Part Nine
It had been two weeks since the big celebration, but to Gabrielle it seemed like
the Amazons were doing nothing but celebrating every day. "Oh Gods! Don't they
have anything else to do?" she moaned in exasperation.
Joxer looked over at his wife. "Gabrielle, are you okay?"
"No! I'm not okay! How am I supposed to get this scroll done before the babies
come with all that racket?" Gabrielle snapped, clapping her hands over her ears.
Joxer stood up and walked over to her and sat down by her chair, the one Jace
had given to her so she would be comfortable now that she was only two weeks
away from giving birth. "Are you working on a new scroll? It's been a long time
since you wrote."
Gabrielle gazed at him with loving eyes. "Yeah. Well, it's been a long time
since I've written anything, but this is something for our babies. It starts
with how we finally noticed each..." Gabrielle giggled a little at Joxer's look.
"Okay, okay, how I finally noticed you. Then it goes on to our marriage and
honeymoon and up to the present."
Joxer smiled at her sweetly. "Are you going to tell them everything - even about
the welcoming dance ceremony?"
"Of course I am, Joxer. They need to know the truth about their parents. And I
want them to know what a wonderful dancer their father is."
Joxer leaned back and stared up at the ceiling of the hut, laughing a little.
"Then when they get older, I can teach them to dance. Gabrielle, speaking of
dancing... When your time comes, will there be dancing?"
Gabrielle thought for a moment. "Well, knowing this group of Amazons like I do,
I suppose there will be, but not by the person who will deliver the babies.
After all, Joxer, she doesn't dance," she said with a fond smile.
"So... Xena's going to deliver our babies?"
Gabrielle touched his face and ran her hand across it. "Does that bother you?"
Joxer grabbed her hand and pressed it against his cheek. "No, it doesn't. I
really would've been surprised if you had asked the shamaness to deliver them,
to tell the truth. Xena's a good choice."
Gabrielle was about to kiss him when she heard a loud drumming sound a short
distance outside the hut. "Oh, for crying out loud! Now what?"
Joxer got up. "I'll go see."
Joxer walked outside and saw Rhea, Eris and Arose beating on drums. "Do you
three mind? Gabrielle's trying to work on her new scroll."
Arose looked up and smiled. "Hey, little brother! Rhea and Eris are teaching me
how to play the birth drum."
"Well, do it somewhere else, okay? And Arose?"
"Yeah?"
"Stop calling me little brother."
Arose giggled as she and the other girls got up and left. Joxer returned to the
hut. "Rhea and Eris were teaching Arose how to play the birth drum, whatever
that is."
"Cyane told me that it's the drum they play during the delivery," Gabrielle
explained.
"Oh, Gods! You've got to be kidding!" Joxer groaned.
Gabrielle shook her head. "No, I'm afraid not."
"Hey... Someone would like to say hi. Gabrielle... Joxer, may we come in?"
Gabrielle smiled as Xena and Eve stood in the hut's threshold. "Xena! Eve! Oh,
come in! Please come in!"
Eve bounced in and ran over to Gabrielle. "Hi, Aunt Gabby! I picked these for
you." The young child held out her hands and gave Gabrielle a huge bunch of
dandelions. "Mommy said you love flowers."
Gabrielle took them with a smile. "Oh Eve, they're so beautiful! Thank you very
much! " She looked at Joxer. "Honey, would you put them in water?"
"Sure." Joxer took the 'flowers' from Gabrielle and smiled at Eve. "Hey Evie,
want to help me?" He held his hand out to her.
"Uh huh!" Eve nodded, took Joxer's hand and they skipped out the door to find
something to put the 'flowers' in.
Gabrielle looked at her friend after sharing a warm embrace. "So, did you have
fun? I'm glad you're back."
"I told you I'd be back. I just needed a little time away from here and took Eve
fishing. I promised that I'd be back in time for the babies to be born."
"I know, but I missed you."
Xena smiled a little. "Yeah. I missed you too. So... How's the daddy holding
out?" she asked as she sat down in front of Gabrielle's chair.
"You know Xena, I'm really surprised. Joxer's been holding out just fine. He's
even getting along better with the Amazons, would you believe it? Even with what
happened with that disastrous dance ceremony. Amazing." Xena lowered her head to
hide a smile. Gabrielle didn't notice it and chattered on happily. "He's been a
big help. Oh, and his back rubs! Oh, I'd kill for one right now."
Xena rose to her feet and turned around to face Gabrielle's back. "Here. I'll
give you one," she offered.
"Sorry Xena, but the only person rubbing my back is Joxer. He's got the magic
touch!"
Xena's eyebrows furrowed as she laughed. "Okay, I get the message. I'll go get
him."
Gabrielle smiled gratefully and reached out to grasp her friend's hand before
she left the hut. "Thanks, Xena."
A few minutes later Joxer returned with the dandelions carefully arranged in a
small pot. "Xena told me that you want one of my famous back rubs."
"Yeah, big boy. I do. Come here and make me happy," Gabrielle growled, her green
eyes sparkling as she gazed up at her husband. Joxer sat down and began to rub
her back. "Ahh, that feels so good! A little lower please, Joxer." As he slowly
kneaded the tension from her back, Gabrielle began to close her eyes and relax.
Suddenly, there was a loud bang and she almost shot off the chair. "Oh for...!
I've had it! Joxer, I've got to get out of here for a while before I go crazy!
This is more than I can stand!"
"You mean leave the village? What about the babies?" Joxer asked anxiously.
"No, not altogether. I just need some peace and quiet. I remember seeing a cave
on the way here. It's not that far. Let's go there for while."
Joxer stared at her. "A cave? I'm not sure if that's a good idea in your
condition."
"If I don't get out of here for a while, I'm liable to murder someone. Besides,
I'm not due for another two weeks."
Joxer rubbed the back of his neck and nodded after a few moments of thought.
"Okay, but it's against my better judgment, I've gotta tell you."
"It'll be okay, Joxer," Gabrielle reassured Joxer with a smile.
Joxer nodded as he helped Gabrielle from the chair and took a full water skin in
case either one of them got thirsty while walking. As they walked from the hut,
Jace met up with them. "Say, you two. Where are you going?" he asked cheerfully.
Gabrielle snapped at him, "We're going for a walk, Jace. Alone!"
Jace stared at Gabrielle for a moment before he lowered his head, his eyes
dropping to the ground. "Okay. I get the message. I think Cyane wants to see me
anyway," he mumbled.
Joxer watched his brother slowly walk away, head hanging. "Gabrielle, did you
really have to snap at him? You know how touchy he is."
"Joxer, I'm sorry. I just want to get away from all of this and Jace just goes
on and on and on..."
"Yeah, I know, but he means no harm," Joxer sighed. "So, just how far off is
this cave anyway?"
"Not far. About half a mile."
"Can you walk that far?"
"Yeah. Come on!" Gabrielle took Joxer's hand in hers and tugged him forward.
It took some time, but eventually they arrived at the cave. Joxer looked around
until he saw a large stone big enough for Gabrielle to sit on outside the
cavern. "Here. You sit here while I go check to see if it's safe inside."
Gabrielle slowly sat down and waited. Joxer returned shortly. "There's actually
a chair carved out of stone in there! Come on, I'll show you."
"Joxer, some help here please," Gabrielle said as she held out her hand.
"Oops! Sorry, Gabrielle." Joxer took her hand to help her to her feet and they
walked inside the cave.
On Mount Olympus, two Goddesses watched the images of Joxer and Gabrielle enter
the cave via a clear pool of water. One who was usually full of life and
laughter was furious at the image that she saw while gazing in the water. "Like,
why are you gonna do this anyway? This is sooo totally grody!"
"I told you before, if Joxer is going to be a father of Amazons, then he must be
tested under unusual circumstances. Now if you can't accept that, then leave!"
Aphrodite frowned as she stuck her tongue out at Artemis. "This is so totally
not cool, Artemis, and you know it! Back off my boy Joxer or I'm going to...!"
"You're going to what, Aphrodite?" Artemis taunted.
"I don't know yet, but when I do know, you like better believe it's gonna be
totally for sure not coming up roses for you!" Aphrodite snapped, stamping her
foot on the marble floor.
Gabrielle sat down and began to work on her scroll again while Joxer slowly
massaged her back. She sighed in contentment and leaned back to enjoy it.
Suddenly, there was a loud noise and rocks began to fall all around the cavern's
entrance.
"GABRIELLE!" Joxer threw himself before his wife to protect her from falling
debris. Eventually, the rocks stopped falling and everything was still.
"Gabrielle, are you okay?" Joxer gasped, coughing as the dust settled.
Gabrielle gasped and coughed for a long time before she finally caught her
breath. "Joxer..." She panted a little and suddenly hissed between her teeth,
clutching at her stomach.
"Gabrielle! What's wrong?" Joxer's voice rose to a sharp cry.
"Joxer..." Gabrielle winced. "Oh Gods!" She looked up at her husband with wide
eyes. "I think my water broke."
"What? Your what broke?"
"The babies... I think they're coming..." Gabrielle gasped.
"Now? They're coming now? But you said that they're not due for another two
weeks!" Joxer's eyes became saucers and his face turned marble white.
Sweat began pouring down Gabrielle's face. "I know what I said but they say
otherwise! Joxer, they're coming! Oh Gods! Not now! Not now!" She squeezed her
eyes shut as pain shot through her body.
Joxer bent down next to Gabrielle. "Gabrielle, calm down! It's gonna be okay!"
Gabrielle grabbed him by his tunic collar. "IT WON'T BE OKAY! The babies are
coming and we're trapped in this cave and nobody knows we're here!"
Joxer gulped loudly and ran his tongue over dry lips. "I'll take care of you,"
he whispered.
Gabrielle rolled her eyes and laughed sharply. "How? Have you ever delivered a
baby before?"
Joxer slowly helped her lie down and tried to make her as comfortable as
possible on a stone and dirt-covered floor. "No, but I'm the only one here."
"Oh, that's just great! A dork's going to deliver my babies!" Gabrielle realized
what she said and felt horrible. "Oh Joxer, I didn't mean to call you a dork!"
"I know you didn't." Joxer took a deep breath to try and steady himself.
"Gabrielle, do you have any idea how far apart the contractions are?"
"I don't know. They've just started." Gabrielle's eyes glistened with tears.
"Joxer, I'm scared."
"I know you are. I'm right here," Joxer said in as soothing a tone as he could
manage, even though he was absolutely terrified inside. He wiped her face with
the back of his hand and looked down into her eyes. He winced when Gabrielle
suddenly grabbed his hand and squeezed down hard as a painful contraction shot
through her body, making her cry out loud.
"This is way too much! I'm going to help Studmuffin!"
"No, Aphrodite! Do not interfere! He needs to be tested."
The Love Goddess blinked in astonishment. "Tested? Tested? Hasn't poor
Studmuffin been tested enough? For crying out loud, he like totally rescued the
Wonder Bard from the Amazon Underworld and that cute sister of his too! Plus
he's put up with all the kooky rituals at Camp Estrogen these past few months
without one word of complaint and that's still not enough for you to be happy!"
Aphrodite shook her head in disgust and wrinkled her pretty nose. "Bogus!"
Artemis replied coldly, "You know that those babies will be fine. If he can't
get through this, he doesn't deserve to be a father of an Amazon."
"You're like way totally heartless, Artemis!" Aphrodite yelled. "That armor of
yours isn't just worn on the outside, is it?"
Artemis sighed and gazed into the pool of water. "Look, if there's trouble, you
may go and help but you must not interfere otherwise."
Gabrielle let out a scream as Joxer held her. "Joxer, please make the pain stop!
Get Xena!" she begged, tears running down her face.
"Gabrielle, we're trapped in here. I wish I could take away your pain." Joxer
reached over and removed the top from the water skin. He held it so that
Gabrielle could take a drink. She gazed up at Joxer with wide eyes as she parted
her lips so that the cool liquid could slide down her parched throat. "Just try
to relax, Gabrielle." Not knowing what else to do, he tried humming softly in an
effort to calm her down.
Gabrielle swallowed the water and nodded. She closed her eyes and listened to
Joxer's voice. She breathed heavily as she attempted to relax before the next
contraction came.
Artemis looked at Aphrodite calmly. "He's doing okay so far."
"Yeah, for now, but what's gonna happen if the little rugrats decide to come
before help does? Didn't think of that, did ya, Miss Metal Britches?" the Love
Goddess sneered.
"They won't - at least I hope not." Artemis gazed steadily at the image of the
two trapped inside the cave. "They've already been in there for several hours.
Someone's bound to figure out that they're missing sooner or later and a search
party will begin looking for them."
"For Daddy's sake! Babies come when they darn well please, Artemis! I'm off to
get the Warrior Chick!" Aphrodite put her fingers together to snap herself away
when Artemis reached over and stopped her. "LET GO OF ME!"
"No, wait! Give this time."
"Like why should I?"
"Because I said so."
Aphrodite laughed and threw her head back defiantly. "Phft! Like I'm going to do
what you say? Well, ex-squeeze'em moi! That's not gonna happen in this lifetime!
I'm like so outta here!" She snapped her fingers and left Mount Olympus in a
shower of pink and gold sparkles. Artemis said nothing as her sister vanished
into the ether.
Aphrodite suddenly appeared in front of Xena, who stood up in surprise. "Yo!
Miss Bard's doing the birth thing in a totally icky cave! My boy Joxer's with
her, but he needs backup like pronto!"
Xena nodded, her blue eyes wide. "Okay. I'll get help."
"We don't have time for that! She needs you like now! Hold onto your
breastplate!" Aphrodite put her hand on Xena's shoulder and snapped her fingers.
Xena blinked as they reappeared in front of the cavern's blocked entrance.
"Why didn't you just take us inside the cave?" Xena asked, gazing at the rocks
covering the cave's opening worriedly.
Aphrodite frowned. "I did, but something went kablooey. Hold on a sec!" She
snapped her fingers again and the two disappeared then reappeared back in the
same spot that they were standing in before. "This is so not my fault!
Something's way wrong here!"
"I told you not to interfere, Aphrodite!" Artemis said as she appeared from the
ether. "You're not getting inside until I say you can."
"Artemis, make with the rock removal service already! Miss Bard needs the
Warrior Babe's help in there!" Aphrodite demanded, stamping her foot on the
ground as she placed her hands on her shapely hips.
"No. Gabrielle has help. Joxer must be tested."
Xena raised her sword menacingly at the Goddess. "I'll test you! Let me in
there, you bitch!" she snarled.
Artemis raised her hand in Xena's direction to throw a fireball at her and then
slowly lowered it. "I will overlook that remark this time, mortal." She paused
before continuing with a soft, "Gabrielle is in good hands."
"She's in Joxer's hands! I'm sorry, Artemis, but as much as Joxer has grown up,
this is something that he can't handle!"
The Goddess' left eyebrow rose as she gazed at Xena contemptuously. "Oh really,
Xena? Joxer can't handle it? Why don't you see how he's handling things for
yourself?" Artemis waved her hand and the three saw an image of Joxer trying to
keep Gabrielle comfortable as he watched over her for signs of another
contraction. Aphrodite and Xena watched anxiously as they listened to the
couple's conversation.
"I'm here, Gabrielle!" Joxer had moved around so that he was facing Gabrielle.
"Joxer, I can feel the baby move! It's coming, I just know it! Please don't
faint on me! I need you!" Gabrielle gasped.
Joxer looked up at her contorted face with wide eyes. "I won't, Gabrielle!"
"JOXERRRRRR! IT'S COMING! OH GODS!"
"Come on, Gabrielle! You can do it! Push! I can see it! Come on, push!"
Gabrielle pushed down with all her might. "I can't, Joxer! I can't! So tired..."
she panted.
Joxer's jaw clenched together stubbornly. "Yes you can, Gabrielle! I can see its
head. Come on, honey, you can do it!"
The sweat poured down Gabrielle's face when she pushed again when another
contraction hit. "I am trying! You change places with me and try squeezing a
watermelon through an opening the size of a peanut!" she snarled.
"Come on! Just a little more... Good! Here come the shoulders!" Joxer shouted,
reaching down as the head appeared.
Gabrielle's head arched back as she screamed at the top of her lungs and pushed
again. "One more time!" Joxer shouted, looking up at Gabrielle anxiously as she
panted to catch her breath. Gabrielle yelled and pushed one last time. Joxer
watched as a baby covered in blood slipped out. He quickly took the baby away
but didn't see any sign of breathing.
"Joxer, is everything okay? I don't hear the baby. Joxer? Joxer!" Gabrielle
began panicking.
Joxer didn't answer her. He quickly took his finger and carefully inserted it
inside the newborn's mouth. He frowned as he removed something sticky from it.
The baby then let out a choking cough and began to cry, softly at first, but the
cries quickly grew in volume. Joxer let loose a huge sigh of relief, as did
Gabrielle. Suddenly remembering what his father had done when a colt was born to
one of his warhorses and the mare had needed help, Joxer's hands shook a little
as he ripped his sash into strips and tied the strips around two sections of the
umbilical cord. He then took out his small dagger and carefully cut in-between
the area where he had tied the two strips of cloth. He then pulled his tunic
over his head.
"Gabrielle, it's a boy! A beautiful, beautiful boy," Joxer whispered. He looked
up at Gabrielle with joyful tears streaming down his face as he brought their
son over for her to see after bundling the baby up carefully in his tunic.
"Oh Joxer..." Gabrielle smiled wearily in response as Joxer pulled her head onto
his lap and put the baby on top of her stomach. He leaned down and kissed
Gabrielle then the baby gently on the forehead as she put her arms around their
son and silently counted his fingers and toes.
Artemis waved her hand and the rocks disappeared from the cave's entrance. Xena
pushed the Goddess aside as she ran in, seeing that Joxer had Gabrielle gathered
in his arms and that Gabrielle was gently cradling the newborn in her arms.
Gabrielle looked up at Xena with tears in her eyes and smiled tiredly. "Hey,
Xena. I'd like you to meet our son, Darien. Isn't he beautiful?"
Xena gazed down at the crying baby, who had Joxer's dark hair and pale skin,
with a gentle smile. "Yes, Gabrielle. He's very beautiful," she replied huskily.
She reached out and carefully touched the baby's soft downy cheek with her index
finger. She looked up at Joxer and smiled, reaching out to clasp his upper arm.
"You did a great job, Joxer," she said warmly.
Joxer's dark eyes sparkled with tears as he accepted Xena's praise and returned
the arm clasp gratefully. "Thanks Xena," he said huskily.
"Gotta agree with the Warrior Babe. That's definitely a little
Studmuffin-In-Training you've got there!" Aphrodite exclaimed with a throaty
giggle as she gazed down at the crying baby, missing Gabrielle and Xena
exchanging smiles. She looked around the cave and wrinkled her nose at the mess
on the cavern floor. "There's like so gotta be a neater way for mortals to have
kiddies though! Yuck! That's totally gross!"
"Aphrodite, I don't think that's going to change anytime soon," Xena said with a
chuckle.
"Maybe not, but jeez!"
Gabrielle hissed between her teeth as a contraction suddenly shot through her
body. "Oh no, here we go again!" she whimpered, putting her head against Joxer's
chest.
"Let's get her back to the village," Artemis said crisply. "That second baby's
bound to come at any time now."
Xena nodded in agreement. "All right," she said.
"I'll see you there! Somebody's gotta let 'em know that there's incoming bundles
of joy!" Aphrodite exclaimed. She snapped her fingers and disappeared in a
shower of pink sparkles.
Gabrielle cried out, wincing as another contraction hit. "No! I want our other
baby born here too!" she shouted as Artemis raised her hand to transport
everyone else back to the village.
Xena held up her hand to stop the Goddess and stared at Gabrielle incredulously.
"Here? In this cave? That's crazy!"
"Yes, here. Just like our son." She looked up at Joxer with pleading eyes. "Is
that okay with you, Joxer?"
Joxer carefully took Darien in his arms and gazed down at his wife. "Gabrielle,
please. Let's go back to the village."
Gabrielle shook her head stubbornly. "But I think the only reason why he was
born here was because he was a boy!"
Joxer took Gabrielle's hand in his after he returned Darien to her. "I want our
other baby to be born around our friends and loved ones. Don't you?" he asked
softly, gently brushing a wet lock of hair away from her eyes.
Gabrielle smiled as she gazed up into Joxer's face. "Okay. I love you, Joxer."
Joxer smiled down at her and gently brushed her face with his hand. "Okay, I'm
ready. Let's do this," Gabrielle said as she held her new son.
Artemis nodded and with a wave of her hand, they disappeared from the cave in a
flash of light. A moment later, Xena, Gabrielle, and Joxer found that they were
back in the Amazon village inside Joxer and Gabrielle's hut. Artemis rose to her
feet and nodded once as they heard a loud commotion outside the doorway.
"Hurry up!" Jace called out as he burst into the hut with Arose, who was
carrying Eve in her arms, Ricky, and Cyane at his heels. Several Amazons
gathered outside the hut, crowding themselves around the doorway, vainly trying
to get a peek at the activity inside.
Aphrodite appeared inside the hut a moment later and put her hands on her hips,
surveying the scene. She rolled her eyes at the women crowded around the
doorway. "Hey, hey, hey! Like give Blondie some air already! Sheesh!" the
Goddess made a shooing motion and some of the women moved away from the hut's
opening. "That's better!" In the background, drums started beating and several
women left the doorway to go to the village center, chanting as they did so.
"Gabrielle, Darien needs to be cleaned up," Xena said softly, reaching out for
the crying newborn still wrapped up in Joxer's tunic. Gabrielle nodded and Xena
gently took the baby into her arms and then turned to Arose. "Do you mind?"
Arose shook her head, took Darien into her arms and smiled down at her new
nephew. "Hi!" she whispered. She looked up just in time to see Jace dip a clean
cloth into some water placed in a bowl and turn towards them, smiling even as
tears filled his eyes. "Thanks," she said gratefully as Jace gave her the cloth
and she began cleaning the newborn up. Eve sat in Ricky's lap, watching Arose
clean the baby and gently wrap him up in a soft blanket.
"So. A boy," Cyane said, her beautiful face impassive. Everyone in the hut
turned around to stare at the Amazon Queen, most of them wearing angry frowns on
their faces with the exception of Joxer, whose face fell into an expression of
utter misery at her words.
Aphrodite growled under her breath, "Why you repressed little...!" Sparkles
began shooting from the Love Goddess' fingertips and she put her hands back to
fire a zap at the Amazon Queen, but stopped when she saw Artemis raise her
eyebrow and shake her head slightly. "Oh, all right!" Aphrodite mumbled,
reluctantly backing down.
Gabrielle hissed as a contraction shot through her body. "And what is wrong with
a boy?" she snarled, gripping down on Joxer's hand so tightly that it was all he
could do not to let out a yelp.
Cyane stared back calmly. "Nothing, of course."
"Good." Gabrielle's eyes glittered feverishly as she panted to catch her breath
from the last contraction. Her glance shifted up in Joxer's direction and he
gazed back, his dark brown eyes sparkling with worry and concern. "It's okay...
AHHH!" she yelled and clamped down on Joxer's hand tightly again as the
contraction waved through her body. Joxer's face turned even paler from her
painful grasp, but he didn't make a sound.
"You're doing fine, Gabrielle," Xena said, watching carefully for any sign of
the baby's head appearing. "Relax!"
Gabrielle nodded once, taking deep breaths through her mouth. Joxer wiped her
forehead with a damp cloth and gently caressed her cheek with his free hand.
"Xena's right... Just relax. I love you so much," he murmured with a gentle
smile. Gabrielle returned the smile shakily and whimpered when another smaller
but no less painful contraction hit.
In the background, the sound of Amazons chanting and the birth drums' beat grew
louder with each passing minute. Gabrielle suddenly let out a screech borne of
pure frustration. "OH GODS! Baby coming or not, if that pounding doesn't stop
now, I swear I'm going out there and shove those blasted drums up someone's
nose!" the bard exclaimed. She buried her head against Joxer's chest, trying to
block out the noise.
"But Queen Gabrielle, it's tradition!" Eris, who was watching from the doorway,
protested. "It's to honor the child's birth and our Goddess!" she pointed at
Artemis, who was watching Gabrielle, Xena, and Joxer intently.
"I DON'T CARE! STOP MAKING THAT RACKET!" Gabrielle made a motion to try and get
up and Joxer held her arms down. Gabrielle struggled in his grip and cried out
when another contraction shot through her.
"Gabrielle, calm down! It's not good for the baby!" Xena shouted hoarsely. She
turned in Eris' direction. "Do as she says!" she snapped.
"But... But..."
A soft and deathly calm voice interrupted the girl's protests. "Do it."
Eris turned in Artemis' direction, wide-eyed. She saw the expression on the
Goddess' face and nodded once, gulping loudly. She then turned around and ran
from the hut, heading towards the village center.
"Be right back!" Aphrodite giggled and disappeared in a flash of pink light
before Artemis could stop her.
Aphrodite reappeared in the village center, but did not make herself visible to
the Amazons that were gathered in a circle, chanting as two musicians played the
drums. "Ha! This'll fix you, you lousy bunch of fashion victims! Even that skank
Discord dresses better than you Ð and that's not saying much!" she giggled as
she pointed her hands at the musicians and two pink lightning bolts shot from
her fingertips.
"Hey! What the!" one of the musicians exclaimed as bright pink light surrounded
them. When the light cleared away, the group saw that the drums had been
transformed into huge wooden barrels filled with wildflowers. Eris ran up to
them at that moment, panting loudly to catch her breath. The blonde's blue eyes
widened with shock and her jaw dropped open.
Aphrodite made herself visible to the Amazons then and laughed throatily. "Let's
hear it for flower power! Ciao, chickies!" Still giggling, she waved at the
group then snapped her fingers and disappeared into the ether, raining pink
rose-petals over the stunned Amazons.
Rhea was the first one to find her voice. "Why did she do that?" she gasped,
shaking the petals off her head.
Eris took in a huge gulp of air and exhaled heavily. "Queen Gabrielle said to
stop," she breathed.
"But Artemis...!" one of the Amazons exclaimed from somewhere in the middle of
the circle. "She'll be furious that we are not honoring her!"
"She said to stop it too," Eris informed the group. Jaws dropped at her words.
"But why?" someone else asked incredulously.
Eris shrugged her shoulders. "Whatever Queen Gabrielle wants, she gets, I
guess."
Aphrodite reappeared inside the hut. She curled her right hand into a fist and
rubbed her nails against her left shoulder then blew on them in satisfaction.
She tossed her blonde curls away from her face and gazed down at the in-labor
Gabrielle with a huge grin. "Took care of that little bit of business for you,
Miss Bard! Happy now?"
"Ecstatic!" Gabrielle grunted in reply, the sweat rolling down her face in
torrents. "Thirsty..."
"Here," Joxer said, bringing the water skin to Gabrielle's lips with visibly
shaking hands. He nervously licked his lips as she opened her mouth to take a
drink. She took a few swallows and pushed it away. He quickly recapped the skin
and looked over at their son, who had grown quiet as he lay in Jace's arms. Jace
looked up and made a motion that the baby had fallen asleep and Joxer nodded,
turning his attention back to his wife. "Are you all right?" he asked anxiously.
"Uh huh," Gabrielle blinked hard, trying to keep focus. "Oh no, here comes
another one!" she gasped suddenly, squeezing Joxer's hands in a death grip.
"YAAAAAH!" the couple yelled in tandem.
Xena looked up then. "Gabrielle! I think I can see the head coming. Get ready!"
she warned her friend.
"Oh Gods!" Ricky mumbled, looking a little green as he gazed at the three in the
middle of the hut. He slapped his hand over his mouth with a softly muffled
exclamation and Eve crawled off his lap and onto Arose's. She wrapped her arms
around Arose's neck and stared at Ricky with wide blue eyes.
Arose reached out and patted Ricky's shoulder. "First time you've ever seen a
baby be born?"
Ricky nodded slowly, his eyes never leaving Gabrielle.
Arose patted his shoulder once more and squeezed it gently. "It's gonna be fine.
Messy, but fine."
Ricky nodded again and kept his hand over his mouth, not daring to say a word.
"Gabrielle, get ready to push on the next contraction!" Xena exclaimed hoarsely.
She licked her lips and pushed her hair away from her face.
Gabrielle's eyes met Xena's and she nodded slightly, getting ready for the next
contraction as Joxer wiped sweat off her brow. "NUUUGGHHHH!" she yelled as a
contraction hit and pushed.
"Come on! Push, Gabrielle, push!" Xena exclaimed.
"I AM PUSHING! AAAAHHH!" Gabrielle buried her head against Joxer's chest, her
body trembling from her efforts.
"Gabrielle, there's the head!" Joxer exclaimed, his dark eyes shining in
feverish excitement.
"Okay... Relax... Wait for the next one..." Xena cautioned.
Gabrielle nodded, her chest heaving. She looked up at Joxer's face, her eyes
locking into his. For a moment, everyone's voices faded into the background as
she gazed into his eyes. She saw that he was just as scared as she was, but at
the same time, those warm, dark eyes were filled with love and determination.
His lips curled into a tiny smile and she suddenly felt reassured that
everything was going to be fine.
Joxer gently reached out and caressed her cheek, his eyes never leaving hers.
Gabrielle licked her lips and nodded once. She felt the contractions coming and
squeezed Joxer's hand tightly. He tried not to wince and kept looking down at
her as she pushed. She let loose a loud, triumphant yell as the baby's shoulders
emerged. Another series of smaller contractions hit then the rest of the body
slid out into Xena's waiting arms, followed by the afterbirth.
"It's a girl, Gabrielle! A girl!" Xena's excited voice slowly emerged into her
conscious mind. There was the sound of a gentle slap, followed by soft cries
that quickly grew in volume. Darien woke up from his sleep and his cries joined
his sister's. She heard someone exclaiming from outside that the second baby was
a girl and chanting started up.
Jace immediately burst into happy tears. "Oh, she's so pretty!" he blubbered,
sniffling as he wiped his face with a lace handkerchief while still holding the
crying Darien in his free arm.
Ricky's face changed from the slight greenish tinge to stark white. His dark
brown eyes rolled up and he flopped over in a dead faint. "Ricky! Ricky!" Arose
exclaimed. "Jace, I need your help!" Eve got off Arose's lap and sat on the
floor as brother and sister carefully laid the young man out after Jace gave
Darien back to Joxer. Arose gently patted Ricky on the cheek. "Ricky? Ricky?"
"Eww! That is so totally icky!" Aphrodite exclaimed from her vantage point,
wrinkling her nose at the mess, then turned her gaze to the new parents with a
beautiful grin on her gorgeous features. "She's a cutie though. You two did real
good. You can totally forget about having a good night's sleep though for quite
some time between the feedings and grody poopy diaper changes!" she finished
with a giggle.
"Thanks Aphrodite," Gabrielle yawned as she lifted her head slightly to see Xena
cutting the umbilical cord. "She has your hair and skin color too, Joxer," she
murmured. She looked up at Joxer, who was smiling happily as he silently cried.
"Hey?" she queried softly. "You all right?"
Joxer slowly tore his gaze away from Xena cleaning up their daughter. "You did
it, Gabrielle!" Joxer whispered. He carefully leaned down and kissed her on the
forehead.
"No, Joxer. We did it together," Gabrielle reminded him, reaching up to touch
his face, not noticing that she was crying too. He put his hand over hers and
smiled through his tears.
"Hey. I've got a little girl here who wants to meet her mommy and daddy," Xena
said softly as she finished wrapping the newborn in another soft blanket. She
carefully placed the baby on Gabrielle's stomach and smiled at her two friends.
Gabrielle and Joxer gazed at Xena for a moment before Joxer spoke up softly.
"Thank you, Xena." He reached out and squeezed her shoulder, rewarding her with
his trademark goofy grin.
Xena's blue eyes sparkled for a moment with what appeared to be tears but they
were quickly suppressed. "Yeah, well... You're welcome, you big dork," she
mumbled with gruff affection in her voice, returning the squeeze with a
warrior's grip on Joxer's arm. She looked down at Gabrielle, who smiled tiredly
up at her. She returned the smile and gently squeezed Gabrielle's hand. "They're
beautiful, Gabrielle."
Gabrielle nodded. "Thanks."
Xena loosened her grip and turned around to see that Ricky was awake from his
fainting spell, looking a bit pale, but none the worse for wear. "I think he
needs some air, you two," she said to Jace and Arose, her lips beginning to
twitch in amusement as Jace and Arose carefully pulled a still-shaken Ricky to
his feet.
"You heard her! Move it, move it, move it!" Aphrodite exclaimed, sparkles
starting to shoot from her fingertips. She made a shooing motion at the Amazons
who were still looking inside the hut. After the Amazons hastily obeyed her
command and got out of the way, she watched Jace and Arose help escort Ricky
outside the hut. She turned around and giggled throatily. "It's been quite a
ride, you two, but I've gotta make tracks and catch some totally radical waves
off Rhodes, so see you peeps later! Toodles!" With those words, she snapped her
fingers and disappeared in a bright pink and gold light, leaving the scent of
roses behind.
Artemis, who had kept silent, also rose to her feet. She gazed down at the new
family and smiled slightly. "I am very pleased with these children. They are
fine additions to the Amazon Nation. Farewell for now, Queen Gabrielle and
Joxer." She disappeared a moment later in a blue-white flash of light.
Xena turned to gaze at Cyane, who was staring in the spot that Artemis just
disappeared from with wide eyes. "C'mon. Let's give the new family a little bit
of time to themselves," she said, giving the Amazon Queen a poke on the arm
before lifting Eve up in her arms and giving her a gentle kiss on the cheek,
which was happily returned. Cyane jumped in the spot that she stood, startled by
the poke. She looked at Xena, who raised an eyebrow at her. Nodding once, Cyane
blinked once and headed outside the tent, Xena and Eve following her.
Xena stopped in the doorway and turned around. "I'll be back in a little while.
I'll be right outside if you need me, okay?"
"Okay Xena," Gabrielle replied, yawning again. Xena smiled and left the hut,
talking softly to Eve.
Joxer looked down at Gabrielle, who was counting their daughter's fingers and
toes. "Hello Irene," he said softly, reaching out to touch the downy soft cheek
with his index finger. "She's going to look just like you, Gabrielle." He leaned
down to kiss Irene, then Darien and finally Gabrielle on the forehead. "I love
you, Gabrielle."
"I love you too, Joxer," Gabrielle replied, tears slowly falling down her
cheeks.
"Hey... What's the matter?"
Gabrielle smiled through her tears. "It's nothing, Joxer. I'm just happy. That's
all," she quickly reassured her husband. The smile left her face and she sighed
a little. "I was thinking about Hope," she confessed softly. Joxer's face grew
serious and he nodded. "I never thought that I'd ever get the chance to have a
normal child after what had happened. And now we have two beautiful children,
normal, healthy and beautiful children... I feel like I've been given a second
chance Ð to do everything right this time."
Joxer nodded, gently wiping the tears away from Gabrielle's cheeks. "I know what
you mean." He looked down at their children, his eyes widening when both babies
opened their eyes for a moment. "Gabrielle, they have your eye color!"
Gabrielle laughed a little at Joxer's voice, filled with childlike wonder. "Ooo.
Hurts a bit to laugh," she murmured.
Joxer's face immediately became alarmed. "Are you okay?" he asked anxiously.
"I'm fine, Joxer. I'm fine. Sore, but fine." Gabrielle yawned again. "We won't
know for sure what their eye color will be for a few months, though."
Joxer answered confidently, "Definitely yours."
"We'll see," Gabrielle answered in a small voice, blinking hard in an effort to
keep awake. Joxer smiled and put his arms over her and entwined her smaller
fingers with his much larger digits. The couple quietly gazed at their newborn
children, both of whom had fallen asleep from their combined body warmth,
neither one saying a word even when Xena re-entered the hut.