Part 24:

Joxer stood in front of the table and studied the materials that he and Gaston had gathered up to make the rockets, mentally making sure they had everything before turning to look at Gaston. "Did you get everything I wrote down on the list?"

"Oui," Gaston said as he indicated the long sticks and tubes lying in a pile.

"Good," Joxer nodded as he got some bowls from a nearby shelf. "Okay. We have to be real careful while we do this, otherwise this place is gonna blow sky high," he said as he began to slowly pour one of the ingredients into a bowl. "While I'm doing this, why don't you start putting those together?" he suggested, indicating the materials on the floor. He quickly showed Gaston how to assemble the bottom section of the rocket and where to put the fuse.

Gaston nodded and the two soon became engrossed in their work for a little while until Joxer looked up and pushed a lock of hair away from his eyes. "So... Gaston... How did you meet my mother?"

The older man looked up at Joxer with a smile on his face. "Ah, oui... It was a very bad day for Gaston."

"Wait a second! Meeting Mom was a very bad day for you?"

"Non, non! You didn't let me finish! You must let Gaston tell you the whole story."

Joxer found it was a little strange that Gaston spoke about himself as if he was somebody else but he didn't comment on it. "Sorry."

Gaston dismissed the apology with an extravagant wave of his hand. "C'est tout exact, mon ami. As I was saying, it was a very bad day for Gaston. I had just come over in a great ship to this land with Pedro. I had no job and no one would hire me. One day, I rode into your mother's village. The villagers... They make fun of Gaston because he is different."

Joxer's lips lifted up in a slight smile. "I know how that feels," he murmured as he carefully added in another ingredient, his nose wrinkling up at the resulting smell.

Gaston shook his head in disagreement. "I'm not sure you do, mon ami. Gaston is a stranger to this place and the people around here don't seem to care for strangers. But your mother - she is different."

"Mom always did have a kind heart."

"Oui, Joxer. She has a very kind heart and the moment that I saw her, I fell in love. I know it sounds strange, but I speak the truth."

Joxer nodded. "Was it love at first sight for Mom?"

"Alas, it wasn't. Jezda took pity on me and gave me a job. But I did my best to please her because I loved her," Gaston sighed. He gave Joxer one of the assembled tubes and watched as the younger man carefully began pouring the powder inside it.

"So when did Mom start showing her feelings?"

"It was during a storm - a bad one. We were alone in her house. The servants had left for the night. My Jezda is afraid of storms."

"Yes, I know," Joxer said, remembering how terribly frightened his mother used to be whenever a bad thunderstorm came through Athens when he and his brothers were little. "Could you hold this steady while I put the top on?" he asked. "Thanks. Go on," he added in encouragingly.

Gaston nodded as he held the tube. "I held her as the storm raged on that night and I knew that I had to tell her how I felt about her. So I did, and she told me that she felt the same way."

"Did you speak Greek or Gallic?"

Joxer and Gaston both looked up to see Jett leaning against the doorway, his face expressionless as he stared at the two of them.

Gaston nervously cleared his throat and said, "We spoke in our native tongue."

"Jett, how long have you been standing there?" Joxer asked.

"Long enough. I'm glad someone was there for Mom," Jett said as he straightened his posture. "Jox, Xena wants to know if you've got those rocket thingies ready yet. She said she can smell trouble in the air. She thinks we're going to see some action tonight - and it won't be pretty either."

"The first batch should be ready in another hour or so."

"Okay. I'll tell her." Jett then walked away.

Gaston looked at Joxer. "I think he will like me - eventually."

Joxer nodded, gazing at the empty doorway with a troubled look on his face. "Who knows? Stranger things have happened before." He sighed heavily before turning around and adding in, "Okay. Let's get this done."

Adora sat on the bench breaking up beans for supper when a pair of hands covered her eyes. "Guess who?"

"Um, let me see... Is it Uncle Hercules?"

"No! Better than him!"

Adora felt her lips beginning to twitch with suppressed laughter. "Better than Uncle Hercules, huh? Then you've just got to be my dad!"

"Oh, come on! It's me - Ioannes!" the boy groaned as he took his hands away.

Adora turned around with a huge smile on her face. "Hi, Ioannes."

"Hi Dorie... Where've you been lately?" he asked curiously as he sat down next to her on the bench.

The smile left Adora's face. "I've been busy," she mumbled, averting her gaze away.

Ioannes reached out and touched her shoulder. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, but you should be getting ready just in case. Aunt Xena said that she thinks that something bad is going to happen tonight."

"I know. That's why I'm here. Stephanos and I'd like you and Eve to meet us at the olive grove right at the western edge of town."

"Why?"

The boy rolled his eyes. "Oh, come on, Dorie! We could all die tonight, if she's right..." He rose to his feet then and turned away in embarrassment.

Adora stood up, leaned over and gave Ioannes a kiss on the cheek. "Okay, I'll get Eve. We'll meet you there."

Ioannes took Adora in his arms and kissed her soundly. "We'll be waiting," he murmured in her ear before turning around and heading for his house.

Adora smiled as she watched him leaving, absently reaching up and touching her lips.

"EWWWWW! That was so gross!"

Adora turned around to see Andy looking up at her with a disgusted expression on his face. Impishly, she suddenly grabbed him, picked him up and began kissing him before he could move away.

The little boy squirmed in her arms. "Oh, gross! Stop it, Dorie!"

"Andy, I think Ioannes loves me." She kissed him noisily on his left cheek.

Andy continued squirming in Adora's grasp. "Put me down! Ick! Cut it out!" he squawked when she kissed him again.

"I'm so happy!" Adora exclaimed as she whirled around.

"DORIE, PUT ME DOWN!" Andy screeched. "YOU'RE MAKING ME DIZZY!"

"Okay, okay..." Adora carefully put her cousin down. "Hey, aren't you happy for me?"

Andy's face scrunched up. "I guess so... Just don't ever kiss me again! Ewww! Girl cooties! Yuck! Ptooey!" He stuck his tongue out and ran off before Adora could say another word.

Adora smiled as she watched her cousin leave, feeling better than she had felt in days. She turned around then, the momentary euphoria changing to gloom as she sat back down to finish what she started. She knew that Eve would want to see Stephanos, but she was already in so much trouble with her parents as it was...

Gabrielle stuck her head outside the doorway just as Adora finished her task. "Are you going to be much longer with that?"

"Nope," Adora replied as she rose to her feet with the pot in her hands. "I just finished up."

"Great. Thanks, Dorie." Gabrielle smiled as Adora walked up the stairs to join her and she took the pot from her. "Could you set the table?"

"Sure," Adora agreed as they walked inside the house. "Mom...?"

"What's the matter?"

Adora sighed and shook her head. "Never mind. It's not important," she mumbled as she began putting plates on the table.

Gabrielle gazed at her daughter curiously, knowing that something was bothering her but decided not to press her for details. "Okay," she said with a nod as she put the beans over the fire after dumping water into the pot and salting them. "You know that if something's bothering you, you can always talk to me or your father."

"I know. Thanks, Mom." She went over to Gabrielle and hugged her fiercely.

"Mom... Dad?"

Joxer swallowed the piece of bread that he was chewing on and turned his head towards Adora. "What's the matter, Dorie?" he asked softly.

Xena and Gabrielle exchanged glances before focusing their attention on father and daughter while Eve gazed at her friend curiously.

He looks so tired, Adora thought worriedly - and it's all because of me. She sighed, temporarily lost in her thoughts before she said, "Ioannes stopped by here earlier..."

"And?" Joxer gazed at Adora curiously.

Adora blushed and bit her bottom lip. "He asked if Eve and I could meet him and Stephanos for a little while at the olive tree right at the edge of town... I, uh, was wondering if we could go." She sighed and looked down at her hands, which she was nervously wringing. "I know I've caused a lot of trouble these past few days and I'm still grounded, but..." She trailed off.

Eve put her mug on the table and looked down at her hands as she waited for the three adults to mercilessly begin chewing her and Adora out. As the uncomfortable silence stretched, she dared to look up at her mother for a split second and quickly averted her eyes when Xena impassively returned her gaze before turning towards the equally unreadable-looking Gabrielle and Joxer. Please! she thought desperately. Just get it over with already and...

"Okay."

"WHAT?" Both girls whirled their heads around to look at Joxer with wide, round eyes.

The left side of his mouth lifted up in a tired half-smile. "You both seem rather surprised that we're giving you permission."

"That might just be the understatement of the year, Uncle Joxer."

Gabrielle chuckled at Eve's remark, but her face quickly grew serious as she looked at the still-astonished duo. "We're saying that it's okay for you to go because you asked us. You didn't try making up some kind of story or just simply sneak away when none of us were looking to get what you wanted," she explained.

"Right," Xena agreed with a nod. "I won't say that I'm not worried because I really feel that something's going to go down tonight, but we want you know to that we trust you to ultimately make the right decision and be responsible for your actions."

Adora's face lit up like a Roman candle as she rose to her feet. "Thanks!" she exclaimed, hugging her parents and Xena before sprinting over to the door and practically jumping over the threshold. "C'mon, Evie!" she said eagerly, sticking her head inside the doorway.

"Okay, okay! I'm coming!" Eve laughed as she joined her friend after enthusiastically embracing the others. "Thank you!"

"We won't be long," Adora promised.

"That's good, because I'd hate for us to have to come after you."

"PAPA!" Adora rolled her eyes in exasperation and yelped when Eve unceremoniously grabbed her by the wrist and pulled her down the stairs.

"We'll be back around sunset!" Eve yelled over her shoulder and took off in a dead run, Adora hot at her heels.

Joxer waited until they could no longer hear the girls' excited chattering before he leaned back in his chair and sighed. "I hope we did the right thing." He turned in the direction of the open doorway, his features etched in concern.

Gabrielle reached out and affectionately ruffled Joxer's hair. "I think we did. Let's face it, Pookie. They're not little kids anymore. We can't protect them from everything, no matter how much we want to," she murmured before kissing him on the cheek.

Joxer returned the kiss and smiled sadly. "I know. It's hard to let go, though."

Xena nodded thoughtfully, her eyes quickly darting towards the door before she stood up, picked up her supper bowl and looked down at her longtime friends. "C'mon. We've got a lot more work to do," she quietly reminded them. "The others should be coming over shortly to talk strategy."

Gabrielle and Joxer rose to their feet to clear off the table as Xena walked out the door.