Part Eleven:
The next morning when the girls woke up, Adora looked around the room
anxiously. "Eve, do you have Uncle Jett?"
"No. Dorie, he better be with you," Eve warned.
"He's not! Oh no, Eve! I bet he got away."
"Oh, that's just GREAT! Dorie, we better find him."
"He couldn't have gone too far." Suddenly they heard a scream and a
crash.
"Uh oh! Come on, Dorie."
Both girls jumped up and ran into the kitchen where they found
Gabrielle and Xena helping Cyrene pick up pieces of broken plates and Joxer
holding a black cat in his arms.
"These were my best breakfast dishes! Where did that cat come from?"
Joxer stood petting the loudly meowing cat. "I guess he wandered in. He
sure has a loud meow, doesn't he?"
"Joxer! Take the cat outside, please."
"Okay, Xena."
Adora and Eve rushed forward. "Here, Papa! I'll take him."
Joxer looked at her sternly, his eyebrows rising up. "Adora, do you
know where this cat came from?" he asked as he put the cat in his
daughter's arms.
"He was sitting in the window so I took him in. Papa, can I keep him?"
Adora pleaded.
Joxer looked at the cat. The cat seemed to look back at him with strong
eyes - and the cat's stare strangely reminded him of someone, but he
couldn't place it. "I don't know,
Dorie. He might belong to somebody."
"No, Papa. I'm sure he's a stray!"
"Yeah! I bet Dorie's right. Come on, Dorie! Let's take him outside."
Once outside, Eve turned to Adora. "Do you think your uncle knows what
happened to him?"
Dorie sighed. "He knows I understand him. Eve, he's not too pleased."
"Really? You can understand him? What's he saying?"
Adora blushed. "I can't repeat it." Eve giggled a bit at that.
"Can't repeat what?"
Both girls jumped when they heard Gabrielle. "Oh! Uh, Eve was asking me
to repeat what she just said and I couldn't. Could I, Eve?" Adora
glared at Eve and Eve nodded
furiously.
"Oh. I see." Gabrielle reached down and patted the cat's head. "You
know girls, there's really no way we can keep this cat. We travel too
much. I'm sure when Xena and I get
back, we'll find him a very nice home."
Adora looked at her, wide-eyed. "But we HAVE to keep him!"
Gabrielle was about to reply when the cat jumped from Adora's arms and
ran into the tavern. The cat jumped on the table that Joxer was wiping
off for Cyrene and began to
meow loudly again. Joxer gently pushed the cat away. "Sorry, boy. I
don't have time for you right now. Are you hungry?" He looked up. "Cyrene,
do you have any milk?"
Cyrene turned around to gaze at Joxer. "I have some for the girls'
breakfast."
"Can I give him some?"
"I suppose so, but please take him outside."
Joxer took the cat outside and placed him on the ground. "I'll be right
back." Joxer returned with a bowl of milk and placed it down on the
ground. The cat just stared at it
and hissed, then he walked away. Joxer shook his head and picked the
bowl up. "I guess he doesn't like milk," he mused.
"Joxer, we're leaving now. Are you sure you'll be all right with the
girls?" Xena called out as she mounted Argo.
Joxer rolled his eyes. "Xena, I'll be fine! Besides, Cyrene is here
too."
"Okay. We should be back in about a week. Eve, *please* stay out of
trouble!"
"Yes, Mom!"
Both girls ran over and gave Xena, Gabrielle and Hercules a kiss and
hug. "Bye Mom, Aunt Gabrielle and Uncle Hercules!" Eve exclaimed.
"Yeah! Bye! Be careful," Adora added in.
"We will. Eve, you and Adora listen to Joxer and Cyrene."
"We will!" they both said.
Gabrielle came over and she and Joxer shared a long kiss and embrace.
"You be careful, okay?" Joxer whispered in her ear before he let
Gabrielle go. "I love you."
Gabrielle nodded. "I will, Joxer. I love you too," she whispered back,
giving Joxer a quick kiss on the cheek. She gazed at him for a moment
before she turned around and got
on her horse. The three of them waved and set off for Sparta.
Joxer, Cyrene, and the girls watched them ride away. Once out of sight,
Cyrene walked back into the tavern to finish getting breakfast ready
for the girls. Joxer turned to Adora
and Eve and folded his arms over his chest. "Okay, you two. Now *what*
is going on here and *who* is that cat?" he asked. Both girls stared up
at him, wondering how Joxer
knew.
*******
The next morning when the girls woke up, Adora looked around the room
anxiously. "Eve, do you have Uncle Jett?"
"No. Dorie, he better be with you," Eve warned.
"He's not! Oh no, Eve! I bet he got away."
"Oh, that's just GREAT! Dorie, we better find him."
"He couldn't have gone too far." Suddenly they heard a scream and a
crash.
"Uh oh! Come on, Dorie."
Both girls jumped up and ran into the kitchen where they found
Gabrielle and Xena helping Cyrene pick up pieces of broken plates and Joxer
holding a black cat in his arms.
"These were my best breakfast dishes! Where did that cat come from?"
Joxer stood petting the loudly meowing cat. "I guess he wandered in. He
sure has a loud meow, doesn't he?"
"Joxer! Take the cat outside, please."
"Okay, Xena."
Adora and Eve rushed forward. "Here, Papa! I'll take him."
Joxer looked at her sternly, his eyebrows rising up. "Adora, do you
know where this cat came from?" he asked as he put the cat in his
daughter's arms.
"He was sitting in the window so I took him in. Papa, can I keep him?"
Adora pleaded.
Joxer looked at the cat. The cat seemed to look back at him with strong
eyes - and the cat's stare strangely reminded him of someone, but he
couldn't place it. "I don't know,
Dorie. He might belong to somebody."
"No, Papa. I'm sure he's a stray!"
"Yeah! I bet Dorie's right. Come on, Dorie! Let's take him outside."
Once outside, Eve turned to Adora. "Do you think your uncle knows what
happened to him?"
Dorie sighed. "He knows I understand him. Eve, he's not too pleased."
"Really? You can understand him? What's he saying?"
Adora blushed. "I can't repeat it." Eve giggled a bit at that.
"Can't repeat what?"
Both girls jumped when they heard Gabrielle. "Oh! Uh, Eve was asking me
to repeat what she just said and I couldn't. Could I, Eve?" Adora
glared at Eve and Eve nodded
furiously.
"Oh. I see." Gabrielle reached down and patted the cat's head. "You
know girls, there's really no way we can keep this cat. We travel too
much. I'm sure when Xena and I get
back, we'll find him a very nice home."
Adora looked at her, wide-eyed. "But we HAVE to keep him!"
Gabrielle was about to reply when the cat jumped from Adora's arms and
ran into the tavern. The cat jumped on the table that Joxer was wiping
off for Cyrene and began to
meow loudly again. Joxer gently pushed the cat away. "Sorry, boy. I
don't have time for you right now. Are you hungry?" He looked up. "Cyrene,
do you have any milk?"
Cyrene turned around to gaze at Joxer. "I have some for the girls'
breakfast."
"Can I give him some?"
"I suppose so, but please take him outside."
Joxer took the cat outside and placed him on the ground. "I'll be right
back." Joxer returned with a bowl of milk and placed it down on the
ground. The cat just stared at it
and hissed, then he walked away. Joxer shook his head and picked the
bowl up. "I guess he doesn't like milk," he mused.
"Joxer, we're leaving now. Are you sure you'll be all right with the
girls?" Xena called out as she mounted Argo.
Joxer rolled his eyes. "Xena, I'll be fine! Besides, Cyrene is here
too."
"Okay. We should be back in about a week. Eve, *please* stay out of
trouble!"
"Yes, Mom!"
Both girls ran over and gave Xena, Gabrielle and Hercules a kiss and
hug. "Bye Mom, Aunt Gabrielle and Uncle Hercules!" Eve exclaimed.
"Yeah! Bye! Be careful," Adora added in.
"We will. Eve, you and Adora listen to Joxer and Cyrene."
"We will!" they both said.
Gabrielle came over and she and Joxer shared a long kiss and embrace.
"You be careful, okay?" Joxer whispered in her ear before he let
Gabrielle go. "I love you."
Gabrielle nodded. "I will, Joxer. I love you too," she whispered back,
giving Joxer a quick kiss on the cheek. She gazed at him for a moment
before she turned around and got
on her horse. The three of them waved and set off for Sparta.
Joxer, Cyrene, and the girls watched them ride away. Once out of sight,
Cyrene walked back into the tavern to finish getting breakfast ready
for the girls. Joxer turned to Adora
and Eve and folded his arms over his chest. "Okay, you two. Now *what*
is going on here and *who* is that cat?" he asked. Both girls stared up
at him, wondering how Joxer
knew.
*******