Virgil collapsed on the ground next to the grave marker. His vision was blurry from the tears in his eyes, as well as the darkness of the night. He struggled to control the sobs that shook him to his core.
"I'm so sorry, Dad. I've tried so hard. Not even Uncle Jett could help me. I've failed you. No matter what I try, I cannot avenge your death."
He pulled a dagger from inside his vest and examined it closely. "Someone must be held responsible. If it cannot be her, than it must be me."
He took several steadying breaths as he traced the long vein in his arm with the tip of the knife. He felt considerable grief at the thought of leaving his mother and siblings, yet that grief was overshadowed by the thought of seeing the father he'd so idolized.
Just as he felt ready to do what he felt he must, a strange light shone from behind him. He turned around to face two beings standing at his back.
"I told you we should have come to him sooner, honeybuns. We were almost too late."
"Dite, I thought I told you the Light does things at its own pace."
"Whatever. As I said, as long as there's any chance of getting my Hephy back."
Virgil looked on in shock. The two beings in front of him were the blondest people he'd ever met. Dite? That must be Aphrodite. He remembered his father telling him all about her. However, he had no clue as to the identity of the other one.
"Who are you?"
"I am the Archangel Michael." That would explain the wings, Virgil thought. "We have come because we have a very important question to ask you. We would like to offer you an opportunity few, if any, are ever given: the opportunity to change the past."
His mouth opened and closed several times before he decided not to respond. Aphrodite could sense his distress and knelt beside him, laying a hand on his shoulder.
"I know this is hard studmuffin, but why don't you listen to what Mikey here has to say." She hazarded a glance behind him. "It's what Joxie would want." She reached up to wipe away a tear, for Hephaestus or Joxer, maybe for both.
"All that has happened, the deaths of the Olympians, this twilight, the deaths caused by Livia, as well as the chaos caused by the absence of the Greek God of War, it has all been traced to one event -- the crucifixion and consequent deaths of Gabrielle and Xena. We would like to offer you the chance to go back in time to prevent this."
Virgil looked up and met the dark angel's eyes. "I'll do it."
"Wait a moment. Before I accept your answer, you must understand the ultimate consequences of your actions. Should you succeed, Eve/Livia will not be born. Your father will not marry your mother, and neither you nor your siblings will exist."
"Will my father still be alive?"
Michael looked over at Aphrodite, who simply shook her shoulders. "We do not know. We cannot see what might have been, only what has been."
Virgil breathed in deeply and thought about what he had just been offered. He remembered his mother's smile when she had watched him and his brothers and sisters playing in the yard. He remembered teaching his younger sibling to read and write, babysitting them when their parents needed time to themselves.
He then remembered that day oh so long ago when he and his sister followed their father out to the barn after their mother had finished yelling at him. He read to them a scroll telling about the adventures of a beautiful warrior princess, Xena. He remembered the look in his father's eyes when he spoke of his first love, Gabrielle, and the light that shone in his eyes after she had returned after a twenty-five-year absence. Finally, he remembered the faces of his mother and siblings when he'd come home to tell them Dad was dead. He made his decision.
"As I said, I'll do it."
"You will give your life to change the past?"
"Yes."
"Then sleep here tonight. When you wake up, you will be in another time and place. But do not worry, you will have help."
All of a sudden, Virgil could barely keep his eyes open. He lay down on the ground and lay his head on his crossed arms.
"I hope you know what you're doing, Mikey." Aphrodite disappeared in her usual manner.
"I hope so too, or else may the Lord have mercy on our souls."
* * *
Virgil's eyes fluttered as the sunlight crossed his face. He opened one eye, then the other, getting used to the bright light. Once both eyes were open, he realized he was no longer at his father's grave -- just as the Archangel had said. He looked down and saw he was lying on a bedroll at the side of a road. There was a pack at his side which he immediately opened. He had some food, smoked meats and other such traveling supplies. There were rope and an extra change of clothes, among other things. He closed up the bag and began rolling up the bedroll. Just as he'd finished attaching the roll to his pack, he heard a horse coming from down the road.
There were two men talking to each other as they led the horse. Virgil decided to ask them where he was when they were nearer. Perhaps they were the help he'd been promised. As they approached, Virgil could make out the strange shape of the man to the right, for his helmet stuck out at strange angles and his armour was quite unusual.
"No, it can't be."
He'd just about convinced himself against his suspicions when an all too familiar tune floated his way over the breeze.
"Joxer the Mighty
He's very tidy
Everyone admires him
He's so handsome it's a sin . . . "
A broad smile broke out on his face. He was afraid he'd never hear that tune again. "Dad." Briefly, he wondered who was the man his father was traveling with. As far as he knew, his father had only traveled with Xena and Gabrielle, and Hercules and Iolaus at times.
When the men spotted him, they automatically assumed he was in need of assistance and rushed to his side.
"Hey there! I'm Joxer the Mighty, and this is my friend Armaan. Can we be of any assistance?"
Virgil was overcome with his emotions. He stepped over to Joxer and pulled him into a big hug.
"Umm, maybe I didn't explain myself. That's not exactly the kind of assistance I meant."
Virgil realized his mistake and pulled away. "I'm sorry. My name's Virgil. I'm a very long way from home I bet, and I was just so happy to see another person. I don't even know where I am."
"Let me guess -- the Gods, right?" Virgil just nodded. "Been there, done that. They can really mess with your life it they can gain something from it. But in the end, they're not really all that bad. We're a couple days outside Helios. Where are you heading?"
"All I know is I have to go to Rome."
"Rome, eh? My friends Xena and Gabrielle are heading that way."
"You mean they're already on their way there? I've got to go. Maybe I can get there before it's too late."
"Whoa, wait a minute. What do you mean too late?"
Virgil looked at the man his father had been and knew there was no one he would rather have at his side. "I've had a vision that they will be crucified by Caesar in Rome. I'm on my way to make sure they don't die there."
"Oh. I wouldn't worry. Xena's too tough for that. Nothing can kill her, and trust me, I've seen a lot of people try."
"But Da... Joxer, I wouldn't underestimate Caesar. He's a heartless bastard who'd stop at nothing to get what he wants. We can't take the chance that you may be wrong."
Joxer looked over at the dark young man next to him, then at Virgil. "All right. But first we're going back to Helios to take Armaan back to the Academy."
"No Joxer," the young man finally spoke up. "I can help, and if he's right, you're going to need all the help you can get."
Joxer looked once again at each of the young faces that awaited his answer. They both looked up to him. He knew whatever he decided from now on would affect them all. It was a sense of responsibility he wasn't used to. He took a deep breath and let it out slowly.
"All right, you can come, Armaan. But we're going to need more help than this. We'll continue
on to Vereos. It's only a day away or so. I heard of an old friend of mine doing some work out
there, and it shouldn't take long to find him. On the way, we can get to know Virgil a little
better."
* * *
By the time the sun began to fall and they had chosen a camp for the night, Virgil had heard the story of how his father had met this man, Armaan. He thought it strange how he'd never heard it before. Then again, the meeting wasn't exactly under the best circumstances. He couldn't help but admire the dark man for his courage. He was able to put aside his grief and find the strength to forgive the man who'd killed his father. It was an achievement Virgil was not yet capable of.
They all scrounged through their packs and each came out with something to contribute to a shared supper, then lit a fire to cook it over. Once they were done eating, Joxer asked Virgil to tell a little about himself.
"Well, I had a pretty normal life for a while. Mother, Father, brothers and sisters. Then one day, two really old friends of my dad's come back after being gone about twenty-five years. Long story short, the daughter of one of Dad's friends killed him. I spent months trying to get revenge, but nothing seemed to work. I'd decided to give up not only on revenge, but on life as well, when I got this vision. Then I met the two of you. I've had a pretty boring life, all in all."
Armaan took a long look at Joxer, then looked over at Virgil. "I can understand how you must have felt. When you lose someone you loved and idolized, the pain can block out everything else. Eventually you have to make a choice. You either can teach yourself to forgive, or watch your heart die before your very eyes. I learnt to forgive, and I gained a good friend in the process. Maybe one day you will learn too, but it will have to be your decision."
Virgil stared off into the fire. His eyes shone bright with unshed tears as he remembered the feel of his father's body in his arms as he carried him off to be buried, and the look of that bitch Livia as she dared to try to apologize to him. The same voice that had comforted him so many times in his childhood now broke him out of his reverie.
"It's getting late, and we have a long day tomorrow. Why don't we try to get some sleep?" Joxer looked from one boy to the other and moved over to where he'd spread out his bedroll. The other two followed his example and soon they were all lying down.
Virgil tossed and turned, but was still unable to sleep. He could still barely believe his father was but a few feet away. He looked over and saw the man was snoring softly. "I love you, Dad," he whispered to the sleeping man.
Armaan looked away from the stars above to his newest traveling companion. Apparently they were both having trouble sleeping. He got up and walked over to the other's bedroll. He sat down next to him and stared into the fire.
"Do you feel like talking?" he asked softly so as not to wake Joxer.
"How did you do it? Forgive him."
"I can't explain it. Tell me, what do you think of Joxer so far?"
"I think whatever I say will be biased. He reminds me so much of my father."
"He's a good man. I think he was almost as upset as I was. You see, my father was the first man he'd ever killed. I guess eventually I thought he'd put himself through enough punishment that nothing I could do would be as bad. It's hard to stay mad at someone who's genuinely remorseful, especially if they're like Joxer."
"I don't think I feel like talking about it right now."
"That's ok. Goodnight Virgil." Armaan got up and began walking back to his bedroll.
"Armaan?"
"Yes?"
"Thanks."
Armaan smiled. "No problem. I'm here if you ever need to talk."
"Goodnight." Virgil rolled over and was finally able to fall asleep.
* * *
It only took them half a day to reach Vereos. They stopped at a tavern for lunch, and Virgil was curious to see his father stop the waiter and ask about the local nobility. When their food arrived, he couldn't help but voice his thoughts.
"Joxer, why did you want to know about this city's royalty?"
"Because I need to know who in town has the most money and the most valuables. Wherever there's something of worth, that's where we'll find my friend."
Virgil dropped the subject more confused than he was a few moments ago. After lunch, Joxer left him and Armaan at the tavern, telling them to stay out of trouble as he left. He had to stifle the laugh that almost escaped him upon hearing that phrase. He'd heard all too often.
"So Virgil, you feel like taking a walk around the town?"
"But I thought Joxer said to stay here?"
"Oh, we won't be gone for long. Just a little walk along the marketplace. Come on."
Virgil got up and followed Armaan out of the tavern. They casually walked up and down the market stalls, admiring the goods with no intention of buying anything. As he admired the craftsmanship on a broadsword, he walked into an unsuspecting customer. As he looked up, he froze in place. Armaan's voice at his back pulled him out of his shock.
"Hey, Joxer! Nice look. The leather is so much nicer than your armour."
"Umm, Armaan, I don't think this is Joxer."
Armaan looked at Virgil in confusion, then looked at the man he assumed was Joxer. While the man looked exactly like his friend, he realized the eyes were much different. But how could someone look like Joxer?
"So, the two of you know my brother."
"Brother? Oh, now I remember. Which one are you again?"
"He's Jett."
"Yeah, right. Jett." Armaan nodded in agreement. "Wait a minute, how did you know about Jett?"
"Well, umm, remember, I did all that research when I was thinking of a way to avenge my father's death, and along the way I heard about the King of Assassins." Virgil thanked the Gods for the quick explanation.
"That's good research." Jett just sneered at the young men. Virgil realized the last thing he wanted was to risk death at his uncle's hands. Joxer had tried to hide this uncle's profession from him and his siblings for so long, but once he'd come of age he'd learned the truth. At first it had been difficult to imagine his Uncle Jett, the man who'd patiently taught him accuracy at throwing knives and shooting arrows, as an assassin. But with much help from his father, he came to accept it as just a part of who Jett was.
"Well, speaking of Joxer, we'd better head back to the tavern, Armaan. He'll be expecting us."
Virgil tried to lead the way around Jett and almost made his getaway when he felt a familiar and powerful hand on his shoulder.
"Wait a minute," the gravelly voice called to them. "I wouldn't mind seeing my brother again. The two of you wouldn't mind me waiting with you, now would you."
Virgil and Armaan looked first at each other, then ahead of them to their destination. They responded with a chorus of, "No, of course not," and "Anything for a brother of Joxer's."
Once at the tavern, they didn't have to wait long. They all looked up when the door opened to see Joxer enter with another man in tow -- another man who tried to turn and run the moment he saw who was waiting for Joxer at the table. Joxer turned and grabbed the man by the arm, dragging him over.
"Joxer, you didn't say anything about that psychotic brother of yours. He's going to kill me. He still hasn't forgiven me for that Cleopatra business."
"Him being here's as much a surprise to me as it is to you. But as I told you earlier, I'm going to need all the help I can get. He won't touch you if I ask right."
"And how do you ask? Pretty please with a dagger on top?"
As the two men approached the table, Jett rose to meet them. "Well little brother, it looks like you've brought me a snack."
"Come on, Jett. Can't the two of you just get along?"
Both men chorused, "No!"
"Jett, for me?"
Jett rolled his eyes and shook his head. "Remind me why I do things for you?"
"Because I let you call me little brother."
The two identical men chuckled, then grabbed each other in a big hug. Jett took the opportunity to throw a look over at Autolycus, letting him know he wasn't quite off the hook yet. When they pulled away, Joxer smiled at Autolycus as if to say, that wasn't so bad.
"Autolycus, this is Armaan and Virgil. Guys, this is Auto, the King of Thieves." The three of them exchanged handshakes. "Now, if you don't mind me asking, how do the two of you know my brother?"
Virgil looked over at Armaan before speaking. "We kind of met up with him in the marketplace."
"Ah. Oh well. The more the merrier."
Joxer and Autolycus sat down with the others, and Joxer began explaining the situation to Jett.
"So, you want me to help you save the bitch who put me in jail."
Joxer looked sheepish for a moment, then answered his brother. "Yeah, more or less. So how about it. Will you help us?"
"You know I'm still angry about that, Jox. However, if anyone's going to kill them, it's gonna be me."
"Jett!"
"I didn't say I WAS going to kill them, just if it was gonna happen. All right. I'm in."
Joxer couldn't hide his excitement. "Wow, imagine that. Joxer and Jett, fighting for the right, side by sid..." His words were muffled by a hand across his mouth.
"If you dare start singing that song of yours, I may temporarily forget you're my brother." At Joxer's nod, Jett let go.
"Since the day's almost over, I thought we'd spend the night here. Ionia's about a day away, and
from there we can take a ship over to Taranto. Rome should only be a couple days away from
there. Does that sound right to everyone?" Four nodding faces answered Joxer. "Okay. So Auto,
Jett, what does one do for fun around here?"
* * *
The moon was already high in the sky and Joxer kept shooting looks over his shoulder.
"Jett, are you sure this area is safe? It looks kind of rough to me."
"Oh, don't be such a baby. I hear there's this great tavern that just opened up down this street over here. The ale's not bad, and the women aren't too expensive."
"Hmph," Autolycus could be heard from the back of the group. "Some of us don't need to pay for a woman's company."
Jett looked back at the thief. "And some of us don't need to breathe."
"Point taken."
"Come on, Jett," Joxer continued. "Aren't the boys here kind of young for that kind of place?"
Virgil and Armaan displayed identical expressions of shock. "We're not that young Dad." Virgil clapped a hand over his mouth. He could hear Armaan giggling next to him.
Joxer just looked back at them and smiled. "I guess I have been a bit over-protective. Sorry guys."
"No problem," Armaan cut in, slapping a hand on Joxer's shoulder, "Pops." He was shaken by another wave of giggling. Virgil couldn't have been happier his little slip had been misinterpreted.
Jett paused and the others stopped behind him. "I think this is the place."
They walked into the tavern and were immediately hit by the noise. A couple of a dozen drunken patrons were being waited on by several beautiful wenches. They spotted an empty table and, as they headed over, were shocked by a high-pitched scream from across the room.
"Joxie!!!" A figure pushed through the crowd and came up to Joxer, pulling him down into a passionate kiss.
When she finally let go of the would-be warrior, he struggled to regain his breath. "Hi Meg. What are you doing here in Vereos?"
"The last place wasn't quite appreciated and I heard the men around here needed someone who could take care of them right." She looked over at the others who'd come in with Joxer. "And hello Mister Stinky."
"Meg, I thought I asked you not to call me that in front of other people."
"Yeah, you did. But I never said I would, now did I." She paused as she noticed Virgil standing behind the other men doing a pretty good impression of a fish out of water. "What's the matter with him?"
Joxer looked over at the boy. "I think it's his first time in a place like this. Don't worry. He should snap out of it any time."
Virgil, however, could not move. He couldn't believe the sight before him. Mom? What was his mother doing in a place like this? Did she own the place? Did she, Gods forbid, work there? No, it couldn't be. Not his Mom. He decided this couldn't be his mother. Not his sweet, kind, innocent mother.
"And who's this cutie who looks just like my Joxie? You must be Jett. Welcome to my tavern." She pulled the man down into another passionate kiss, shocking the assassin to everyone's amusement. Once she let him go, she walked over to the two younger men and placed an arm over each of their shoulders. "I'm sure we can find a nice young lady for each of you boys."
Armaan smiled shyly and looked away. Virgil simply looked dejected. The moment the woman had placed an arm over his shoulder, he realized it was just the way his mother would have done it. It felt the same. This . . . this tramp was his mother.
Joxer couldn't help but notice the effect Meg was having on Virgil. "I don't think they're quite ready for any of your girls just yet, Meg. I can't speak for Auto or Jett, but I'm just in the mood for an ale tonight."
She released the boys and patted Joxer on the cheek. "Okay Joxie. But if you change your minds later, you know where to find me. Sit down and I'll bring you boys something to drink."
Moments after they settled into the empty table, Meg reappeared with two jugs of ale and five mugs. "This should do you boys for now. If you need anything else, just holler."
"Thanks Meg," Autolycus called out.
"My pleasure, Stinky."
"Nice kid, that Meg."
"Yeah, she's great. It's just too bad she keeps getting run out of the towns she tries to settle in. All she tries to do is make a living."
"I know, but you know how some people are. They think she should just find a man and settle down."
"I'd like to see them try to tell that to Xena." They all laughed at that image.
The five men spent some time drinking, then decided to call it a night. Meg had one room left over in the tavern, which they rented for the night. Luckily it had two beds. Joxer and Jett were used to sharing a bed from their childhood and decided to take one of them. Virgil and Armaan decided to rush to the second bed before the thief could get there first. Autolycus begrudgingly laid out a bedroll on the floor.
Virgil once again had trouble falling asleep. He was still in shock from what he'd found out about his mother. He gently lifted himself from the bed so as not to wake Armaan and made his way to the door. He passed through the tavern until he found the back exit. He needed some air to help clear his mind.
After he'd taken a few breaths of fresh air, he realized he wasn't alone.
"Meg?" She was sitting on a bench against the outer wall of the tavern.
"Hiya, kid. Sorry if I came on a little strong earlier. No hard feeling, huh?"
"No, no hard feelings."
"You look a little shook up. Do you want to talk?"
"No, not really. Thanks anyway."
"No problem. Why don't you come sit down over here and keep me company?"
"All right." Virgil made his way over and sat on the wooden bench.
"You seem like a good kid. My Joxie's really taken a shine to you."
"He's a great man."
"I'm glad to hear you say that. Not many people look deep enough to see that about him. He's one of the few men to ever stand up for me. I know he's not such a hot fighter, but he's still my hero."
"Yeah, he's mine too."
Meg could see a tear shine from the corner of the boy's eye. She wrapped an arm around his shoulders and pulled his head down to her bosom. She began softly singing a song Virgil had heard many times in his childhood.
"As long as the stars shine brightly
As long as the night turns to day
As long as love lives in our hearts
Then heroes are here to stay."
* * *
The boys woke with the dawn and began packing their belongings for the day's trip to Ionia. They made sure to say goodbye to Meg, who kissed each one on the cheek on their way out. Thankfully, the trip was uneventful and they arrived in Ionia upon nightfall.
They entered a tavern to have some dinner and so Joxer could find a way to gain passage aboard a ship headed toward Taranto. They were over half way through their meals when they heard a voice shout from the doorway.
"Joxer, Autolycus! Imagine finding you here!"
All five heads turned to see a rather large, fair-haired man walking their way. Autolycus rose to greet the man first.
"Hercules, good to see you again. And I hear Iolaus has once again cheated death."
"Yeah. He's just gone to meet an old friend about some unfinished business. I'm supposed to meet him here tomorrow." He turned to grab Joxer's arm in greeting. "Joxer. I hope he hasn't talked you into anything illegal."
"Nah, in fact I stopped him before he could . . . "
"Shhhhh!" the thief interrupted. "I thought I told you not to tell anyone. I've got a reputation."
Joxer just rolled his eyes. "Why don't you join us for a drink?"
"Sure."
As Hercules sat with the group at their table, Joxer made the introductions. Virgil managed to tone down his reactions to meeting the legendary Hercules, for he was beginning to get used to the surprise encounters on this particular journey.
The group sat with their drinks at rapt attention while Hercules told the story of how close they actually came to the end of the world, and how Iolaus was granted his life back in exchange for his part in helping Hercules prevent it. As the night wore on, Joxer became more and more dejected, for he could find no one who would grant them passage to Taranto. They slept with heavy hearts, praying for a miracle to come the next day.
That miracle did come, though it was well disguised. The five travelers met with Hercules the next morning for breakfast, which gave them front row seats to the reunion between the hero and his best friend of many years. As they watched the two men hug in greeting, they noticed a tough-looking woman standing on the sidelines, waiting for the men to finish. When the men parted, Hercules offered an arm to the woman, who took it immediately, smiling her greeting. He waved the others over.
"Iolaus, you know Joxer and Autolycus. This is Joxer's brother Jett, and this is Virgil and Armaan. Everyone, I would like to introduce you to a good friend of Iolaus and mine, Queen Nebula of Sumeria, though she is probably best known as the Pirate Nebula."
Joxer seemed to perk up. "Pirate?"
She nodded. "Yes. The Queen gig doesn't exactly give me a lot of freedom."
"So, you have a ship, right?"
"Yeah. Ever heard of the Leviathan?"
"Nope."
"Well, that's my ship."
The others just looked back and forth between the two, barely able to follow the conversation.
"How long will you be in Ionia?"
"Just long enough to find a couple of extra crew members."
"And where will you be heading after that?"
"I don't know yet. I tend to go wherever the wind blows me."
Joxer looked at his companions, than back at Nebula. "If we agree to help on the Leviathan, will you get us to Taranto?"
"Hold it!" Autolycus came forward from his place behind Joxer. "I agreed to help you on this little mission of yours, but you didn't say anything about manual labour. These hands are priceless. And anyway, I have a reputation to protect. What would people say if they saw me . . . "
Autolycus paused mid-thought as he felt a hand hold him tightly on the back of his neck. "They'll say you traveled with the King of Assassins and survived," Jett whispered in his ear.
"As I always say, to hell with my reputation." He let out a held breath as the hand let him go.
Joxer continued speaking with Nebula, looking hopeful. "So, how about it?"
She smiled. "All right. You boys look like you can handle the work. As to whether or not you can handle me, now that we have to see."
A puzzled look crossed Hercules' face. "Joxer, why do you want to go to Taranto? That's Roman territory."
Joxer wished he could tell the demi-God the truth, but something told him he needed to do this without the hero's help. "It's family business."
"Oh."
The group said their goodbyes to the duo and followed Nebula to the docks.
* * *
Nebula immediately sent a grumbling Autolycus and Jett down to the lower decks and the two young men into the crow's nest. Joxer began to feel a little useless since she had yet to assign him a task on the ship.
"Umm, Nebula?"
"Yeah?"
"Is there anything I can help with?"
She smiled a rare friendly smile. "We've got all the essentials covered, Joxer. However, since we've got a minimal complement, it gets pretty lonely and boring at the wheel, so why don't you stay up there with me once we ship out and keep me company."
"All right." He was skeptical of her motives. If any of his friends had spoken to her about him, they'd have tried to tell her that he was pretty useless. However, something told him that wasn't the case.
From the crow's nest, Virgil and Armaan had an excellent view of the ocean. They could see the crewmen down below detaching the leads from the ship and throw them to the dock. The sails were raised on the masts and caught a passing wind, leading the ship out to sea.
"Have you ever been sailing before, Armaan?"
"No, but I've always wanted to. There's just something about the sea that draws people."
"I know what you mean. I remember my Dad taking me and my brothers and sisters sailing when I was younger. My one sister, Leila, used to get seasick all the time. Whenever she'd start getting green, I'd notice my Dad hiding a grin behind his hand. Later, he told me it was because she reminded him of an old friend of his who used to get seasick too."
Armaan looked down below and noticed Joxer on the deck talking to Nebula. "It looks like Nebula's enjoying Joxer's company."
Virgil followed Armaan's line of sight. If he didn't know better, he could have sworn they were flirting. He tried to push down a slight twinge of jealousy at the sight.
"So Nebula, how do you know Hercules and Iolaus?"
"We met a while ago while I was on a search for treasure. Hercules was nice enough not to turn me in to the authorities, so we became friends. Iolaus and I had a little thing going before he died saving me from Dahak."
"I'm sorry. That must have been hard on you."
"Yes, it was. But eventually I came to terms with what happened and moved on with my life. He and I had a little talk yesterday. We still care for each other, but it's just not meant to be. You know how it is." Joxer nodded in understanding. "So what's your business in Taranto? I know it's not the family business you were telling Hercules. I can tell a lie a mile away."
Joxer looked up at her and smiled. "You're right. We're off to try and save our friends from Caesar."
"Sounds tough. I hear no one gets away from Caesar."
"Well, we've got an advantage. They haven't been caught yet."
"Then why are you going to save them if they haven't been caught?"
"Virgil had a vision that they were going to die, and we're going to make sure it doesn't happen."
"Oh, and I bet if you had tried to tell that to Hercules he probably would have tried to talk you out of it."
"Mmm hmm."
They spent a few silent moments looking out over the water.
"So why do you wear that armour? You'd look so much better in leather."
"And what makes you think that?"
"Well, it works for your brother. I'd bet it would look even better on you."
"But then no one would be able to tell us apart."
"Oh, I'm sure I could think of a way or two." The two exchanged a grin before looking back over the water.
"Captain Nebula!" The two turned at the sound of the First Mate's voice coming from the stairs.
"What is it?"
"We have a little situation involving two of the new crew down on the storage deck."
Nebula could hear Joxer groan beside her. "You should never have sent them down together."
"Take the wheel. Joxer, you're with me."
The two went down the many stairwells to the storage deck. Joxer prepared himself for the worst and began making up arguments to convince Jett not to kill Autolycus. With all his preparations, he was still surprised by the scene that awaited them.
There was Jett, on guard with his knife out, fending off five sailors with Autolycus at his back encouraging him.
"Come on Jett! That's it. The guy deserved it!"
Nebula put two fingers to her lips and let out a strong, high-pitched whistle which stopped all activity. "What is going on here?"
"This thief stole my gold."
"That was five years ago. And anyway, you stole that gold from someone else."
"Yeah, but I stole it fair and square."
Nebula shook her head and looked over at Jett. "And why are you involved?"
"For some strange reason, my brother seems to like this bastard. Nobody hurts Joxer by killing one of his friends."
Nebula looked back at the sailor who had spoken first. "If it happened more than a day ago, then get over it. We have a ship to run, and I don't have time to babysit you until you can act more grown up. Now get back to work!"
Nebula rushed back up the stairs with Joxer at her heels. Once they were back on the main deck, Joxer stopped and began laughing.
"And what's so funny?"
"Jett's been threatening to kill Autolycus for the last couple of days, and there he was defending him. I don't know, it just seemed funny to me."
Nebula finally smiled and let out a little chuckle. "I guess it was kind of funny. Come on Jox,"
she said, slapping him on the back, "we've got a ship to sail."
* * *
Joxer began rummaging through the mess for something to eat. He was bored and he thought eating might give him something to do. The weather had gotten a little choppy outside, so Nebula had sent him below deck. He turned as he heard someone else come down the stairs.
"Virgil! She sent you down too?"
He nodded. "I don't want to be the one to cross her." He crossed the room and sat at a nearby table. "Any luck finding something to eat?"
Joxer shook his head. "Just stuff for dinner. I guess they don't believe in snacks around here." He went to sit down with Virgil. "So, what do you think of this adventure so far?"
"It's not what I expected at all. I've met so many different kinds of people in so few days . . . "
"Yeah, we know all kinds. Most of them aren't so bad, though."
"No, everyone's been pretty great." Virgil smiled. He was happy. Since he'd first met up with Joxer and Armaan, all he'd wished for was to spend some time alone with his father, but there was always someone else taking some of his time.
"So, if you don't mind my asking, what were your parents like?"
"Well, my dad was just like you."
"So he was a great warrior, completely fearless . . . "
"He was a great man."
"Oh." Joxer looked away shyly at the compliment. "And your mom?"
"She loved us very much. She was nice, like Meg." Virgil almost lost himself in memories of the Joxer and Meg he grew up knowing.
"I'm sorry, I should never have brought it up. You must miss them very much."
"I do, but it's all right. I don't mind talking about them. What about you? Obviously you have your brother Jett, but what about the rest of your family?"
"Well, my father's a warlord, and my mother takes care of the home. I'm not supposed to talk about my brother Jace, so we'll forget about him. Then there's Xena and Gabrielle."
"You care for them so much."
"Yeah. They're not just part of my family, but at times they ARE my family. Gabrielle . . . " his face acquired a far-off look. "I've been in love with her as far back as I can remember. But it's more than just that. We're there for each other when we need someone. It's the same thing with Xena. She's always believed that there was something about me that was special, even when I wasn't sure. They're my best friends. I'd do anything for them."
Virgil had heard his father tell stories about Xena and Gabrielle many times, but he'd had no
idea that they were that important to him, especially Gabrielle. He and Joxer continued, Joxer
telling stories about his travels and Virgil telling stories about his childhood. Virgil hadn't felt
this happy since the day his father had been killed.
* * *
Virgil opened his eyes as he and Joxer passed through the underbrush. The camp was around here somewhere, and they knew they didn't have much time to get there. The men decided to split up to cover more ground. Virgil finally saw the figures at the camp and waited to see what was happening.
The guards surrounded the two women that were at the center of the camp. He watched as the blonde was tied up, and wished he knew where Joxer was. He watched as a knife was held near the blonde, and one of the guards came forward, a guard that looked all too familiar.
"Dad? Dad, no!"
It happened as if in slow motion. Joxer, disguised as one of the Roman guards, stepped forward to save his friend. The other woman stepped toward him, her sword outstretched. He watched in horror as the woman's sword plunged into his father's body.
"No!!!"
The next few moments passed in a blur. The next thing he knew, he was kneeling at his father's side. He clasped the dying man's hand as the life drained from him. He could feel his insides spasming. The pain was so fierce.
He didn't care that he was being watched by the other women at his father's side. He let his tears flow. His father was dead, and there was nothing any of them could do about it. He felt a hand latch onto his arm, and tried to shake it off. It would not let go.
"Virgil?"
"Leave me alone!"
"Virgil?" The voice continued, but it sounded like it was coming from far away . . .
* * *
"Virgil? Wake up Virgil. Everything's all right."
Virgil opened his eyes and met the brown ones of his father. He wrapped his arms around the man's neck and sobbed into his shoulder.
"Dad. It was so awful."
After a few moments, the man wrapped his arms around him, giving him the comfort he sought. When the tears subsided, he pulled back and looked into his father's eyes. They were yet they weren't the eyes he'd grown up with. All of a sudden, he remembered where, and when, he was. "Joxer. I'm so sorry. I..."
"It's all right. I heard you calling out in your sleep and thought it might be best if someone was here when you woke up. You seemed so upset, I thought it best to wake you."
Virgil wiped away his tears in embarrassment. "Look at me, crying over a dream."
Joxer smiled at him. "It's all right. You've been through a lot for your age. Can you keep a secret?" Virgil nodded. "Almost a year ago, something happened that made it look like Gabrielle had died right in front of Xena and I, and to this day I still wake up from nightmares about it. I've always thought it was a good thing that I was always alone at those times, so no one could see me cry." Joxer could see Virgil was still shaken up, and pulled him in for another hug. "I had to go through it alone, but if you need someone to talk to, I'm here."
"Thank you."
Joxer let go of Virgil, patting him on the back. "Now, since you're up, you can come and give us a hand. Nebula's ordered us to batten down the hatches. It seems we're about to be hit by a storm and she wants us prepared."
The two men passed through the busy corridors of the ship, giving a hand wherever it was needed. Soon, word came that the storm was hitting and everyone retreated below deck. Joxer and Virgil returned to the mess with Armaan, where they met up with Jett and Autolycus.
Nebula entered to the sight of the five men squeezed into the smaller room trying to keep their stomachs under control as the ship bucked and swayed with the increasing wind.
"Joxer, why don't you give me a hand down below."
"All right. I'll be right down." As he headed toward the door, Nebula saw him stop and speak to Autolycus. "Watch the boys while I'm gone, okay?" The thief nodded and Joxer followed Nebula.
"I hope I wasn't interrupting anything in there."
"Not really. We were just talking about the trip out. So what is it you needed help with?"
"There's a secret compartment down below that very few of us know about. The entrance is extremely tight and difficult to get through. However, I have to get in there to make sure it's secure from the storm, and you look to be just the right size for the job." She gave him a feral smile which caused a blush to creep up his neck.
"Well, no job's too tough for Joxer the Mighty."
"That's what I've been told." He looked at her questioningly and she decided to change the topic. "So, what's the deal with you and those boys? You're obviously not their father."
He smiled. "No. Actually, I killed Armaan's father not too long ago. It was kind of an accident. The guy was a brute and he was after Gabrielle, but Armaan's a great kid. I kinda feel he's my responsibility now, you know?"
She nodded. "Uh huh. And the other one, Virgil I think it was?"
"Yeah, he's a great kid too. He lost his father like Armaan, but he hasn't been able to get over it yet. I hope Armaan can help him with that. It's weird. I feel this strange connection to the kid, like he's family or something."
"Well, if you ask me, it looks like they're lucky to have you."
"Thanks."
After a few more steps, she stopped. "Okay, here it is." She felt along the walls for the hidden grooves of the door to the compartment. "I'll hold the door while you go in. It only opens from the outside so I have to stay out here."
"All right."
Once she'd gotten the hatch open, he climbed through the doorway which was barely large enough for him to pass through. Once he climbed (or rather fell) out the other side, he tried his best to stand up, despite the increased swaying of the deck.
"Hey, do you have a light or something? I can barely see my own feet."
"Just feel your way around. We don't have any cargo in there this trip."
"All right." Joxer began feeling along the walls, checking every inch to make certain it was safe from the storm. "I'm almost all the way around, and it seems fine to me."
"Okay, just make your way back." After a few moments, Nebula heard a muffled noise in the hold. "Joxer? Are you all right?"
"Yeah, I just tripped over something." There was silence for a few more moments. "Hey, what's the big deal!?"
"What is it?"
"My foot's caught on something, but I don't know what."
From the sound of his voice, he was just inside the hold. Nebula balanced the door on her hip and leaned inside to feel for Joxer's leg.
"I'm leaning inside to give you a hand. Just wait a bit."
"Hey!"
"What?"
"That wasn't my foot."
"Oh, sorry." In fact, she didn't sound sorry at all. Within moments, she'd felt her way to his foot and found what he'd gotten caught on. "It's just stuck between a couple of old boards. There we go. You should be free now."
She could hear him move away from the spot. Just as she began moving back outside the hatch, the ship rocked as if it had been hit by a large wave. The door to the hatch bounced and hit her on the rear. Joxer heard a thumping sound, then a low moaning.
"Nebula, are you ok?"
"I think so, considering . . . "
"Considering what?"
"Considering the door just closed on us."
"Oh, shit."
"You can say that again."
"Oh, shit."
* * *
Virgil stepped out onto the main deck and looked out over the sky. The clouds had moved on and it wasn't even drizzling anymore. He looked to his right and saw Autolycus raise his head and take a deep breath of sea air.
"Ah! It smells so much better on the outside."
Virgil couldn't help but laugh. Soon, he felt a hand clap on his left shoulder.
"Virgil, take a look over there! Isn't it amazing?"
He looked out to where Armaan was pointing and saw a family of porpoises frolicking in the waves. The two boys smiled as they listened to the animals' chittering. He forced his attention away from the creatures when he heard Autolycus moan.
"Uh oh."
Virgil and Armaan turned to look at what worried his friend and saw Jett walking angrily in their direction. "I wonder what's got him so upset?"
Jett came up to the edge of the deck and grabbed onto the rail as if his life depended on it. "Damn these undisciplined idiots."
Autolycus exhaled, relieved he wasn't the target of the man's anger. "What have they done now?"
"I tried asking them where my brother was, and no one would answer. Then I tried asking about Nebula, and they still wouldn't answer. I was forced to encourage them to answer."
"Forced? How did you force them?"
Jett gave him a look that said he didn't want to know the answer. "I may be a bloodthirsty assassin, but even I don't like senseless violence."
It was an argument Virgil had heard his father make many times. "So what did you find out?"
"Nothing. Nobody knows where they are. Apparently, we were the last ones to see them."
"Nobody has a clue? That doesn't sound right."
"No, it doesn't. They must be hiding something, and I'm going to find out what."
As Jett turned to leave, Autolycus placed a hand on his arm. "Wait a minute. Are you sure your methods will get the results we want?"
"And what do you suggest?"
Autolycus' face broke into his trademark grin. "That's just the question I hoped you'd ask."
* * *
"No!"
"Yes!"
"Are you serious?"
"Do I look like I'm joking?"
"I don't know. I can't see a thing down here."
"You know what I mean."
"I just can't believe it."
"Well, believe it. I hated seeing her go, but she said she needed a less stressful life."
"Wow. Meg on a pirate ship."
"She was a good cook, and was great for the crew's morale. Moreover, she was a good friend. After she left, I'd try to catch up with her wherever she was. I'd give her a little booty from my latest conquest, and she'd tell me stories about the people she'd met on the mainland."
"Did she ever talk about me?"
"Oh yeah!"
Joxer was glad the hold was so dark. He knew he must have been as red as a tomato. "Wh-what did she tell you?"
"Do you really want to know?"
"So you're from Sumeria, eh?"
"Yeah." She laughed and they passed into an uneasy silence.
"Nebula?"
"Yes Joxer?"
"Do you really think they'll find us down here?"
"Well, the storm's over and everyone should be getting back to work. It won't be long before someone notices I'm not around."
"And what's to stop someone from trying to take over the ship?"
She was glad he couldn't see the worried frown that crossed her dark features. "I get the feeling your friends won't let that happen, at least not as long as they know you're missing too."
"But they don't know about this room, and the others may not tell them."
Nebula didn't answer, letting the comment hang between the two of them.
"Well, Joxer, it could be worse."
"Oh yeah?"
"We could be stuck in here with some half-crazed spider-woman trying to kill us."
"Yeah, I guess that would be worse."
* * *
"Ow!"
"Autolycus, oh, I'm sorry. Did that hurt too much?"
"No. I'm screaming because I like the sound of my own voice."
"Well, we already knew that."
"You know, you've got a pretty big mouth for a kid, Armaan."
"Yeah, I guess it matches yours perfectly."
Virgil and Jett laughed from their side of the room. Armaan passed a compress to Virgil for him to dip in the cold water on the table. Passing it back to his friend, Virgil watched the boy treat the thief's injuries. "So, Autolycus, was this part of the plan?"
"No! For your information, the plan would have gone perfectly had leather-boy over there not shown up."
Jett stopped laughing. "It was MY fault? If I hadn't gotten there in time, there wouldn't have been a piece of you left for us to laugh at."
"Go ahead, deny it. They were eating out of the palm of my hand before you arrived."
"It looked more like you were eating out of the palms of their fists to me."
Virgil spoke up, hoping to stop the bickering between the two. "So what is it you tried to do again?"
"I was just trying to get a little information out of them."
"And they hit you because of that?"
"Well, it might have had something to do with the ring that strangely appeared on my hand that would have gone unnoticed had SOMEONE not come in and pointed it out."
"How was I to know you stole it from the crew?"
"I'm a thief! I steal everything."
Jett was about to respond when the door burst inward to admit a stream of crewmen wielding swords. Jett shoved off from the wall to confront the first man. "What in Tartarus is going on here?"
Within moments, each of the four had a sword pointed at their throats. The man with his sword to Jett spoke for the group. "We've decided you four are nothing but a threat to the crew's morale, so we're throwing you in the brig."
Armaan tried to step forward, but was stopped by another crewman's sword. "Autolycus was the only one who stole anything."
"Hey! It was just a ring. Nothing a little plundering couldn't replace. It's not like he would have missed it."
"Silence!" The first crewman circled Jett until his sword was pointed at the man's back. "The four of you will shut up or else we'll kill you where you stand. Now move!"
Virgil was shoved from behind and had to take a moment to regain his feet. "But we didn't do anything. What did Captain Nebula say about this?"
The first man let out a loud belly laugh. "Nebula's gone missing, so we got ourselves a new captain."
"And who would that be?" Autolycus asked as he was pushed toward the door.
"Me, Tholoneus."
* * *
"Is it animal or mineral?"
"Animal."
"Is it man or beast?"
"Man."
"It's Gabrielle."
"Hey! How did you know?"
"Because she was what you were thinking about for the last five times."
"Well, it could have been someone else."
"Was it?"
"No."
Nebula chuckled softly. "Boy, you've got it bad."
"Got what bad?"
"Come on. It's so obvious. You've got a thing for her. Admit it."
"Okay. Just don't tell anyone. It might harm my reputation as a warrior."
"Well, I don't know about your 'warrior' reputation, but it certainly wouldn't harm your 'other' reputation."
"What about my 'other' reputation?" Joxer asked nervously.
"Oh, Meg told me all about the way you . . . "
"Hold it! I don't want to hear any more."
"You're no fun! So if you don't want to talk about that, why don't you tell me about your childhood. That should do us another five minutes."
"I really don't want to talk about that either."
"Was it that bad?"
"Let's just say I've got the scars to prove it."
"Can I see them?" She was practically purring in his ear.
"But it's too dark to see anything down here. Hey!" He practically jumped as he felt her hand go up the back of his shirt.
"Oh, settle down. If you're nice, I'll show you mine later. Now let's see . . . " Joxer calmed down as her fingers traced a couple of the scars on his back. "Ooh, these feel nasty. What happened?"
"Nothing."
"It certainly doesn't feel like nothing. Come on, who would I tell." Joxer didn't answer her, but he did move away so that her hand slid out from under his shirt. "All right, if that's the way you want it."
The two sat for several minutes in silence, listening to the waves break against the ship's hull. Nebula almost jumped when she heard Joxer's voice once again at her side.
"My Dad once tried to teach me to shoot a bow and arrow. Suffice it to say, I didn't exactly get the hang of it. Anyway, my brother comes up, picks up the bow and arrow, which he'd never held before, and he lets one fly -- right into the bull's eye. My Dad starts going on about how great he is and how much of a loser I am. Anyway, my Mom hears all this and starts yelling at him for the way he was treating me. So, he grabs his sword from his scabbard and walks toward her, threatening her. I was so scared, not for myself but for my Mom. She's always been the only one who's ever stuck up for me. Anyway, I run over and stop between her and Dad. He takes a swing, hoping to scare me out of the way, but I don't move. I just stand there and the sword slices into my side."
Nebula realized he'd finished when he'd gone several moments without speaking. "I'm sorry."
"Don't be. All that's in the past."
She reached over and placed a comforting hand on his arm. After a few moments, she felt his
hand cover hers. They sat like that for a while as Nebula heard rather than saw the tears that
began to fall down the man's cheek. She silently lent him her strength as he remembered the boy
he'd been.
* * *
"What are we going to do now? We can't do anything to find Joxer or Nebula from here."
"I have no idea, Armaan. Do you have any ideas, Jett?"
"You concentrate on getting me out of here, I'll concentrate on slitting every single one of their measly little throats."
Virgil gulped and continued throwing out ideas with Armaan. Autolycus barely listened from his position on one of the tiny cots, hands behind his head. After a few moments, the boys realized he hadn't said a word.
"What about you, Autolycus? Aren't you going to help us?"
He looked up at them with a grin. "So you want to get out, eh?" He received in response twin "duh" looks. He chuckled and lifted himself out of the cot and walked over to the door. He looked left, then right, and seeing no one around, he slipped a hand through the bars. The others couldn't see what he was doing, but within moments they heard a clicking noise, immediately followed by the door swinging open.
"Why didn't you do that in the first place?" Virgil looked at him angrily.
"Hey, even I like an attentive audience."
"Will you shut up for once," Jett addressed them all. "Let's go find my brother."
* * *
"They don't rhyme."
"Yes they do!"
"I'm telling you, they don't!"
"And I'm saying they do."
"But just say them together: tryst, prize, tryst, prize. See? They don't rhyme."
"Do you want to learn the damn song or not?"
"Ooh, I like it when you show a little backbone." She couldn't see him shaking his head. "All
right, all right. Teach me the damned song . . . "
* * *
The foursome began quietly making their way through the bowels of the ship. Thankfully, the further below they went, the fewer crewmembers there were.
"Auto, are you sure you know where we're going?"
"Sure I'm sure. We're deep inside the ship."
"Well, I could have told you that."
"You know, I have no idea what Joxer likes about you kids. I told you, there's another kitchen down here. We can stop, get something to eat and drink, then try to figure out where Joxer and Nebula are."
They continued on, but every moment that passed made Virgil wonder if they were really just getting lost. If one of the crew found them, they'd just end up in the brig again, but this time with guards to prevent any further escapes. Just as he was about to suggest turning around, he heard a sound whispering near his ear.
"Hey, you guys. Stop for a second. I think I hear something."
They all listened and caught the wisps of the song at the same time.
"...
Captain of debauchery, Never seems to get enough, Of our tantalizing stuff, If you need some company, With Joxer there's a guarantee, Of the highest potency, Heck, I'd even work for free, He's Joxer, Joxer the Mighty!"
Autolycus and the boys burst into laughter while Jett just hid his face in his hand. "That's not my brother."
"You know," the thief said, "I've never heard that version. I bet Meg helped him with it."
Virgil immediately stopped laughing. "Come on. It sounds like they're on the other side of this wall." He began knocking on the wood. "Hey! It's Virgil! Are you guys in there?!"
"Virgil? It's Nebula! Go around the corner and feel along the wall. You should find a hatch there. Open it, but don't let it close, okay?"
"Okay!"
Virgil did as he was told and finally found the hatch. He opened the door and couldn't have been happier to see his father's face again.
"What took you so long?" Joxer got out of the hold first.
"Yeah. Any longer and he would have made me learn all the other verses of his song."
"Hey, I wrote it all myself, and I can name several women who love it."
"I know, hot stuff." Nebula brushed past Joxer, copping a feel as she passed by. "At least it's all true."
Joxer put on a proud face as he followed Nebula, laughing inside at the expressions on the foursome's faces. Armaan shrugged. "Well, it's not like there's a lot to do when you're locked up in the dark." The other three gave him dirty looks as they brushed past him to follow Nebula and Joxer. "Hey, it's not like you weren't thinking it too."
Nebula called out to them. "So what's happened since the storm hit?"
"Just a little mutiny," Autolycus replied.
"That's why it took us so long to get to you," Virgil said. "They threw us in the brig and we had to wait until the King here was satisfied with his audience."
"Hey! I didn't get my reputation by having my abilities unnoticed."
Nebula was getting angry. "Who led the mutiny?"
"Some guy named Tholoneus."
"Well, it looks like he's earned himself a one-way trip off the ship."
"Leave him to me," Jett broke in. "Nobody holds a sword on me and gets away with it."
No one wanted to argue with the glint in Jett's eyes, and decided to leave Tholoneus to him.
"Come on, boys. It's time to get my ship back."
* * *
The group was at full alert as they passed through the ships's corridors toward the main deck. They were almost disappointed, for with every crewman they met, the men would take one look at Nebula and crawl out of their way.
Finally, Nebula pushed open the door and led the group onto the deck. She grabbed hold of the nearest crewman by his shirt collar. "Where's Tholoneus?"
The man didn't dare speak, but pointed. She let him drop to the floor and motioned to the others to follow. There, at the steering wheel, was the traitor himself, laughing at something one of the crew had said. He looked up at her approach, and immediately stopped.
"Oh shit."
"Well, Tholoneus, it looks like you've been busy in my absence."
"Umm, Nebula! I was just taking care of the Leviathan for you while you were away."
"Well, I'm back now."
"Of course. I never would have dreamed of taking the ship from you."
"I would believe you, but my friends here seem to think differently."
"They lie! We had a misunderstanding, and they're still holding a grudge."
"Well, my friends aren't known for lying, and I believe them before I do you. Now, Jett, you asked me something earlier? I think now would be a good time."
Jett stepped forward and cracked his knuckles. "I'm really going to enjoy this," he growled. He grabbed the man's shirtfront and held him close. He punched once. "That's for ruining the trip." He punched again. "That's for putting me behind bars." Yet another punch. "That's for upsetting my friends."
Jett grabbed the severely bleeding man with his other hand and held him above his head. With one great shove, the man flew over the railing and into the churning sea below. "And that's for not helping me find my brother."
Armaan ran up to the railing and began searching for some rope. "We've got to help him . . . " He stopped and turned around at the hand on his shoulder. It was Virgil, shaking his head.
"Don't. It's something he's got to do. That's why it's his job." Virgil felt someone watching him and turned. Joxer was wearing a small smile and was nodding.
"Well, I guess there's always the chance that he'll be able to swim to safety."
As they watched the man bleeding slowly into the ocean, they saw a strange shape rise from the water a distance from Tholoneus. Once they realized it was a fin, they turned away from the sight, not wanting to see what they knew would come.
"Or maybe not."
Nebula spoke to the rest of the crew. "Is there anyone else who has any objections? No? Then let's get going." The men began rushing around, desperately trying to follow orders. "I've got things under control here. Why don't you guys rest up the rest of the way?"
The men turned and headed back below deck. Just as they'd opened the door, Autolycus stopped Joxer.
"So, what happened with Nebula?"
Joxer just smiled and went down the stairs.
"Sure, now he decides to shut up."
Armaan ran up to Joxer. "Hey, it's good to have you back. You did have us worried a little there."
"You should know better. There isn't a situation that Joxer the Mighty can't get out of."
Virgil patted Auto's shoulder as he passed him. "Why don't you try keeping your mind out of the gutter for once?"
"Hey, kid, if you were ever lucky enough to spend one minute in my gutter, you wouldn't want to leave either."
"Hurry up," Jett said from behind them. "Either get out of my way, or I'll make you join Tholoneus."
Auto and Virgil pressed up against the walls to let Jett pass. "Such a charming man. It's a wonder he isn't married."
"Come on, Auto. Remember, you promised us some food. On to the kitchen."
* * *
Within hours, the men heard the telltale sounds of a man yelling "Land Ho!" They grabbed what little belongings they had and piled up on the main deck. They could already see the port of Taranto and they were anxious to be back on solid ground.
The Leviathan docked smoothly and the crew set up the plank. Nebula came over to the group. "Well, it looks like this part of the trip's over, boys."
Joxer looked at her questioningly. "Aren't you going to come with us? We could really use your help."
She smiled and mock-punched him on the arm. "Nah, I've got a ship to run. Anyway, you guys don't really need me. You seem plenty capable of performing miracles on your own."
As each man headed toward the plank, they stopped in front of her to say their goodbyes. Joxer waited until the others were already on their way down the plank to offer his arm to Nebula.
"Thanks for all your help. If there's any way I can pay you back . . . "
"You guys already paid me back. You did the jobs I gave you, and you even helped me get my ship back -- kind of."
"Then I guess this is goodbye. I hope we meet again soon."
She smiled, nodded, and took his arm in a warrior's handshake. When they let go, Joxer turned and started toward the plank.
"Joxer!"
He turned at the sound of Nebula's voice. Before he knew what had happened, Nebula grabbed his shirt front and pulled him into an incredible kiss.
"We will definitely meet again, Joxer."
She turned and walked back toward the wheel, her hips moving provocatively. After a minute or
so, Joxer finally broke out of the spell he'd been under and joined his friends on the dock.
* * *
"No!"
"Yes!"
"I said no!"
"And we're saying YES!"
Joxer pulled his helmet out from Autolycus' grasp. "No! I'm not giving up my armour!"
Jett placed a strangely gentle hand on his brother's shoulder. "You know as well as we do that, if we have any chance of getting by the Roman centurions, we have to do so quietly. I know you like that armour of yours, but I'm not about to lose a brother because of it."
Joxer looked down at the helmet in his hands, then back up at his brother. "Then what do you expect me to wear? This is all I've got."
Jett smirked and pulled his brother into the bushes at the side of the road they were traveling. A few minutes later, they came back to join the others.
"I don't know why I let you talk me into these things."
"It's not like you've never done it before."
"Hey, that time it was a coincidence."
"Yeah, but this time we can use it to our advantage."
Autolycus, Armaan and Virgil were listening carefully to the exchange between the brothers. They had to, for the way they spoke was the only way the others could tell the difference between the two men. Jett had given Joxer a leather outfit identical to the one he was wearing.
"Are you two done yet? I thought . . . " Autolycus stopped mid-word as they heard a noise down the path. A group of Roman warriors were headed toward them. They quickly threw their things and themselves into the bushes, hiding from the centurions. From their position, they could hear the men speak amongst themselves.
"General!"
"Yes, Cassius."
"Have you heard word yet from the other troupe?"
"Yes. They were successful. The two women and their companion have been captured and taken to Caesar. Once we arrive, we will watch over all the prisoners. I don't think the precautions are that necessary, however I've heard that it's not wise to underestimate Xena."
"Oh no, they must have G-mph." Autolycus and Jett each placed a hand over Joxer's mouth before he could finish the thought. Autolycus sent a silent prayer that the centurions hadn't heard his friend.
The warriors were finally outside hearing range and Autolycus smacked Joxer on the back of the head. "Thanks a lot. You almost gave us away."
"Leave him alone." Virgil gave Autolycus a little push. "He was upset. And it's not like he was heard."
"But he might have been," Jett added.
"Yeah, well he wasn't." Armaan took up a position next to Virgil.
"Will you guys shut up and stop talking about me as if I weren't here?!" The others just stopped and stared at him. "Now, let's grab our stuff and go. Those guys are headed for wherever they're keeping Gabby, and we're not gonna lose them." He picked up his pack and, swinging it over his shoulder, headed off down the road after the centurions.
Virgil and Armaan quickly grabbed their packs and followed Joxer, while Autolycus and Jett took their time. "Someone's thinking mighty highly of himself."
"I guess he's spent too much time around you."
"And what the hell does that mean?"
"It means I think you could give Narcissus a run for his money."
"Well, I've always thought I was pretty good looking, and no one's ever told me otherwise."
"Hmph! You ever hear of being polite?"
"You ever hear of getting some every now and again?"
"What are you trying to say here?"
"Come on! It's so obvious. You spend so much time killing people. Your knives are probably the only things you let into your bed."
"Well, at least I do my job, unlike certain thieves who are too busy seducing barmaids to do the job right."
"Hey, I must be doing something right. They don't call me the King of Thieves for nothing."
"Whatever they call you, you're still nowhere in my league."
They continued walking in silence, refusing to look at each other. Virgil looked back and saw the men trading angry looks.
"Trouble in paradise."
Armaan looked back to see what Virgil was talking about. "I wonder what happened. Did Jett threaten Auto again?"
"It doesn't look like it. They probably had some kind of fight. I just hope they get over whatever it is before we get to Rome."
They walked a few more paces in silence.
"Armaan?"
"Yeah?"
"I've been thinking. You know, about what you said that first night."
Armaan nodded.
"I-I'm not sure I want to forgive her. It's what's kept me going since Dad died. I was about to kill myself when I got the vision. I was ready to give up on everything, but this mission is my way of changing history."
"To atone for a mistake of the past." Virgil nodded. "You know, sometimes things aren't what we think they are. My father, I'd thought he was this great man, a real hero, for my entire life. It wasn't until after he died, after Joxer had come to see me, that I found out that he was nothing but a petty thug. Coming to see me was one of the bravest things anyone has ever done, at least in my opinion. Joxer may have killed my father, but the image I grew up with lived on. Only now it has a different face."
"Joxer."
"Yeah. In the short time since it happened, he's been more of an actual father to me than my real father was. I've learnt that the real heroes aren't the people with super strength or many skills, but the ones with the courage to do what others won't, and to keep trying no matter what. I've also learnt that even the worst people can be redeemed."
"I still don't know if I can forgive her."
"You don't have to decide now." He put a hand on his friend's shoulder. "Maybe this mission of yours will be more therapeutic than any amount of thinking."
The boys smiled at each other. Virgil sped up so that he was walking next to Joxer on the road, and Armaan followed, walking on Joxer's other side.
"She'll be ok. We're making sure of that."
"I didn't want to believe it. I know we're going all this way for them, but in my heart I didn't want to believe it."
"I'm sorry."
"It's not your fault. As you said, we're going there to make sure things don't get worse. I just..." Joxer took a deep, shuddering breath. "I don't know what I'll do if we're too late."
"We won't be too late. You can't give up hope that we'll be there in time to make a difference."
Joxer nodded and absently wiped unshed tears from his eyes. "I'll do anything in my power to make sure nothing happens to Gabby."
"I know just how you feel." Virgil took a deep breath, trying not to think about what he'd do if
he lost his father a second time.
* * *
The group had been following the centurions for a day and a half when the weather changed on them. The air had been getting colder the last couple of days, however now it had begun to snow. They knew they were getting closer to one of the larger towns for they were meeting up with more and more people on the road. Thankfully, they were able to pass themselves off as Roman citizens.
Shortly before nightfall, the centurions marched up to a mountainside jail. The large wooden doors were closed tightly behind them, leaving Joxer and the others literally out in the cold. Armaan looked at Joxer hopefully.
"So, what do we do now?"
"I'm not sure. Jett, Auto, do you think you guys can find us a way in?"
The two men looked at each other, then looked at Joxer and nodded. Each headed off in a different direction around the jail. Joxer led the boys behind a group of bushes in case any centurions were keeping watch.
"Do you think they'll find a way in, Joxer?"
"If there's any other way in, one of them will find it. They're the best I know at this kind of thing."
The boys were impressed with the confidence Joxer had in his brother and his friend. They sat in silence, waiting for any sign from the two men. After a few minutes that felt more like hours, Autolycus came running from the side he'd taken. Joxer got up immediately to meet his friend.
"Auto, what is it?"
"You guys better hurry up. Jett's gone in already." Autolycus started heading back in the same direction he came from.
"So you guys found a way in?" Joxer and the boys moved quickly to catch up with the thief.
"Actually, no. We saw someone else who did. Xena."
Virgil could feel his breath catch as he followed the others. Everything seemed to be as he'd heard it from his father's stories. The snow, the jail, Gabrielle's abduction, and finally Xena's coming to rescue her. After running a few meters, he saw Autolycus stop and make his way through a couple of wooden planks that made up the outer walls of the fortified jail.
Once inside, they started looking around for Jett. He spotted them first and motioned for them to follow. He was trying to stay at an even distance between them and Xena so they wouldn't lose track of either her or him. With much effort put into trying to stay quiet, they finally caught up to Jett. From their vantage point, they could see the Warrior Princess making her way around a far corner. She looked as if she were speaking with someone, but to their knowledge she was alone. As they approached, they could barely make out what she was saying.
"You're trying to tempt me from my way by offering me peace."
Joxer and Autolycus looked at each other, each looking as confused as the other.
"What's she talking about?"
"I don't know. I don't even know who she's talking to."
All of a sudden, they heard a loud warrior scream. At first they thought it had come from Xena, but she looked almost as surprised as the rest of them. She immediately ran out into the open. The five of them ran around the corner to see what was happening.
They arrived in time to see Xena open up a jail cell and let out Gabrielle, some amazon, and a tall dark man. As the two women hugged each other in greeting, the room was filled by a thunderous noise. The men turned and saw centurion after centurion streaming into the room. Jett moved up and disarmed a number of them.
"Pick up their weapons!"
Within moments, all five of them were holding their own against the Romans, even Joxer to Jett and Autolycus' surprise.
"What in Tartarus are you guys doing here?"
Autolycus disarmed his opponent and looked to his left, where Xena had just driven her sword into some man's stomach.
"We came to back you up."
"How did you know we were here?"
"Joxer brought us to Taranto, and we followed some Roman soldiers to the jail."
"Joxer. I thought I'd told him to stay in Greece." Xena pulled a soldier against her and slid her sword across his neck, killing him instantly.
"He thought you could use some help."
"I don't need any help."
Virgil was doing well against a number of centurions. He hazarded a glance over at Xena and the amazon who were now fighting with the rest of them. He watched as Xena backed up away from the Romans to pull out her chakram, then sent it sailing. He watched as it hit several walls until it was caught in someone's hand. The blonde woman examined the chakram in her hand, then gazed at Xena. Virgil could feel a heaviness in the pit of his stomach as he realized the scene was somehow familiar, yet he couldn't remember offhand why. He watched helplessly as the blonde sent the chakram towards Xena.
"Nooo!!!"
Joxer turned at Virgil's scream in time to see Callisto throw the chakram. Without thinking, he pulled his sword arm back then sent the weapon flying. He watched in amazement as the sword hit the chakram in mid-air, sending it flying into a wooden pillar.
"Oh my Gods! I did it!"
Joxer looked at his hand in awe, still shocked at what he'd done. He was oblivious to all around him. As Virgil dispatched yet another centurion, he turned to see another Roman coming up behind the wanna-be warrior.
"Joxer!"
Virgil ran towards him, watching as Joxer turned around in time to catch the tail-end of the centurion's swing on his side. Joxer clutched the wound, blood flowing through his fingers, as Virgil stepped up and ran his sword through the soldier's gullet. Virgil didn't even watch the man fall dead to floor, and instead fell to his knees at Joxer's side.
"Joxer, talk to me."
"Virgil?" He sounded very weak. Virgil helped him lie on the floor, not caring what else what happening in the room.
"You're going to be ok, Joxer. You can't leave me, you got that? You're staying right here!"
A pair of hands tried to pull him aside, but he brushed them off. The hands became more forceful and pulled him up on his feet. He watched as Xena knelt down to look at Joxer's wound. Another pair of hands settled on his upper arms and he felt another man's chest at his back. Not caring who it was, he leant back for support. For the first time since he saw the soldier come up behind Joxer, Virgil looked around the room. All the centurions were either dead or gone.
"What happened?"
"They were called off. I overheard something about Caesar being dead," Autolycus spoke softly in his ear.
Virgil absently nodded and watched as Xena treated the wound before her. He saw another woman, Gabrielle, kneel at Joxer's other side and do her best to comfort the injured man. Finally, each woman placed one of Joxer's arms over their shoulder, then one of their arms behind his back, and lifted him up.
"Come on, all of you. Let's get out of here. We don't know when they might be back."
They left the jail the way Xena and the others had come in and retreated into the surrounding forest. When they thought they were safe from the Romans, Xena signaled them all to stop and she and Gabrielle helped Joxer to the ground.
"Joxer, how are you feeling?" Xena moved the leather vest Jett had given him to check on the wound.
He coughed a few times before answering. His breath was very shallow; it was not a good sign. "I'm ok. Don't worry about me. Let's just get away from here."
"No. We're going to stop here and rest." Gabrielle placed a hand on Joxer' chest to punctuate her words.
"But Gabby, what if..."
"No. We're staying here and that's final."
Joxer sighed in resignation. They didn't dare make a fire lest it lead the centurions to them. They tried to make themselves as comfortable as they could, despite the snow. Virgil kept pacing nervously, and not even the efforts of both Jett and Autolycus could get him to calm down. The men just kept an eye on him from a distance.
Xena finally stood from her crouched position at Joxer's side. "Well, that's all I can do here. You should be fine until we get back to Greece." Joxer nodded weakly, unable to keep his eyes open. Gabrielle grabbed a few blankets from the mens' packs and covered him. Once assured he was asleep, Xena finally spoke to the others.
"What in Tartarus were all of you thinking? You could have gotten killed. Joxer could have been killed.
"But Xena..." Autolycus began.
"No buts, Autolycus. All of you should have known better."
"Hmph!" Virgil had finally stopped pacing and was now leaning against a tree near Joxer.
"And who are you? If it weren't for the fact that you tried to help Joxer, I'd kill you right here and now."
"Xena." Gabrielle laid a hand on the Warrior Princess' arm.
"My name is Virgil. You have no idea what we've just done, have you? If it weren't for us, the two of you would have ended up strung up on a couple of crosses."
"I wouldn't have let that happen."
"You had no choice in the matter. If it hadn't been for Joxer, you would have ended up with your own chakram in your back. Then you would have been thrown in prison with Gabrielle, and then the two of you would have been crucified."
"And how do you know all this? For all we know you could be working with Caesar."
"Xena." Eli spoke for the first time since his release. "He's seen what you saw."
She looked away from the prophet. "It doesn't matter. He still had no right to risk Joxer's life like that."
"Risk his life?! I was trying to save it. Forget this. None of this matters. Any minute now, I won't be around anymore and all of you can forget I ever existed." Virgil pushed off from the tree and stormed off into the woods. Armaan rose from his spot on the ground to follow.
"Virgil, wait up."
Virgil paused at the sound of his new friend's voice. "How dare she think I'm a threat to him."
"She needs time to adjust to what's happened. Just give her a little while, okay?"
Virgil didn't respond. He was fuming inside. The gall of that woman only reminded him of her daughter, of the day... No, he wouldn't think of that.
"You're shaking." Armaan was worried. He was upset at Joxer's injury just as they all were, but he'd noticed Virgil had developed quite a close relationship to the man in such a short time. He pulled his friend into his arms and held him.
Virgil couldn't hold anything in anymore, and allowed himself to cry. When he'd seen that soldier with his sword in Joxer, it was like the past repeating itself.
"I almost lost him, Armaan. I almost lost him again."
Armaan nodded, thinking he understood. Virgil had already lost one father. Losing a second would have been too much. The two young men stood there, holding each other, until Virgil's tears finally subsided.
"You okay?" Armaan could feel Virgil nod. "You ready to go back yet?"
"Yeah." Virgil pulled away from his friend and wiped the wetness from his face. "Thanks."
"No problem. You would have done the same for me."
The two boys walked back to join the others in silence.
* * *
The sun was setting and everyone was preparing for the night. Virgil set up his bedroll and blankets, then offered them to the women.
"What will you sleep on?" Gabrielle was concerned.
"I won't be sleeping tonight."
"You need your rest. We all do."
"I can do without. Anyway, someone should watch over Joxer to make sure he's okay."
She nodded. Xena looked him over. He hoped she'd cooled off enough to understand why they'd come.
"Virgil, why don't you take first watch then."
Virgil took the olive branch for what it was and nodded. One by one, everyone closed their eyes and fell asleep, all pressed against each other to keep warm in the snowy weather. Virgil sat next to Joxer, watching his laboured breathing.
"I love you Dad. Everything's as it should be. You and your friends are together now, and will be for a long time."
"Oh, what a cute picture."
Virgil leapt to his feet to face the blonde woman he'd seen back at the jail. "How'd you find us? I won't let you hurt him."
She laughed a childlike but purely evil laugh. "I don't care about that silly mortal. You, however, have messed up my plans."
"I did what I had to do."
"I understand. And I hope you understand that I have to do this."
He threw his arms in front of his face to shield his eyes from the light as she formed a fireball in her hand. She raised the ball over her head and was about to throw it when a loud voice stopped her.
"What in Tartarus do you think you're doing?"
The blonde turned around to face four figures. Virgil didn't recognize any of the three females, but he did recognize the man, or God, from his father's description.
"Ares. Wh-what are you doing here?" The fireball disappeared from the blonde's hand.
"Did you really think I wouldn't find out what you were trying to do? How many times have I told you -- nobody touches Xena but me!"
"But Ares..." Virgil watched in astonishment as the blonde woman morphed into a blond man. He was wearing black leather, and his hair was very short and spiky.
"I expected more from my son, Deimos. Betraying me to Mars."
Ares let loose a fireball of his own, and Deimos disappeared. He turned to the women at his side. "Is that the kid you wanted to talk to?"
"Yes. Leave us."
"Whatever." Ares disappeared in a bright flash of red light.
The three women looked at Virgil and spoke in one voice. "Come to us, child."
The order had barely registered in his mind when his legs moved automatically to bring him to them. The women were of three different ages. One a child, one about Joxer's age, and the last was elderly. Something his father had told him about the Greek Gods popped into his mind.
"You're the Fates."
"Yes."
"Why am I still here? Have I changed the future?"
"We cannot know what might have been. However, we could tell that the pattern of existence has changed."
"Then I did change things. Then I no longer exist."
"That is why we wish to speak to you. Your thread is important to the pattern. If it is removed, we cannot tell what the possible consequences will be."
"But I barely know anybody. How could I be that important?"
"The immediate future may not be greatly affected, but the future to come will be. We cannot tell you much more about your importance. Just know that it is necessary to the pattern."
"Then I will continue to live here and now."
"Yes."
He turned around to glance at the people he'd come to know as friends and the man who once had been his father. "Thank you."
"Do not thank us. Simply live your destiny."
He nodded to the women, then began walking back to the group. The Fates looked at each other.
"Shouldn't we have told him we couldn't find his string?"
"No, this sounds so much better."
"Who knows, we may actually be right."
Within moments, the Fates had disappeared to their temple on Olympus. Virgil walked over to Joxer's sleeping figure and laid down next to him, looking up at the stars.
It was done. He'd changed the past. He wouldn't have to watch his father die before his very eyes. He wouldn't have to go tell his mother and brothers and sisters that the most important man in their lives was dead. But then again, his father was no longer his father. His mother was no longer his mother. His parents would never meet and he and his brothers and sisters would never be born.
But neither would Livia
Virgil came to an epiphany. He'd finally succeeded in doing what he'd failed to do so many times. He had killed Livia. And that knowledge did not satisfy him. He felt no sense of victory, no sense of accomplishment, no sense of having righted a wrong or having avenged his father's death. In fact, he felt nothing at all.
He turned to look at Joxer, fast asleep. Was it worth it? For all he knew, Joxer could die tomorrow. But Livia would never kill again.
He looked at the others. He saw Jett, Autolycus, and Armaan laying near each other for warmth. Had he been right to risk their lives in his endeavour to change the past? But they had gone willingly, hadn't they?
There were Xena and Gabrielle. He'd saved them from death, but he'd also saved them from rebirth, as well as the birth of a child. Xena's daughter would never be born. He'd killed Livia, but he'd also killed Eve. She would never hold that daughter in her arms, would never feed her while singing to her.
Livia, for all her cruelty and evil, had been someone's daughter. Had Xena known what he'd done, she would have done anything to get her daughter back. And in the end, it had appeared that Livia had truly become Eve once more, that she had set aside her evil ways and been reborn.
He looked back up at the stars above.
"Virgil?"
He looked to his side and saw Joxer trying to sit up. He raised himself to help the man.
"Virgil, are you all right? You weren't hurt, were you?"
"No, Joxer." Virgil couldn't help but smile at Joxer's concern. "I'm fine. We're all fine, all except you."
"Don't worry about me, Virgil. I've been through worse. I'm a survivor."
"I know."
Virgil's eyes met Joxer's, and in that instance he came to one definite conclusion: it had all been worth it. If given the chance, he would have done it all over again.
In the very next instant, he came to another conclusion.
"Joxer?"
"Yes, Virgil?"
"I..." It was far more difficult than he'd imagined, putting his thoughts and feelings to words. "I think I can forgive her now."
Joxer smiled. "I knew you would eventually. You're a good kid."
Virgil blushed and looked away. "You don't have to say that."
"I know, but I want to. You know, if I were to have a son, I'd hope he'd be just like you."
Virgil could feel the tears well up in his eyes. He reached out and wrapped his arms around Joxer's chest, tucking his face in the man's neck. Joxer just held him until he no longer needed the comfort.
"Virgil? Why don't you get some rest. I'm too restless to sleep again, and it should be Xena's watch soon."
"How'd you know it would be her watch soon?"
"You don't travel with her and Gabrielle without learning some of her habits. Now go to sleep."
Virgil began settling in next to Joxer. His mind wandered back to when he was a small child and would run to his parents room after a bad dream. His Dad would pick him up and lay him in the middle of the bed between him and Mom. He was bigger now, but the feel of his Dad next to him was still the same.
"Joxer?"
"Yeah?"
"Thanks."
"Go to sleep."
Virgil closed his eyes, and thankfully fell into a dreamless sleep.
* * *
"Virgil?" A voice whispered into his sleep. "Hey, Virgil. It's time to wake up." He opened his eyes slowly to see the brown eyes of his friend.
"Is it morning already?"
"Actually, it's closer to afternoon. Xena and Gabrielle have been wanting to leave for an hour now, but Joxer's been insisting you need your rest."
Virgil practically leapt off his position on the ground and Armaan lent him a hand.
"You should have woken me. We have to get away from Roman territory and get Joxer some help."
Armaan laughed slightly and pointed behind Virgil. He turned and saw Joxer, sword in hand, sparring with a tree.
"What's he doing up? He should be resting."
"He can be real stubborn at times. He says he wants to keep his skill up in case we meet up with some of the Romans, but personally I think he just doesn't want to have to rely on us or hold us back. He's still hurting, I can tell, but he's not letting on."
Virgil turned away from the sight and towards his few belongings. "Why don't you let the others know I'm just about ready, and we'll head off."
Armaan walked away as Virgil packed. Within minutes, the group was on its way to the nearby port of Pescara. They couldn't afford to take the time to travel back to Taranto. If they could find a boat in Pescara, they would be at sea before the Romans could follow them.
They paused a short ways out of town while Autolycus went to find a boat that would take them to Greece. He returned after only having been gone an hour.
"Come on. I've got us a ride."
"So soon?" Xena was a little suspicious.
"Hey, you know me. I've got connections."
Xena rolled her eyes and followed Autolycus to Pescara. The others followed, thankful they wouldn't have to wait any longer. As they approached, they realized they were being led towards the main part of town, rather than the outskirts where they wouldn't be spotted.
"Autolycus," Xena rasped, grabbing him by his shirt front. "Where are you taking us, and why are you all of a sudden not afraid of being caught?"
"Umm, did I forget to mention that, while I was in town, I found out that not only was Caesar murdered, but Brutus has canceled any search for us?"
"Yes."
"Umm, well, I did. And we're heading for the docks, where the boat is."
Xena released him, and he rubbed his neck where his shirt had rubbed against his skin. Without further interruptions, Autolycus led them to the docks.
"She looks like she'll do. And you said her captain agreed to let us on?"
"Yes. In fact, the captain was very enthusiastic about the idea."
He led them up the plank onto the main deck where they were met by one of the ship's crew.
"If you'll just wait a moment, the captain will be right with you."
For the first time, they had a moment to actually look over the boat. Armaan poked Virgil in the side with his elbow.
"Hey, does this ship look kind of familiar to you?"
"I don't know. They all look the same to me."
"Hey!"
The group turned to face the voice that called to them. Joxer was the first to react.
"Nebula! What are you doing here? Auto, how come you didn't tell us you got us passage on the Leviathan?"
"Well, to answer both your questions, I thought you'd need some help after you saved your friends so I headed to the port nearest to Rome on the Adriatic. When I met up with Auto here, I asked him to keep it a secret." She walked next to Joxer and reached for his behind. "I told you I'd be seeing you again."
Joxer's face flushed red and he flustered a little before he could get his mouth to work properly. "Umm, why don't I see if the crew needs any of my help."
Joxer walked away from the group, keeping his eyes averted from the rest of the group. Xena and Gabrielle looked at each other with strange looks on their faces, then turned to look at the smiling men behind them. Eli remained passive, while Amarice just looked disgusted.
"I don't suppose you boys know what all that was about, now do you?" Gabrielle raised an eyebrow at them.
"Well..." Auto was about to answer when he caught Nebula's eye.
"They know a lot less than they think they do. Now, why don't you boys go with Joxer and help the crew. Same jobs as last time."
"Yes ma'am." Auto led the others below decks.
"Now you two," Nebula faced Xena and Gabrielle, "you can go after Joxer and show him to one of the rooms down below. Don't think I didn't notice he's in pain. He needs rest. And you two," she pointed at Eli and Amarice, "come with me."
Xena and Gabrielle watched as the dark woman led their friends off to another part of the ship. "What do you make of her, Xena?"
"She's a good person. Hercules and Iolaus speak highly of her. Come on, let's go get Joxer. We don't want him reopening that wound of his."
"He can be so thoughtless at times."
"That's not it. He's just stubborn. I think that's a trait the three of us share."
"Xena?"
"Yes, Gabrielle?"
Gabrielle placed a hand on her friend's arm, stopping them both mid-step. "I just wanted to say, I love you. I know I don't say it enough, but we came so close. Your vision almost came true, and I just wanted to say it."
"I know. I love you too." Xena opened her arms to envelop her best friend, who nuzzled her face into the warrior princess' neck. "No one's happier than I am that the vision proved false, except maybe Joxer."
Gabrielle raised her head from its resting place. "I guess we'd better go get him."
Xena nodded. "Now, why don't you show me 'the way' to Joxer."
Gabrielle rolled her eyes. "You're enough to tempt someone to use violence, you know that?"
"That's what I'm here for, Gabrielle, to tempt you."
The women didn't search for long before they found their target already lying on one of the ship's bunks.
"Joxer?"
He tried jumping off, but was held down by one of Xena's strong hands.
"No, don't get up. We just wanted to make sure you were ok. Nebula's orders."
"Umm, about Nebula, she and I never..."
Xena and Gabrielle laughed quietly, shaking their heads.
"We didn't think so." Gabrielle reached out and took one of his hands in hers, while Xena took the other. "You gave us quite the scare, you know. I never want you pulling anything like that again."
"I can't promise that. Who knows what would have happened if we hadn't gotten there in time, if at all. For all we know, I would have gotten there in time to take your bodies down from their crosses."
Xena looked away, lost in a memory of her vision. "Maybe you're right. But either way, try to be more careful. You're important to us, you know."
"I am?" He looked from one beautiful face to the other and knew Xena spoke the truth. "You guys, you're important to me too."
"We know." Gabrielle reached out to brush away a stray lock of hair on his forehead. "Now, get some rest. We all need it after what we've been through."
"All right."
The women closed the door quietly as they left the room.
"He grows on you, doesn't he Gabrielle."
"That he does. Xena, what would we ever do if we didn't have him tagging along every now and again?"
"I don't know, Gabrielle. And I don't really want to find out."
* * *
Joxer woke up feeling very refreshed. He made his way to the main deck to see if he could be of help to the crew. He waved up to Armaan and Virgil in the crow's nest and walked over to the wheel to speak with Nebula.
"Hey! Are you sure you don't want my help?"
"Nah, we've got things pretty well covered. It's almost nighttime anyway, and the night crew will take over."
"All right. Did you manage to find jobs for Xena and Gabrielle?"
"I thought they needed their rest too, so I gave them a room down the deck from yours."
"Oh, how long ago was that?"
"Actually, it wasn't that long ago."
"Ok, thanks. I'll go see how they're doing."
As Joxer walked back to the sleeping quarters, he allowed himself a few moments to think back over the last couple of days. It had been very close. He remembered the look of relief on Gabrielle's face as Xena let her out of her cell. He remembered he look of concern when she saw he was hurt. Even with her shorter hair, she still looked like a goddess. Every look on her face made him feel more alive and fall deeper in love with her every day.
He also remembered the look of determination on Xena's face as she scaled along the wall in the prison, how she concentrated as she fought off the centurions. He remembered the chakram sailing towards her, and the fear of losing one of his best friends. She had been in top form, and was every inch the Warrior Princess she was known as.
They were the two most important people in his life, and he'd come so close to losing them. He was glad he could at least take part in helping them escape; it was the least he could do.
He approached the door and prepared to knock, but stopped when he heard a noise inside. He smiled as he heard a groan, thinking Gabrielle was feeling seasick again. He thought better when he heard an even louder moan. He could just barely hear the voices inside.
"Oh, Xena yes!"
What was that? It couldn't be what he thought it sounded like.
"Mmm, Gabrielle. Right there!"
Joxer jumped away from the door as if he'd been burnt. Xena and Gabrielle were in there, and they were... they were... he didn't even want to think it. He stumbled twice before his feet would take instructions from his brain, and finally made his way to the main deck. He stood at the rail, looking out over the blue water, trying to bring order to his thoughts.
He'd always known Xena and Gabrielle were close, but he'd had no idea they were THAT close. Well, maybe there'd been a clue or two, but he'd been too lovesick to notice. He felt a pain inside that had nothing to do with his injury. He could understand Gabrielle falling in love with someone else, especially someone like Xena. What hurt was that they'd felt they had to keep it a secret from him, especially Xena who knew about his feelings for Gabby.
He needed time: time to think, time come to terms with what he'd just found out, time to figure out what he wanted to do with his life.
Up in the crow's nest, Virgil watched as the sun sunk below the horizon. "I'm going to head down. Are you coming?"
"Nah, you go ahead. Someone has to watch for pirates."
"Armaan, you forgot. We're the pirates."
Still laughing, Virgil began making his way down the webbing to the main deck. While he and Armaan had been watching in the crow's nest, he'd been thinking. What was he going to do now? Armaan had suggested he join him at the academy, but he didn't think it was for him. What he wanted was to travel with Joxer, but he didn't know if Xena and Gabrielle would accept him as a traveling companion as readily as they had Joxer.
As he jumped off the last rung of netting, he noticed Joxer at the railing. He didn't look too good. Virgil made his way over and leaned against the rail next to him.
"Is everything ok?"
Joxer looked down at his hands, then back out to sea. "I'm fine."
Virgil knew he was lying, but decided not to press the issue. "Well, we'll be getting back to Greece soon."
"Mmm hmm."
"I guess then you'll be off righting wrongs and such again with Xena and Gabrielle."
"Maybe."
"What do you mean? I thought you were the best of friends."
"We were, I mean we are. It's just, I was thinking of taking some time on my own, you know, make a name for myself."
"That sounds like a great idea."
Joxer looked over at Virgil for the first time. "You think so?"
"Yeah. I guess there comes a time when everyone has to do their own thing."
"Yeah." Joxer nodded, his mouth turning up a little, then looked back to the water.
Virgil was glad to see he'd helped lighten Joxer's spirits, if only a little. "You know, a hero like you going out on his own, you're going to be needing a sidekick."
"Oh?" This time, Joxer didn't turn back to the sea. He smiled at the young man. "You may be right. Does this mean you're volunteering?"
Virgil met Joxer's eyes. "If you'll have me. I'm pretty good with a sword, but I'm even better with a quill."
"It sounds like you qualify. Is there anything else I should know before I decide?"
"Well, I know all the words to your song."
Joxer stuck his arm out. "Congratulations. You're my newest sidekick."
Vigil beamed as he shook Joxer's arm in a warrior's handshake. "I won't let you down."
"You know what this means, though." Joxer moved back to lean on the railing.
"What?"
"I've got to rewrite my song."
"Oh."
"Now let's see...
Joxer The Mighty
Roaming through the countryside
He never needs a place to hide
With Virgil as his sidekick
By his side he'll always stick
Righting wrongs and singing songs
Being mighty all day long
He's Joxer, he's Joxer the Mighty
So, how does that sound?"
"I think it's perfect."
The two men sang into the night, voices blended in perfect harmony. Every note seemed to reinforce the bond they'd felt since that first day on the road from Helios. They finally tired, and began making their way below decks.
"Joxer? Thank you."
"For what?"
"For allowing me to come along with you. I didn't know what to do with myself anymore. I'm all alone now."
Joxer laid a hand on the young man's shoulder. "As long as I'm around, you'll never have to be alone." Virgil stopped, for they'd arrived at his room. "Goodnight, Virgil."
"Goodnight, Joxer." He watched as the man walked down the hall to his room. "And Joxer?"
He turned around. "Yeah?"
"You don't have to be alone anymore either. I'm here."
Joxer smiled, nodded, and took a step back to Virgil. "Of course. We're a team now. We take care of each other."
Joxer reached out a hand, which Virgil took. As he looked down, Virgil felt a sense of deja vu. Joxer was now holding his hand the same way he had as the life drained out of him that fateful day. He took a deep breath, reminding himself that that memory would no longer be.
"A team. And good luck to anyone who dares to cross us."
Click here to read the next story in The Adventures of Joxer The Mighty And Virgil -- A Lesson In The Classics
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