ForevaXena's FanFic . . .
Knyte's
Encore
(Knyte's Series
Story Three)
by Mikala D'Amour
© 2002, September
DISCLAIMERS
Standard Disclaimer: The
characters of Xena, Gabrielle, etc. are owned by MCA/Universal and no copyright
infringement is intended. The
characters in this story belong solely to me though.
Uber:
This
story is Uber-esque and any likeness to certain characters of Xena follows
standard uber story lines.
Violence
Warning: This
story depicts scenes of violence and their aftermath
Language
Warning: Yes,
some, but not much.
Subtext:
This story depicts sexual
relations between two women who are in love. If that offends you there are
plenty of other stories you might want to read. If you are under 18 or it is
illegal where you live, look elsewhere. If
the idea of two women in love and acting on said love offends you… Do not pass
GO, do not collect $200. If not,
please enjoy my musings….
Miscellaneous:
I do not know or
claim to have even met either Renee O’Connor or Lucy Lawless.
The brief appearance of said women is simply for the story’s sake.
No harm or offense is intended.
Joana
Skylar Knyte = Xena
Emily Danielle Arbor = Gabrielle
Erin
Michaels = Ephiny
Krystal Anark = Kestra
Sarah
Hawk = Solari
Erika Rozwel = Eponin
Colleen
Caliss = Callisto
Tali Mauvais = Alti
Steven
Knyte = Toris
Song/Music:
“Some
People’s Lives”, by Bette Midler, © Atlantic Records.
“Love Changes Everything”, by Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber. © 1998 The Really Useful Group Ltd. “By Heart”, By Laura Creamer. ©
Jim
Brickman and Hollye Leven.
No copyright infringement is intended.
“Sylvia, please come in.”
“Hey T.” Sylvia greeted her new lover with a kiss. “Ready to see my world?” She laughed.
“Sure, let’s go.” T smiled at her lover. ‘More ready than ever.’ She followed her out the door. The two soon arrived at the theatre. Sylvia showed her around backstage for a little while. T caught Jo out of the corner of her eye and sneered. Pausing, she looked to see if her lover had noticed. Thankfully she had not. Sylvia showed her Jo’s dressing room and then moved on. Tali had taken notice of the food in the dressing room. She excused herself for a moment with the excuse of using the restroom.
She gave Sylvia a kiss and slipped away…
***************
“Hey Jo, can I have a moment with you?” Liza called out to her friend. Jo stopped what she was doing and approached her.
“Sure, what’s up?” She asked.
“I got results from those tests done on the flowers and card. The flowers were laced with an extremely potent drug. All it does is cause unconsciousness, but if the person is exposed too long, it can cause suffocation.” She offered. Jo nodded and motioned for her to continue. “I think you should up security for the tour, just to be safe. I would love to be your personal guard, but I have to fly out tomorrow.” She said with a sigh. Jo patted her shoulder and thanked her. Giving Liza a small push, she told her to find Joce and spend some time with her.
“Hey Jo, you ready for the big finale show?” Rik asked as she moved across the stage.
“Yep. You guys can take your mini-vacation. One more show here and then back to home for the final show.” Jo chuckled. Rik left in search of her lover as Em approached.
“Hey baby.” Jo said as she leaned in for a kiss.
“Mmm. Hey honey. I got the food if you’re ready to eat.” Em said. Jo nodded and followed her love back stage. Emily had ordered take out Chinese food. Jo smiled as she found that her love had made sure to get her favorites. She sat down and proceeded to satiate her hunger and refuel for the day’s tasks. The pair quickly finished their meal and returned to the stage.
Jo busily made changes for the stage set up. Emily worked on the music for the show. A few hours later, Em’s work was interrupted when a crewmember called out for her. She turned to see what the commotion was and saw her lover collapse on the stage. She ran up the stairs and raced to Jo’s side. Kneeling she drew her lover close.
“I don’t feel so well baby.” Jo croaked as she clutched her stomach and curled up. Emily saw Sam on her way out the door and shouted to get her attention. Sam heard the shout and turned to see who had called her. Seeing Emily with Jo in her arms, she bolted up the stage. Reaching down, she picked Jo up and carried her out to the car. She and Em jumped in and raced to the hospital.
They sat in the waiting room wondering what was happening in the exam room. A short while later, they were allowed to see Jo. The doctors diagnosed her with a bad case of food poisoning and released her into Em’s care. Sam drove the couple back to the hotel. Saying goodbye, she left to join Erin in their room.
Em put her lover to sleep and joined her soon after.
**************
The Airport…
Sylvia waited in the terminal for her lover to join her. She stood at the window looking out at all the planes. The tour had been a great success thus far and now that it was coming to its close, she was anxious to get back to everyday life. Jo had promised her a vacation when the tour was over and she was looking forward to spending more time with her new lover.
Tali walked up and embraced her lover from behind. “What you thinking about?” She asked.
“Just looking forward to being back and my upcoming vacation.” Sylvia replied.
“I’ll be happy to spend time with you. This will be my first time back in the states in about 13 years.” Tali offered.
“It will be wonderful honey. I hope you like Vermont T.” Sylvia smiled at her lover and snuggled closer. Tali kept looking around the terminal. A couple near the ticket desk caught her eye. The tall raven-haired beauty brought a sneer to her face. Noticing that they were headed in her direction, she excused herself for a moment.
“Hey Sylvia.” Em called. Sylvia waved them over. “You ready to get back?” Em asked, as she and Jo got closer.
“Yeah. How you doing boss?” She chuckled.
“I’m alright, still on the meds though.” Jo grimaced as she sat in a nearby seat. It had been about a week since the poisoning incident and she was still recovering. Her appetite had finally returned and she was able to keep solid food down at least. Her last two performances in New Zealand had really been a struggle during her recovery, but she refused to disappoint her fans. She looked out the window and drifted in thought.
Memories of Chris and thoughts of Tali filled her mind constantly ever since the first mention of Tali’s return. Why now? Everything was finally settling down in her life and she was happy again. Sighing, she tried to relax. Tali stood some distance away from the group watching them. The look of hatred in her eyes burned like fire as she stared at Jo.
The boarding announcement was made and soon they were on their way home.
Tali couldn’t stop the wicked smirk from her face.
Several hours and plane changes later, the group arrived home.
Jo and Em said goodbye and left.
************
Sylvia unlocked the office door and showed her lover inside. Tali followed and closely inspected everything. The office was just as she expected it to be. Everything was in its place and sparse furnishings. Books of every sort lined the walls, a Fender-Strata castor stood next to the desk, and photos of Jo with various celebrities decorated the office. Sylvia excused herself as the phone rang, leaving Tali alone in Jo’s office.
Checking to make sure her lover was occupied, Tali began looking through the desk. In the top drawer she found a picture that brought feelings of anger and disgust. Hearing her lover’s approach, she dropped the nope she had written into the drawer along with the picture. The phone rang again and halted Sylvia’s approach. Tali took the brief reprieve to insert the disk she brought and hit download. A few seconds later, she grabbed the disk and left eh office.
‘Step two accomplished.’ She thought as she moved toward her lover. “Hey sexy, I’m gonna go back to the apartment, I’m tired. I’ll see you tonight.” Giving Sylvia a quick kiss, she left. Sylvia sat at her desk with a goofy grin on her face. Turning to her computer, she began to go through the various messages.
Jo walked up to her secretary’s desk and set her briefcase down.
She watched for a moment as Sylvia worked.
Clearing her throat, she spoke: “Hey, good morning.
Any messages for me?”
“Just one from Ms. Regent. She said to give her a call when you got in. She mentioned something about the tour finale next week.” Jo nodded and picked up her briefcase. She went into her office and sat down at her desk. Leaning back in her chair, she hit her automatic dial for Joce’s office.
“Ms. Regent’s office, how may I help you?”
“Hey. Since when do you answer your own phone?” Jo chuckled.
“Since my secretary is out sick.
What’s up?”
“Sylvia said you wanted me to call you.”
“Oh yeah. I just wanted to verify that the plans you sent over were accurate. Are you sure that is how you want the finale to be done?” Joce questioned.
“Yep. Em said that the
way we have everything set up will work best and make the crowd go wild.
Is that all you need?”
“I think so, I’m on my way over to the stadium now to talk with the
security manger. I’ll call you
later and let you know how it went. I
gotta go.”
“Okay. Talk to you later.” Jo hung up and then turned her attention to her show’s finale. The stage set up was now in Joce’s hands along with the security issues. Now she could focus on the music portion of the show. Music was her life, but she hated the technical aspect of her shows. Sighing, reached for some paper.
Opening the top drawer, she saw the picture. She pulled it out and placed it on the desk. For the first time in years, she smiled at the sight. ‘Oh Chris.’ She put the picture at the top of her desk next to the one of her and Emily. She smiled at the two women who had captured her heart and turned to her computer. Hitting a key, the computer came to life.
The screen flashed brightly, and then went black. A message soon appeared in the image of streaming blood: “Hello love. Miss me? I will have what’s mine. My career and, of course, you. Love Always, Tali.” Jo gasped and pushed herself away from the desk. A moment later a second message appeared: “This computer’s hard drive has been erased. Have a nice day.” Jo panicked for a moment and swung at the monitor. Her coffee cup went flying across the room.
Sylvia heard the noise and rushed into the office.
She found her boss sitting on the floor mumbling and rocking back and
forth. Moving closer to her, she
knelt down and tried to sooth the upset woman.
Having no luck, she moved to the phone.
She dialed frantically and waited. “Ms.
Regent’s office, how…”
“Ms. Regent, this is Sylvia. Something happened here. I need you to come over right away. Something is wrong with Ms. Knyte.” Sylvia didn’t wait for an answer and hung up. She moved back to Jo and held her, praying Jocelyn would arrive soon. She didn’t have to wait too long. About ten minutes later, Jocelyn burst into the office and immediately went to Jo’s side. She helped Jo up and left the office.
Sylvia just waved and said she’d take care of everything. Joce took Jo home and called Emily at the bookstore and told her to come home. “It’s gonna be okay sis, I promise.” She whispered to Jo. Jo was like a zombie. Joce called Liza and told her about the computer in Jo’s office and asked her to see if she could do something, Liza said she would head over and take a look. “Jo, can you hear me?” She tried in vain to reach her sister.
Emily burst into the house and took over by her love’s side. She held her close and whispered soothing words to her. Jo kept mumbling incoherently and curled into her lover. Em looked to Joce for any form of help. She felt completely helpless. Joce was silent for a moment, then suddenly jumped up and ran into the bedroom.
Joce reappeared carrying something. She handed it to Em and nodded. Without waiting for any response, she left the room again. Em looked at the object and suddenly understood. In her hand rested a photo of Chris. Taking her love’s hand, she placed the picture in it and watched as Jo noticeable relaxed. Looking at the picture now held in her love’s hands, Em smiled. ‘Thank you Chris, for everything.’ She hoped Chris could hear her thoughts.
In the other room, Jocelyn picked up the phone and dialed. She totally disregarded the time difference for her call. All she was concerned with was her sister. Only one person she knew could bring Jo back from where she had gone. After a couple of rings the phone was picked up: “Bonsoir, Saziere residence.” Came a sweet voice.
“Hello, is Mme. Saziere available?”
“Oui. Une minute s’il
vous plait.”
“Bonsoir. This is Mme.
Saziere.”
“Resa? This is Jocelyn.”
“Ah Joce. It is rather late for a call. What can I do for you?” Resa asked.
“It’s Jo. I need your help and fast. I don’t know what to do, but she’s just sitting in the other room mumbling to herself.” Joce rushed.
“It’s okay cherie. I will come up. I will arrive tomorrow. Let me make some calls and I will phone you as soon as I arrive. What happened before she turned inside?” Resa inquired.
“Tali left her a message.” Joe revealed.
“I shall call you as soon as I arrive. You and Emily stay with her. Tell her you love her and I shall see you tomorrow.” Resa explained. Hanging up, Joce returned to the other room. Emily sat watching Jo sleep.
“Resa is coming. She
can help. You rest and I’ll call
Liza to see what she says.” Emily
nodded and slid into bed with her love. She
moved as close to Jo as possible and tried to sleep.
Joce left the room and called Liza.
She knew she wouldn’t be sleeping tonight.
*************
Lady Resa Saziere sat in the silence of her limousine waiting. Her thoughts were filled with concern for her young friend. In truth, Joana Knyte was like the daughter she never had. She had seen her come alive when she was with Chris. Now with Emily by her side, she could once more hear the pure unadulterated joy flow from Jo’s voice.
A tall young man stood on the porch waiting for some answer. He rang the doorbell once more and returned to waiting. A moment later the door opened. “Pardonez-moi, is Ms. Regent here.” He asked.
“I am Ms. Regent.” Joce replied.
“Ms. Regent, I am here to announce the arrival of Lady Saziere.” He stated before returning to the limousine. He opened the passenger door and out stepped a beautiful woman. Jocelyn smiled and breathed a sigh of relief at the sight of her friend. Resa still looked as elegant as ever. She went to Resa’s side and guided her inside.
“Resa, I’m glad you are here. Please make yourself comfortable and I’ll go get Em and Jo.” Joce said as she got Resa settled. A few moments later, she reentered the room with Em. Both women were helping Jo into the room. If Resa could see, she would have been beyond shocked at the sight of Jo. Jo was nearly a shadow of herself. Her face was drawn and she was as pale as a ghost.
After everyone was seated, Em turned to Resa. “Mme. Saziere, I am honored that you would come all this way to help us. I’m so worried.” Em’s voice broke as tears started to flow. Resa reached out toward her. Em grasped her hand and held as if it were a lifeline.
“Emily, please call me Resa. I do so detest obnoxious titles. I came because I had to try and help Jo.” Resa explained. Her smile was like a warm caress to Em. Resa’s sightless eyes fell to rest upon Jo as if she could truly see her. “Jo is like a daughter to me and I love her dearly.” Moisture filled her eyes. She rose from her seat and moved toward Jo. Em sat amazed as Resa knelt before her love. Taking Jo’s hands, she spoke: “Ma petite cherie. Ou es toi?”
“Where are you?” Joce translated for Em.
“Resa?” Jo asked as she gazed at her friend.
“Oui, je suis ici.” (Yes, I am here) Jo fell into Resa’s open arms as sobs wracked her body. Resa held her and rubbed her back. “Ma petite, you must come back to us. I am here for you now. Emily is here and Joce as well.” Moments passed in silence, save Jo’s muffled sobs. Em looked on for a moment before rising and leaving the room. Joce rose to follow her but was stopped by Resa shaking her head. “Let her go.”
Emily walked into her love’s office and went to the safe. Punching the combination, she opened it. Reaching in, she retrieved a small box. She sat at the desk and opened the box. Inside lay a bunch of pictures, letter, a necklace and a ring box. She looked through the pictures and allowed her mind to wander. ‘How do I help her Chris?’ She asked the silent images. She removed the ring box and opened it. Inside were nestled Chris’s engagement ring, wedding band and Jo’s wedding band. A tear came to her eye as her heart went out to her love.
In the living room, Resa sat by Jo talking with her. A short while later, she led her upstairs and put her to bed. With Joce’s help, she went to speak with Em. Joce apologized for having to leave and promised to return the next day. Resa agreed and said goodbye. She entered the office and spoke: “She is in the past.” She began.
Emily turned to find Resa standing in the doorway. She moved to her friend and led her to the couch. “I feel so lost right now. I love her so much, but I don’t know what to do.” Sighing deeply, she sat down next to Resa.
“Ah ma petite. Je comprends. (I understand) Tali’s return has opened all her old wounds and she has retreated back in time. You can help by being there for her and I shall help you understand more of this situation.” Resa paused for a moment. “Chris and Jo looked wonderful together and you could hear the happiness in Jo’s voice. Tali was more than jealous of Chris. You see, she had fallen in love with Jo, but was afraid to tell be so. When Chris became Jo’s life, she fell into the background. Tali became angry and with Jo not producing her album, decided to retaliate. She swore to make Jo pay. She vowed to one day ruin Jo’s career and make her love her.” Resa turned away.
“Why now?” Em wondered.
“She probably heard of Jo’s return to performing and decided to move now. When Chris died, Jo shut herself off from everything. The music inside her died and she lost herself in darkness. Joce brought her to me and she remained there until about two years ago. I finally reached her and convinced her to return and stop running. I fear that this will only get worse before it gets better. Tali has made no mention of you, so I do not think she knows about you. I fear what could happen if she does learn of you.” Resa stopped and moved away.
“What do we do?”
“Be careful. I will
remain here until after the wedding as Jo has requested that I perform the
ceremony. I am here for whatever
you may need.” Emily saw that
her friend was tired and led her to the guestroom.
After saying goodnight, she went to join her love in dreamland.
*************
“Can I help you Miss?” The short woman asked.
“No, Thank you.” The woman replied as she walked away. She moved around the store looking at various books and magazines. After a moment, she approached the counter. “Excuse me?” She said trying to get the clerk’s attention.
“Yes, how can I help you?” The brunette asked.
“I was looking for any information you might have on Joana Knyte. Any books, magazines, etc.” The woman explained.
“Sure, right this way.” The brunette led the woman over to a section of the store and told her to just ask if she needed anything else. The woman spent a few minutes looking through the assorted books, magazines, and other such before her. Smiling, the woman began collecting one of everything. A short blond woman appeared a moment later.
“Find everything you need?” She gave a nod to the woman. “I can see you must be a big fan of Joana Knyte. I have a few other things in the back room if you’d like to see.” She offered. The woman nodded and the blond left. She returned carrying a few magazines. The woman thanked her and returned to the counter. A magazine caught her eye and she grabbed it and added it to her purchases. The clerk rang her up and she paid. “Thank you for choosing D’Amour Books.” The brunette added as she handed over the bags.
The small blond went over to the counter and addressed the clerk: “Hey Rah, who was that? She seemed so interested in Jo.”
“Don’t know, but she was gorgeous. Uh oh Em, I hope Rik didn’t hear that or I’m in trouble.” Rah giggled. The two friends watched as the mysterious woman left. The woman returned to her hotel room.
Once inside, she unloaded her bags on the bed. Picking up the magazine she had noticed earlier, she sat down to have a drink. On the cover was the headline: “Mistress of the Night, Joana Knyte, to wed.” Underneath was a picture of Jo with a short blond woman. The article identified the blond as Jo’s keyboardist/writer, Emily Arbor. Anger shot through the woman and she threw her drink.
“You are mine Jo. Now I have more work to do. Your days are numbered Jo. Enjoy your day in the light because soon all that will be is my shadow over you. Tali Mauvais, the Mistress of Twilight, will soon rise above you.” Tali seethed. “Now to take care of a small problem…”
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