by GylzGirl (Written 2001)
Spoilers: Nothing specific. General up through season 5.
Timeline: I think sometime in between Succession and Seeds of Faith
Disclaimer: If they were mine, Season 6 would be kickin' bootie! But instead, they belong to Ren Pics etc. Written for a JFFG Challenge. Now edited on to comply with their rules against certain types of fic. Also, thanks to Gail Christison (my fellow Buffy/Giles gal who is also a Xena watcher) for support.
The sound of Xena moaning lightly woke Joxer. He crawled from his bedroll to that of the Warrior Princess a few paces away, silently so as not to wake Gabrielle. Xena's back was to him but he saw her freeze momentarily, sensing his presence. Then he saw her relax, obviously having determined his identity. He never ceased to be amazed by his best friend's unique gifts.
"What do you want Joxer?" she whispered.
"Just tell me where it hurts. I can fix it."
"I'm fine Joxer. Go back to sleep."
"Let me guess, the pain is right here," the tips of his fingers lightly touched her tailbone. Xena froze. "Trust me Xena, I'm not suicidal enough to try and feel you up without your permission." He smiled. "But I know how to help."
"Only have fingers for Gabrielle huh?" She regretted the crack as soon as it was out of her mouth.
"Something like that." He slightly grimaced. "Now I'm going to apply a little pressure, if it hurts let me know."
"Will a chakram through your chest be clue enough?"
"I'm sure it would certainly get my attention." His hands stroked back and forth across the offending muscles in her lower back, relieving the pain and soothing as they went.
Xena sighed happily. "Joxer, what I said about Gabrielle..."
"Shh, it doesn't matter now. You need to try and relax."
She could tell he was a little hurt. Sometimes she wished he wasn't so sensitive. Of course, if he wasn't he probably wouldn't be working magic on her traitorous spine right now. And magic was indeed what he was working. If he was this good with his hands, Gabrielle certainly didn't know what she was missing. Xena even absently thought of teaching Joxer about pressure points but nixed it at the image of him putting the pinch on someone and then getting knocked out in battle. "Okay...so um...how did you get so good at taking care of a pregnant woman?"
"Well when I was 12, my favorite cousin was Kalonice. She was my Father's brother's daughter. She was a little blonde thing, a couple of years older than me, really pretty and sweet. Anyway, she was seeing a boy that her parents didn't approve of and she got pregnant. Her father totally disowned her and so she came to my father to see if we would take her in. My father wanted nothing to do with a pregnant girl at first either. Then on a whim I guess, he had a seer come to our house and take the auspices for the unborn child. The seer proclaimed that it would be a boy and a great warrior.
"My father told her that he would take her in until the time of her child's birth. After that though, she was to leave our house and never return but her child would stay to be raised as one of his warlords. She had no other choice but to agree.
"Dad of course had no interest in her care during her pregnancy so that duty fell to my brothers and myself. Jace would sew her lovely clothes and fix her hair for her, anything he could to make her feel like a person again. I would make sure she ate enough good foods and try to help her nausea and muscles spasms. I also made sure I was there to hold her when she cried cause she cried a lot. Jett pretty much stayed away. He always played the good little warlord for our Dad. But there were a few bloody noses and broken arms in town thanks to him hearing someone mouthing off about Kalonice's morality."
"So you're an expert on babies are you? That will come in handy soon." Xena rubbed her bulging belly.
Joxer touched her stomach for a moment as well, and then went back to his massage. "Only while they're still in their mommy."
"She lost the baby then?"
"No."
"What happened?"
"Of all things, Jett came through. One night, when Kalonice was 7 months along, Jett beat the crap out of me until I told him the name of the baby's father. Kalonice had told me that in confidence and I held out as long as I could, but Jett knew just where to punch and just how many times to do it from years of practice. I told him what he wanted to know eventually and he rode away that night. He was gone for a month. And then, he came back in the middle of the night with Evzen, the baby's father. Apparently, he'd been looking for her ever since she was forced out of her home village. Jett had arranged passage for them on a ship heading for Gaul. Jett got them off safely and we never saw them again."
Xena noted the emotion that had crept into his voice. "Well you're not getting off that lightly when this baby comes you know Joxer. As his or her Uncle, you're going to be expected to hold the baby and make it laugh and help carry it around." Behind her, she could tell he was smiling.
"I think I can manage all that." He continued rubbing at the small of her back till his fingers were almost numb. "Xena?" he whispered. When he got no answer, he peeked over her shoulder and saw that she was sleeping. He pulled the blanket back up to her shoulder then leaned over and gently kissed her cheek.
Joxer stood then stretched and walked over to his bedroll. As he was about to lay down, an idea struck him. He rolled up his blanket and went back to where Xena lay. Carefully so that he wouldn't wake her, he folded his bedroll and placed it behind her back at the point where he'd massaged. Joxer lightly rubbed Xena's stomach again and whispered, "You two get some sleep. Uncle Joxer's going to take care of both of you." As he moved away, he missed the smile on Xena's face.
Now having nothing to sleep on, Joxer went to sit on a rock near the dying fire. He threw in some more wood to build the flames higher. He turned to glance over to where Gabrielle slept. He always loved the way the firelight played against her skin while she slept. When he looked at Gabrielle's bedroll now though, he noticed something very alarming. She wasn't there.
His heart leapt into his throat. He tried to calm himself. After all, it was possible she was simply answering nature's call. But then Joxer realized that she had to have been gone since before he woke up to help Xena or he'd have heard or seen her leave. That put it at over a half an hour that she'd been gone. He stood, ready to shout for her but then realized that doing that would wake up Xena and he wasn't about to do that unless he had proof that something had happened. He walked over to his armor and quietly extracted his sword from the pile. Glancing over one more time to make sure that Xena was still sleeping, he stepped out into the forest.
The moon was bright in the sky which made things a little easier for him. The first thing he did was circle the campsite, looking for what direction Gabrielle might have gone. When he found a path of trampled ground cover, the stems of the plants freshly broken, he followed this trail deeper into the forest until he saw the faint light of another small campfire through the trees ahead. Joxer tried to calm down again. "She probably heard a noise and went to investigate it and stumbled upon Hercules and Iolaus' camp...or maybe Autolycus or Amarice or something. She's probably just talking their ears off when they'd rather be sleeping..." he whispered to himself, wondering who exactly he was trying to convince.
As he reached the edge of the camp and peered through the bushes, he certainly never in his life expected to see the sight before his eyes. Gabrielle stood near the fire holding a sai in one hand while the other hand was being held between those of Ares, God of War. He sat on a rock nearby, looking up at the blonde girl and kissing her knuckles before she quickly retracted her arm from his grip. She walked away a few steps and the god rose and swaggered over to her again. Joxer moved in as close as he dared so that he could hear what was being said.
"You've certainly become quite the efficient little killer while my back was turned haven't you?"
"I only kill when I have to," she answered with her head down and her back to him, seemingly cleaning the blades of her weapons.
"I'm sure that's what you like to tell yourself but it leaves your victims no less dead. Don't get me wrong. I think you needed it. I mean, it's not healthy to love everyone and everything. If there was no place for hatred in the world, there would be no wars and then I'd be god of what? You were living a sweet fantasy my girl but it was high time you woke up and saw the world for just what it is. You've certainly exceeded my expectations of you. I was wrong to give up on you like I did."
"Is there something you wanted Ares? Because last I looked, my debt to you was paid and I don't exactly enjoy your company."
"Liar." His large hands came to rest on her bare shoulders. To Joxer's surprise, she made no move to shake him off. "You like the fact that I appreciate the warrior you've become."
"Well...Xena doesn't seem to notice. I think she doesn't like to acknowledge the fact that I've changed. But I have. I mean I train every single night so that I can protect her while she's pre...never mind."
Ares slowly began to squeeze the blonde's shoulders, massaging and caressing. "No talk to me. It's good to lay everything out on the table."
"It's not just for now. Every warlord from here to Thebes is gonna try for that baby as a bargaining chip or as revenge for Xena stopping one of their campaigns. Great as Xena is, even she can't handle all that action alone. She needs me. And she needs me to be as good as I can be. I mean even Joxer's started taking his training more seriously because of the baby. I just wish she'd..."
"Appreciate it?"
Gabrielle sighed. "Yes."
Ares turned her around to face him. "She may not, but I do." He leaned down and kissed her on the lips slowly. Joxer could not tell if she responded, only that she did not resist.
When they finally broke apart, Gabrielle cast her eyes down once more. "Go away Ares."
He smiled smugly and crooked a finger under her chin. "I'll be in touch." With a snap of his fingers, he vanished in a blink of purple light.
Joxer jumped out of his crouch and rushed into the clearing. "What in Tartarus was that all about!"
Startled, Gabrielle grabbed her sai and nearly threw them in his direction before she realized who it was. "Joxer! You scared me to death!"
"Don't change the subject. What exactly do you think you're doing?"
"I think I was practicing with my sai like I do every night."
"Oh and do you normally practice your fighting skills with the God of War attached to your lips?"
"What? Look, not that it's any of your business but Ares kissed me. I didn't invite it."
"You didn't put up much of a fight either."
"Hey, I'm sorry if you're jealous but I don't belong to you and I really don't appre..."
"Sweet Zeus Gabrielle! How many times has Ares almost been the cause of your death? You've told me yourself time and time again that you hate him and everything he represents and then I see him here all over you and you don't even mind! Am I that ugly? That stupid? I'm one of your two best friends and I'm hopelessly in love with you and if I tried to kiss you like that you'd break my nose. But your enemy gets to fondle you till his heart's content just because he's better looking than me?"
Gabrielle's tirade halted the second she looked into Joxer's eyes and saw the deep hurt that she had put there. "He's not better looking than you."
"Oh please," Joxer dejectedly sat down on the rock the War God had occupied only moments before. "He's gorgeous. If I was a girl I'd have drawings of him all over my bedroom walls." Gabrielle smiled sadly. "But he doesn't care. He doesn't love you. He can't give you love that isn't there."
"Oh Joxer. It's not like that at all. I know he's only trying to use me. But I've been trying really hard to be as good a warrior as Xena, you know how that is." He nodded slowly. "And she doesn't like it. She doesn't like the fact that I've grown up and I'm just not the Gabrielle she first met any more. It just felt nice to hear someone acknowledge my battle skills cause Xena won't do it."
"That still doesn't explain why you'd rather let someone you hate hold you, than let me."
Gabrielle sighed and sat down beside him. "Because he can hold me for a hundred years and it wouldn't mean one thing to me. He doesn't affect me one way or the other. When you hold me, it means something. You hold me when I cry. You hug me hello when we haven't seen each other for awhile. And every single time, it means something. You're a part of me and he could never hope to be that."
"I'm a part of you?" Joxer said with a slight smile.
"Yeah," Gabrielle leaned her head on his shoulder. "I just sort of haven't figured out what part of me that is yet." He hesitantly took hold of her hand. "I don't mind waiting around for you to find out. But...about Ares?"
She looked into his eyes and smiled. "Forget him." Slowly, she leaned forward to place a light friendly kiss on his lips. As she was going to move her head away though, his hand came up and gently cradled the back of her head, encouraging but not forcing her to continue. She smiled and closed her eyes as he deepened the kiss, veered it off the road of friendship and headed toward something more. Only when she brought her hands up to his vest-front and curled her fingers around it slightly did he let it end. Gabrielle looked into his eyes and he blushed and turned away. She smiled and took hold of his hand again. The twosome rose to their feet and quietly made their way back to the campsite.
After a quick visual check to be sure Xena was still sleeping peacefully, Gabrielle bent to stoke the fire again. "We should get some sleep," she whispered. "We've got a lot of traveling to do tomorrow."
"You go on ahead. I'm just going to stay up and keep an eye on things."
"Joxer don't be silly."
"I'm not. I'm being practical. I don't have anywhere to sleep tonight."
"What?"
He pointed over to where Xena slept, a smile on her face and his bedroll lodged firmly under her back. At Gabrielle's questioning look, he shrugged. "Her back was hurting her when I woke up so I rubbed it a little and bored her with some stories about my childhood and she went back to sleep. I thought maybe a cushion for her back might help her."
Gabrielle stood up and mussed his hair fondly on her way to her bedroll. She climbed on and pulled the blanket back. "Joxer come here."
He made his way over to her, crouching to hear her better. "Yeah?"
"Climb in."
"Um...what?"
"This bedroll is perfectly big enough for two...well Friends to share. Besides I'm not having you falling over yourself tired on the road tomorrow. After all it's up to you and me to protect Xena as much as we can while she's in her...condition."
"Uh...um...we-well if you're sure Gabby," he hesitated.
"Joxer?"
"Hmm?"
"Get in before I change my mind."
"Okay," he smiled. He quickly kicked off his boots and crawled in beside her.
Once he lay down, Gabrielle covered them both in her blanket. She pulled his arm flat out on the bedroll behind her and then lay back on it, turning so that she curled against him. She settled her head on his shoulder and threw her arm over his chest. She could hear his heart drumming in his chest and she smiled. "Joxer?"
"Yeah?" he sounded nervous.
"What are you too good to put your arm around me now?"
"Oh...uh no. I mean um..."
"Joxer?"
"Yes?"
"Just shut up and hold me okay?"
"Sure thing," he smiled against her hair and wrapped his arm around her waist.
"And Joxer?"
"Yeah?"
"That arm better not travel any higher in the night."
As she was almost asleep, she heard him whisper. "I'm not making any promises."
Gabrielle smiled and squeezed him a little tighter as she dozed off.
The End