Part 23:

Jett stalked away from his mother and brothers, his mind whirling. One of his neighbors saw him and she opened her mouth to greet him but when she saw the look on his face, she turned around and ran off in the direction she had come from. He heard someone running behind him but he didn't look to see who it was.

"Jett..."

"Look, Jox! I don't want to talk about it, okay?"

"Okay."

Jett glanced over at Joxer when he heard the sadness in his brother's voice. He sighed when he saw the equally sad expression that went along with the voice. "I just don't get it, Jox. I really don't," he mumbled, feeling himself beginning to calm down a little. "This just isn't like her to be so... So..."

"Spontaneous?" Joxer supplied, his eyes rising up to meet Jett's.

"Exactly!" Jett answered with a fierce nod.

Joxer's lips pursed up in thought as he considered his next words. "Well, love can make you do crazy things sometimes," he said finally. "I should know."

Jett rolled his eyes at his brother's observation and shook his head. The two walked in silence for a couple of minutes before he asked, "So, what do you think of...?"

"Gaston?"

"Yeah."

Joxer's eyebrows rose. "Well... He seems okay, but a little, uh, flaky."

"Phht! Oh yeah, he's flaky, all right! Flaky like a croissant!" Jett exclaimed with an indignant snort, making Joxer chuckle. "That damned crackpot nearly got us all killed before we got here."

"What are you talking about?"

"Just south of here, we got attacked by a bunch of villagers. In the middle of the fighting, there was this explosion..." Jett began.

Joxer's eyes widened. "Wait a minute! An explosion?" He came to a halt and grabbed Jett's shoulders. "What kind of an explosion?"

Jett glared, and realizing what he was doing, Joxer dropped his hands. "It was loud. There was thick black smoke everywhere and it stank like no tomorrow!" he said. "I turned around and that kook had..." He stopped talking and stared at Joxer, who was grinning widely. "What's the matter with you? Gabrielle hasn't bought any nutbread recently, has she?"

"Black powder!"

"Huh?"

"Black powder!" Joxer repeated. "Remember Gabrielle telling about when Xena, she, and I went to Chin when Xena was pregnant with Evie - and I discovered how to make the black powder?"

Jett nodded and then his own lips lifted up in a small grin. "Yeah..." He clapped Joxer on the back, almost knocking him over. "You can't fight worth a tinker's damn, but you sure can blow stuff up, Bro - including yourself!"

Joxer made a face. "Har de har har! Very funny, Jett! I'm gonna tell Xena what I want to do. See you later."

Jett watched Joxer run off before he turned around and walked away in the opposite direction, smiling slightly.

Adora walked into a clearing just outside the village, trying to keep her composure. She kept hearing Melody saying that she was 'demon spawn' over and over in her mind and that she should leave because she kept everyone in danger. "Maybe I should leave!" she yelled in sheer frustration.

"Leave? Why would you want to leave here, child?"

Adora turned around to see an old woman sitting by a hut. She frowned because she didn't remember anybody living there before. "Who are you?" she asked.

The stranger smiled warmly. "My name doesn't matter, child. I'm just an old woman. But why are you leaving?"

"Because I'm not wanted here," Adora mumbled, turning away to hide the sudden tears that stung her eyes.

"Oh child, you're so wrong. From what I can see, you're most welcome here."

Adora rolled her eyes. "Not by my aunt."

"Yes, child - even by her. She was just upset."

"Then you heard her? Oh yeah, I guess that you did. I'm sure that everyone that was within twelve leagues of here heard what she said."

"Yes. I heard what she said but it'll be all right." The old woman reached into her bag and took out a golden pin that had a large sapphire stone in the middle of it. "Here. I want you to have this. It will protect you."

Adora took the pin and stared at it. "It's beautiful..." She raised her head and gazed at the old woman sharply. "Who are you?" she whispered.

The woman smiled slightly. "Me? I'm just an old woman that wants to help. Now I must leave."

The woman got up and walked away into the forest. Adora watched her leave, frowning in puzzlement until the old woman seemed to vanish into the trees without a trace. She gazed down at the pin for a few moments before she went off to find Eve.

Once she was sure that Adora could not see her, the old woman's body shimmered with a golden light and she transformed into her true form. Brigandu sighed as she watched her granddaughter leave. "I did all I could to help, my child. The rest is up to you."

"So you say... Mother..."

Brigandu's eyes widened in shock as she slowly turned around to face Teutales. "My son," she began, but he held up his hand to silence her.

"Did you think I wasn't aware of what you've been trying to do all this time?" he asked mockingly, his lips curling up into a smile. "I know that you tricked the acolyte years ago into thinking that the vessel she chose for me to bring my child into the world was the correct one - and yes, I even went along with your game after a while - in my own fashion." The smile widened and then hardened into a sneer. "But no more, Mother. The girl is mine..."

"Adora is not just yours! She is..."

"Also the child of a softhearted mortal that I can easily dispose of, if I wish," Teutales interrupted.

Brigandu shook her head wearily. "Your arrogance will be your downfall, my son," she murmured as she turned away from him. "Do not dismiss the mortal named Joxer so easily."

"Perhaps I shouldn't," Teutales grudgingly admitted after a few moments of silent contemplation. "But your fondness for the mortals will be your downfall, Mother." He looked up at the sky and smiled. "War is coming. I can feel it in the air - and what a beautiful thing it'll be..." He exhaled blissfully, closing his eyes before disappearing into the ether.

Brigandu stared at the spot that her son had been standing in for a long time lost in deep thought before she left the clearing in a golden flash of light.

Adora found Eve sitting on the ground, writing. "Eve... The weirdest thing just happened..."

Eve looked up from her scroll, the quill she held between her fingers poised in midair. "Dorie, are you all right?" she asked softly.

Adora nodded and smiled slightly, knowing the reason why Eve asked her that. "Yeah, I'm going to be okay. Thanks." The smile quickly turned to a frown as she stared down at her hand.

Eve re-capped her ink bottle and rose to her feet, absentmindedly rolling up her scroll. "What are you looking at?"

"This." Adora showed Eve the pin.

Eve blinked in surprise. "It's beautiful, Dorie... But where did you get that? Did you find it somewhere?"

Adora shook her head. "No. That's what's so weird... I took a walk to think and I came upon this old woman in that clearing just outside of town. She gave it to me - said it would protect me." She saw the concerned look on Eve's face and rolled her eyes. "Evie, I'm not stupid, for crying out loud! You know that I wouldn't take something like this normally, but for some strange reason it felt right that I should." She shook her head. "I really can't explain it."

Eve put her hand on Adora's shoulder. "I know you're not stupid, Dorie. I didn't mean to make you feel like that, but maybe Mom should take a look at that pin - just to be on the safe side."

Adora nodded in agreement. "I guess you're right. Okay. Let's go."

"So, what do you think, Xena?"

Xena smiled. "I think it's a good idea, Joxer, because it'll give us a clear advantage over anybody who tries to attack. Do you think you can get all the ingredients you need - and the quantity you want to make?"

"Yeah, I think so. I'll need to stop by the apothecary first - and I'll probably need some help with assembling the rockets, too."

Xena nodded. "Okay, then. Get started on them - and, Joxer?"

"Yeah, Xena?"

"Be careful."

"I will," Joxer said with a smile, leaning down to give Gabrielle a quick kiss and waving to Hercules and Iolaus before turning around and running back to Nikolas' to get the last ingredient he needed. After that, he headed to Gabrielle's store so he could work without interruption. He climbed up the stairs and his eyes widened in surprise when he found his mother and Gaston waiting inside the shop. "Um... Hello."

They both turned around. "Hello, Joxer. Are you okay?" Jezda murmured. "I didn't..." She fell silent as she gazed at her youngest son with a troubled expression on her face.

Joxer was silent for a moment before he replied, "I'm still a little bothered that you didn't tell us, Mom, but right now I need to put that aside. There's too much work to do." Joxer then turned to Gaston, thoughtfully gazing at him for a little while before speaking again. "Jett told me about you having rockets that contained Chin powder inside them. Where did you get them from?"

Gaston looked relieved that Joxer wasn't angrily confronting him over that. "Well... There was a peddler that had recently been in Chin." He reached inside the pouch that he was carrying and handed the last small rocket he had to Joxer. "He said that these were good to have in case I ever got attacked on the road."

Joxer studied the tiny weapon intently. "You have no idea," he murmured. He looked up and gazed at Gaston in silence for a few minutes, making the older man feel nervous.

Jezda gazed at her youngest son worriedly, wondering what he was going to do or say.

Finally, Joxer spoke. "Listen, I know how to make the powder, but I need to make quite a few large rockets - and putting them together takes time." His dark eyes softened. "I'd like you to help me."

Gaston turned and smiled at Jezda, relieved. "At last, I am needed."

"Then you'll help?"

Gaston turned around, still beaming as he looked up at Joxer, who was gazing down at him curiously. "Oui! But of course! Lead on, mon ami!"

Joxer nodded and indicated the back room. "Good. Follow me, please."

Jezda smiled as she watched the two go out back. Perhaps things were going to be all right after all, she thought as the smile faded from her lips and was replaced with a troubled expression. That was, if they survived and if Jett was willing to give Gaston a chance... She sighed then and went to go find Cyrene.

"Just tell me why you accepted him without questioning his motives, Jace."

Jace looked at his brother. "Did you come here to get me on your side? I won't lie to you and say that I wasn't surprised because I was, believe me. But like I said before: if he makes Mother happy, I have nothing against them being together." He continued gazing at his older brother before he asked in a thoughtful voice, "Jett, why does this bother you so much?"

Jett stalked back and forth inside the dance studio like a wolf on the prowl. "Because he's from Gaul. He could be a spy - and we know nothing about him."

Jace considered Jett's words carefully. "That's a good point, but then again, Mother and Pierre are also from Gaul. Do you believe that they're spies too?"

"No, of course not," Jett sighed as he came to a halt in the middle of the studio and crossed his arms over his chest.

Jace walked over to Jett, placed his arm around his brother's shoulders and gazed at him. When Jett didn't try to push him away, he smiled. "Jett... Try giving Gaston a chance. No one said that you have to call him Father. Even I won't do that." He lowered his voice then. "Father's been dead and buried for over four years now. Don't you want Mother to have an opportunity to be happy with somebody she really loves?" he asked, his accent disappearing.

Jett scowled and Jace wondered if he was pushing his luck, but he returned the gaze calmly. "You know that I do," Jett muttered.

"Then just give him a chance, huh?"

"I'll try..." Jett turned away from Jace's stare and exhaled harshly. "But he's such a damned flake!"

"In this world, being a flake sometimes comes in handy."

"Jace?"

"Yeah?"

"You're a little flaky yourself," Jett murmured with a lopsided grin as he glanced at Jace.

Jace returned the lopsided grin, giving Jett's shoulders a little squeeze at the same time. "Yes, I know - and I'm proud of it."