"What?" he screeched.

"Joxer!" screamed Gabrielle. Xena turned to her right.

"Gabrielle..." A man jumped out from behind a tree and struck Xena. She fell on her back. She quickly regained her balance and stood up.

"ALALALALALALALALA" She flipped over five of the men and kicked off a tree. She landed behind them and grabbed her sword.

One of the men tried to strike her with his sword in the arm. She avoided it and struck his arm then kicked him in the stomach. The next four men ganged up on her, all jumping on her and punching her.

Gabrielle held on to her staff hitting the man that was attacking her. She tried to see what was happening to Xena, but the with the men and the dust, all she could do was watch as she avoided her own death. Xena leaped above them, she held her trusty sword and smiled.

"C'mon." she said. Three of the men came to her. She looked at them, then in a matter of two minutes sent two of them running. There was one man left, the rest took off screaming, "She's too much for us!" Xena kicked the man in front of her. He fell to his knees and she put her famous pinch on him.

"I just cut off the flow of blood to your brain. You have 30 seconds before you go through a very painful death. Now tell me why you're here." The man sat there, not saying a word.

"10 seconds left before you die." The strange man sat there. Then he held up his hands and punched his throat. Xena glared at him. He smiled, "My leader taught us all that one."

"Who's your leader?"

"I can't say, but I can tell you why I'm here. We were sent to kill your friend." Xena turned to her left, seeing Gabrielle standing beside her.

"Looks like you failed." she said smiling.

"I wouldn't say that." The man said this as he pointed ahead of him. Xena turned, and there on the ground laid Joxer.

Xena clutched her sword as Gabrielle ran over to Joxer. Xena then pierced the unknown man's heart. She ran to Joxer, who was still.

"No." she cried as she pounded on his chest. Gabrielle looked at Xena through tear-filled eyes.

"I should've helped him."

"No it's not your fault." Xena looked around her, knowing there was nothing she could do to save her friend.

"Gabrielle, go get me some water from the lake through those trees." Gabrielle took off.

"NOOOOOO!" screamed Xena as she held her lost friend's hand. There was nothing she could do.

Gabrielle came rushing back, stumbling over the rocks and branches in her way. Xena lifted her head.

"Gabrielle, stay here with him."

"Xena, where are you going?"

"I'm going to bring Joxer back." Xena layed down and pinched her neck. She allowed her spirit to come loose of her body. Her spirit then dove into the lake, and swam towards the opening of the underworld. Gabrielle studied Joxer's face and cursed the men who did this.

"Joxer, I want you to know that I love you. You were a great friend and I'll always remember you. I've always wondered if it's true about the dead hearing your thoughts. I hope, no I want it to be true. I do love you, I've always had. Never forget that."

Xena came to a surface, and looked around her. She smiled at the man who was sitting on a boat. The boat that brought the dead to the other side.

"I'm back!" she said as she leaped on the boat. He rolled his eyes at the thought of that and laughed.

"What happened now?" he said.

"Just take me to the other side. Be ready to row that boat fast!" They reached the other side and Xena jumped off. She was now at the Eylsian fields and there in the distance stood Joxer. Joxer ran towards Xena.

"Oh Xena I knew you'd come." Xena smiled as she felt her friend's arms around her.

"Joxer, we have to move fast, your body still has time to become alive again." Joxer smiled. Xena grabbed his hands, "Come on, let's get out of here!"

Gabrielle held her staff as three stange men approached her.

"We could get good money off of that body missy." "Well you have to go through me first." said Gabrielle as she tucked her hair behind her ears with her left hand.

"I'll take you on." said one of the men as he stepped forward.

"Fine." said Gabrielle. As the man came forward she wished Xena would come here soon.

Xena and Joxer ran towards the boat. They jumped on the boat.

"Hurry up." said Xena. Then she sensed something.

"Gabrielle's in trouble." she muttered under her breath. Joxer looked at Xena. Then he jolted backwards.

"Your body's running out of time." Xena held her breath for a moment and wondered if Joxer was going to make it. When they reached the other side, they jumped off. Xena turned around and smiled at the man in the boat. Then she turned back and gently pushed Joxer to move along. Xena and Joxer held their breaths as they swam to the surface. When they came out of the water, Xena flew into her body. Her spirit and body became one again. She sat up, undid her pinch and looked at Joxer. She could see that his spirit was starting to fade away. They then starting running in the direction of Gabrielle. Gabrielle was too busy to notice Xena coming, that is until Xena started to fight. Gabrielle was too busy swinging her staff and avoiding death. Xena smiled at the thought of having her friend back into her life. When the fighting was over Xena turned to Joxer who was standing up and brushing himself off. Xena looked at him and knew that she would never let something like that happen to him again. They all hugged each other and started to cry. Gabrielle turned to Joxer and said, "So did you hear me talking to you?"

"Well I heard some, but mostly I was focusing on all the girls around me down there." Joxer really knew though, exactly what Gabrielle had said. That's all he thought about there, the fact that Gabrielle really cared about him. Xena knew what both of them were thinking about. She wanted to enlighten everyone, so she said, "I don't know about you, but all that spirit stuff made me hungry. Can we eat now?" They all hugged once more and studied each other's feelings for that moment. Gabrielle sighed.

"Thank the gods for Xena!"