This story is categorized as fan fiction. The characters of Xena, Gabrielle, et al, which have appeared in the series Xena: Warrior Princess, belong to the producers, writers and executives of
Renaissance Pictures and MCA/Universal Television. I claim only to have borrowed them, without intent to profit or infringe these rights, for the purpose of creating this story for enjoyment of the series' fans, of which I count myself one of many.
Additionally, the story below contains references, explicit and implied, of a sexual relationship between two consenting adults of the same sex. If you are not of legal age to read this story, or such material is illegal where you live, or you do not feel comfortable with such content, please refrain from reading this story.
Timeline Notes: After "When We Dance, Who Leads?" and between episodes "A Comedy of Eros" and "The Furies."
CHAPTER ONE
Xena and Gabrielle approached one of the final rises before
western Greece would be spread out in the lower land before them.
The bard sat in front of the warrior on Argo, having chosen the
close quarters when Xena had reached down one too many times to
touch Gabrielle's shoulder. She hadn't said anything, but
Gabrielle knew she preferred the bard to stay close. So she'd
hopped aboard to Xena's great relief.
Now Xena, her hands lightly resting on Gabrielle's waist as she
gripped the reins, pulled Argo to a stop.
"What's up?" Gabrielle looked around.
"Shh, I hear something." Xena looked over her shoulder and then
peered into the trees off to their left. "There's a fight over
there."
Gabrielle began to slide off Argo, but Xena stayed her with a
firm hand. "Let's go see what's up," insisted the bard.
"We will. Just ride into it with me instead of walking, okay?"
Xena turned Argo and with a sharp nudge to the mare's flanks,
broke into the tree line following the sounds of the battle,
which were finally becoming clear to the less skilled ears of the
bard.
Metal clashed with metal and grunts and groans filled the air as
they got closer. Xena pushed Argo into a short jump to break free
of the foliage into the clearing occupied with battle.
Gabrielle slid off the mare's back pulling her staff from the
loops in the saddle blanket. Xena leapt forward over Argo's head,
dropping into the middle of the fight, her sword already
swinging. She intercepted a blow meant to decapitate.
Gabrielle turned to find her first opponent and froze momentarily
as she saw Xena standing next to the man they were defending.
Joxer. He swung his sword in time with Xena, but was nowhere near
as effective. He yelled across the clearing, "Hi Gabrielle. Hold
on, I'm coming!"
Gabrielle shook her head and turned away from him. Xena watched
out of the corner of her eye as Joxer thrust this way and that
with his sword trying to cross the space separating him and the
bard. She kicked a man trying to sneak up behind the warrior, and
then turned to gauge Gabrielle's situation. The bard was
surrounded but doing all right and holding her own. Joxer stepped
up behind one man nearing Gabrielle. Xena grabbed for her
chakram. Gabrielle had turned and her attention was caught by
Joxer's motions, so she missed seeing a man raise his sword to
her from behind.
Joxer saw the threat at the same time as Xena. The man leapt for
the sword, grabbing it, preventing Xena from getting a clear
shot. She growled, and kicked a nearby assailant in the groin in
her anger. "Gabrielle!" she yelled for the bard, since Joxer's
interference only managed to change the angle of the man's swing
and it was still headed for Gabrielle's back.
The bard jumped aside and Joxer and the man fell together,
rolling and wrestling on the dirt. Gabrielle and Xena poised over
the situation, looking for an opening to hit Joxer's opponent.
The way they were rolling around, neither woman could get a clear
shot. Finally, Xena reached down and was able to grab a fistful
of a shirt collar flinging Joxer's opponent aside.
The lanky warrior was down on his hands and knees, blood
streaming from several wounds. The bard could not see the extent
of his injuries, but didn't have time to look any closer as a
burly man with a sword tried to sneak up behind her. With a quick
flick of her wrist and arms, she slammed the end of her staff
into his stomach, doubling him over. Then she swung the other end
around in an arc and brought the staff's heavy weight crashing
down on his helmeted head. He fell over like an axed tree, lying
full out on the ground.
She turned to her task in full concentration, defending a circle
around Argo, while Xena defended a circle around Joxer. The fight
finished quickly, and Gabrielle knocked her last opponent
unconscious before approaching Xena.
The woman warrior was already on her knees, assessing Joxer's
wounds. The man had passed out. Gabrielle, as she came closer,
saw why.
The lanky warrior had several body wounds, two severe enough that
blood pooled under his still form. His left arm lay at an
impossible angle, obviously broken in several places, and his
right leg twisted underneath his body awkwardly, also broken.
Gabrielle knelt next to Xena, watching the warrior put Joxer out
of most of his pain with pressure points. Gabrielle could see a
huge purple lump beginning to form at Joxer's right temple. "Is
he going to be all right?" asked Gabrielle.
"Everything appears to be repairable. I need to straighten him
out a bit in order to check his ribs. What in Hades' name was he
doing out here?" The warrior mumbled something else that
Gabrielle didn't catch as she helped Xena gently straighten
Joxer's legs, and settled his arms at his side.
"Can we move him?" Gabrielle looked at the men beginning to stir
in the clearing.
"We'll have to. You get a blanket and lay it out. I'll see that
we're not disturbed when we finally get him onto it and move to a
campsite for a while." Gabrielle fetched one of their blankets
from the saddle, and smoothed it out next to the unconscious
Joxer.
Xena went around to the men in the clearing assuring their
continued unconsciousness. "When they wake up, they'll take off,
and we'll be out of sight by then," Xena explained as she came
back to Gabrielle at Joxer's side. The lanky warrior had not
stirred once.
Gabrielle used a small cloth to clean up what she could, removing
blood and caked dirt from several of the deep gashes on his face
and shoulders. Xena stayed her hand when the warrior began to
moan. "We've got to get him out of here first."
"Right." Gabrielle stood and backed up. Xena examined the
situation and the bard could see her make a decision.
"Don't help. This is going to be painful enough for him as it
is." Xena rolled Joxer onto his stomach, supporting as much of
his body as possible in the rotation. It worried Gabrielle
greatly that Joxer didn't moan or make any sound at all. "Now,
move the blanket underneath."
Gabrielle quickly smoothed the blanket where Joxer had been lying
and stepped back again. Xena rolled him back over, this time onto
the blanket.
"Think you can help me lift? Dragging him over the ground could
kill him. A broken rib could puncture a lung."
Gabrielle nodded and bent down, grasping the corners of the
blanket on either side of Joxer's legs. Xena grabbed the corners
of the blanket on either side of Joxer's head. "Ready?"
"Ready. Heave." Trying to move in tandem, Xena and Gabrielle both
lifted straight up. "Be careful," warned Xena. "We've got to keep
his body pretty level. There's a spring over here. We'll set up
camp there."
Gabrielle gritted her teeth and she and Xena moved Joxer as
carefully as possible. She cautiously stepped over and around
rocks and sticks so she didn't risk tripping herself and dropping
Joxer. Xena moved just as carefully. If Gabrielle raised or
lowered her arms, Xena would adjust so that Joxer remained nearly
level. "Think he was coming to get us?"
Xena shook her head, her face drawn in worry. "I have no idea.
Hopefully we can get him to tell us soon."
"When do you think he'll wake up?"
"I don't know." The warrior shook her head and studied Joxer's
face. Gabrielle watched as Xena's face grew dark, then
forbiddingly angry. But the bard knew she wasn't angry at
Gabrielle. And it wasn't Joxer. Every time her eyes roamed his
broken and battered body, a furrow of worry appeared in her brow.
"Is he going to be all right?" Gabrielle asked. "How bad does it
look?"
"There's the broken arm and leg. Four broken ribs that I can see
clearly. A concussion, and a stomach wound," Xena ran down the
list clinically as the two women gently laid Joxer down in the
middle of a clearing by a spring-fed lake.
Xena went back to get Argo and her medical supplies while
Gabrielle set up camp. Xena would need the fire as close as
possible to Joxer so that she could easily work on him while also
preparing mixtures. So Gabrielle built the fire pit about four
feet from where Joxer lay, still unconscious. Then she gathered
kindling in the clearing. As Gabrielle set spark to the dry wood
with flint and tinder, Xena returned with Argo and their
supplies. As Xena knelt by Joxer and began removing his armor,
Gabrielle left the clearing in search of wood to keep up the fire
she'd started with flint and kindling.
When she returned, Xena had Joxer's stomach wound staunched, and
was just leaning back from having set his broken leg. Xena had
sliced the leather pantleg away.
"The leg set pretty quickly."
"Did he wake up?" Gabrielle stacked the wood by the fire, and
leaned over Xena's shoulder, studying Joxer's face.
"I'm going to have to try and bring him around next. Get a sense
about his head injury." Xena laid her hand over Gabrielle's when
the bard clutched her shoulder.
Gabrielle shook her head and rubbed her arm. "If he hadn't tried
to protect me..." Xena put a finger over the bard's lips, when
she pulled it away, Gabrielle finished with, "When will he learn
not to stretch beyond his skills?"
Xena shook her head. "I don't know, Gabrielle. But let's get him
up and around and then I'll try and have a talk with him."
"More trail rations tonight?"
"I think you ought to go fishing," replied Xena, leaning forward
to check the status of Joxer's stomach wound. "I'll need the fish
oil to mix with the paste I'm going to have to put in here."
Gabrielle stood, and moved back to let Xena stand beside her. She
ran a hand over the warrior's skin, just above her armor plate.
Then pinned the warrior with her green eyes. "Come with me? He'll
be fine for a few minutes."
Xena smiled warmly at Gabrielle and bent to gently touch her lips
in a soft kiss. When she lifted her head away though, she said,
"Once I'm sure Joxer's sleeping, not in any danger from his
injuries, okay?" Gabrielle gripped the warrior's hand and pressed
it to her collarbone. Xena let her fingers drift over the bard's
soft skin. "I promise."
Gabrielle nodded and stepped back. "I'll get the fish. You think
he'll eat anything by tonight?"
Xena shook her head. "Probably not. I do hope he'll be awake by
then though. Find out what he was doing out here. And assure
myself he'll live."
Gabrielle watched Xena return to Joxer's side and begin to work
on the man's broken arm. The warrior shook her head and whispered
something to the unconscious man, but Gabrielle didn't hear. The
bard turned, picked up the waterskins and headed for the spring.
She'd come back with fresh water as well as fish.
Xena was half finished strapping Joxer's ribs when the man
finally came around. She had lifted him up and was pulling the
cloths under his back when his eyes opened. Finding himself in a
soft bosom, he cleared his throat.
"Glad to know you're still in the land of the living, Joxer,"
commented Xena dryly, continuing her work. "Let me know if I pull
anything wrong. I've not deadened any of the areas I've been
working on since you've been out cold."
Joxer groaned then, feeling the pain in his leg first. The ache
started to move up his back. "Um, now that you mention it..."
"Yes?" She settled him back down and finished pulling the cloths
tight around his chest.
"Ah, thanks." He breathed a small sigh of relief as the pressure
released. Then he groaned again as the pressure on his ribs
twitched while she tied off the bandage. "So, what's the
damages?"
Xena shook her head but answered him truthfully. "Your arm's
broken in two places. Looks like a horse stepped on your left
leg. Four broken ribs that I can see clearly. A stomach wound
which I finally staunched," Xena replied. "Let me take a look at
your eyes." She leaned close and pulled his chin up, studying the
pupils. "And a concussion."
"Ah, typical day on the road," commented Joxer. "Thanks, Xena.
I'll be going now."
"You're not going anywhere, Joxer. That leg won't be useful for
at least a week, and even then you're going to need to keep as
much weight off it as possible for about two more weeks."
Joxer snorted. "Don't think I can take a little pain? You've
never seen me..."
Xena shook her head, and grabbed his chin. "Joxer, I've never
seen you this badly broken either. I'd prefer you not get
yourself killed."
"I'm my own man, Xena, you can't --"
"You're staying put and that's final. I'll let you go as soon as
you can get around under your own power, and I'm sure you'll live
out a week's travel." Xena's voice raised a bit as she tried to
make him understand. Then she fell silent.
"I'm sorry I'm such a problem for you, Xena. Here you go saving
my life again." Joxer laid back and studied his disarrayed body.
"Where's Gabrielle?"
"Down at the lake fishing for our dinner."
"You let her go alone?"
Xena shook her head. "She can take care of herself."
Joxer frowned and pursed his lips. Xena wanted to divine his
thoughts, but after another moment she didn't have to guess.
There was a lot of self-directed derision in his tone when he
remarked, "Yeah, unlike me, stupid, incompetent Joxer."
Xena sat back. "You are not stupid, Joxer," she said sternly.
"Noticed you didn't argue the 'incompetent' part." Joxer saw her
face darken. "No, you're right, Xena. I should have figured it
out long ago."
"What is that?" Gabrielle appeared at the clearing.
Joxer and Xena both looked up at Gabrielle, taking in the bard's
wet hair, and damp skin. Both felt a sharp twinge of passion.
Then one caught sight of the cut, just closing itself on her
shoulder. Joxer growled at himself.
"How'd you get that?" he asked.
Gabrielle shrugged. "Probably in the fight this afternoon. Just a
scratch."
"That's it. I'm getting out of here." He struggled a bit to sit
up, and ignored Xena's warning glare. "Gabrielle shouldn't have
been out there fighting for me." He didn't say it, but Xena
understood what went unsaid: I should have been out there
fighting for her.
Gabrielle pushed him back down. "Just let Xena get you healed and
then you can go. For now, we'll stay here. All of us."
Then she went to the fire and began preparing their dinner. Xena
turned back and gave Joxer another stern look, saying nothing.
Joxer watched Gabrielle's profile flickering in the firelight. It
wasn't dark yet, but the fire still cast her face in a soft
orange glow and added fire to the highlights of her hair. "Xena?"
"Yes, Joxer?" She accepted a waterskin from Gabrielle and mixed
some pain herbs into a cup of water. She handed it to Joxer and
though it looked for a moment he would refuse. The words barely
formed in his head before her look quelled him and he sheepishly
took the cup, drinking down the contents. He handed back the cup,
laid back gingerly, and closed his eyes. She nodded approval and
turned to Gabrielle at the fireside.
The bard had just laid the fish over the fire. Xena came up
behind her, resting her hands on the bard's bare shoulders.
"Enjoy your swim?" she murmured quietly.
"Yes, I did."
"Come here." Xena pulled Gabrielle to her feet and looked over
her shoulder at Joxer. She tugged Gabrielle just out of sight of
the sleeping man on the bedroll.
When Xena let her up from the kiss, Gabrielle sighed, "I'll have
to come back to the campsite damp more often."
Xena chuckled and nibbled the bard's chin and throat. She ran a
hand down the bard's side and rested it against her bare stomach.
"You do that."
"So what did Joxer have to say when I was coming in?"
Xena shook her head. "I started to talk to him but he's pretty
down on himself. I'm not sure what's going to happen next." She
looked back at Joxer. "I have this feeling. And it's not good."
Gabrielle sighed and put her hand on Xena's chest. "So, you're
going to stay up tonight?"
Xena caught the note of disappointment in Gabrielle's voice.
"Just until this uneasy feeling goes away."
The bard nodded and then smiled. "All right. But just until then.
I trust your uneasy feelings."
Xena returned the smile and turned away from Gabrielle. The
warrior laid out her blanket near Joxer's so that she could be
close during the night. The bard settled on her blanket on the
other side of the fire and retrieved the fish from the flames.
"Dinner is served," Gabrielle said, passing across a platter with
the fish and some bread and cheese.
"Thanks." Xena started eating, keeping one eye on sleeping Joxer.
"Did he happen to tell you why he was in the area at least?"
"Not just yet. Time enough to learn that. He's going to be laid
up for a while."
Gabrielle shook her head as she thought about the damage Joxer
had taken. "I've never seen him so bad off. I mean stubbed toes,
pulled muscles, that's usually the extent of it."
"He got in well over his head this time. There were five of
them."
Gabrielle almost said something but then shrugged, apparently
changing her mind. "What are we going to do?"
"I'm going to get him back on his feet, then well, then maybe
what's next is your department."
"My department?"
"Get him to go someplace and settle down. Maybe send him off to
Meg?"
"He'll just come running after us again."
"Then you've got to be convincing."
"I don't think I can, Xena. Joxer is just too..."
Chapter 2