Disclaimer: This is what happens after the series finales of Xena and HTLJ. Gabrielle and Iolaus have been given their own show. It's called After the Heroes Are Gone: Life of the Sidekicks. My best friend Kate and I are going to write it. We think that Gabrielle and Iolaus should be given their own show. This is the first episode, which is called A Year After. So let's get on with it! And Xena and HTLJ are not mine, or my friend's. PS. I have been watching both shows for a long time, so be on the lookout for frequent guest stars...

A Year After

By Julia

Chapter One:

A sunny morning erupted in Potedia. Gabrielle, the traveling bard, was from this town, and she was visiting her parents and sister. She was a year past her best friend's death, and she was getting used to living without her. Her hair had grown out, and fell an inch past her shoulder-blades. It was back to where it had been before Alti had cut it. She was still wearing her red top and red skirt. She had been wandering around since Xena died, and wasn't sure what to do with herself. But then, Iolaus, Hercules' friend, had sent her a letter. He wanted to travel with her, and they'd do some good. Hercules had married that Druid, Morgan. She had gotten someone to take her place, and then she and Hercules had gone to teach at Cheiron's Academy, which Jason was now running. And Iolaus still wanted to travel around, doing good and helping others. He knew that Gabrielle must be having a rough time, and he thought it would be good for her to travel with him. She agreed, so she was leaving today to get to the academy. It wasn't far, she'd be able to get there by nightfall, if not sooner. Probably sooner, since she had her horse, Little Xena.

She got up and brushed out her long hair, and slipped a headband into it. She got dressed and went into the kitchen. ''Well, at least it's a beautiful morning.'' Gabrielle said to herself as she got herself some water and an apple.

Her mother joined her. ''Hello, are you leaving this morning, dear?'' She asked.

Gabrielle replied, ''Yes, Mother. I have to get to the academy. Iolaus and I are going to travel around together.''

Her mother said, ''Honey, you're twenty-five years old. Don't you think that you should settle down? You could marry Iolaus, you can have a couple of kids...''

Gabrielle rolled her eyes. ''Mother, after six years of traveling with Xena, I like the life, and I think I'm too young to settle down, and besides, I don't feel that way about Iolaus anymore.''

Her mother just shook her head. ''You will.'' She said, beginning to make some breakfast for Gabrielle's sister and her father.

Gabrielle said, ''Mother, tell Lila and Father that I said good-bye, I can't wait for them to get up.'' She kissed her mother good-bye and went to her room, to get the bag she'd packed, and then went out to the barn. She put the bag on Little Xena, and then slipped a saddle and bridle on her. Then she hoisted herself onto the horse and settled in for the ride. Then she rode out of the stables and headed out onto the road.

Late that afternoon, she was just reaching the academy, where Iolaus had asked her to meet him. She rode inside, and then climbed off her horse. She asked the nearest boy, ''Where are the teachers?'' She knew one of them would be able to tell her where she could find Iolaus and Hercules.

The boy replied, ''Oh, they're inside.''

Gabrielle took her horse to the stables and put her in a stall. She wouldn't let anyone else take care of Little Xena but herself. She didn't want to trust anyone else to take care of her horse. She went inside the main building, and walked into the exercise room. She saw Hercules, Morgan, and Iolaus all standing with Jason across the room, watching the kids.

Iolaus spotted her and ran to greet her. He threw his arms around her. ''How are you? You look fantastic!'' He said, as they walked over to join the others.

Gabrielle said, ''Thanks, Iolaus, you look good, too.'' They reached the others, and she gave Hercules a hug. ''Hi, Herc.'' She looked to Morgan. ''Congratulations, Morgan. Herc's a great guy.'' She said.

Morgan shook Gabrielle's hand. ''Yes, I know. It's very nice to meet you. I've heard wonderful things.''

Gabrielle leaned on her new staff. ''I'm glad you've heard good things.'' She said hello to Jason and then turned back to Iolaus. ''Are we going to head out tomorrow morning?'' She asked, inside herself knowing that he'd want her to stay a few days.

Iolaus said, ''Why don't you stay a couple of days? There's still some things that I have to get ready anyway.'' He said to her. He was waiting for Joxer to get there...

Gabrielle held back a sigh and plastered on a big smile. ''OK. That's fine.'' She said.

Iolaus said, ''And I've asked someone else to join us for when we head out. He'll be here tomorrow. At least, that's when he told me he'd be here.'' He had an extra smile. ''I think you'll be very surprised.''

Gabrielle said, ''Is there a room I can stay in? And Iolaus, can I talk to you? Alone?'' She asked.

Hercules said, ''Gabrielle, is there anything I can put away for you?''

Gabrielle said, ''My horse, Little Xena, is in the stables. I have two bags that are on her, and she needs to be unsaddled and unbridled. I trust you to do it correctly. If you call out her name, she'll come to you.'' She knew that Hercules would do a good job. She thought it was alright.

Hercules nodded and gave her a kiss on the cheek before leaving. Then Gabrielle and Iolaus walked into the hall so they could speak alone. ''Is there something wrong, Gabrielle?'' Iolaus asked, his curly hair, reaching his shoulders, messed up.

Gabrielle leaned her staff against the wall. ''Iolaus, I've had a hard year, and although I've lost a part of me that I'll never get back, I think I'm finally back to normal. And part of it is that I'll get to be able to do some good again. I'm very grateful that you're going to be traveling with me.''

Iolaus smiled at her. ''I'm very glad that we're going to be able to do this together. We've both been sidekicks, now maybe we can be heroes.''

Gabrielle grinned, truly happy for the first time in at least a year. ''Yeah, maybe we can.'' The two shared a nice private moment. She started to wonder why she had lost her feelings for him... 'No, Gabby, stop!' She told herself silently.

The two were interrupted by a loud yelling. ''Gabrielle! Iolaus! Where are you?'' A voice that sounded remarkably like their friend Autolycus called.

Iolaus called, ''In here, Auto!''

Autolycus joined them in the hall. Behind him was the long supposedly dead Joxer. ''Hey, Gabby.'' Autolycus said, smiling. He added, ''I know we're here early, Io, but we couldn't help it.''

Iolaus just grinned. ''That's OK, Auto.''

Joxer smiled at Gabrielle and gave her a hug. ''Right before Hades was killed, he released some true heroes from the Elysian Fields so that he might be spared. He released Ephiny, too.'' He told Gabrielle.

Gabrielle couldn't believe it. ''How is that possible?'' She cried, but hugged Joxer again. And then she said, ''So Ephiny is alive, too? Is she alright? We burned her body, how could she be alive?''

Joxer shrugged. ''Hades was a God, Gabrielle. He had the powers to do such things.''

Iolaus said, ''Well, isn't this a surprise, Joxer. I didn't know you were bringing Auto.''

Joxer replied, ''I ran into him on the way. Autolycus wanted to see Gabrielle. He hadn't seen her since Xena's, well, you know, and he wanted to know if she was alright.''

Gabrielle said, ''So, are you guys going to be here long? Iolaus and I are staying for a couple of days while he ties up some loose ends. If you stay, we can visit.''

Auto said, ''Iolaus didn't tell you? We're going to go with you for a little while.''

Gabrielle cried, ''Great! That's really great, I've missed you both so much!'' She flung her arms around the two of them again, hardly able to contain herself. She felt so much better! Better than she had since Xena's untimely, but necessary death.

The four of them walked into the exercise room, so they could say hello to Hercules. After everyone had reaquainted, they all went to get some supper. It took about a hour and a half to eat, because Iolaus had to eat as much as his stomache could hold. Everywhere they went, he had to stuff himself to bursting. It was how he'd always been. Then he showed Gabrielle to her room.

''Thank you, Iolaus. I can't thank you enough for helping me live again. Learning to has been hard.'' Gabrielle said, standing by the door before she went in.

''It's no problem, Gabrielle. You know that Hercules and I have always loved you and Xena very much. I wanted to help you before, but I know that it can be hard. I would have felt the same way had I lost Herc.'' He replied.

''I'm just glad that I have friends that care for me, and I'm sure that Xena is very glad you guys are helping take care of me.'' Gabrielle said, and she knew she had better get inside, before she kissed him. She had the overwhelming desire to as it was.

''Well, unless you need me for anything more, I'm going to get to sleep. We're leaving pretty early tomorrow. And Gabrielle, I'm glad you came.'' Iolaus leaned closer and held her chin in his hands. Before he knew it, he was kissing her. She didn't pull away, so he kept doing it.

After they were breathless, they had to pull away. Gabrielle said, ''I have been dying to do that since I got here.''

Iolaus confessed, ''Me, too! The minute I saw you walking across that exercise room, your gorgeous blonde hair long again, your gorgeous green eyes sparkling, and that red skirt and top, I wanted to rip your clothes off right there.'' He said, and they both laughed softly. He said, ''Your laugh is wonderful! It sounds like tinkling bells. I've wanted to hear it often.''

Gabrielle kissed him again. ''I thought I'd lost my feelings for you, but when I saw you again, they all came rushing back. I wasn't sure if I should hold them in or not.''

After one last kiss, Iolaus left to go to bed. Gabrielle suddenly couldn't wait until Joxer and Autolycus had to leave them.

The next morning dawned bright and early. Iolaus came to wake up Gabrielle, who had had a wonderful night. She'd slept beautifully. She told him she'd dress and then brush her hair. She hadn't unpacked her bags, so that wasn't a problem. She brushed her hair and fastened two braids on either side of her hair, and then brushed the rest of it. Her two little braids were perfect. She smiled at her reflection. She was glad her hair had finally grown back. She'd always loved her hair longer. After she had finished her hair, she quickly dressed. Her red shirt tied around her neck, and then she slipped on the matching red skirt and then she pulled on her knee high brown boots. With every hair in place, her clothes on right, and her boots perfect, she was ready. She picked up her bag and walked out of the room.

Iolaus, Autolycus, and Joxer were waiting for her in the main foyer. ''Hi guys.'' Gabrielle said, as she kissed Iolaus good morning.

Joxer looked disappointed. He was still in love with her, and had still been hoping that she would fall for him. Even after all these years of just friendship, he still loved her. ''Well, good morning, Gabby. Are you finally ready to go? Iolaus went for you a half an hour ago.''

Gabrielle smiled. ''Yes, Joxer. I'm ready. Let's go. Although, I wanted to say good-bye to Hercules first.'' She said, and headed for his classroom. The others had said their good-byes.

Hercules' students were happy for such a um, beautiful distraction. He hugged her tightly. ''Please be careful. I know you'll be alright, you and Iolaus can defend yourselves, as can Auto and Joxer. Well, Auto can. Just be careful, please.''

Gabrielle laughed at his joke, and then pressed a kiss to his cheek. ''I will, Hercules, I promise. And I'd like to tell you, that Iolaus and I have reached some sort of, well, understanding. I wanted you to know.''

Hercules smiled and said, ''I'd love to have you for a sister-in-law.'' He kissed her cheek lightly.

Gabrielle grinned. ''We're not ready for that yet.'' She laughed and turned to go. ''Um, Herc? Xena did have feelings for you. I don't know how strong they were, but she always loved you.''

Hercules smiled wistfully. ''I know. But thanks for saying so.'' He watched her go, with one last blown kiss.

The four got on the road, Gabrielle and Iolaus each on horses, and Auto and Joxer sharing a big gelding named Sugar. Joxer was complaining, ''Come on, Auto, why do I have to ride a horse named Sugar?''

Iolaus, atop a horse named Desi, (short for Desiree, Herc named her) replied, ''Because, that's what Jason had to give us. You can't complain if it's all you got.''

Joxer smiled tightly. ''I know. It's just funny that Joxer the Mighty has to ride a horse named Sugar.''

Gabrielle giggled. ''It's not so bad, Joxer.'' She couldn't remember when she had felt better. This was going to be wonderful.

It took all day to reach a town. (They weren't counting on doing that all the time, but since they had Autolycus and Joxer with them, it was easier that they try to find towns. Autolycus didn't do well with lying under the night sky.) It was Hercules', Jason's, and Iolaus's hometown, Corinth. They all got hotel rooms for the night, and went to a tavern for dinner. They had settled at a table, when some warlords came in. They looked angry. ''Where is the bard Gabrielle?'' One demanded.

Gabrielle stood up. Iolaus's hand immediately went to her arm. ''I'm Gabrielle. What do you want with me?''

The warrior who had asked the question, replied, ''We've been sent to get you from a man named King Titus. You remember him. You conned him, with that man Rafe, and his friend?''

Auto said, ''Excuse me. What does that have to do with the present moment? Gabrielle is going nowhere. This King Titus wants her, he can come and get her.''

Gabrielle said, ''Thanks, Autolycus. I think I can handle this myself.'' She turned to the warrior. ''Look, I go to no evil man. If he wants help, he can get it somewhere else.''

The warrior replied, ''My name is Draconus. I answer to King Titus. And I'm sorry, but I was told to return with you. My king is planning a battle against Sparta, and he needs your help. He is also going to fight Corinth.''

Iolaus laughed. ''Well, my friend Iphicles is the King of Corinth, and Titus'll have a hard time fighting him. So don't worry about that. And, Draco, you aren't going anywhere with Gabrielle. I'm sorry.''

Gabrielle looked to Iolaus. ''Iolaus, I think I can handle this myself, thank you.'' She turned her attention back to Draconus. ''Thank you for coming all this way, but we will be fighting against King Titus, not with him. You should know that, and so should he.''

Draconus whipped out his sword. ''I didn't want to have to fight you, but since you make it so, it shall be.'' He twisted it in his hand and swung it through the air at Gabrielle.

Gabrielle picked up her staff and barely got it up in enough time to block the sword. She did, though, and then hit him in the head. Meanwhile, Auto, Joxer, and Iolaus began to attack his goons.

Auto and Iolaus worked as a team, flipping guys between the two of them. Gabrielle fought Draconus, swinging her staff into his body. She hit him on both sides, then whipped around and hit him on the side of his head. He fell, and didn't get up. She turned her attention to the nearest goon. Joxer just threw punches into the air, praying to the Gods that they'd connect.

When the fight was over, Gabrielle and her friends were the only ones left standing. All the patrons of the tavern had fled while the fight was in progress. Gabrielle looked at Iolaus. ''Let's go to another tavern. We'll never get our food now.''

Her friend was hungry, as were Autolycus and Joxer, so they all agreed to find food elsewhere.