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