that. There's one for Jett too. Do you think you could give it to him?" Joxer nodded and took the package

#Feathers was worried that you weren't eating right. There's some ambrosia under the gift. I already gave Jayce his. I have to get back before your dad molts 'cause I'm late for supper.# With a cheeky wave to the two stunned women he vanished.

"Get rid of them Joxer. They're probably something nasty," the blonde bard said.

Privately Joxer agreed with her. He'd never liked the taste of ambrosia. Outwardly though, "Why would it be something nasty? It's from my Dad."

"He must have lied about that," she said.

"He never has before."

That brought Xena into the fray. "Joxer what do you mean by that?"

"I've known him all my life." (because he gave birth to me) "My Dad has known him since he was little. Strife has never lied to my brothers or to me when it comes to things my Dad has asked him to do."

"He lies all the time," Gabrielle asserted.

Surprisingly it was Xena who came to Strife's defense. "He never lies to children and he's never lied to me about anything involving war. I doubt he'd lie to anyone at all unless it was during the course of his duties." She smiled at Joxer as she said that.

Gabrielle looked back and forth between them, threw up her hands, and continued down the road. Xena shrugged and followed her.

As Joxer put the packages in his pack he thought that maybe traveling with Xena wouldn't be that bad after all.