Disclaimer: TPTB obviously don't want Joxer so I'll take him myself. sticks tongue out
He glared at the disappearing figure decked in black leather. Jett had dragged him into town while he bought that months supplies, saying that he needed to get out of the house. He had tried to fight the darker man off, but he didn't stand a chance against the other man.
He jerked away as he felt a breeze against his arm, automatically searching for the cause. What if it was Jacob? What if he was actually alive? They never did find his body, so it's possible, isn't it?
There was no one within ten feet of him... It was only the wind. He took a shaky breath, silently counting to ten. A trick Jace had taught him, a trick that never seemed to work. It couldn't ever chase the fear or pain away, it couldn't make the last seventeen years disappear.
" Excuse me? You gave me the wrong sword..."
Joxer paused at the sound of the angry voice, forgetting about his demons for once. The thick Irish voice drew his dark eyes to the back of a woman fighting with a heavy set black smith. On first glance he couldn't see anything special about her, shoulder length wavy red hair, average height, firm and muscular.
" No, that's the right one. Now move along little girl, I've got costumer's to see about."
He'd seen enough violence in his life to know when someone was a danger, and at that moment seeing nothing but the woman's back he knew that she was not someone you messed with. Her entire body was held regally, every nerve and muscle alert.
" This isn't my sword, and if you don't get me my sword then I'll take it."
Joxer stepped away as her right hand took a firm hold on the cheaply made sword. Her left hand sneaking around to her back and gripping the long knife holstered across her waist. He forced his feet to stop moving. He couldn't just stand there and let her take this guy on by herself.
Why? It's not like anyone ever cared enough about you, to help you out. ' No, Jett did, so did Jace. ' Pride welled up in his chest at the thought of his two brothers. So what if one was a killer for hire, so what if the other one dressed like a drag queen... He grimaced at the image of Jace that conjured up, alright so it bothered him a little.
Joxer took hold of that pride and nervously approached them. Each step becoming more sure. He could do this, he wanted to do this. He wanted to help someone, to return the debt he felt that he owed his brothers.
" Look, lady I don't know what your problem is..."
" My problem is you and your bloody scam..."
" Uh, excuse me..." he said quietly.
" Scam?! Are you accusing me of...?"
" You're damned right I am..."
" Uh, excuse me.." he tried again as the two ignored him. " HEY!!!"
He gulped as two sets of blazing eyes landed on him with murder in them. Alright so he had their attention, now what? One of the silliest, dumbest grins he'd ever had found itself plastered to his face while he struggled to find someway to diffuse the situation.
" Um, hi. I..you..." He scrunched up his face turning one of Jett's glares on the black smith. " I believe the lady asked you for her sword, and I'm sure that if you would simply look, you'd find that it was nothing more than a small mix-up."
He narrowed his eyes at the man and waited for him to quiver. No, he'd probably wet his pants, then run for his life. The large man began to shake, his face convulsing strangely, much to Joxer's satisfaction. He'd put the fear of the gods into this over grown jerk.
He snarled at the black smith as he began to...laugh. Joxer blinked in surprise when the metal worker doubled over in tears from the force of the laughing fit. His pride sniffed sadly and turned away, high tailing it out of there in tears.
" Wh...bu...yo..."
The black smith straightened up and clapped him on the shoulder, all hint of humor gone. " The only mistake made here was by you." The meaty fist came up slamming into his jaw, sending him flying back into a rack of staffs.
Joxer whimpered, rolling his body into a fetal position instinctively. A suffocating weight was on him, the sharp pain hitting his body rapidly. The fists kept coming, pounding into him over and over, a warm wet liquid coursing over his skin.
The laughter though, the laughter was the worst. The cruel inhuman sound that reminded him of Jacob, of the torturous sessions they had at night. He clenched his jaws to keep the bubbling scream inside. He couldn't scream, he couldn't make noise, if he made noise the pain got worse.
The sound of movement made him tense...
" AAAAAHHHHHH!!!!!" Joxer sat up into the waiting warmth of tender arms. A musical voice sang softly in his ear, those deep green eyes reminding him of what peace must be like.
He buried his head into her shoulder inhaling the scent of rain and horses that accented her natural smell. The haze of exhaustion called out to him once more, even as he felt his body being lowered onto the fluffy bed.
Erin kissed his forehead, and laid across his chest willing to let him hold onto her for as long as he needed to. She found herself staring right out the open bedroom door, and at a red faced Gabrielle.
The camp was alive with laughter and fighting. A large group of the army was standing around in a circle with their attention locked on two burly men rolling on the ground. A bald man with sharp features looked on with disapproval, but he made no move to break it up either.
He recognized him as his uncles second in command. A northerner with inhuman strength, and the mind of a genius. He was the main source of his uncles success. He would make the battle plans, he would execute them, and then he would fade into the background.
He was Jett's only real problem. The guy was loyal, or at least that's what everyone thought. Jett couldn't be sure whether the Viking would give his own life for Jacobs or not, but he would know by the time this night was over.
Erin entered the small kitchen and paused at the evil glare Gabrielle was throwing at her. She had the bard pegged from minute one. She was in love with Joxer but refused to let herself see it. A quality she hated in anyone, but truly despised in someone close to Joxer.
She smiled brightly at the blonde, her natural instinct for mischief flaring to life. " Sorry about that. He has these nightmares sometimes, and the only thing that calms him is my holding him."
She sat down and carefully sipped at her cup of ale, keeping a careful eye on Gabrielle. As she expect the blonde clenched her jaw with narrowed eyes, grinding her teeth so loudly that she winced. Oh yeah, that got a reaction.
She chanced a quick glance over at Xena and hide a smirk at the twinkle in the other woman's sharp eyes. Okay, so she didn't mind.
" He always was a cuddlier..." She snorted softly into her cup as two sais appeared in the bards hands. " ...first man I've ever heard of wanting to snuggle like that, but then again it is a major turn on."
Thump. Erin raised her eyes in time to see the sai sink deeply into the table top, a fist clenching the handle so tightly that her knuckles cracked. She smiled innocently, " Are you okay...Gad...Gam...?"
" Gabrielle..." The bard supplied.
" Oh, yes, that's right. I'm afraid Joxer hasn't really mentioned you much. He talked about Xena a great deal..." The second sai joined the first embedded in the table. "...and of course he talked about how he kept in touch with Meg..."
Erin stopped talking when she heard the low growling. Maybe the bard had more spunk than she'd thought. Hmm. " After all she did save him from being bought by some Roman slave trader... I guess, you could even say he was grateful... "
" Not that I allowed that friendship to continue after we were married. I couldn't exactly have the man that shared my bed running around with someone like her..." She barely suppressed a flinch as the table suddenly developed a long crack down it. She eyed the fine wood craftsmanship, was it really worth having to buy a new table over?
Gabrielle looked back at her with such total hate that she nearly laughed. Oh yeah, it was worth it. She stared back at Gabrielle with a child like innocence and pouted. " Then some air head blonde goddess over turned our marriage, saying something about how Joxer wasn't really in love with me and all that nonsense."
A loud crack ricocheted through the room as the crack in the table widened considerably. The bard stood up and yanked her sais loose. For one brief second Erin found herself fearing her life, the blonde glaring down at her with her sais in attack position. Then Gabrielle spun around and stormed out of the house, slamming the door behind her.
" You realize she's going to kill you."
Erin took a long gulp of ale and shrugged easily. " She can always try."
" So if all that is true then why are you still living here?"
" Oh, that. Joxer is on the road most of the time so he can't take care of the ranch, but with me here..."
" ...then he can travel all he wants." Xena finished with quiet understanding.
" And I get room and board, plus can work on trying to get him back." She joked unconvincingly.
When Joxer had told her that it was over she had smiled and said she understood, but she hadn't. She loved him, and time wouldn't make it any better, but he was convinced that what he felt was only a love for a friend.
She pushed her cup of ale away with distaste. " I think it's time I turned in."
Xena sat back watching her retreating form, not liking the insight she had just gotten. Apparently she was dealing with a friend who was in denial over the fact that she was in love with Joxer, and Joxer's ex-wife was in denial over the fact that he wasn't in love with her.
' Aphrodite is behind this, she just has to be. '