Title: Together We Are A Family
Author: Susan Owens
Rated PG
Disclaimer: I don't own Xena and Company
Copyright 2002
Author's Notes: This story takes place six years after The Trio and
Their Uncle. Jett has been working at Cyrene's tavern under a supervised
work-release program. Jace has
returned to his music and Joxer and Adora travel with Xena, Gabrielle,
and Eve.
Part One
The two ponies raced across the open plain. One rider held on for dear
life while the other was whooping her head off. "Eve! Eve! Slow down.
Blue can't keep up with Spirit!"
Eve suddenly turned around and saw that Adora was having trouble
keeping up. She quickly turned Spirit around and raced back to help her
friend. Soon both girls had settled
down into an even trot. "You've really got to learn to keep up, Dorie."
"I try, but you and Spirit are just too fast. I think we better head
back. Papa might be worried."
"Yeah, not to mention Mom. Don't want to get on her bad side today.
Want to race back?"
Adora frowned. "Not really. You always win."
"Hey, I'll even give you a head start! Come on," Eve pleaded.
"Oh, all right," Adora agreed.
Adora had Blue take off and away they went. Eve waited for a few
minutes then took off too. Again they raced across the plain, this time
heading back to their family. Adora saw
the camp first. She made Blue go faster - this time she would win, she
just knew it. Suddenly, Spirit and Eve passed by them. Adora tried her
best, but Blue could not catch
Spirit. Spirit and Eve won the race and Eve climbed off him. "I won! I
won!" she cried, jumping up and down.
Adora came in walking Blue. "Good race, Eve. I'm going to cool Blue
down."
Eve smiled. "Hey, I'll join you." She led Spirit and placed her arm
around Adora. "You ran a great race, Dorie."
"Thanks Eve," Adora replied. "Hmmm. I wonder where Papa, Aunt Xena and
Aunt Gabrielle are at."
"Probably looking for us. I swear my Mom and Aunt Gabby are so
overprotective!"
Adora rolled her eyes. "Yeah, don't I know it! My papa is to an extent
but not as much as they are."
"Dorie?"
"Yeah?"
"Do you ever wonder why that is? That they're all like that?"
"No. I guess they just love us."
"I guess. But you know, I think we're different."
"What makes you say that, Eve?"
"Well, look at us! I mean, we're a lot smarter than girls our age."
"Yeah, I know I'm smart. I was told I was too smart for school."
"Yeah, you're smart for a six year old, but your fighting skills
stink!"
"I'm not a fighter, Eve. Fighting isn't for me. Someday, I'm going to
be something even better then a warrior."
"And what is that?"
"An artist."
Eve started to answer when she heard Argo and then saw Xena and
Gabrielle coming. "Uh oh! Here comes Mom and Aunt Gabby!"
Adora looked in the direction Eve pointed in and saw them but her Papa
wasn't with them. "I wonder where Papa is?"
"He probably got lost again," Eve said, shaking her head.
Adora nodded and closed her eyes. Her eyebrows drew together in a frown
before she replied in a distant voice, "He's okay. He caught in a tree
branch, but he got loose."
"No way! How could you know something like that?" Eve asked
suspiciously.
Adora opened her eyes and stared at her friend. "I don't know, but it's
the truth."
Eve shook her head. "Whatever you say, Dorie." She rolled her eyes as
she watched Xena and Gabrielle ride into camp. "I think we're in big
trouble."
"So, what else is new?"
Xena leapt down from Argo and ran over to her daughter. "Eve, where
have you been? We were looking all over for you! I've told you never to
leave this camp without me,
Gabrielle or Joxer with you."
"Mom, chill! Dorie and I were racing. We were careful! Nothing
happened," Eve protested.
Xena placed her hands on Eve's arms and looked at her sternly. "That's
not the point! You were told to stay here and you disobeyed."
"Mom, let go! You're hurting me. Nothing happened!"
Adora turned at the sound of her best friend's voice and suddenly Xena
pulled away quickly as if she had been burned. She looked down at her
hands and saw that they were
red and full of blisters, but as she watched, the blisters and the
redness disappeared. She looked over at Adora who was watching the road to
see if Joxer was coming with a frown
on her face.
Adora saw Joxer walking down the road a short time later. "Papa! Papa!"
She raced over to him and Joxer caught her in his arms and placed her
on his shoulders.
"Hey there, Dorie! Now where have you been, young lady?"
"Eve and I were racing, Papa."
"You were told to stay at the camp. Aunt Gabrielle, Aunt Xena and I
were looking all over for you."
"I'm sorry, Papa! We were only having fun."
"I know Dorie, but you and Eve have to learn to listen. So, who won?"
Adora giggled. "Spirit, as always."
Joxer nodded. "Eve's a good rider."
"Yeah. She's better than me in everything."
"Uh, not everything, honey. Eve can't even draw a straight line and
you, my little artist, make the drawings of the most talented artists
around look like hen scratches!"
Adora hugged Joxer's neck. "Oh Papa, I love you! Papa?"
"Yeah, Dorie?"
"Did you get them for me?"
"You mean more drawing scrolls and charcoals?"
"Yes, Papa."
"Uh huh."
"Can I have them now?"
"Nope."
"Why not?" Adora's lips pouted out just like her father's.
"Because you're being punished for not listening," Joxer replied.
"Papa, that is SO unfair!" Adora groaned.
"Dorie, if you play with the piper, you have to pay for it."
"What does that mean?"
"It means no drawing scrolls or charcoals till I say so."
"Oh Papa, you're so mean!"
Joxer laughed as he took Adora off his shoulders. "You'll get over it.
Now come on and help me with supper."
Author: Susan Owens
Rated PG
Disclaimer: I don't own Xena and Company
Copyright 2002
Author's Notes: This story takes place six years after The Trio and
Their Uncle. Jett has been working at Cyrene's tavern under a supervised
work-release program. Jace has
returned to his music and Joxer and Adora travel with Xena, Gabrielle,
and Eve.
Part One
The two ponies raced across the open plain. One rider held on for dear
life while the other was whooping her head off. "Eve! Eve! Slow down.
Blue can't keep up with Spirit!"
Eve suddenly turned around and saw that Adora was having trouble
keeping up. She quickly turned Spirit around and raced back to help her
friend. Soon both girls had settled
down into an even trot. "You've really got to learn to keep up, Dorie."
"I try, but you and Spirit are just too fast. I think we better head
back. Papa might be worried."
"Yeah, not to mention Mom. Don't want to get on her bad side today.
Want to race back?"
Adora frowned. "Not really. You always win."
"Hey, I'll even give you a head start! Come on," Eve pleaded.
"Oh, all right," Adora agreed.
Adora had Blue take off and away they went. Eve waited for a few
minutes then took off too. Again they raced across the plain, this time
heading back to their family. Adora saw
the camp first. She made Blue go faster - this time she would win, she
just knew it. Suddenly, Spirit and Eve passed by them. Adora tried her
best, but Blue could not catch
Spirit. Spirit and Eve won the race and Eve climbed off him. "I won! I
won!" she cried, jumping up and down.
Adora came in walking Blue. "Good race, Eve. I'm going to cool Blue
down."
Eve smiled. "Hey, I'll join you." She led Spirit and placed her arm
around Adora. "You ran a great race, Dorie."
"Thanks Eve," Adora replied. "Hmmm. I wonder where Papa, Aunt Xena and
Aunt Gabrielle are at."
"Probably looking for us. I swear my Mom and Aunt Gabby are so
overprotective!"
Adora rolled her eyes. "Yeah, don't I know it! My papa is to an extent
but not as much as they are."
"Dorie?"
"Yeah?"
"Do you ever wonder why that is? That they're all like that?"
"No. I guess they just love us."
"I guess. But you know, I think we're different."
"What makes you say that, Eve?"
"Well, look at us! I mean, we're a lot smarter than girls our age."
"Yeah, I know I'm smart. I was told I was too smart for school."
"Yeah, you're smart for a six year old, but your fighting skills
stink!"
"I'm not a fighter, Eve. Fighting isn't for me. Someday, I'm going to
be something even better then a warrior."
"And what is that?"
"An artist."
Eve started to answer when she heard Argo and then saw Xena and
Gabrielle coming. "Uh oh! Here comes Mom and Aunt Gabby!"
Adora looked in the direction Eve pointed in and saw them but her Papa
wasn't with them. "I wonder where Papa is?"
"He probably got lost again," Eve said, shaking her head.
Adora nodded and closed her eyes. Her eyebrows drew together in a frown
before she replied in a distant voice, "He's okay. He caught in a tree
branch, but he got loose."
"No way! How could you know something like that?" Eve asked
suspiciously.
Adora opened her eyes and stared at her friend. "I don't know, but it's
the truth."
Eve shook her head. "Whatever you say, Dorie." She rolled her eyes as
she watched Xena and Gabrielle ride into camp. "I think we're in big
trouble."
"So, what else is new?"
Xena leapt down from Argo and ran over to her daughter. "Eve, where
have you been? We were looking all over for you! I've told you never to
leave this camp without me,
Gabrielle or Joxer with you."
"Mom, chill! Dorie and I were racing. We were careful! Nothing
happened," Eve protested.
Xena placed her hands on Eve's arms and looked at her sternly. "That's
not the point! You were told to stay here and you disobeyed."
"Mom, let go! You're hurting me. Nothing happened!"
Adora turned at the sound of her best friend's voice and suddenly Xena
pulled away quickly as if she had been burned. She looked down at her
hands and saw that they were
red and full of blisters, but as she watched, the blisters and the
redness disappeared. She looked over at Adora who was watching the road to
see if Joxer was coming with a frown
on her face.
Adora saw Joxer walking down the road a short time later. "Papa! Papa!"
She raced over to him and Joxer caught her in his arms and placed her
on his shoulders.
"Hey there, Dorie! Now where have you been, young lady?"
"Eve and I were racing, Papa."
"You were told to stay at the camp. Aunt Gabrielle, Aunt Xena and I
were looking all over for you."
"I'm sorry, Papa! We were only having fun."
"I know Dorie, but you and Eve have to learn to listen. So, who won?"
Adora giggled. "Spirit, as always."
Joxer nodded. "Eve's a good rider."
"Yeah. She's better than me in everything."
"Uh, not everything, honey. Eve can't even draw a straight line and
you, my little artist, make the drawings of the most talented artists
around look like hen scratches!"
Adora hugged Joxer's neck. "Oh Papa, I love you! Papa?"
"Yeah, Dorie?"
"Did you get them for me?"
"You mean more drawing scrolls and charcoals?"
"Yes, Papa."
"Uh huh."
"Can I have them now?"
"Nope."
"Why not?" Adora's lips pouted out just like her father's.
"Because you're being punished for not listening," Joxer replied.
"Papa, that is SO unfair!" Adora groaned.
"Dorie, if you play with the piper, you have to pay for it."
"What does that mean?"
"It means no drawing scrolls or charcoals till I say so."
"Oh Papa, you're so mean!"
Joxer laughed as he took Adora off his shoulders. "You'll get over it.
Now come on and help me with supper."