Mail would be appreciated at: kamouraskan@yahoo.com

For Disclaimers: see Part 1 Go to Part 5

"We ARE going to talk with them." The Queen repeated, leaning back against the warrior, still avoiding looking down from their leafy perch.

Xena buried her nose in the Bards hair. "We? Nope. Not my department, love."

Gabrielle tilted her head, giggling when her partner’s nose slipped along passed her ear. "This is about the two of them, so it’s about the two of us, isn’t that clear by now? Robin has got to know about the Bond, what the separation can mean. And James has got to be shown that the risk is worth it. And since there’s no where else you can run too without endangering Lycea until the Plan comes off, you might as well work with me."

Xena sighed and in frustration moved her hand to grasp her nose with her thumb and forefinger. "You’ve figured out why she lost her memory? How’s it gonna help if they talk now; if she doesn’t remember anything after they get back?" Xena shook her head, knowing there would be that familiar optimistic gleam in her bards eye.

"There’s always a way around a curse, right? And I’m thinking that the solution is in getting them to work out their feelings. ... So..."

"I hate sensitive chats." The warrior muttered half-heartedly.

"But you’re so good at them," and Gabrielle turned about and into her kiss. It began as a sweetness, and was beginning to turn to something else when Xena stiffened.

"Ephiny... about three trees back, trying to figure how to get over here..."

"Oh, poop," said the Queen of the Amazons as she began to straighten her clothing. There was a movement on the branch above them as weight was added, and then the Regent was in front of them, arms crossed.

"Hi Ephiny!" Gabrielle said brightly, trying not to feel like a teenager caught necking by her father.

"Uh, huh....." Said the Regent.

"Don’t look at me like that, I mean! Really! This branch is hardly a handswidth. It’s not like we could DO anything..." Gabrielle’s attempt at outrage only got another "Uh huh."

"Anyways, we were just coming to see you..."

"Uh huh..." said the Regent.

* * * *

The banquet that was thrown together was held at Cyrene’s, though no one would use that name in earshot of Xena’s mother. The open air bar was strictly Salmoneous’ creation, she was assuring all and sundry, especially after she saw the price list.

James, still avoiding Robin, had moved to a seat at the head table, and sat listening to Gabrielle and Ephiny having their usual argument.

"You can’t seriously still call what you do as ‘playing at being the Queen’ Gabrielle, not after your performance at the trial." Ephiny was yelling over the din.

"But that’s what it was, a performance. You’re the leader, Eph, my life is with Xena on the road..."

"I know, I know, I’ve heard it a thousand times, but have you considered that..."

At this point, Ephiny reached over and grabbed a surprised James by his collar and pulled him across, nearly spilling his drink. "James and I have been talking..."

"Uh huh?...." Gabrielle looked to James accusingly.

"....Yes, and we think that you’ve been selfish, as far as your adventures on the road..."

James hastily corrected, "Not selfish, perhaps too concerned with the lives of your Amazons..."

Ephiny disagreed, "Selfish. If she would allow us to make our own choices..."

James tried to move away from the argument, "Actually, I thought of this as a way of ending the tension between the warriors and the peacemakers. I mean, how many challenges will it take? Do you really want to spend all your time and maybe your life defending your beliefs AND the mask? You have to give them something to do, Gabrielle, Valasca was right, if only that these ARE warriors...."

Several people noticed the discussion become more heated and Autolycus was hauled over and questioned by the bard.

"Don’t tell me you are helping them with this squad?" Gabrielle accused.

"Well, let’s see the disadvantages," Autolycus mused. "I must work with and train several young, even attractive women, at times of my choosing. And this would virtually eliminate you and Xena calling on me at, shall we say, awkward moments. Gee Gabrielle, I can’t see why I would agree."

Gabrielle, looked at him with feigned distaste and turned to Ephiny. ‘"What does Xena say?"

Ephiny now played her trump card. "Oh, she said it made sense, but that you would never agree to it..."

The thief, James and Ephiny maintained straight faces as Gabrielle’s eyes blazed, and then she stood. Banging her staff on the table, until quiet was achieved, she called out.

"Amazons! I have an announcement!"

The celebrations ceased instantly.

"It has been brought to my attention, that there have been several instances when Xena and I in our travels have needed the help of our Sisters, and I was hesitant to call upon them because I felt it was not my place to risk more lives in our pursuit of the Greater Good. I have been advised that some of you might have gladly volunteered for such adventures, and that I might have been ..."she choked on the word slightly, "selfish in not offering this...ah, chance."

She looked across to Xena, who was staring at her opened mouthed. This seemed to remotivate her. "I now believe, that a select group of Amazons, with specialized training, including," looking to Autolycus now, "Lock picking,..."

Ephiny broke in. "Dungeon and prison rescues, castle storming..."

Now the Amazon’s in the crowd were really listening.

"...teaching villagers basic defensive techniques.." Gabrielle tried to continue, but the Regent interjected again,

"Specialized combat training by a certain warrior princess..."

Gabrielle glared at Ephiny until she meekly sat down.

"If there are any that would be interested in such a force, Eponin will take your names and..."

The rest was lost in the sound of one hundred Amazons leaping to their feet and charging the unprepared Weapon’s Master, who failed to move from her stunned stupor before being swamped by the stampede.

Iolaus caught up to James and stopped as they watched with amusement as Eponin cowed and threatened the eager volunteers into orderly lines. "Of course you realize that you guys have just given the former Destroyer of Nations her own elite strike force, don’t you?"

James took a sip of his ale and said "Hades, with Xena’s charisma, she could sign on as a cook in someone’s army and within a week she’d have the sworn loyalty of every man if she wanted. But this army will be under Gabrielle, with Xena as the commander. So, nope, I’m not worried."

He noticed that Iolaus was staring at a point above his shoulder, and wasn’t surprised when a silky voice spoke from behind him.

"Perhaps he’s more worried about his talk with Joxer?"

"What talk with Joxer?" said Solari joining them.

James cursed to himself. That damn bet. Of course she would remember it. "You’re going to hold me to that? I don’t even remember what it was I lost at."

"There was a bet?" Solari inquired.

Xena leaned over to Solari’s ear and began explaining something. Solari’s eyes grew large, and she sputtered, "And He Lost?" She turned to evaluate James again with a now critical eye. "No wonder he’s avoiding Robin..."

"What the hell?" James turned to face Xena. `"Look, I still don’t know what this bet was, but I’m damn well not going to counsel poor Joxer if he finds out that I’m only doing it because I lost some stupid drinking contest. How do you think he would feel?" The group fell silent.

"Wow," said Iolaus noticing Xena’s expression. "Xena is embarrassed. And about hurting Joxer!"

"Xena likes Joxer, Xena likes Joxer," Solari started chanting drunkenly, before she was picked up by an angry warrior princess and swiftly carried from the bar. Eponin called out from her registering duties, "Twenty dinars says we can hear the splash from here!"

James left to look for his new client while Iolaus began to calculate the distance to the nearest stream, nor realizing that it was off the Amazon territory. But Xena had forgotten that as well...

* * * *

Joxer was sitting alone, staring at an empty pitcher in front of him. James stood above him. Joxer looked up and grimaced.

"It’s OK, I heard about the bet. I’ll tell Xena we talked." he turned back to look at the pitcher. James could only curse himself, and sit down beside him. "Look, Joxer,..."

"Go away. Please."

"Xena cares about you..."

Off in the distance there was a cry and then a slight splash, and Eponin called out "YES!"

"...though she has strange ways of showing it, sometimes..." James sighed and continued.

"Xena couldn’t do the sensitive chat, so she sent me, who you don’t even know, almost like Gabrielle doesn’t know you."

That got his attention. "What do you mean Gabby doesn’t know me?"

"Joxer, you think you’re the king of rejection? I got you beat all over. Chances are a week from today, the woman I love will be calling the police if I show up at her door. And that’s where the real pain is. When you’ve got unrequited love. You let your heart and your soul hang out there for this person to see, and you’re so open, a breeze hurts. Because you’re showing them everything you are...

... and then they say ‘No`."

They sat in silence for a moment.

"That’s pain." James continued. "They seem to be saying ‘I reject YOU,’ and you think they’ve seen and judged your core, everything you are. But Gabrielle, she never saw that. She was looking only at Xena the whole time. She never really knew you, Joxer, she never did. Your heart is still a secret from her, and she never knew what beautiful things you might have offered her. She missed all that. For whatever it’s worth, she hasn’t rejected you.

"But knowing that isn’t enough. But now, you have to be strong. You have to be immensely tough, to try to remind yourself, biting back the pain, that these two people are your friends, and somewhere what’s best in you is happy for them. Time won’t heal this wound. Strength of character is what you’ve got to find, anything else will destroy you, and your relationship with them." Joxer lifted his red eyes and looked mournfully to the dais at Gabrielle.

"They are your friends." James continued, "They have needed you before, and they will again. And if you don’t bite back the pain, and keep this from twisting you, you won’t be there for them."

"Might serve them right..." he mumbled.

"I’ve read Gabrielle’s scrolls, Joxer. I know the one thing you are not, is a coward. So, let me buy you a drink, and let’s try to toast true love, even if it kills us, OK?"

Joxer hesitated. "You mean that about the girl calling the cops on you?"

"If you had a choice, do you really want to listen to my problems? Or do you want to get your lute, I get my guitar, and we get into some music after we finish these drinks."

"Yeah," his hound dog face grinned crookedly," we could do that."

Robin moved away from the table behind them, and slipped away unnoticed.

He had taken Joxer`s arm, when James felt an a strange crawling sensation on the back of his neck, and he saw Gabrielle’s head snap around to stare at him from across the tavern. "Oh God’s, where...? The Plan! And we’re not ready!’ he thought. He saw his anxiety mirrored on the Queen’s face when he put up his hands.

She turned and began speaking urgently to Ephiny who nodded and ran off. He spoke to Joxer.

"We’ll have to put off that session for a moment, we have a real emergency. Joxer, We need to find Robin, right away. Grab everyone you have to, to help, but find her! OK?"

"Sure," Joxer said confused. "That shouldn’t be too hard, she was sitting right there a minute ago..." and he pointed to the seats behind them.

James blanched, and shook himself. ‘ No time for that now.’ he thought. Gabrielle ran up to him, calling "Lycea`s missing! She’s gone! Ephiny’s gone to the Temple of Artemis. Where’s Xena?"

"She just took Solari for a swim, she must have gone without thinking." he grasped the hands of the frantic Bard.

"She just walked off site without thinking? I’m going to kill her!" She stormed. "Where’s Robin?"

"Joxer is in charge of finding her." She nodded and touched Joxer’s arm, then spotted Iolaus and Eponin and called out to them. "Pony, the Plan! We’re on! Get the clothes and the wig, and Iolaus, talk to Joxer, we have to have Robin ready. Now!"

James and the Queen looked at each other, and she said, grim faced, "This had better work, because we only get one chance."

* * * *

Standing in the moonlight, Xena had been enjoying herself watching Solari swimming to the opposite bank, making note of some of her newest obscenities, when she felt a familiar prickle on the back of her neck. Cursing her stupidity, hoping that she hadn’t ruined everything, she spun around, her sword already drawn.

"Hello, Ares."

The God of War was hardly visible in the pre-dawn light, but Xena knew there would be a confident smirk on his face.

"Xena." He purred. " Here I was becoming worried that we might not have a chance to chat before the big event, You’ve been avoiding me." He shook his head sadly. "Hiding is so unbecoming in a war-...Ah Ah!..." he cautioned as she moved towards him, and Lycea materialized in his arms.

Xena froze, murder in her eyes. "How....?" she hesitated.

"Oh, those caterers that Salmoneous hired, and Falafel, was it? Very eager to help, and oh, so easily terrorized..." He looked over at the grim face and smiled.

"Oh, don’t worry. I already took care of them for you. Consider it a favour. We couldn’t let people who could so easily betray my new Chosen, live. Could we? And one of your Amazon Guards was a bit...damaged as well, I’m afraid. " He leaned over to kiss the child’s forehead.

Xena restrained herself with an effort.

"She is NOT, and never will be your Chosen, Ares. Put my daughter down."

"Oh, but Xena, you knew that I would be, how did your friend James put it, creaming in my leathers, over her? Such an ugly phrase, by the way. And yet, you were hardly watching her at all." He circled behind her, his whispers brushing the taut muscles of her neck. "But I wouldn’t worry, I’m leaving her with you until her Time. I wouldn’t want her to lose all the advantages of home and family. I’m just here to make my claim, just the Touch, and then I’ll be off...for a while."

"No offer of a deal, Ares?"

"Her, in exchange for you? Oh no, princess. I’m afraid that you’ve become rather set in your ways, old news really. " He raised the child and stared into her eyes. "There’s a new player in town, and she’s going to be all mine."