Joxer nodded. "Tell us what to do," he said.
Adora looked over at Joxer, her brown eyes sparkling.
*Remember that I am always with you and will always
love you.*
Adora suddenly faded from Jace's arms. Joxer was about
to say something when the door flew open and there
stood Xanto in Jean-Luc's body. The demon threw up his
hands sending both Jett and Jace flying into the wall
with a sickening thud before either one of them could
do anything. They slumped to the floor and did not
move.
"NO!" Joxer cried, closing his eyes, his face twisting
in grief.
"YOUR BROTHERS ARE GONE! NOW, FOOLISH MORTAL, TELL ME
WHERE THE BABY IS!"
Joxer opened his eyes slowly and smiled at Xanto. The
demon saw his enemy staring back at him through
Joxer's eyes. "Must you shout, Xanto? I'm not deaf."
The voice was Joxer's and he spoke very softly, almost
in a whisper, but the power behind his voice made the
entire house shake.
"YOU WILL NOT STOP ME THIS TIME, ADORA! YOU WILL NOT
SEND ME BACK!"
"I will stop you, Xanto, just like I did before. But
this time, you won't return."
Xanto laughed. "YOU WILL STOP ME WITH THAT BODY?! XENA
WOULD HAVE BEEN A BETTER CHOICE! I WILL DESTROY YOU,
ADORA! "
"We shall see."
THEN DIE!" Xanto fired from his fingers a deadly ray.
Adora flipped Joxer's body to avoid them. She raised
Joxer's hands and sent her rays back at Xanto before
he could react. Xanto felt the pain coursing through
Jean-Luc's body and screamed. He suddenly felt himself
being pulled from Jean-Luc's body and back into his
realm.
"NO! NO! I WILL NOT GO BACK! I WON'T! I WON'T!"
Xanto's true form appeared above Jean-Luc's head,
hovered briefly then dissolved into a wet mass on the
floor. Jean-Luc screamed then passed out. Joxer gasped
loudly as Adora's essence left his body. He stared at
the puddle on the floor for a moment before his eyes
rolled up in his head and he then fell to the floor,
unconscious.
*****
"I think he's waking up," Joxer heard Gabrielle's
voice as he slowly opened his eyes.
"Huh? What happened? Where am I?"
Gabrielle took his hands into hers. "It's okay, Joxer.
Everything is okay now. You did it. You and Adora
saved the world."
Joxer suddenly sat up in the bed. "Jett! Jace! That
demon killed them."
"We're okay, Jox. Once you and Adora beat him, we were
okay, and so is Uncle Jean-Luc," Jett told him.
Joxer looked over at Jett and Jace and smiled. "I'm so
glad, but what about Adora?"
Hecuba came in with Adora. "She's fine. She's just
fine, aren't you?" she murmured. Adora babbled
happily.
Joxer took Adora from Hecuba with a grateful smile.
"Thank you! Oh honey, I'm so glad that you're okay."
Xena placed her hand on Joxer's shoulder. "Joxer,
she's okay but that battle may have been too much on
her. I think her powers are gone and she's just a
regular baby."
Joxer held his daughter close to him and kissed her
gently on the forehead. "I don't care, Xena. I'm just
so happy she's all right." Xena nodded and smiled in
understanding.
Suddenly both Herodotus and Hecuba saw the truth.
Herodotus turned to Gabrielle. "Adora isn't your
child, is she?" he asked.
"No, Father. She's not. She's Joxer's daughter."
"But *how*?" Hecuba asked.
"Well, it's a long story…" Gabrielle then told her
parents everything.
Hecuba smiled when she finished. "You know what? I
think Adora wants you to be her mommy."
Herodotus nodded in agreement. "I agree with your
mother so you help Joxer take care of that child."
Gabrielle turned to Joxer, who smiled, then gazed down
at Adora sleeping in his arms. "I will. I promise."
*****
That night Xena came outside to see Jett talking to
her mother. "I think it might work. You could at least
give it a try."
"Even if I wanted to, I don't think I can. Cyrene, I
escaped from prison. I doubt if they'll let me work
for you."
"Oh, I'm sure I can arrange something and don't think
you'll get off easy. Believe me, the way I'll put you
to work you'll be begging to go back to prison!"
"And I should know, right Mom?" Xena laughed at the
look on Jett's face as she walked back into the house.
She looked over and saw Gabrielle holding Adora.
"Hi, Xena. Boy, today has been some day, huh? Too bad
Lila missed all the action. I hope she comes home from
visiting my cousin before we leave."
"I'm sure she will, Gabrielle."
Suddenly Jean-Luc stuck his head inside the doorway.
"Come on, you two! Jace is getting antsy." Both women
laughed as they walked out into the garden where Jace
and Pierre were getting married.
Joxer stood by Gabrielle's side with Adora in his
arms. She smiled up at him. "Joxer, do you ever wonder
what the future has in store for us?"
Joxer shifted Adora so he could place his arm around
Gabrielle's waist. "I don't know what it has in store
for us, but whatever it is you, Xena, Eve, Adora and I
will face it together." Xena glanced in their
direction and the three friends exchanged smiles
before she turned around to continue watching Jace and
Pierre exchange vows.
Gabrielle leaned up to kiss Joxer, placed her head
against his shoulder and murmured softly, "Yes. We
will face it together."
The End
Adora looked over at Joxer, her brown eyes sparkling.
*Remember that I am always with you and will always
love you.*
Adora suddenly faded from Jace's arms. Joxer was about
to say something when the door flew open and there
stood Xanto in Jean-Luc's body. The demon threw up his
hands sending both Jett and Jace flying into the wall
with a sickening thud before either one of them could
do anything. They slumped to the floor and did not
move.
"NO!" Joxer cried, closing his eyes, his face twisting
in grief.
"YOUR BROTHERS ARE GONE! NOW, FOOLISH MORTAL, TELL ME
WHERE THE BABY IS!"
Joxer opened his eyes slowly and smiled at Xanto. The
demon saw his enemy staring back at him through
Joxer's eyes. "Must you shout, Xanto? I'm not deaf."
The voice was Joxer's and he spoke very softly, almost
in a whisper, but the power behind his voice made the
entire house shake.
"YOU WILL NOT STOP ME THIS TIME, ADORA! YOU WILL NOT
SEND ME BACK!"
"I will stop you, Xanto, just like I did before. But
this time, you won't return."
Xanto laughed. "YOU WILL STOP ME WITH THAT BODY?! XENA
WOULD HAVE BEEN A BETTER CHOICE! I WILL DESTROY YOU,
ADORA! "
"We shall see."
THEN DIE!" Xanto fired from his fingers a deadly ray.
Adora flipped Joxer's body to avoid them. She raised
Joxer's hands and sent her rays back at Xanto before
he could react. Xanto felt the pain coursing through
Jean-Luc's body and screamed. He suddenly felt himself
being pulled from Jean-Luc's body and back into his
realm.
"NO! NO! I WILL NOT GO BACK! I WON'T! I WON'T!"
Xanto's true form appeared above Jean-Luc's head,
hovered briefly then dissolved into a wet mass on the
floor. Jean-Luc screamed then passed out. Joxer gasped
loudly as Adora's essence left his body. He stared at
the puddle on the floor for a moment before his eyes
rolled up in his head and he then fell to the floor,
unconscious.
*****
"I think he's waking up," Joxer heard Gabrielle's
voice as he slowly opened his eyes.
"Huh? What happened? Where am I?"
Gabrielle took his hands into hers. "It's okay, Joxer.
Everything is okay now. You did it. You and Adora
saved the world."
Joxer suddenly sat up in the bed. "Jett! Jace! That
demon killed them."
"We're okay, Jox. Once you and Adora beat him, we were
okay, and so is Uncle Jean-Luc," Jett told him.
Joxer looked over at Jett and Jace and smiled. "I'm so
glad, but what about Adora?"
Hecuba came in with Adora. "She's fine. She's just
fine, aren't you?" she murmured. Adora babbled
happily.
Joxer took Adora from Hecuba with a grateful smile.
"Thank you! Oh honey, I'm so glad that you're okay."
Xena placed her hand on Joxer's shoulder. "Joxer,
she's okay but that battle may have been too much on
her. I think her powers are gone and she's just a
regular baby."
Joxer held his daughter close to him and kissed her
gently on the forehead. "I don't care, Xena. I'm just
so happy she's all right." Xena nodded and smiled in
understanding.
Suddenly both Herodotus and Hecuba saw the truth.
Herodotus turned to Gabrielle. "Adora isn't your
child, is she?" he asked.
"No, Father. She's not. She's Joxer's daughter."
"But *how*?" Hecuba asked.
"Well, it's a long story…" Gabrielle then told her
parents everything.
Hecuba smiled when she finished. "You know what? I
think Adora wants you to be her mommy."
Herodotus nodded in agreement. "I agree with your
mother so you help Joxer take care of that child."
Gabrielle turned to Joxer, who smiled, then gazed down
at Adora sleeping in his arms. "I will. I promise."
*****
That night Xena came outside to see Jett talking to
her mother. "I think it might work. You could at least
give it a try."
"Even if I wanted to, I don't think I can. Cyrene, I
escaped from prison. I doubt if they'll let me work
for you."
"Oh, I'm sure I can arrange something and don't think
you'll get off easy. Believe me, the way I'll put you
to work you'll be begging to go back to prison!"
"And I should know, right Mom?" Xena laughed at the
look on Jett's face as she walked back into the house.
She looked over and saw Gabrielle holding Adora.
"Hi, Xena. Boy, today has been some day, huh? Too bad
Lila missed all the action. I hope she comes home from
visiting my cousin before we leave."
"I'm sure she will, Gabrielle."
Suddenly Jean-Luc stuck his head inside the doorway.
"Come on, you two! Jace is getting antsy." Both women
laughed as they walked out into the garden where Jace
and Pierre were getting married.
Joxer stood by Gabrielle's side with Adora in his
arms. She smiled up at him. "Joxer, do you ever wonder
what the future has in store for us?"
Joxer shifted Adora so he could place his arm around
Gabrielle's waist. "I don't know what it has in store
for us, but whatever it is you, Xena, Eve, Adora and I
will face it together." Xena glanced in their
direction and the three friends exchanged smiles
before she turned around to continue watching Jace and
Pierre exchange vows.
Gabrielle leaned up to kiss Joxer, placed her head
against his shoulder and murmured softly, "Yes. We
will face it together."
The End