Author's Note: Well 2 reviews and it got the juices flowing! Another chapter! Hot damn I'm on a roll! Now...WARNING WARNING - foul language ahead! Be warned! And of course...huge twists and turns coming that I hope no one saw coming!
"JOXER WAIT!" Elaine yelled. "Damn stupid sneakers!" Elaine muttered as she tried to catch up with Joxer while trying to keep herself from falling with the extremely wet and muddy paths.
Joxer thankfully stopped and turned around looking miserable and as close to tears as earlier.
Elaine stopped at the sight. She really should have gotten them out of there sooner but had truly gotten sidetracked with the idea of Solan stuck in Tartarus. Plus – bonus…she already was changing things for the better!
But the look on Joxer's face showed that he was beyond hurt. Especially with the way Gabrielle was acting. Which…again left Elaine extremely confused. Gabrielle had been the reason she had been extremely attracted to Joxer to begin with.
After everything that happened to Gabrielle, to watch Joxer not once look at her differently – but fall more in love with her after everything she had been through?! It was incredible!
It had given her hope that maybe the same could happen for her. That after everything that had happened to her in her life a man like Joxer would exist for her in real life.
But the world she lived it was a sad reality that tv shows and the real world were completely separate.
Joxer was beyond unique from what people thought. He had followed Xena before being in love with Gabrielle. A man following a woman across continents and constant abuse – all because he cared about her. Then watching how his heart would constantly be trampled on and just seeking some…affection. She had completely understood him.
"I'm sorry Joxer. I should have gotten us out of there sooner. Even if we decide to travel with Xena…" Elaine began but Joxer quickly interrupted.
"You're not the one that should be apologizing." Joxer said with an edge of anger to his words.
"Gotta say I'm impressed with the pipsqueak defending you." Ares said from behind Elaine with his hand as usual on the pummel end of his sword.
Elaine noticed this as she turned and just looked up at Ares with another question bursting out of her the second she thought it.
"Why exactly don't you hide that thing?! I mean you should have learned your lesson with it after what happened! Plus….it's not like you really need it!" Elaine said which caused Ares to look at her funny and then down at the sword and back at her.
"I'm the God of War." He said simply.
"And Aphrodite is the Goddess of Love! She walks around in a negligee. You need to hide that thing right now and then come back here and hang with us." Elaine said with the raising of her arm and pointing out to a random spot and gave Ares a pointed look.
Despite himself Ares looked like an angry scolded child. One second he was there…and the next he was not.
"Hang with us?" Joxer asked with a furrowed brow.
Elaine smirked. "It's a slang way of saying 'stay and have fun'."
Joxer just frowned. "I'm not really having any fun."
Elaine's smirk vanished. "I know. And I'm sorry that I was soo caught up with the whole…"
"NO! No. I mean…I…I'm…thankful…um…to you." Joxer motioned with one hand in the nervous way he usually did when he was caught off guard and afraid of what he was saying.
"The whole…Solan…alive…thing! That's um…that means the world to Xena…and…and even with um…everything…I'm…I'm happy for her. I'm really happy for her." Joxer continued with a look in his eyes that showed Elaine that he really was happy for Xena.
Elaine smiled. "You're a good person Joxer. Most people couldn't put away their personal pain for someone else's joy. And you…you seem to do it all the time. That's what makes you so incredible to me." Elaine raised her hand and cupped his face with it.
The way he relaxed and moved his head against her hand let the smile slip from Elaine's face as she realized he was seeking affection and comfort with the action. So without further prompting she moved to kiss him.
Joxer responded swiftly and Elaine couldn't help but feel a thrill run through her at the almost easy nature he was reciprocating her kisses.
When she finally pulled away she gave him one more slow kiss and muttered, "I love you."
The way he sighed out with closed eyes and leaned his forehead against her let Elaine know that his heart was in real pain.
"Why didn't they tell me?" He whispered the question to her.
Elaine knew what he meant and only sighed as she pulled away slightly and looked into his now open wounded brown eyes.
"I don't know Joxer. Honestly that's why I wanted to keep you from getting hurt in the future. I wish I could tell you they talked about telling you, or…they just…they were self-absorbed! They only thought things affected the two of them. They just…never thought…" Elaine left the rest unsaid as she realized that she was basically admitting to him that they just never thought about him.
She could see the pain instantly as he finally understood what she was saying. And it hurt Elaine immensely to see it there.
Joxer knew then that…that Xena had…she hadn't really been his friend had she? Knowing the whole time and not even…
She didn't even…
Why? Why wouldn't she at least tell him what was happening?! That it was…
He had told them. He had told them that he loved them. Not just Gabrielle.
He had told Xena!
They were his family!
And…and…
He knew she wasn't Meg! He knew that! Xena knew about Meg and not once tried to discourage it! Joxer wasn't a complete idiot! He knew that if Xena had said one word he wouldn't have ever…
Any man would be attracted to Xena or Meg even if they were blind!
But Xena hadn't said anything! She had just…
She hadn't cared.
The realization hit him and the pain that zinged through his heart at finally understanding that Xena really had never even thought about him…as a friend or…in any way was…
It hurt more than Gabrielle.
Tears filled his eyes and before Elaine could say a word found him openly crying against her neck and Elaine's look of shock turned to one of sadness.
He had finally understood what she hadn't been willing to say outloud.
And it was absolutely crushing to hear the sounds of his heart break.
Xena had just turned from the table where Solan sat eating to walk towards Amarice and Armand who had found Darcon passed out like Ares had said and had strung him up - when a pain she had never felt before snatched the breath from her lungs.
Before Gabrielle could even move Xena was on the ground clutching her chest gasping.
"XENA!" Gabrielle yelled scared as she dove to where Xena lay on the ground as well as Amarice and Armand doing the same.
"MOM!" Solan screamed and jumped up and ran to his mother.
"Xena! Xena! Breath Xena!" Gabrielle said beyond scared as fear gripped her.
"Xena are you alright?" Armand asked as he helped in a kneeled down position next to the pregnant warrior princess ready to help in any way.
"ARES!" Gabrielle screamed for him hoping that he was behind this and instantly he appeared.
With one look he was on the ground hoisting Xena up into his arms and immediately screamed a name that none of them expected!
"APOLLO! I NEED YOU NOW!" Ares screamed and quickly brought Xena to lie down on the bar top. His instant action alerting everyone that it most certainly hadn't been him that had caused this. Whatever was happening wasn't because of any God since Hera had blessed Xena's child which meant no harm should be happening to Xena.
"WHOA! Ok. Did not expect this!" Apollo said as he materialized beside Ares.
"Do something!" Ares said to what sounded in Gabrielle's ears like panic.
"Chill bro! She's gonna be…" Apollo stopped talking as he placed his hand over Xena's hand that was still clutching her heart and his smiling face dropped as he felt something he had never felt before.
"Go check on Aphrodite." Apollo said gravely.
"What?" Ares said looking at Apollo as though he were crazy.
"Go check on her now Ares!" Apollo said with clear fear heard in his voice which caused everyone in the entire tavern to become fearful.
"What's going on?! Apollo!" Gabrielle hysterical voice tried to get his attention as her eyes kept shifting from Xena to him. Not caring that she had absolutely no rapport with him and knew only from legends and tales about his ability to heal.
"I don't know." Apollo said softly as he kept trying to push down this unknown force that was almost being…ripped out of her heart…for lack of a better term.
Ares left and within a minute was back with Aphrodite laid out in his arms.
"What in Tartarus is going on?!" Apollo exclaimed at seeing a woman that he himself had loved looking as if she was gravely ill – which was impossible.
"Joxer." Ares said shaking his head with anger clearly seen on his face. Still holding Aphrodite he dissappeared and then appeared before Joxer and Elaine who sprung apart at the "Hey!" Ares yelled at the two.
Elaine's eyes immediately widened at the sight of Aphrodite in his arms and immediately went to exam her.
"Is she ok?! What the hell happened?!" Elaine quickly examined Aphrodite's vitals as Ares looked angrily at her.
"Whatever the…hell…you just did…it caused this! FIX IT!" Ares yelled in her face making Elaine look at him as if he was crazy.
"I didn't do anything! Joxer was just…"
"Aphrodite! Are you ok?!" Joxer asked as he too had rushed to Aphrodite's side.
At his voice Aphrodite's eyes opened blearily. "Joxer…"
Elaine was shocked at hearing Aphrodite actually use Joxer's name but was baffled when she reached for him from Ares' arms.
Joxer didn't even hesitate and took her in his arms from a really gentle Ares and cradled the goddess as though she were a baby.
"Did I do this? I didn't mean to. I…tell me how to fix this! I'll fix it!" Joxer said as his tears from earlier still spilled as he stared down at an extremely pale looking Aphrodite in fear.
Ares just stared in horror as Aphrodite moved her head up closer to Joxer and kissed his lips tenderly. It was just a peck and it was more of a mother kissing a child then a woman kissing a man and it made both Ares and Elaine confused.
"Don't stop loving her." Aphrodite whispered.
Elaine looked as if she had been suckered punched.
Xena! Joxer realizing about Xena had made his love for her...
Oh God!
The very thing she had told him that he had a right to take away.
Oh no. She hadn't…she hadn't even considered this. Why had she not considered this?!
"Joxer you have to remember a good memory of Xena! Right now!" Ares barked out the order as he too made the connection like Elaine had, his fists and sword and godly powers useless more in that moment then ever and he was completely at a loss as he watched Aphrodite be crippled in front of his eyes.
"Umm…what…what can…" Joxer tried to think of something. Anything that could make him feel something good towards Xena…and his mind was completely blank. Nothing…not one memory of good came that he could even think about towards Xena entered his mind. Nothing between just the two of them. All of the memories were so mixed with Gabrielle that all of them were twinged with heart ache.
Ares watched in horror as Joxer's head shook as he actually fought to find a good memory of Xena and him.
"She kissed you!" Elaine exclaimed as she immediately thought of the only gesture she could remember Xena giving Joxer besides a group hug.
"What?" Ares almost yelled.
"Oh for…she was pretending to be Meg! Joxer…remember…you knew it was her and she had to pretend to be Meg and…she kissed you! She even smirked after she did it!" Elaine said with a smile.
Joxer remembered it. That had been when he first met Meg. He had been completely confused but…it's true. Xena had kissed him.
He had been thrown that Xena even trying to pretend to be Meg would ever do it but…she had…and…he had felt love towards her in that moment. Not passionate, or physical but…love that one felt for a close friend. A inner joke that no one else would know but them that made it that more special. He had never bragged about it either. Never told anyone or even mentioned it because…
Because it wasn't like that with her.
Aphrodite gasped and suddenly color filled her face and slowly she began to radiate the normal glow she had.
Joxer had closed his eyes as he focused on that memory. Trying to remember the way Xena had shared a smirk with him. Remembering if just for a second...he had shared something with the only friend he had ever known.
Aphrodite knew she was crying and could do nothing to stop herself as the wave of emotions poured out of the wanna be hero. Joxer opened his eyes trying to hold on to the memory and saw the glittering crying eyes of the love goddess and winced. Slowly, because knowing his luck he would drop her, he lowered Aphrodite's legs so that she could stand on her own again which allowed him to look away from those piercing eyes that he knew could see into him.
He just couldn't stand the pity from her. Especially from her. Because it meant...
"What the hell is going on? How the hell is Xena being affected by him!" Ares asked angrily as he pointed at Joxer.
Aphrodite turned pained eyes at Ares and upon the sight all anger left him - which was a feet in and of itself. But he had only once seen her look like this...and it was when she was ending it with him.
And it was that look that made him understand exactly what had happened.
Ares was truly stunned for a moment at the implication.
How was it possible that the bumbling idiot who he had never even considered worthy of threatening to get to Xena...how could it be possible that he... that his love for Xena...
"We can't leave them can we?" Joxer's face was completely blank of emotions and Aphrodite winced and looked down and fiddled slightly with her hands. "No." She said softly.
Elaine just looked between Joxer, Aphrodite and Ares and knew that even though she had managed to change things...something tied Joxer to Xena stronger than Gabrielle and it was...it was extremely powerful that it could literally cause the Goddess of Love to become deathly ill.
Which...genuinely confused the hell out of Elaine since it made absolutely no sense!
The only thing she thought was tying Joxer to make the trio had been Gabrielle and his oath that he had had to give Gabrielle because of being imprisoned at the Amazon village. Why else? Gabrielle was never in love with him. Xena and Gabrielle were soul mates. Everyone who ever watched the show would always comment on how Joxer was a problem and Elaine had always hated how they spoke about him.
Like he had been a hindrance to Xena and Gabrielle and...
How in the hell could he be connected to Xena?! That made no sense! How?!
"Is Xena ok?" Joxer whispered then looked at Ares hoping he would find out somehow. Godly powers of just knowing or..
Ares flashed away and left the three there waiting to hear back from him.
"Joxer..." Aphrodite's voice pained in a way Elaine had never heard, "I..."
"It's not your fault Aphrodite. It's..." Joxer's voice was low and pained as well, "I should of known it was too good to be true."
Aphrodite looked like she wanted to say something, but Ares came back before she could and gave a nod.
"She's up now. Mother's there." Ares said to Aphrodite.
"Can't you just say mom?" Elaine asked softly.
Ares just turned his head and looked at Elaine with a look of 'really?' on his face.
Elaine instantly got upset by it. "Look...I would have done...just about anything to have a mom like you ok?! My mother was either high off her ass or near passed out drunk! If I wasn't being yelled at I was being sold to get her next fix! Trust me...you have a mom! Not a mother!" Elaine said with a bit of anger of her own.
Joxer's eyes widened slightly at the information but said nothing. Ares and Aphrodite shared a look but nodded at the semi request. They were not going to argue about something like that after what they had seen in her memories.
Joxer though looked at Elaine with a disturbed look on his face.
Elaine saw it and instantly knew he hadn't even suspected she had come from a very messed up home. Which...most didn't since she had been a prodigy. But it was her intelligence that had kept her alive. It had taken a whole lot more just to survive all the scars left behind.
"I don't really like to talk about it...but...I feel safe...telling you. If...If you think you could listen." Elaine said to Joxer who immediately answered.
"If you're in pain...I want to make it better any way I can."
Elaine couldn't help the slow smile that spread across her face.
Aphrodite looked between the two and couldn't help but feel the connection these two were forming.
It was still very new, but it was growing stronger by the hour.
If she didn't do something soon...there was no way she could repair the amount of damage that would occur. And it wasn't limited to this dimension.
"You make me believe that it can get better." Elaine said to Joxer.
And Aphrodite felt that invisible bond strengthen at those words.
She was sooo screwed.
"Mommy...are you alright?" Solan asked still afraid that something was wrong with his mother as he hugged her tightly.
"I'm alright Solan just...just a little winded is all." Xena said against the top of Solan's head as she sat in the booth with Solan not wanting to let go for even a second. Hera continued to use magic against Xena's womb, making sure the baby was safe, even to Xena's shock that she had immediately come without Apollo having called for her.
Hera had simply appeared and immediately laid hands on Xena which had made Apollo look less terrified and more at ease.
"She's a little jumpy...but I'm removing some of the fear she felt at the surge of your own." Hera said softly, not wanting to startle Xena as Apollo had whispered a warning to make sure Xena did not become upset.
Whatever had occured had put an enormous strain on her heart and it would take a huge amount of time to recover if she did not rest.
Xena tried not to stare or even marvel at the fact that Hera was tending to her as Apollo left to seek an herb he said would help ease the pain that had lessened greatly but still remained.
" I'd...like to...thank you for..." Xena began stiltedly but Hera immediately interrupted.
"I should have been here. If I had been you wouldn't have been left gasping like a fish on a dock." Hera said without even glancing up at Xena.
Xena tried to look into Hera's eyes as the words leaving the goddess' mouth sounded way more possessive and passionate then they should have. Now that Xena was thinking about it, she couldn't remember a time when she had crossed paths with the goddess at all. Which...was strange. Extremely strange.
Hera acting protective of her child was one thing...but of her...
Xena felt the hairs on her neck stand up as she realized that she was missing something.
She was missing something extremely big with the wave of calm and peace washing over her, and the knowing - the absolute certainty she felt in the connection to Hera that she had never wanted any harm to happen to her.
Hera glanced at her and something passed through the goddess' eyes as she stared into Xena's eyes and it made so little sense to see it there that Xena would have sworn she imagined it if not for the feeling of pure love that passed through her in that second - so powerful that Xena physically blacked out.
"Mom!"
"Xena!"
"She's alright. She just needs to rest to let the healing truly take affect." Hera immediately reassured Gabrielle and Solan as she pushed away Xena's dark hair from her face and looked at the peaceful look that rarely ever settled across the warrior woman's face.
"She's going to be alright now?" Solan asked as he mimicked Hera's gesture and removed the few strands of hair from the other half of his mother's face and caressed her face.
Hera looked at Solan and gave a small smile. "I'll do everything I can to protect her."
Solan nodded his acceptance of this oath. Not questioning why, only happy that someone was looking after his mother.
Gabrielle watched the exchange and felt odd that Hera had made such a vow to Solan. It wasn't like earlier where she was blessing the baby. She was vowing to protect Xena. Something seemed odd to her about it when Solan asked a question that concerned her more than anything about Hera.
"Is Uncle Joxer a bad man?" Solan asked Hera with his wide blue eyes.
"No!" Gabrielle answered immediately shaking her head. "No of course not."
"But Ares said he's the one that did this." Solan said simply.
"It's not that simply sweetling. Your...Uncle Joxer...he...he had an extremely rare connection with your mother." Hera explained in a calm voice.
Gabrielle felt a shiver run down her spine at the word 'had' Hera used.
"You see...there are many forms of love. There's love between child and mother. Love between husband and wife." Hera said as she looked at Solan with her piercing blue eyes which Solan didn't look away from but stared into as he listened to her with a frown marring his face.
Hera turned her head and looked at Xena, knowing that if she heard the words she would have pushed her aside and gone after Joxer. As it was the fact that she was unconscious was extremely good. She couldn't do anything foolish then.
"Then there is...an extremely rare form of love." Hera continued causing Gabrielle to become beyond intrigued.
"Between a man and woman that...hardly ever crosses a line. It's born of love and respect. Unwavering and complete trust. Willing to sacrifice for the other without question." Hera continued to explain as she laid a hand on Xena's stomach, smirking at the life within.
"It exists in each lifetime they are together. They will always find each other, over and over again. Until..." Hera stopped as she shook her head at the misfortune that was occurring. Pity wasn't a deep enough word.
"Until what?" Solan asked with a furrowed brow.
Hera just looked down at Xena and shook her head.
"Until they become one."
"What?!" Gabrielle barely got the word out but said it with such shock that it sounded odd.
Hera turned and looked at Gabrielle and tilted her head. "If you had never met Xena...they still would have found each other. As they will in each life. But you...you are the bridge which keeps them close but still far apart."
Gabrielle looked completely confused. It was like a riddle she couldn't decipher because by just the sound of it...it was absurd!
"You mean the loser is also a soulmate to Xena?! Ha! Sure!" Amarice said with a laugh and a rolling of her eyes.
Gabrielle would have been the first one to say it if not for Amarice...but it was the added insult that made Gabrielle turn and stare daggers at Amarice.
"That loser...is one of my best friends. I never want to hear that word come out of your mouth when you talk about him. Ever again." Gabrielle mentally scolded herself. Amarice had said things about Joxer before and she had never once defended him. But as of this moment - that ended!
Amarice just stared wide eyed as the words rolling off of Gabrielle's tongue were said with the authority of the Amazon Queen she was. Amarice had never held back her tongue when it came to Joxer. Hearing the threat behind Gabrielle's words she had not seen coming at all.
"No. Gabrielle is Xena's soulmate." Hera said causing Gabrielle to turn shocked eyes to Hera who was confirming something she had only hoped but...
If that were true then...
Gabrielle looked over at Xena who looked like she was peacefully sleeping.
Why was Xena being affected by Joxer. Is that what she had been feeling? This whole time? Was...was Joxer falling out of...
Gabrielle stopped rubbing the spot above her heart as fear went through her.
No. No! If she felt it...it meant that...
"Your mother has never felt the connection with him before now because it existed without question in her mind. But her heart...her heart just felt it for the first time and it's being severed." Hera said as she stared down at Xena.
"Aphrodite has never felt the affects of a true love being torn apart. It's extremely rare to begin with...and it's especially draining to her." Hera turned back to Solan as she continued explaining.
"Soo...Joxer is...a part of Xena that...she didn't even need to consider. He was just...is...always there."
Hera turned stunned eyes to Armand who had remained ever vigilant but away from the goddess as he was not use to any of this.
Hera smiled at the man who had understood what she had been trying to say.
"Precisely."
Ares appeared with Aphrodite, Elaine and Joxer and immediately Gabrielle was on her feet and starring daggers at Elaine.
She was causing all of this to happen and she wanted her gone.
And Gabrielle would have done it again. She would have put her fist to Elaine's nose if it wasn't for Aphrodite talking in her head.
Don't! You hurt her and Joxer is gone with her and you'll have to explain to Xena why she'll never see him again!
Gabrielle heard the actual fear in Aphrodite's voice in her mind and knew that whatever had happened...it had truly made the goddess fear Joxer leaving.
It terrified Gabrielle.
Gabrielle let her fists open and forced herself to allow the anger to drain away.
"Is she ok?!" Joxer immediately went over to Xena with a worried expression on his face. His hands immediately went to Xena's stomach - fear that something had happened to the baby filling him with immense guilt.
"She's alright now. They both are. She just needs to rest for a day or two." Hera laid her hand on Joxer's back as he looked over Xena.
Joxer just stared down at Xena and then looked over at Hera. "Thank you."
Hera just stared at the man for a few seconds before giving a nod.
Joxer looked from Xena to Solan who looked at Joxer with frown.
"Are you going to leave?" Solan asked the question that now meant more to him since hearing Hera explain why his mother had become ill.
Joxer stared at the blonde headed little boy who had his mother's eyes and slowly shook his no.
Gabrielle felt a wave of relief at the sight and quickly allowed herself to take a breath she had been holding at hearing Solan's question.
"We're not going anywhere Solan. We're gonna stay and make sure that your mom and Eve will be ok." Elaine said as she went to stand by Joxer and look at Solan and then down at Xena.
Solan face suddenly became less sad and inquisitive as Joxer even looked over at Elaine.
Elaine just stared between the two.
"Xena name's her Eve? Quite fitting." Hera said quietly almost to herself with a small smile.
Elaine's eyes widen and then she shakes her head and rubbed her temples. "Keeping this all straight is going to be hard! In my head I keep thinking you all know everything I do."
"I like it!" Solan said with a huge smile on his face.
Joxer had on this half smile on his face, soft and loving in a way Elaine had never seen. "Yeah. I like it too."
"First things first...we need a way to keep Alti away from the baby." Elaine said causing Gabrielle to forget her calming breathing and rush over and spin Elaine around.
"ALTI? What does she..."
"She tries draining the baby's soul. But...since Hera's put her blessing and protection around Eve...I don't know what's going to happen. But I know something will. Xena, you, and Amarice traveled to a northern Amazon tribe and visit a shamaness named Yakut." Elaine then turned to Amarice.
"Which by the way you are not staying there! Because you die! And since I know you can't stand me I figure I'll keep you from dying and just annoy you to death instead!"
Amarice just looked between Elaine and Gabrielle trying to gauge if what she was being told was true.
"She's lying right?" Amarice asked with a twinge of fear in her voice.
"You're not an Amazon. You made it up so you could have an identity because you wanted to a part of something! Think I'm lying now?" Elaine said with a bored expression on her face.
"GOT IT! It was just buried under..." Apollo appeared next to Solan unrolling fabric and upon looking up and seeing Elaine he froze at the sight of her.
"FUCK!" Aphrodite yelled out and almost collapsed if it weren't for Ares who had immediately grabbed her.
Hera's head swiveled between Aphrodite and her son Apollo and gave him an incredulous look.
"Joxer tell me that wasn't you!" Amarice said as she startled and the sight of a goddess cursing and almost dropping to the ground.
"I didn't do it!" Joxer said with anger and swiveling his head to stare at her with a look she had never seen cross his face.
Aphrodite just looked up at Apollo from Ares' hold and gave him a look of complete and utter disbelief.
What the hell was going on?! Apollo?! Apollo?
"No just...some...after affects." Aphrodite said with a huge smile on her face which morphed as she mentally sent a 'oh we are sooo going to talk' to Apollo.
Adjusting his stance Apollo looked at a now smiling Elaine who recognized him from Hercules.
"You're Apollo! I...wow...just...never thought I would ever see you since your usually around your brother Hercules." Elaine said which caused Apollo to stand perfectly still and glance at his mother.
Hera merely shrugged a shoulder, "It's true."
Apollo was slightly taken a back that his mother wasn't breaking out in anger at just the mentioning of his half brother.
"Oh! Hera! Apollo and Artemis are your children right? Mythology from where I come from was different from what occured on this show so...I really don't want to insult you or your children." Elaine asked as she looked between the two dieties.
"Show?" Apollo said perking at one of his many hobbies.
Elaine grimaced. "I um...I'm from a dimension where all of this is a tv show."
Apollo's face slowly fell and he looked over at his mother who nodded her head.
"Soo...you're obviously from the 20th or 21st century." Apollo said without missing a beat, which made Elaine stand up a little straighter and reguard Apollo with a bit more scrutiny.
"Yes...how...how do you know that?" Elaine asked not sure how he could know that without knowing the future - which - he couldn't know.
"I ah...I travel at the speed of light so...I can...jump between times."
"What." Elaine's mouth dropped at the information.
"You can...you...are you serious?!" Elaine exclaimed and for the first time moved away from Joxer and went towards Apollo.
Apollo just smiled. "I'm the God of Sunlight."
Elaine stared in open awe of him. "That's...oh! Oh! That's makes soo much more sense now. I mean...you're also the god of truth and prophecy! And you know...music and dance...poetry too right?"
Apollo smiled again and gave a little nod, his mouth not moving the way it normally did. He found himself tongue tied around this mortal woman who indeed knew more about him than most mortals tended to.
Hera noticed immediately how her son was not bragging and decided to give him a bit of a reprieve from the ever inquisitive Elaine.
"Yes. Apollo and Artemis are my children. Why?" Hera asked as she now thought of who else could have possibly given birth to her twins.
"Hmm..oh ah...Leto." Elaine said in distraction as her mind raced with all of the possibilities that Apollo had towards bringing her and Joxer back to her dimension.
"Leto?!" Apollo's eyes bugged out of his head and Elaine felt the anger radiate from Hera beside her and quickly side looked to see if she had said something that would cause an uproar.
"As much as it pains me to admit my...husbands infidelities...she is one of them but...no. Apollo and Artemis are mine."
"Sorry." Elaine said softly.
"Mom?!" Solan suddenly asked as Xena moved her head.
Apollo finally snapped back into himself and immediately took out the small bottle that had been tucked away for over a millennia.
"Here. Take a sip of this." Apollo said opening the bottle and about to pour it down Xena's lips when the warrior woman grabbed his hand roughly without having opened her eyes.
"Xena. Xena! It's ok. Apollo's giving you something for the pain." Joxer said shocking even Gabrielle with the way Joxer's hand delicately covered Xena's over Apollo's.
"Jozer.." Xena slurred slightly and slowly her hand relented at the feel of Joxer's hand on her own. As rare a feeling as it was she recognized it and without a second trusted it.
Joxer looked at Apollo who nodded and started to pour a little bit of the liquid into Xena's mouth who was trying to open her eyes but the realm of Morpheus was keeping her from feeling the pain of earlier.
"It's ok Xena." Gabrielle said as she made her way over to Xena's side where Joxer stood, and moved to hold Xena's hand.
"I will look into this Alti that you speak of. I won't allow her to harm the child's soul." Hera said softly as she watched Xena float back into sleep.
"Well as far as souls go...this kid has one hell of a fighter in her." Elaine said shaking her head at the again slumbering warrior princess.
"Whatdaya mean?" Joxer asked looking across Xena to Elaine.
Elaine sighed and looked over at Joxer and then at Gabrielle who took a second to realize Elaine was looking also at her.
"The baby's soul. Both of you know her...and it's going to freak you both out...but I can explain!" Elaine began and braced herself for what she knew was going to be a chaotic moment.
Gabrielle shared a look with Joxer for the first time all day and communicated with him with just her eyes, which lasted about a second before Joxer looked away from her. The instant hurt she felt at the action pushed aside as he nodded his head to the unspoken request.
"Who is it?" Joxer asked.
Elaine took a second to look at Joxer before moving her eyes over to Gabrielle. Gabrielle didn't know what to make of the fact that Elaine knew soo much about everything that was occuring but nothing prepared her for the name that fell out of Elaine's mouth.
"Callisto."
If it hadn't been for Hera transporting Xena out of the tavern in the next second she would have most certainly awoken with the 'WHAT?!'screamed out by Gabrielle.
"Look! When you and Xena went down into hell she saw Callisto and felt sorry for her and basically traded places with her...which allowed Callisto to go to heaven - where Gabriel allowed her to be reborn as Xena's baby. Raising her as her own daughter to wipe out the evil of taking away Callisto's family."
Elaine then turned to Aphrodite. "By the by...Caligula steals your divinity in a few years. Might want to have Hades check in on him and make sure he's not able to escape in the next...oh...century."
"Um...now you tell me?!" Aphrodite said and with a puff of pink hearts left to do just that.
"Where's Xena?" Gabrielle asked as she finally had calmed down and was now thinking of how Xena would react to the information.
Hera wasted no time and brought back the still sleeping warrior with just the wave of her hand.
"Now...since I've been more than upfront about everything...can we please...please get food into our bodies and me into warmer clothes?!" Elaine said with a shiver as the temperature had been dropping all day and finally she could no longer keep her composure and all out shivered.
Joxer looked at her perplexed for a second and then laughed. "You just ate!"
Elaine smiled bashfully. "I can't help it!"
Gabrielle wanted to stab her in the eyes with her sais at the way she looked at Joxer. What in the world did Joxer see in this girl.
"Besides...I need a lot of energy for what I have planned tonight." Elaine said with an evil little smirk.
Joxer blushed profusely at the innuendo.
Gabrielle felt her fingernails dig into her palms and cut flesh with how instant the want to beat the smirk off of Elaine's face was.
Over her dead body was she touching Joxer that night!
Amarice and Armand shared a look and knew that they weren't going to get much sleep that night.
"Wow. She does more damage than me." Discord said as she materialized next to Joxer causing him to jump slightly.
Elaine's smile dropped as she saw Discord. She had completely forgot!
"Right! Makeover tonight...tackle Joxer tomorrow." Elaine said with a nod making Joxer blush and even brighter shade as Discord snarled in disgust looking over at Joxer and then at Elaine.
"You've got a weird taste in men." Discord said with a shaking of her head trying to rid images that Elaine had placed there.
"You're going to wrestle Joxer tomorrow?" Solan asked beside Elaine making Elaine laugh and blush slightly as she looked over at Solan - again forgetting he was there.
"Only if he wants to. And you're probably going to need to talk to your mom...or your Uncle Joxer about that soon too. You'll be a man in no time and have some pretty important questions you might need to ask." Elaine said as her mind realized that Solan was just shy of puberty. He was going to need a man around to asks questions to. With all the damn feminism and woman's power that Gabrielle and Xena were always about...Solan was really likely to suffer without any male figures.
Maybe that was why the show had just allowed Solan to die and stay dead. They couldn't get their female soulmates together if a little boy was around to mess up the journey!
Elaine dislodged the thought from her mind and brushed back some of Solan's long blonde hair.
"And maybe we need to cut this hair if you're going to be traveling with your mom's and your Uncle Joxer. The last thing you need is someone thinking you're a girl. A lot of bad people in this world hurt little girls." Elaine said still messing with Solan's hair who looked almost offended.
Unfortunately it was the images of her past that flickered through her head that Discord had not been privy to that caused the Goddess to gasp and immediately speak at what she saw.
"Your father did that?" Discord said with a horrified look on her face.
Elaine looked over from Solan confused for a second and looked at Discord until it registered that...Discord hadn't heard her thoughts...but had SEEN her memories.
"Wait..." Elaine's voice strained as that bit of information she had never heard on the television show. "you can see my memories?" Immediately after asking she looked at the stunned face of Apollo, and the guilty faces of Hera and Ares.
"So earlier you all..." Elaine stopped talking as a huge crash of shame and horror came over her.
Suddenly the room was filled with way to many people and too many eyes were looking at her - triggering yet another horrible memory.
Gabrielle had never seen a person move so fast in her life. One second Elaine was there and the next she was out the door and gone.
"Shit. I'll get her." Ares said more to his mother than anyone else even as Joxer was about to move and go after Elaine himself, when Hera grabbed his arm.
"Xena needs you here right now. Elaine needs a moment to get a hold of herself."
Joxer just stared at Hera in slight confusion but...he didn't go after Elaine...because if Hera said Xena needed him...
Joxer looked back at Xena and over at Solan.
He hadn't thought about how Solan would need someone there that wasn't female. Having spent years traveling with Xena and Gabrielle he knew just what the boy was in for and...he wouldn't wish that on ANY enemy.
So...maybe he couldn't leave Xena and Gabrielle but...maybe with Solan he had an actual reason to stay.
He could do that.
He could...be an uncle.
And maybe...just maybe...the emptiness he felt would go away.
Author's End Note: Ok...if you didn't see that coming or if you want more...I am making a request for 4 reviews to keep me going! Just 4...please people let me know you are out there!