Xena watched as he friend offered her hand. The wild man took it, and

pulled

it to him. The former child of the streets had spent so much time with

proper English gentlemen that she expected him to kiss it, and was

startled

when he sniffed it instead. Then he ran his fingers tenderly over the

palm,

and Gabrielle giggled.

She smelled - different. Like the first of the warm season, when the

bright

flowers were blooming. And her hand was so small - and soft. He ran

his

finger over it, and she made a beautiful sound that reminded him of

birds

trilling in the woods. Yet it was like his - not as calloused as his,

but he

had always been teased by his fellows because he lacked the leathery

hide

they had on their palms. And she was without it also. He held his

hand up,

fingers spread, and after a moment, she pressed hers to his - her

fingers

barely reaching to his first knuckle. She smiled, shyly.

An idea was forming in the artist's mind. This was obviously a man -

he may

not act human, but he clearly was. He seemed to speak some odd

language. She

pointed to her palm. "Hand." He tilted his head quizzically, and she

took

his large fingers in hers. Pointing, she said, "Hand." She repeated

both

actions, and this time, he mimicked after her.

"Hand." His voice was deep, and seemed to surprise even him.

She reached out and touched his flowing chestnut locks. "Hair." She

took his

hand and began to move it towards her, but he pulled away, and she

waited,

anxiously. Reaching out a finger, he curled a blonde tendril that had

fallen

into her face around it.

"Hair?" He looked at her for approval, and she gave it, nodding and

smiling

widely.

Then she laid her palm on her chest, and said, "Gabrielle."

He repeated her actions, palm on his own chest, stating with

confidence,

"Gab-relle!" Xena guffawed and the artist scowled at her.

"No, no, no." She shook her head, and his face fell. Thinking for a

moment,

she circled her palm over her face, then using both hands to indicate

her

entire body with a sweeping motion. Then she placed her hand on her

chest

again, and said, "Me, Gabrielle." Pointing to his chest, she

said "You?"

He pouted in concentration, then smiled a little. Placing his hand on

his

chest, he announced, "Joxer!" She repeated his name, and he nodded in

confirmation. Then he turned and pointed to Xena, the question on his

face

that he had no words for yet.

Walking over to her closest friend, Gabrielle pointed and

explained, "Xena."

Joxer followed her, repeating dutifully. Having another idea, the

small girl

pulled the taller one to her with one arm around her shoulders. "Xena

friend." She released her bodyguard, looking at her for reaction

rather then

the wild man.

She let out a small scream when Joxer pulled her to his chest in a

crushing

hug and announced with joy, "Gabrielle friend." She stiffened for an

instant, and only Xena's uncontrolled mirth relaxed her. Still, the

combination of her friend's laughter and the blood pounding in her

ears as

she realized just how strong, how *masculine* this place was where

she had

found herself, kept her from hearing Drake O'Malley's voice when he

called,

promising to save her. But no one in the area could help but hear the

gunshot ring out.

~**~

Joxer turned around as he saw his baby sister, Raylan, fall from the

tree.

He turned and charged O'Malley, who was trying to get his gun to

work. Joxer

screamed in orangutan language at Drake. The dark-skinned man tried

his

best, but the gun was jammed. Joxer grabbed the firestick from him

and broke

it in two, throwing it to the ground. He knew that somehow the stick

had

caused Raylan to fall. He screamed again and then glared at Drake who

suddenly felt terrified. The wild man's dark eyes swirled and shone,

and

spoke of great pain coming. Joxer then grabbed Drake and held him in

a tight

squeeze. Xena jumped in front of him. "Let him go."

He stared at her, not comprehending. This creature had hurt his

sister. He

squeezed tighter.

"Please let him go."

He turned to see the woman he wanted to mate with, carrying his

sister. She

seemed to want something of him. He let go of Drake, who fell

unconscious on

the ground. He then walked up to Gabrielle and held out his hands.

Xena made

sure Drake was all right, then walked over to her friend and the

jungle man.

"Gabrielle, give me the young orangutan. I'll see if I can help her."

Gabrielle started to hand Raylan over to Xena, but Joxer grabbed her

from

Gabrielle and growled at both of them, showing his teeth in a

ferocious way.

Gabrielle grabbed his shoulder. "No, wait. Xena can help." She

pointed to

her friend. "Help. Xena help."

He stared at her, and then at his sister. Not knowing what to do, he

loped

away into the jungle.

"Wait," cried Gabrielle, "please let us help."

Xena put a hand on her friend. "He doesn't understand, Gabrielle. I'm

sorry."

Joxer ran into the jungle where he tumbled and fell, still managing

to hold

on to his sister. As he lay there, stunned by his fear and anger,

Chula

approached him. He looked up at her, tears in his eyes, something she

noted

that also made him different from the other animals.

"Chula, I don't know what's wrong with Raylan. She seems so weak."

Chula looked at Joxer's sister. "I saw this once when I was a young

cub.

This is like what happened to my mother. She was weak; she told me to

leave,

that she had to go somewhere and I couldn't come. I never saw her

again."

Joxer looked darkly at his friend. "No, I won't lose her. I'm going

to go

back, maybe those strange animals can save her."

"Jox?"

"Yeah, Chula?"

"I think you *are* one of them. Good luck. I hope they can help her."

With that, Chula went away.

~**~

Joxer came out of the jungle and laid his sister in front of Xena.

Xena

understood, and slowly began to examine the young orangutan. She was

relieved to find only a small shoulder wound. The bullet had gone

straight

though. She dressed the wound, putting salve on it.

She turned to her friend. '"She will have to stay here for a while.

Do you

think he'll stay?"

Gabrielle looked at Joxer who was now crouched down staring at Xena

intently. "I don't think a herd of elephants is going to move him."

Xena smiled at him. "She'll be fine," she assured him.

Joxer just stared at her. She turned to Gabrielle.

"Gabrielle, tell him that she will be fine."

The young woman nodded her head. Taking Joxer's hands she smiled at

him.

"Joxer... " She stopped - how was she going to tell him?

"Fine. She fine." She jumped around to show him, but he still didn't

understand. Suddenly, he heard Raylan cry, and he pushed Xena aside

and bent

down to his sister. She was frightened.

"Joxie, I'm scared. I'm sorry I followed you. I just wanted to know

what you

and Keenan were doing."

He stroked her and said in a gentle voice, "Don't be afraid, Raylan.

You're

going to be fine." He then turned and copied both women when they had

smiled

at him. This took Gabrielle by surprise. 'Oh, my God,' she thought to

herself. 'He smiles just like Jett and Jace Mansfield.' As a matter

of fact

he looked a lot like them. He had to be Lord Malcolm Mansfield's long

lost

son.

~**~

The lost Mansfield baby had been her father's trump card in his

effort to

keep Gabrielle from making this trip. It seemed that Lord Malcolm had

come

here seeking cheap labor, and brought his family along. However, the

youngest son had been a sickly child, and was suffering from one

malady or

another, keeping him and his mother in England longer than the rest

of the

family. During their trip to join the others, they both mysteriously

disappeared, never to be seen again.

Gabrielle was intimately acquainted with both the Mansfield story and

Jett

Mansfield, as he had asked her father for permission to court the

young

heiress not many months before. If this trip to Borneo hadn't already

been

one of her fondest dreams, the intrusion of Jett upon her fiercely

independent life would have quickly made it so.

It wasn't that he was all bad - not really. He was good looking,

smart, and

well connected, and in fact, one of London's most popular eligible

young

men. He even grudgingly admired Gabrielle's independence. He and his

brother

Jace were sought after for every possible social occasion, and they

could

pick and choose among the dances and parties the High Society

offered. Jace,

however - he was there at every gathering, he dressed in all the

latest

fashions, he danced beautifully; yet no woman ever seemed to capture

his

attention. Jett, on the other hand, appeared to notice every girl

there, but

only as playthings. He seemed to feel he was too good for the

majority of

the London Social crowd. While many young men had tried to court

Gabrielle

in order to win her fortune, she felt that the only value her father's

estate held in Jett's eyes was the additional status it would confer.

He had

money enough of his own.

No, the real problem with Jett was his attitude. He enjoyed,

embraced, even

coveted all the things that Gabrielle found most distasteful about her

lifestyle. She hadn't felt truly alive until she had come to this lush

isolated island, where she was free from the constraints of behaving

as she

knew she should. He lived for the petty backstabbing, empty

trivialities and

mindless etiquette that Society thrived upon - she loathed them.

Jett had come to see her just before she left, in a vain attempt to

talk her

out of this trip. He brought up his long lost brother, about whom it

appeared he seldom thought, and cared even less. He tried to impress

upon

her how inappropriate such a trip would be for a single woman

traveling with

another female. What would people *think*? His every argument only

served to

further buoy her resolve. Then he had pulled her close, in a bold

move, one

quite out of character for him. "Be careful, my love," he had

whispered to

her. "Return quickly, and consent to be my wife." She had pulled away,

uncomfortable with his intimacy. But when this wild man - his

brother? - had

held her to his naked chest, her only discomfort had been with the

uncontrollable response her own body had made. Being held by him felt

like

the most right, the most natural thing on earth, otherwise.

The other strike that Jett Mansfield had against him was that Xena

hated

him - wildly, passionately, irrationally. It was obvious the feeling

was

mutual. And Gabrielle put a lot of stock in the instincts of her best

friend. She and Jett would snipe at each other behind the artist's

back

until Gabrielle felt ready to scream, sometimes. But Xena seemed more

than

willing to accept and even encourage this jungle man. Xena's opinion

was

important.

As her friend was going over this in her mind, Xena was watching the

scene

playing out with the small orangutan. The man was hovering over her,

cooing

and screeching quietly in what had to be her language. Soon after the

little

one had regained consciousness, he had called something into the

trees, and

a larger ape had appeared and began to approach. The man's tone and

actions

both indicated that he was sending the other away, perhaps on an

errand. The

one so sent appeared torn, motioning to the small ape as Joxer

scolded him.

Finally, he turned and disappeared into the dark jungle. Joxer then

returned

to the little one, speaking comforting sounds to her as she whimpered.

O'Malley had come to during this period, although he was clearly

keeping his

distance from the strange man. Xena could see in the dark man's

actions that

he regretted harming the little ape - he had probably only intended a

warning shot into the air. The guide sat on the far edge of the camp,

fiddling absently with the two parts of the gun, attempting vainly to

stick

them back into one functioning whole. She marveled at the strength in

this

wiry man who came from the trees - while that gun hadn't been the

very best

weapon that could be found, it had been a fairly solid piece of

equipment.

That he had rendered it useless with his bare hands was testimony to

both

his strength and the power of his anger over the incident. Drake

O'Malley

was lucky to still be alive.

She felt her best friend behind her. "He really cares about her,

doesn't

he?" Gabrielle murmured in wonder, watching the man and the small

ape. Just

then, two more orangutans burst from the trees, the larger one Xena

had seen

earlier, and another, the same size but built differently, probably a

female. The female was chattering anxiously at the man, who chattered

back

defensively, as did the small female. The new ape gathered the little

one in

her arms, appearing to lecture both the other apes and the man all at

the

same time. Their heads hung in shame, and the little one squealed

indignantly.

"What are you *doing* here with these strange creatures, Joxer? You

could

have endangered Keenan by coming here, even though you didn't know

Raylan

was following you. You could have endangered our whole family! What

if they

followed you back to our home?"

Joxer waved his arm at the two women, who stepped back instinctively.

"*They* didn't hurt her, Momma. They helped her after that one -" he

pointed

with anger at O'Malley, who cringed, "hurt her with the stick that

shoots

fire." He saw Sheera pull back her lips and grimace angrily. "Don't

worry,

Momma. I broke the stick." She relaxed.

Raylan, who was quickly recovering her strength once her fear had

subsided,

chimed in eagerly. "Look at them Momma! They have funny fur on just

the top

of their heads like Joxer does! And they're soft and smell pretty,

too.

Although they have different coats," she said, referring to the full

body

covering of the women's gowns.

Keenan hung back, silent. Somehow he felt responsible for all this,

and he

didn't want his mother to reach that conclusion as well.

Sheera looked for the first time at the creatures her son had found.

Realization struck her - these were like he was. They were the same

sort of

animal as Joxer. This was why he had never mated - he had been

looking for

one of these creatures. She turned slowly and sadly to her

eldest. "They are

like you, aren't they? Is this where you think you belong?"

Gabrielle watched in awed silence at the almost human interaction

between

the apes. "Do you think it's his family?" she whispered to Xena. Her

friend

nodded. The sadness in her heart that Lord Mansfield would never know

his

missing son was mixed with something else, a strange self-pity she

didn't

really recognize or acknowledge. Watching a while longer, though, she

realized that the female didn't act towards him as a lover to a

recalcitrant

mate, but rather a parent to a wayward child. And he responded in

kind -

defensive, but not in the way of two equals. Her heart lifted when she

whispered in realization, "She's his *mother*!" Then the little female

chattered something, and the older female gazed at Gabrielle and

Xena, and

she could *see* the heartbreak in the ape's eyes.

Gabrielle moved towards the group, hearing Xena strangle back a gasp.

She

laid her hand on Joxer's arm, and he looked down on her with soft

eyes. She

placed her hand on her chest, turning to look the female in the eyes.

"Gabrielle." She put her hand gently on the man's chest. "Joxer."

He nodded in understanding, pointing first to the male standing a bit

outside the group. "Keenan." The young ape's eyes were wary. Then

Joxer took

the tiny female from his mother's arms and cradled her lovingly,

stepping to

Gabrielle's side. "Raylan." The young woman reached out a finger and

Raylan

grasped it, chattering in delight. She held out her hands, and the

little

one climbed into her embrace, and tears filled her eyes as the small

ape

wrapped her arms around her neck. Taking her arm, the man guided

Gabrielle

to the older female. He struggled for a human way to say the

orangutan word

for "Mother," but it wasn't possible, so finally, he

offered, "Sheera." The

tenderness in his eyes offered the interpretation, and Gabrielle

offered the

human word.

"Mother?" she unwrapped Raylan from her neck, cradled her like a tiny

baby

and rocked her to illustrate.

Joxer nodded eagerly. "Mother." The artist nodded solemnly and held

Raylan

out to Sheera, who took her with apparent gratitude.

Sheera placed Raylan on her back, where the little one clung

comfortably.

Reaching out, she pulled her eldest son closer, touching his hair

with love.

"I always knew you'd leave some day, like the others. I just never

knew

you'd find another like you to go with. Be careful, son. They seem

pleasant

enough, but any animal that can create a firestick that can put holes

in

others is not a kind and gentle species." She touched Joxer's face,

apparently trying to memorize it.

He gazed at her lovingly. "I know, Momma. All species have the good

and the

bad in them. But she's special, Momma. I saw how Jett acted when he

found

Murlee, and I feel that way about her. I promise I'll come back and

visit,

when I can." He pulled away, and called to his brother. "Keenan!"

The adolescent approached reluctantly, eyeing the humans with

suspicion.

"You're gonna stay with them aren't ya, Jox?" he asked, unhappily.

Joxer ruffled his fur. "I think I need to, squirt. Now you're in

charge of

taking care of Momma and Raylan. Think you can do that?" he looked

briefly

at the bright white bandage on his little sister's shoulder. "And do a

better job than I did?" he added, softly.

The young male toed the dirt. "Ya did pretty good. I'll try." He

turned and

escaped into the trees.

"I know where this is, I can come see Joxie. I won't let you go away."

Raylan was bouncing on her mother's back, the wound almost forgotten.

He

plucked her up and looked at her sternly.

"You will do what mother tells you to. We could have lost you today,

and I

would have never forgiven myself. Behave, little one." His expression

softened. "I love you." He handed her back to his mother, who turned

reluctantly and loped into the jungle. "Goodbye."

They disappeared without answering.

As he turned to face them, Xena realized that they had just assumed

responsibility for this wild creature. He spoke no English, outside

of a

handful of words. He had never worn shoes, had a haircut, or even

used a

water closet. Yet he had sent his family away, put his trust in them,

and

now they were stuck with him. She rolled her eyes.

"Look closely at him, Xena," Gabrielle said softly into her

ear. "Doesn't he

remind you of anyone?" The man saw Gabrielle smile at him, and he

smiled

back.

"Oh, by the saints and angels," Xena gasped. "Jett! 'E looks like that

bloody snob, Jett Mansfield!" If she had been the type of woman to

pass out,

Xena would have fainted dead away. She stared again at the jungle man.

'Bloody 'ell,' she thought to herself, 'that's all I need.' The

bodyguard

shook her head and walked away.

Drake was watching all of this. He feared the jungle man, but hated

him

more. That stupid creature left them without protection, and he

seemed to

have some hankering for Gabrielle. He stood up and approached the

wild man.

"You bloody savage! Look what you did." He held out the broken

gun. "Now

we've got no way to protect ourselves." He moved towards the artist.

Joxer growled at Drake and pulled Gabrielle tightly to him, to show

the dark

man that she was his. Xena moved in to protect her friend.

"No," whispered the young artist. "He's not hurting me." She then

turned to

Joxer. "Please let go."

He held her tighter. Gabrielle cried out in pain. Suddenly, Joxer let

go,

realizing that he *had* hurt her. He reached out and gently pulled on

her

hair, beginning to groom her.

"What is he doing?" asked Drake.

"I think he's looking for bugs," replied Xena.

"Bugs?" Gabrielle gasped, wide-eyed. "I don't have bugs! Although I

*do*

need a bath. That's a good idea. Drake, could you get me some water?"

requested the blonde woman, squirming slightly under Joxer's

fastidious

attention. The guide seemed gruesomely fascinated by the idea of the

monkey

man searching the artist's hair for bugs, and wasn't paying

attention. She

cleared her throat, and mimicked washing. "Water?"

Joxer stopped grooming Gabrielle. If he understood what he thought he

did,

she wanted to wash. She wanted water. He would take her there. He ran

into

the jungle.

"Great, the bloody savage is gone," said O'Malley with satisfaction.

Suddenly Gabrielle found herself being swept off the ground. She

looked up

to see that Joxer had her, and was hanging from a tree by a vine. He

was

smiling at her. The young artist was surprised to find she was not

afraid.

She held on to him as they swung though the air from vine to vine.