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ACT FOUR
FADE IN:
ext. forest - late afternoon
Xena and Gabrielle, riding borrowed horses, move swiftly down a narrow trail deep in the woods. After passing yet another broken branch, Gabrielle pulls her horse to a stop. Xena follows, patiently awaiting an explanation.
gabrielle Are we following the right trail?
Xena raises an eyebrow.
gabrielle
(Cont'd) That’s the third sign we’ve passed in the last ten minutes.
xena And?
gabrielle C’mon, Xena. This is you we’re talking about here. The person the gods couldn’t track unless she wanted them to? A blind man could follow this trail with both legs tied behind his head.
xena Interesting image.
Gabrielle rolls her eyes.
gabrielle I’m serious.
xena I know you are. (beat) Listen, she’s already told you where she’s headed, and she knows you’re going to follow her eventually, so covering her tracks wouldn’t be a priority.
gabrielle (doubtfully) Maybe you’re right.
Xena gives her a look.
gabrielle
(Cont'd) (beat) I just don’t like it. These tracks seem too fresh. Someone on a mission to conquer the known world wouldn’t be stopping to smell the roses like this. (beat) Face it, Xena. You don’t even do that when you’re not looking to take over the world.
The look of guilt in Xena’s eyes freezes Gabrielle where she stands. Her heart plummets into the depths of her belly.
gabrielle
(Cont'd) I didn’t mean....
xena You were right, though. That’s something I’ve never done.
gabrielle (softly) Xena....
xena (sadly smiling) It’s all right. (beat) Let’s keep moving. It’ll be dark soon.
dissolve to:
ext. camp - night
The fire has burned down to a few hot coals. Beneath a heavy fur, Xena lies spooned tightly against Gabrielle’s back. Both are awake, though Xena’s eyes are closed.
gabrielle Xena?
xena Mm?
gabrielle Do you think Spiros and Leanthos will be able to convince the rest of them to help put you back the way you were?
xena Don’t see why not. You were pretty convincing.
gabrielle (flushing) I don’t know what came over me.
xena Frustration.
gabrielle I suppose.
The camp falls silent for several moments.
gabrielle
(Cont'd)
xena (half-asleep) ‘bout what?
gabrielle About what Leanthos said. About how the act of reintegrating two halves results in insanity.
Xena opens her eyes and pulls Gabrielle more tightly against her.
xena That won’t happen with me.
gabrielle How can you be so sure?
xena I’m not an animal, Gabrielle. I’ll know what’s happening. I’ll understand it.
gabrielle But still....
xena I’ll be fine. (beat) It’s not as if this hasn’t happened before, you know.
gabrielle But that was different.
xena The principle is the same. (beat) I’ll be fine.
gabrielle (softly) There was a time, not so long ago, that this… the way you are now… is all I could have wished for you.
xena (slowly) And there was a time when it would have been an answer to a prayer. (beat) But the demons I battle… the evil I’ve done… doesn’t go away with the darkness within me. (beat) And it shouldn’t. I don’t deserve that sort of peace.
gabrielle Xena....
xena Gabrielle, when I think about the things I’ve done to people… done to you....
Gabrielle turns within Xena’s embrace. Reaching up, she clasps her face between her hands.
gabrielle Xena, listen to me. I know it’s easy to get into a place where thinking about the things you’ve done overwhelms you.
xena Gabrielle....
gabrielle Because I’ve been there.
Xena falls silent.
gabrielle
(Cont'd) ability of those you love to forgive you.
Xena grasps Gabrielle’s hands, removing them from her face, and clasping them tight against her chest.
xena Trusting in love--in your love--was one of the hardest lessons I’ve ever had to learn. (beat) That trust takes a strength that I just don’t have in me right now.
There’s a moment of silence as Xena takes in a deep breath, then releases it.
xena
(Cont'd) how I’m gonna live with who I was. (beat, softer) Or who I am.
Unable to speak for the lump in her throat, Gabrielle releases her hands from Xena’s grip, and enfolds her partner into an all-encompassing embrace, resting the dark head on her shoulder and stroking the soft hair beneath her fingers.
Dissolve to:
ext. wooded trail - day
Xena and Gabrielle sit atop their restive mounts, just before what they know to be a sizable clearing. Gabrielle’s body is tense as she stands up in the saddle, head turning back and forth, searching.
gabrielle She’s close. I can feel her.
xena Very close.
gabrielle
Why is she doing this?
Hearing no response, Gabrielle looks over to Xena, catching a very familiar expression on her partner’s face.
gabrielle
(Cont'd) (beat) Of course you do. She’s you. Or you’re her. Or something. (beat) Share?
Xena turns to her, expression somber and deadly serious.
xena (softly) Whenever you’ve been in trouble, Gabrielle... hurt, or captured, or worse... it wasn’t just this part of me that tried to move heaven and earth to help.
Understanding dawns on Gabrielle’s face, together with a flush that displays her chagrin.
gabrielle I… think I always knew that, somehow. (beat) But maybe I was a little afraid to admit that. Even to myself.
Xena nods gravely in response, then softly urges her horse down the narrow trail. Gabrielle stares after her for a moment, her expression deeply thoughtful, before she too continues on.
cut to:
ext. clearing - day
Gabrielle remains deep in thought as she slowly crosses the clearing. She is jerked from her reverie when her horse suddenly stops very close to the rear of Xena’s horse, which is likewise standing still near the very edge of the clearing.
gabrielle Xena?
There is a rustle in the thick bushes just beyond the clearing’s boundary, and DARK XENA emerges, a cold smile curving her lips.
DARK xena Speak of a satyr and she shall appear.
Dark Xena’s gaze flicks briefly to her doppelganger sitting motionless atop the brown gelding, then flicks dismissively away, to settle once again on Gabrielle.
Her smile grows.
DARK xena
(Cont'd)
gabrielle You left me, remember?
Dark Xena’s hand waves in a dismissive gesture.
dark xena A minor detail.
gabrielle I’m surprised to find you here. I thought you’d be halfway to the Amazons by now.
Dark Xena shrugs, unconcerned. She begins a slow, stalking approach toward Gabrielle.
dark xena You always did tell me to slow down....
Another step and she is eye to eye with Gabrielle’s horse, who snorts and shies away nervously. She laughs, then looks up, her eyes roaming possessively over Gabrielle.
dark xena
(Cont'd) (beat) Why don’t you come down from there, so we can…talk?
Gabrielle looks over to where the woman she’s come to think of as “Good” Xena still sits atop her horse. Xena nods once, and they both slip from their mounts.
dark xena
(Cont'd) (stepping closer) If you’ve changed your mind about joining me, I should warn you that I don’t share.
She looks over her shoulder, glancing at her double meaningfully.
dark xena (Cont’d) Not even with myself.
gabrielle Actually, I was wondering if you had changed your mind.
Dark Xena throws her head back and laughs, delighted.
dark Xena Oh, Gabrielle, you are a treasure.
gabrielle I’m serious.
dark xena I can see that, yes. Now let me explain to you why this little fantasy of yours can never come to pass.
Circling Gabrielle slowly, she comes in close behind her. Xena places her hands on Gabrielle’s shoulders, squeezing slightly.
dark xena
(Cont'd) Gabrielle, just waiting to bend it to my will.
gabrielle (murmuring) Bend it? Or break it?
dark xena (lips to Gabrielle’s ear) Does it matter?
Smirking at Gabrielle’s shivering reaction, she straightens, but doesn’t remove her hands.
dark Xena
(Cont'd) because I now have the strength, the drive, and the focus to make it happen.
Lifting a hand, dark Xena points across the clearing to her double, who stands motionless.
dark xena
(Cont'd) My shame. My guilt. (beat) It’s all that stands between who I am… and who I am meant to be.
gabrielle You’re wrong.
dark xena Am I?
Pulling away, Gabrielle spins, facing her head on.
gabrielle Yes. Who you are meant to be, Xena, is who you were. A full and complete person, who is capable of loving, and being loved. Not feared and despised. Someone who leads by example, not by force.
dark xena And that’s where you’re wrong, Gabrielle. Love is a mindless quest sought by spineless fools. It’s an illusion, nothing more.
gabrielle It’s not an illusion! It’s as real as you are... as I am. And it’s as strong as you and I, together.
Smirking, Xena draws her sword. Gabrielle immediately draws her sais, but Xena ignores them, stepping around her as if she wasn’t there.
dark xena I’ll show you how strong love is, Gabrielle.
Unarmed, Good Xena watches her double’s approach, steeling herself. She ducks back as her opponent slashes across her chest, then moves forward to counter a follow-up kick to the belly, grabbing her double’s boot and flipping her backward.
With a chilling laugh, Dark Xena flips through the air and lands lightly on her feet.
Gabrielle watches intently, but doesn’t interfere.
Dark Xena rushes forward and begins a rapid attack with sword, fists and feet. Good Xena blocks and evades every move, but doesn’t counter-attack. Dark Xena’s frustration mounts.
dark xena Fight me, damn you!
good xena No.
dark xena Then DIE!
Dark Xena doubles the speed of her attack, her strokes coming too fast to be easily seen. Her counterpart is tiring quickly.
dark xena
(Cont'd) Can you hear her heart beating like a rabbit facing a wolf? I can. (beat) Here’s your love, Gabrielle.
She steps in, flips her sword, and deals her double a crushing blow to the side of the head. Good Xena drops like a stone.
Dark Xena turns to Gabrielle, smirking.
dark xena
(Cont'd) Love is weak, and means nothing.
gabrielle You don’t mean that.
dark xena Oh, but I do. I just proved it to you.
gabrielle That wasn’t proof, Xena. That was you fighting an unarmed woman. Someone who has more courage in her smallest finger than you do in your entire body.
Dark Xena looks at her unconscious counterpart, then at Gabrielle. She grins.
dark xena I won. That’s all that matters.
She looks at Gabrielle’s drawn weapons.
DARK XENA (Cont’d) Are you going to prove your courage to me as well?
gabrielle No. I’m going to prove my point.
Gabrielle deliberately sheathes her sais, straightens, and crosses the clearing, slowly, deliberately.
gabrielle
(Cont'd) Your mistake is in thinking that when I say that, I mean that I only love her.
Stopping, Gabrielle points to the woman lying unconscious near her feet.
gabrielle
(Cont'd) The part that loves, and nurtures, and cherishes. And the part that hates, and schemes, and destroys.
dark xena (sneering) I seem to recall you telling me that my so-called “dark” side scared you.
gabrielle You’re right. It did. But we’ve come a long way since then, Xena. And during the journey, I’ve had to come to terms with my own dark side. It makes me who I am, just as yours makes you who you are.
She steps within Xena’s space.
GABRIELLE (Cont’d) I’ve accepted that. And I don’t fear it any longer.
Raising on her toes, Gabrielle leans in and kisses Xena, who responds almost helplessly. Gabrielle can feel Xena tremble against the close press of their bodies, and she deepens the kiss before pulling slightly away.
gabrielle
(Cont'd) Don’t be afraid to love. It’s a part of who you are, in the darkness and the light. (beat) It’s your destiny.
After a moment, dark Xena gathers herself and savagely pushes Gabrielle away. As Gabrielle stumbles back across the clearing, Xena draws her sword, her face a twisted mask of rage.
Before she can take one step forward, her double rises from the ground, fists clenched, jaw set, and blood running down from a gash above her left eye.
good xena Not this time.
She unleashes an uppercut that drives her dark half off of her feet. Dark Xena sails across the clearing and crumples against the trunk of a large tree, unconscious.
Xena looks over at Gabrielle, who stares back at her, open-mouthed.
good xena
(Cont'd)
cut to:
ext. abandoned temple - night
Outside of the temple, two dozen robed and hooded MEN stand in a semicircle. Each bears a blazing TORCH held high above their heads. A low chanting fills the clearing, interspersed with howls of rage and grunts of effort.
Gabrielle stands in the firm grip of Spiros and two other men, struggling desperately as she stares down at the scene before her with something close to horror.
A hastily built altar stands in the center of the circle of men. Two figures lie atop the altar. One, Good Xena, seems very weak, and drawn. Her movements are feeble, and her eyes are open, unblinking and glazed.
In direct contrast, Dark Xena fights like a trapped and feral animal. She is struggling, growling, and spitting at the five men who are desperately trying to hold her down.
A sixth man, dressed in the garish robes and hood of a high priest, chants in a loud, off-key voice as he circles the altar, dribbling oil from an ornate cask onto the two figures.
As Gabrielle watches, three men are suddenly flung away from the altar, and Dark Xena, howling in triumph, sits up, shrugging off the other men as if they were dolls.
Five more men jump in and somehow manage to pin her back to the altar with the weight of their bodies.
gabrielle Let me go! I need to go to her!
spiros I’m sorry, Gabrielle, but you can’t. The ritual’s already begun.
Another man screams in pain and turns away, his white hood painted red with the blood of his broken nose.
Taking advantage of the distraction, Gabrielle jerks loose from those holding her and runs to the altar.
Sensing her presence, Good Xena blinks, and turns her head in Gabrielle’s direction.
good xena (brokenly whispering) Help… her.
Gabrielle grasps her partner’s hand and squeezes it tight.
gabrielle I will. You just hang in there, and fight.
Xena nods once, then turns away to stare back up at the sky.
Gabrielle circles the altar, pushing in between the tight press of bodies, until she is at Dark Xena’s side. Dark Xena laughs with glee as another man screams out, holding an arm which now sports an extra joint.
dark xena I’ll kill you all!!!
gabrielle Xena....
Hearing Gabrielle’s voice, Dark Xena’s face becomes frozen, her eyes cold as the grave.
dark xena (very softly) Et tu, Gabrielle?
gabrielle Please, Xena. Don’t fight this. I need ALL of you.
dark xena This was your plan all along, wasn’t it? To distract me and make me weak with your talk of love. Long enough to bring me here. (beat) Congratulations, Gabrielle. You proved your point well indeed. (beat, smiling) And now, I’ll prove mine.
Sensing Xena’s intentions, Gabrielle throws her weight against her, knowing it’s fruitless, but needing to try.
gabrielle You’re wrong, Xena. That wasn’t my plan, or my point. It’s what my heart knows.
dark xena Liar!!
gabrielle No. The truth. And I know you heard me, Xena. I know you’ve been hearing me since the beginning. (beat) You didn’t answer my question before. Maybe you’ll answer it now. You should have been halfway to the Amazons when we caught up to you. Why weren’t you?
Some of the rage leeches from Xena’s eyes, and she looks confused, if only for a split second.
Gabrielle presses on.
gabrielle
(Cont'd) clearing today. You said she was all that stood between you and your destiny. Why didn’t you?
Xena growls, deep in her throat. Her muscles tense, warning of an impending explosion.
gabrielle
(Cont'd) (beat) It’s because this part of you loves, deeply and passionately. (beat) And you know it. Even if you can’t admit it. (beat) And I’ll prove it to you, Xena. Right now.
Releasing her grip on Xena, Gabrielle pushes the other men holding her partner away. They look at her as if she’s gone crazy, but the look in her eyes convinces them to stand back.
gabrielle
(Cont'd) any destiny you think awaits you.
Xena looks around the circle, eyes filled with distrust.
gabrielle
(Cont'd)
She unsheathes one of her sais and puts it in Xena’s hand.
gabrielle
(Cont'd) We won’t try to stop you.
Xena sits up slowly, weapon in hand.
gabrielle
(Cont'd) If love is an illusion, destroy that illusion. Claim your destiny.
Slowly, with the wariness of a wild animal, Xena comes to her feet and looks down at Gabrielle.
gabrielle
(Cont'd)
With a rumbling growl, Xena draws back the weapon and stares into Gabrielle’s calm, trusting eyes. She is motionless for a long, silent moment. Then, screaming, she plunges the weapon downward in a vicious, blinding arc. To shatter against the rock base that supports the altar. She crumples against Gabrielle, who catches her in steady arms and is driven to her knees by the weight of her partner.
The men rush in to help, and soon Xena is once again lain out on the altar, unresisting. Gabrielle, still on her knees, reaches out to grasp Xena’s hand, smiling slightly when the grasp is returned. Xena’s head turns, and she meets Gabrielle’s gaze.
dark xena (hoarsely) How did you know?
Gabrielle’s smile grows.
gabrielle I believe in you. And I always have. Even when you don’t believe in yourself. (beat) I love you, Xena.
Xena lies silent for a very long moment, then her lips move with effort.
dark xena (almost silently whispering) Love… you too.
Smiling through tears suddenly sprung into her eyes, Gabrielle nuzzles the hand in hers, then kisses it before laying it across Xena’s chest and releasing it.
The circle closes, and the worshippers take up their chanting again. Suddenly, a rumble is heard which shakes the clearing. The crack of thunder is followed by a brilliant flash of blood-red light. The tremors cease. The light disappears.
Gabrielle opens her eyes to see Xena, fully whole, lying before her, still as death.
gabrielle Xena?
Xena’s eyes open, and she looks at her soulmate. A smile forms.
xena (whispering) Thank you. (swallowing) From both of us.
With a half-choked sob, Gabrielle stands, then lowers herself against Xena, holding her as if she’ll never let go.
Around the circle, Spiros and the rest of the men smile and turn quietly away, leaving the two women to their reunion.
fade out.
end of act four
TAG
FADE IN:
ext. cart trail - afternoon
Xena and Gabrielle walk side by side down a well used, rutted cart trail. Argo trails amiably behind, freshly shod and groomed. Gabrielle is twirling a new set of customized SAIS around on her fingers, shadowboxing. Her grin is bright and sunny.
GABRIELLE I can’t believe Belleron made these for me. Aren’t they wonderful?
XENA Mm.
Gabrielle stops, and turns to her partner.
GABRIELLE You’re still upset because he wouldn’t take payment for Argo, aren’t you?
XENA Gabrielle, I almost killed him.
GABRIELLE But you didn’t. (beat) And he forgave you. That’s what people do when they realize what happened was beyond anyone’s control. They forgive.
Xena makes a sound very much like a grunt, and resumes walking.
Sighing, Gabrielle catches up to her, and stops Xena with a hand to her wrist.
GABRIELLE
(Cont'd) I know it’s hard, Xena. It’s hard to forgive myself too. (beat) I think, though, that one day we’ll both be able to do it.
XENA Ya think so, huh?
GABRIELLE Yep. (beat) So... where to from here?
Xena smiles.
XENA Blossom.
GABRIELLE (puzzling) Blossom. Where’s... (beat, realizing) Ohh, blossom, as in the game we were playing. Well, it fits, Xena, but I don’t see any....
Still smiling, Xena presents Gabrielle with a beautiful rose.
GABRIELLE
(Cont'd)
XENA I know a place in Gaul, where these grow wild, as far as the eye can see. (beat) Maybe it’s time we both took some time to appreciate them.
With a happy shout, Gabrielle embraces Xena and they hold tight to one another.
FADE OUT.
DISCLAIMER
NEXT WEEK
ON XENA
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