The quiet older man in the carriage spoke. "He's right, miss. Please
trust
him."
Xena considered the matter, and finally climbed inside.
~**~
Gabrielle was still watching over Joxer when she heard a soft voice
cooing
to her. "He's really sick ain't he, love?" She looked to see pigeons
looking
back at her.
"Yeah, he is." She'd spent a lot of time with pigeons out in the
gazebo.
They were a gentle and soothing species.
"Anything we can do, darling?"
Gabrielle turned back to Joxer and stroked his hair. "Do you know
where the
Taylor estate is?"
"No. Sorry, love, but human homes look all the same to us."
She felt so drained. If only these pigeons could help. She was glad
she'd
taken some time talking to the ones in her garden after she'd noticed
some
of their words were similar to orangutan. It had taken a while, but
she'd
become quite fluent. "If only you could help. But you can't do what I
need.
I wish Xena was here." She realized she had no idea where "here" even
was.
One of the pigeons got quite excited, for a pigeon. "Hey, love. I
know Xena.
She's the one who feeds us in the park sometimes, and not that old
stale
bread, but real nice tasting popcorn, she does. I heard a fellow call
her by
that name."
Gabrielle looked up again at the brown and white pigeon. "Can you
find her
now and bring her here?"
The pigeon nodded his head. "Tusk can find anyone, love." He turned
to his
flock. "We've got a job. We've got to find Xena - the human with long
dark
hair that feeds us the real good popcorn."
"You mean the one who saved me from that cat, without hurting the
cat," a
small grey bird offered hesitantly.
"Yes, Pie, that's the one." The pigeons flew off with their orders,
the
leader remaining a moment. Tusk looked at Gabrielle. "Don't worry,
love, we
*will* find Xena." With that he flew away.
Joxer was slowly waking up, his expression puzzled. "Did you just
talk to
those birds ?"
She laughed lightly. "Yes. I'm a fast learner, Joxer. Just like you."
He smiled at her weakly, until another wave of pain tore through him.
"Please, Gabby, hold me."
She took him in her arms and sang softly to him. He soon fell asleep
again.
Sleep was the best thing for him right now, she felt. "Find Xena,
Tusk.
Please find her," whispered Gabrielle.
~**~
Xena was pleased to find that Jace and Oscar were sincere in their
efforts
to help locate the missing Mansfield and the artist. Nearly every
alley or
park was searched by one of the three, but they seemed just as far
from
finding the couple after several hours searching as they were when
they
started. Xena was close to frantic - the Joxer she knew would never
hurt
Gabrielle, but that man hadn't been the Joxer she knew. And after a
visit to
the police station, she even knew why.
It appeared that Jett had summoned the police on Blimp and Callie at
the
same time he'd carted Xena off to the hospital. Since neither of them
had
ever seen the eldest Mansfield brother before, they simply thought
his doing
so was sibling revenge for what they had done to the younger triplet.
In
reality, of course, he had been attempting to tie up any loose ends
before
one of them swung around and smacked him in the face. He had even
called off
the police hunt for Joxer, insisting he would do the work himself,
feigning
care and concern. It would be harder to arrange his brother's
silence, but
he needed to find the Amazing Ape first, and see if his mind was
totally
gone, before he had to worry about that.
Meanwhile, upon visiting the station, Xena had discovered that they'd
been
able to bring in animal experts to deal with the poorly treated
animals in
Blimp's show, but there were concerns about finding homes for them,
since
the zoo had no need for any additional of those species. The
veterinary
experts were able to identify the drug that had been given to Killer,
and
had begun detoxifying the gorilla. Xena could only assume the same
thing had
caused the dramatic change in Joxer. Blimp and Callahan were being
held on
attempted murder charges, based on their treatment of the once-again
missing
Mansfield heir. Jace had informed her in the carriage that he'd
visited his
father's solicitor, and not one cent would fall from the estate until
Joxer
was found, alive or dead. And should he be found dead, the will
wouldn't be
opened until a full investigation was completed.
All seemed to be well in hand, except for the missing couple. Xena
wondered
where a wounded animal might go in a strange city. Somewhere he
considered
safe, she thought. Where would Joxer feel safe? Besides of course,
with
Gabrielle.
~**~
As the day wore on, Gabrielle grew bored and hungry, but Joxer was
still
drifting in and out of awareness, and she was afraid to leave him to
seek
food, or even to figure out where he'd brought her. It was a quiet
place,
well-sheltered and green, with the first of the autumn chill present
in the
air, but not yet showing on the leaves. If she strained hard enough,
she
could hear the bustle of the busy city not too far away, but if she
tried to
ignore it, she could almost imagine they were back in Borneo together.
Her love had seemingly ceased the dry heaves, and the last time he was
aware, he had even managed a few moments of lucid conversation before
his
eyes slid back shut again. She hoped this time he'd be completely
himself
when he woke.
She'd had a lot of time to think about all that had happened. If she
had
been unsure about moving back to the island when they had first
discussed
it, she was no longer. Borneo might be physically a rain-forest, but
London
was the real jungle, it seemed. The animals might fight and kill, but
it was
for the purposes of survival, not for fun. Now, not only did she want
to get
back to the island as quickly as possible, but she wanted to take
everyone
she loved along with her. Joxer, of course. But also Xena, her
father, maybe
even Jace. She hadn't made her mind up on Jace yet. But she was fast
deciding that London was too dangerous a place to raise children.
A moan made her aware that Joxer was waking again. Maybe now he'd be
able to
tell her more about what happened.
~**~
Tusk had recruited a large contingent of London's pigeon force by
going to
Trafalgar Square and posting his team all around Nelson's Column. It
was a
nearly mandatory daily stop for most of the population, and soon
there were
aerial search teams dispatched to all parts of the city with a
detailed
description of Xena. If she was anywhere in London, she would be
found. At
least, if she was outdoors at some point.
At that point, Xena was *not* outdoors, but in the Mansfield coach
again,
having searched another section of the city without results. Jace was
becoming agitated, and his companion kept patting him nervously to
calm him.
"Xena," the uncomfortable playwright offered, "Perhaps we should go
back to
Jace's home and take tea. We could use the break." But Mr. Wilde was
talking
to the bodyguard's back, since she'd hopped out of the carriage at
the sight
of an alley they'd missed.
The body she'd spotted turned out to be a rather besotted man of
indeterminate age, who made a few lewd comments to the statuesque
brunette.
She barely refrained from getting more practice with the pinch,
perhaps
timing it to see how long the victim actually did have. She settled
for
slapping the bum across the face, which he was far too inebriated to
even
notice. Turning on her heel, she stormed from the alley, pausing at
the end
to calm herself. Before long, she was going to be just as flustered
as Jace,
if she wasn't careful.
"Tusk," one of the lead pigeon's team cooed, "isn't that her? The
popcorn
lady?" Another circle overhead confirmed Xena's identity.
"Let me take care of this, but stay close," their leader warned. He
swooped
down, landing on the woman's well-dressed shoulder. However, one
doesn't
live for long in London without becoming aware of the hazards that
accompany
the presence of pigeons. She frantically waved Tusk from his place,
and he
reconsidered his tactics. "All of you, gather close!" he called to his
troops. Suddenly, an enormous group of birds surrounded the woman,
who was a
bit frightened by it, but would never show it. Still, she pushed her
way
through them and raced to the carriage, diving in and almost landing
in the
lap of the startled playwright within.
"Pigeons," she gasped, motioning outside to the large feathered
assemblage.
"Swarming me."
Tusk had an idea. "I say, chaps," he called out to the group, "Anyone
here
speak horse?"
~**~
Joxer was vaguely aware of the drug-induced anger he had suffered in
Blimp's
sideshow. He wondered how they'd managed to feed that stuff to
Gabrielle.
Once he'd finished his recitation of how he'd arrived at the show,
and what
little he could remember of what had happened during his stay, he was
glad
his betrothed was angry at Callie, Drake and Blimp, and not at him.
She was
strong for such a little thing, he knew, and looked ready to pull
somebody's
arm off. He tried the kissing thing - it did seem to calm her
somewhat.
In fact, the combination of her tension and anger with the relief of
her
worry over her beautiful monkey-man led her to become far more
involved in
the "kissing thing" than she'd planned. That, and the fact he was
wearing
nothing but a loincloth. "Whew," she panted, finally dragging herself
away,
"You seem to be feeling better."
"Mmmm," Joxer responded, trying to pull her close again.
"No," the artist protested reluctantly, "Can't. We need to find food.
Oh,
stop, please?"
"Mmmm," he said again, responding to the plea in her voice. "Yes.
Food."
"Yes," she sighed in a combination of relief and
disappointment, "Food. Now,
where are we?"
"Is this a game? Xena was teaching me about games. Do I get a clue?"
Gabrielle rolled her eyes and swatted him gently. "This isn't a game.
You
brought me here - where are we?"
He pouted in thought. "I wanted to go home. I was thinking of my real
home -
Sheera, Chula. This felt like home, so I came here. Are we still in
London?"
"I don't know, but I think so."
"Then I think I know where we are."
~**~
Xena fanned herself. Her life had become stranger and stranger ever
since
Gabrielle had brought her jungle love home with her, and most parts
of it,
she even enjoyed. Being attacked by pigeons, however, was not one of
the
better parts. See if she ever fed *them* popcorn again!
The carriage jerked into motion. "Oscar," Jace scolded, "I told you
not to
get Algernon to take us home for tea until we talked to Xena about
it."
The playwright drew himself up prissily. "I didn't. I agreed with you,
remember?"
"Then why are we heading toward the Mansfield estate?" Xena asked,
staring
out the window.
"Sir, Master Jace, sir. I can't get the horses to listen to me."
Algernon's
panicked voice floated in through the window. "They won't stop, and
they won
't turn when I pull on the reins. They seem to only want to go home.
And
there's a pigeon riding on the one's back, sir." The servant sounded
close
to tears.
Xena called out the window. "It's all right, Algernon. No one's upset
at
you. I think the pigeon may have something to do with it." If anyone
had
told her a year ago that she would accept that a bird could tell a
horse
where to go, and the horse would understand and go there, she'd have
called
them daft. But now she wondered if she had misjudged the batch of
birds that
she thought was attacking her. She craned her neck out the window -
there
they were, following at a respectful distance. If they were headed to
the
estate or somewhere nearby, she was certain there was a reason.
~**~
"Well, yes, it does remind me of Borneo, but *where* are we?"
Gabrielle
sometimes wondered if Joxer really understood as much English as it
seemed
he did. He'd just spent the last ten minutes or so explaining why he'd
brought her here - the solitude, the plants. He went on a tangent
about
certain birds that he missed from his home, and how none of the
British ones
quite sounded as nice. She was beginning to lose patience, until she
thought
about almost losing *him*, and she calmed herself again. "Would it be
easier
to explain in orangutan?" She doubted it, but maybe he would focus
better in
his childhood tongue.
Then she heard voices, through the trees, one dear to her heart. The
other
two were arguing among themselves, but not viciously. Then a familiar
form
burst into the clearing where she and Joxer huddled. "Xena!" She
hopped up,
then stumbled, as her dark-haired friend caught her. "How did you
find us?"
Another voice cooed from the tree, "I told you I'd find her, love.
Tusk's a
reliable old bird." She caught sight of the pigeon, preening slightly
and
smoothing his feathers.
"Thank you, Tusk. We owe you. Half of every loaf of bread and bag of
popcorn
is yours until we go back to the island."
"Gabrielle," Xena interrupted, "Are you talking to that bird? And did
I hear
you call out to Joxer in orangutan at the show? By the way - you've
been
here at the Mansfield compound all along, you know."
The artist smiled shyly, going to her betrothed who had managed to
stand,
but not yet move. He put his arm around her, more for support at that
point
than intimacy, and chuckled. "She's full of surprises lately." Xena
didn't
understand why her best friend blushed.
~**~
They sat around the dinner table after Joxer and Gabrielle, in
separate
bathrooms, had long baths. They were having some soup, Cornish hen,
salad,
and for dessert, apple pie with a slice of cheese on top.
Xena looked at her friends - they were so happy to be together again.
Joxer
stared over at Jace. "Where is Jett at this time of day?"
Jace looked up from his drink. "He's probably at the club - Sir
Raleigh Men'
s Club. He's a member. It's located near the London Bridge."
Joxer thought for a moment. "Are you a member, too?" Jace nodded his
head.
"Good, then you can take me there. I'm going to
confront Jett. I've got to know why he did this."
Gabrielle put her hands into Joxer's. "Please, let the police handle
this."
He gazed at her. "No, this is between me and Jett. He tried to have me
killed, and I think I should at least talk to him."
Xena spoke to him, "Joxer, Gabrielle's right. Let the police handle
it."
Joxer looked at her intensely. "Would you?"
Xena shook her head, smiling ruefully. "At least let us come with you,
then."
Joxer nodded his head. They all went out to the coach and got in with
Joxer
helping both Gabrielle and Xena, who smirked at him knowingly,
inside. He
sat next to his beloved, wondering how he was staying so calm when
just
yesterday, he was so angry at everyone and everything he had almost
killed a
good friend. Jett had caused so much trouble, yet being with
Gabrielle gave
Joxer inner peace about dealing with his brother. The doctor had
cleansed
his body of whatever Callie had given him, and he was once again
even-tempered. They soon arrived at the club. Joxer turned to the
others.
"Wait here - this won't take long." Jace rose, but the younger triplet
motioned to him to sit, and Oscar pulled him back down as he
protested.
He entered the club and went up to the desk. "Where can I find Jett
Mansfield ?" The clerk looked at him. "Of course, Master Mansfield,
he's in
the drawing room, sir."
"Thank you." Joxer considered the fact that having two identical
brothers
could help avoid lengthy explanations occasionally.
Joxer walked down the hall, peering in each room. At last he saw the
drawing
room and walked inside.
One of the other men at Jett's table spotted him as he came
in. "Jett, my
good man, isn't that Jace? I must say, it's nice to see he's dressing
more
conventionally these days."
Jett looked up to see Joxer heading towards him. He got up and ran,
knocking
a poor waiter on his backside. Joxer ran after him.
The older Mansfield hesitated just outside the door, not knowing
which way
to run, then headed towards the bridge. He realized that Joxer was a
faster
runner and would soon be catching up.
Jett really didn't want to fight Joxer again. He remembered the last
time.
But he also knew he couldn't handle jail, so he turned and faced
Joxer with
his fists ready.
Joxer stopped in front of him, alert but not threatening. "We don't
need to
do this, Jett. I just want to know why? Why did you do that to me?"
Gabrielle, Xena and Jace came clattering up, but the bodyguard put
out her
arms, stopping her two companions. "Let them handle it," she
whispered.
Oscar approached, wheezing, a couple of minutes later.
Jett swung at Joxer, but Joxer ducked the blow. "I don't want to
fight you."
"I want to fight you! You ruined everything! Why couldn't you stay
dead?!"
Joxer stood there, looking at it all from Jett's viewpoint. "I'm
sorry. I
never meant for anyone to be hurt."
Jett turned away and climbed up on the rail. Joxer slowly approached
him.
"Jett, please come down. We can talk this out."
He shook his head, tears in his eyes. "It's too late for talk. I
killed
father, and almost killed you, too."
"You didn't kill father."
"It was my fault. I was so jealous of you. What I did to you caused
his
heart attack. Good-bye, Joxer." At that, Jett turned and jumped off
the
bridge. Joxer threw off his coat and shoes and dove in after him.
Gabrielle screamed, "NO!" and fainted into Xena's arms. Xena looked
down in
the water and picked out two figures below. Joxer was holding onto
Jett and
swimming towards the bank.
"Gabrielle," she slapped her friend's face, "he's all right! Joxer is
all
right!" The heiress blinked a time or two, and then pulled herself together.
Gabrielle, Xena, Jace and Oscar ran down to the docks, where Joxer was
helping Jett out of the water. "Why? Why did you save me?"
"Because - you *are* my brother." Jett held out his hand to Joxer.
Joxer
took it and they shook. The police came and hand-cuffed Jett. "Do you
have
to take him?"
"I'm sorry, sir, but yes, at least until the bail is set. He's been
named
as an accessory in your kidnapping by Drake O'Malley."
The police took Jett away. Three days later, bail was set and Joxer
and Jace
paid it. Jett's hearing would be in a week. That very night, everyone
gathered around the table for the reading of the will. The triplets
were
informed that the will was newly written, having been signed only days
before their father's death. Lord Mansfield's solicitor began quietly
reading.
"I, Lord Malcolm Mansfield, being of sound mind and failing body,
hereby
leave my estate and worldly goods to all my loved ones.
To my eldest son, Jett, I leave the small house behind the mansion,
and one
third of my money, which will be put in a trust fund to be managed by
his
brother Jace, which he will not be able to control himself until he
is sixty
years old. He will inherit my position in Parliament, as the new Lord
Mansfield, and I fear that such position, combined with great worldly
goods,
would draw him even further into the temptations of greed and power
that
already hold him enthralled.
To my son Jace. He only asked me for one thing, the summer home in the
country, which I happily bequeath him. He also asked me to donate his
portion of the money to charity, with a small percentage going to
support
the Arts.
To my youngest son, Joxer, whom I never really got the chance to know,
although was blessed enough to meet before my death, I leave the
family
estate and all the remainder of my fortune and goods. I know he will
use it
wisely."
The solicitor put down the will. "Well, gentlemen, do you have any
questions?"
"Yes, I have one. How am I supposed to live with my money in a trust
fund?"
"That, sir, is between you and your brother. Good evening, sirs. I'll
show
myself out."
Joxer grabbed Gabrielle by the hand and pulled her outside. She could
tell
he was excited. He swung her around, motioning to the grounds with a
sweeping gesture. "Gabrielle, look at this! This is perfect ."
She seemed confused. "Perfect for what, Joxer?"
"A place for the animals that were at Blimp's sideshow. Look at it,
Gabby!
It's perfect. There's plenty of room, and it's fenced in and there
are no
cages."
"You mean, they would run around free?"
"Yes, but inside here. Both free and protected. It would be their
sanctuary.
Any mistreated animal will be brought here. Think about it,
Gabrielle." His
eyes were shining, and she couldn't help but be captured by his
enthusiasm.
"Who would be in charge of it?"
He smiled at her. "I can only think of one person. Come on, let's
tell her
about it."
They ran back into the house, where Joxer told Xena of his plan. "So,
will
you be in charge? Please say yes, Xena. I trust this with no one
else."
Xena thought for a moment. "On one condition. Jett works for me."
Jett stood there with a shocked look on his face. "Me?" he finally
forced
out, "Why me?"
Xena walked over to him. "Would you rather go to prison?"
He shook his head.
Two days later after Jett's hearing, everything had been arranged.
His work
with the animals would be considered as taking the place of jail
time. The
press was kept in the dark about the whole affair, and he was able to
serve
in his father's Parliamentary seat without shadow upon his
reputation. He
even was able to receive a small salary from his trust fund for the
work.
The animals were brought to the estate, and Joxer greeted them. Mooks
and
Frawn came over to him.
"Joxer, we'd like yeh ta meet somebody," requested Mooks.
They took him to Killer. Killer turned and grinned at Joxer - a
gorilla way
of greeting . "Hi, Joxer. I'm very sorry for what I did to you. I
hope you
can forgive me."
"It wasn't your fault, Killer. You were being used. I'd probably have
done
the same thing to you, if I'd been strong enough."
"Thank you, Joxer - and you can call me Kongo."
Joxer nodded and he went back to his love. As he was heading toward
her he
heard a soft voice. "I'm not very good at saying thanks, but thanks.
You
gave me a whole new start."
Joxer nodded his head at Cheetah and hurried on towards Gabrielle. He
grabbed her and twirled her in the air. "Come on. We've got something
important to talk about."
~**~
~**~
Gabrielle stood on the riverbank, in the very spot where, years
before,
Joxer had laid wounded after rescuing her from the crocodile. The
rough dock
he had built looked out of place among the natural beauty, but since
they
did get occasional shipments and even more infrequent visitors, they
felt
some sign of both welcome and indication that this was indeed the
right spot
to stop was warranted.
Her smile was wistful - they'd been away from England for four years,
and
now Xena was coming to visit for the first time. Although they wrote
back
and forth regularly, it took forever for a message to get from Borneo
to
England, and back again. Gabrielle wasn't aware her own father had
died
until almost two months after the fact. It saddened her, but she knew
he'd
been ready, since they'd had many a long letter between them on the
subject.
It was hard knowing her children would never know their grandfather,
though.
As she unconsciously fiddled with the emerald ring and gold band that
she
wore, which stood in stark contrast to her rough clothing and wild
surroundings, her memory turned to the day the animals had come to the
Mansfield estate. Joxer had taken her to the secluded spot where they
had
rested after his escape from the sideshow, and pulled her to him. "I
want to
go home," he murmured into her hair, "but I won't go anywhere without
you.
How long until we can be married?"
She held him so tightly for a moment, she was afraid she might hurt
him. "I
want to go too - as soon as possible. I'll set things in motion
tomorrow -
it could take a month, but maybe less."
It did take a month, but the time flew. She ordered her gown, and in
spite
of the fashion of the time, demanded no hand beading, settling for
simple
white silk, for the sake of speed. Gossip had already snatched their
story
and blown it out of proportion, although it had been fairly larger
than life
to start with, so Gabrielle had sworn the priest to silence, and made
him
clear three different dates on his calendar to confuse those who
might try
to invite themselves to the wedding. They even reserved the chapel,
although
they had decided early on to be married in the Taylor's gazebo.
Although the respectable papers, like the *Times*, weren't interested
in the
sensational story told by a jailed kidnapper to the highest bidder, a
great
many lower quality publishers had vied for the rights to Drake
O'Malley's
tale. Solicitors from both the Mansfield and Taylor families made
discreet
visits to the winning bidder, and the book, although published, named
no
names. The Social Circle was horrified, knowing themselves who the
players
were, but closed ranks around the two families. There was no
charitable
spirit behind the action - they only wished to draw no further
shameful
attention to themselves. The Mansfield and Taylor progeny found
themselves
quickly bereft of social invitations.
It was worse when that young man from the Colonies - Burroughs - began
digging around for information. If he believed the tales that
Gabrielle had
heard whispered and muttered in public, he would have quite a
fanciful story
to tell himself, although the solicitors were watching his dealings
carefully.
So, when the wedding day came with no uninvited guests, it was twice
as
joyous as it would have already been. Xena and Jett arrived, and
Joxer had
been thrilled to see that Mooks and Frawn were along, and that Jett
was
leading Cheetah on a leash. The betrothed pair had spent a great deal
of
time in the last month teaching Joxer's brother and Gabby's best
friend the
languages of the animals - especially the chimp and jaguar tongues.
Jett had
taken quite a liking to the big cat, and spent a great deal of the
time when
he wasn't tending the other creatures with him. Gabrielle assured
Xena that
chimpanzee was very close to orangutan - only the accent was
different - so
she would be well equipped whenever she visited them once they
relocated.
She even threw in a couple of lessons in pigeon for fun.
Speaking of which, a great many of the city's aerial mascots were
present as
well, and all were on their best behavior. Tusk sat proudly in a
place of
honor, perching on the back of a chair beside Mooks. The human guests
were
few, consisting of only Gabrielle's father, Jett, and Oscar Wilde,
outside
of the animals. Xena and Jace stood up with the bride and groom.
The priest paled visibly when he saw Cheetah seated in the aisle
besides
Jett's chair, but the bride managed to calm him, and the entire
ceremony
went off without any difficulty. The man of the cloth did jump when,
shortly
after the declaration of the pair as man and wife, the wildlife
exploded in
a cacophony that drowned out the applause of the few humans. It
seemed that
Jett had been interpreting for the chimps, who passed the information
along
to the others.
The trip back to Borneo had been long, certainly, but since she spent
most
of it in the arms of her new husband, Gabrielle barely noticed the
miles fly
by. It wasn't long after their return to Joxer's adopted family that
Gabrielle realized that she was expecting their first child. The joy
they
felt was only tempered by the sorrow that their friends in England
couldn't
be with them to see their baby, but Gabrielle sent frequent sketches,
since
the one luxury she had been unwilling to do without was art supplies,
so the
boat that provided regular delivery of such became a courier service,
as
well.
Joxer had built them a lovely home high in the trees, not far from the
river. The baby, Josiah, had learned orangutan and human at the same
time,
and now, at almost four, chattered a mile a minute in both, sometimes
intermixing the two. He swung cheerfully through the trees, following
his
aunt Raylan everywhere. She was good with him and, although she
occasionally
lost her patience with the little boy, she would fight anyone else who
criticized him in anyway.
Gabrielle bounced in her toes eagerly as she heard the boat's approach
before it wound around the bend and into sight. She felt a large hand
on her
shoulder, and smiled up into her husbands warm brown eyes. "I told
Raylan to
get Josiah here as quickly as she could. I think they'll make it
before
sunset." She giggled, leaning back against him. Resting with his arms
encircling her waist from behind, the edge to her anticipation was
dulled,
and her contentment took over. She'd have plenty of time with Xena
soon
enough. Chula wandered by, purring that she'd stop over to see Xena
later.
She had mated recently and her litter needed her right now.
When the dark-haired woman finally appeared on the gangplank, the
blonde
broke free of her love's embrace and ran to her, almost knocking her
best
friend to the ground in her excitement. Xena returned the
enthusiastic hug,
and pushed her friend to arm's length. "Not too much to *that*
outfit, now,
is there?" the properly dressed Englishwoman commented, taking in the
rough
brown skirt and tiny green top of her jungle friend.
She giggled, and pointed to her loincloth clad husband. "He tried to
talk me
into wearing only the skirt, but I do still have *some* modesty!"
"Not much, I would venture," Xena scoffed. The blonde shrugged, still
grinning. "Still," the former bodyguard reluctantly admitted, "it
does get
quite hot here, and that looks comfortable."
"It is," the artist answered, sharing a satisfied smile with the man
she
loved. "Too bad I won't be able to wear it much longer." At her
friend's
quirked eyebrow, Gabrielle went on, "I found a shift more comfortable
the
last time I was pregnant." Her smirk was met by surprise and then
joy, as
Xena moved to take Joxer's hand in greeting.
"Another one? And I haven't even met the first yet!"
"Here I am, Auntie Xena," the small boy cried, rocketing from the
trees and
towards her, stopped from tackling her by his father's long arms
scooping
him up at the last minute. Switching to orangutan, he chattered, "She
looks
just like your pictures, mommy, but she's prettier, even. Can she
stay for a
while? Can you, can you?" He was the very image of his father, with
almost-black hair and deep brown eyes.
Joxer chuckled. "Just like you were at that age, little one," he said
to his
sister, who was hanging shyly back. "Come meet Xena, Raylan, or do you
remember when she saved your life?"
"I remember," the slender ape said, "I never said thank you."
"You were pretty young," Xena answered in her language, "It was thanks
enough just to see you were okay. And you've grown so much!"
The female's eyes grew wide. "I didn't know she spoke our talk,
Joxer - you
didn't tell me." She batted her brother's arm, and then turned to Xena
again. "I will always be grateful to you for both my life, and the
gift you'
ve given Joxer, helping him mate with Gabby."
"Daddy, daddy, can we take Auntie Xena and show her the termite mound
I
found earlier?" Josiah begged eagerly.
Seeing the look on the new arrival's face at this idea, Raylan
plucked her
nephew from his father's arms. "I need you to help me with something
right
now, little one. Why don't you let mommy and daddy talk with your
Auntie for
a bit, and we'll catch up later, huh?"
"Thank you, Raylan," Gabrielle sighed, hooking her arm through
Xena's, "we
owe you."
"Yep," her sister-in-law threw back, matter-of-factly.
~**~
Later, in the home in the trees, the three adult humans shared news.
Sheera,
Joxer's adopted mother, was also expecting, as was Keenan's new mate,
and
the older female was quite amused that she would have a new child and
two
new grandchildren fairly close together. Xena informed the couple
sadly that
Oscar Wilde had died, apparently from an ear infection that
progressed into
meningitis. The playwright and Jace had drifted apart, but the middle
triplet had mourned the loss, nonetheless. The story of Chula's new
litter
was told, and the fact that, like his father, Josiah was becoming fast
friends with one of the jaguar cubs. There were papers for Gabrielle
to
sign, dealing with her father's estate, and she was thrilled to learn
that
Lord Taylor had asked Jace be given his place in the House of Lords,
since
there was no suitable male heir.
Xena went on with more tidbits of London news and gossip, until
finally,
Joxer stopped her. "Why haven't you mentioned Jett at all? Is he all
right?"
Xena blushed and looked at the ground, but the conversation halted
briefly
at the return of Raylan and Josiah - the boy tired and willing to
curl up
quietly on his mother's lap.
"So, Xena," the artist prompted again, "Jett?"
She looked at them both, her steel blue eyes earnest. "He's afraid
you hate
him, even though you said you didn't. I tried to tell him - in fact,
I tried
to get him to come with me, but he wouldn't leave the animals, even
though
Jace is quite capable of caring for them these days." She twisted the
ring
on her finger nervously. "He didn't want me to tell you, but I can't
not."
Xena paused and collected her thoughts, and Gabrielle found in her
nervous
anticipation, she was grooming her son's long hair like her jungle
family
did. The realization didn't make her stop. Finally, Xena went
on. "We're
getting married. As soon as I get back. We both loved the animals so
much,
and were spending so much time together, we finally realized there
was more
to it than just them. Of course, Mooks and Frawn played matchmaker
some,
too." After a few moments of stunned silence, Xena finally looked up
at her
friend's faces, expecting to see horror on both. The happy shock that
was
there took her breath away. "You two don't mind?"
"Mind? Xena, we're ecstatic! This is wonderful news - you two are
perfect
for each other, now that he's calmed down." Jace's letters had hinted
that
Jett was romantically involved, but now they understood why more
detail was
never forthcoming.
"Gabby," Joxer said, after hugging his future sister-in-
law, "Wouldn't you
say that it's time for Josiah to see his native land? We could go
back with
Xena, attend the wedding - maybe you could even stay long enough to
have our
second child in one of those fancy London hospitals."
"I don't know if I want to go *that* far." Her face brightened. "But
of
course, we need to go back for the wedding. It will give me a chance
to wrap
up a few things with Poppa's estate, as well." She looked down at the
sleeping child in her lap, and then forlornly at her husband. "I
don't know
*how* we'll manage to talk Josiah into wearing shoes, though."
The laughter that rang out through the jungle dusk blended with the
caws and
calls, as the warmth of the night held them close.
The End
trust
him."
Xena considered the matter, and finally climbed inside.
~**~
Gabrielle was still watching over Joxer when she heard a soft voice
cooing
to her. "He's really sick ain't he, love?" She looked to see pigeons
looking
back at her.
"Yeah, he is." She'd spent a lot of time with pigeons out in the
gazebo.
They were a gentle and soothing species.
"Anything we can do, darling?"
Gabrielle turned back to Joxer and stroked his hair. "Do you know
where the
Taylor estate is?"
"No. Sorry, love, but human homes look all the same to us."
She felt so drained. If only these pigeons could help. She was glad
she'd
taken some time talking to the ones in her garden after she'd noticed
some
of their words were similar to orangutan. It had taken a while, but
she'd
become quite fluent. "If only you could help. But you can't do what I
need.
I wish Xena was here." She realized she had no idea where "here" even
was.
One of the pigeons got quite excited, for a pigeon. "Hey, love. I
know Xena.
She's the one who feeds us in the park sometimes, and not that old
stale
bread, but real nice tasting popcorn, she does. I heard a fellow call
her by
that name."
Gabrielle looked up again at the brown and white pigeon. "Can you
find her
now and bring her here?"
The pigeon nodded his head. "Tusk can find anyone, love." He turned
to his
flock. "We've got a job. We've got to find Xena - the human with long
dark
hair that feeds us the real good popcorn."
"You mean the one who saved me from that cat, without hurting the
cat," a
small grey bird offered hesitantly.
"Yes, Pie, that's the one." The pigeons flew off with their orders,
the
leader remaining a moment. Tusk looked at Gabrielle. "Don't worry,
love, we
*will* find Xena." With that he flew away.
Joxer was slowly waking up, his expression puzzled. "Did you just
talk to
those birds ?"
She laughed lightly. "Yes. I'm a fast learner, Joxer. Just like you."
He smiled at her weakly, until another wave of pain tore through him.
"Please, Gabby, hold me."
She took him in her arms and sang softly to him. He soon fell asleep
again.
Sleep was the best thing for him right now, she felt. "Find Xena,
Tusk.
Please find her," whispered Gabrielle.
~**~
Xena was pleased to find that Jace and Oscar were sincere in their
efforts
to help locate the missing Mansfield and the artist. Nearly every
alley or
park was searched by one of the three, but they seemed just as far
from
finding the couple after several hours searching as they were when
they
started. Xena was close to frantic - the Joxer she knew would never
hurt
Gabrielle, but that man hadn't been the Joxer she knew. And after a
visit to
the police station, she even knew why.
It appeared that Jett had summoned the police on Blimp and Callie at
the
same time he'd carted Xena off to the hospital. Since neither of them
had
ever seen the eldest Mansfield brother before, they simply thought
his doing
so was sibling revenge for what they had done to the younger triplet.
In
reality, of course, he had been attempting to tie up any loose ends
before
one of them swung around and smacked him in the face. He had even
called off
the police hunt for Joxer, insisting he would do the work himself,
feigning
care and concern. It would be harder to arrange his brother's
silence, but
he needed to find the Amazing Ape first, and see if his mind was
totally
gone, before he had to worry about that.
Meanwhile, upon visiting the station, Xena had discovered that they'd
been
able to bring in animal experts to deal with the poorly treated
animals in
Blimp's show, but there were concerns about finding homes for them,
since
the zoo had no need for any additional of those species. The
veterinary
experts were able to identify the drug that had been given to Killer,
and
had begun detoxifying the gorilla. Xena could only assume the same
thing had
caused the dramatic change in Joxer. Blimp and Callahan were being
held on
attempted murder charges, based on their treatment of the once-again
missing
Mansfield heir. Jace had informed her in the carriage that he'd
visited his
father's solicitor, and not one cent would fall from the estate until
Joxer
was found, alive or dead. And should he be found dead, the will
wouldn't be
opened until a full investigation was completed.
All seemed to be well in hand, except for the missing couple. Xena
wondered
where a wounded animal might go in a strange city. Somewhere he
considered
safe, she thought. Where would Joxer feel safe? Besides of course,
with
Gabrielle.
~**~
As the day wore on, Gabrielle grew bored and hungry, but Joxer was
still
drifting in and out of awareness, and she was afraid to leave him to
seek
food, or even to figure out where he'd brought her. It was a quiet
place,
well-sheltered and green, with the first of the autumn chill present
in the
air, but not yet showing on the leaves. If she strained hard enough,
she
could hear the bustle of the busy city not too far away, but if she
tried to
ignore it, she could almost imagine they were back in Borneo together.
Her love had seemingly ceased the dry heaves, and the last time he was
aware, he had even managed a few moments of lucid conversation before
his
eyes slid back shut again. She hoped this time he'd be completely
himself
when he woke.
She'd had a lot of time to think about all that had happened. If she
had
been unsure about moving back to the island when they had first
discussed
it, she was no longer. Borneo might be physically a rain-forest, but
London
was the real jungle, it seemed. The animals might fight and kill, but
it was
for the purposes of survival, not for fun. Now, not only did she want
to get
back to the island as quickly as possible, but she wanted to take
everyone
she loved along with her. Joxer, of course. But also Xena, her
father, maybe
even Jace. She hadn't made her mind up on Jace yet. But she was fast
deciding that London was too dangerous a place to raise children.
A moan made her aware that Joxer was waking again. Maybe now he'd be
able to
tell her more about what happened.
~**~
Tusk had recruited a large contingent of London's pigeon force by
going to
Trafalgar Square and posting his team all around Nelson's Column. It
was a
nearly mandatory daily stop for most of the population, and soon
there were
aerial search teams dispatched to all parts of the city with a
detailed
description of Xena. If she was anywhere in London, she would be
found. At
least, if she was outdoors at some point.
At that point, Xena was *not* outdoors, but in the Mansfield coach
again,
having searched another section of the city without results. Jace was
becoming agitated, and his companion kept patting him nervously to
calm him.
"Xena," the uncomfortable playwright offered, "Perhaps we should go
back to
Jace's home and take tea. We could use the break." But Mr. Wilde was
talking
to the bodyguard's back, since she'd hopped out of the carriage at
the sight
of an alley they'd missed.
The body she'd spotted turned out to be a rather besotted man of
indeterminate age, who made a few lewd comments to the statuesque
brunette.
She barely refrained from getting more practice with the pinch,
perhaps
timing it to see how long the victim actually did have. She settled
for
slapping the bum across the face, which he was far too inebriated to
even
notice. Turning on her heel, she stormed from the alley, pausing at
the end
to calm herself. Before long, she was going to be just as flustered
as Jace,
if she wasn't careful.
"Tusk," one of the lead pigeon's team cooed, "isn't that her? The
popcorn
lady?" Another circle overhead confirmed Xena's identity.
"Let me take care of this, but stay close," their leader warned. He
swooped
down, landing on the woman's well-dressed shoulder. However, one
doesn't
live for long in London without becoming aware of the hazards that
accompany
the presence of pigeons. She frantically waved Tusk from his place,
and he
reconsidered his tactics. "All of you, gather close!" he called to his
troops. Suddenly, an enormous group of birds surrounded the woman,
who was a
bit frightened by it, but would never show it. Still, she pushed her
way
through them and raced to the carriage, diving in and almost landing
in the
lap of the startled playwright within.
"Pigeons," she gasped, motioning outside to the large feathered
assemblage.
"Swarming me."
Tusk had an idea. "I say, chaps," he called out to the group, "Anyone
here
speak horse?"
~**~
Joxer was vaguely aware of the drug-induced anger he had suffered in
Blimp's
sideshow. He wondered how they'd managed to feed that stuff to
Gabrielle.
Once he'd finished his recitation of how he'd arrived at the show,
and what
little he could remember of what had happened during his stay, he was
glad
his betrothed was angry at Callie, Drake and Blimp, and not at him.
She was
strong for such a little thing, he knew, and looked ready to pull
somebody's
arm off. He tried the kissing thing - it did seem to calm her
somewhat.
In fact, the combination of her tension and anger with the relief of
her
worry over her beautiful monkey-man led her to become far more
involved in
the "kissing thing" than she'd planned. That, and the fact he was
wearing
nothing but a loincloth. "Whew," she panted, finally dragging herself
away,
"You seem to be feeling better."
"Mmmm," Joxer responded, trying to pull her close again.
"No," the artist protested reluctantly, "Can't. We need to find food.
Oh,
stop, please?"
"Mmmm," he said again, responding to the plea in her voice. "Yes.
Food."
"Yes," she sighed in a combination of relief and
disappointment, "Food. Now,
where are we?"
"Is this a game? Xena was teaching me about games. Do I get a clue?"
Gabrielle rolled her eyes and swatted him gently. "This isn't a game.
You
brought me here - where are we?"
He pouted in thought. "I wanted to go home. I was thinking of my real
home -
Sheera, Chula. This felt like home, so I came here. Are we still in
London?"
"I don't know, but I think so."
"Then I think I know where we are."
~**~
Xena fanned herself. Her life had become stranger and stranger ever
since
Gabrielle had brought her jungle love home with her, and most parts
of it,
she even enjoyed. Being attacked by pigeons, however, was not one of
the
better parts. See if she ever fed *them* popcorn again!
The carriage jerked into motion. "Oscar," Jace scolded, "I told you
not to
get Algernon to take us home for tea until we talked to Xena about
it."
The playwright drew himself up prissily. "I didn't. I agreed with you,
remember?"
"Then why are we heading toward the Mansfield estate?" Xena asked,
staring
out the window.
"Sir, Master Jace, sir. I can't get the horses to listen to me."
Algernon's
panicked voice floated in through the window. "They won't stop, and
they won
't turn when I pull on the reins. They seem to only want to go home.
And
there's a pigeon riding on the one's back, sir." The servant sounded
close
to tears.
Xena called out the window. "It's all right, Algernon. No one's upset
at
you. I think the pigeon may have something to do with it." If anyone
had
told her a year ago that she would accept that a bird could tell a
horse
where to go, and the horse would understand and go there, she'd have
called
them daft. But now she wondered if she had misjudged the batch of
birds that
she thought was attacking her. She craned her neck out the window -
there
they were, following at a respectful distance. If they were headed to
the
estate or somewhere nearby, she was certain there was a reason.
~**~
"Well, yes, it does remind me of Borneo, but *where* are we?"
Gabrielle
sometimes wondered if Joxer really understood as much English as it
seemed
he did. He'd just spent the last ten minutes or so explaining why he'd
brought her here - the solitude, the plants. He went on a tangent
about
certain birds that he missed from his home, and how none of the
British ones
quite sounded as nice. She was beginning to lose patience, until she
thought
about almost losing *him*, and she calmed herself again. "Would it be
easier
to explain in orangutan?" She doubted it, but maybe he would focus
better in
his childhood tongue.
Then she heard voices, through the trees, one dear to her heart. The
other
two were arguing among themselves, but not viciously. Then a familiar
form
burst into the clearing where she and Joxer huddled. "Xena!" She
hopped up,
then stumbled, as her dark-haired friend caught her. "How did you
find us?"
Another voice cooed from the tree, "I told you I'd find her, love.
Tusk's a
reliable old bird." She caught sight of the pigeon, preening slightly
and
smoothing his feathers.
"Thank you, Tusk. We owe you. Half of every loaf of bread and bag of
popcorn
is yours until we go back to the island."
"Gabrielle," Xena interrupted, "Are you talking to that bird? And did
I hear
you call out to Joxer in orangutan at the show? By the way - you've
been
here at the Mansfield compound all along, you know."
The artist smiled shyly, going to her betrothed who had managed to
stand,
but not yet move. He put his arm around her, more for support at that
point
than intimacy, and chuckled. "She's full of surprises lately." Xena
didn't
understand why her best friend blushed.
~**~
They sat around the dinner table after Joxer and Gabrielle, in
separate
bathrooms, had long baths. They were having some soup, Cornish hen,
salad,
and for dessert, apple pie with a slice of cheese on top.
Xena looked at her friends - they were so happy to be together again.
Joxer
stared over at Jace. "Where is Jett at this time of day?"
Jace looked up from his drink. "He's probably at the club - Sir
Raleigh Men'
s Club. He's a member. It's located near the London Bridge."
Joxer thought for a moment. "Are you a member, too?" Jace nodded his
head.
"Good, then you can take me there. I'm going to
confront Jett. I've got to know why he did this."
Gabrielle put her hands into Joxer's. "Please, let the police handle
this."
He gazed at her. "No, this is between me and Jett. He tried to have me
killed, and I think I should at least talk to him."
Xena spoke to him, "Joxer, Gabrielle's right. Let the police handle
it."
Joxer looked at her intensely. "Would you?"
Xena shook her head, smiling ruefully. "At least let us come with you,
then."
Joxer nodded his head. They all went out to the coach and got in with
Joxer
helping both Gabrielle and Xena, who smirked at him knowingly,
inside. He
sat next to his beloved, wondering how he was staying so calm when
just
yesterday, he was so angry at everyone and everything he had almost
killed a
good friend. Jett had caused so much trouble, yet being with
Gabrielle gave
Joxer inner peace about dealing with his brother. The doctor had
cleansed
his body of whatever Callie had given him, and he was once again
even-tempered. They soon arrived at the club. Joxer turned to the
others.
"Wait here - this won't take long." Jace rose, but the younger triplet
motioned to him to sit, and Oscar pulled him back down as he
protested.
He entered the club and went up to the desk. "Where can I find Jett
Mansfield ?" The clerk looked at him. "Of course, Master Mansfield,
he's in
the drawing room, sir."
"Thank you." Joxer considered the fact that having two identical
brothers
could help avoid lengthy explanations occasionally.
Joxer walked down the hall, peering in each room. At last he saw the
drawing
room and walked inside.
One of the other men at Jett's table spotted him as he came
in. "Jett, my
good man, isn't that Jace? I must say, it's nice to see he's dressing
more
conventionally these days."
Jett looked up to see Joxer heading towards him. He got up and ran,
knocking
a poor waiter on his backside. Joxer ran after him.
The older Mansfield hesitated just outside the door, not knowing
which way
to run, then headed towards the bridge. He realized that Joxer was a
faster
runner and would soon be catching up.
Jett really didn't want to fight Joxer again. He remembered the last
time.
But he also knew he couldn't handle jail, so he turned and faced
Joxer with
his fists ready.
Joxer stopped in front of him, alert but not threatening. "We don't
need to
do this, Jett. I just want to know why? Why did you do that to me?"
Gabrielle, Xena and Jace came clattering up, but the bodyguard put
out her
arms, stopping her two companions. "Let them handle it," she
whispered.
Oscar approached, wheezing, a couple of minutes later.
Jett swung at Joxer, but Joxer ducked the blow. "I don't want to
fight you."
"I want to fight you! You ruined everything! Why couldn't you stay
dead?!"
Joxer stood there, looking at it all from Jett's viewpoint. "I'm
sorry. I
never meant for anyone to be hurt."
Jett turned away and climbed up on the rail. Joxer slowly approached
him.
"Jett, please come down. We can talk this out."
He shook his head, tears in his eyes. "It's too late for talk. I
killed
father, and almost killed you, too."
"You didn't kill father."
"It was my fault. I was so jealous of you. What I did to you caused
his
heart attack. Good-bye, Joxer." At that, Jett turned and jumped off
the
bridge. Joxer threw off his coat and shoes and dove in after him.
Gabrielle screamed, "NO!" and fainted into Xena's arms. Xena looked
down in
the water and picked out two figures below. Joxer was holding onto
Jett and
swimming towards the bank.
"Gabrielle," she slapped her friend's face, "he's all right! Joxer is
all
right!" The heiress blinked a time or two, and then pulled herself together.
Gabrielle, Xena, Jace and Oscar ran down to the docks, where Joxer was
helping Jett out of the water. "Why? Why did you save me?"
"Because - you *are* my brother." Jett held out his hand to Joxer.
Joxer
took it and they shook. The police came and hand-cuffed Jett. "Do you
have
to take him?"
"I'm sorry, sir, but yes, at least until the bail is set. He's been
named
as an accessory in your kidnapping by Drake O'Malley."
The police took Jett away. Three days later, bail was set and Joxer
and Jace
paid it. Jett's hearing would be in a week. That very night, everyone
gathered around the table for the reading of the will. The triplets
were
informed that the will was newly written, having been signed only days
before their father's death. Lord Mansfield's solicitor began quietly
reading.
"I, Lord Malcolm Mansfield, being of sound mind and failing body,
hereby
leave my estate and worldly goods to all my loved ones.
To my eldest son, Jett, I leave the small house behind the mansion,
and one
third of my money, which will be put in a trust fund to be managed by
his
brother Jace, which he will not be able to control himself until he
is sixty
years old. He will inherit my position in Parliament, as the new Lord
Mansfield, and I fear that such position, combined with great worldly
goods,
would draw him even further into the temptations of greed and power
that
already hold him enthralled.
To my son Jace. He only asked me for one thing, the summer home in the
country, which I happily bequeath him. He also asked me to donate his
portion of the money to charity, with a small percentage going to
support
the Arts.
To my youngest son, Joxer, whom I never really got the chance to know,
although was blessed enough to meet before my death, I leave the
family
estate and all the remainder of my fortune and goods. I know he will
use it
wisely."
The solicitor put down the will. "Well, gentlemen, do you have any
questions?"
"Yes, I have one. How am I supposed to live with my money in a trust
fund?"
"That, sir, is between you and your brother. Good evening, sirs. I'll
show
myself out."
Joxer grabbed Gabrielle by the hand and pulled her outside. She could
tell
he was excited. He swung her around, motioning to the grounds with a
sweeping gesture. "Gabrielle, look at this! This is perfect ."
She seemed confused. "Perfect for what, Joxer?"
"A place for the animals that were at Blimp's sideshow. Look at it,
Gabby!
It's perfect. There's plenty of room, and it's fenced in and there
are no
cages."
"You mean, they would run around free?"
"Yes, but inside here. Both free and protected. It would be their
sanctuary.
Any mistreated animal will be brought here. Think about it,
Gabrielle." His
eyes were shining, and she couldn't help but be captured by his
enthusiasm.
"Who would be in charge of it?"
He smiled at her. "I can only think of one person. Come on, let's
tell her
about it."
They ran back into the house, where Joxer told Xena of his plan. "So,
will
you be in charge? Please say yes, Xena. I trust this with no one
else."
Xena thought for a moment. "On one condition. Jett works for me."
Jett stood there with a shocked look on his face. "Me?" he finally
forced
out, "Why me?"
Xena walked over to him. "Would you rather go to prison?"
He shook his head.
Two days later after Jett's hearing, everything had been arranged.
His work
with the animals would be considered as taking the place of jail
time. The
press was kept in the dark about the whole affair, and he was able to
serve
in his father's Parliamentary seat without shadow upon his
reputation. He
even was able to receive a small salary from his trust fund for the
work.
The animals were brought to the estate, and Joxer greeted them. Mooks
and
Frawn came over to him.
"Joxer, we'd like yeh ta meet somebody," requested Mooks.
They took him to Killer. Killer turned and grinned at Joxer - a
gorilla way
of greeting . "Hi, Joxer. I'm very sorry for what I did to you. I
hope you
can forgive me."
"It wasn't your fault, Killer. You were being used. I'd probably have
done
the same thing to you, if I'd been strong enough."
"Thank you, Joxer - and you can call me Kongo."
Joxer nodded and he went back to his love. As he was heading toward
her he
heard a soft voice. "I'm not very good at saying thanks, but thanks.
You
gave me a whole new start."
Joxer nodded his head at Cheetah and hurried on towards Gabrielle. He
grabbed her and twirled her in the air. "Come on. We've got something
important to talk about."
~**~
~**~
Gabrielle stood on the riverbank, in the very spot where, years
before,
Joxer had laid wounded after rescuing her from the crocodile. The
rough dock
he had built looked out of place among the natural beauty, but since
they
did get occasional shipments and even more infrequent visitors, they
felt
some sign of both welcome and indication that this was indeed the
right spot
to stop was warranted.
Her smile was wistful - they'd been away from England for four years,
and
now Xena was coming to visit for the first time. Although they wrote
back
and forth regularly, it took forever for a message to get from Borneo
to
England, and back again. Gabrielle wasn't aware her own father had
died
until almost two months after the fact. It saddened her, but she knew
he'd
been ready, since they'd had many a long letter between them on the
subject.
It was hard knowing her children would never know their grandfather,
though.
As she unconsciously fiddled with the emerald ring and gold band that
she
wore, which stood in stark contrast to her rough clothing and wild
surroundings, her memory turned to the day the animals had come to the
Mansfield estate. Joxer had taken her to the secluded spot where they
had
rested after his escape from the sideshow, and pulled her to him. "I
want to
go home," he murmured into her hair, "but I won't go anywhere without
you.
How long until we can be married?"
She held him so tightly for a moment, she was afraid she might hurt
him. "I
want to go too - as soon as possible. I'll set things in motion
tomorrow -
it could take a month, but maybe less."
It did take a month, but the time flew. She ordered her gown, and in
spite
of the fashion of the time, demanded no hand beading, settling for
simple
white silk, for the sake of speed. Gossip had already snatched their
story
and blown it out of proportion, although it had been fairly larger
than life
to start with, so Gabrielle had sworn the priest to silence, and made
him
clear three different dates on his calendar to confuse those who
might try
to invite themselves to the wedding. They even reserved the chapel,
although
they had decided early on to be married in the Taylor's gazebo.
Although the respectable papers, like the *Times*, weren't interested
in the
sensational story told by a jailed kidnapper to the highest bidder, a
great
many lower quality publishers had vied for the rights to Drake
O'Malley's
tale. Solicitors from both the Mansfield and Taylor families made
discreet
visits to the winning bidder, and the book, although published, named
no
names. The Social Circle was horrified, knowing themselves who the
players
were, but closed ranks around the two families. There was no
charitable
spirit behind the action - they only wished to draw no further
shameful
attention to themselves. The Mansfield and Taylor progeny found
themselves
quickly bereft of social invitations.
It was worse when that young man from the Colonies - Burroughs - began
digging around for information. If he believed the tales that
Gabrielle had
heard whispered and muttered in public, he would have quite a
fanciful story
to tell himself, although the solicitors were watching his dealings
carefully.
So, when the wedding day came with no uninvited guests, it was twice
as
joyous as it would have already been. Xena and Jett arrived, and
Joxer had
been thrilled to see that Mooks and Frawn were along, and that Jett
was
leading Cheetah on a leash. The betrothed pair had spent a great deal
of
time in the last month teaching Joxer's brother and Gabby's best
friend the
languages of the animals - especially the chimp and jaguar tongues.
Jett had
taken quite a liking to the big cat, and spent a great deal of the
time when
he wasn't tending the other creatures with him. Gabrielle assured
Xena that
chimpanzee was very close to orangutan - only the accent was
different - so
she would be well equipped whenever she visited them once they
relocated.
She even threw in a couple of lessons in pigeon for fun.
Speaking of which, a great many of the city's aerial mascots were
present as
well, and all were on their best behavior. Tusk sat proudly in a
place of
honor, perching on the back of a chair beside Mooks. The human guests
were
few, consisting of only Gabrielle's father, Jett, and Oscar Wilde,
outside
of the animals. Xena and Jace stood up with the bride and groom.
The priest paled visibly when he saw Cheetah seated in the aisle
besides
Jett's chair, but the bride managed to calm him, and the entire
ceremony
went off without any difficulty. The man of the cloth did jump when,
shortly
after the declaration of the pair as man and wife, the wildlife
exploded in
a cacophony that drowned out the applause of the few humans. It
seemed that
Jett had been interpreting for the chimps, who passed the information
along
to the others.
The trip back to Borneo had been long, certainly, but since she spent
most
of it in the arms of her new husband, Gabrielle barely noticed the
miles fly
by. It wasn't long after their return to Joxer's adopted family that
Gabrielle realized that she was expecting their first child. The joy
they
felt was only tempered by the sorrow that their friends in England
couldn't
be with them to see their baby, but Gabrielle sent frequent sketches,
since
the one luxury she had been unwilling to do without was art supplies,
so the
boat that provided regular delivery of such became a courier service,
as
well.
Joxer had built them a lovely home high in the trees, not far from the
river. The baby, Josiah, had learned orangutan and human at the same
time,
and now, at almost four, chattered a mile a minute in both, sometimes
intermixing the two. He swung cheerfully through the trees, following
his
aunt Raylan everywhere. She was good with him and, although she
occasionally
lost her patience with the little boy, she would fight anyone else who
criticized him in anyway.
Gabrielle bounced in her toes eagerly as she heard the boat's approach
before it wound around the bend and into sight. She felt a large hand
on her
shoulder, and smiled up into her husbands warm brown eyes. "I told
Raylan to
get Josiah here as quickly as she could. I think they'll make it
before
sunset." She giggled, leaning back against him. Resting with his arms
encircling her waist from behind, the edge to her anticipation was
dulled,
and her contentment took over. She'd have plenty of time with Xena
soon
enough. Chula wandered by, purring that she'd stop over to see Xena
later.
She had mated recently and her litter needed her right now.
When the dark-haired woman finally appeared on the gangplank, the
blonde
broke free of her love's embrace and ran to her, almost knocking her
best
friend to the ground in her excitement. Xena returned the
enthusiastic hug,
and pushed her friend to arm's length. "Not too much to *that*
outfit, now,
is there?" the properly dressed Englishwoman commented, taking in the
rough
brown skirt and tiny green top of her jungle friend.
She giggled, and pointed to her loincloth clad husband. "He tried to
talk me
into wearing only the skirt, but I do still have *some* modesty!"
"Not much, I would venture," Xena scoffed. The blonde shrugged, still
grinning. "Still," the former bodyguard reluctantly admitted, "it
does get
quite hot here, and that looks comfortable."
"It is," the artist answered, sharing a satisfied smile with the man
she
loved. "Too bad I won't be able to wear it much longer." At her
friend's
quirked eyebrow, Gabrielle went on, "I found a shift more comfortable
the
last time I was pregnant." Her smirk was met by surprise and then
joy, as
Xena moved to take Joxer's hand in greeting.
"Another one? And I haven't even met the first yet!"
"Here I am, Auntie Xena," the small boy cried, rocketing from the
trees and
towards her, stopped from tackling her by his father's long arms
scooping
him up at the last minute. Switching to orangutan, he chattered, "She
looks
just like your pictures, mommy, but she's prettier, even. Can she
stay for a
while? Can you, can you?" He was the very image of his father, with
almost-black hair and deep brown eyes.
Joxer chuckled. "Just like you were at that age, little one," he said
to his
sister, who was hanging shyly back. "Come meet Xena, Raylan, or do you
remember when she saved your life?"
"I remember," the slender ape said, "I never said thank you."
"You were pretty young," Xena answered in her language, "It was thanks
enough just to see you were okay. And you've grown so much!"
The female's eyes grew wide. "I didn't know she spoke our talk,
Joxer - you
didn't tell me." She batted her brother's arm, and then turned to Xena
again. "I will always be grateful to you for both my life, and the
gift you'
ve given Joxer, helping him mate with Gabby."
"Daddy, daddy, can we take Auntie Xena and show her the termite mound
I
found earlier?" Josiah begged eagerly.
Seeing the look on the new arrival's face at this idea, Raylan
plucked her
nephew from his father's arms. "I need you to help me with something
right
now, little one. Why don't you let mommy and daddy talk with your
Auntie for
a bit, and we'll catch up later, huh?"
"Thank you, Raylan," Gabrielle sighed, hooking her arm through
Xena's, "we
owe you."
"Yep," her sister-in-law threw back, matter-of-factly.
~**~
Later, in the home in the trees, the three adult humans shared news.
Sheera,
Joxer's adopted mother, was also expecting, as was Keenan's new mate,
and
the older female was quite amused that she would have a new child and
two
new grandchildren fairly close together. Xena informed the couple
sadly that
Oscar Wilde had died, apparently from an ear infection that
progressed into
meningitis. The playwright and Jace had drifted apart, but the middle
triplet had mourned the loss, nonetheless. The story of Chula's new
litter
was told, and the fact that, like his father, Josiah was becoming fast
friends with one of the jaguar cubs. There were papers for Gabrielle
to
sign, dealing with her father's estate, and she was thrilled to learn
that
Lord Taylor had asked Jace be given his place in the House of Lords,
since
there was no suitable male heir.
Xena went on with more tidbits of London news and gossip, until
finally,
Joxer stopped her. "Why haven't you mentioned Jett at all? Is he all
right?"
Xena blushed and looked at the ground, but the conversation halted
briefly
at the return of Raylan and Josiah - the boy tired and willing to
curl up
quietly on his mother's lap.
"So, Xena," the artist prompted again, "Jett?"
She looked at them both, her steel blue eyes earnest. "He's afraid
you hate
him, even though you said you didn't. I tried to tell him - in fact,
I tried
to get him to come with me, but he wouldn't leave the animals, even
though
Jace is quite capable of caring for them these days." She twisted the
ring
on her finger nervously. "He didn't want me to tell you, but I can't
not."
Xena paused and collected her thoughts, and Gabrielle found in her
nervous
anticipation, she was grooming her son's long hair like her jungle
family
did. The realization didn't make her stop. Finally, Xena went
on. "We're
getting married. As soon as I get back. We both loved the animals so
much,
and were spending so much time together, we finally realized there
was more
to it than just them. Of course, Mooks and Frawn played matchmaker
some,
too." After a few moments of stunned silence, Xena finally looked up
at her
friend's faces, expecting to see horror on both. The happy shock that
was
there took her breath away. "You two don't mind?"
"Mind? Xena, we're ecstatic! This is wonderful news - you two are
perfect
for each other, now that he's calmed down." Jace's letters had hinted
that
Jett was romantically involved, but now they understood why more
detail was
never forthcoming.
"Gabby," Joxer said, after hugging his future sister-in-
law, "Wouldn't you
say that it's time for Josiah to see his native land? We could go
back with
Xena, attend the wedding - maybe you could even stay long enough to
have our
second child in one of those fancy London hospitals."
"I don't know if I want to go *that* far." Her face brightened. "But
of
course, we need to go back for the wedding. It will give me a chance
to wrap
up a few things with Poppa's estate, as well." She looked down at the
sleeping child in her lap, and then forlornly at her husband. "I
don't know
*how* we'll manage to talk Josiah into wearing shoes, though."
The laughter that rang out through the jungle dusk blended with the
caws and
calls, as the warmth of the night held them close.
The End
