Part Ten:
Xena found Joxer sitting on a bench staring out at the
grape vines. She sat down beside him and put her arm
around his shoulder. "Dinar for your thoughts?"
He looked up and smiled at her. "This isn't how I
wanted to be with Gabrielle. I love her, but I feel
like she's only marrying me because of Adora. I wish I
could shake that feeling, but I can't."
"Joxer, I can't tell you that Gabrielle wants to marry
you for you, because deep down inside only Gabrielle
knows that. But I can tell you this much: she does
care for you."
Joxer nodded. "I know she does, but is it enough to
marry me? I don't want to put Gabrielle in a marriage
that she will never be happy in, Xena."
"Maybe love will grow. It's happened before."
"Yeah, and maybe it won't. It didn't for my parents.
I've got some thinking to do. Thanks for listening,
Xena." Joxer got up and left Xena with her thoughts.
*******
Gabrielle stared at the man. "Who do you think you are
talking to me that way? I said I'd marry Joxer and I
will!"
Jean-Luc stared right back at Gabrielle. "I don't like
the idea of you marrying Joxer. You no more love him
than I love Pierre."
Gabrielle held Adora tightly against her. "I DO love
Joxer." Adora gurgled softly in the bard's arms.
An eyebrow rose. "Really? Then tell me: why did you
get mad because I said you'd marry him now?"
"I got mad because you ORDERED me to!"
"I have my reasons," Jean-Luc replied calmly.
Gabrielle glared at the triplets' uncle. "Well, I'd
like to know what they are!"
Jean-Luc was about to answer when Jezda entered the
room. "Jean-Luc, I wish to speak to Gabrielle in
private."
Jean-Luc nodded, bowed to the women and left them
alone. Jezda walked over to the bed. "Gabrielle,
please sit down," she invited, patting a spot next to
her. Gabrielle walked over and sat down. Jezda smiled
at her and then at Adora. "I'll come right to the
point. Do you love Joxer? I mean do you *really* love
him?"
"How many times do I have to say it? I don't know if I
do or don't. I'm very fond of him."
"But you don't know if you love him," Jezda stated.
"I *do* love him. It's just not strong yet, but it
will grow."
"I never grew to love Judd but then again, you're not
me. Maybe you will grow to love my son. Who knows? I
won't have you hurt my son. He's been hurt too much
and he deserves better than that, Gabrielle. Think
about it. Look into your heart. It will know the
truth." Jezda got up and left, wondering if she had
been too blunt and if Gabrielle was telling the truth
about her feelings.
Gabrielle stared at Adora. "Oh Adora, am I doing the
right thing?" Adora cooed at her and stared at her
calmly, the dark brown eyes searching and strangely
wise. Gabrielle shook her head, flushing at the steady
gaze. "Well, let's get this over with," she said as
she stood up.
"You sound like you're going to a funeral pyre."
Gabrielle turned around and looked at Joxer standing
inside the doorway of the bedroom. "Sorry. I've got a
lot on my mind."
"Yeah, me too. Gabrielle, I've been thinking out in
the vineyard. I had a talk with Xena, and well… You
don't have to marry me. You can still help raise Adora
- just like you're helping with Eve."
Gabrielle stared at him for a moment. "Come on, Joxer.
Let's go," she said as she walked from the bedroom.
Joxer quietly followed Gabrielle outside where
Jean-Luc was waiting for them. Joxer also noticed
everyone else was there too. He smiled at Eve, who was
being held by Cyrene, and his brothers. Xena stood
next to Gabrielle. Jean-Luc was dressed in a long
white robe. "I will perform the ceremony. Please step
forward."
Joxer looked at her. "Are you sure that you want to do
this, Gabrielle?" he asked quietly.
Gabrielle nodded. "Yes Joxer, I'm sure. Let's do
this." She thought to herself, *This is wrong. I want
Joxer, but I feel like I'm being forced into this
marriage. What kind of a life will we have together?*
Joxer slipped his arm inside Gabrielle's, for she was
still holding Adora, and they walked up to his uncle.
"Joxer, please take Adora," Jean-Luc directed.
Joxer nodded as Gabrielle gently placed his daughter
in his arms. Adora suddenly began crying quite loudly.
"Shhh, Adora. There's nothing the matter," he soothed.
Adora continued crying in spite of Joxer's efforts to
shush her. He shrugged his shoulders helplessly and
watched to see what his uncle would do.
Jean-Luc took a ceremonial knife from inside a pocket
of his robe and held it up. "With the blood of Joxer
and the blood of Gabrielle mixed together, they can
never be separated. For if either one leaves the
other, they will both die."
Jean-Luc grabbed Gabrielle's hand to cut it when
suddenly Xena kicked him right in the mid-section,
sending him to the ground. Joxer took Gabrielle and
pulled her away. He looked at his uncle, who was
slowly standing up. "What are you doing? I'll NEVER
marry Gabrielle in that manner. You can't do that! I
won't allow it."
"She doesn't love you! It's the only way she'll stay
with you!" Jean-Luc replied urgently. "This is the
only way you will not lose her. I did it for you,
Joxer!"
"Then I won't marry her. I'll never force her into
that type of marriage!" Joxer hurried away with Adora
before anybody could stop him.
Gabrielle stared at Jean-Luc. "You did this for him?
Is this the way you show someone that you love them?"
Before Jean-Luc could answer, Cyrene gave Eve to Xena.
"You have a lot to learn about children. You can't
bond two people together like that and count yourself
lucky to be standing! You tried hurting Gabrielle and
Joxer and Xena doesn't take kindly to that."
Jean-Luc looked at the women. "First of all, it was
only going to be a little cut just to get a drop of
their blood. It wouldn't have hurt either of them!" he
defended himself.
Xena stepped up to him and grabbed him by the front of
his robe. "No, but you were going to bond them
together forever. If one of them ever left, they both
would have died!"
"It was a trick, nothing more. It's called fear to
keep them together and it works!"
Jezda stared at her brother, horrified. "Do you mean I
could have left Judd anytime?"
"Yes. Anytime," Jean-Luc stared back at his sister.
"You bastard," she breathed. She drew back her fist
and landed a right cross solidly to his jaw. He fell
to the ground with a loud thud. "Gods, that felt SO
good!"
"All right, Mom!" Jett whispered gleefully. Jace
rolled his eyes and sighed.
Looking down at her brother she said, "Jean-Luc, I
love you but it's time we went home." She then looked
at Nebula. "May we book passage with you back to
Greece?"
Nebula looked at her. "Lady, I don't operate a cruise
ship. If you come, you'll have to earn your ride."
They all nodded in agreement. Nebula looked at Jett
and smiled wolfishly. "I know what you can do to earn
YOUR ride, Leather Pants."
Xena rolled her eyes. "I'll just bet you do."
Gabrielle looked at Joxer's retreating form. "I'm
going to go talk to Joxer and see if he's okay."
Xena smiled at her friend. "All right, Gabrielle.
We'll be getting ready to leave." Xena walked back to
the house with Eve in her arms.
***********
Gabrielle ran to catch up with him, "Joxer, wait for
me!" she called out.
Joxer stopped and waited for her to catch up.
Gabrielle smiled when she stood before him. "Thank
you," she said. "What you did back there took a lot of
courage."
"You're welcome. No one should make you marry me or
anyone else that way. I want you to marry me because
you want to, not because you're forced to," Joxer
replied. Adora stopped crying and cooed in his arms.
He smiled sadly down at his daughter.
Gabrielle looked at Adora and smiled at the baby whose
eyes seemed to smile back at her and she cooed again.
Gabrielle suddenly knew what she had to say to him.
"Joxer, I don't think I'm ready to be married again. I
love you. I know that now. I just need time. Do you
understand?" Gabrielle asked.
Joxer looked up. "I know you do, Gabrielle and I'll
wait until you're ready. But do you know what I wish
now, Gabrielle?"
"No, Joxer. What do you wish?"
"I wish we were back in Greece."
Gabrielle smiled softly. "Me too, Joxer."
Suddenly, everything started shaking. Gabrielle
grabbed Joxer for support. "Joxer, what's going on?"
she cried out.
"I don't know, Gabrielle!" Joxer cried back. "Hang
on!" he yelled as he slipped an arm around her waist.
"It must be an earthquake!" The two yelled in terror
as everything suddenly started spinning around and
around. They clung to each other until the spinning
stopped. Joxer swallowed hard and blinked several
times, feeling sick to his stomach. "Wow. Are you
okay, Gabrielle?" he croaked.
Gabrielle didn't answer at first as she looked around
wearily. "I'm okay, Joxer. I'm a bit dizzy though,"
she reassured him and looked around some more as she
held onto him for support. "Joxer, this is my parents'
barn!" she gasped.
"What? How?" Joxer looked around, wide-eyed. "Are you
sure?"
"Yes. That's my father's plow-horse," she pointed to a
gray workhorse contentedly munching on some hay in a
nearby stall. "I don't know how, but we're back in
Greece."
"But that's imposs… Adora!" Joxer realized, gazing
down at the baby. Adora gazed back up at him and
giggled.
"Oh Gods," Gabrielle whispered as Joxer looked at her
frantically. "Xena, Eve, Cyrene, your brothers, your
mother… "
Suddenly there was a loud thump and the two turned
around to see Herodotus standing in the doorway with
an astonished look on his face, the bucket he had been
carrying lying next to his feet.
"Uh, hi Daddy," Gabrielle mumbled and plastered a huge
smile on her face. "Nice to see you."
Adora gurgled in Joxer's arms as the warrior wannabe
smiled weakly. "Hello, sir."
The shock left Herodotus' face, replaced by anger as
he folded his arms over his chest and stepped inside
the barn. "Gabrielle, is there something that you need
to tell me and your mother?"
Gabrielle stared at her father, biting her bottom lip.
Joxer smiled at him nervously as Adora giggled in his
arms. "Oh boy."
*********
"Uh, what do you mean, Father?"
Herodotus gazed at her sternly. "Gabrielle, you know
darn well what I mean!"
"Oh! Oh, you want to know how we got here!"
Gabrielle's smile grew wider as Joxer grew even paler
than normal.
"No, I don't. I've figured that you traveled here."
Herodotus pointed to Adora. "Kindly explain her,
please."
Joxer held Adora, who cooed at Herodotus. "Uh sir,
she's a baby."
Herodotus exploded, "I KNOW she's a baby! WHAT are you
doing with her?"
"She's my baby," Joxer mumbled.
"I see." Herodotus turned back to his daughter. "Why
didn't you send word that you were going to have a
baby?"
Gabrielle looked nervously at her father and then at
Joxer. "Father, you don't understand. Uh, you see,
it's like this..."
"We wanted to surprise you and your wife, sir," Joxer
cut in quickly. Gabrielle gave him a look.
Herodotus gave them both a strange look. "Well, you
better come inside. Your mother will be glad to see
you."
"Yeah, I want to see Mother and Lila too. We'll be
inside in just a moment."
Herodotus nodded then looked at Joxer. "May I take her
in to see her grandmother?"
Joxer nodded silently as he gave Adora to Herodotus.
Adora looked up at Herodotus and cooed happily. He
smiled and looked at Gabrielle. "She's got your
smile."
Gabrielle smiled nervously. "Yeah. Really?"
Her father returned the smile and took Adora to the
house. Gabrielle swung around to face Joxer. "Why did
you tell Father I was the mother?"
"I didn't, really. I said we wanted to surprise you."
Gabrielle covered her face with her hands. "Joxer, you
may as well have had Zeus write it across the sky. My
father thinks that Adora is our baby - that **I** had
her. He even said she's got my smile!"
Joxer lowered his head. "I know Gabrielle, but I just
couldn't tell him the real truth."
Gabrielle nodded and sighed. "I know it's hard to
explain, but Joxer, he'll find out." She sighed again.
"I just hope Xena and the others are all right."
"They're probably more worried about *us* now if
they've figured out we're missing."
Gabrielle nodded in agreement. "Come on. Let's go
inside."
****************
Jett stared at the two women for a moment, an arrogant
smile playing on his lips. "Look, ladies. I know you
both want me and there's plenty of me for the both of
you."
Xena and Nebula stared at each other then back at
Jett. They both approached him slowly. "So, there's
plenty of you for both of us, huh?" asked Xena, her
ice-blue eyes glittering.
"We can share you?" asked Nebula. Both women walked
towards him seductively. "I'm not so sure I *want* to
share."
Jett found himself backing off. "Hey, I was only
trying to make it work!" He looked at Nebula, his eyes
raking over her body. "You want me. I know you do," he
said with a smirk.
Nebula smiled. She pulled him to her and gave him a
deep kiss. "Only for fun, boy. Only for fun - and
believe me, I can wear you out faster than *she* can,"
she grinned predatorily. Nebula turned around and
walked away, swaggering. Suddenly Jett took out his
dagger and threw it at Nebula. Xena hurled her chakram
and hit the dagger away before it plunged into her
back. Nebula turned around and stared into Jett's
eyes. They were cold with anger. She struggled visibly
and growled, "I'm leaving in the morning. Be ready, or
I'll set sail without you!"
*******
As promised, Nebula's ship was set and ready to sail.
She looked at her men. "They better get here because I
sail in half an hour."
Xena looked everywhere but Gabrielle, Joxer, and Adora
were nowhere to be found. Jace came running up to her.
"Xena, I can't find them anywhere! It's like they've
vanished!"
Jett searched with his mother. " Man, where are they?"
"Jett, don't worry. We'll find them."
"Good, Mother. Because when we do, I'm going to kill
them!"
Jezda shook her head. "Let's go see if Xena and Jace
had any luck."
The four searchers met up shortly after. Xena paced
back and forth as Cyrene, carrying Eve in her arms,
joined the group. "Okay, when was the last time we saw
them?"
"During that so-called ceremony," replied Jace.
"Yes. Joxer walked away and Gabrielle went looking for
him, but we've searched everywhere and there's no sign
of them. I think something bad may have happened to
them."
Suddenly there was a bright light and everything
started to spin. "What the... Hold on everyone!"
exclaimed Xena. Everything began spinning faster and
faster. Eventually, the spinning stopped and the five
adults and one giggling baby landed with a thud on the
ground.
"Man, what a ride! Remind me not to get on that
again!" Jett groaned as he helped his mother to her
feet.
Jace looked around. "Where are we? Gods, I think I'm
going to be sick!" he mumbled as he covered his mouth
with his hand.
Xena looked around also as she slowly rose to her feet
and took the still-giggling Eve from her mother's
arms. "By the look of the landscape, I'd say we're
home."
Jezda stared at her. "Do you mean to say we are back
home? But how?"
Xena just shook her head. "I guess a God brought us
home. Come on, we're near Gabrielle's hometown. I'll
bet they're at her parents' home."
Xena started heading in the direction of Herodotus'
farm. Jett caught up with her. "Xena… Uh, what about
Nebula?"
Xena shrugged her shoulders.
**********
Nebula looked around again. "I'll give them ten more
minutes. Then we sail."
"Captain! Wait! Please!"
Nebula turned around to see Pierre running towards her
waving his arms. When he finally got to her, he was
out of breath. "I ... came... down... I...want...
to... be... with... Jace... May... I … come ...
aboard?" he panted.
Nebula looked at him. "Jace isn't here, lover boy."
"He *has* to be here! He's nowhere to be found."
Nebula stared at him. "Look sweetie, he's not here. As
a matter of fact, none of them are here and I can't
wait any longer. So bye-bye, sweetie." Nebula ordered
her men to set sail and soon she was gone, leaving
Pierre behind.
Pierre ran back to the house. He had to find out what
happened to Jace. He ran inside the house and into
Jean-Luc's study. Jean-Luc was sitting in his chair
rubbing his forehead. Pierre suddenly forgot he worked
for Jean-Luc and grabbed the man by his shirt. "What
did you do to Jace?" he demanded.
"Jace?"
"Yes, JACE! And what happened to the others?"
Jean-Luc pulled away from Pierre. "I don't know what
you're talking about!" He shook his head. "I don't
remember anything from last night. Did Joxer and that
girl get married?"
"Her name is Gabrielle and no, thanks to you!"
"What do you mean, no thanks to me? Pierre, talk to
me. What did I do?"
Pierre looked at Jean-Luc. "You don't remember the
ceremony and what you tried to do?"
"No! I don't! I can't remember a thing."
Pierre gazed at Jean-Luc for a minute and realized
that the older man was telling the truth. Pierre then
quickly told Jean-Luc what had happened and that
everyone was gone. Jean-Luc placed his head into his
hands. "Oh Gods, what have I done?" he mumbled.
"We've got to find them."
"Pierre! Listen to me: just wait. Don't do anything!"
"Why?"
"Please! Just trust me."
"Why should I trust you?" Pierre asked suspiciously.
"Just trust me. I think you'll be with Jace soon."
Pierre just stared at Jean-Luc. Suddenly, it started
getting dark in the room. Pierre looked at Jean-Luc.
"What is going on?"
"I'm not really sure, but if my guess is right, we're
going to Jace and the others soon."
********
Jace fanatically looked around. "I don't see Pierre! I
don't see him!"
Jett stared at him. "Jace, calm down before you start
to hyperventilate!"
Jace returned the stare and his lips trembled
slightly. "But Pierre's not here. He's going to think
I don't care about him!" Jace felt the tears coming
but at a look from Xena and Jett, he held them back.
Cyrene gazed at him kindly. "You know Jace, maybe he
came with Joxer and Gabrielle, that is, if they're
here."
Xena looked towards the gate that was the entrance to
Poteidaia. "Maybe Mom's right. Well, we better head to
Gabrielle's parents' home and see."
"I hope so," Jace replied anxiously as they headed
towards the gate.
*****
Hecuba was standing over a cooking pot stirring the
evening meal she was preparing when Herodotus walked
in carrying Adora. "Gabrielle and Joxer are here," he
said.
Hecuba dusted off her hands and she look up. "Well,
it's about time Gabrielle came to vis... Herodotus,
what are you doing with that baby?"
Herodotus walked over to her and placed the baby in
her arms. "Meet your granddaughter," he said proudly.
"My granddaughter?" Hecuba wiped a tear from her eyes
as she took Adora then looked up to see Gabrielle and
Joxer coming in. "Why didn't you tell us? Oh
Gabrielle, I swear…"
"We wanted to surprise you," Joxer said huskily.
"Oh, well - I am surprised! Are you two married?"
"Mother, we decided not to get married right now,"
Gabrielle said.
Hecuba looked at Joxer, outraged. "WHAT? You get
**my** baby pregnant and you won't marry her?"
"Mother! Please, it was my idea, not Joxer's. I'm just
not ready to get married yet," Gabrielle explained
hastily.
"Hmph! Seems to me like you're more than ready,"
Herodotus growled.
"Well, I'm **not**, Father."
Joxer smiled at everybody before an argument broke
out. "Here, it's time for Adora's feeding. May I have
her, please?"
Herodotus stared at him, "Son, that's Gabrielle's
duty."
"You don't understand, sir. Adora won't eat for anyone
but me."
"Don't be silly! A baby always lets her mother feed
her. Here you go, Gabrielle," Hecuba put Adora in her
oldest daughter's arms.
Gabrielle took Adora with a smile. "Uh thanks, Mother.
I'll go into my old room and feed her. Joxer, do you
want to join me?"
"Oh no! Joxer, you stay right out here. Feeding a baby
is private between mother and baby," Herodotus
protested.
Joxer looked at Gabrielle nervously and then back at
her parents. "But I always feed Adora! It brings us
closer together."
Herodotus folded his arms over his chest. "I think
Gabrielle can do it."
"And I think you should let Gabrielle and Joxer feed
Adora together."
Herodotus turned around at the sound of the familiar
voice. "Hello, Xena. I was wondering where you were."
Jace pushed his way in and looked around. "Joxer, have
you seen Pierre?"
"No, Jace. Sorry."
Jace sadly walked away. Adora looked at her uncle and
cooed very loudly. Joxer looked at her and smiled.
"Come on, little one. Let's get you some dinner."
Gabrielle smiled and together they went to feed Adora.
"Did you see how sad Jace was?" she asked, taking a
bottle of milk from Joxer's backpack.
Joxer nodded. "Yeah. Gabrielle, I felt so bad for
him." He paused for a moment as Gabrielle gave him the
bottle. "Thanks." Joxer's lips twisted together as he
began feeding his daughter. "I don't know, though.
Something tells me he won't be sad for long."
"You think Adora sent for Pierre too?"
"Yeah, I do. Gabrielle, are you wondering how strong
Adora's powers are?"
Gabrielle reached out and touched Adora on the arm
while Joxer fed the baby. "Well, we know she can
teleport people and she can heal injuries, but what
else she can do, I guess we'll have to wait."
Joxer nodded and cooed at Adora. "Yes, we'll just have
to wait. Right, little one?" he said in a soothing,
singsong voice.
Adora continued drinking from the bottle, but her dark
eyes sparkled. Joxer looked up at Gabrielle and smiled
before turning back to Adora. Gabrielle returned the
smile, put her arm around Joxer's shoulder and kissed
him gently on the cheek. Joxer turned to face her,
brown eyes wide with surprise. Gabrielle's smile
widened as he blushed.
********
Pierre and Jean-Luc landed with a thump in a strange
barn. They both could hear the sound of someone crying
softly. Pierre looked around and saw Jace sitting in a
corner with his face in his hands, shoulders shaking
as he wept. "Jace! Oh, Jace! It's you! I can't believe
it's you."
Jace looked up and saw Pierre smiling at him. Jace
stared for a minute, tears streaming down his cheeks.
Then he stood up and ran into Pierre's arms. Pierre
took his hand and wiped away Jace's tears. "It's okay,
Jace. I'm here now and nothing will keep us apart ever
again," he said in a soothing voice.
Jean-Luc slowly stepped from the shadows and looked at
Jace and Pierre. "Hello, Jace. Are the others here
too?"
Jace looked past his lover to his uncle. "Yes, they're
here but why are you here?"
Jean-Luc said nothing. He walked past Jace and Pierre
and was about to leave when Jett entered the barn and
blocked his path. "I believe that you were asked a
question, Uncle. Why are you here?"
Jean-Luc stared at his oldest nephew. "I don't expect
you to believe me, but I don't remember a thing.
Pierre said I acted like a madman, but I swear to the
Gods I don't remember, and I got here the same way you
did, whatever way that was. Jett, I'm not here to
cause trouble. I was **brought** here."
Jett stepped aside. "I'll have my eyes on you, and if
you start anything I'll see that you never finish it!"
he snarled.
Jean-Luc nodded and walked past him.
*"YOU FOOL! ARE YOU GOING TO LET HIM TALK TO YOU THAT
WAY?"*
Jean-Luc shook his head. *"Get out of my head."
"HAHAHA! I AM HERE TO STAY AND YOU WILL HELP ME
DESTROY THAT CHILD!"
*"No! No! Get out! Get out! I won't help you destroy
Adora!"
*"YOU WILL HELP ME! FOOLISH MORTAL, YOU HAVE NO
CHOICE!"* the voice roared in Jean-Luc's head.
Jean-Luc let out a cry of pain as he fell to the
ground, clutching his head. Hecuba saw the man fall
and hurried over to him. "Are you all right?"
Jean-Luc slowly open his eyes and glared at her then
replied, "I am fine. Where's Joxer and that baby?"
Hecuba looked frightened at what she saw on Jean-Luc's
face. "I… I..."
Jean-Luc grabbed her roughly. "Tell me, old woman, or
I'll kill you now!" he snarled.
Hecuba tried to pull away but Jean-Luc held her
tightly. WHOOOOOOSH! Jean-Luc whirled around as he
heard Xena's chakram heading straight towards him. He
easily caught it and smiled wickedly at Hecuba. "I
could have easily had in go into you, woman." He then
stared down at it. "A TOY! YOU DARE ATTACK ME WITH A
TOY!" he bellowed. Jean-Luc then threw the chakram
back at Xena. He threw it so quickly that Xena had no
way to escape its path. Hecuba screamed as she
watched. Xena stood frozen in place, staring at the
weapon with wide blue eyes as it came rushing towards
her.
*****
Joxer watched Adora curiously as she suddenly began to
move her hands. Then Gabrielle let out a scream as
Xena's chakram came through the bedroom window and
whipped past her, just missing her ear before it
imbedded itself in the wall. "GABRIELLE!" Joxer
shouted before he quickly put Adora on the bed and ran
over to the weapon to try to pull it from the wall but
he couldn't. "Are you all right?" he grunted as he
continued attempting to pull it out.
"Joxer, I'm okay! Keep Adora safe!" Gabrielle looked
out the window, saw that Xena was in trouble and she
ran out to help. "You leave Xena alone!" She charged
Jean-Luc, who threw a fireball at her that sent her
flying into the barn door, making her drop the sais
she held in her hands.
"I WANT THAT BABY AND I WILL GET HER!"
Xena finally came to her senses. "Over my dead body
will you get that child!" she growled, removing her
sword from her scabbard. She let out a yell and
charged at Jean-Luc.
"THEN SO BE IT!" Jean-Luc threw a beam of light from
his fingers and Xena disappeared.
"XENA!" screamed Gabrielle as she rose to her feet and
charged Jean-Luc again.
"I HAVE NO TIME FOR THIS NONSENSE! JOIN YOUR FRIEND!"
A beam of light shot from Jean-Luc's hands and
Gabrielle disappeared too. Jean-Luc looked around and
screamed, "ALL BE GONE!"
Suddenly everyone but the triplets had disappeared.
Jett grabbed Jace who was now so upset he could not
think straight. "Come on, Jace! We've got to get to
Joxer!" he said urgently.
Jace looked at Jett, wild-eyed. "What is going on?
Pierre is gone!"
"So is everyone else! We've got to get to Joxer. Come
on!"
Jean-Luc watched as Jett and Jace ran inside the
house. Joxer was holding Adora. Jace ran over to him.
"Our uncle's gone mad! He's made everyone disappear."
Joxer handed Adora over to Jace. "I may not be much of
a fighter, but I'm not stupid! That's not our uncle
out there."
Jace nodded in agreement. "What do we do, Jett?"
"What are you asking me for?"
"Because you are the oldest."
Jett looked at his brothers. "I don't know what to
do," he admitted helplessly.
*You must first calm down and work together. Your
uncle is possessed by a demon called Xanto.*
Jace looked down at Adora then back at his brothers.
"I think Adora said something."
*Not exactly. You can hear my thoughts in your head.
Listen to me: Xanto is going to destroy the world
unless you stop him now.*
Xena found Joxer sitting on a bench staring out at the
grape vines. She sat down beside him and put her arm
around his shoulder. "Dinar for your thoughts?"
He looked up and smiled at her. "This isn't how I
wanted to be with Gabrielle. I love her, but I feel
like she's only marrying me because of Adora. I wish I
could shake that feeling, but I can't."
"Joxer, I can't tell you that Gabrielle wants to marry
you for you, because deep down inside only Gabrielle
knows that. But I can tell you this much: she does
care for you."
Joxer nodded. "I know she does, but is it enough to
marry me? I don't want to put Gabrielle in a marriage
that she will never be happy in, Xena."
"Maybe love will grow. It's happened before."
"Yeah, and maybe it won't. It didn't for my parents.
I've got some thinking to do. Thanks for listening,
Xena." Joxer got up and left Xena with her thoughts.
*******
Gabrielle stared at the man. "Who do you think you are
talking to me that way? I said I'd marry Joxer and I
will!"
Jean-Luc stared right back at Gabrielle. "I don't like
the idea of you marrying Joxer. You no more love him
than I love Pierre."
Gabrielle held Adora tightly against her. "I DO love
Joxer." Adora gurgled softly in the bard's arms.
An eyebrow rose. "Really? Then tell me: why did you
get mad because I said you'd marry him now?"
"I got mad because you ORDERED me to!"
"I have my reasons," Jean-Luc replied calmly.
Gabrielle glared at the triplets' uncle. "Well, I'd
like to know what they are!"
Jean-Luc was about to answer when Jezda entered the
room. "Jean-Luc, I wish to speak to Gabrielle in
private."
Jean-Luc nodded, bowed to the women and left them
alone. Jezda walked over to the bed. "Gabrielle,
please sit down," she invited, patting a spot next to
her. Gabrielle walked over and sat down. Jezda smiled
at her and then at Adora. "I'll come right to the
point. Do you love Joxer? I mean do you *really* love
him?"
"How many times do I have to say it? I don't know if I
do or don't. I'm very fond of him."
"But you don't know if you love him," Jezda stated.
"I *do* love him. It's just not strong yet, but it
will grow."
"I never grew to love Judd but then again, you're not
me. Maybe you will grow to love my son. Who knows? I
won't have you hurt my son. He's been hurt too much
and he deserves better than that, Gabrielle. Think
about it. Look into your heart. It will know the
truth." Jezda got up and left, wondering if she had
been too blunt and if Gabrielle was telling the truth
about her feelings.
Gabrielle stared at Adora. "Oh Adora, am I doing the
right thing?" Adora cooed at her and stared at her
calmly, the dark brown eyes searching and strangely
wise. Gabrielle shook her head, flushing at the steady
gaze. "Well, let's get this over with," she said as
she stood up.
"You sound like you're going to a funeral pyre."
Gabrielle turned around and looked at Joxer standing
inside the doorway of the bedroom. "Sorry. I've got a
lot on my mind."
"Yeah, me too. Gabrielle, I've been thinking out in
the vineyard. I had a talk with Xena, and well… You
don't have to marry me. You can still help raise Adora
- just like you're helping with Eve."
Gabrielle stared at him for a moment. "Come on, Joxer.
Let's go," she said as she walked from the bedroom.
Joxer quietly followed Gabrielle outside where
Jean-Luc was waiting for them. Joxer also noticed
everyone else was there too. He smiled at Eve, who was
being held by Cyrene, and his brothers. Xena stood
next to Gabrielle. Jean-Luc was dressed in a long
white robe. "I will perform the ceremony. Please step
forward."
Joxer looked at her. "Are you sure that you want to do
this, Gabrielle?" he asked quietly.
Gabrielle nodded. "Yes Joxer, I'm sure. Let's do
this." She thought to herself, *This is wrong. I want
Joxer, but I feel like I'm being forced into this
marriage. What kind of a life will we have together?*
Joxer slipped his arm inside Gabrielle's, for she was
still holding Adora, and they walked up to his uncle.
"Joxer, please take Adora," Jean-Luc directed.
Joxer nodded as Gabrielle gently placed his daughter
in his arms. Adora suddenly began crying quite loudly.
"Shhh, Adora. There's nothing the matter," he soothed.
Adora continued crying in spite of Joxer's efforts to
shush her. He shrugged his shoulders helplessly and
watched to see what his uncle would do.
Jean-Luc took a ceremonial knife from inside a pocket
of his robe and held it up. "With the blood of Joxer
and the blood of Gabrielle mixed together, they can
never be separated. For if either one leaves the
other, they will both die."
Jean-Luc grabbed Gabrielle's hand to cut it when
suddenly Xena kicked him right in the mid-section,
sending him to the ground. Joxer took Gabrielle and
pulled her away. He looked at his uncle, who was
slowly standing up. "What are you doing? I'll NEVER
marry Gabrielle in that manner. You can't do that! I
won't allow it."
"She doesn't love you! It's the only way she'll stay
with you!" Jean-Luc replied urgently. "This is the
only way you will not lose her. I did it for you,
Joxer!"
"Then I won't marry her. I'll never force her into
that type of marriage!" Joxer hurried away with Adora
before anybody could stop him.
Gabrielle stared at Jean-Luc. "You did this for him?
Is this the way you show someone that you love them?"
Before Jean-Luc could answer, Cyrene gave Eve to Xena.
"You have a lot to learn about children. You can't
bond two people together like that and count yourself
lucky to be standing! You tried hurting Gabrielle and
Joxer and Xena doesn't take kindly to that."
Jean-Luc looked at the women. "First of all, it was
only going to be a little cut just to get a drop of
their blood. It wouldn't have hurt either of them!" he
defended himself.
Xena stepped up to him and grabbed him by the front of
his robe. "No, but you were going to bond them
together forever. If one of them ever left, they both
would have died!"
"It was a trick, nothing more. It's called fear to
keep them together and it works!"
Jezda stared at her brother, horrified. "Do you mean I
could have left Judd anytime?"
"Yes. Anytime," Jean-Luc stared back at his sister.
"You bastard," she breathed. She drew back her fist
and landed a right cross solidly to his jaw. He fell
to the ground with a loud thud. "Gods, that felt SO
good!"
"All right, Mom!" Jett whispered gleefully. Jace
rolled his eyes and sighed.
Looking down at her brother she said, "Jean-Luc, I
love you but it's time we went home." She then looked
at Nebula. "May we book passage with you back to
Greece?"
Nebula looked at her. "Lady, I don't operate a cruise
ship. If you come, you'll have to earn your ride."
They all nodded in agreement. Nebula looked at Jett
and smiled wolfishly. "I know what you can do to earn
YOUR ride, Leather Pants."
Xena rolled her eyes. "I'll just bet you do."
Gabrielle looked at Joxer's retreating form. "I'm
going to go talk to Joxer and see if he's okay."
Xena smiled at her friend. "All right, Gabrielle.
We'll be getting ready to leave." Xena walked back to
the house with Eve in her arms.
***********
Gabrielle ran to catch up with him, "Joxer, wait for
me!" she called out.
Joxer stopped and waited for her to catch up.
Gabrielle smiled when she stood before him. "Thank
you," she said. "What you did back there took a lot of
courage."
"You're welcome. No one should make you marry me or
anyone else that way. I want you to marry me because
you want to, not because you're forced to," Joxer
replied. Adora stopped crying and cooed in his arms.
He smiled sadly down at his daughter.
Gabrielle looked at Adora and smiled at the baby whose
eyes seemed to smile back at her and she cooed again.
Gabrielle suddenly knew what she had to say to him.
"Joxer, I don't think I'm ready to be married again. I
love you. I know that now. I just need time. Do you
understand?" Gabrielle asked.
Joxer looked up. "I know you do, Gabrielle and I'll
wait until you're ready. But do you know what I wish
now, Gabrielle?"
"No, Joxer. What do you wish?"
"I wish we were back in Greece."
Gabrielle smiled softly. "Me too, Joxer."
Suddenly, everything started shaking. Gabrielle
grabbed Joxer for support. "Joxer, what's going on?"
she cried out.
"I don't know, Gabrielle!" Joxer cried back. "Hang
on!" he yelled as he slipped an arm around her waist.
"It must be an earthquake!" The two yelled in terror
as everything suddenly started spinning around and
around. They clung to each other until the spinning
stopped. Joxer swallowed hard and blinked several
times, feeling sick to his stomach. "Wow. Are you
okay, Gabrielle?" he croaked.
Gabrielle didn't answer at first as she looked around
wearily. "I'm okay, Joxer. I'm a bit dizzy though,"
she reassured him and looked around some more as she
held onto him for support. "Joxer, this is my parents'
barn!" she gasped.
"What? How?" Joxer looked around, wide-eyed. "Are you
sure?"
"Yes. That's my father's plow-horse," she pointed to a
gray workhorse contentedly munching on some hay in a
nearby stall. "I don't know how, but we're back in
Greece."
"But that's imposs… Adora!" Joxer realized, gazing
down at the baby. Adora gazed back up at him and
giggled.
"Oh Gods," Gabrielle whispered as Joxer looked at her
frantically. "Xena, Eve, Cyrene, your brothers, your
mother… "
Suddenly there was a loud thump and the two turned
around to see Herodotus standing in the doorway with
an astonished look on his face, the bucket he had been
carrying lying next to his feet.
"Uh, hi Daddy," Gabrielle mumbled and plastered a huge
smile on her face. "Nice to see you."
Adora gurgled in Joxer's arms as the warrior wannabe
smiled weakly. "Hello, sir."
The shock left Herodotus' face, replaced by anger as
he folded his arms over his chest and stepped inside
the barn. "Gabrielle, is there something that you need
to tell me and your mother?"
Gabrielle stared at her father, biting her bottom lip.
Joxer smiled at him nervously as Adora giggled in his
arms. "Oh boy."
*********
"Uh, what do you mean, Father?"
Herodotus gazed at her sternly. "Gabrielle, you know
darn well what I mean!"
"Oh! Oh, you want to know how we got here!"
Gabrielle's smile grew wider as Joxer grew even paler
than normal.
"No, I don't. I've figured that you traveled here."
Herodotus pointed to Adora. "Kindly explain her,
please."
Joxer held Adora, who cooed at Herodotus. "Uh sir,
she's a baby."
Herodotus exploded, "I KNOW she's a baby! WHAT are you
doing with her?"
"She's my baby," Joxer mumbled.
"I see." Herodotus turned back to his daughter. "Why
didn't you send word that you were going to have a
baby?"
Gabrielle looked nervously at her father and then at
Joxer. "Father, you don't understand. Uh, you see,
it's like this..."
"We wanted to surprise you and your wife, sir," Joxer
cut in quickly. Gabrielle gave him a look.
Herodotus gave them both a strange look. "Well, you
better come inside. Your mother will be glad to see
you."
"Yeah, I want to see Mother and Lila too. We'll be
inside in just a moment."
Herodotus nodded then looked at Joxer. "May I take her
in to see her grandmother?"
Joxer nodded silently as he gave Adora to Herodotus.
Adora looked up at Herodotus and cooed happily. He
smiled and looked at Gabrielle. "She's got your
smile."
Gabrielle smiled nervously. "Yeah. Really?"
Her father returned the smile and took Adora to the
house. Gabrielle swung around to face Joxer. "Why did
you tell Father I was the mother?"
"I didn't, really. I said we wanted to surprise you."
Gabrielle covered her face with her hands. "Joxer, you
may as well have had Zeus write it across the sky. My
father thinks that Adora is our baby - that **I** had
her. He even said she's got my smile!"
Joxer lowered his head. "I know Gabrielle, but I just
couldn't tell him the real truth."
Gabrielle nodded and sighed. "I know it's hard to
explain, but Joxer, he'll find out." She sighed again.
"I just hope Xena and the others are all right."
"They're probably more worried about *us* now if
they've figured out we're missing."
Gabrielle nodded in agreement. "Come on. Let's go
inside."
****************
Jett stared at the two women for a moment, an arrogant
smile playing on his lips. "Look, ladies. I know you
both want me and there's plenty of me for the both of
you."
Xena and Nebula stared at each other then back at
Jett. They both approached him slowly. "So, there's
plenty of you for both of us, huh?" asked Xena, her
ice-blue eyes glittering.
"We can share you?" asked Nebula. Both women walked
towards him seductively. "I'm not so sure I *want* to
share."
Jett found himself backing off. "Hey, I was only
trying to make it work!" He looked at Nebula, his eyes
raking over her body. "You want me. I know you do," he
said with a smirk.
Nebula smiled. She pulled him to her and gave him a
deep kiss. "Only for fun, boy. Only for fun - and
believe me, I can wear you out faster than *she* can,"
she grinned predatorily. Nebula turned around and
walked away, swaggering. Suddenly Jett took out his
dagger and threw it at Nebula. Xena hurled her chakram
and hit the dagger away before it plunged into her
back. Nebula turned around and stared into Jett's
eyes. They were cold with anger. She struggled visibly
and growled, "I'm leaving in the morning. Be ready, or
I'll set sail without you!"
*******
As promised, Nebula's ship was set and ready to sail.
She looked at her men. "They better get here because I
sail in half an hour."
Xena looked everywhere but Gabrielle, Joxer, and Adora
were nowhere to be found. Jace came running up to her.
"Xena, I can't find them anywhere! It's like they've
vanished!"
Jett searched with his mother. " Man, where are they?"
"Jett, don't worry. We'll find them."
"Good, Mother. Because when we do, I'm going to kill
them!"
Jezda shook her head. "Let's go see if Xena and Jace
had any luck."
The four searchers met up shortly after. Xena paced
back and forth as Cyrene, carrying Eve in her arms,
joined the group. "Okay, when was the last time we saw
them?"
"During that so-called ceremony," replied Jace.
"Yes. Joxer walked away and Gabrielle went looking for
him, but we've searched everywhere and there's no sign
of them. I think something bad may have happened to
them."
Suddenly there was a bright light and everything
started to spin. "What the... Hold on everyone!"
exclaimed Xena. Everything began spinning faster and
faster. Eventually, the spinning stopped and the five
adults and one giggling baby landed with a thud on the
ground.
"Man, what a ride! Remind me not to get on that
again!" Jett groaned as he helped his mother to her
feet.
Jace looked around. "Where are we? Gods, I think I'm
going to be sick!" he mumbled as he covered his mouth
with his hand.
Xena looked around also as she slowly rose to her feet
and took the still-giggling Eve from her mother's
arms. "By the look of the landscape, I'd say we're
home."
Jezda stared at her. "Do you mean to say we are back
home? But how?"
Xena just shook her head. "I guess a God brought us
home. Come on, we're near Gabrielle's hometown. I'll
bet they're at her parents' home."
Xena started heading in the direction of Herodotus'
farm. Jett caught up with her. "Xena… Uh, what about
Nebula?"
Xena shrugged her shoulders.
**********
Nebula looked around again. "I'll give them ten more
minutes. Then we sail."
"Captain! Wait! Please!"
Nebula turned around to see Pierre running towards her
waving his arms. When he finally got to her, he was
out of breath. "I ... came... down... I...want...
to... be... with... Jace... May... I … come ...
aboard?" he panted.
Nebula looked at him. "Jace isn't here, lover boy."
"He *has* to be here! He's nowhere to be found."
Nebula stared at him. "Look sweetie, he's not here. As
a matter of fact, none of them are here and I can't
wait any longer. So bye-bye, sweetie." Nebula ordered
her men to set sail and soon she was gone, leaving
Pierre behind.
Pierre ran back to the house. He had to find out what
happened to Jace. He ran inside the house and into
Jean-Luc's study. Jean-Luc was sitting in his chair
rubbing his forehead. Pierre suddenly forgot he worked
for Jean-Luc and grabbed the man by his shirt. "What
did you do to Jace?" he demanded.
"Jace?"
"Yes, JACE! And what happened to the others?"
Jean-Luc pulled away from Pierre. "I don't know what
you're talking about!" He shook his head. "I don't
remember anything from last night. Did Joxer and that
girl get married?"
"Her name is Gabrielle and no, thanks to you!"
"What do you mean, no thanks to me? Pierre, talk to
me. What did I do?"
Pierre looked at Jean-Luc. "You don't remember the
ceremony and what you tried to do?"
"No! I don't! I can't remember a thing."
Pierre gazed at Jean-Luc for a minute and realized
that the older man was telling the truth. Pierre then
quickly told Jean-Luc what had happened and that
everyone was gone. Jean-Luc placed his head into his
hands. "Oh Gods, what have I done?" he mumbled.
"We've got to find them."
"Pierre! Listen to me: just wait. Don't do anything!"
"Why?"
"Please! Just trust me."
"Why should I trust you?" Pierre asked suspiciously.
"Just trust me. I think you'll be with Jace soon."
Pierre just stared at Jean-Luc. Suddenly, it started
getting dark in the room. Pierre looked at Jean-Luc.
"What is going on?"
"I'm not really sure, but if my guess is right, we're
going to Jace and the others soon."
********
Jace fanatically looked around. "I don't see Pierre! I
don't see him!"
Jett stared at him. "Jace, calm down before you start
to hyperventilate!"
Jace returned the stare and his lips trembled
slightly. "But Pierre's not here. He's going to think
I don't care about him!" Jace felt the tears coming
but at a look from Xena and Jett, he held them back.
Cyrene gazed at him kindly. "You know Jace, maybe he
came with Joxer and Gabrielle, that is, if they're
here."
Xena looked towards the gate that was the entrance to
Poteidaia. "Maybe Mom's right. Well, we better head to
Gabrielle's parents' home and see."
"I hope so," Jace replied anxiously as they headed
towards the gate.
*****
Hecuba was standing over a cooking pot stirring the
evening meal she was preparing when Herodotus walked
in carrying Adora. "Gabrielle and Joxer are here," he
said.
Hecuba dusted off her hands and she look up. "Well,
it's about time Gabrielle came to vis... Herodotus,
what are you doing with that baby?"
Herodotus walked over to her and placed the baby in
her arms. "Meet your granddaughter," he said proudly.
"My granddaughter?" Hecuba wiped a tear from her eyes
as she took Adora then looked up to see Gabrielle and
Joxer coming in. "Why didn't you tell us? Oh
Gabrielle, I swear…"
"We wanted to surprise you," Joxer said huskily.
"Oh, well - I am surprised! Are you two married?"
"Mother, we decided not to get married right now,"
Gabrielle said.
Hecuba looked at Joxer, outraged. "WHAT? You get
**my** baby pregnant and you won't marry her?"
"Mother! Please, it was my idea, not Joxer's. I'm just
not ready to get married yet," Gabrielle explained
hastily.
"Hmph! Seems to me like you're more than ready,"
Herodotus growled.
"Well, I'm **not**, Father."
Joxer smiled at everybody before an argument broke
out. "Here, it's time for Adora's feeding. May I have
her, please?"
Herodotus stared at him, "Son, that's Gabrielle's
duty."
"You don't understand, sir. Adora won't eat for anyone
but me."
"Don't be silly! A baby always lets her mother feed
her. Here you go, Gabrielle," Hecuba put Adora in her
oldest daughter's arms.
Gabrielle took Adora with a smile. "Uh thanks, Mother.
I'll go into my old room and feed her. Joxer, do you
want to join me?"
"Oh no! Joxer, you stay right out here. Feeding a baby
is private between mother and baby," Herodotus
protested.
Joxer looked at Gabrielle nervously and then back at
her parents. "But I always feed Adora! It brings us
closer together."
Herodotus folded his arms over his chest. "I think
Gabrielle can do it."
"And I think you should let Gabrielle and Joxer feed
Adora together."
Herodotus turned around at the sound of the familiar
voice. "Hello, Xena. I was wondering where you were."
Jace pushed his way in and looked around. "Joxer, have
you seen Pierre?"
"No, Jace. Sorry."
Jace sadly walked away. Adora looked at her uncle and
cooed very loudly. Joxer looked at her and smiled.
"Come on, little one. Let's get you some dinner."
Gabrielle smiled and together they went to feed Adora.
"Did you see how sad Jace was?" she asked, taking a
bottle of milk from Joxer's backpack.
Joxer nodded. "Yeah. Gabrielle, I felt so bad for
him." He paused for a moment as Gabrielle gave him the
bottle. "Thanks." Joxer's lips twisted together as he
began feeding his daughter. "I don't know, though.
Something tells me he won't be sad for long."
"You think Adora sent for Pierre too?"
"Yeah, I do. Gabrielle, are you wondering how strong
Adora's powers are?"
Gabrielle reached out and touched Adora on the arm
while Joxer fed the baby. "Well, we know she can
teleport people and she can heal injuries, but what
else she can do, I guess we'll have to wait."
Joxer nodded and cooed at Adora. "Yes, we'll just have
to wait. Right, little one?" he said in a soothing,
singsong voice.
Adora continued drinking from the bottle, but her dark
eyes sparkled. Joxer looked up at Gabrielle and smiled
before turning back to Adora. Gabrielle returned the
smile, put her arm around Joxer's shoulder and kissed
him gently on the cheek. Joxer turned to face her,
brown eyes wide with surprise. Gabrielle's smile
widened as he blushed.
********
Pierre and Jean-Luc landed with a thump in a strange
barn. They both could hear the sound of someone crying
softly. Pierre looked around and saw Jace sitting in a
corner with his face in his hands, shoulders shaking
as he wept. "Jace! Oh, Jace! It's you! I can't believe
it's you."
Jace looked up and saw Pierre smiling at him. Jace
stared for a minute, tears streaming down his cheeks.
Then he stood up and ran into Pierre's arms. Pierre
took his hand and wiped away Jace's tears. "It's okay,
Jace. I'm here now and nothing will keep us apart ever
again," he said in a soothing voice.
Jean-Luc slowly stepped from the shadows and looked at
Jace and Pierre. "Hello, Jace. Are the others here
too?"
Jace looked past his lover to his uncle. "Yes, they're
here but why are you here?"
Jean-Luc said nothing. He walked past Jace and Pierre
and was about to leave when Jett entered the barn and
blocked his path. "I believe that you were asked a
question, Uncle. Why are you here?"
Jean-Luc stared at his oldest nephew. "I don't expect
you to believe me, but I don't remember a thing.
Pierre said I acted like a madman, but I swear to the
Gods I don't remember, and I got here the same way you
did, whatever way that was. Jett, I'm not here to
cause trouble. I was **brought** here."
Jett stepped aside. "I'll have my eyes on you, and if
you start anything I'll see that you never finish it!"
he snarled.
Jean-Luc nodded and walked past him.
*"YOU FOOL! ARE YOU GOING TO LET HIM TALK TO YOU THAT
WAY?"*
Jean-Luc shook his head. *"Get out of my head."
"HAHAHA! I AM HERE TO STAY AND YOU WILL HELP ME
DESTROY THAT CHILD!"
*"No! No! Get out! Get out! I won't help you destroy
Adora!"
*"YOU WILL HELP ME! FOOLISH MORTAL, YOU HAVE NO
CHOICE!"* the voice roared in Jean-Luc's head.
Jean-Luc let out a cry of pain as he fell to the
ground, clutching his head. Hecuba saw the man fall
and hurried over to him. "Are you all right?"
Jean-Luc slowly open his eyes and glared at her then
replied, "I am fine. Where's Joxer and that baby?"
Hecuba looked frightened at what she saw on Jean-Luc's
face. "I… I..."
Jean-Luc grabbed her roughly. "Tell me, old woman, or
I'll kill you now!" he snarled.
Hecuba tried to pull away but Jean-Luc held her
tightly. WHOOOOOOSH! Jean-Luc whirled around as he
heard Xena's chakram heading straight towards him. He
easily caught it and smiled wickedly at Hecuba. "I
could have easily had in go into you, woman." He then
stared down at it. "A TOY! YOU DARE ATTACK ME WITH A
TOY!" he bellowed. Jean-Luc then threw the chakram
back at Xena. He threw it so quickly that Xena had no
way to escape its path. Hecuba screamed as she
watched. Xena stood frozen in place, staring at the
weapon with wide blue eyes as it came rushing towards
her.
*****
Joxer watched Adora curiously as she suddenly began to
move her hands. Then Gabrielle let out a scream as
Xena's chakram came through the bedroom window and
whipped past her, just missing her ear before it
imbedded itself in the wall. "GABRIELLE!" Joxer
shouted before he quickly put Adora on the bed and ran
over to the weapon to try to pull it from the wall but
he couldn't. "Are you all right?" he grunted as he
continued attempting to pull it out.
"Joxer, I'm okay! Keep Adora safe!" Gabrielle looked
out the window, saw that Xena was in trouble and she
ran out to help. "You leave Xena alone!" She charged
Jean-Luc, who threw a fireball at her that sent her
flying into the barn door, making her drop the sais
she held in her hands.
"I WANT THAT BABY AND I WILL GET HER!"
Xena finally came to her senses. "Over my dead body
will you get that child!" she growled, removing her
sword from her scabbard. She let out a yell and
charged at Jean-Luc.
"THEN SO BE IT!" Jean-Luc threw a beam of light from
his fingers and Xena disappeared.
"XENA!" screamed Gabrielle as she rose to her feet and
charged Jean-Luc again.
"I HAVE NO TIME FOR THIS NONSENSE! JOIN YOUR FRIEND!"
A beam of light shot from Jean-Luc's hands and
Gabrielle disappeared too. Jean-Luc looked around and
screamed, "ALL BE GONE!"
Suddenly everyone but the triplets had disappeared.
Jett grabbed Jace who was now so upset he could not
think straight. "Come on, Jace! We've got to get to
Joxer!" he said urgently.
Jace looked at Jett, wild-eyed. "What is going on?
Pierre is gone!"
"So is everyone else! We've got to get to Joxer. Come
on!"
Jean-Luc watched as Jett and Jace ran inside the
house. Joxer was holding Adora. Jace ran over to him.
"Our uncle's gone mad! He's made everyone disappear."
Joxer handed Adora over to Jace. "I may not be much of
a fighter, but I'm not stupid! That's not our uncle
out there."
Jace nodded in agreement. "What do we do, Jett?"
"What are you asking me for?"
"Because you are the oldest."
Jett looked at his brothers. "I don't know what to
do," he admitted helplessly.
*You must first calm down and work together. Your
uncle is possessed by a demon called Xanto.*
Jace looked down at Adora then back at his brothers.
"I think Adora said something."
*Not exactly. You can hear my thoughts in your head.
Listen to me: Xanto is going to destroy the world
unless you stop him now.*