X-eGroups-Return: sentto-70531-447-andy=kksonline.com@returns.onelist.com X-eGroups-Return: russia_girl@yahoo.com To: seaquestslash@egroups.com User-Agent: eGroups-EW/0.82 X-Mailer: eGroups Message Poster From: "JaimeBlue " Mailing-List: list seaquestslash@egroups.com; contact seaquestslash-owner@egroups.com Delivered-To: mailing list seaquestslash@egroups.com List-Unsubscribe: Date: Wed, 26 Apr 2000 01:01:29 -0000 Reply-To: seaquestslash@egroups.com Subject: [seaquestslash] FF: Please Forgive Me 1/? Sender: sentto-70531-447-andy=kksonline.com@returns.onelist.com As promised, here is my crossover fic seaQuest and Xena/Herc. I hope you all enjoy it as much as they do over at Joxerotica :) This is an ongoing work, unfinished, and I post 'em as I write 'em. I can't quite remember where I divided the pieces on Joxerotica, so I'll divie it up as I see fit (and you'll just have to wait for the rest:p ). ********************************************************************** Title: Please Forgive Me Author/pseudonym: JaimeBlue Email address: russia_girl@yahoo.com Pairing: Ares & Joxer/Tim, Tim/m, f/f Archive : Yes, but ask me first Disclaimer: The characters don't belong to me, I'm just having fun with them. They come from two TV Series; seaQuest DSV/2032 and Xena: Warrior Princess. Summary: An immortal Joxer living as Tim O'Neill on the seaQuest sets out on a quest to right a wrong from his past. Warnings: This is a piece of Slash fiction. If you don't like the idea of two men romantically involved with each other, than hit the decks. Spoiler Warning: This piece of fiction has spoilers for every episode I've seen so far of the 5th season, so if there's some you have missed and don't want it ruined, go ahead and wait. ********************************************************************** Lieutenant jg Tim O'Neill was busy concentrating over his console on the bridge of seaQuest. He checked the status of every dial and every com channel over and over again with a sense of urgency he'd never known. His actions and level of concentration were far more than was needed at the moment, the ship about to dock with most of the crew preparing for leave. However, Tim couldn't allow himself the luxury of relaxation. The moment he took his mind off his work, he would have to think about the events of the last year. "Lieutenant!" Tim realized that the Captain had called to him twice before he'd actually heard him. Had he been concentrating that hard? "Yes Captain?" "It's admirable that you wish to work an extra shift, Lieutenant. However, the ensign has a duty to perform and she cannot do so while you are at her station." "Yes Sir, I'm sorry Sir." Tim gave his post up to the Ensign and left the bridge. He'd been so busy concentrating that he'd lost track of time. He made his way to the mess in the hopes that eating something would keep him occupied. He chose the least unappealing vegetarian dishes on the menu and sat at a table alone. Most of the crew were busy packing for their leaves, and would be eating on the mainland, so he pretty much had the mess to himself. As he ate in silence, his mind inevitably wandered. He'd have thought after over 2000 years he'd have figured out how to keep himself amused and how to block memories. Then again, he'd always been a slow learner. So much had happened in the last year. After the incident at Hyperion, he'd lost his best friend, as well as several other shipmates. It had taken him a long time to get the courage to let someone that close to him. He'd cared for so many, only to see them die. The worst was, just when he'd found someone who could take away the pain, she betrayed him, or rather killed his idea of who she was, the woman who seemed so much like her... He was alone once again. His love for Kimura led to Frederick's death. Just like his love for her led to... No. He wouldn't think about that. That had happened over 2 millennia ago and he refused to dwell on it. What happened, happened, and he couldn't do anything about it. Most of them were long dead...and so was Joxer. He had died with them, but it wasn't the only time. Every death of one he loved killed him all over again. Immortality wasn't eternal life, it was eternal death. His appetite gone, he disposed of the remainder of his meal and took the maglev to C- Deck. Perhaps talking to Darwin would help... * * * Tim surfaced from playing with Darwin when he heard Ensign Lopez call him over his PAL. "Yes Ensign?" "There is a Professor Earnst who has asked to see you. I had him escorted to your quarters." "Thank you Ensign." Tim got dressed and headed back to his quarters. The last time he'd seen Earnst had been when they had explored Atlantis. He wondered why the man had come to see him. Tim opened the door to see the Professor fidgeting in one of his chairs. "Lieutenant. It's good to see you again." "Is there any particular reason you came to see me?" Tim and the Professor had not left off on the best of terms after their last meeting and he did not feel guilty (okay, maybe just a little) for seeming cold. Furthermore, he was tired of the looks such as that which he was getting from Earnst, the look given him and the other survivors of Hyperion whenever they met up with an old acquaintance. However, he had to admit it was a good excuse for his lack of aging as Tim O'Neill. "Yes. I've brought something I want to show you. I found it at an excavation in Macedonia. I hate to admit it, but your ancient Greek is better than mine, and I was hoping you could help me translate some of the inscriptions." Earnst took a scroll out from his briefcase. "I don't know what it says, but it has been traced to the legendary Xena Scrolls found almost a century ago. I'm not certain if its the language that I don't understand, or if it is simply the handwriting which is unreadable." Tim took the scroll and opened it. Keeping his voice steady, he spoke to the Professor. "Earnst, I would like to have some time alone with the scroll, if I may." "Certainly. Call me when you have any sort of answer for me." Tim closed the door behind the Professor and let out a breath he'd been holding since opening the scroll. This couldn't be happening. No matter what he did, no matter how hard he tried, the past would always come back to haunt him. He took a couple of pain relievers for the headache which was beginning to overwhelm him, then laid down on his bunk. Closing his eyes, he could no longer stop the memories from overtaking him. ********************************************************************** TBC... ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Get paid for the stuff you know! Get answers for the stuff you don’t. And get $10 to spend on the site! http://click.egroups.com/1/2200/0/_/519388/_/956710897/ ------------------------------------------------------------------------ You can find the SeaQuest slash fic archive at here at http://members.tripod.com/~Melrae/seaquest/seaquest.htm enjoy. :) X-eGroups-Return: sentto-70531-456-andy=kksonline.com@returns.onelist.com X-eGroups-Return: russia_girl@yahoo.com To: seaquestslash@egroups.com User-Agent: eGroups-EW/0.82 X-Mailer: eGroups Message Poster From: "JaimeBlue " Mailing-List: list seaquestslash@egroups.com; contact seaquestslash-owner@egroups.com Delivered-To: mailing list seaquestslash@egroups.com List-Unsubscribe: Date: Wed, 26 Apr 2000 23:21:41 -0000 Reply-To: seaquestslash@egroups.com Subject: [seaquestslash] FF: Please Forgive Me 10/? Sender: sentto-70531-456-andy=kksonline.com@returns.onelist.com Disc yadda yadda yadda... ********************************************************************** Hercules and Kristina searched the `Arrives' section of the airport until they found Tim. However, he wasn't alone as they had expected. He was accompanied by a dark-haired young woman wearing jeans and a leather jacket while carrying a backpack and a guitar case. Hercules momentarily prayed to whoever would listen that Tim had not decided to invite his relative to join them. He had no idea how Kristina would react to having to work with a Kleinman. "Tim! Over here!" "Steve! Hey!" Tim led the woman over to his friend who was accompanied by a woman who looked amazingly like a young Xena. He correctly assumed this was Kristina Pappas. He and Hercules clasped hands in greeting. "This is Miss Pappas, I presume?" He shook the woman's hand. "I'd like to introduce the two of you to a relative of mine. This is Janine Kleinman. Janine, these are Steve Smith and Kristina Pappas." As Janine's hand moved to shake Hercules' hand, it stopped as if meeting some invisible force shield. The hostility that Kristina exuded was almost tangible. Janine instinctively shrank back slightly behind Tim. "You!!! How dare you come here. After all the trouble and embarrassment your family has caused us, you have no claim..." "Who do you think you are?" Janine spoke rather forcefully, coming out from behind Tim. "I come here to help a relative and have my family insulted by some total stranger." "I'm Kristina Pappas, great-granddaughter of Mel Pappas, and your family deserves every word I can think to throw at them. I bet the only reason your family has survived this long is because you sold out by selling the scrolls that you stole from my and Harold's great- grandmothers..." "Hold on a minute. We didn't sell the scrolls, they're right here in Tim's bags. And for all the `good' your silly institute has done, no one in the world would have even heard of Xena if it weren't for Dad's pitching the idea to that Tapert guy. And Jack didn't steal the scrolls from Mel and Janice! They all discovered them together..." "Silly institute?! Do you have any idea how hard so many of us have worked to keep it going, especially with that show of yours telling half-truths to the public..." "Well, if any of you had come out of your seclusion and helped the show it would have been whole-truths..." At this point, Tim and Hercules physically came between the two women before they could come to blows. Tim spoke up first, the voice of reason. "This isn't going to help us any. Now we're all here for the same reason, and we're all on the same side. Either you two call a truce, however temporary, or we'll just go to Greece and leave you behind!" Both women quieted at his words. They took several moments, glaring at each other, trying to decide which was more important, their anger or their mission. Janine reached her hand out once again, this time to Kristina, who after a moment shook it. "Good. That's settled. Now, Steve, did you check when the next flight to Greece leaves?" "Yes. Tomorrow morning. Kristina offered to keep us for the night. Does the offer still stand?" Kristina nodded. "Good. Let's go and get some sleep." * * * After Kristina had given her newest guests the tour of her place, she made a call to Harold. It was best she warn him about Janine immediately, rather than risk another scene like the one in the airport. Janine grabbed one of Tim's bags and plopped it onto the kitchen table. She started removing scrolls and a journal. "Steve, Tim and I have already gone over these, but I know you and Kristina haven't. This one here gives the specifics of the curse and the cave, and the journal tells of its discovery." Once Hercules had settled with the material, Janine set her mind to calming her frazzled nerves. She took her favourite guitar out of its case, sat in a corner of the living room, and began playing a slow, relaxing song, singing the words as she went along. Tim just sat on a nearby couch, listening and letting the music relax him. Mid-way through the song, Kristina came out of her bedroom dressed in her silk pyjamas. For a moment, she thought the others had turned on her radio, but was shocked when she realized it was Janine who was playing. She was good, Kristina had to admit. She spotted Hercules poring over some scrolls, and correctly assumed they were the ones Janine had brought. She sat by him and began reading. It grew late, and eventually they all turned in to bed. Kristina stayed in her room, Hercules took the spare room, and Tim and Janine crashed in the living room. Tim's last thoughts as he went to sleep centered around how long the uneasy truce would last. ********************************************************************** TBC... Now you have to wait like the rest of them :) ------------------------------------------------------------------------ You have a voice mail message waiting for you at iHello.com: http://click.egroups.com/1/3555/0/_/519388/_/956791313/ ------------------------------------------------------------------------ You can find the SeaQuest slash fic archive at here at http://members.tripod.com/~Melrae/seaquest/seaquest.htm enjoy. :) X-eGroups-Return: sentto-70531-458-andy=kksonline.com@returns.onelist.com X-eGroups-Return: russia_girl@yahoo.com To: seaquestslash@egroups.com User-Agent: eGroups-EW/0.82 X-Mailer: eGroups Message Poster From: "JaimeBlue " Mailing-List: list seaquestslash@egroups.com; contact seaquestslash-owner@egroups.com Delivered-To: mailing list seaquestslash@egroups.com List-Unsubscribe: Date: Sat, 29 Apr 2000 08:10:50 -0000 Reply-To: seaquestslash@egroups.com Subject: [seaquestslash] FF: Please Forgive Me 11/? Sender: sentto-70531-458-andy=kksonline.com@returns.onelist.com Okay, here's the next chapter for those of you keeping score :) ********************************************************************** The airport in Athens was busy, but even through all the hustle and bustle, they could hear a strong male voice shouting "Kristina" over and over. The group headed in the general direction of the voice until they reached a young man with strawberry-blond hair that was rather on the short side. Harold Covington looked over the group and recognized everyone from the descriptions Kristina had given him. Janine Kleinman looked pretty harmless, but he refused to let his guard down. After a few swift introductions, he quickly led them outside to his van. They couldn't help noticing that the vehicle was fully equipped with hard hats and all. "I thought you'd all want to get to the cave immediately. I've got some tents we can set up to rest if you want when we arrive." He paused, reaching behind the driver's seat for a leather bag. "Kristina, here's the scrolls I told you about." Kristina, who was sitting in the front passenger seat, gently retrieved two scrolls from the bag and opened them with care. "I wonder what they say? I won't be able to translate them until we stop, and even then I don't know how long it will take." "Maybe I could help," Hercules spoke up. "I've become quite fluent in ancient Greek, and can translate just about anything unassisted." "Well, if you think so. Here." The scrolls were passed back to Hercules' waiting hands. He opened the first and was almost struck dumb. "Would anyone mind if I read these out loud?" All but one of the group voiced in the affirmative. Tim just sat, saying nothing. Hercules knew this might be difficult for the man to hear, but he suspected the scrolls may have contained something that would set his mind at ease. "Well, here goes. "This is the last will and testament of I, Gabrielle of Poteideia. As I write this, I know not when my last day might be, but to whomever is reading this, please know I lived every day to its fullest. All my belongings I leave to my son, Maximus. Max, please know I loved you very much, and do your best to listen to your father's words. He knows what he's talking about. There is so much I wish to say in these, my last words, but it can all be summed up in just one piece of advice: when sorting out priorities, put love and friendship at the top of the list. My capacity to love and my friendship were both put to the test twice, with each of my best friends. Xena and I were torn apart after the deaths of our children, yet we eventually reconciled and the love and friendship we shared was justified by our actions. However, while I may have passed this first test, I failed the second miserably. There are very few things I have done that I have regretted, but this is one of the few, and the most shameful. Upon discovering the relationship between my friend Joxer and the God of War, Xena and I used that knowledge to lure Ares into a trap, imprisoning him forever. We deluded ourselves into thinking it would be best for Joxer to live without Ares. We never found out, for we have not seen him since that day. Joxer had taken so much from Xena and I, mostly from me, in order to be our companion. All the teasing, the nose-pullings, the list goes on and on. With all that, he stayed by our side, and all we could do in return was to use him. I have not forgotten him, nor what happened, no matter how much I've tried. I could never forgive myself for betraying the only man to love me unconditionally, with `no strings attached'. I hope somehow these words get to him, if only so I could let him know I'm sorry. These are my last words. Gabrielle of Poteideia." Hercules looked up from the scroll to see the reactions painted on each person's face. Harold's expression remained the same as he concentrated on the road ahead. Kristina was thoughtful as she assimilated the information with what she already knew about Gabrielle. Tim's face was still, but his eyes were staring off into another time, gently filling with unshed tears. Janine reached over to take Tim's hand, silently comforting him and sharing his pain. Hercules opened up the second scroll, which he assumed to be Xena's last words. After waiting a few moments, he began reading. "This is the last will and testament of I, Xena of Amphipolis. Gods, does that sound as bad as I think it does? I'll never figure out how Gabrielle manages to talk me into doing things like this. She says that, especially with the life we live, it's good to have one of these. Well, here goes. Eve, you know you get all that I have. You are my one and only child, with Solon gone. And I guess I know I don't tell you this very often, but I know you know I love you. I'm not going to dwell too much on the life I've lived. I've definitely had my ups and downs, and that's the understatement of the century. There is much I have done that I regret, and I don't think there's enough scrolls in Greece to name them all, so I won't bother. It's bad enough Gabrielle has listed just about every little thing I've done since we met. But she knows I love her despite that, or maybe even because of it. I will say that I've been lucky to have a family like I've had, though I think we're a good example of how dangerous it can be to be a man in our family. At one time or another, I have lost each of my three brothers. Lyceus died when I was younger, spurring me into my evil days. Toris, I'm still not sure quite what happened to him, but I haven't heard from him in a long time. And finally my last brother, one who was not of my blood, but my brother by choice. With all the regrets I've had in my life, hurting Joxer was the worst. I don't blame him for never speaking to us again. I chose vengeance above friendship, and unfortunately he suffered the consequences. For that, I am truly sorry. Well, that's enough of this. We have work to do. Xena of Amphipolis." "Wow," Kristina spoke up, breaking the silence. "Even in their final hours, they spared a thought or two for that bungler. They were truly great women." "Oh, will you shut up!" Tim couldn't keep quiet a moment longer. "They lied to the very end. They weren't really sorry for what they did, or else they wouldn't have done it." Any response Kristina was about to give froze in her throat at the tone in Tim's voice. They spent the rest of the drive to the cave site in silence. ********************************************************************** TBC... ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Was the salesman clueless? Productopia has the answers. http://click.egroups.com/1/3019/0/_/519388/_/956995856/ ------------------------------------------------------------------------ You can find the SeaQuest slash fic archive at here at http://members.tripod.com/~Melrae/seaquest/seaquest.htm enjoy. :) X-eGroups-Return: sentto-70531-459-andy=kksonline.com@returns.onelist.com X-eGroups-Return: russia_girl@yahoo.com To: seaquestslash@egroups.com User-Agent: eGroups-EW/0.82 X-Mailer: eGroups Message Poster From: "JaimeBlue " Mailing-List: list seaquestslash@egroups.com; contact seaquestslash-owner@egroups.com Delivered-To: mailing list seaquestslash@egroups.com List-Unsubscribe: Date: Sat, 29 Apr 2000 21:42:25 -0000 Reply-To: seaquestslash@egroups.com Subject: [seaquestslash] FF: Please Forgive Me 12/? Sender: sentto-70531-459-andy=kksonline.com@returns.onelist.com Here's the next part. Guess who's coming to give Tim a hand? Enjoy! JaimeBlue ********************************************************************** Once they'd arrived at the site, they unloaded the van and began setting up camp. Tim and Hercules set up the tents, while the others took care of the supplies and the fire ring. Mid- way through their work, another vehicle came up the road. They hadn't expected anyone else to come, but the moment Harold saw the jeep his face lit up. He ran over to where it had stopped to greet whoever had decided to join them. It had been over a decade, but Tim still recognized the face of the woman who had been driving. His smile grew even wider when he realized he also recognized the passenger. Harold took the woman into his arms and kissed her long and hard. "What are you doing here, darling? I thought you said you were visiting with an old friend?" "I was, and I thought with your visiting the Tomb of Ares and all you'd like the help of someone who's already dealt with those Gods." Her smile was brilliant as she looked at her husband. The passenger looked over the rest of the group and, smiling, spoke up. "It seems I'm not needed here. You already have an expert, eh Mr. O'Neill?" Tim rushed up to take the man's hand in his. "Well, whether or not I'm an expert, we could still use all the help we can get, Cap...I mean, Nathan." Tim soon found himself wrapped in a big hug by his former Captain. "It's good to see you again, Sir." The woman moved towards them, not wanting to be left out of the reunion. "Well, you haven't aged any more than Bridge has, O'Neill. I wish I could say the same." "Aw, you still look beautiful Commander." "Hey, we're not in the navy anymore, Mister. It's Katie Covington to you." Tim moved over to take the former Miss Hitchcock into his arms. "It's good to see you, Tim. I'm so glad you were one of the ones that made it." "So am I, though I'd give just about anything to see Miguel again." Tim turned away from his friends to introduce them to the others, only to see two smirking faces and one look of shock. "Nathan Bridger, Katie, over there are Steve Smith, and old friend of mine, and Janine Kleinman, one of my relatives. Katie, I assume you already know Kristina Pappas." Katie nodded. "Well, I think the three tents we have will be enough. Come on, you can help us finish up the camp." By the time they'd finished, it was almost dark. A fire was lit and supper was prepared. After their meal, Tim, Katie and Bridger entertained the others with tales of their time together aboard seaQuest, most of which involved Ben Krieg's attempts at `improving morale'. Eventually, Harold and Katie excused themselves and retired to one of the tents. Bridger and Hercules began talking, and found they had much in common. Tim, Janine and Kristina found they had little interest in the conversation, and simply sat, watching each other. Tim decided to break the silence. "Kristina, did you remember to bring the chakram?" "Of course. Though, I don't know why we'll be needing it. It's not like we'll be trying to `release the God'," she said sarcastically, and began giggling. Tim and Janine exchanged glances. "What would you say if I told you we wanted to try and release Ares?" Tim and Janine waited for Kristina's response. "You're kidding, right?" "Aren't you curious about whether or not all that stuff about Ares is true?" "No, of course not. Those ancient mythologies were nothing but fiction to help the people get through their everyday lives. There was no Ares, nor was there a Zeus or an Aphrodite or the rest of them." "Well, if they don't exist, then what's the harm in making the attempt?" "What's the harm? We might damage the site." "But what if something else happens when the Eye is hit? What if it will reveal something about Xena and Gabrielle? Wouldn't that be worth any risk?" Kristina took a few moments to think. Janine, who had been sitting to Kristina's left, placed one of her hands on Kristina's shoulder. "This is something Tim has to do, Kristina. Please, will you help us?" She looked into Janine's eyes, pleading her to say yes. She looked over at Tim. His eyes were pleading her as well, but she could also read in them the pain he had suffered. She knew at that moment she couldn't deny him this. "All right, I'll see what I can do. Tomorrow." Janine, in her enthusiasm, wrapped her arms around Kristina, pulling her to her chest. Kristina, surprisingly, didn't pull away, and found herself hugging the woman back. Tim smiled. Perhaps there was hope for them yet. When the women pulled away from each other, Kristina began questioning Janine about her music. Surprisingly, the women had similar tastes, and found themselves to be holding an actual conversation with each other. Tim took the opportunity to spend some time by himself. Even in the dark, he was able to find his way towards the cave. It hadn't changed since the last time he'd been there, over two thousand years previous. He walked through the passageways, caring little for any traps that may have been set. He was immortal after all. Soon, he entered the main room where the coffin lay. He approached it, and lay his hand upon the stone, running it along the smooth surface, as if he could caress his former lover even through the material. "Soon Ares, soon. I'll make it all right again. And then, you can either forgive me, or kill me. Either way, my suffering will end tomorrow. Good night my love." He turned away from the coffin and returned to the camp site. ********************************************************************** TBC... ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Was the salesman clueless? Productopia has the answers. http://click.egroups.com/1/3019/0/_/519388/_/957044552/ ------------------------------------------------------------------------ You can find the SeaQuest slash fic archive at here at http://members.tripod.com/~Melrae/seaquest/seaquest.htm enjoy. :) X-eGroups-Return: sentto-70531-462-andy=kksonline.com@returns.onelist.com X-eGroups-Return: russia_girl@yahoo.com To: seaquestslash@egroups.com User-Agent: eGroups-EW/0.82 X-Mailer: eGroups Message Poster From: "JaimeBlue " Mailing-List: list seaquestslash@egroups.com; contact seaquestslash-owner@egroups.com Delivered-To: mailing list seaquestslash@egroups.com List-Unsubscribe: Date: Tue, 02 May 2000 02:04:14 -0000 Reply-To: seaquestslash@egroups.com Subject: [seaquestslash] FF: Please Forgive Me 13/? Sender: sentto-70531-462-andy=kksonline.com@returns.onelist.com Please forgive me :p if this is a repost, but I seriously couldn't remember whether or not I posted the last part of the story to this group. So this is lucky #13. Let's see if Tim finds it as lucky. ********************************************************************** Tim lay grinning on the floor of the ten in his sleeping bag, lost in some dream. "Pssst. Wake up." "Va-t-en. Tu sais que le roi ne reveille jamais avant midi." "Joxer, wake up." "Come on, Xena. My nose still hurts. You wake Gabby up this morning." "Tim, wake up!" "Wha...What's wrong? Where's the danger?" Tim opened his eyes to see Hercules staring down at him. "Nothing. You were talking and singing in your sleep and I didn't want you to wake Nathan." "Oh, sorry. I guess the muses decided to visit me tonight." He grinned as he remembered what he'd been singing in his sleep. He unzipped the tent to greet the early morning. Seeing he was the only one up, he walked around the camp, straightening up the site and setting a fire to cook breakfast, all the while singing: "Joxer the Mighty Living through eternity With many friends to lend a hand For now it's time to make a stand Searching for my one true love The one that fits me like a glove To find his tomb and set him free And ask if he'll forgive me I'm Joxer, I'm Joxer the Mighty..." He was happy. For the first in a long time, he was happy. Joxer wasn't quite dead after all, and was still alive inside him. Today was the day he would get to see Ares again. He sat on a log near the fire, thinking. "I was wondering when you'd start acting like yourself again." He looked to his left, right into the eyes of an all-too familiar goddess. "It's been a while, studmuffin." "Aphrodite. I had no idea you were still around." "Hey, honeybuns, as long as there's love, I'll still be alive and kicking." "So why are you here, and how come you've waited this long to see me?" "To answer your second question, it took me a long time to find you in the first place. You left Greece, remember? I don't like messing with any of those grody Gods in other places. That's not my thing. As to your first question, I thought you could use a little of my help before you meet up with Ares. There's a part of that heart of yours that will stay broken even after you make up with `ol dark and deadly." He answered her with a disbelieving look. "I want to talk to you about Xena and Gabrielle." "Well I don't want to talk about them!" "You have to, Joxie. You have to figure out a way to come to terms with what they did and the fact that they were eventually sorry for it, and you have to learn to forgive them." "But I can't, can't you see that? They made me betray the man...God I loved." "Yes, they did. But they regretted it to their very last day. You heard the scrolls. You know it's true." She placed a comforting arm around his shoulders as he hung his head down, trying to hide the tears that were streaming down his face. "They really did love you, and you them. Come on. That heart of yours is as big and warm as the sun. There must be room in there somewhere for forgiveness." He spent several minutes in her arms, crying tears he'd been keeping for over two thousand years. Finally, he wiped them away, raising his face to meet Aphrodite's. "They really loved me, then." "Yes. I remember listening in on the stories they would tell Eve and Maxie about you. They missed you terribly after you'd gone. Life just wasn't the same for them without the constant possibility of running into you." He took a large breath, then let it out slowly. "All right. I'll try." Aphrodite could see this as the first step it was, and smiled. "That's all I'm asking." She kissed his forehead. "Well, I think I'd better go before the others wake up. Say hi to both my bros, will ya?" She gave him one final smile, then faded from sight. ********************************************************************** TBC... I'm sorry for the annoyance :) but, after I'd written part 12, I was waiting for the bus and I couldn't get Joxer's song out of my head, and all of a sudden I came up with a version good for the story. JaimeBlue ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Get paid for the stuff you know! Get answers for the stuff you don’t. And get $10 to spend on the site! http://click.egroups.com/1/2200/0/_/519388/_/957233057/ ------------------------------------------------------------------------ You can find the SeaQuest slash fic archive at here at http://members.tripod.com/~Melrae/seaquest/seaquest.htm enjoy. :) X-eGroups-Return: sentto-70531-463-andy=kksonline.com@returns.onelist.com X-eGroups-Return: russia_girl@yahoo.com To: seaquestslash@egroups.com User-Agent: eGroups-EW/0.82 X-Mailer: eGroups Message Poster From: "JaimeBlue " Mailing-List: list seaquestslash@egroups.com; contact seaquestslash-owner@egroups.com Delivered-To: mailing list seaquestslash@egroups.com List-Unsubscribe: Date: Wed, 03 May 2000 03:02:46 -0000 Reply-To: seaquestslash@egroups.com Subject: [seaquestslash] FF: Please Forgive Me 14/? Sender: sentto-70531-463-andy=kksonline.com@returns.onelist.com We're getting near the end here, folks. ********************************************************************** One by one, the sleepers awoke and were lulled out of their tents by the sweet smells of breakfast cooking. They all dove into the food, thanking Tim for having prepared it. None of them noticed that he was the only one not eating, having assumed he'd eaten beforehand. He waited patiently as they finished their meals, while the butterflies in his stomach fluttered faster and faster every moment that passed. This was the day. Once the last of them had finished their meal, the electricity in the group rose tenfold. Harold began passing around hardhats. Kristina prepared the medical kits and water supplies. The others just stayed out of the way of the professionals. Within an hour they were all standing before the opening to the cave. Tim stepped ahead first and led the group to the tomb. He allowed Kristina and Harold a measure of time to study the room and its decorations, but his patience was almost up. "Kristina, I think it's time we try what I asked. It's time to use your chakram." "I'm sorry, Tim. In all the excitement, I left it back at the camp. I'll be right back." Tim became more fidgety with every second that passed. He was so close, yet he still had to wait. The frustration and anticipation, as well as fear and excitement, were all tearing him into many pieces. At the sound of footsteps running towards them, Tim, Janine and Harold ran to meet Kristina as she entered the cave with the chakram. The moment she entered the room, a deafening sound came from the other end where the stone coffin lay. Out of it rose the God of War. "Ares," Hercules spoke for the room. "Hello brother. I must say, you were the last person I'd expect of being here. What's the matter, over all this time you've forgotten to get a life?" Hercules received a strange look from Bridger who was mouthing *brother?* He looked over to the source of his appearance. "Well, if it isn't another reunion of the descendants of the three stooges. Pappas, the women in your family just can't get away from looking like Xena, can they? Not that I'm complaining. And Covington, still living in Pappas' shadow I see. Oh, and Kleinman, you couldn't even leave home without your daddy I s..." Ares' eyes grew wide as he realized the man next to Janine was not her father. "Joxer." "Hi, Ares." All but Janine and Hercules looked at Tim in shock. "What are you doing here?" "What do you think? I'm going to get you out of here." "Why? You put me here." "No I didn't. That was Xena and Gabrielle." "You could have fooled me." "It's the truth Ares." By now, Tim was almost face to face with the God. "Still as annoying as ever I see." "And you're still as arrogant as ever." "You know, I still don't know why I ever let you into my bed." "Maybe you were desperate." "I must have been." Their discussion was cut short by a burst of laughter coming from off to the side. "And what do you think is so funny, brother?" Ares glared at Hercules. "The two of you. Are you sure you haven't really been married these last two thousand years?" He grinned and walked over to Ares, holding out two scrolls in his hand. "Here. Read these before you say another word." Ares obliged, reading over the last words of the Warrior Princess and her Bard. After a few moments, Ares burned up the scrolls in a fit of anger, then turned, holding onto the coffin for support. Joxer approached him, reaching out a hand to place on his lover's shoulder. He took Ares' lack of reaction as a good sign. He could now see the God's face, and the tears that were streaming down his beautiful cheeks. "It's ok, Ares. It's no use being angry at them. They're dead, long gone. And, they were truly sorry for what they did." "I'm not angry at them." "So you don't believe what they wrote, do you." "I believe it, Joxer." "Then why are you still mad at me?" Ares turned his head and saw the hurt look in his lover's eyes. He yearned to reach out and take the man into his arms, yet he did not dare. "I'm not mad at you. I'm mad at myself, and you should be too." "I could never be mad at you. I have no reason to be." "You have plenty of reason. I didn't believe you. When you said you had nothing to do with it, I blamed you rather than trusting in you. In the end, it was I who betrayed our love." "Oh, Ares, haven't you been punished enough already?" Ares reached out to remove Tim's glasses. This was the face he'd remembered every day since his imprisonment. He reached out a hand to cup Tim's cheek, which melted right into the God's touch. Nothing had changed. They still inspired the same love and passion they had so long ago. "Come on Ares, let's go." "Wait. I can't leave the caves. Not unless I'm released." Tim looked over at Kristina. He didn't say a word. She already knew what he wanted. She took out the chakram and sent it flying towards the Eye of Hephaestus. As it his, Ares could feel the power that held him to this place die. "Now we can go, my love." He reached out and took Tim in his arms, kissing him as if trying to make up for centuries of missed kisses. ********************************************************************** TBC... ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Get paid for the stuff you know! Get answers for the stuff you don’t. And get $10 to spend on the site! http://click.egroups.com/1/2200/0/_/519388/_/957322975/ ------------------------------------------------------------------------ You can find the SeaQuest slash fic archive at here at http://members.tripod.com/~Melrae/seaquest/seaquest.htm enjoy. :) X-eGroups-Return: sentto-70531-464-andy=kksonline.com@returns.onelist.com X-eGroups-Return: russia_girl@yahoo.com To: seaquestslash@egroups.com User-Agent: eGroups-EW/0.82 X-Mailer: eGroups Message Poster From: "JaimeBlue " Mailing-List: list seaquestslash@egroups.com; contact seaquestslash-owner@egroups.com Delivered-To: mailing list seaquestslash@egroups.com List-Unsubscribe: Date: Wed, 03 May 2000 18:49:50 -0000 Reply-To: seaquestslash@egroups.com Subject: [seaquestslash] FF: Please Forgive Me 15/...15 Sender: sentto-70531-464-andy=kksonline.com@returns.onelist.com Well, here's the last part. I hope you guys have been enjoying it as much as those over in Joxerotica. ********************************************************************** The group silently filed out of the cave, wishing to give the couple some privacy. Most of them were stunned. The strange nerd they'd been traveling with was really the strange dork in the stories? It couldn't be! Having seen many strange things in his lifetime, Bridger got over his shock first. "So, Steve, what did Ares mean by calling you brother?" "Well..." He decided he could trust these people. "My real name is Hercules." "The guy in those Greek myths." "That's me." "If you had told me that a day ago, I wouldn't have believed you. But right about now, I'd believe just about anything." He smiled at his newest friend. Off to one side, Kristina was sitting, mindlessly making designs on the ground. Janine came to her and sat to her right. "Are you okay?" "All this time I've been studying the Xena scrolls, and Greek myths, and I never truly believed any of it. I of course believed there was a woman named Xena who was a great warrior, but her adventures sounded too outrageous to be real. Now, not only have I seen a Greek God with my own eyes, but I find out I've been traveling with one of Xena's friends all this time. It's a little too much, even for me." "That's just because your nature is to be scientific and analytical. Just look inside you, listen to what your heart and soul are trying to say to you. They never lie." Kristina looked over at the other woman. "You know, you're not the fool I thought you were." "And you're not the stuck-up bitch I thought *you* were." Janine wrapped her arms around Kristina and pulled her towards her chest, giving the woman the comfort she needed. Harold and Katie were holding each other, taking comfort in the other's warmth. She looked to her former captain. "So, Nathan, what will you be doing now? I'm sorry you didn't get quite the adventure I'd promised you." "Don't worry, this is more than enough adventure for me. I think I'll head back to work before the UEO can track me down." "You know, Nathan," Hercules started, "I've been getting a little tired of South American weather. Do you think your guys could use someone like me on their team?" "We'd be glad to have you." They were all shocked out of their reverie by a flash of blue light. "Whoa, I don't know if I'll ever get used to traveling this way." Ares couldn't help but chuckle at his lover's words. "Oh, I think you will. And if you don't, I'll think of something." "Hi you guys," Tim waved to his friends, old and new. "Ares and I will be leaving soon. We've got a lot of time to make up for...Well, I thought I'd say goodbye before I left." He elbowed Ares none too subtly. "Oh, yeah." Ares heaved a heavy sigh. "Thank you for setting me free. Satisfied?" "Not yet, but that can wait until we're alone." His smile was full of promise of what was to come. He walked over to his friends. "Well, Steve, it's been good seeing you again. And thank you." "It's been good seeing you again, Joxer." He grasped the man's outstretched arm. "And you don't have to thank me. I'd do anything for an old friend. Oh, and I told them who I really am." "Don't get into too much trouble, okay? That was always my job." "We'll see." He turned next to his former captain. "Nathan, thank you for your help." "No problem. I'd always wondered how you knew so much about Greek mythology." He smiled as he turned to his next friends. "Katie, it's been wonderful seeing you again. Harold, it's been nice meeting you. You two take care of each other, okay?" "Don't worry, we will." He finally turned to the two women who were still holding on to each other. "I'm glad to see you two are finally getting along." His smile was answered by his descendant. "Well, adventures like this tend to have that effect on people." "Make sure you teach Kristina to relax every now and again, okay?" "No problem." "And take care of yourself. I'll be watching you." He wrapped her in a big hug. "I hope so." From behind him, he could hear a familiar voice rumbling. "Are you done saying your goodbyes now? Can we leave?" He couldn't help but roll his eyes. "Yes, I'm finished." He walked until he was standing next to his lover. "Goodbye, all. If you ever need me, call Ares." A moment later, they disappeared in a flash of blue light. * * * Joxer knew only two things. First, Ares had taken him to some kind of log cabin. Second, he didn't care where they were, as long as they were alone. He threw himself at Ares. He'd been yearning to feel those hands on his body for far too long. Being as impatient as his lover, Ares waved a hand and their clothing was gone. With another wave, they were lying on the nearby bed. Part of them wanted to go slowly, cherishing every moment, but centuries of pent-up emotion and sexual energy won out. "Now, Ares, I can't wait any longer." They were both so hard already. With a thought, Ares oiled Joxer's passage. He stared into his lover's eyes as he entered him. They'd barely established a rhythm when they both came, crying out the other's name. They spent several moments lying next to each other, relishing the afterglow. Once they'd regained their breaths, they wrapped their arms around each other. "It must have been awful all those centuries, thinking I hated you, thinking your friends had abandoned you." "Not as awful as being stuck in that coffin, I bet." "Well, you know that first time the cave was discovered by the trio?" "Yeah..." "Well, I was able to absorb quite a bit of energy, and I was able to escape a couple of times." "What!?" "You wouldn't believe what I've seen just in my two times out. You know, I tried to find you, despite my anger, or maybe because of it. There was this one trio of weirdos. They actually thought they were the reincarnations of..." "Ares?" "Yeah?" "Shut up and kiss me." "Whatever you say." "And Ares?" "Yeah?" "I love you." "And I you, forever." ********************************************************************** The End. JaimeBlue ------------------------------------------------------------------------ You have a voice mail message waiting for you at iHello.com: http://click.egroups.com/1/3555/0/_/519388/_/957379799/ ------------------------------------------------------------------------ You can find the SeaQuest slash fic archive at here at http://members.tripod.com/~Melrae/seaquest/seaquest.htm enjoy. :) X-eGroups-Return: sentto-70531-448-andy=kksonline.com@returns.onelist.com X-eGroups-Return: russia_girl@yahoo.com To: seaquestslash@egroups.com User-Agent: eGroups-EW/0.82 X-Mailer: eGroups Message Poster From: "JaimeBlue " Mailing-List: list seaquestslash@egroups.com; contact seaquestslash-owner@egroups.com Delivered-To: mailing list seaquestslash@egroups.com List-Unsubscribe: Date: Wed, 26 Apr 2000 01:07:38 -0000 Reply-To: seaquestslash@egroups.com Subject: [seaquestslash] FF: Please Forgive Me 2/? Sender: sentto-70531-448-andy=kksonline.com@returns.onelist.com Disclaimers, etc. in Part 1. ********************************************************************** Joxer the Mighty clumsily parried the attempts of his attacker, waiting for his warrior chums Xena and Gabrielle to come to his aid. He saw Xena defeat her attackers and check to make certain Eve had not been harmed. The child, strapped to her mother, was unharmed. Xena then proceeded to help her friends. It wasn't long before the last of the bandits, realizing they were overmatched, fled for their lives. As dusk approached, they made camp in a clearing not too far off the road. Joxer watched the sky as all traces of the sun disappeared and the stars began peeking through the early night. He wondered all kinds of things, pondered all kinds of questions as he considered the skies. Tonight, his thoughts fell upon the Gods he and his people had worshiped for so long. What were they doing at this moment? Were they panicking at the loss of their King, or were they battling, vying for Zeus' position? Or, were they among the mortals, trying to find some kind of companionship to help them survive the coming twilight... The tweaking of his nose brought him out of his reverie. "You didn't have to do that so hard, Gabrielle." "Well, then you should answer when the Queen of the Amazons speaks to you. You don't want to be put in the stocks again, now do you?" "Well, I guess that would be better than having Xena kill me again. Now what were you saying?" "I was asking if you could go find us some more firewood." "All right, Gabby. I'll be back soon." As he left camp, Joxer thought of his relationship with his beloved Gabrielle. He loved her more than anyone he'd ever known, yet his love wasn't returned. He'd thought there might have been a chance after their adventure with Jayce, but he doubted it. He'd realized the origin of her jealousy was not love or genuine affection, but rather that he was paying attention to a woman other than her. "Perhaps it's time I tried to move on," he said to himself. "I still love Gabrielle, but maybe I can find it in my heart to love someone who will love me back." "You have no idea how long I've waited to hear those words." Joxer turned at the new voice to the last person he'd expected to see. There in all his black-leathered glory was the God of War himself. "What do you want, Ares." "I want what I have wanted for years, but which has been denied me." "Huh?" "Joxer, have you ever wondered why I've spent so much time harassing Xena and Gabrielle?" "I don't have to wonder. It's because you want Xena back by your side." Ares let out a sigh and, for a moment, looked almost sad. He looked up at Joxer, letting their eyes meet. Joxer had to reach out to a nearby tree to keep his balance. Something strange was happening to him, but he didn't know what. "Joxer, every time I meet up with Xena, it's in the hopes that you will happen by. Trying to get to Xena was the only way I could be near you." "What!?" Joxer let out a nervous laugh. "What would you want with me?" Joxer knew that last question wasn't necessary. The look in Ares' eyes gave him that answer already. "I have been watching and protecting you for a long time, Joxer. Every battle you survived was because I helped you out of it. I even arranged for you to be led to Xena and Gabrielle, knowing they would be good for you. I'd hoped that, eventually, I'd have the courage to come to you myself, and when I was finally ready, I was too late. You'd fallen in love with that annoying blonde. I wanted to win you fairly, without the help of that sister of mine. But as long as the bard had your heart, I couldn't let you know how I felt. But with your words, Joxer, all that changes." "I'm, I'm confused..." Joxer could barely get any words out. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. "This should clear it all up," Ares said, reaching out a hand to touch Joxer's smooth cheek. Not wanting to wait any longer, Ares pulled him closer and kissed him. Joxer couldn't resist even if he wanted to, which surprisingly he didn't. The feelings that coursed through his body were foreign, yet familiar, as if they'd always been right below the surface, waiting to come out with the right provocation. He unconsciously wrapped his arms around the War God, tracing the man's beard with his right hand. This felt right, though it was so different to what he had felt the few times he'd been able to kiss Gabby...Gabby, what about her, what about his love for her...forget it. In Ares' arms, Joxer came to an amazing realization. The love he'd felt for Gabrielle was nothing like what he felt for Ares. He could live the rest of his life at Gabrielle's side, give her children and a family if she wished, do anything for her, but here in his arms was the complement of his soul. Ares pulled away slightly. "Joxer, you wouldn't believe how long I've wanted to do that." He looked into the other man's eyes, looking for a trace that he felt as the God did. Joxer smiled seductively. "Then don't let me stop you." "Joxer, does this mean...I didn't dare hope...could you possibly come to love me as I love you, because that's what I feel Joxer. I love you, so very much." "I've never felt anything like I feel now, Ares. It's so new, and confusing, and..." "It's alright. You don't have to say anything. All I ask is that you take the time to find out and understand." "Yes. Let's start now." Joxer pulled Ares into another long kiss. "Joxer," Ares pulled away and tried to regain his breath. "I'd love nothing more than to stay here with you all night, but a certain Warrior Princess and her bard will soon realize you haven't returned. I think you'd better find a log or two and return." "When will I see you again?" "I'll be watching you at all times, but if you need me, just ask and I'll show up." Joxer quickly found a couple of dry logs for the fire and looked at Ares one last time, just to see the God flash out of sight. Joxer's face fell for a moment until he heard a voice in his ear. "I'll always be here, Joxer." He returned to the campsite happier than he'd ever been. * * * Walking on the road with Xena and Gabrielle, Joxer couldn't keep his mind on the journey. The last month had been the happiest in his life. His mind kept wandering to days of walks on battlefields and strolls on mount Olympus, and nights of passionate lovemaking and heartfelt talks. "Joxer," Gabrielle broke him away from his thoughts, "you've got that look on your face again." "What look, Gabby?" "That look I've been asking you about for the last month. Come on, I know you've met someone. Why won't you tell us about her?" "You just wouldn't understand, Gabby. Let's just leave it at that, okay?" "All right, for now. But you're going to have to tell us eventually. Not even you can keep a secret forever." Joxer let out a sigh of relief. Thus far, he'd been able to hide his relationship with Ares from Xena and Gabrielle. They were his best friends, and he was afraid of what would happen should they discover his relationship with the War God. Joxer let his mind wander again and walked into Xena's back when she stopped suddenly. "What is it Xena?" "Shhh. Ambush." A moment after the words were out of her mouth, an army of men leapt out of the bushes. The three took out their weapons to fight off the invaders. Xena momentarily noticed how much Joxer had improved in his swordplay, not knowing he'd been practicing with Ares for a month during his time away from his friends. Xena also noticed the man coming up behind him. "Joxer, look out behind you!" As Joxer turned, he realized he couldn't defend from both attackers, nor could he escape their attack. He did the only thing he could think of doing. Ares! Help me! Xena almost fell over, unbalanced, as her attackers disappeared. She looked up and realized all the bandits had disappeared. She knew it wasn't the work of any mortal, but couldn't for the life of her figure which God would actually want to help her. She heard rather than saw the flash of light indicating the God's appearance, and turned around to greet Ares. She did not get the reception she expected, but rather got the greatest shock of her life. After making his appearance, the God of War made his way to Joxer, seeking to comfort the shaking man. "I thought that was it, that he was going to kill me..." "Not as long as I'm around. It's okay, he's gone." Gabrielle, not believing her eyes, went to Xena's side. "Are you seeing what I'm seeing, or am I hallucinating?" "If you're hallucinating Gabrielle, than so am I." Joxer took a few more breaths to calm his nerves, already comforted by Ares' presence, and looked up to see Xena and Gabrielle staring at him. He turned to Ares with a look that clearly said The secret's out now, and took a deep breath before turning once again to his friends. "Ummm, you know that thing we were talking about earlier, Gabrielle..." "You? And Ares?" "Well, yeah. It's like this..." "You and Ares?" "You see Gabrielle..." "YOU AND ARES!!!???" Joxer gulped. "How could you. You know how Xena and I feel about this...this...God. You've really gone to new heights of stupidity now Joxer!" Ares was starting to get angry. "Now wait a minute..." "And you," she started once again. "How dare you use Joxer as a pawn to get Xena. Haven't you gotten the point yet?!" "That's enough!!!" Even Xena seemed startled by Ares' voice. "I am not using Joxer as a pawn. As a matter of fact, I was using Xena to get to Joxer! Now I love Joxer more than you could ever imagine." "Ares," Xena spoke up softly, "you don't even know the meaning of love." "And you do? I've learnt more about love and caring through this man than I possibly could through any God or mortal. And another thing, I'm sick and tired of the way you two treat and speak to Joxer. He'd a kind, compassionate and sensitive man. He's not stupid, an idiot, a fool, or any of the other things you refer to him by! Sure he may be a little slower at some things than others, but in the end he's ten times the person either of you are, although I'm the first to admit I may be biased on that account." There was silence as they all absorbed what had just taken place. Gabrielle was the first to speak. "I thought you said you loved me, Joxer. If you loved me, you wouldn't hurt me like this." "But Gabby, I love you both, each in my own way. I..." "No Joxer. I've heard enough." She turned to Xena. "Let's go Xena. There's nothing more for us here." The two women turned and started to leave. "Wait, guys, can't we talk about this..." Joxer stopped trying when he realized they were no longer listening to him. His legs gave out on him and he collapsed in the middle of the road. His heart was breaking and there was nothing he could do about it. Ares rushed to his side and wrapped his arms around the mortal. "Joxer, I'm so sorry. I never thought it would come to this." Joxer laid his head on Ares' shoulder and cried. "Don't leave me Ares. You're all I have now." "Never Joxer. I'll never leave you." * * * Joxer was somewhat happier than he'd been two weeks earlier. He'd become Ares' permanent companion and had been accepted as the God's official consort. He still remembered the smile on Aphrodite's face when she found out — she'd been ecstatic. He'd been granted immortality by the other Gods for his position and looked forward to a long life with his chosen partner. However, he was still having trouble mending his broken heart. He had the love of a good God who loved him dearly, and part of him felt that that was enough, but he still missed his friends. He still couldn't believe how they'd abandoned him like they did. He curled up in a chair in the home he shared with Ares, remembering all the adventures he'd had with Xena and Gabrielle. He didn't notice the tears falling down his cheeks. He turned away from his thoughts when he heard Ares appear. He smiled at his lover, who immediately came to him and wiped the tears from his cheeks. "You've been thinking about them again, haven't you?" "Yes. I just can't seem to get over how they could act like they did after all we'd been through. But it doesn't matter now. You're here with me." Ares frowned. "Love, there's something I have to tell you." "Nothing's happened to them, has it? You didn't do anything to them, have you?" "No, no, of course not. However, I had an unusual visitor in one of my temples today." "Which one?" "Gabrielle. She asked me to give you a message, but I won't tell you if you don't want to hear it." "What did she say?" "She asked me to tell you that she and Xena miss you and that they're sorry for how things came about. She said they want to see you again." Joxer simply sat there with a blank look on his face, absorbing the information. "I don't know if she was being sincere, but a part of me thinks it would be best if you see them again." "How could you say that? They hate you. It's because of you that they..." "Joxer, love, I know you love me and love being here with me, but you need some kind of closure. I'm afraid. I'm afraid that part of you will never be truly happy being with me until you've settled things in some way with Xena and Gabrielle." "I know you're right. Will you come with me?" "I'll take you there, but I think this is something you'll have to do for yourself." * * * The flash of light left the two men standing in the middle of a road. They could see a fire crackling through the trees not too far off the path. "Well, this is it." "Don't worry, love. I'll be right here waiting for you. I won't let anything happen to you." "I know, Ares. Wish me luck." Joxer turned towards the woods and made his way for the fire. He could already see the backs of two figures sitting on a log by the fire. As he approached, he was afraid to make a noise, afraid to speak. He was almost afraid this would be the last time he'd see his friends and he didn't want it to end. "Hello Joxer." "Hi Xena, Gabby." He should have known better than to think Xena wouldn't have heard him. As he approached, Gabrielle motioned for him to sit on a log opposite theirs. Their faces were unreadable as they examined him. "Ares said you wanted to see me, so here I am." "Yes, Joxer." Xena's blue eyes shone in the firelight. "We want to make our peace with you...and Ares." He hadn't expected the last and his pleasure showed on his face. "I'm so glad, guys, `cuz I've really missed you two. I still love him and all, but you will always be my best friends." The look that passed between the two women confused him, but he preferred not to dwell on it. He had his friends back, and that was all that mattered. Gabrielle turned to him and smiled. "Joxer, we were wondering if you and Ares could help us." "Help you? What would you need our help for?" "There's this cave not far north in Macedonia. We need to get there to retrieve an artifact as a favour to a friend. We thought we'd ask you and Ares to join us. You know, an adventure, like old times." "That sounds like fun, but I'll have to talk to Ares first. I don't think he'd have any problems though. He'd do just about anything if it would make me happy." "Then why don't you go talk to him now. The sooner you do, the sooner we can head out." "All right. I'll see you soon." Joxer passed through the trees to where Ares was waiting and told his lover what had transpired. "I don't know Joxer. I've got a bad feeling about this." "Come on Ares, you get a bad feeling about almost anything. Will you do this, for me?" "All right, only for you. Let's go rest. It seems we've got a full day ahead of us." * * * Ares and Joxer showed up at the camp shortly after Xena had woken Gabrielle. "So, you decided to join us after all." "Of course, Xena. I couldn't let my warrior chums down, now could I." Xena smiled at his comment until she saw the same smile on Ares' face. "Well, then let's head off. We should get there by midday." Ares, Xena and Gabrielle walked in relative silence, making only token comments. Joxer however could do nothing but talk. By the time they approached their destination, Joxer was only half-way through his creative retelling of his adventures with Xena and Gabrielle. The cave loomed ahead of them. Joxer smiled. "What are we waiting for? Let's go take a look." Ares had a strange look upon his face. I have a REALLY bad feeling about this. You're lucky I love you this much Joxer. I know Ares, I love you too. Now come on. The other three followed Joxer into the cave, stopping when they'd reached a room that was almost empty, all except for a cloth hanging on one of the walls and a large piece of stone that looked like a cross between a coffin and an altar. Ares couldn't help thinking it felt like a tomb. "Hey Xena, I think we're too late. There's nothing here. Someone must have reached the object first." "No Joxer, it's here." Xena broke away from Ares and Gabrielle and approached the wall where the cloth hung. "This is why we're here." She pulled away the cloth to reveal a large eye etched into the wall. All of a sudden, the eye began to glow red. "Noooo!!!" Ares looked panicked. "Xena, how could you." Joxer began to worry. "Ares, what is it?" "The Eye of Hephaestus. He made it at Zeus' command to keep me in check should my father want to be cruel. I can already feel it...I can't break it's grip." Xena eyed him with satisfaction. "It's no less than you deserve, Ares." "Nooo," Joxer cried, running to Ares' side. "This can't be true. Ares, tell me this is all some big joke. You can't leave me..." The words died in his throat with one look from Ares. The God was moving gradually towards the large stone by no will of his own. "Don't speak to me, Joxer. You knew about this, didn't you! You were in on it all along!" "No, Ares, I had no..." "Don't lie to me!!! I loved you Joxer, and this is what I get. Didn't I treat you right? Didn't I love you enough? I guess not." As he was pulled towards the stone, Ares made one last grab at Xena, trying to pull her in with him. His hand caught on her chakram and he didn't let go. The stone broke of its own accord and the top lifted automatically. Ares was pulled in, still holding onto the chakram, which Xena refused to relinquish. Once he'd been pulled all the way into the bottom half of the stone, the top part lowered with a bang, breaking the Chakram in two. The piece that wasn't still in Xena's hand clattered to the ground. Joxer couldn't believe what had just happened. He didn't understand. One moment he was enjoying an adventure with his lover and his friends, the next he was watching the writhing form of his lover pulled away from him. He looked pleadingly at Gabrielle. "What happened?" "We've gotten rid of Ares for good, with your help. Thank you Joxer." Her voice was colder than he'd ever heard it before. His legs gave out on him and he collapsed to the floor. "No. I would never hurt him. I love him." "But you did help us, Joxer. You brought him here, as we knew you would." "You mean you used me? You used me to destroy the man I love?" Joxer couldn't believe his ears. "Are you satisfied now? Not only did you have to destroy me by abandoning me, but now you've taken away the person I loved most in the world. I'm alone..." "Joxer, it was for the best. This is Ares we're talking about. He's evil. If anyone deserved to suffer, it's him." "No. He isn't evil. He's loving and compassionate and...It's you who are evil, Gabrielle. How can you not care about what you've done to him? To me?" "Joxer, we were only thinking of your best interests..." "Shut up!!!" Joxer stood on his two legs, enraged beyond belief. "Who are you to decide my best interests? You who break my heart time after time first through your rejection of my love and then through your abandonment." "Joxer..." "No! From this day on, Joxer the Mighty is dead." Joxer turned and ran from the cave, never looking back. ********************************************************************** TBC... ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Your high school sweetheart-where is he now? With 4.4 million alumni already registered at Classmates.com, there's a good chance you'll find her here. Visit your online high school class reunion at: http://click.egroups.com/1/3139/0/_/519388/_/956711269/ ------------------------------------------------------------------------ You can find the SeaQuest slash fic archive at here at http://members.tripod.com/~Melrae/seaquest/seaquest.htm enjoy. :) X-eGroups-Return: sentto-70531-449-andy=kksonline.com@returns.onelist.com X-eGroups-Return: russia_girl@yahoo.com To: seaquestslash@egroups.com User-Agent: eGroups-EW/0.82 X-Mailer: eGroups Message Poster From: "JaimeBlue " Mailing-List: list seaquestslash@egroups.com; contact seaquestslash-owner@egroups.com Delivered-To: mailing list seaquestslash@egroups.com List-Unsubscribe: Date: Wed, 26 Apr 2000 01:10:29 -0000 Reply-To: seaquestslash@egroups.com Subject: [seaquestslash] FF: Please Forgive Me 3/? Sender: sentto-70531-449-andy=kksonline.com@returns.onelist.com Disclaimers, etc. in Part 1. ********************************************************************** Tim reached up, removing his glasses and wiping away the tears that wouldn't stop falling. It was the first time he'd been betrayed by someone he loved, but it wouldn't be the last. Perhaps Kimura was more like Gabrielle than he'd thought. He shoved his face into his pillow, trying to rid himself of his thoughts, his memories. All the lives he had lived, all the names he'd taken, they all threatened to overwhelm him. The scroll caught his eye once again and another memory surfaced. ********************************************************************** The man ran and ran, and when he thought he could run no more, he kept running. He vaguely knew that he was going North, but he knew little else. His mind was full of pain and it blinded him to everything. Eventually he could run no longer, and he slept when his body collapsed. He'd removed his makeshift armour long ago — it had only slowed him down. After he woke, he scrounged up some food to settle his stomach and kept running North. After a couple of weeks, he came across a village. The people dressed and spoke differently. A middle-aged woman, seeing his rough shape, took him by the arm and drew him away to an unusual house. She bathed, clothed, and fed him. He did not understand a word she said, but tried to show his gratitude without words. For some reason, she used one word most often when speaking to him: Yakov. Under the woman, Svetlana's tutelage, he learnt the language of this area. He learnt that Yakov was a name meaning `one who is favoured' and took it as his own. He learnt the ways of the people who called themselves Rus and lived among them. They seemed to think him to be some kind of sorcerer for, whenever he hurt himself, he healed immediately. They accepted him as such and he became an integral part of the community, all the while maintaining his distance from all of them. He'd even kept Svetlana at arms length, not wanting to risk his heart while it was still fragile. He remained for over a millennia. He saw the coming of the Varengians and the rise of Kiev. He witnessed the conversion of all the peoples to a religion based on the teachings of the son of the `one true God'. Yakov didn't want to think of Gods. There was only one God he cared for, and his love had led to that God's demise. The new religion had brought about a new measure of time, and he was slowly adjusting. He had become content with his life in the Rus village, but his world was about to collapse once more. He knew it was time to leave when the invasion began. The Mongols were preparing to sweep across all of Kievan Rus until they had conquered it all. He did not wish to stay and see more people die, so he packed his belongings and prepared to leave. As he packed up the last of his clothes, he came across an old scroll of his. He had written upon it not long after meeting with Svetlana. There were his words in his terrible handwriting, made worse by the sobs that wracked his body as he wrote, in his native Greek. It was the story of how his love had ruined both his life and that of his lover, a story that still haunted his dreams. He took the scroll and walked to the home of young Vasilii. Vasilii was perhaps the most persistent human being Yakov had ever met. The youth reminded Yakov of himself at that age, so many moons ago. He told Vasilii he was leaving and that it was time to say Goodbye. Before leaving, Yakov handed the scroll to Vasilii, telling the boy to do with it as he wished. He grabbed his few belongings and headed for the shores of the Great Black Sea, where he was to catch a ship that would take him southward. He'd heard of a land called Persia and thought it would be a nice place to start over... * * * Javeed had been living in Persia for about a century when he was captured. Once again, he'd taken the time to learn the language and culture of the people with whom he lived. However, the people who captured him did not look, speak, or act like the Persians. They wore armour with crosses on them. They had looked at him strangely when they'd first seen him. Since he did not look like the Persians himself, they'd mistaken him for one of their own, at least until they realized he couldn't speak their language. They considered him a spy and intended to bring him with them. The journey was long and hard, particularly since Javeed was tied the entire way. They traveled long over land, then they finally boarded a ship. Soon, they'd taken Javeed to a dungeon. They beat and tortured him, trying to get him to speak, but he still did not understand their words. He tried speaking in Greek, Russian, and Persian, but they knew none of them. They refused to believe he wasn't of their people due to the paleness of his skin. Finally, they simply locked him up in a room with two other prisoners, feeding him nothing but bread and water. It mattered little to him, he was immortal after all. His two cellmates were kind enough to help him learn their language as he had learnt the others — through gestures and lots of practice. He learnt he was in the isles of the Angles, and that he was the `guest' of a King named Richard. It wasn't long after he'd become comfortable with the new language that he made the mistake of speaking it in the presence of the guards. Realizing he now could communicate with them, they intended to perform a very thorough interrogation. He answered their questions as best he could, but they did not believe him. It was 50 years before he would see light again. The old king and guards having died, they released the older prisoners to die with what remained of their families. Only the records confirmed that he had been imprisoned so long. He still had his youthful appearance. He took the name Joshua and earned his keep as a minstrel. He'd always known his musical talent would help him one day (other than when confronted by baccae of course). When he sang songs of unrequited love and love betrayed, whole crowds of men and women wept, for the emotions he evoked were so powerful. His talent became so renowned that he was called to play for the new king. This king was the eighth king of this land to be named Henry. The man's temper was legendary, and Joshua was nervous about playing for the man, despite his immortality. He certainly did not wish to spend another 50 years in a jail cell. He had nothing to worry about. The King was so impressed with his playing that he was named Court Minstrel, and remained in good standing until the death of the King. It was while in the King's Court when he was first introduced to eyeglasses. Once he'd tried on his first pair, he realized why he'd been so uncoordinated and clumsy his entire life, and swore to wear them from that point forward. Henry's death brought about much turmoil in the land. One day Joshua was approached by a man with a strange accent. His name was Francois and he was one of the Francs that were spoken of so often. He was enticed into spying on the House of Tudor for the men of Louis I. However, being the man he was, it was not long until he was discovered, and Francois helped him escape across the channel to France. Once again, yet another people, culture and language to learn, and he was beginning to be used to the multitude of changes in his life. Jacques, as he now called himself, soon enlisted in the ranks of the King's musketeers. After establishing himself in their ranks (of course, it had only taken him over 1500 years to master the sword), he took a position training young cadets to be musketeers themselves one day. That way, he rarely saw the same face twice in a century, and could keep his immortal identity to himself. The first stirring of revolution brought his attention to the state in which the French people lived. They were hungry for more than just bread, and were determined to get it. Due to his position of respect, Jacques was commanded to escort a noble family to their relatives in Prussian lands. He decided to remain in the Germanic lands and, being tired of the same name pattern, called himself Hanz. He became a carpenter and made a good living, until the many wars became too much. First came Napoleon and his armies. Then came the struggles of reuniting the Germanic lands and the resulting nationalism. He could take no more of it and decided to leave. But where to go? He heard of lands over the oceans which were constantly in need of new settlers. He also read of the struggles which had occurred between the two major groups there the same year Napoleon invaded Russia. He had an admiration for the more Northern people, who'd just recently gained their independence from Britain. They had been attacked and outnumbered, yet with the help of the natives of that land had not only repelled the invaders before Britain could lend its support, but had even burnt the invading party's capital (after making sure it had been evacuated of course). He'd read of the exploits of a man named Louis Riel, who was either a hero or a traitor depending upon who you asked. He was itching for adventure such as he'd had with them, and briefly wondered if Riel needed a sidekick. It wasn't long before he'd packed his things, and a man named Paul Lefrere walked off a ship onto a dock in Halifax. He managed to get to Quebec City but he could go no further. It was not because he couldn't afford to, for he had plenty of money. But the moment in stepped into the old city he fell in love with it. The city was a wonderful compromise between old styles and modernity. It didn't take him long to slide into the new dialect of French, and he settled into his new life. All was well until the beginnings of the next century. The Great War worried him, and he was grateful for every day that passed without his being conscripted. The war soon ended and the rebuilding began. Life was normal again until the next Great War began. Once again, he managed to get by without being conscripted. However, his fragile peace was broken when he picked up a newspaper one day. There was an article detailing the discoveries of Janice Covington and Melinda Pappas. They had found the Xena Scrolls, the scrolls she had written. For weeks he wouldn't leave his home. The neighbours began to worry for, although he'd never let anyone close to him, they still could not help but feel affection for the kind, compassionate soul in their midst. One day, the daughter of one of his neighbours came to see him. He had often told stories to the children in the neighbourhood, and she had missed his stories the most. He was speechless when he opened the door and there was little 7-year old Tara O'Neill. "What are you doing here Tara? Does your father know you're here?" "I came to see if I could help you feel better, Monsieur Lefrere. We are all worried about you. I miss your stories." "Ah, Tara. You must make sure you do not worry your father. Since your mother passed away, he worries about you so." "Do you remember my mother?" "Yes, I do Tara." "Could you please tell me a story about her?" He looked into her wide blue eyes and knew he could deny her nothing. He opened the door and sat her on his divan, telling her story after story about her mother and other people from the city. His friendship with the little girl helped bring him out of his depression, as well as his self-imposed seclusion he'd enforced since the events in the cave. Soon the war was over and all seemed to be going back to normal. The government kept trying to convince him of the evil nature of the now Communist Russian peoples, but he knew from experience how wrong that was. However, his life changed once again when he answered the door to find a crying 11-year old Tara on his doorstep. Her father had been involved in an accident with one of the new automobiles and had not survived. All the girl's family lived outside of Quebec, and he did not wish the little girl to have to travel so far to live with virtual strangers. With the family's permission, he adopted Tara as his own, and for the first time in over two millennia allowed someone to enter his heart. * * * He watched the small child grow into a beautiful woman, who still loved Paul as her own father. He came under the influence of the religion she and her father had held dear and came to adore it as he did her. Under his influence, she grew to be a strong woman who came to be one of the pioneers of the Second wave of feminism. He watched her as she made her accomplishments, and eventually gave her away to an honourable man. The day came eventually when she spoke to him about how he never aged, and for the first time he told her the truth. He told the entire story, from his exploits with Xena and Gabrielle to his arrival in Quebec. Knowing him as she knew herself, she believed him and kept his secret. He helped her through the pains of discovering she was unable to conceive a child, and eventually had to help her and her husband through pains of an entirely different kind. Who would have thought he'd lose them both to that dreaded thing called Cancer shortly before the century was over. Over the next twenty years, he became a more devout follower of the Catholic faith. He moved to Southern Ontario, near Toronto, and took classes to improve his language skills, as well as learning more about the modern technologies. Eventually he changed his name to Timothy O'Neill, and moved to the American state of Michigan where he continued his studies while watching the changing world. He grew tired of watching and realized it was time to make a difference again. That's when he decided to join the navy of the new United Earth Organization, and how he'd arrived where he was at that moment, crying on his bunk in a submarine. ********************************************************************** He wiped the last tears from his eyes, remembering his reasons for joining the UEO. He wanted to make a difference. Perhaps he could best do that by righting an ages old wrong. He knew he would need the help of one of Xena's descendants. He was scared. His former lover had had over 2000 years to fester in his anger, remembering his betrayal. But you didn't betray him, they betrayed you. "He wouldn't believe me," he said to himself. Maybe 2000 years has helped him cool his heels. He smiled at the image that brought on. Perhaps Covington's and Pappas' relatives knew what had happened in the cave when they had found the scrolls. Were they the only ones who'd seen them? It was time for action. And for action, Tim would need some help. Perhaps it was time to call on an old friend and fellow immortal. ********************************************************************** TBC... ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Get paid for the stuff you know! Get answers for the stuff you don’t. And get $10 to spend on the site! http://click.egroups.com/1/2200/0/_/519388/_/956711852/ ------------------------------------------------------------------------ You can find the SeaQuest slash fic archive at here at http://members.tripod.com/~Melrae/seaquest/seaquest.htm enjoy. :) X-eGroups-Return: sentto-70531-450-andy=kksonline.com@returns.onelist.com X-eGroups-Return: russia_girl@yahoo.com To: seaquestslash@egroups.com User-Agent: eGroups-EW/0.82 X-Mailer: eGroups Message Poster From: "JaimeBlue " Mailing-List: list seaquestslash@egroups.com; contact seaquestslash-owner@egroups.com Delivered-To: mailing list seaquestslash@egroups.com List-Unsubscribe: Date: Wed, 26 Apr 2000 23:09:34 -0000 Reply-To: seaquestslash@egroups.com Subject: [seaquestslash] FF: Please Forgive Me 4/? Sender: sentto-70531-450-andy=kksonline.com@returns.onelist.com The next part of the continuing saga... Disclaimers etc. in Part 1. ********************************************************************** Tim smiled as he remembered the look on Hudson's face when he resigned his position in the UEO. The only thing he regretted was having to say goodbye to Lucas, Lonnie, Tony, Jonathan and Dagwood. He knew he'd miss his friends, but he intended on keeping in touch with them. And of course he'd miss Darwin. He headed for the airport to catch his flight to Chile. He'd read about the exploits of a group of radical environmentalists who were battling the local governments of the country. Their tactics reminded Tim of his old life. No one was ever killed, which in itself separated the group from many radical groups of the day. Furthermore, some of the actions seemed to demand a certain amount of strength. He thought it couldn't hurt to check it out. Once he'd settled into a hotel, he set out to find the group. It didn't take him long to get information. The group had endeared themselves to the greater population, and it wasn't long before he'd rented a jeep and headed out for their camp. His driving was a little rusty, but that tended to happen when you spent your days in an oversized sardine can. He was met by a couple of armed guards who made certain he wasn't carrying any weapons, then they let him into the camp. It wasn't long before he heard a familiar voice. He looked to his right where a group of men and women were sitting and laughing. He saw the face he was looking for. The hair was shorter, and the man had allowed a bit of a beard to grow, but Tim would recognize the demigod any day. Tim just stood looking at the group. In a couple of minutes, his presence was finally noticed. The figure looked shocked momentarily when a look or recognition passed his face, then shook it away. The man walked over to Tim. "Is there anything we can do for you?" "I've been reading up on the activities of your group, and I decided I just had to meet the people behind it." "Well, I guess that would be me and my friends." "And you are?" Tim smirked slightly, knowing the answer would most likely be a lie. "Steve Smith." "Nice to meet you. The name's Tim O'Neill." As they shook hands, Tim leaned over to the man's ear and whispered in Ancient Greek. "It's been a long time Hercules." `Steve' looked shocked. No one had known his real identity. He'd been shocked when he'd first seen Tim, for he looked so much like a man he'd known over two millennia ago, but this couldn't be him. Joxer wasn't immortal. He was about to dismiss the man as a nutcase when he stopped himself. What was the man doing, whistling? Even after all these years, he'd recognize that song anywhere. "How?" "Ares." Hercules stared at him quizzically. "I'm guessing Xena and Gabrielle didn't tell you anything about what happened between us, did they." "They just said you'd left to find a new life." "Is there someplace we can talk?" Hercules led him off to his private tent where Tim proceeded to tell him the story of what had happened with Ares, Xena and Gabrielle. He only hoped Hercules' anger towards his half- brother had lessened over the centuries. When he'd finished, he waited for the demigod to react. "I've never loved my half-brother, you know that. And when they told me they'd gotten rid of him forever, I'll admit that I was overjoyed." Hercules paused. "However, what they did to you was unforgivable." The two men sat, contemplating each other. "You know, it is nice to see you again, Joxer. Iolaus and I were a little disappointed when you hadn't communicated with either of us, but now I know why. So tell me, what have you been doing since you left Greece?" They spent the rest of the day and the entire night talking of their respective adventures throughout immortality. By the end of it all, they each had a better understanding of each other. "Joxer, Tim, I've really enjoyed touching base with you, but I know there was a reason you came to see me. Talk to me." "You're right Hercules. With all that's happened in the last year, I've barely been able to keep hold of my sanity, but I've managed. Then, this professor I met several years ago showed up with this scroll. I wrote it shortly after leaving Greece, telling about what happened with Ares. No, he didn't know about me, he just wanted my help with the translation. My handwriting wasn't the best at the time," he couldn't help but smile. "Well, you see, most of my life I've been trying to get away from those memories, but that scroll just brought them all back. It's time for me to do something long overdue. I want to release Ares." Hercules worked hard to control his reaction. He wanted to scream, ask the man next to him what was going through his mind. But he knew this man had seen another side of the God of War. This man had loved Ares more than Hercules thought the God deserved. And if there was some chance that releasing the God would set this man's soul at ease, who was he to argue. "Is there any chance I could talk you out of this?" "About the same chance as a snowball in Tartarus." "Then, what's the plan?" Hercules was happy to see the smile that lit up his friend's face. It was almost as bright as the one he used to wear all the time when traveling with Xena and Gabrielle. "Well, I don't know the exact nature of the curse associated with the tomb, so I wanted to find out how to get to those who have that knowledge. We have to find out who has the Xena Scrolls now. The only thing I know is that Ares can only be released by one of Xena's descendants, so that's another person we're going to have to find." "The last people I know of who had the scrolls were Melinda Pappas and Janice Covington, so the scrolls will be tied with them. That shouldn't be too hard to search." "Herc, you remember those TV shows they had a few decades ago? The ones with you and Xena as main characters?" "How could I forget." "Well, I was thinking, the show they did on you was of course based on legends about you, which are well known, but Xena's adventures were not so publicized. Not even after the discovery of the scrolls did people hear of them. So, I think someone who had the scrolls pitched the idea of the show. Which means, either one of Pappas' or Covington's descendants worked for the show, which part of me doubts, or..." "The scrolls were split up, and someone else has some of them. That means we'd have to find all the individuals to make sure we can find a scroll with the right information." He looked over at Tim. "That's one big task we've got ahead of us." "Well, I know a way of making it a little easier. I need to make a call." * * * "Tim! How are you!" "Great Lucas. Has the captain found someone else to gripe at now that I'm gone?" "Nah, we all know no one can replace you." "Thanks, really," Tim replied sarcastically. "Anyway, I was hoping you could do me a favour using some of your `special skills'." Tim kept himself from chuckling when the boy's face lit up in a grin reminiscent of a shark's. "You name it, I can get it." "I need to get all the information related to the discovery of the Xena Scrolls in Macedonia in 1942. I need to know where the scrolls are now, who has them, and the whereabouts and profiles of the descendants of the discoverers of the scrolls." "Is that all? Don't worry. I'll call you when I've got it, okay?" "All right. I'll talk to you later Lucas." Signing off, he turned to Hercules. "This kid's the best I know. If he can't find the information, than it doesn't exist. Now we just have to wait for him to do his thing." ********************************************************************** TBC... ------------------------------------------------------------------------ You set the price on thousands of products. Computers, electronics, art, home appliances and more. Visit uBid today! http://click.egroups.com/1/3026/0/_/519388/_/956790585/ ------------------------------------------------------------------------ You can find the SeaQuest slash fic archive at here at http://members.tripod.com/~Melrae/seaquest/seaquest.htm enjoy. :) X-eGroups-Return: sentto-70531-451-andy=kksonline.com@returns.onelist.com X-eGroups-Return: russia_girl@yahoo.com To: seaquestslash@egroups.com User-Agent: eGroups-EW/0.82 X-Mailer: eGroups Message Poster From: "JaimeBlue " Mailing-List: list seaquestslash@egroups.com; contact seaquestslash-owner@egroups.com Delivered-To: mailing list seaquestslash@egroups.com List-Unsubscribe: Date: Wed, 26 Apr 2000 23:12:03 -0000 Reply-To: seaquestslash@egroups.com Subject: [seaquestslash] FF: Please Forgive Me 5/? Sender: sentto-70531-451-andy=kksonline.com@returns.onelist.com Disclaimers, etc. in Part 1. ********************************************************************** The two men sat waiting and talking in the tent until it started getting dark. Hercules had noticed that, after their all- nighter, Tim had not slept any. "Joxer, why don't you..." "Herc, can you please call me Tim?" "Sure. Anyway, I think it would be a good idea for you to get some rest. You look like you need it." "I'll be fine." Hercules just stood watching him. "Why don't you want to sleep?" Hercules asked gently. "Ever since I've gotten that scroll, all I can see is what happened in the cave. Every time I close my eyes, it happens all over again. I just can't take it anymore." Hercules placed a comforting hand on Tim's arm. "You really did love each other, didn't you?" "Yes, we did. I still miss him so much, but then you know what that's like. Do you still miss Iolaus?" "It's gotten easier over the years, but yes, I still miss him. At least he had a long life. I had no way of making him immortal after I killed Zeus, not that he'd accept it if I did offer." He looked over at Tim who now had tears falling from his deep brown eyes. He pulled the other man into his arms. "It's all right to miss him. Let it all out." He held onto the immortal until the man's sobs died out. Pulling away slightly, Hercules lifted a hand to wipe away the other man's tears. He removed Tim's glasses to look into the face he remembered from his past. He felt such a strong desire to protect the smaller man, to comfort him in his pain. Before he knew what he was doing, he'd lowered his head so their lips could meet. Many thoughts passed through Tim's mind. It had been a long time since he'd made love, or even kissed another human being. Being with Hercules was the first time in centuries that he'd let his guard down. He felt a moment of guilt, wondering if it was right to enjoy Hercules' embrace while thinking of his lover. He pushed his guilt aside and melted into the other man's arms. Hercules led them over to the cot which could barely hold two people. They quickly undressed, and went about exploring each others bodies. No words were spoken. The only sounds made were the sounds of their breathing, their hearts beating, and the sounds of their lovemaking. Each knew the other was thinking of someone else, but it didn't matter. They both needed this. When both men were sated, Hercules pulled Tim on top of him and held him in his arms. "Sleep, Tim. I'll be right here." Tim drifted off into a thankfully dreamless sleep. Both men awoke the next morning to the sound of the vidscreen announcing an incoming call. Tim got up and sat down by the screen so that only his upper body was visible. "Hi Lucas." "Hi Tim. Did I wake you up?" "Yes, but that's ok. Have you got something for me?" "That's for sure. Do you have some kind of data link there so that I can send you all I've found?" Tim looked over at Hercules, who had been listening in on the conversation. Herc nodded, then proceeded to tell Lucas where to send the information. "Oh, and Tim, there's something I think you'll find interesting. Melinda Pappas and Janice Covington weren't the only ones who found the scrolls. According to their accounts, they were joined by a man named Jack Kleinman. I included profiles and whereabouts of his descendants as well. What's really interesting is that all three were under the impression that they were descended from Xena and two of her sidekicks." "Oh," Tim was intrigued. "Which sidekicks were those?" "There was a woman named Gabrielle, and a man, what was his name again? Joxer! That was it. Gabrielle and Joxer." "So the three who found the scrolls were respectively descendants of Xena, Gabrielle, and Joxer," Hercules clarified. "You got it. Is there anything else you needed, Tim?" "No. Thanks Lucas, Good work. I'll talk to you soon, okay? Give my best to the crew." "Take care of yourself, Tim. We miss you already." Tim shut off the vidscreen and sat in mild shock. Hercules was the first to speak. "I didn't know you had any children?" "Funny, neither did I." ********************************************************************** TBC... ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Get paid for the stuff you know! Get answers for the stuff you don’t. And get $10 to spend on the site! http://click.egroups.com/1/2200/0/_/519388/_/956790730/ ------------------------------------------------------------------------ You can find the SeaQuest slash fic archive at here at http://members.tripod.com/~Melrae/seaquest/seaquest.htm enjoy. :) X-eGroups-Return: sentto-70531-452-andy=kksonline.com@returns.onelist.com X-eGroups-Return: russia_girl@yahoo.com To: seaquestslash@egroups.com User-Agent: eGroups-EW/0.82 X-Mailer: eGroups Message Poster From: "JaimeBlue " Mailing-List: list seaquestslash@egroups.com; contact seaquestslash-owner@egroups.com Delivered-To: mailing list seaquestslash@egroups.com List-Unsubscribe: Date: Wed, 26 Apr 2000 23:13:46 -0000 Reply-To: seaquestslash@egroups.com Subject: [seaquestslash] FF: Please Forgive Me 6/? Sender: sentto-70531-452-andy=kksonline.com@returns.onelist.com Disclaimers, etc. in Part 1. ********************************************************************** "The resemblance in uncanny. There's no question you're related." Hercules and Tim were reading through the information Lucas had sent them, which included a photograph of Jack Kleinman. "He may not be descended from me, though. It may have been Jett, or God forbid, Jayce." "I don't think so. Look at the extracts from the journals. Here, when Ares spoke to Kleinman, `I see you've kept your family's reputation for undiluted idiocy intact'. He's obviously talking about you, no offence." "I know what I was like back then and what people thought of me. Oh man. I had hoped he wouldn't be as upset after all these centuries. He hates me, I know it." "Hold on. After we release him, you can explain what happened. Who knows, maybe once he sees you in the flesh, he will be so happy to see you he'll forget to be angry." "Maybe," Tim replied, clearly not believing Hercules. "So...do you have any idea who the mother could be? I remember Xena telling me about a woman named Meg..." "No, not Meg. She couldn't have children. There are just too many possibilities to narrow them down." Hercules looked skeptical at the thought, so Tim thought he should explain further. "You see, when my father sent me away from home, I had no skills, no money, no way to make a living. All I had was this dream of becoming a warrior. I'd almost starved to death within a month. I was half- dead when Meg found me. You see, Meg, she was the head of a...house of...ill-repute. I was shocked at first when she and her girls took me in and brought me back to health. When I was well again, they invited me to stay with them. I agreed, knowing I could barely survive on the outside on my own. I did not wish to be a burden to them, so I tried many different jobs, trying to contribute, but I failed at all I did. After my failures I began to get depressed, and all the girls insisted on trying to cheer me up in their time off. That's when they discovered my...many skills...and suggested that I work with them. I was unsure at first, but eventually I did." "So...you worked as a...a..." "You can say it, a prostitute. Once word spread that I was working there, we had many more clients, both male and female. So you see, there is no way to narrow it down." He looked down at his hands in embarrassment. He'd never even told Xena and Gabrielle about his past. He was worried Hercules would no longer wish to help him. "Tim, we all have things in our past we aren't proud of. I can understand why you did what you did." Hercules placed a hand on Tim's shoulder, and was happy to see the relieved look on the man's face. "Now let's see what we have so far." Both men gathered the notes they'd been taking from their readings of their assigned reports. Hercules spoke first. "Well, the Pappas and Covington descendants have remained close over the years and the grandchildren had raised enough money to establish an institute in Paris to study the scrolls and their historical implications. The institute still exists, therefore the scrolls should be there, as well as a Xena descendant. Presently a Kristina Pappas is the chief researcher, so we should ask for her help. What did you find?" "Jack Kleinman hired a linguist to translate some ancient Greek writings in 1946. After that, there is no trace of the scrolls themselves. However, Lucas was able to trace large sums of money deposited in the bank account of one Jacob Kleinman, Jack's grandson. The source was Renaissance Pictures, the company that made the TV show about Xena. So I think it's safe to assume the Kleinmans have some of the scrolls. Jacob has one daughter, Janine, who currently resides in Los Angeles. About a year ago, Jacob passed away, leaving her all his belongings." "So now we know where the scrolls are, more or less. I say we split up. You go to Paris..." "No, Herc. You go to Paris. I can't think of the city without thinking of guillotines." "All right. And anyway, now you'll get the chance to meet your descendant." Hercules began packing his belongings for his trip. He passed something over to Tim. "Here, so we can keep in touch." Tim looked at the old fashioned cellular phone and smiled. They made sure each had the other's phone number and Hercules left to say goodbye to his companions. Tim drove them in town, stopping by his hotel to get his bags and check out. They took a plane to Los Angeles, where Hercules would have take another plane to New York and yet another from there to Paris. They said their goodbyes, and before they left, Tim spoke up uncertainly. "Umm, Herc, about the other night..." "I won't tell anyone if you don't." "Thanks." "Good luck." "You too." The two men went their separate ways, each concentrating on what they would have to do, and how they were going to accomplish it. ********************************************************************** TBC... ------------------------------------------------------------------------ You set the price on thousands of products. Computers, electronics, art, home appliances and more. Visit uBid today! http://click.egroups.com/1/3026/0/_/519388/_/956790835/ ------------------------------------------------------------------------ You can find the SeaQuest slash fic archive at here at http://members.tripod.com/~Melrae/seaquest/seaquest.htm enjoy. :) X-eGroups-Return: sentto-70531-453-andy=kksonline.com@returns.onelist.com X-eGroups-Return: russia_girl@yahoo.com To: seaquestslash@egroups.com User-Agent: eGroups-EW/0.82 X-Mailer: eGroups Message Poster From: "JaimeBlue " Mailing-List: list seaquestslash@egroups.com; contact seaquestslash-owner@egroups.com Delivered-To: mailing list seaquestslash@egroups.com List-Unsubscribe: Date: Wed, 26 Apr 2000 23:15:30 -0000 Reply-To: seaquestslash@egroups.com Subject: [seaquestslash] FF: Please Forgive Me 7/? Sender: sentto-70531-453-andy=kksonline.com@returns.onelist.com Disclaimers, yadda, yadda, yadda. ********************************************************************** Hercules could pick out the various scents of pastries and breads baking along the French street as he headed for ISXS (Institute for the Study of the Xena Scrolls). Every whisper of steam that wafted his way tempted him away from his mission by seducing his stomach with the promise of true fulfilment. However, he remained the hero, resisting the temptation and ignoring his traitorous stomach. When he reached the building, he couldn't help admiring its appearance. It was a pleasant combination of ancient and contemporary designs that blended well in the ancient city. Hercules entered the doors and, walking to the reception desk, asked the petite secretary if he could possibly speak to Kristina Pappas in his best French. "Just une minute, Monsieur." She picked up the phone receiver and dialed a number. After finishing her conversation she continued. "Elle viendra vous rejoindre dans quelques minutes. Attendez ici s'il vous plait." (Translation: Wait a minute, Sir...She will be with you in a few minutes. Wait here please.) Hercules sat a moment and waited, though he didn't have to wait long. Within a couple of minutes, the door to the left of the desk opened, letting in a woman who looked amazingly like a younger version of the woman he had once cared for so much. She had the same raven hair and deep blue eyes. "Kristina Pappas, I presume?" "That's me. And you are?" "My name is Steve Smith. I'm a very old friend of your family. I was wondering if I could trouble you with the latest findings about the Xena Scrolls?" "Lucky for you, we're having quite a slow day. Come. I'll give you the grand tour. Bur first, tell me how you know my family." She began leading him down a hallway into the institute. Hercules paused a moment, trying to come up with the right words. He didn't want to lie to the young woman, but he knew she wouldn't believe the truth. "Well, all I can really say is that our families have been tied for many generations: mine, yours, as well as the Covingtons and the Kleinmans." "Don't mention that name around here!" "What name?" "Kleinman. Those weasels! Not only do they have to take off with half the scrolls, but instead of using them for scientific and historical research, they sell out and use them in the Entertainment industry! They are an embarrassment to all my and Harold's families stand for, and we refuse to dignify them by speaking their name!" "Harold?" "Harold Covington. He and I share management of the institute. I remain here to study the findings, and he does the field work, looking for evidence. We're a great team, and his wife is one of my best friends." As Kristina led Hercules around the institute, she told him of all the research she and her predecessors had done and all their findings. Once they'd been through the whole institute, they stopped in the cafeteria for a coffee. "So, Mr. Smith, what is it about the scrolls that interests you most?" "Well, I was hoping to ask you about that. I'm most interested in learning all I can about the tomb of Ares and the supposed curse that is attached to it." "Unfortunately, I know about as much as you do. What little I know has been passed on by my and Harold's parents. We couldn't find anything about it in our scrolls, so we presume, if it's in the scrolls at all, the others must have it." Hercules thought it was time to go off on another tangent. "Do you enjoy remaining at the institute, or do you ever wish you were off with Harold, in the field?" "Both. I do enjoy my work here. I love what I do. However, I do yearn for at least a little adventure to spice up my life." "Well, a friend and I were planning a trip to the Greek province of Macedonia, which is one of the reasons I wished to speak to you. We want to take a look at the tomb ourselves. We would be more than pleased if you would join us." "I should say no, you know. I just met you, and for all I know you could be the reincarnation of Jack the Ripper out to finish what he started. But for some crazy reason, I trust you. I don't know why, but I do. All right. When do we leave?" "My friend has some business to accomplish in Los Angeles before we go. I'll contact him later to let him know I'm ready to go when he is. The rest depends on him." For a moment, the two just sat, studying the other. Hercules had to break the silence. "So, what do French people do for fun around here?" ********************************************************************** TBC... ------------------------------------------------------------------------ You set the price on thousands of products. Computers, electronics, art, home appliances and more. Visit uBid today! http://click.egroups.com/1/3026/0/_/519388/_/956790939/ ------------------------------------------------------------------------ You can find the SeaQuest slash fic archive at here at http://members.tripod.com/~Melrae/seaquest/seaquest.htm enjoy. :) X-eGroups-Return: sentto-70531-454-andy=kksonline.com@returns.onelist.com X-eGroups-Return: russia_girl@yahoo.com To: seaquestslash@egroups.com User-Agent: eGroups-EW/0.82 X-Mailer: eGroups Message Poster From: "JaimeBlue " Mailing-List: list seaquestslash@egroups.com; contact seaquestslash-owner@egroups.com Delivered-To: mailing list seaquestslash@egroups.com List-Unsubscribe: Date: Wed, 26 Apr 2000 23:17:25 -0000 Reply-To: seaquestslash@egroups.com Subject: [seaquestslash] FF: Please Forgive Me 8/? Sender: sentto-70531-454-andy=kksonline.com@returns.onelist.com Disc. yadda yadda yadda. ********************************************************************** Tim was sitting alone in the hotel room he'd checked into after leaving the airport. He was reading over for the tenth time the profile on Janine Kleinman. He still had no idea what he was going to do. He couldn't just knock on her door and say, "Hello, I'm your ancestor 2000 years removed!" Looking at the young woman's picture, Tim thought she must take after her mother. Although she had the same dark hair as the Kleinmans, her grey-blue eyes stood out. Her figure wasn't lean, but round and muscular. She was neither fat, nor thin. Tim though she looked nothing like him, at least until he looked at the whole face. Her expression was kind, her grin a little goofy, and her eyes held an expression of both pain and compassion. No matter how much he studied the picture and the profile, he remained nervous and unsure as to what he should do. He ate dinner in the hotel's restaurant, where he decided he should spend the night relaxing. Some R&R would help clear his mind and help him think better. On his way back to his room, he picked up a local entertainment index and looked for any goings-on that interested him. He spotted a listing for a bar not too far from the hotel, "Ivan's", that featured local acts. He thought he'd give it a try. Tim waited until after 9 to shower and change, then he headed to "Ivan's". He sat down and ordered a rum and coke, then turned to enjoy the music. There was an older gentleman playing a guitar who Tim presumed had no sense of rhythm. Seeing his grimace, the bartender tapped him on the shoulder. "Don't worry, man. Dave there's just opening up. Tonight's Jezebel's night, and the place will be crowded before long." "Jezebel?" "Yeah. She's great. Oh, and don't worry, it's just a stage name." "I'd hope so." Tim returned to his view of the stage, and noticed that people were starting to file into the many seats. Thankfully, `Dave' finished his last song and took his leave of the stage. Another man, a roadie Tim presumed, came on stage and began setting up three guitar stands. On one he placed a regular acoustic guitar. On the second, he placed a lute similar to the kind Tim had played in Greece. Finally, the man placed on the third an instrument Tim hadn't seen in centuries, but would recognize anywhere — a Russian balalaika. A few moments after the man disappeared backstage, the lights dimmed slightly. The crowd quieted immediately when a woman wearing an ankle-length blue dress and a black fedora walked onto the stage and sat on the stool that awaited her. She took the acoustic into her hands, and looked up at the crowd. Only her lips were visible, the rest of her face hidden by the fedora. "How is everyone tonight?" A few hoots and whistles answered her. "I'm glad you're all in a good mood. I hope you don't mind, but I think I'll start with my favourite song. So ladies and gentlemen, let's celebrate Just Tonight. From the moment I first saw you Smiling by the door Well I knew I had to know you Like no one had before And now I know this sweet surrender When you body's next to mine So let's stay here in this moment Until the end of time Just tonight.... Just give me tonight It's all I'll ever ask for It's all I'll ever need Please give me this one memory To cherish all my life Just tonight..." Tim sat spellbound throughout the entire performance. The woman's voice was entrancing. She'd use each instrument to create the perfect atmosphere for different songs. Tim couldn't help but shed a tear as she mournfully played the balalaika while singing about a man named Pavel who died tragically. Her heart and soul went into every note she played and sang, and Tim was more than impressed. When she finished her first set, she descended from the stage and headed for the bar. Tim found himself moving over to where she stood, waiting for a glass of Coke. "Excuse me, I'm sorry to bother you, but I just felt I had to come over and say how much I admired your performance. A talent like yours is rare indeed." The woman just stared at him, open-mouthed. If Tim didn't know better, he'd have sworn she looked like she'd just seen a ghost. "Miss, is everything all right?" "Umm, yes. I'm sorry. Thank you. It's just...you look so much like my father." She shook her head and removed the fedora to run her hand through her hair. Then it was Tim's turn to stare open- mouthed. `Jezebel' was Janine Kleinman. "Janine?" "You know my name? You must be related to my Dad." Tim nodded. "It's kind of a...distant relation. I'm sorry. My name's Tim O'Neill." She smiled at him, her eyes glowing with unshed tears. "It's so nice to meet you. I don't think Dad ever spoke about you, but then again he wasn't one to talk much about the family, and with him and Mom gone, I didn't really have anyone to ask." Tim smiled back. He realized how lonely she must be with no family left. He empathized with her, knowing what it was like to be alone. "Well, I don't know that much about the family myself, at least not the recent family. You see," he lied, "I was an orphan. I was left on the front step of an orphanage with nothing but a blanket and a letter. The letter said that my lineage went back to Ancient Greece, and the answers to my past would be found by finding out about a man named Joxer and his relation to the Xena Scrolls. Weird, eh?" Janine's smile actually grew brighter. "That's not as weird as you might think." "Yeah, that's why I came down here to L.A. I remember reading about how a Kleinman was involved with the discovery of the scrolls, and I came here to find someone in the family who could maybe help." "Well, then luck is your guide tonight. My great-grandfather Jack helped find the scrolls, and they've been passed down to me. I've always wondered what they were all about, but lately I've just been concentrating on my music. It gets me out of the house, with people, instead of holed up all by myself." "I know what you mean. How would you like us to work together on this? I've got a friend who's interested in the scrolls because of the mention of the tomb of Ares and some sort of curse. He's setting up a trip to go to Greece and find the tomb itself. After we do some work, how would you like to join us?" "Me, go to Greece? You bet I'd be interested! I've always wanted to see the world, especially Greece. I can even speak a little Greek. I learnt from some idiot ex-boyfriend who...but that's another story. Why don't you come over to my place for lunch tomorrow, and we can get to work?" Tim agreed and Janine wrote her address on a piece of paper. It was only a couple of blocks away from "Ivan's" and he knew he could walk there from the hotel. The break being over, Janine put her fedora back on her head and headed for the stage. She climbed up and, as she was walking towards her stool, one of her feet caught on the microphone cord, knocking it over. It took her several tries to right the equipment, but when she did she grinned sheepishly at the audience. Tim heard a voice chuckle behind him. "That Jezebel, she can't go a single night without tripping over something at least once." Tim couldn't help but smile, his doubts about his relation to Janine evaporating by the minute. ********************************************************************** TBC... ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Get paid for the stuff you know! Get answers for the stuff you don’t. And get $10 to spend on the site! http://click.egroups.com/1/2200/0/_/519388/_/956791052/ ------------------------------------------------------------------------ You can find the SeaQuest slash fic archive at here at http://members.tripod.com/~Melrae/seaquest/seaquest.htm enjoy. :) X-eGroups-Return: sentto-70531-455-andy=kksonline.com@returns.onelist.com X-eGroups-Return: russia_girl@yahoo.com To: seaquestslash@egroups.com User-Agent: eGroups-EW/0.82 X-Mailer: eGroups Message Poster From: "JaimeBlue " Mailing-List: list seaquestslash@egroups.com; contact seaquestslash-owner@egroups.com Delivered-To: mailing list seaquestslash@egroups.com List-Unsubscribe: Date: Wed, 26 Apr 2000 23:19:42 -0000 Reply-To: seaquestslash@egroups.com Subject: [seaquestslash] FF: Please Forgive Me 9/? Sender: sentto-70531-455-andy=kksonline.com@returns.onelist.com Disc yadda yadda yadda. ********************************************************************** Tim sat at a table in Janine's L.A. apartment eating a tomato sandwich and drinking Russian tea as a jeans-clad Janine dug through a closet. "I could have sworn I'd put them in here. As Dad always reminded me, you put something important where you think you'll remember it, and then you...hey! Here's the shoes I was looking for last weekend!" Janine turned triumphantly with a pair of red high heels. "These are going in my bedroom. Maybe I'll put them under my bed so I can find them better next time...Under my bed!" She ran to her bedroom and within moments Tim heard her cheer. She came out with a small trunk covered with dust. After wetting a cloth in the kitchen sink, she wiped off the trunk, then lay it on the table to open it. "I told you I'd find it." She began pulling out scrolls and laying them on the table. "Each scroll has rolled up with it the English translation that Great-grandfather had done. I've also got here Great-grandfather's journal. It's got entries about his adventures finding the scroll." They spent most of the afternoon going over the scrolls. It was a painful experience for Tim. These were the stories Gabrielle had written, and she had not written about him in the best light. Finally, he found the scroll he was looking for, though he almost wished he hadn't. #It was yet another beautiful day, clouded by the great Warrior Princess's anger at having been betrayed by one of her closest friends. How could Joxer have taken up with Ares, her greatest enemy, she wondered. She and her sidekick were headed for Amazon territory to visit and rest a while. As they crossed the boundary, they were stopped by a bright flash of light. There, standing before them, was Artemis, Goddess of the Hunt and of the Amazons. "Xena, I can feel your anger all the way from Olympus. Ares, I presume?" "Who else?" "What would you say if I told you of a way to take care of Ares?" "What are you talking about?" "Zeus, being the God he is, knew that Ares would have much power as the God of War, and he took precautions to control him should he overly abuse that power to take over Olympus. He had Hephaestus make a great eye that, when turned upon Ares, would entomb him, leaving him powerless and imprisoned until he is released. It was designed so that only the one who uses they eye, or that person's descendant, could release Ares from his prison." "And how would I do that, if I wanted to that is?" "It was originally designed to be used by a God, so you will not be able to release him. However, if you wish, I could enchant your chakram so that when it hits the eye, Ares can be released." "All right. Tell me where the eye is?" "It's in a cave. All is ready there. There's even a coffin for him to rest in. All you have to do is figure out how to get him there." "That won't be a problem." Then, Artemis went about enchanting the Warrior Princess' chakram and gave her directions to the cave. While on their way, Gabrielle could not help but ask a question of her friend. "Xena, how were you thinking of luring Ares to the cave?" "Gabrielle, don't you think it's time we made our peace with Joxer and Ares?" The look in Xena's eyes told Gabrielle all she needed to know. She nodded her understanding and smiled, her mind already working on a plan...# Tim couldn't bring himself to continue. He stood up and went to the bathroom before the tears in his eyes could fall. Still at the table, Janine decided to let Tim be alone as long as he needed. Obviously, he'd been upset by something he'd read. She could sympathize. She was finishing up a scroll that told of how the two heroines discovered their friend, her ancestor Joxer, to be the lover of the God of War. Janine could not believe that they had just abandoned him like they did. She understood their hatred of Ares, but she'd have thought their love of Joxer would have been stronger. She reached over for the scroll Tim had been reading to see what had upset him. She, however, read the entire scroll to the very end, where Joxer ran from the cave, never to be seen again. A tear slipped from her eye as she imagined how it must have felt to have been betrayed by one's closest friends. No wonder Tim was so upset. She could tell that he, like herself, was a sensitive soul. And of course, they both felt such an affinity towards Joxer, knowing he was their ancestor. It had been almost half an hour and Janine began to worry. She got up and knocked on the bathroom door. "Tim, are you alright?" The door opened and a red-eyed Tim came out. "Yes. I'm sorry, it's just that..." "It's okay. I read the scroll. I cried a little myself. Joxer didn't deserve what happened to him." Tim reached out and pulled Janine into his arms. As they comforted each other, Tim realized he could trust this young woman. He decided to try and tell her the truth. He moved her over to sit on the couch. "Janine, after all that we've been reading, do you believe it all?" "Of course I do." "Even all the stuff about Gods and immortality?" "Certainly. There's so much in this world we don't know about and will never figure out, so all of it is possible, at least in my point of view." "Well, that makes what I'm about to say so much easier. Okay, so if you believe in all that, wouldn't it be possible that, as Ares lover, Joxer might have been granted immortality?" "Wow, I'd never thought of that. That would be the case wouldn't it. What if he were still alive today? I could meet my very own ancestor! That would be so cool!" "Janine?" "Yeah?" "You already have." She just stared at him. "Huh?" "I'm Joxer. Or at least I was. I've changed names so often...Janine?" "Whoa," she laid back onto the couch. "Just give me a moment to absorb all this, `kay?" "All right." Tim just sat there, waiting for some sign from Janine. "So, Joxer, Tim," she finally spoke. "I'm betting it's you who wants to find the cave and I bet you want to release Ares, right?" "So far, yes." "Well, I don't know if it's that I've read one too many Harlequins, but I've always been a sucker for true love. Let's go. I'll help you any way I can. After all, we ARE family, right?" She grinned at him. "Right," he said grinning back. He reached out and hugged her. "Just one question." "Shoot." "What do I call you — gramps?" She began giggling uncontrollably when he swatted her head. ********************************************************************** "Wow, that da Vinci was some painter!" "I'm glad you liked it. The Mona Lisa's always been one of my favourites." Kristina and Hercules had just returned from the Louvre and she was about to fix dinner when she saw the blinking light of her answering machine. She walked over and pressed the button, listening for the message. #Hi Kristina? It's Harold. Call me right away. I've got to tell you about what I just found. You wouldn't believe it. Just call me on my cell as soon as you get this message, ok? Bye!# "You don't mind if I make a call before fixing dinner, do you Steve?" "No go ahead." She picked up the phone and dialed the number. Harold answered after the first ring. "Hi, Harold? It's Kristina. What have you found out there?" "You won't believe this! I've found their tomb." "Who's tomb?" "Xena and Gabrielle! I've found where their bodies were laid to rest." "No! Oh my God. That is so amazing." "It gets better. I found a leather case with each coffin, and inside each case is a scroll. I'm going to need you to translate for me. I'm an archaeologist, not a linguist." "Well, I've got good news for you. I've met someone who's looking for the tomb of Ares and has invited me to come along with him. We should be down there soon enough, so you won't have to worry about sending the scrolls up to me. I'll translate when I get there." "That's wonderful. It'll be nice to see you again." "Same here. I'll call you again when we're ready to head off." "Okay. Bye till then." "Bye." She turned around and saw `Steve' talking to someone on his own cell phone. After he hung up, he turned to her. "Guess what? My friend's done his part and he should be here soon. He'll call me from the airport. Now, all we have to do is wait, and relax." ********************************************************************** TBC... ------------------------------------------------------------------------ You have a voice mail message waiting for you at iHello.com: http://click.egroups.com/1/3555/0/_/519388/_/956791193/ ------------------------------------------------------------------------ You can find the SeaQuest slash fic archive at here at http://members.tripod.com/~Melrae/seaquest/seaquest.htm enjoy. :)