Part Five:
Adora studied her father carefully. "Papa? Is there any way we could
find out?"
Joxer thought for a moment then said, "There may be one way, but I'm
not sure I want to do it. "
"Why?"
"Because it could be dangerous and I don't want anything happening to
you."
"Oh Papa, please don't be afraid that something will happen to me."
Joxer smiled at his daughter. "Dorie, that 's like asking me not to get
up in the morning."
"I love you, Papa. But I have to know why my powers are back."
Joxer was glad to see that they had reached town. "Dorie, we'll talk
about this back at the camp. Let's just get what we need and head back,
okay?"
Adora nodded but deep down inside she still wondered. Everything was
fine until they went to the peddler selling fruits and vegetables. Joxer
was carefully looking over the
fruit knowing how fussy Gabrielle was about it. He picked up a bunch of
grapes and studied them.
"HEY! If you ain't buying, don't touch!"
Joxer looked at the big mountain-like man and gulped nervously. Adora
watched the man too, eyes narrowing. "I was just seeing if they were
fresh," Joxer said.
The mountain-like man's face suddenly turned a crimson color and he
grabbed Joxer by his tunic and lifted him off the ground so that his feet
were dangling several inches in the
air. "Listen here, Runt! My fruits and vegetables are always fresh and
how dare you say they aren't!"
"I didn't! I just said I was seeing if they were fresh. You see; my
friend is fussy..."
The vendor was getting angrier by the moment. "Well, your *friend*
should've come himself. I'll show him how fresh my fruits are! But since he
ain't here, I guess I'll have to
show you instead!"
"You put my Papa down right now!"
The man turned, still holding Joxer and stared down at Adora. He
suddenly began to laugh. "Listen, little girl, I ain't got time for you! I'll
deal with your papa here then take
care of you."
Adora stared at him. "You, sir, are no vendor and you need to be taught
a lesson."
"No, Adora! I'll handle this!" Joxer's voice was sharp and Adora was
stunned.
"But Papa! He could hurt you."
"Could? Oh, you BET I'm going to hurt him!" the vendor sneered.
Joxer just looked at her. "Adora, go back to the horses and wait for
me."
"But Papa..."
"Adora! I told you to leave."
Adora stared at the vendor and her father. She didn't know what to do,
but she decided to listen against her better judgment and she walked
away. Joxer then looked at the vendor
and sighed. "Okay, get it over with."
"Oh, you are so going to feel pain, Runt!" the vendor grinned.
Joxer closed his eyes, knowing what was coming when he heard a loud
sigh, followed by a familiar voice. "Haven't you ever heard that the
customer is ALWAYS right?"
Joxer opened his eyes as the vendor turned around and faced the voice's
owner. He grinned wildly as he tossed Joxer to the ground several feet
away from the stand. "As I
live and breathe, if it's not the great Hercules! Come on and show me
what you've got!" He let out a yell and charged the demigod, fists
flying.
"Wonderful," Hercules muttered as he blocked the vendor's first punch.
Adora ran over to her father. "Papa, are you hurt?"
Joxer slowly sat up and looked at his daughter, blinking several times
before his dark eyes came into focus. "I'm okay, Dorie - thanks to
Hercules."
Adora stood and watched the stranger who Joxer called Hercules fighting
the man who was going to hurt her father and she smiled. "Papa, is he
married?"
"Huh? Who?" Joxer asked, frowning in puzzlement.
"Hercules."
"Uh, not that I know of."
"Good." Adora's smile grew wider.
"Why did you want to know that?"
"Oh Papa, I think I'm in love!"
Joxer did a double take as he looked at his daughter. He was about to
say something when the vendor went flying in the air and landed a few
inches from him. Adora's eyes
seemed to glow as she looked at the man on the ground. "You tried to
hurt my father and you are going to be so very sorry," she said.
Joxer suddenly pulled her away. " Adora! No!"
Adora stared at her father, a bit confused and surprised, but obeyed
him without question. She watched as Hercules walked over to the fallen
man and pulled the vendor to his feet.
"Now, my friend, I think you have a customer."
The vendor stared at Hercules, his face stone white. He gulped loudly.
Hercules raised his eyebrows and folded his arms over his chest. "Yes,
sir." He turned to Joxer. "Sir, please
help yourself! Uh, no charge!"
Joxer nodded and helped himself to some of the fruit and vegetables
then reached into his money pouch and offered the man three dinars. "No
one is going to say that Joxer the
Mighty doesn't earn his keep."
The vendor looked at Hercules to see if it was okay to take the money.
Hercules nodded and the man took it. "Please come again, sir. Always
good to do business with you."
Joxer quietly picked up his stuff and with Adora headed for the horses.
Hercules looked a little surprised that the younger man didn't say
anything to him. "Hey, Joxer! Wait up!
Xena said you were here so I came to meet you."
Joxer turned around sharply to face Hercules, wanting so badly to say:
*Well gee, thanks for saving my butt and making me look like a fool in
front of my daughter,* but instead
he smiled weakly at the demigod and replied, "Sorry, Hercules. I was
just in a hurry and thanks."
Hercules returned the smile. "It was nothing Joxer, but I'm sure you
could've handled him without my help."
Adora looked at Hercules and then back at her father. "He didn't even
want to fight!"
Joxer looked at her. He didn't know what to say. Hercules noticed how
uncomfortable he was and decided to help. "Now, who is this lovely young
lady?"
Adora giggled at being called a lovely young lady. "My name is Adora,
Hercules."
Hercules' blue eyes twinkled. "It's nice to meet you, Adora. You have a
very lovely name. You know, sometimes fighting isn't the answer and I'm
sure your father was trying to
protect you."
"Yeah, but you fought!"
"I know, but sometimes there's no choice. But, as you can see, I didn't
hurt the man."
Adora looked at her father. "Papa, I'm sorry I thought you were being a
coward."
The word coward stung Joxer like a bee but he only smiled at her. For
the first time in Adora's life he didn't know what to say to her. He
just looked at Hercules. Hercules
could see the sadness in Joxer's dark eyes and silently sighed as Joxer
turned away. The demigod then turned to look down at Adora and smiled,
deciding to change the subject.
"Well, let's head back to Xena and Gabrielle. I've got news to tell all
of you."
Adora smiled at him. "You can ride with me, Hercules."
"Thanks Adora, but I prefer to walk."
As the three headed back to the camp where Xena, Gabrielle and Eve were
waiting, Joxer couldn't help thinking that there was going to be
trouble ahead.
Adora studied her father carefully. "Papa? Is there any way we could
find out?"
Joxer thought for a moment then said, "There may be one way, but I'm
not sure I want to do it. "
"Why?"
"Because it could be dangerous and I don't want anything happening to
you."
"Oh Papa, please don't be afraid that something will happen to me."
Joxer smiled at his daughter. "Dorie, that 's like asking me not to get
up in the morning."
"I love you, Papa. But I have to know why my powers are back."
Joxer was glad to see that they had reached town. "Dorie, we'll talk
about this back at the camp. Let's just get what we need and head back,
okay?"
Adora nodded but deep down inside she still wondered. Everything was
fine until they went to the peddler selling fruits and vegetables. Joxer
was carefully looking over the
fruit knowing how fussy Gabrielle was about it. He picked up a bunch of
grapes and studied them.
"HEY! If you ain't buying, don't touch!"
Joxer looked at the big mountain-like man and gulped nervously. Adora
watched the man too, eyes narrowing. "I was just seeing if they were
fresh," Joxer said.
The mountain-like man's face suddenly turned a crimson color and he
grabbed Joxer by his tunic and lifted him off the ground so that his feet
were dangling several inches in the
air. "Listen here, Runt! My fruits and vegetables are always fresh and
how dare you say they aren't!"
"I didn't! I just said I was seeing if they were fresh. You see; my
friend is fussy..."
The vendor was getting angrier by the moment. "Well, your *friend*
should've come himself. I'll show him how fresh my fruits are! But since he
ain't here, I guess I'll have to
show you instead!"
"You put my Papa down right now!"
The man turned, still holding Joxer and stared down at Adora. He
suddenly began to laugh. "Listen, little girl, I ain't got time for you! I'll
deal with your papa here then take
care of you."
Adora stared at him. "You, sir, are no vendor and you need to be taught
a lesson."
"No, Adora! I'll handle this!" Joxer's voice was sharp and Adora was
stunned.
"But Papa! He could hurt you."
"Could? Oh, you BET I'm going to hurt him!" the vendor sneered.
Joxer just looked at her. "Adora, go back to the horses and wait for
me."
"But Papa..."
"Adora! I told you to leave."
Adora stared at the vendor and her father. She didn't know what to do,
but she decided to listen against her better judgment and she walked
away. Joxer then looked at the vendor
and sighed. "Okay, get it over with."
"Oh, you are so going to feel pain, Runt!" the vendor grinned.
Joxer closed his eyes, knowing what was coming when he heard a loud
sigh, followed by a familiar voice. "Haven't you ever heard that the
customer is ALWAYS right?"
Joxer opened his eyes as the vendor turned around and faced the voice's
owner. He grinned wildly as he tossed Joxer to the ground several feet
away from the stand. "As I
live and breathe, if it's not the great Hercules! Come on and show me
what you've got!" He let out a yell and charged the demigod, fists
flying.
"Wonderful," Hercules muttered as he blocked the vendor's first punch.
Adora ran over to her father. "Papa, are you hurt?"
Joxer slowly sat up and looked at his daughter, blinking several times
before his dark eyes came into focus. "I'm okay, Dorie - thanks to
Hercules."
Adora stood and watched the stranger who Joxer called Hercules fighting
the man who was going to hurt her father and she smiled. "Papa, is he
married?"
"Huh? Who?" Joxer asked, frowning in puzzlement.
"Hercules."
"Uh, not that I know of."
"Good." Adora's smile grew wider.
"Why did you want to know that?"
"Oh Papa, I think I'm in love!"
Joxer did a double take as he looked at his daughter. He was about to
say something when the vendor went flying in the air and landed a few
inches from him. Adora's eyes
seemed to glow as she looked at the man on the ground. "You tried to
hurt my father and you are going to be so very sorry," she said.
Joxer suddenly pulled her away. " Adora! No!"
Adora stared at her father, a bit confused and surprised, but obeyed
him without question. She watched as Hercules walked over to the fallen
man and pulled the vendor to his feet.
"Now, my friend, I think you have a customer."
The vendor stared at Hercules, his face stone white. He gulped loudly.
Hercules raised his eyebrows and folded his arms over his chest. "Yes,
sir." He turned to Joxer. "Sir, please
help yourself! Uh, no charge!"
Joxer nodded and helped himself to some of the fruit and vegetables
then reached into his money pouch and offered the man three dinars. "No
one is going to say that Joxer the
Mighty doesn't earn his keep."
The vendor looked at Hercules to see if it was okay to take the money.
Hercules nodded and the man took it. "Please come again, sir. Always
good to do business with you."
Joxer quietly picked up his stuff and with Adora headed for the horses.
Hercules looked a little surprised that the younger man didn't say
anything to him. "Hey, Joxer! Wait up!
Xena said you were here so I came to meet you."
Joxer turned around sharply to face Hercules, wanting so badly to say:
*Well gee, thanks for saving my butt and making me look like a fool in
front of my daughter,* but instead
he smiled weakly at the demigod and replied, "Sorry, Hercules. I was
just in a hurry and thanks."
Hercules returned the smile. "It was nothing Joxer, but I'm sure you
could've handled him without my help."
Adora looked at Hercules and then back at her father. "He didn't even
want to fight!"
Joxer looked at her. He didn't know what to say. Hercules noticed how
uncomfortable he was and decided to help. "Now, who is this lovely young
lady?"
Adora giggled at being called a lovely young lady. "My name is Adora,
Hercules."
Hercules' blue eyes twinkled. "It's nice to meet you, Adora. You have a
very lovely name. You know, sometimes fighting isn't the answer and I'm
sure your father was trying to
protect you."
"Yeah, but you fought!"
"I know, but sometimes there's no choice. But, as you can see, I didn't
hurt the man."
Adora looked at her father. "Papa, I'm sorry I thought you were being a
coward."
The word coward stung Joxer like a bee but he only smiled at her. For
the first time in Adora's life he didn't know what to say to her. He
just looked at Hercules. Hercules
could see the sadness in Joxer's dark eyes and silently sighed as Joxer
turned away. The demigod then turned to look down at Adora and smiled,
deciding to change the subject.
"Well, let's head back to Xena and Gabrielle. I've got news to tell all
of you."
Adora smiled at him. "You can ride with me, Hercules."
"Thanks Adora, but I prefer to walk."
As the three headed back to the camp where Xena, Gabrielle and Eve were
waiting, Joxer couldn't help thinking that there was going to be
trouble ahead.