"Throw 'im in the monkey cage, then. I still don't believe yeh - 'e

cain't

talk ta bleedin' monkeys any more'n I kin. But 'e'll make a fine

hand, wit'

them muscles of 'is, so I guess 'e's worth the price yer askin'."

Drake O'Malley held his hand out for the pound notes he'd been

promised.

He'd sold the slimy sideshow proprietor on Joxer's animal talents,

and he

wasn't a fool. If Jett Mansfield wanted his inconvenient brother

killed,

he'd have to do it himself. The money wasn't much, but combined with

the

gold pocket watch he'd taken off the ape-man before he stripped him

down to

his shorts, it would pay for him to start over somewhere else. It had

cost

him all his savings to beat those two women and Joxer back to London,

but

gaining revenge was almost payment enough. He wasn't taking the

chance on

blowing everything by becoming wanted for murder, though. As it was

already,

he'd have to give up his dreams of winning Gabrielle Taylor for his

own.

"He'll try to convince you he's a fine English gentleman, but don't

listen.

He won't be able to help talking to those apes he really belongs

with."

Sensing the sideshow barker had lost interest, and having been paid,

the

dark man reclaimed his cart and made himself scarce. Perhaps he could

see

the beautiful blonde once more before he left ...

~**~

"Ain't none of them ever come in 'ere before, 'cept ta feed us."

Joxer woke

to the strange voice in his ears, not alert enough yet to realize it

wasn't

human English he was hearing. He moaned.

"Oh, look," another voice chimed in. " 'E's wakin' up."

"Which one of you hit me?" Joxer asked, instinctively speaking the

language

he was hearing.

"Blimey! 'E understands us! 'E's a naked ape!" The owner of the

excited

voice addressed Joxer. "Ain't none of us done it ta yeh, mate. Some

big

dark-skinned 'uman broughts yeh 'ere."

Joxer opened his eyes, and saw a number of chimpanzee faces staring

at him.

"And here is?" he managed to get out.

"We're part of a travelin' show, we are. We keep them 'umans

laurfin'! It's

our job!" came the proud answer.

"Wonderful," Joxer moaned, his head still spinning. He wanted to lie

back

down, but he knew he had to wake up. Gabby needed him. And Jett -

Jett had

done something to him. How, he wasn't sure. But he'd never find out

if he

went back to sleep.

He forced his eyes to focus but unfortunately, they were fixed on the

scarred and ugly face of the sideshow owner, whose jaw was slack with

wonder. "Corr, 'e wasn't tellin' tales - yeh *do* talk wit' th'

monkeys!

Ye'll be a bleedin' *goldmine*!" The man frowned, which made him look

even

worse. "I wonder what *other* critters yeh can talk wit'?"

"You needn't talk about me like I can't understand *you*," Joxer

snapped at

the man, his mind still a bit hazy. "I do speak the Queen's English."

And a

painful thought of what the woman who had taught it to him must be

feeling

right now drifted through his imagination. "You have to let me out of

here.

I need to get back to my betrothed."

"Aye, lissen at 'im, Mister Fancy Pants - 'is *betrothed*." The

showman

sneered. "Yer an animal, just like the rest of 'em. 'E told me yeh'd

try an'

sweet talk yer way outta 'ere. I paid good money fer yeh, an' yer not

goin'

nowheres." The fellow would have slammed the door on his way out, if

it

hadn't been a tent flap. Joxer's shoulders slumped in frustration.

One of the chimps placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. "Listen,

bloke -

if yeh kin talks ta them, and yeh kin talks ta us, ye're smart enough

ta

figure a way out of 'ere. Names Mooks, by th' bye." The monkey held

out his

hand, and Joxer took it and shook, with a wry snicker.

"You've spent time with humans, that's obvious."

Mooks shrugged. "T'ain't such a bad life, really. They feeds us, an'

we

gets extra if we makes 'em laurf. Th' ole' barstard keeps th' cage

clean

enough, and me an' me mates don't 'ave ta worry about getting'

killed. Could

be worse."

"For you, maybe," Joxer moaned. "If I don't get out of here, things

couldn't

get any worse for me." He looked down, and realized his fine clothes

were

gone, and with them, Gabby's ring and his pocket watch from his

father. He

rested his head in his hands and groaned again.

~**~

Gabrielle sat in the gazebo, cried out and fast reaching the point of

completely numb. Jett had refused to change his story, and the party

had

disbanded with at least half the guests believing him, while the rest

seemed

to agree with Xena, who had announced loudly and repeatedly that

something

was nasty there, and it smelled of Jett. Lord Mansfield had rushed to

the

garden to look for clues, and found in the grass the ring he had

given his

son to give to his intended. No one could figure out what that meant

to him,

however, since he keeled over right afterward and the doctor, who was

a

party guest, had made unhappy noises after examining him.

Gabrielle had gone right to the gazebo upon arriving home, and it was

late

in the evening before her father and Xena finally gave up trying to

convince

her to come inside. In between bouts of weeping, she had slept

fitfully on

the bench, and dreamed of her beautiful monkey-man as she had first

seen

him, proud and strong and nearly unclothed. After waking to watch the

dew

dry on the flowers, she now sat listlessly picking at her crumpled and

ruined gown, unable to work up the strength to go inside for

breakfast, and

not really hungry anyway. A rustling in the shrubbery made her lift

her

head, just as two figures tumbled out.

"Look what I found," Xena announced breathlessly as she knelt on Drake

O'Malley's stomach and held his wrists to the ground, effectively

pinning

him down. "Strange timing, wouldn't you say?"

The artist's lethargy dissipated, and she jumped to her feet and

leapt over

the railing to land beside the fallen man. "YOU!" she announced, her

anger

as powerful as her grief had been. "You hated him! Now you show up,

the day

after he's disappeared. What did you do to him?"

O'Malley was all innocence. "I have no idea what you're talking

about, my

dear. I just got back to England, and had to see your beautiful face.

I

apologize for skulking in the bushes, but we hadn't parted on the

best of

ter..." He was unable to finish the sentence, as the sharp-toed

slipper

slammed into his ribs, robbing him of breath.

"Shut up," she told him sullenly. Watching as her best friend used a

bit of

rope that had been on the ground to secure the dark man's hands, she

went

on. "He must have been working with Jett. It's the only way they

could pull

it off..."

"Gabrielle," Xena grunted, "I could use a little help here. There you

go,"

she directed as the heiress came closer, "Unbutton his braces in the

back,

would you?" Grabbing the two suspenders, she fastened them securely

together, tossing one end over a branch a foot or two over O'Malley's

head,

and bringing them back and lacing them through the rope holding his

wrists.

When she pulled on it, it hoisted his hands over his head, and she

secured

the whole arrangement snuggly, just as Drake's pants fell around his

ankles.

"That should keep him still 'til the Bobbies get here." Something

fell from

the man's trousers pocket and rolled a bit, catching her

attention. "Say,

what have we here?"

Gabrielle picked it up. "It's a gold pocket watch, Xena. It looks

new."

Curious, she opened the cover. "Xena," the artist gasped, "It has

*Joxer's*

name in it!"

The bodyguard turned on the now quivering man. "You have *no idea*

how much

you are going to regret this," she promised with a feral smile.

~**~

Joxer had conversed with the half-dozen chimpanzees long enough to

get a

rough idea of the daily schedule on traveling or non-show days. So

when the

show owner and a big dumb-looking lackey entered the tent mid-

morning, he

expected them to commence cleaning the cage. Instead, the showman

unlocked

the cage, and signaled to the drudge, who reached in and gracelessly

pulled

Joxer from the group. "Yeh must have more'n just monkeys yeh can

talks ta,"

the man explained.

So Joxer was unceremoniously marched from cage to cage in the

entourage, and

told to communicate with each different creature. He didn't even

refuse

verbally, just maintained his stony silence - even when teased by the

hyenas, which were rude but cowardly, and backed down at his

threatening

stare. There was a large lizard, a species he'd had some contact with

in

Borneo that communicated in eye blinks and twitches, and he got a

brief

greeting in there without his new owner's knowledge. But otherwise,

he was

not about to give this man the satisfaction.

"E's useless," the big dolt finally rumbled.

"Nah, I'm thinkin' e's stubborn," the owner said slyly. "If'n 'e

won't talk

when I wants 'im ta, I'll just force 'im. Throw 'im in wit' th' big

cat."

The cage was unlocked, and Joxer found himself sharing close quarters

with a

large male jaguar. The cat eyed him lazily, then stood and stretched

himself

all over.

"Wot if it kills 'im?" the drudge asked nervously.

His boss just shrugged. "Could 'appen."

Pride wasn't worth dying for. Joxer growled with forced

cheeriness, "Well,

hello. Fancy meeting you here. My best friend back home is a jaguar -

her

name's Chula. What's yours?"

The big jag lifted a brow. "I don't normally introduce myself to my

dinner.

It's not often I get fresh meat." Obviously not impressed with his

prey's

verbal abilities, the sleek cat moved smoothly towards Joxer, whose

fear was

quickly swallowed by his anger. He hadn't done anything to deserve

this! In

the past day he'd gone from being well dressed and about to be

married, to

almost undressed and about to be eaten, and he hadn't done anything

WRONG!

This was just too much. He started to growl, a menacing warning that

even

the big predator slowed at the sound of. Then the deep brown eyes

began to

swirl and churn as they locked on the eyes of the jaguar.

Fear. Danger. Burning heat, and bitter icy cold. He could feel his

fur being

ripped out, bit by painful bit. The big cat was swallowed up by a

terror he

only had ever seen in the faces of his prey in the past. Panicked, he

began

to whimper like an injured kitten, and curled up into a little ball to

escape that deadly glare. As the danger faded, so did Joxer's anger,

and he

took a deep breath to steady himself.

"Cheetah," the show owner was almost sobbing. "What did 'e do ta

Cheetah?"

Joxer frowned at the man. "He's a jaguar, you moron. A cheetah is an

entirely different type of animal."

But the man wasn't listening, speaking to the big worker

instead. "Throw 'im

back in wit' th' monkeys, and whatever yeh do, don't look in 'is

eyes. My

poor Cheetah! 'E was one of th' best attractions."

"Sure thing, Mr. Blimp." He grabbed Joxer and pulled his hands behind

his

back and then blindfolded him. "This'll keep yeh from using them eyes

on

me." He yanked the rope around Joxer's neck and the tall man stumbled.

"C'mon, ape-man, let's go."

Joxer couldn't see, but his sense of smell worked almost as good, and

he

could think - he would still find a way out. His thoughts were

suddenly

interrupted by Blimp's voice.

"Wait, I got a better idea. Put 'im in wit' Killer."

His lackey turned around, nearly choking Joxer. "Killer! Blimey, Mr.

Blimp,

Killer'll tear 'im apart."

The showman looked at him. "Pity, ain't it? But 'e needs ta be taught

a

lesson. No one 'urts me main attraction and gets away wit' it.

Yeh 'ear me,

ape-man?"

Joxer stood tall and said nothing. "Ain't talkin', huh? Well, it don't

matter. Let's go. I want ta see this meself."

They dragged Joxer roughly toward another cage. Joxer could hear the

roar of

an angry animal. When they got there, Joxer was untied and

unblindfolded,

then shoved into the cage.

Joxer looked around him, slowly, and his eyes landed upon a large male

gorilla. This one should be easier. He approached the gorilla in a

friendly

gorilla greeting. "Hi, my name is Joxer. You must be Killer." Killer

grabbed

Joxer by the arm, picking him up and throwing him against the side of

the

cage. Joxer felt the impact in every bone as his body hit the bars.

Killer

came charging after him and he was too stunned to move. The gorilla

had him

now in a tight grip, squeezing the very life out of him.

Joxer looked into Killer's eyes to calm him down or else frighten him

away,

but something was wrong. Killer paid no attention to Joxer's eyes. He

squeezed tighter, and Joxer knew he was going to die. As he gave in,

his

thoughts were on his sweet Gabby. Soon he passed out, and the ape

dropped

him, having lost interest. Mr. Blimp turned to his lackey. "Get 'im

out o'

there. Don't need 'im dead, if'n we can 'elp it. Paid good money

for 'im, I

did."

The big man called for some help. The two men entered the cage with

him, one

waving a torch at Killer to keep him away. Chuck Forrest, Mr. Blimp's

drudge, picked up Joxer and threw him over his shoulder. Taking him

back to

the monkey cage, he tossed him in like a rag doll.

Mr. Blimp smiled. "That'll teach yeh, ape-man, to defy me. Come on I'm

'ungry. Let's get us som'pun ta eat."

"Wot about them?"

"Lunchtime ain't until three. We'll feed 'em then. Oh, and let's give

ape-man that stuff wot what we feed Killer. If it makes Killer crazy,

it

just might 'im. Oughtta make the show more interestin' that way."

When the two men left, the chimpanzees gathered around their

unconscious

friend. Mooks lifted his eyelid to see if there was a reaction. He

heard a

small voice behind him.

"Is 'e dead, Mooks?"

"No, but 'e needs 'elp, 'uman-type 'elp. I gots ta get 'im somebody."

"Are yeh daft? I know yeh know 'ow ta get out of th' cages, but 'ow

are yeh

goin' ta get 'im 'elp? Ain't a 'uman alive 'cept fer this'un that'll

understand a bit o' wot yer sayin'."

"Frawn, love, I'll find someone ta 'elp 'im. In th' meanwhiles, yeh

all make

sure wot the Old Barstard don't get near 'im."

Mooks turned back to his friend and sniffed him. "I got 'is scent

down now -

I just needs ta find someone who 'is scent's been 'round."

~**~

Karen "Callie" Callahan stood in front of Mr. Blimp. As his animal

trainer,

she checked in every day to find out what new charges he had for

her. "That

new ape-man'll be needin' your attention t'day, Callie."

She smiled at him wickedly. "Another big ape, hmm? Shall I give him

what I

give Killer?"

"By all means, m'dear."

He led her to the still unconscious ape-man. Callie stared at him in

shock.

"Do you have any idea who you have here?"

"Yeah, some monkey-lovin' ape-man."

"You idiot! This is Lord Mansfield's long-lost son, Joxer." In spite

of the

fact that she'd been blacklisted in the London Social circle due to

her

reputation as a loose woman, Callie kept her eyes and ears out for

information about her former associates, many of whom she now hated

passionately. "Little Gabrielle Taylor's supposed betrothed is now my

plaything. That little rich snob has everything, and thanks to her

and her

friends, I have nothing. Oh, I'm going to love this."

She took a torch and climbed into the cage. The chimps tried to keep

her

away from Joxer, but she waved the torch at them, and they backed

away,

afraid. She sat down beside him and lifted his head, putting it on

her lap.

Joxer slowly open his eyes and looked into Callie's eyes. All he

could make

out clearly was a halo of blonde hair. The rest was all hazy.

"Gabby?" he weakly said. She stroked his hair.

"Yes, Joxer, it's me, Gabby. I'm going to fix you up, okay?"

He smiled and closed his eyes, opening them again with a slight

frown. Her

voice sounded odd, but his head felt odd, too, so maybe that was it.

His

eyes slid shut again. He knew he was safe now that his Gabby was with

him.

~**~

The police came and took O'Malley away. He had refused to talk, so

they

still had no idea where Joxer was. Lord Taylor walked into the

drawing

room, shaking his head. "I have bad news."

Gabrielle went to her father. "What's wrong?" She gave a twisted half-

smile.

"Or should I say, what else?"

He smiled sadly at his daughter and sat down. "I need a drink. Could

you fix

me a brandy?" Xena brought the drink over to him, and he quickly

finished it

off.

"Father, please tell me what's wrong," begged the artist, as she

knelt down

beside his chair.

He put his hand gently on her, trying to soften the blow. "Lord

Mansfield

suffered a heart attack last night and died."

Gabrielle gasped for air. She couldn't believe what she had just

heard. "No.

It can't be true. Joxer's father can't be dead. He barely got to know

him!"

"I'm sorry, Gabrielle. "

She ran from the room. Xena shared a concerned glance with Lord

Taylor.

"This is too much for Gabrielle. I'll go talk to her."

He nodded his head, and then got up. "We need to get away for a

while. I'll

arrange everything. Go to the country house for a bit."

Xena nodded her head. "I think that's a good idea. Why don't you and

Gabrielle do that?"

"You *are* coming, too."

"No, sir. I need to find Joxer for Gabrielle."



He nodded his head. "I understand."

Xena went out to the garden and found Gabrielle in her usual place.

She was

crying her heart out. Xena said nothing but gave her support as the

blonde

artist cried on her shoulder.

~**~

Joxer was cowering in the corner of the cage. His eyes were unfocused.

Whenever one of the chimps would come near him, he would scream

out, "Stay

away from me!" He wrapped his arms around his legs, and began to

rock to

and fro, muttering to himself, "Danger, danger."

Frawn shook her head. The same thing that happened to Kongo, who was

now

Killer, was happening to Joxer. "Oh Mooks, please hurry - before

Joxer is

lost completely, like Kongo."

~**~

Mooks knew that monkeys weren't common on the streets of London, so he

traveled in the dark shadows, slipping stealthily from alley to

deserted

doorway, his nose on duty at all times. At one point, he smelled

someone who

had been near Joxer, and he was excited, until he realized that the

smell

was coming from between the window bars of a place even he, with all

his

skills, couldn't find a way into. Still, he clung to the bars for a

while,

and picked up the scent of the man that also wore Joxer's scent.

Perhaps he

could follow that to find someone who knew his friend.

Unfortunately, the scent of the man in the room led only to a big

cage on

wheels in back of the building. But the horse there was able to give

Mooks

passable directions, although his chimpanzee was a little rusty. He

only

knew the language because he'd been acquainted years earlier with an

organ

grinder's sidekick, and Mooks was impressed he remembered at all, and

told

him so. The horse did inform him that the Gardens would be a good

shortcut

to the place he was heading, and Mooks took to the trees.

As he swung toward his destination, he thought about his hairless

friend.

How would he convince anyone to come help him? He spoke of

this 'Gabrielle,'

and had explained that they had plans to mate, which struck Mooks as

an odd

concept - one either mated or one didn't. In his admittedly limited

experience, planning was not involved. He worried about Frawn, his

own mate,

and how she would manage to keep the Old Barstard away from Joxer.

Soon he

was where the horse had directed him, and his nose would do the rest.

~**~

"NO!" Gabrielle stomped her foot, and her father sighed. "I will

*not* go to

the country! I want to be *here* in case Joxer comes back." They had

just

returned from the service for Lord Mansfield, and she was still

dressed in

black, with the veiled hat on. Her father had mentioned his plans in

the

carriage on the way home.

"I promise to look for him, and send a message as soon as I know

anything at

all," Xena cajoled her friend.

"You've been extremely worked up ever since you came back from

Borneo," her

father said, soothingly. "There's been so much going on."

The artist's voice dropped almost to a whisper, and rose in volume as

she

spoke. "My fiancé's father just died, he's been taken God-knows-where

by

God-knows-who, *he* could be dead for all we know, and you want me to

go off

on *holiday*?" She finished in an angry shout. "NO!" She brushed past

them

and ran up the stairs to her room.

Xena lifted a brow at her guardian. "You aren't going to tell me

you're

*surprised* by this?" The elderly man just blew out his breath and

shook his

head, starting up the stairs after his distraught daughter. His ward

stopped

him with a hand on his arm. "I *will* find him, you know. You can

tell her

that." Lord Taylor smiled faintly and continued up the stairs.

Xena headed for the door with determination. She had a promise to

keep. If

she could implicate Jett Mansfield in his brother's disappearance,

all the

better.

~**~

Mooks stared from the tree in awe. This place smelled a *lot* like

Joxer,

and it even had two copies of him there! Although they were

different, too.

Both were dressed in black suits, and had shorter hair. One had cold

and

nasty eyes, like he was made of the stuff the cage bars were made of.

The

other looked nicer, and moved in a smooth and delicate way, like

Callie the

trainer did when she was putting on a show, just before she'd go into

Cheetah's cage. For some reason, even the biggest men in the audience

were

frightened when she did that, although once she got Cheetah worked

up, she

moved just like the real Callie. She was mean and tough, and never in

any

real danger. Mooks didn't understand.

He didn't understand the conversation below him either, although

there were

a couple of human words that he knew. He heard the delicate one

say "Kill"

in a scared and questioning way, and the hard one laughed coldly. That

wasn't the kind of laugh Mooks liked. But the hard one said, "No,"

and then

something more, which made the delicate one look happier, although

not much.

Then a dark woman, who looked tough like Callie but not so mean, came

into

the garden, and seemed to scare the hard one. She even gave a mean

look to

the delicate one, who didn't look happy again. For some reason, Mooks

liked

the dark woman. He would follow her - she had Joxer's scent, too.