Second Sight - by ArtemisPrime

Disclaimer: All characters and events surrounding Xena: Warrior Princess are the property of Universal/MCA/USA Studios/Renaissance Pictures and are not mine. I intend no copyright infringement, just the use of them for a while for my own kniving purposes >:)

Warning: May contain spoilers for any and all Xena episodes, so you've been warned! Story rated PG, due to some violence and blood, but nothing very gory.

Prologue

The doors to the tavern swung open with a mighty push, and swung back equally hard, knocking back the man standing behind them.

"Ooff," he exhaled. He stepped back a few paces and rubbed his nose where it had been hit. "Stupid doors," he muttered. With a look of resolve, mixed with some embarrassment, the man pushed the doors again, but jumped through before they could swing back and hurt him further.

The man stood just inside the doorway and surveyed the scene before him. He had expected your more typical tavern - barmaids, drunkards, fighting somewhere and stench of ale strong enough to make eyes water. But this place was different.

The man's eyebrows disappeared under his helmet as he looked around. All the tables had a cloth on them and a nice looking bottle/candle arrangement in the centre. Cutlery was arranged carefully around the plates and glasses. Off to the right, was a single lyre player performing a sweet ballad that the man thought sounded remarkably familiar. A bar was set up along the back wall with neatly arranged liquor bottles and mugs.

The man took a step down from the landing and was accosted by the maitre d'. "Do you have a reservation?" he asked in a haughty voice. His left eyebrow was raised and he appeared to look down at the man, even though the man was taller.

"A reser...Whaddya mean?" the man said curiously.

The maitre d' rolled his eyes and sighed, completely disgusted with the ignorance of this customer. "To eat here, you must have a reservation. This is not an establishment for just anyone, you know."

This upset the man. "Hey, I'm Joxer the Mighty, warrior and friend of Xena, the warrior princess. I don't need a reservation. Besides, what kinda place needs one 'a those anyway?"

"Xena? The Xena?" the maitre d' asked.

"Yeah. Xena, fighter for good and all that. We're good friends."

"Oh, my apologies, Joxer the Mighty. Please, please," the maitre d' grabbed a parchment and ushered Joxer to a table, "sit down and enjoy a drink compliments of the house." The maitre d' was now all smiles and charm. Joxer sat, but cast a wary eye at the man. He didn't like him, not at all. "What can I get for you?"

Joxer pondered this question for a long while. "You're best glass of wine. I'm feeling rich tonight."

"Yes sir, of course! Right away!" The maitre d' turned sharply and bounded towards the back. Joxer watched him, curled his lip then looked down at the parchment before him. His eyes bugged out of his head when he saw the prices for the meals they offered. Eight dinars for a lamb steak and vegetable? Outrageous!

"Excuse me. Did I hear you right? You're a friend of Xena's?" A man stood next to Joxer's table.

"Yeah, that's right. Gotta problem with it?" Joxer became defensive. Many people still thought of his friend as a ruthless warlord and Joxer would do anything to ensure that their opinions changed to the correct ones.

"Tell me, how is she doing?" He sat down.

"Why? Who are you?"

"Name's Palaemon." He extended his hand. Joxer was leery about accepting it. He thought the name sounded familiar, but couldn't quite remember...

"Palaemon? Oh, Palaemon! I remember now. You tried to kill Xena to make a name for yourself." He thought further. "And you kidnapped Gabrielle for money. She nearly died because of you." Joxer remembered reading that story by Gabrielle. His anger mounted inside at the thought of his beloved bard being very nearly incinerated.

"It's true. I did those things. But Xena made me see things differently." He half chuckled. "She kinda turned me to the path of good, I guess you could say. That's how this place got started." His eyes swept the large room filled with customers. "Vidalus and I set up this place on our own. Had it about two years, give or take."

"Is that the guy who wouldn't let me in?"

"Yep. I need to talk to him about making the customers feel welcome here. I never wanted it to be an exclusive tavern. I want everyone to enjoy what we offer. But, Vidalus, well, he's still got some annoying habits from working in that castle." Palaemon lightly shook his head.

"I'll say." Joxer leaned in further. "I guess that explains his..." Joxer motioned with his hand, the same one his brother Jett used for their other brother, Jace. Palaemon merely nodded.

"So, what can I get you?" Palaemon offered.

"Hmm, I don't know." Joxer picked up the menu parchment. "Everything's kind of expensive..."

"Hey, for you, it's on the house. Any friend of Xena's and Gabrielle's is welcome here."

"Thanks! Okay then, I think I'll start with..."

Chapter One

"Oh, this feels soooo good," Gabrielle sighed.

"Yes, it does feel good." the warrior answered. "Shift over a bit, would ya? I need to stretch out."

"That good?"

"Oh, yeah..." Xena's eyes closed. "Yeah...Perfect..."

"Xena," the bard said after a long silence, "I could stay this way the rest of my life."

"Hmm..." Gabrielle looked over at Xena and smiled. The look on the warrior woman's face was of tranquility, something not shown very often. But then, right here and right now, there were no worries in the world. Everything was right as rain.

A long time passed before anyone spoke. They just enjoyed the heat from the hot spring and the peacefulness it offered.

"Xena?" Gabrielle said quietly.

"Hmm?"

"I'm hungry. It must be about lunch time."

"Hmm..."

The bard straightened. "Xena? Are you even listening to me?"

"Hmm..."

Gabrielle narrowed her eyes. "Xena?" Nothing. "Xena!" The bard pouted, then a devilish idea came into her head. She got out of the water, pulling the towel around her, dried, then dressed. She quietly removed Xena's towel and was in the process of picking up Xena's clothing when the warrior woman snapped to attention. The women looked at eachother for a moment, then Gabrielle picked up the armour and ran for the entrance, laughing the whole while.

"Gabrielle! You get back here with my clothes!" Xena searched for her towel, but it was nowhere to be found. "Gabrielle!" With a huff and a look of pure determination, Xena got out of the water and headed for the entrance, her body starting to shiver from cold.

She looked out and saw her gauntlets sitting neatly on a bush, her arm bands swinging from a branch and her leather and armour flung into a tree.

"Need this?" Gabrielle stood a distance away, flaunting a towel. "C'mere and get it." Gabrielle laughed.

"You think this is funny?"

"Completely. Maybe now you'll listen to me."

Xena gave her trademark icy stare.

"All you have to do is say 'Gabrielle, I'm sorry I ignored you. It will never happen again under penalty of Amazon law for failing to obey the queen.' Then I'll give you back your clothes."

Xena sighed, knowing she could easily have climbed the tree for her garments, but decided not to. Gabrielle was right. I should have at least acknowledged Gabrielle's statement, she thought. With a roll of her eyes, the warrior princess succombed to the Amazon Queen. A few minutes later, she was fixing the adjustments of her arm bands and tightening the straps of her leather.

"Are you ready yet? The town is at least two leagues from here and I'm still hungry." Gabrielle rubbed her stomach for added emphasis.

"Yeah, yeah. I'm coming." She looked at her friend. "You know, we could have been there by now if someone hadn't tossed my clothes into a tree!"

Gabrielle could see the humour in Xena's face. "Gee, I wonder why someone would do such a thing?" A smile crossed her face. "C'mon. Let's go." She grabbed her staff and Xena pulled Argo's reigns. The started down the path. "It was funny, though, to see your face when you saw your clothes in a tree." Gabrielle chuckled.

"Ha,ha." She playfully slapped her friend's arm. "Very funny."

By the time the sun had started its descent into the western sky, the two friends had made their way into Thrace. Gabrielle was enamored with the market square and all the wares for sale. Xena got out of shopping by stating that she needed to find a place to put Argo down for the night. Gabrielle was just as happy not having her friend there. Xena hated shopping.

"How much for this?" the bard lifted the feathered quill.

"Four dinars," the merchant replied.

"Four dinars? Ha! Do I look like I just fell off the radish cart?" She stopped, momentarily remembering her last incident with radishes. She swallowed sickly, still tasting the radish soup Joxer had made for them some months ago. True, it had defeated an army, but the price she had to pay for it, well, it was certainly high. "I'll give you one dinar."

"Three."

"One. Plus an ink pot."

"Two!"

"Sold!" Gabrielle smiled as she thanked the vendor for her merchandise. Her last quill had been broken when Argo accidently stepped on it. The bard wondered just how much was accident and how much was pre-meditated. She had spent much time with Argo, but that horse still didn't seem to like her at all.

After wandering around and eating an apple to alleviate part of her hunger, Gabrielle finally caught up with Xena.

"So, where's a good place to eat around here?" Xena asked.

"I saw a place a couple of blocks from here. It looked very nice on the outside. It was called Zeus's Palace." She shrugged. "Sounds pretty good."

"All right. Let's go."

The two friends made their way through the narrow streets and finally came upon the tavern. They pushed the doors open and both were amazed at the decor. It was simply spectacular! The tables had cloths on them, cutlery arranged carefully around the plates and glasses and in the back was a very respectable looking liquor cache.

Gabrielle whistled. "I'll bet this place costs a pretty dinar."

"More than we can afford. C'mon. Let's find someplace..."

"Do you have a res...Gabrielle!"

Both women turned and stared in disbelief. "Vidalus?" Gabrielle exclaimed. "What are you doing here?"

"I might ask the same of you, sweet Gabrielle. But no matter. Come here and let me look at you. Both of you." He opened his arms wide and kissed both women on the cheek. "Oh, you both look as beautiful as ever. Come. Come. Sit and tell me everything that's been happening with you since we last met." They were almost shoved into a waiting table.

"Vidalus, that's no way to treat our guests." Palaemon strode over.

"Palaemon," Xena stated matter of factly.

"Ladies. It's a real pleasure to see you again." He pulled up a chair.

"I'm a little confused here," Gabrielle began. "Since when did you two open up a tavern?"

"Since Xena here convinced me that doing some good was a better way to be." Palaemon looked over at Xena and felt her penetrating stare. He momentarily wondered if their introduction those years ago had been different if he could have fallen in love with this dark woman.

"Actually, the idea for a tavern was my idea," Vidalus interrupted. "With a few changes of course to your typical swiney, low-down and filthy dive that most taverns are these days. That just simply wouldn't do."

Gabrielle tried to hide a smirk. Vidalus hadn't changed one bit since her encounter with him almost two years ago.

"Anyway, I figured this would be as good a way as any to make an honest living and help people at the same time. Care for something to drink?" He rose.

"Do you have any ale?" Xena asked.

"Let's see, domestic or imported?"

"Imported?"

"From Egypt. It's a more expensive brand, but most people seem to enjoy it."

Xena shrugged. "Yeah, sure. Why not?"

Palaemon returned with two mugs of ale and started talking with Xena about the tavern, events in his and Vidalus's lives since they last met the travelling pair. The women ordered dinner and were relieved to find it on the house. Vidalus quietly complained to Palaemon that if they kept that up, soon they wouldn't have any dinars coming in. Palaemon shrugged and ignored him.

"That was simply delicious," Gabrielle commented, pushing the dinner plate away. "I never knew that lamb could taste so good. Just the right amount of spice."

"Yeah, it was pretty good," Xena added.

"Thanks. Our cook has been working on that recipe for some time now and I think he's got it perfected."

"Well, you'll have to tell him that we think it's great!"

"You can tell him yourself. He's just in the back. I'll bring him out for you." Vidalus jumped up and scooted back into the kitchen area which was hidden from the public's view.

"So the tavern is going well for you, then?" Xena inquired.

"As well as can be expected," Palaemon replied. "It's hard sometimes to keep the undesirables away, but Vidalus does a pretty good job."

A scuffle was heard in the kitchen. Gabrielle looked in that direction and could have sworn she heard a familiar voice, but couldn't be sure. She lightly shook her head and returned to the conversation.

"There's some new guys in town. Came in about two months ago and they keep hitting everyone up for 'protection money'. They haven't come here, yet, but if they do, they'll find my sword down their throats." Palaemon was getting visibly angry. "I just wish the town magistrate would do something about them."

"Why doesn't he?" Gabrielle asked.

"Zeus only knows. With politicians, any excuse not to is a good one."

"Come on. They want to thank you in person," Vidalus voice could be heard saying to someone. "I thought you were friends with them?"

"Doesn't sound like your cook wants to meet us," Xena said.

"Yeah, well, he's a little shy."

"Why don't we just go back there?" Without waiting for an answer, Gabrielle bounded up and went into the kitchen. She stopped in her tracks.

"Joxer?"

The quarrel with Vidalus came to abrupt halt. Joxer gulped. "Gabrielle?"

"What are you doing here?"

"Ah...uh..."

"He's our cook." Vidalus turned back to Joxer. "Gabrielle and Xena only wanted to thank you for such a wonderful meal." He still held Joxer's arm and could feel it trembling. "Are you alright, Joxer?"

Joxer tried to speak, but couldn't. With a quick jerk, he released his arm from Vidalus's grasp and bolted out the back entrance to the tavern, crashing into a counter along the way. Gabrielle was left standing in shock.

"I don't understand. He's normally happy to see us."

Vidalus shrugged and raised both eyebrows. "I guess he's feeling a little shy today."

"Joxer? Shy? No way." Gabrielle went past Vidalus and followed Joxer out the door. She stood in the back alley and searched around for him. The night sky was out, but the half moon did not create enough light to see well. "Joxer?" she called out. "Where are you? Come on back. Xena and I want to say hello to you." Silence. "Joxer?"

Gabrielle whirled to her left when she heard a wooden box topple over. "Joxer? Is that you?" The faint moonlight outlined Joxer's form lying sprawled on the ground. "Are you all right?" The bard moved next to him. "Here. Give me your hand and I'll help you up." Joxer made no move. "Give me your hand, Joxer." Her voice was stronger and more stern. "Joxer..."

"Go away, Gabrielle. Please just go away and never come back here." Joxer's voice was small and fragile.

"Joxer, what's wrong?" She knelt down. He tried to push himself away, but was cornered into the wall.

"Please, Gabrielle."

Now Gabrielle knew something was wrong. Joxer hardly ever called her Gabrielle, and definitely not two times in a row! "Tell me what's wrong. Maybe Xena and I can help." She lightly touched his arm and he jerked it away.

"Please leave me alone."

The bard felt a hand on her shoulder. She looked up to see Vidalus staring at her with sad eyes. "Come in, child. Let's just leave him be."

Gabrielle started to protest, but stopped. Something was wrong here, but she knew Joxer wouldn't tell her. She went back inside, taking one last look at the warrior wannabe looking scared and alone in the corner.

"What's wrong with him?" Xena asked once her friends were inside.

"You don't know?" Palaemon inquired.

"Know what?" Gabrielle responded.

"Your friend, Joxer, well, there's was an accident and he...uh...he..." Vidalus's voice gave out on him.

"Joxer's blind," Palaemon finished.

Chapter two

Xena and Gabrielle could only stare in disbelief.

"What do you mean, blind?" Xena asked.

"As in can't see," Palaemon answered. "He's been like that almost since the day he came in here the first time.

"Okay, explain everything starting from the beginning," Xena instructed.

"We'd better sit down then."

"Ah, what a delicious meal," Joxer said with a grin, pushing the plate away. "That would satisfy the hungriest of warriors."

"I'm glad you enjoyed it," Vidalus answered, removing the dirty dishes. "Care for something else."

Joxer raised his hand. "No, thank you, my good man. That will be quite enough." He pushed his chair back and it flipped over. He fell with a thud onto the floor. He immediately jumped up. "Ha...uh...ha! A full meal must have momentarily reduced my agility. Yeah...ha..." He grabbed his helmet and began to slink out of the restaurant.

"Oh, hey, Joxer," Palaemon called out. He excused himself from his customers and ran up to meet Joxer. "Next time you see Xena, tell her thanks from me. Thanks for everything."

"Will do." With a tip of his hat, Joxer the Mighty left Zeus's Palace. He walked out into the market and began whistling his theme song. He examined some goods and seriously thought about buying a scroll for Gabby, but didn't when he realised that he had no dinars to pay for it. "Hmm, time to earn some money," he said to himself. He scanned the area wondering if any victims would need the assistance of his mighty warrior skills.

Joxer continued to look around, but failed to notice the four men closely following him. Joxer rounded a corner and came to a dead end. "Huh. I could have sworn I came from that way..." He turned around and ran face first into a giant of a man. Joxer looked up, way up, and gulped. "Oh, uh, hi there." He grinned. "Sorry about that." He began to brush off the man's chest. "Silly of me to not see you there. Heh, heh. Yep, real silly. Here let me just..."

The man wrapped his hand around Joxer's neck. "You got somethin we want," a deep voice rumbled.

"Me?" Joxer said with a hoarse and high pitched voice. "I don't really have anything..."

"Yer scabbard, fool," another voice said. Another man stepped out from behind the behemeth. "We wants yer scabbard." Two more bodies appeared.

Joxer began to sweat. "Look, fellas...uh, could you remove your hand from around my throat?" He tried to grin, but failed. He could feel himself getting light-headed. "Okay, have it your way. But the scabbard...it's mine." His hand tightened around it. "Family heirloom and all."

"Great. It'll be worth more." The men cackled. One went up to Joxer and began pulling on it, but Joxer resisted.

"No...it's...mine." He definitely now felt himself ready to pass out. "Mine."

All three men now grabbed the scabbard and wrested it away from Joxer's weakening grip.

"Yeah, this'll pay fer a lot."

"Oh, yeah. Lotsa girls now." He elbowed the other in the ribs and both laughed.

"Uh...hello?" Joxer was doing everything in his power to remain awake, but he knew he was losing. "Breathing..." He tried pointing to his throat and the still attached hand, but his arms were like dead weights. He oddly wondered if this was the same feeling Xena gave to her victims with that neck pinch thing. He didn't have much time to wonder as he then passed out. The giant man threw his body against the wall with a loud thud and Joxer slid down, still unconscious. All the men now went over to him and began to laugh.

"Some werrior. I seen better werriors in sewin bee's." This aroused more laughter. They were about to leave when Joxer awoke. His voice was shakey and he was still groggy, but he managed to call out.

"My scabbard and sword." He lifted his head up and attempted to rise, but couldn't. One man raised an eyebrow and eyed him evilly.

"You want this?"

Joxer nodded.

"You want this." He stood over Joxer now. "Okay, I'll give you this." Without warning, he struck Joxer with the scabbard. His head jerked back and hit the wall behind him. Joxer momentarily saw stars and then blacked out. "I'll give you this alright. I'll give you plenty of this." He repeatedly hit Joxer with the scabbard, hitting his head, chest and then began kicking his stomach. As he was going to hit Joxer's head, the giant man stepped in.

"No."

The man looked at the giant with surprise. "What did you say to me?"

"No."

"No one says..." He stopped as the giant slapped the smaller man and sent him flying. The giant turned and left, leaving the other two to pick up their friend and stagger off.

Joxer lay in a pool of his own blood.

"When I went to put out the garbage, I found him there," Vidalus finished up. "I was so scared and mortified. I ran back and got Palaemon..." Vidalus clutched a hankey and dabbed his eyes. Gabrielle's eyes, too, welled up.

"Then?" Xena asked.

"We brought him into the back and got him cleaned up. Vidalus brought the healer over and we stitched up his cuts. He was in bed for a week, coming in and out of consciousness. He cried out sometimes and he tried to say someone's name, but we never could make it out. Finally, he felt ready enough to get out of bed and that's when we discovered what he'd been hiding from us."

"That he was blind," Xena said coolly. Even Joxer has his pride, Xena thought.

"That...it must have been when his head hit the wall," Gabrielle finally spoke. She was visibly shaken by the story and revolted at the capacity for some people to do such horrific things to others. She swallowed hard. "That's when, isn't it?"

"As near as we and the healer can figure," Palaemon answered. "It's the only thing that makes sense."

Xena leaned back in her seat and looked around the tavern. There were a few customers left, but most seemed to have disappeared. She remembered the last time Joxer had been nearly beaten to death and what he had suffered because of it. She heard him cry out from the occassional nightmare he had; she knew how much that beating had hurt him, but was afraid to admit. She gritted her teeth. The men that did this to Joxer had to pay. Justice had to come.

"I'm going out to see him," Gabrielle announced and left the table.

"I wouldn't recommend it," Palaemon warned. "When he gets like that, it's best just to leave him alone. He'll be better in the morning." He faced the table. "He always is."

The back kitchen door squeaked as Gabrielle pushed on it. She cautiously stepped outside and looked to her left. Joxer was still there, huddled in a corner. She saw his head twitch when the door squeaked. She slowly and gently walked over to him and knelt down.

"Oh, Joxer," she began.

"You know, then," Joxer stated more than asked. His voice was quiet.

Gabrielle nodded, then remembered. "Yes. And I am so sorry..."

"I don't want your pity, Gabrielle."

Gabrielle was taken aback by the strength of Joxer's words. "I, uh..."

"I don't need it. I'm doing fine now." He seemed to straighten.

"I never meant to say..."

Joxer leaned back against the wall, relaxing his position. "I know what you meant, Gabrielle. I didn't mean to snap at you." He sighed. "It's just, that, well, I wasn't expecting to ever see you again. You took me by surprise. Then again, most things do now." He chuckled lightly.

Gabrielle half smiled at Joxer's attempt at humour. Always count on him to lighten any situation, whether or not on purpose. "Why don't we go inside? It's getting kind of chilly out here." She put her hand on his knee.

A few months ago, I would have felt like I had died and gone to Olympus if Gabby had touched me like that, he thought. Now... "Yeah, okay. My butt's getting kinda sore anyway." He rose and found Gabrielle still touching him, grabbing onto his hand. "I know how to get back in, Gabrielle. You don't have to hold my hand."

"I know," she answered simply, but didn't let go.

Joxer sighed. She pities me. Gods, that is going to have to change.

Chapter three

"No! Get away! Don't!!"

"Hey, Joxer, take it easy. Easy." Gabrielle was at Joxer's bed, trying to calm him down, but to no avail. He thrashed about madly, his arms flailing as though he was trying to push someone off of him. They then reached for his own throat.

"No!! Mine..." Joxer then passed out and the nightmare ended. He soon slept peacefully again.

Gabrielle sat back and watched the man sleep. She felt such pity for him at that moment, looking at him, seeing the still healing scars on his face. She noted that the one on his left cheek would likely be permanent. She sighed and gently touched his forehead. "Sleep, Joxer. Just rest." She smiled. Gods! How was this going to get any better?

Gabrielle rose and walked out of Joxer's room. She met Xena in the hallway. "Is he okay now?" Xena looked worried. The entire tavern had heard his screams.

Gabrielle sighed and slumped her shoulders. "I don't know, Xena. I think he was re-living the experience over again." She looked into her friend's eyes. "What are we going to do?"

"I don't know, Gabrielle. But one thing's for sure, these nightmare's have to stop. He's got to deal with his new situation sooner or later."

"How, Xena? How are we going to get Joxer to accept his blindness?"

A door opened and Palaemon stepped into the hallway. "He has accepted it."

"But the nightmares..." Gabrielle responded.

"...are natural. Think about it. He nearly got the life beaten out of him. I'd even be having nightmares about it, too." He looked at Joxer's closed door. "The blindness isn't the problem. It's that he got scared by those thugs. That's the real tragedy here." He looked at Gabrielle, then Xena. She seemed to understand. He then returned to his own bed.

The bard looked at the warrior woman. "So what do we do?"

"Give him time." With that, Xena went back to her sleeping quarters, leaving Gabrielle to wonder what exactly she meant. She shook her head and went back to bed.

"Ah, good morning, Joxer!" Vidalus said with a cheerful tone. "And how are you this fine morning?"

"Pretty good, Vidalus. How's it going?" Joxer pushed around the eggs in the frying pan to further break them down.

"Well." He stretched. "Another fine day is shaping up, I see."

"Tell me." Joxer added some spice to the eggs, smelled, then added a bit more.

"Ah, let me see, now. Oh, the sparrows have returned to their nest and it appears that they have some hatched chicks to tend for. And in the market square, Telios is setting up shop again." Vidalus laughed. "Zeus above, but I don't understand why that man keeps going every day. No one buys his wares." He faced Joxer, hands on his hips. "I mean, really. Who would buy bound up pieces of parchment in a silly and small leather case. Silly. You need to roll out the parchment to read it, not turn them over. What did he call them?"

"Books," Joxer answered. Yes, the eggs were ready. He went and cut the bread. "What else?"

"Oh, the birch tree has more leaves coming out..."

"Hmm, I wondered if it would. It was so sick before."

"Yes. I see not a cloud in the sky this morning, Joxer. Another beautiful day."

"That's good." He grabbed some cheese. "I kinda feel like going to the river today, for a little while anyway."

"Sure. Sure. You take as long as you want."

Joxer placed all the items on a tray and began to carry them to the dining area. "Breakfast!" he yelled. Moments later, Palaemon ambled down the stairs.

"Mornin," he said with a yawn. He pulled up a chair. "How ya feeling today, Joxer?"

"Good. You?" He sat down and grabbed some bread and cheese.

"Not bad considering this morning." Palaemon reached across for the eggs, but got a slap on the wrist from Vidalus.

"This is not some barn or cheap tavern, Palaemon. We have table manners here."

Palaemon rolled his eyes. As much as Vidalus was fun to have around, there were times when he resented letting the man tag along with him.

"Why? What happened this morning?" Joxer broke the silence. He usually heard the comings and goings of the tavern.

"You don't remember?"

"Remember what?" Joxer munched down on the bread.

"You were screaming again last night. Another nightmare, I think. Pass the cheese." He glared at Vidalus, who glared back.

Joxer dropped the bread. "I...I had another one?" His voice was raised an octave.

"Yeah, probably because Xena and Gabrielle showed up yesterday."

"Gods," Joxer whispered, "I thought that had been a dream." He leaned back in the chair, his eyes closed and head back. "Oh, gods, why did they have to come here?"

"It was the closest place," Xena answered, her form filling the doorway. "Besides, Argo needed a change in diet. She's been eating too much wild grass. Needed some barley in her." Xena pulled up her own chair.

"Xena! I, uh, didn't mean that to sound..."

"Relax, Joxer. I know what you meant." She put a reassuring hand on his, then looked at Vidalus and Palaemon. "You actually eat what Joxer cooks?"

Both men looked at eachother, then Xena.

"Sure, Joxer's a great cook," Palaemon answered, biting into a spoonful of egg.

"Huh. Guess things have improved since the last time we met, eh Joxer?" She grinned.

"Yeah, I guess you could say that." He half laughed, remembering his own experiences with radish soup. "But I don't make radish soup anymore."

"Well, that's a relief," Gabrielle said coming down the stairs. "Why didn't someone tell me we were having breakfast? I'm starved."

Joxer smiled to himself. He was amazed at how much the bard ate yet still retained her incredible figure. "Here. Have some eggs and bread. There's cheese, too." He stood and began putting some food on a plate for her.

"Oh, no. I can do that, Joxer. You just sit down." She quickly grabbed the plate away and gently pushed him back into his seat.

Joxer sighed, but felt Xena's hand on his leg, under the table. Relax, it said. He stifled another sigh.

Gabrielle brought another chair and squeezed in between Joxer and Vidalus. "Mmm, this smells wonderful. Did you do this?" She looked at Vidalus.

"Yeah," Joxer answered. Gabrielle swivled.

"You? Oh. I had no idea..." She was at a loss for words.

"That I could do anything for myself. I can, Gabrielle." With a huff, he rose from the table and walked into the kitchen. Xena kept the bard from following after him.

"I'll talk to him." Xena went into the back.

Gabrielle looked around the table nervously. "Heh." She pointed towards the bread. "Mmm, that looks good."

"Joxer."

"Go enjoy your breakfast, Xena. It's probably the first one you've had in months that wasn't pulled from the ground or had to be skinned."

The warrior princess smiled. She stepped closer. "It's kind of funny, you know, how things work out. When I met Palaemon, I went blind, too."

"Guess he's bad luck then," Joxer said dryly.

"Look, I understand where you're coming from. I know that you can do things on your own. I know you don't need anyone's help unless you ask for it. I know that. But, Joxer, this is quite a shock for us, Gabrielle and myself. You'll just have to be patient while we cope with it, too."

Joxer remained silent. He knew that Xena was right. He knew that he had to have patience with them until they finally accepted the idea that even though he was blind, he could still function quite well.

"Xena," the warrior cook started, "did you...hear me say anything...last night?"

Xena raised an eyebrow. "Like what?"

"I don't know. Palaemon said I had another nightmare last night." A shiver ran down his spine. "I get scared sometimes, Xena. Scared that those men will come back. That I'll never be able to defend myself against them."

"It's okay to get scared sometimes." She put her hand on his shoulder. "I do, too." She looked away, the vision of the future replaying over in her mind. She shook the thought away. "But we just have to keep going. Deal with our fear and then go on."

"But how am I supposed to deal with it being blind? Those guys'll surely come after me if they know I'm an even easier target."

"You've got Palaemon. He's a good swordsman. And Vidalus has..." she paused, wondering how to phrase her thoughts "...a way with men."

"And you'll have us," Gabrielle said. She stood behind Xena. Xena gave her an icy look, but said nothing.

Joxer slumped. "Gabby, I don't need your help."

"Maybe not right now, but who knows." She stepped forward. "Maybe we could stick around for a while, you know, for a visit. How about it, Xena?" She looked up at her friend with sad eyes, the same kind of eyes that Xena could never say no to.

"No. You have other things to do, other people to see. I don't want you hanging around trying to protect me." He then stormed out of the kitchen.

"Joxer!" Gabrielle cried.

"No. Leave him." She looked at her friend. "Gabrielle, Joxer needs to feel that he can be independent. We have to let him feel and experience that. He's been doing just fine without us." She looked a moment longer, then left.

"Maybe I'm not doing fine without him," she whispered.

He breathed deeply, inhaling the rich scents of the mid-spring forest. So much life here - new mosses, young leaves... fresh deer markings. Joxer smiled quickly, but just as quickly returned to his meditation. That's what he came to call these little outings of his to the river. Here, nothing bothered him. He could think about things and try to make a little more sense of his life. Most times, though, his thoughts turned to Xena and Gabrielle and how much he missed their company. Even though he knew what they thought of him, they still let him come along. He was always grateful to Xena for doing that. Gabrielle, however, still had her misgivings about having Joxer around.

He took another breathe. "Gabrielle..." he sighed. Her image flashed and lingered in his mind. Her blond hair, firmly toned body and a smile that could make the toughest of men weak. Gods how he loved her! So many times he wanted to say that to tell the entire known world that he, Joxer the Mighty, was in love with the Queen of the Amazons, and just as many times, he held his tongue, picking some excuse for not saying anything.

The sound of a fish jumping in the stream broke his thoughts. He then took another deep breathe, exhaled and sat of the bank of the little river. He focused his mind of what he was doing now and what he hoped to accomplish today. He forced negative thoughts out of his head, and especially thoughts of Gabby. He sighed, and finally began his meditation.

"But, Xena, there has to be something you can do?" the bard protested.

Xena made a little sigh. "Gabrielle, there's nothing. You heard what happened to him. There's nothing anyone can do for him. Now just let him live his life. He seems happy here." She stared down at her friend. Xena always thought she had been the strong headed one of the duo, but she rapidly discovered just how stubborn Gabrielle could be also.

"It's just that... I hate to see him this way." The bard lowered her eyes. "He seems so different now. It's like he's not Joxer anymore."

"He isn't. Accidents like his tend to change people. Gabrielle, Joxer's finally grown up because he had to. Isn't that what you always wanted?"

The younger woman thought on this for a moment. Yes, she had confided to Xena on more than one occassion how much she hated Joxer's immaturity. And yes, she had also wondered how long it would take for him to finally grow up. But this is the way it happened?

Xena could see that the argument could go on forever. "Look, why don't you do some more shopping or something while I see how Argo is doing. Okay?"

"Okay."

Xena nodded, paused, then headed off to the stables. Gabrielle stood outside Zeus's Palace and began looking around the market square. Most of the vendors had opened their shops and customers were now busying themselves in the subtle art of bargaining. The bard then forced herself to walk into the throng of growing people, dejectedly gazing at some of the wares.

She looked up a few minutes later and noticed Joxer heading towards the tavern. She wanted to wave and call out his name, but held back. Somehow she figured that he wouldn't want to see her. She watched him carefully make his way through the crowd, never hitting one person or thing along the way. She became mesmorised at his complete lack of falling or crashing, like he normally did. She raised both eyebrows when he completely avoided falling water from a second storey window, stopping just in front of the soon to be mess. He waited, then continued on his way, his staff tapping in rhythm on the stone market square.

"Well?" a gruff voice called.

"Huh?" Gabrielle turned back to the salesman. "Oh, uh, I'm not really sure... That one looks nice." She pointed to a purple piece of clothe. She turned her head to continue watching Joxer, but found that he wasn't there anymore. She turned her body around fully and saw him coming directly towards her.

"Gabrielle?" he said.

"Joxer? How did you know...?"

"...that you were here?" he finished. His features relaxed slightly. "I heard your voice."

"All the way over there?" she pointed to his previous location.

He shrugged. "It's amazing some of the things you can hear when you decide to listen." He turned towards the vendor. "So, Phaedorin, how much are you trying to steal away from my friend here?" He pulled his walking stick up close and rested his hand and chin on the end of it.

"Joxer! Well, I didn't know that this fine lady was a friend of your's." He smiled weakly. "For you, miss, half price." He shoved the purple clothe at her.

"Uh," Gabrielle began to stutter out.

"What she means is," Joxer jumped in, "is that she needs something already fashioned into a cloak. Something to keep the rain out."

"Oh, well, I didn't know that." He pulled back the clothe, rummaged around underneath the stall and pulled out a finely sewn cloak and hood. "This is the best I have, Joxer, but nothing can totally keep the rain out."

Joxer reached his hand out to feel the material. "Hmm, not bad. Not bad at all. How much?" He half faced Phaedorin, but his eyes appeared to look out into nothing.

After a few minutes of bargaining, Joxer managed to get the seller to settle on seven dinars for the cloak. Gabrielle continued to watch in awe, marvelling at Joxer's negotiating abilities.

"Huh, I thought I was the only one who could bargain like that," she said once they finished the transaction.

Joxer just shrugged.

"And thank you for buying this for me. You didn't have to, you know. I had the dinars for it."

Joxer remembered back to the last thing he bought Gabrielle. A necklace traded for his family heirloom scabbard. A scabbard which he no longer possessed. He shook the thought away. "I know," was all he could say.

Both were quiet as they made their way back to the tavern.

"Well, look who finally decided to come back," Vidalus said dryly. "It's not like we have a tavern to run here, or anything. Or that we need food prepared for this afternoon's and evening's meals. Oh no." Vidalus practically dripped sarcasm from his lips.

"That's my fault, Vidalus. I was getting this cloak when Joxer stopped to help me out. I'm sorry to have kept him from work."

Vidalus raised a skeptical eyebrow. "Uh-huh. In any event, we still need to get the food ready. Joxer, if you're not too busy..."

"Sure, Vidalus." He half turned towards Gabrielle. "Guess I have to go, Gabrielle. I'll see you later." He pulled his stick out and made his way to the kitchen, never once hitting a table or knocking over a chair.

"He's really good at that, isn't he?" Gabrielle finally said.

"At what?" Vidalus was busying himself with the menus.

"Not hitting anything."

He snorted. "Huh. You should have seen him when he was first learning how to walk again. My, but there wasn't a single piece of furniture that he didn't crash into. Had to replace two tables and about a dozen chairs." He stopped his work and stared back to the kitchen area. "Ah, but I wouldn't have missed it for the world. The change that has come over that man in the last two months...well, it's simply remarkable. Just remarkable." He sighed, then continued his task.

"Yeah, it is," Gabrielle agreed quietly.

Chapter four

"Joxer?" Gabrielle said, coming into the kitchen.

Joxer rolled his eyes, well, he thought he did anyway. He really didn't feel much like listening to a oh-you-poor-soul speech from Gabrielle right now. This fish needed to be filleted and pre-cooked before it went bad. "Yes, Gabby?"

"I was thinking." She stood next to him at the counter where he worked, watching his hands skillfully gut the fish and remove the bones. He then diced the meat into a number of long, thin pieces and doused them with a batter.

He could still smell the slight lilac scent on her from her last oil bath. Gods! How long had it been since he smelled that sweet smell? He swallowed. "About what?" he interrupted her fascination, and his.

"Oh, well, I was wondering if you might take me around. I haven't been to Thrace before and I'm sure there's all kinds of stuff to...see." She paused on the last word, hoping it wouldn't upset Joxer too much.

"What about Xena?" He grabbed another fish and began the process once more.

"She's looking after Argo. And besides, she not much into the sight-seeing thing. There's not much else for me to do around here anyway."

"You could help me here."

Gabrielle blinked. "My help?" She shrugged. "Sure. I guess I could do that." She reached for an apron and tied it on. "What do you want me to do first?"

"Grab a new bag of flour. I'm almost out here."

"Okay. Where is... I see it." She moved to the back cupboard and tugged on the bag, barely making it move. She pulled once more, but still to no avail. "It seems pretty stuck here."

Joxer turned and went over. They both pulled on it, finally dislodging the bag, but landed on the ground in the process, falling from their own inertia. Flour spilled everywhere on the floor. Gabrielle shyly looked at Joxer, hoping he wasn't too angry. "I'm really sorry, Joxer." She began to stand to get up when she knocked her head on the overhanging cutting board, causing the freshly cut fillets to fall all over Joxer.

"Oh, Joxer..." Gabrielle began, but couldn't finish through her attempts to stifle her laughter. "I didn't mean..." She clamped her hand over her mouth.

Joxer sighed deeply and closed his eyes. Once again, he was the laughing stock for Gabrielle. Nothing changed.

Except this time.

With his right hand, Joxer grabbed some of the fallen flour and with a quick toss, flung it into Gabrielle's face. Her eyes went wide with shock. "I can't believe you did that!"

"Then here, let me make you believe it." He threw another handful at her, this time, with a fish fillet. By this time, he was on his knees, scooping up more and more flour and gathering any fish he could find.

Gabrielle too, had been piling up the flour and was about to return fire, when Joxer threw another round at her. She coughed at the flour that went into her wide open mouth, but quickly recovered enough to dose flour on Joxer's hair.

"Hey!" he cried out. "That's not fair!"

"Oh no? Then how about this!" She shoved her hand into his face and rubbed the fish around.

"Phthew." He wiped away some of the fish, but not all. "Oh, now you're gonna get it!" He reached for her arm, but missed. She had jumped out of the way and was arming some more flour/fish mix when she felt a pair of legs at her back. She looked up to see the stern eyes of Vidalus staring intently down upon her. She gulped, feeling like a little child caught doing something naughty.

"Oh, hi..." Her words were cut short when Joxer tossed a huge, double handful of flour at her, some of which sprayed onto Vidalus's long tunic. He tapped one hand on the counter.

Joxer stopped and listened, realising that he, too, was in trouble. His throat suddenly went dry. "Uh, I guess sorry wouldn't really work now, would it."

The finger continued to tap.

"I am sorry."

The finger continued to tap.

"Ah, Vidalus, really, this was my fault. Don't get mad at Joxer." Gabrielle now stood and tried to wipe away the white mess from her face and hair. "I started it."

The finger continued to tap.

Joxer now stood also. He wondered what Vidalus was going to say.

No sound was heard, except for a fast tapping finger.

"Vidalus?" Joxer dared to say meekly.

The man pursed his lips, the anger visible on his face. He took a few moments to gather himself before speaking. "You will clean this up and then clean yourselves up. I will not, repeat NOT have such behaviour in my tavern. This is utterly disgraceful! I can not hardly believe that you would do something so childish, so inane, so immature in my tavern! What in Tartarus were you thinking? Wait, you weren't..."

"Now, Vidalus," Palaemon's calm voice called out. "They were just having some fun." He put his hand on his co-owner's shoulder. "I'm sure they will get the whole thing cleaned up before lunch arrives. Right?" His eyes bore into Gabrielle's and Joxer's.

"Oh, yes. Most definitely," Gabrielle answered quickly.

Joxer shook his head in agreement.

"Good." He turned, bringing Vidalus with them. "And I trust this won't happen again, right?" he said over his shoulder.

"Never," Joxer replied.

"Good." The two men departed, Vidalus still visibly upset and Palaemon trying to comfort him.

Gabrielle waited until the two men had left before she began her fit of laughter.

"What's so funny?" Joxer asked, grabbing a broom.

"You!" She giggled.

"Yeah, well, I'm sure you're no better."

"Probably not," she conceded. "Maybe it is a good thing you can't see. I must look awful."

Joxer grinned. You could never look awful to me, Gabrielle, he thought. "There's a bath in the back apartment where I sleep that you can use. We'll have to boil up some water for it, though."

"Oh, that's sounds wonderful." She flicked off bits of fish from her skirt and BGSB.

"You go on. I'll finish cleaning up here." He brought the last of the mess into a pile with the broom, then headed towards the back door to brush it outside.

"You sure?"

"Yeah. Go on. Just save some hot water for me, okay?"

"I will." She patted his shoulder on her way back.

The bath had felt exquisite to Gabrielle, although she was still recovery from Joxer's intrusion into her bath time to get some clean clothes. Her heart had raced at the thought of him seeing her naked, but quickly stopped when she remembered that he couldn't see her. She had closed her eyes and thought about how hard his blindness was for her to get used to.

The bath had felt good for Joxer, too. He hadn't let himself soak like that in a long time. He always seemed too busy with other things to have the time, but he made a mental note to make the time more often. Of course, the more he thought about the bath, the more he realised why he didn't take them more frequently: he was afraid. He didn't like being left so vulnerable, so exposed. He knew he still had nightmares about the beating and those he could deal with, but the feeling of being unable to protect himself was something he could not shake. He hated it! He hated walking down a side street alone, never sure if he would make it home alive. As much as he tried to hide his fear from Vidalus and Palaemon, he knew they knew of his silent terror. They helped as much as they could, but there was only so much that they could do.

He sank down further into the water and closed his eyes. Relax, Joxer. You're safe here. Nothing is going to happen. He slowed his breathing and tried to calm himself.

A knock on the door nearly had Joxer flying out of the bath tub.

"Joxer?" Gabrielle called.

He shook his head. Nothin to get scared about. It's just Gabby. "Uh, yeah?"

"Are you going to be much longer? You've been in there almost an hourglass."

Joxer's eyes widened. He felt his hands and noticed how wrinkled they had become from sitting in the water. How long had he been in here? "Uh, I'll be out soon."

"Okay." There was a pause. "Are you okay, Joxer?"

Joxer stopped. Was there concern in her voice? Was she really worried about him? He shook the thought away. No. You can't be thinking about those kinds of things now. Not ever. Not with Gabrielle. "Yeah, fine. I'll be out in a bit."

Gabrielle stepped back from the door, staring an extra moment at it. She looked back at Vidalus behind her. "Is he...?"

Vidalus placed his hand on her shoulder. "Sometimes, dear, it's just best to leave him be."

The Amazon nodded, then walked away. "I wonder if I should go. I just seem to be upsetting him."

"You were just unexpected, is all," Vidalus countered, walking with the bard. "It isn't always easy to deal with a bad situation with your closest friends near you. Especially ones as close as you and Xena. Sometimes it just makes things harder."

Gabrielle nodded. She knew exactly what he was saying. "I think I need to speak with Vidalus. I'll see you later."

He watched her leave, slowly shaking his head. He could understand why Joxer was in love with that young woman. Very compassionate. He then began finishing his task of setting the tables, not noticing Joxer standing at the entrance to the kitchen.

Chapter five

"Are you kidding me? Eighteen dinars for these shoes?" Xena looked evilly at the horsesmith. "They're not worth any more than ten."

"Hey, I have to make a living, too, ya know."

Xena stared back with cold eyes and a look that said she wasn't paying any more than ten.

After a moment, the smith melted. "All right, all right. Ten dinars. Zeus, but you're making me starve to death!"

Xena smiled and clasped hands to cement the deal. She turned away from the small smithshop and spotted Gabrielle. A smile almost spread across her face, but not quite when she the look on her friend's own face.

"Xena, I need to talk with you. It's about Joxer."

"Why? Has something happened?" Xena became worried.

"Not exactly. It's just that I don't think we're..."

"Help!" Vidalus's voice cried out. "Palaemon!...Xena!"

Xena looked towards Zeus's Palace and could see some rather large and burly men through the window making threatening gestures towards Vidalus. "C'mon!"

The two women ran to the tavern, only to find the men leaving, sneering and laughing. The quickly went inside.

"Vidalus!" Gabrielle breathed out. "Are you okay? Did they hurt you?"

Vidalus sat shaking on a chair, pulling out a handkerchief to dab his eyes. "Oh, they were awful. Simply horrific men!"

"What happened?" Xena asked, her voice all business.

"What happened? I'll tell you what happened. Those thugs wanted money! Protection money."

Xena raised an eyebrow. Extortion.

"Who were they?" Gabrielle asked, sitting next to Vidalus and trying to calm him down.

"Rejects from Tartarus, if you ask me," Vidalus answered with an air indignity.

Gabrielle looked at her friend. "Perhaps we should tell the magistrate. Maybe he can do something."

Vidalus shook his head. "It's no use. People have tried and they seem to end up missing a few pieces of their anatomy."

"Then it's time we did something about that." Xena's eyes glazed over as she formulated a plan.

Gabrielle knew that look well. "So what's your plan?"

"Xena?" Joxer's voice came from the back. "Can I talk to you?"

Xena looked at Joxer, then quickly to Gabrielle. Gabrielle looked back to Vidalus and Xena strode to the back. "What is it, Joxer?"

"Those men...that came in here?" he began.

"Yes."

"Well, they, uh...it's just that they..." Joxer wet his lips that had suddenly gone dry on him. "They were..."

The warrior woman understood what he was trying to say. "It was them, wasn't it, that hurt you?"

Joxer swallowed and nodded. "Yeah," he whispered. He felt a strong hand on his arm. "I recognised their voices." His face had a blank expression, but Xena knew the thoughts going through his mind.

"Don't worry, Joxer. We'll take care of this." She released her grip and started to walk away.

"Xena," Joxer called, grabbing her arm. "I want to help you. I want to help bring these guys down."

"Joxer, revenge isn't going to solve anything."

"This isn't revenge. This is doing what's right. And having these guys harrassing us and other people isn't right. Someone needs to stop them."

The tall warrior looked in the face of her lanky friend. He was finally showing signs of growing up. But she also saw the determination in his face. No amount of argument would keep him from doing whatever he could to help out. "Okay, Joxer."

"Thanks, Xena," he smiled.

"C'mon. Let's get a plan worked out."

A bird singing in the tree near the entrance to Zeus's Palace sang a lovely song, until it was hit in the head with a rock. Laughing followed as the men kicked the dead body away. They walked into the tavern and were greeted by a nervous Vidalus.

"Wel...wel...welcome to Zzzz...Zeus's Palace." He swallowed hard. "Would you lllllike a tttable?"

"You know what we're here for," one thug said, grabbing Vidalus's tunic at the neck.

Vidalus swallowed again. "Yes, I do, but perhaps you would like something to eat. Completely on the house."

One thug eyed another, who shrugged. "Yeah, sure." He threw Vidalus back. "Over here." He pointed to a spot in the middle of the dining room floor. "This'll do jus fine." The men sat down and put their feet up on the table. Vidalus used every ounce of self control to keep from yelling at them over their poor table manners. Instead, he put on a smile and handed out the menus. The men pushed them out of his hand.

"Don't need no pieces of paper. Jus git me a big piece o' meat. With blood still in it." The men laughed.

"Yeah. Same 'ere," the other agreed.

"Certainly." Vidalus continued to hold his tongue, going back to the kitchen to give in the order. "Those men are brutes! Animals, plain and simple!" he spit out at Palaemon.

"Just relax, Vid. They'll be out of out hair soon enough." He faced Joxer. "You almost ready?"

Joxer breathed out, fixing his apron. "Yeah, I guess so."

"Good. Xena'll give us the signal for when everyone's left the tavern. Where's Gabrielle?" He peered out from the kitchen. There she was, doing her waitress impression and quietly having the customers exit the tavern. And Xena was pretending to be a normal customer. He had to admit that the short wig looked good on her. "Okay," he said, turning his attention back to Vidalus and Joxer. "About half of the tavern is gone. Won't be long now."

"Barkeep!" a voice boomed from dining area.

Pallaemon quickly went out. "Yes sir. What'll ya have?"

"Somethin that'll put my throat on fire!" He turned at laughed at his buddy. "An' where's that little host o' yer's? Got some bus'ness to discuss with 'im."

"I'll send him right out." He poured some liquid into a glass. The locals called it firewater.

"Hot Tartarus!" the thug yelled out. "Zeus but that ain't the hottest stuff I ever had!" He smiled. "Gimme another." He slammed the glass down. Pallaemon filled the glass another three times before the thug would sit down.

Pallaemon took a quick look around and noticed that the entire place was empty, save the two thugs who were now openly calling out for Vidalus and their food. Xena flashed a signal that she was ready. He quickly glanced at Gabrielle who was now standing in a corner, her staff behind her, ready for a fight.

"Okay, Joxer, now's the time. You sure you can do this?" Pallaemon asked in the kitchen.

With a deep breathe, Joxer answered yes. "I'm ready."

"Good luck." Pallaemon handed Joxer a small tray, then set some glasses and food on it.

"Zeus be with you, Joxer the Mighty," Vidalus added.

"Thanks." With one more deep breathe, Joxer left the kitchen and headed out.

"Someone here call for a big piece of meat?" He looked around the near empty tavern.

"Over 'ere, ya idiot!" one thug called.

"Oh, certainly sir." Joxer made a move to go over when he hit a chair and swung himself around, bashing one man in the head. "Oh, I'm terribly sorry about that. Here, let me help you." He reached a hand down, angled the tray and forced a mug of hot water onto the man's lap.

"Yeeeeooowww!" he screamed in pain.

"Oh my. I'm sorry again for that. Let me get you something for that." Joxer reached around behind him trying to get a clothe, but kept turning himself around, unable to reach it.

"Hey, whaddya think yer doing, ya fool?" the other thug rose.

"Me? Well, I was just trying to help your friend out." He swivled once more and dumped the food on the thug. "Did I just do what I thought I did?" he asked innocently.

"Why I oughta..." The thug lunged for Joxer, but he lifted his tray up and the thug only hit was his fist on the hard wood. He yelped in pain.

"Did you hurt yourself?" Joxer asked.

"Hey, idiot!" the scalded thug shouted.

"Yes." Joxer turned quickly, flipping up the tray and knocking the man squarely in the jaw, sending him flying backwards. "Did you say something?"

"Rrrrrrr!" the other thug charged Joxer.

"Wait." The thug screeched to a half.

The blind warrior lifted a salad fork up and pretended to examine it. "Does this look clean to you?"

"Huh?"

"Here, let me give you a better view." He poked the thug in the nose.

"Owww." The thug's eyes were red with fire. "I'm gonna tear ya from limb t' limb and then I'm really gonna hurt ya!"

"Hmm, I don't think I'm going to like that. How about this instead?"

A moment later, the thug was sprawled on the floor, unconscious, with Gabrielle standing over him, her staff in hand. She looked at Joxer and smiled. "Congratulations, Joxer! You beat them."

Joxer smiled back, suddenly feeling relieved, but shakey. That had been a scarey situation that could have easily backfired.

"Not all," a voice came from the entrance. Everyone turned to see a large man filling the doorway. "I remember you, Joxer," he sneered. He stepped inside and walked towards them, his crossbow aimed squarely at Joxer. "We beat the pulp out of you and now you're here doing the same thing to us. Cepting this time, you can't see."

"Well goody for you," Xena hissed behind him.

The new man whirled and fired his crossbow, but Xena was quicker, having thrown her chakram at the arrow, splitting it in two and landing uselessly on the floor. He pulled his sword and attacked, Xena already on the defensive. The sound of clashing metal filled the tavern. Everyone was now watching the scene unfold. The man was doing an admirable job of offense, but Xena was better. She parried, attacked and deflected, scratching the man in many places. One of the thugs started waking up, but Joxer deftly hit him with the staff.

Xena jumped back from one lunge. "Give it up! You can't win." She thrust her sword once more.

"Rarrrhhh!" the man screamed, taking the offensive once more. The duel headed towards the kitchen. Pallaemon pulled his sword, ready to enter the foray if necessary.

Xena held a block, forcing the two combatants close. "You are going to pay for what you've done. Pay dearly." He shoved her back, readying himself for another attack when a huge clang echoed throughout.

Vidalus brought up the iron frypan, looking innocently at the crowd. He just shrugged.

"You...you hit me..." a weak voice called out. The man slowly began to fall down, but he still tried another attack, slashing weakly at the air. Joxer smacked him with his tray. "Know that you've been beaten by Xena: Warrior Princess."

"And Joxer the Mighty," Gabrielle added with a smile.

"...Joxena...?" the man wheezed out as he fell unconscious.

Epilogue

The party's celebrations had died down a few hours ago, with almost everyone having gone to bed. But Joxer was still awake. He sat by himself in the tavern, drinking a cup of tea. Many thoughts filled his mind, mostly of the day's events. The magistrate had been very surprised to learn of the thugs's capture, but the local captain had taken them in without any question. He had his suspicions of illegal activities by the magistrate and his brute squad, but now he had proof. Course, he had been surprised to learn that it had been Joxer that helped bring them down. He never expected so much from him.

Joxer smirked. Few people expected anything of him. He was just Joxer, the cook. The blind cook. Even though he felt ecstatic about his performance, it still didn't change the fact that he was blind, and was likely to stay that way for the rest of his life.

He took another sip of his tea. No, being blind wasn't the worst thing in the world. There were plenty of other ways to live that were less than ideal. Besides, he had his friends Vidalus and Pallaemon and he did make a pretty good living as a cook. He certainly ate and lived better than he did on the road. Still, though, he wished he wasn't blind.

"Couldn't sleep?" a soft voice called, arousing him from his thoughts.

"No. Too excited I guess to sleep."

Gabrielle sat down across from him. "You did a great job today, Joxer."

"Yeah, I guess I did. Ya know, it's funny. My whole life I wanted to be a warrior, follow in the family footsteps. But now..." He sighed. "It just doesn't seem quite as important anymore."

Gabrielle nodded. "Mm, I know what you mean."

They sat in silence for a long while, Joxer sipping his tea and Gabrielle noticing how much Joxer had changed since the last time they met.

"C'mon, I want to show you something." He reached his hand out for Gabrielle, who took it. A few minutes later, they stood by the edge of the stream. "This is my favourite place to go. I could stay here forever." He closed his eyes and breathed deeply the scents of the night forest air.

Gabrielle looked around, the moon casting shadows. She could see the beauty here and feel the serenity. It was calm, almost magical.

Joxer turned towards Gabrielle, wanting to say something, but held back.

Gabrielle turned towards Joxer, wanting to say something, but held back.

The two friends stayed that way for some time, not saying a word, not needing to, each understanding a little bit more of the other.

The End

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