But she continued to struggle, and Joxer straightened in surprise when she threw the net off herself and raised her staff. Her feeble attempts at escape might prove interesting, he thought, and she was simply giving him an excuse to mess up her face a little. Play time.

"So," Joxer said chillingly, relishing the slight tremble that passed through Gabrielle's body. "You want to fight?"

He slowly drew his sword, allowing its hiss coming out of the scabbard to echo through the alley. The blonde swung her staff, and Joxer suddenly found himself weaponless. Oh, she'd pay for that.

He narrowed his eyes dangerously and drew his knife. "You've made me mad now, little girl."

She swung her irritating stick again and jabbed him in the stomach. With a yelp of pain, he found his hand involuntarily opening and dropping the weapon. This little fight was cute, but it was getting tiring very quickly.

He drew his crossbow, and without hesitation, without giving his prey time to smack him again, he aimed at her stomach and loosed the quarrel. With a strangled cry, she leaned heavily against her staff with one hand and used the other to claw at her left leg, where the quarrel lay buried deep. Joxer stepped foward and kicked the staff, sending Gabrielle sprawling face first onto the ground. She screamed as the impact pushed the shaft deeper into her leg, and she rolled over to relieve the pain, only to find Joxer standing there, her staff in his hands.

With one swift crack to the head, Joxer knocked her unconscious, smiling grimly as her rigid body went limp and her eyes glazed over and slowly closed. He leaned over and smoothed her long blonde hair, his face a mask of stony indifference.

"Good girl," he whispered. "Now stay down until I get back."

With one more smack to her forehead for good measure, Joxer dragged her body into the shadows and then re-entered the street in search of the tools he'd need to transport the unconscious blonde. He pushed through the crowds that refused to lessen all the way to the stables. One quick glance around the smelly interior confirmed that all the guards were somewhere outside in the mass of people, giving him free rein to pick his mount.

Joxer settled on a docile brown mare that already was saddled, and he led her back to the alley and his still-sleeping prisoner without incident. He heaved the limp girl across the broad back of the horse, which snorted at the extra weight but otherwise ignored her passenger.

And with dreams of a grand welcome settling firmly in his mind, Joxer grasped the horse's halter and slowly led it through the streets, out the city gates and toward Callisto's fortress.

"Ah! Got ya!"

Joxer threw the lasso over Gabrielle, and with a broad grin, he pulled the rope tight. The girl turned, staff ready for a fight, but Joxer was disappointed by the look of annoyance -- not fear -- that crossed her face.

She pulled the rope over her head and threw it to the ground in disgust. "You've got to be kidding," she said, her voice heavy with contempt.

Joxer scowled slightly, reclaimed the rope and prepared for another try. "Once I have you," he said, "I'm trading you for Callisto. She'll reward me well!"

Joxer lost his balance and went pitching forward when the blonde caught the rope and yanked hard. He didn't see her fist until it connected with his nose, and he clattered to the ground with one hand desperately attempting to slow the blood flowing down his face.

"Oh, oh!" he yelled. "You broke my nose! I hate it when that happens."

Joxer pulled himself to his feet, all the while nursing his poor nose. Gabrielle led him to a bench and shoved him onto it, holding a rag to his face. He tried to object to her rough handling, but all that came out his mouth were more whimpers of pain.

"Now," she said, her bright eyes locked onto his own, "why are you attacking me?"

Confusion briefly clouded over Joxer's expression. Why did she even care? He was her enemy, he'd tried twice to catch her. And yet she wanted to talk to him? Ah, why not. At least a conversation might give him time to pick up the shredded remains of his dignity.

"I am a warrior," he answered indignantly. "And I'm trying to make a name for myself."

She drew a deep breath and sat next to him. "Well, I've got some bad news for you. You're not a warrior."

So much for dignity. "Oh, great. Hit a man when he's down."

"Listen, I've beaten the stuffing out of you both times we've met."

With a sniffle and dab at his nose, Joxer looked down at her intently. He didn't understand why it was so important, but he had to make Gabrielle see his point of view. "Listen -- you don't understand. I come from a long line of warlords. It's like a family tradition."

"I'm really sorry, but you don't have that warrior thing."

She patted his back in sympathy. He knew he should get angry, or at least seriously annoyed, but her words rang so true that he couldn't bring himself to argue. Best of all, she didn't seem to be sneering down on him. This girl really wasn't so irritating, he thought. She actually was kind of nice.

Still, her words hurt. "You don't think so, huh?"

"No," she said, shaking her head. "Oh, but that's all right. There are other things you can do. You know ... what interests do you have?"

He grinned. "I like to steal."

"Uh, other than that."

Well, what did he enjoy? Oh, yeah. All those mornings he'd awaken before his family and snuck away to the lake with his fishing pole. That had been fun. Maybe the only good memory of his childhood.

"I like fishing," he said.

She smiled, and his heart leapt. Gabrielle had such a sweet smile. "Well, there you go," she said. "You'd make a great fisherman."

"You think?"

"Yes. Absolutely. I've got a feel for people."

"Thanks," he said. He knew he was grinning like an idiot, but he couldn't help it. He hadn't felt this good in ages. "I'm Joxer, by the way."

He extended his hand, and she took his hand in a firm grip. "Gabrielle."

And without a consciously being aware of his decision, in the instant that their hands touched, Joxer changed the direction of his life, and he turned against his former ally.

Her intense eyes seemed to look through him -- to see just how much their short conversation had affected him -- and he couldn't stand the bright gaze any longer. He looked over her head for a moment -- and latched onto a warrior standing among the townspeople. One of Callisto's men. Oh, geez. If the warrior saw him sitting with Gabrielle, he'd tell Callisto. Worse, he might try to capture them both.

I have to get Gabrielle away from here, he thought. If Callisto gets her hands on her, she'll rip her apart. But how to get Gabby to leave? Well, she'd been quick to disappear when he'd tried to capture her ...

All this passed through Joxer's mind through the space of a heartbeat, and he knew what he had to do. He grabbed Gabrielle's arm and twisted her into his grasp. "Ha! Got you now!"

She elbowed him hard, he released her, and she moved into the crowd, away from danger. Satisfied with his good deed for the day, Joxer stood and followed her as she determinedly headed back to the jail.

A fire broke out inside the building just as Gabrielle drew near, and Joxer caught his breath when he thought she might be getting too close. Then the door flung open, and there stood Callisto. She viciously kicked one man and hissed like a cat as she vaulted onto a horse. At full gallop, she rode through the crowd, pulled something into the saddle with her and pounded out of the city.

Joxer was left with a vision of two heads of golden hair streaming out behind the horse. Gabrielle. Oh, gods, the banshee had Gabrielle. And it was all his fault. If he hadn't forced her to leave, she wouldn't have been anywhere near the jail. Oh, gods.

I have to save her.

Joxer ran to the stable and located a brown mare that looked reasonably tame. With a silent promise to return the horse later, he heaved himself into the saddle and pounded down the road after Callisto -- and the young woman who unwittingly had stolen his heart.

When they reached the half-way point between town and Callisto's fortress, Joxer stopped to poke through the saddle bags, roughly pushing the unconscious girl out of his way. She was draped stomach down across the saddle, her arms and legs dangling, her hair blowing in the wind. And she still hadn't moved. Joxer wondered if he'd hit her a little harder than necessary.

The saddle bags produced an interesting array of supplies -- food rations, a battered pot, flint and ... there it was. He pulled a two long, solid lengths of twine from the bag and began wrapping one tightly around the blonde's wrists.

She twiched slightly and moaned, the additional pain of cut blood circulation returning her to reality. Her head lifted, and she blinked furiously as blood from her forehead wound dripped into her eyes.

Joxer tied off the twine and slowly, mockingly caressed her bruised cheek. She pulled away weakly, and he couldn't help but laugh at her pathetic state.

Why?" she choked out. "Why are you doing this?"

He smiled grimly. "I'm taking you to Callisto. She'll reward me well."

A gust of wind blew the girl's hair into her face, where it stuck to a clot of blood, but she didn't seem to notice. Joxer reached up, without knowing why, and gently brushed the strands away. She jerked back and spat at him.

Amazing really, that she could show so much courage in her current state, Joxer thought. Rather admirable, actually. He wiped off his face.

"Play nice, little girl," he said, "or I'll have to hurt you."

She glared at him and began to struggle against her bonds. Ah, well, Joxer thought. Some people didn't know when to quit. He drew his sword and slammed the hilt into her nose. She cried out.

"I warned you."

"Why are you attacking me?" she asked, her voice hinging on desperation.

Joxer clamped one hand over her wrists and leaned in closer, until he could feel her quick breaths on his face. "I am a warrior," he said quietly, "and I'm making a name for myself."

"You're no warrior," she spat. "Warriors have honor and fight for the greater good. You're a mercenary. You're Callisto's dog."

Pain exploded behind Joxer's eyes, and he realized that the girl must have butted him in the face. He blinked to clear the black spots from his vision. When he could see again, Gabrielle was gone.

He looked around frantically and spotted her, only a few yards away, struggling to run while dragging her injured leg behind her. With a cry, she collapsed, hugging her bad leg to her chest and sobbing violently. Ah, poor creature. It would have hurt her much less to just stay where Joxer had put her, but she possessed too much spirit for her own good.

He walked around the horse, which obliviously munched on some grass by the roadside, and approached the fallen girl. The terrified expression that met him did nothing to soften his anger. Why was that? She had reason to fear him. He was bringing her to Callisto, the sworn enemy of Xena, and the Warrior Queen would certainly kill her ... or at least use her for bait.

And Joxer -- whom his father accused of being soft, gentle -- was leading her to her death. So where was that softness now? His compassion, his urge to do the right thing?

Joxer remembered when, long ago, in what felt like another life, he had fought Jett again and again to protect the small animals his brother had enjoyed torturing. He'd always lost, but he'd always tried. So, here was another helpless animal, staring up at him with helpless eyes, and he stared back with the eyes of his brother.

The compassion was gone.

For a brief instant, Joxer felt awash with regret that his old self had vanished, to be replaced by nothing but hate and bloodlust. Then the regret faded, much like a dream, and he sneered at the girl before him.

"No," she whispered. "No, please ..."

Her protest ended abruptly as Joxer smashed his sword hilt into her head for the third time that day. Regret? Compassion? Those emotions had no place in his new life.

He heaved her body back onto the horse and continued his journey.

Like the gates of Tartarus, Callisto's fortress stood large and foreboding. Joxer thought that he wouldn't be surprised if gouts of flame shot from the entrance and Hades himself walked out to greet him. Yes, Death probably awaited him at the banshee's feet, but Gabrielle already was inside. He couldn't fail her.

Joxer slowed the mare to a walk and then stopped her a couple hundred yards from the fortress, dismounting and patting his mount on the rump. "Good girl," he whispered. "Now, go back home. Go find your master."

He turned the horse toward the city and swatted her lightly. With a soft nicker, she trotted back down the road.

"Hey! Who goes?"

Joxer jumped at the voice and drew his sword, looking in all directions for its source. Strong arms wrapped around him from behind and grabbed his sword, disarming him before he realized he was under attack. The arms twirled him around, and Joxer found himself facing Callisto's first-in-command.

"Well, if it isn't the idiot," the man said. "You shouldn't have come back because now Callisto is going to kill you."

Oh, that did not sound good. "Um, actually, I helped her capture Xena's friend. She'll be happy to see me."

The warrior laughed and grabbed him by the breastplate, dragging him toward the fortress. Well, this wasn't exactly how Joxer had planned to get inside, but it would do.

"You can tell that to Callisto, idiot," the warrior said. "And then we'll see how long you last."

Gabrielle was nowhere in sight when Joxer passed through the gate. But he saw Callisto, standing patiently in the compound's center, her head cocked to one side in curiosity as she watched him dragged closer. Then Joxer noticed the rope tied off behind the banshee, and his eyes followed its path up to the top of the fortress.

There she hung, yelling and kicking her legs furiously. Don't worry Gabrielle, he thought. I'll get us out of here. Don't worry.

His captor stopped suddenly, almost throwing Joxer off balance. "I found this worm sneaking around again."

Callisto rolled her eyes. "What do you want?" she asked tiredly. "I told you want you had to do to gain my favor, and you failed."

"She's the girl," Joxer said, pointing at Gabrielle.

Her eyes flickered dangerously. "I captured her."

He licked his lips and glanced up again. What should he say? What would make Callisto bring her down? Well, for now he better follow the banshee's lead.

"I softened her up for you," he answered. "I mean, moments before you got her, I was pummelling her senseless."

"Yes," Callisto said mockingly, "and what were you hitting her with? Your nose?"

Um, oops. He's forgotten about his nose. The warriors laughed, and Joxer realized he was holding Gabrielle's rag to his face. Now when had he pulled that out again?

"Silence!" Callisto screeched. She returned her attention to Joxer. "There is but another way you can prove your worth."

He knew he'd do anything to gain her trust long enough to get Gabrielle out. "Name it, and I'll do it."

"Bring her down," she yelled, grinning.

Joxer watched as Gabrielle slowly descended, struggling the whole way, and he sighed in relief when her feet touched the ground. This was a good start. She was down.

"Do her."

Joxer looked at Callisto, and then back at Gabrielle. "Do who? Oh!"

"Her," Callisto said, nodded toward Gabby. "The irritating blonde. Slit. Her. Throat."

Oh, gods. This was not good. Gabrielle's eyes widened, and she began struggling again against her captors. No way would he kill her. But maybe Callisto only wanted to test his loyalty. Surely she couldn't mean for him to really kill her when Gabrielle would make such excellent bait for Xena.

Oh, yeah, Xena! The Warrior Princess surely was on her way here, and then she could fight Callisto and this whole nightmare would be over. All Joxer had to do was delay until Xena arrived. He hoped she'd get here soon.

"I, um ... I'd, uh. Uh, slit her throat?" he choked out.

"Yes," Callisto said. "Pierce the skin, under the chin with the blade, and tear a hole this way. Like this." She demonstrated the action with her finger on her neck, her voice as calm as if she had been discussing the weather.

Come on, Xena ...

"Okay," he answered hesitantly.

Where are you? ...

"Yesss." Callisto grinned, her eyes wide.

Joxer found a dagger in his hand. Oh, this was getting too close. I have to buy more time, he thought. Xena, please get here now!

"Listen," he said. "Don't you think she'd be worth more alive? I mean, hey, we can trade her for Xe ... Hey! We can make Xena really mad. Really mad. When Xena hears about this --"

Callisto's face contorted with rage. "I want her dead!" she screamed. "Do it! Do it!"

He held the blade to Gabrielle's neck, and she trembled. Her breath came in short, labored gasps. She looked so vulnerable, so frightened -- but he couldn't delay any more. And Xena hadn't arrived. Not for the first time, Joxer wished that he were more of a hero, more of a fighter. All he had wanted to do was save Gabrielle's life.

"I can't," he whispered, throwing the knife to the ground. "I just can't."

Callisto drew her own dagger and approached him, pressing the blade against his neck. Joxer gulped hard, but he didn't falter. The least he could do, he decided, was die with dignity.

"Just as I thought," Callisto murmured, pressing harder against his throat. "The man's backbone is mush." She turned to her men. "Chain him up. We'll have fun killing the jellyfish later."

Joxer hardly felt the ropes that bound him tightly to a post because his full attention was on Gabrielle, who was being hoisted back into the air. He sighed and blinked back the tears of frustration that threatened to overwhelm him.

"Don't cry, Joxer," a female voice whispered in his ear. "You did the right thing."

"Wha-?" He twisted his neck around and saw Luck smiling at him.

She kissed him lightly on the cheek. "And don't worry. Help is on the way."

Luck vanished just as Joxer heard a familiar battle cry, and Xena rode into the fortress like one of the Furies. Joxer smiled to himself. He'd succeeded in delaying long enough after all. Now, all Xena had to do was win.

Joxer led the brown mare passed the guards who patrolled the road outside the fortress without even a glimmer of a confrontation. The warriors emerged from their posts, eyes wide and mouths working without sound, and they fell in behind him. With a surge of satisfaction, Joxer supposed they wanted to see what Callisto would say when she learned that he had completed his mission.

He passed through the gate with a small following in his wake. All sound faded to silence as Joxer and the horse walked through the compound, and the warriors parted before him. He approached Callisto with a self-satisfied smirk, and he gestured grandly to the prize that lay across the mare's saddle.

"I captured the girl, my queen," he announced, loud enough for his voice to carry across the entire compound. "Just as you wanted."

With an astonished expression, Callisto sauntered around Joxer to the unconscious girl. She roughly grabbed a handful of blonde hair and yanked back, revealing Gabrielle's bloody face. The girl moaned and stirred.

Callisto looked back to Joxer. "You certainly made a mess of her."

Joxer shrugged. "She tried to escape," he said. "But I caught her."

"Yes, so I see." Callisto dropped the girl's head and slowly circled Joxer, a small grin tugging at the corner of her mouth. "And now, you must do one more thing to prove your worth."

Oh, so close, Joxer thought. I'm so close to paradise. "Name it, and I'll do it."

"Bring her over here," Callisto ordered, nodding toward her first-in-command. The warrior heaved the girl out of the saddle and dragged her to his mistress, dumping her unceremoniously on the ground. With a wide grin, Callisto leaned over and smacked Gabrielle across the cheek. The girl's eyes flew open, and she struggled to her feet, only to collapse again on her injured leg.

Joxer chuckled softly. Surrounded by enemies, but still the girl resisted. How pathetic.

Callisto cupped Gabrielle's chin in her hand. "Welcome to my world, deary," she said sweetly. "I do hope you enjoy your time here because you won't be staying very long."

Gabrielle jerked away and glared at her captor. "You're right about that. Xena's gonna wipe the floor with you."

Callisto's laughter echoed off the fortress walls and sounded almost musical to Joxer's ears. "I think," she said, "you will not live long enough for Xena to save you." She nodded to one of her men. "Get this girl on her feet."

The warrior obeyed, holding her up from behind, and then Joxer saw the damage he'd inflicted on Gabrielle in only a few short hours. The quarrel still protruded from her thigh, but the shaft had broken off about an inch from her bruised skin. Her several head wounds had caked over in dried blood, one of her eyes had turned a brilliant purple, and her wrists were red from the twine binding them together. Quite a bit of handiwork, Joxer silently congratulated himself.

Callisto's eyes examined the girl, and then the burning gaze landed on Joxer. "Do her," she said.

"Do who?" he asked, his brows furrowing in confusion.

"Her," Callisto said. "The irritating blonde. Slit. Her. Throat."

The first-in-command handed Joxer a knife, which he took firmly in his hand. If killing her was what it took to get into Callisto's army, so be it. "Slit her throat? Okay."

"Yesss." Callisto grinned widely.

Joxer held the blade lightly against Gabrielle's neck, relishing the violent tremor that racked her body. Her breath came in short, labored gasps. He slid the knife slowly across her skin, drawing a thin line of blood, and he smiled grimly. Her terror was so sweet. He might even get to like this execution stuff.

"Please," she whispered hoarsely. "Please, no."

"Joxer, no," added another female voice, more confident than the girl's plea. "You cannot do this. It isn't right."

Luck appeared in a flurry of coins at Gabrielle's side. She frowned at him, and he frowned back. "What in Tartarus's name are you doing here?" he growled.

"Oh, don't worry. You're the only one who can see me."

"That's not what I'm worried about."

"Joxer, you can't kill her."

He pressed a little harder against Gabrielle's neck, and she whimpered. "Why?"

"Because this isn't who you are." She set a hand on his shoulder. "Joxer, just listen for a second. After I left you last night, I went to visit the Fates, and they showed me your life thread. It was split in two. Do you understand? Your wish created two realities, Joxer, and this is the *wrong* reality. You are not fated to kill Gabrielle."

"Oh, really," he sneered. "Then what am I supposed to do."

Luck shrugged. "Marry her. Eventually. The Fates planned for the two of you to fall in love and get married and have three ... no, four children. But you can't do that if she's dead." Her voice became soft and insistent. "Joxer, I made a mistake, and I'm sorry. But only you can correct it. You have a choice."

Joxer dragged his eyes from Gabrielle and looked mournfully at Luck. She didn't understand. How could she? This goddess couldn't see into his heart, after all. If she could, she'd see that her pleas and arguments were a waste of time. He'd lost all his choices the moment the coin wedged itself in the log.

Lowering the dagger for a moment, Joxer reached into his tunic and pulled out the coin. He held it tightly in his hand and then threw it to the ground at Luck's feet. "What happens now is not my fault. It's yours. You are the one who stole my compassion. This death is not on my head."

From somewhere far away, he heard Callisto screaming. "I want her dead! Do it! Do it!"

"And it doesn't matter what happens after," Joxer continued, a tear trailing unnoticed down his cheek, "because I'm already dead inside."

With one strong stroke, Joxer sliced the knife across Gabrielle's throat. Her eyes widened, and her mouth worked silently, trying to scream, but she only produced a few strangled choking noises. Then her eyes closed, her head lolled forward and her struggling stopped. The guard at her back laughed and dropped her. Gabrielle's blood streamed out onto the dirt, staining it black.

"So be it," Luck said. "You have chosen your path."

As she vanished, Joxer became aware of delighted laughter behind him. He turned to watch Callisto clap her hands together and smile broadly.

"Oh, this is just too much," she said. "Congratulations, Joxer. You may join my legion."

He bowed deeply, imprinting every bit of this moment in his mind. The perfect moment. Finally, he was a warrior.

A shrill battle cry erupted outside the fortress, and Joxer's first reaction was that Xena could have waited a few more minutes -- at least until his own moment was complete. But the woman some call the Warrior Princess fought her way into the compound despite Joxer's silent protests. She cut down several soldiers before reaching Callisto, who stood with her sword in hand.

Xena looked around frantically and scowled. "Where's Gabrielle?" she asked, her voice deep and serious.

"Gabrielle? Oh, yes, your little friend." Callisto stepped aside to allow Xena a better view of the bloody corpse face down in the dirt. "Would this be who you're looking for?"

Xena stared at Gabrielle with a stony expression, gulped hard and, in a flash, had her sword at Callisto's neck. "She had no part of this, and you killed her!"

To Joxer, it seemed as though Callisto's grin grew broader. "Oh, Xena. I would love to take credit for this, but, unfortunately, I can't. The man who killed your friend is over there," she said, nodding toward Joxer.

Xena's wild eyes landed on him, and Joxer suddenly felt his knees go weak. She drew her chakram and threw. Joxer tried to follow its path around the compound as it bounced off walls and ladders, but he lost track of it -- right until it cut through his armor and buried itself in his chest.

There was no pain. Only shock and confusion. Joxer hardly understood what was happening as his limbs suddenly refused obey him; his sword slipped from his hand as he fell to the ground. His neck lolled unbidden to the side, and his eyes landed on Gabrielle's face, only a few inches from his own, but he couldn't have touched it for all the world.

And her face, contorted in pain of his own infliction, was the last image Joxer saw before the world faded to nothing.

Luck heaved a giant sigh as Joxer died. This should never have happened. If only she had refrained from meddling and just let the Fates direct this man's life, he would have survived this day. And so would Gabrielle. Everything had gone wrong.

Her brightly colored skirts whispered against each other as she bent to retrieve her coin, which Joxer had stolen the previous night. It had landed heads down. Well, maybe that was for the best. She wondered briefly if Joxer knew he had determined his own luck by throwing her coin at her feet. Probably not. Mortals so rarely understood the power of the gods -- and the power of one coin toss.

Luck barely noticed as Xena and Callisto took their fight to the ladders high above. Her attention was focused completely on the pair on the ground. Joxer's hand seemed to reach out to Gabrielle, even in death, his fingers only a millimeters from her face. Their blood mingled into an indistinguishable puddle between them.

The Fates had said these two would develop a strong friendship, and their relationship slowly would grow into love. Now they had no chance of spending their lives together, but they were bonded in death.

Luck's only consolation was the knowledge that this reality soon would cease. It only came into existence because of Joxer, and now that he was dead, it had no reason to continue. Soon, this tragedy would become forgotten, and the universe would return to its one true path.

Luck reached into her skirts and pulled out a small flower. She smelled the red rose, enjoying its comforting aroma, and set it gently on the ground between Joxer and Gabrielle. She blew them a kiss and vanished in a clatter of golden coins.

And reality vanished in her wake.

"Hey, guys! Wait up!"

With one hand on his helmet and the other on his sword hilt, Joxer ran after Gabrielle and Xena. They didn't stop, but he caught them anyway. Oh, it was so good to be on the winning side for once. And not only were they all winners, but they also were the good guys. Joxer wasn't about to let them slip out of his life just when he'd found them. Well, he wasn't about to let Gabrielle slip away, at least.

"You should have seen it," he said to Xena. "Callisto wanted me to kill Gabrielle, but I wouldn't do it. I was just there to delay her until you got there, anyway. I did pretty good, huh?"

"Yep," Xena answered absently without even looking at him. Come to think of it, Gabrielle hadn't looked at him, either. Well, he'd just have to keep talking and get their full attention.

"I really had everyone fooled. Even Gabrielle. Right,Gabby? I bet you were scared when I held the knife to your neck."

"Sure was," Gabrielle said indulgently.

Joxer frowned and stopped walking, and the women continued past him and down the road without even a glance back. Oh, I see, he thought. They don't want me here. Who am I kidding anyway? They're heroes, and I'm ... Well, I'm no hero.

Joxer's shoulders slumped as he turned away. It was silly of him to think Xena and Gabrielle might want him. Stupid. Ridiculous. No one wanted him.

"Hey, Joxer!" Gabrielle called out.

He looked back and saw they had stopped. Gabrielle was beckoning to him with a smile. Joxer returned the grin as he ran to catch up once again. He walked between them and draped an arm over each of their shoulders as they put Callisto's fortress behind them.

"Hey, guys," he said, "thanks."