Disclaimer: Please see the other chapters. I don't feel like writing one.
A/N: It's been a very, very, very long time. To be honest, I lost interest. But I got a review from someone on this story not long ago and it has spurred me on. Off on an adventure we go.
Rick couldn't help but grin as he watched his wife. He was happy that, once again, she had been proven correct when all those stuffed shirts in the world of archaeology had laughed in her face. Plus, he liked seeing her like this. She was like a kid in a candy store. Noting the looks on the faces of their new acquaintances, he felt he should explain.
"You'll have to forgive my wife. She gets quite excitable when she's been proven right."
"What was she right about?" inquired the blonde woman, Gabrielle. Rick took a deep breath and looked to Ardeth for help. The Medjai warrior nodded and began the explanation.
"I must start with some introductions of our own," he said. "This is Rick O'Connell, his wife Evelyn, their son, Alex, and their daughters, Tierney and Taryn. Jonathan Carnahan, Evelyn's brother, and his daughter, Lynnea. And I am Ardeth Bay."
"You're a Medjai," stated Xena matter-of-factly. "I should have realized that right away."
"You know about the Medjai?"
"I do. Only I wish it had been under better circumstances."
She did not go farther and Ardeth did not press the subject, seeing the pain that flashed into her eyes. He continued with his story.
"You might find this a little hard to believe. To put it plainly, we are from the future. Far into the future, if this is Ancient Greece."
"Ancient?" said Gabrielle.
"Well, that is what we would call it in our time. Our time is a little over 2000 years in the future, if I have the origin of the bard's scrolls right."
"My scrolls lasted two thousand years? Did you hear that, Xena?"
"Yes, Gabrielle, I heard," replied the warrior. She fixed Ardeth with a suspicious gaze that made the Medjai warrior a bit nervous.
"How do we know you're telling the truth?"
Ardeth Bay was not at all surprised at this question, though he could see that Gabrielle was.
"Xena, can I speak to you for a moment?" asked the bard through a fake smile. She made a move to grab Xena's arm, but the warrior princess blocked her. Ardeth raised his hand in protest.
"It is alright, Amazon queen. If all the legends I have heard are true, then it is in your friend's nature to be suspicious. And these circumstances certainly are- what was the word you used the other day, O'Connell? When you described Jonathan?"
"Yeah, what was that word you used to describe Jonathan?" asked Rick's brother-in-law, his blue eyes narrowing.
"I have no idea what you're talking about, Ardeth," replied Rick.
"Sure you do, Dad," Tierney piped up. "You told Ardeth that Uncle Jon was weird."
Ardeth's eyes lit up in recognition of the word as Jonathan Carnahan glared at his brother-in-law.
"That is the word. What strange words you use, O'Connell. But that one fits this situation perfectly. These circumstances are weird. Xena has every right to be suspicious of strange looking people who show up out of nowhere and claim to be from the future."
It was at this point that Evelyn had finally calmed down enough to speak. After shooting a 'death look' at her husband for calling Jonathan 'weird' (though sometimes she was inclined to agree with that assessment), she came forward and faced Xena. She met the cool blue eyes with her own brown ones and did not look away.
"I know all of this must be very hard for you to understand. I'm not sure I understand it myself. But, the fact of the matter is that we're here, in your time, and, without you, I'm not sure if we'll be able to get back to our time."
The enormity of Evelyn's words hit her companions like a ton of bricks. Lynnea, still frightened by the earlier fight, began to cry again and Jonathan did his best to comfort her. Rick and Ardeth exchanged 'here we go again' looks, while Alex, Tierney, and Taryn, tried not to look as excited as they felt. Xena and Gabrielle simply stared at Evelyn. Finally, Xena extended an arm towards her.
"You have our trust and our help. Gabrielle and I will do what we can to get you back home."
Evelyn smiled and took Xena's hand, shaking it. The warrior princess looked bewildered for a moment, but said nothing. Gabrielle began putting up the bandages she had gotten out for Xena and Ardeth. Rick and Ardeth greeted Xena in the same way Evelyn had. Tierney and Taryn watched Gabrielle and Xena in silence, as yet too intimidated by both women to approach them. And Alex? Alex was remembering a dream he had had the night before about a young blonde woman who looked an awful lot like Gabrielle.
PART TWO
Xena had opted to walk alongside Argo for the rest of the journey. Gabrielle walked a little bit behind her, talking with Evelyn, whom the bard was liking more and more as the minutes passed. Rick and Ardeth, both in standard protective mode, had split up. Ardeth walked in front of Evelyn and Gabrielle, but behind Xena. Rick walked behind Evelyn, much to his wife's annoyance and Gabrielle's amusement. She suspected Rick O'Connell had something to do with the fact that his wife would periodically jump and give short little yelps. Alex, Tierney, and Taryn, walking behind Rick, were trying desperately to ignore their father as he pinched their mother on her backside. Really, they should have been used to such displays by now. Jonathan and Lynnea brought up the rear. Jonathan, who was really much better at fighting than people gave him credit for, constantly scanned the roadside for anything suspicious looking. Lynnea jumped when she heard the sound of Ardeth's sword being drawn.
"What is it?" asked Xena, a little irritated that she hadn't sensed anything. Ardeth laid a finger to his lips and Xena, locking eyes with Gabrielle, bit back a sharp retort. In a few seconds, she had her answer. She knew who was watching them. Not wanting to get her acquaintances off on the wrong foot with her friend, she called out to him.
"No surprise attacks, Autolycus. Show yourself now."
The King of Thieves walked out of the woods, disgust clearly written on his handsome face (can you tell I like Bruce Campbell?). He eyed Ardeth, then obviously deemed him unworthy of his time. Instead, he looked at Xena inquisitively.
"I must be losing my touch. It usually takes you longer than that to realize I'm following you."
Xena ignored the comment and cut to the chase.
"Why are you following us, Autolycus? We're not returning any thing you stole, are we?"
"You insult, me, Xena. Can't a guy track down his friends every once in a while?"
"Autolycus!"
The joyful greeting came from Gabrielle, who had just joined Xena. Evelyn and Rick stood close by. Autolycus gave the bard a dazzling smile, but was soon preoccupied with Evelyn, whom he had just noticed.
"Hello, Gabrielle. And who might your friend be?" he asked, reaching for Evelyn's hand. Rick stepped between them and glared menacingly at Autolycus.
"This is my wife," he replied. Evelyn pinched him hard as punishment for his rude behavior, but Rick didn't budge. Autolycus did not seem threatened in the least, much to Ardeth's amusement.
"I suppose it is my lot in life to be entranced by women whose hearts are already spoken for," said Autolycus, bowing deeply at the waist. Xena rolled her eyes while Evelyn tried very hard not to be too flattered.
"Listen, you," Rick began, but Gabrielle grabbed Autolycus' arm and pulled him over towards her.
"Autolycus, these are new friends of ours, Rick and Evelyn O'Connell. And this is Ardeth Bay."
Now the King of Thieves did seem a little disturbed. But his smooth exterior was soon back in place.
"Well, any friend of Xena and Gabrielle's is a friend of mine," he said, smiling.
"Wanna bet?" Rick muttered under his breath. At least, he thought it was under his breath, but the sharp smack in the back of his head from his beloved wife told him otherwise.
"You haven't answered my question yet, Autolycus," Xena persisted. "Why are you following us?"
"Well, Xena, it's like this. I've just come from Ipathea-."
"You didn't try to steal the whole panther this time did you?" interrupted Gabrielle. Xena raised one eyebrow in amusement while the other travelers looked bewildered. Autolycus glared at the bard.
"No, Gabrielle, I didn't try to steal the whole panther. And how did you know about that? Oh, I bet Goldilocks told you. He and the Big Guy don't know the whole story, you know."
"Their names are Iolaus and Hercules, Autolycus," Gabrielle retorted, her eyes beginning to flash. She hated those nicknames with a passion. Especially the one for Iolaus.
"Whatever. Anyway, I heard there was going to be a big haul in Athens this week. They're having the festival, you know."
"So you thought you'd beat these amateur thieves to the punch, right?" offered Xena. Autolycus grinned.
"You know me too well, Xena. Of course, when I saw you heading there, I realized it was hopeless. Even the King of Thieves couldn't steal something out from under the nose of the Warrior Princess."
One dark eyebrow arched again and Xena's reply was short.
"That's never stopped you before."
"True, but I've been reformed. I've seen the error of my ways."
Gabrielle chose to ignore that last comment and instead got to the heart of the matter.
"What are the thieves after, Autolycus?"
"Some book made out of gold. What was the name of that thing. The Book of Amore? The Book of Ramalam? No, that's not it. The Book of -."
"The Book of Amon-Ra," Evelyn said quietly. Xena and Gabrielle turned to look at her and immediately saw that all their companions looked very grave all of a sudden. Autolycus was a little slower on the uptake.
"Yeah, that's it. Say, how did you know that? You aren't the ones that were gonna steal it, are you?"
Evelyn's mind was racing and she ignored the question from the King of Thieves. She, Ardeth, and Rick immediately knew what their purpose here was. It was Ardeth who began the conversation that soon had Xena, Gabrielle, and Autolycus thoroughly confused.
"The Book of Amon-Ra is here?"
"What's it doing in Greece?" asked Rick impatiently, looking first at his wife, then at Ardeth.
"I do not know for sure," replied Ardeth. "But I do know this. Wherever the Book of Amon-Ra is-."
"The Book of the Dead can't be far behind," finished Evelyn. She looked back at her son and daughters. One of her hands instinctively covered her stomach, as if to protect her unborn child from the unspeakable evil that was so close by. Rick, Ardeth, and Jonathan, who had just caught up to them seemed incapable of speech. But it was Jonathan who summed up the situation in three words.
"Oh, bloody hell."
A/N: Okay, that's all for now. Sorry it was such a long time between updates. For those of you unfamiliar with Xena/Hercules, the panther of Ipathea was involved in an episode of Hercules: The Legendary Journeys. A very funny episode, actually. Anyway, please review.
Thank you to jckidsmart, Glaphyra, and TypicalMadlyInsaneAuthoress for your reviews. If I have left anyone off this list, I apologize. It seems some of my reviews were lost from my e-mail. But, of course, I thank you as well. Don't be mad at me for not mentioning your name (. Also, to Deb2, I told you I would update. I have held true to my word.
A/N: It's been a very, very, very long time. To be honest, I lost interest. But I got a review from someone on this story not long ago and it has spurred me on. Off on an adventure we go.
Rick couldn't help but grin as he watched his wife. He was happy that, once again, she had been proven correct when all those stuffed shirts in the world of archaeology had laughed in her face. Plus, he liked seeing her like this. She was like a kid in a candy store. Noting the looks on the faces of their new acquaintances, he felt he should explain.
"You'll have to forgive my wife. She gets quite excitable when she's been proven right."
"What was she right about?" inquired the blonde woman, Gabrielle. Rick took a deep breath and looked to Ardeth for help. The Medjai warrior nodded and began the explanation.
"I must start with some introductions of our own," he said. "This is Rick O'Connell, his wife Evelyn, their son, Alex, and their daughters, Tierney and Taryn. Jonathan Carnahan, Evelyn's brother, and his daughter, Lynnea. And I am Ardeth Bay."
"You're a Medjai," stated Xena matter-of-factly. "I should have realized that right away."
"You know about the Medjai?"
"I do. Only I wish it had been under better circumstances."
She did not go farther and Ardeth did not press the subject, seeing the pain that flashed into her eyes. He continued with his story.
"You might find this a little hard to believe. To put it plainly, we are from the future. Far into the future, if this is Ancient Greece."
"Ancient?" said Gabrielle.
"Well, that is what we would call it in our time. Our time is a little over 2000 years in the future, if I have the origin of the bard's scrolls right."
"My scrolls lasted two thousand years? Did you hear that, Xena?"
"Yes, Gabrielle, I heard," replied the warrior. She fixed Ardeth with a suspicious gaze that made the Medjai warrior a bit nervous.
"How do we know you're telling the truth?"
Ardeth Bay was not at all surprised at this question, though he could see that Gabrielle was.
"Xena, can I speak to you for a moment?" asked the bard through a fake smile. She made a move to grab Xena's arm, but the warrior princess blocked her. Ardeth raised his hand in protest.
"It is alright, Amazon queen. If all the legends I have heard are true, then it is in your friend's nature to be suspicious. And these circumstances certainly are- what was the word you used the other day, O'Connell? When you described Jonathan?"
"Yeah, what was that word you used to describe Jonathan?" asked Rick's brother-in-law, his blue eyes narrowing.
"I have no idea what you're talking about, Ardeth," replied Rick.
"Sure you do, Dad," Tierney piped up. "You told Ardeth that Uncle Jon was weird."
Ardeth's eyes lit up in recognition of the word as Jonathan Carnahan glared at his brother-in-law.
"That is the word. What strange words you use, O'Connell. But that one fits this situation perfectly. These circumstances are weird. Xena has every right to be suspicious of strange looking people who show up out of nowhere and claim to be from the future."
It was at this point that Evelyn had finally calmed down enough to speak. After shooting a 'death look' at her husband for calling Jonathan 'weird' (though sometimes she was inclined to agree with that assessment), she came forward and faced Xena. She met the cool blue eyes with her own brown ones and did not look away.
"I know all of this must be very hard for you to understand. I'm not sure I understand it myself. But, the fact of the matter is that we're here, in your time, and, without you, I'm not sure if we'll be able to get back to our time."
The enormity of Evelyn's words hit her companions like a ton of bricks. Lynnea, still frightened by the earlier fight, began to cry again and Jonathan did his best to comfort her. Rick and Ardeth exchanged 'here we go again' looks, while Alex, Tierney, and Taryn, tried not to look as excited as they felt. Xena and Gabrielle simply stared at Evelyn. Finally, Xena extended an arm towards her.
"You have our trust and our help. Gabrielle and I will do what we can to get you back home."
Evelyn smiled and took Xena's hand, shaking it. The warrior princess looked bewildered for a moment, but said nothing. Gabrielle began putting up the bandages she had gotten out for Xena and Ardeth. Rick and Ardeth greeted Xena in the same way Evelyn had. Tierney and Taryn watched Gabrielle and Xena in silence, as yet too intimidated by both women to approach them. And Alex? Alex was remembering a dream he had had the night before about a young blonde woman who looked an awful lot like Gabrielle.
PART TWO
Xena had opted to walk alongside Argo for the rest of the journey. Gabrielle walked a little bit behind her, talking with Evelyn, whom the bard was liking more and more as the minutes passed. Rick and Ardeth, both in standard protective mode, had split up. Ardeth walked in front of Evelyn and Gabrielle, but behind Xena. Rick walked behind Evelyn, much to his wife's annoyance and Gabrielle's amusement. She suspected Rick O'Connell had something to do with the fact that his wife would periodically jump and give short little yelps. Alex, Tierney, and Taryn, walking behind Rick, were trying desperately to ignore their father as he pinched their mother on her backside. Really, they should have been used to such displays by now. Jonathan and Lynnea brought up the rear. Jonathan, who was really much better at fighting than people gave him credit for, constantly scanned the roadside for anything suspicious looking. Lynnea jumped when she heard the sound of Ardeth's sword being drawn.
"What is it?" asked Xena, a little irritated that she hadn't sensed anything. Ardeth laid a finger to his lips and Xena, locking eyes with Gabrielle, bit back a sharp retort. In a few seconds, she had her answer. She knew who was watching them. Not wanting to get her acquaintances off on the wrong foot with her friend, she called out to him.
"No surprise attacks, Autolycus. Show yourself now."
The King of Thieves walked out of the woods, disgust clearly written on his handsome face (can you tell I like Bruce Campbell?). He eyed Ardeth, then obviously deemed him unworthy of his time. Instead, he looked at Xena inquisitively.
"I must be losing my touch. It usually takes you longer than that to realize I'm following you."
Xena ignored the comment and cut to the chase.
"Why are you following us, Autolycus? We're not returning any thing you stole, are we?"
"You insult, me, Xena. Can't a guy track down his friends every once in a while?"
"Autolycus!"
The joyful greeting came from Gabrielle, who had just joined Xena. Evelyn and Rick stood close by. Autolycus gave the bard a dazzling smile, but was soon preoccupied with Evelyn, whom he had just noticed.
"Hello, Gabrielle. And who might your friend be?" he asked, reaching for Evelyn's hand. Rick stepped between them and glared menacingly at Autolycus.
"This is my wife," he replied. Evelyn pinched him hard as punishment for his rude behavior, but Rick didn't budge. Autolycus did not seem threatened in the least, much to Ardeth's amusement.
"I suppose it is my lot in life to be entranced by women whose hearts are already spoken for," said Autolycus, bowing deeply at the waist. Xena rolled her eyes while Evelyn tried very hard not to be too flattered.
"Listen, you," Rick began, but Gabrielle grabbed Autolycus' arm and pulled him over towards her.
"Autolycus, these are new friends of ours, Rick and Evelyn O'Connell. And this is Ardeth Bay."
Now the King of Thieves did seem a little disturbed. But his smooth exterior was soon back in place.
"Well, any friend of Xena and Gabrielle's is a friend of mine," he said, smiling.
"Wanna bet?" Rick muttered under his breath. At least, he thought it was under his breath, but the sharp smack in the back of his head from his beloved wife told him otherwise.
"You haven't answered my question yet, Autolycus," Xena persisted. "Why are you following us?"
"Well, Xena, it's like this. I've just come from Ipathea-."
"You didn't try to steal the whole panther this time did you?" interrupted Gabrielle. Xena raised one eyebrow in amusement while the other travelers looked bewildered. Autolycus glared at the bard.
"No, Gabrielle, I didn't try to steal the whole panther. And how did you know about that? Oh, I bet Goldilocks told you. He and the Big Guy don't know the whole story, you know."
"Their names are Iolaus and Hercules, Autolycus," Gabrielle retorted, her eyes beginning to flash. She hated those nicknames with a passion. Especially the one for Iolaus.
"Whatever. Anyway, I heard there was going to be a big haul in Athens this week. They're having the festival, you know."
"So you thought you'd beat these amateur thieves to the punch, right?" offered Xena. Autolycus grinned.
"You know me too well, Xena. Of course, when I saw you heading there, I realized it was hopeless. Even the King of Thieves couldn't steal something out from under the nose of the Warrior Princess."
One dark eyebrow arched again and Xena's reply was short.
"That's never stopped you before."
"True, but I've been reformed. I've seen the error of my ways."
Gabrielle chose to ignore that last comment and instead got to the heart of the matter.
"What are the thieves after, Autolycus?"
"Some book made out of gold. What was the name of that thing. The Book of Amore? The Book of Ramalam? No, that's not it. The Book of -."
"The Book of Amon-Ra," Evelyn said quietly. Xena and Gabrielle turned to look at her and immediately saw that all their companions looked very grave all of a sudden. Autolycus was a little slower on the uptake.
"Yeah, that's it. Say, how did you know that? You aren't the ones that were gonna steal it, are you?"
Evelyn's mind was racing and she ignored the question from the King of Thieves. She, Ardeth, and Rick immediately knew what their purpose here was. It was Ardeth who began the conversation that soon had Xena, Gabrielle, and Autolycus thoroughly confused.
"The Book of Amon-Ra is here?"
"What's it doing in Greece?" asked Rick impatiently, looking first at his wife, then at Ardeth.
"I do not know for sure," replied Ardeth. "But I do know this. Wherever the Book of Amon-Ra is-."
"The Book of the Dead can't be far behind," finished Evelyn. She looked back at her son and daughters. One of her hands instinctively covered her stomach, as if to protect her unborn child from the unspeakable evil that was so close by. Rick, Ardeth, and Jonathan, who had just caught up to them seemed incapable of speech. But it was Jonathan who summed up the situation in three words.
"Oh, bloody hell."
A/N: Okay, that's all for now. Sorry it was such a long time between updates. For those of you unfamiliar with Xena/Hercules, the panther of Ipathea was involved in an episode of Hercules: The Legendary Journeys. A very funny episode, actually. Anyway, please review.
Thank you to jckidsmart, Glaphyra, and TypicalMadlyInsaneAuthoress for your reviews. If I have left anyone off this list, I apologize. It seems some of my reviews were lost from my e-mail. But, of course, I thank you as well. Don't be mad at me for not mentioning your name (. Also, to Deb2, I told you I would update. I have held true to my word.