ACT FOUR

FADE IN:

INT. SHALLOW CAVE - SHORT TIME LATER

Gabrielle is lying near the back wall of a shallow cave. Nearby, a very small fire is burning, its light reflecting off Xena's face as she holds a blade in it.

Selsha is pressed against the far wall. She appears frightened and very upset.

GABRIELLE

Xena?

XENA

Shh. Lay still.

Gabrielle is doing just that.

GABRIELLE

Maybe you should

get Selsha home.

XENA

Maybe you should shut up.

Xena finishes heating the blade. She turns and kneels at Gabrielle's side. Gabrielle looks at her. Xena puts her hand on Gabrielle's shoulder.

XENA

(cont’d)

Want the good news,

or the bad news?

The sound of shouting comes from outside. They stop to listen, then Xena returns her attention to Gabrielle.

GABRIELLE

Bad news is it's still bleeding.

XENA

I know. I'm gonna

have to stitch it up.

GABRIELLE

So what's the good news?

XENA

I sew better than you do.

The sound of shouting becomes louder.

SELSHA

Is... that them?

Looking for us?

XENA

(coldly)

Yes.

SELSHA

Should I... Uh....

Xena turns and looks at her.

XENA

Just stay where you

are and be quiet.

Gabrielle puts her hand on Xena's knee.  Xena turns back to her.

GABRIELLE

I can run if I have to.

XENA

No you can't.

GABRIELLE

Yes, I can.

Xena appears frustrated, angry, upset, worried and expresses all of these things with a simple narrowing of her eyes and twitch of her lips.

GABRIELLE

(cont’d)

Okay, I'll shut up. Give me a piece

of your armor so I can bite down

on it and let's get this over with.

Xena gives Gabrielle a bit of leather, which she puts in her mouth.

XENA

Get ready.

SELSHA

Is there anything I can do?

I'm really sorry.

Gabrielle takes the leather out of her mouth.

GABRIELLE

Just be really quiet so they

don't hear us. Okay?

Selsha looks uneasy.

SELSHA

Okay.

Gabrielle puts the leather back in her mouth, and feels around the ground, finding a piece of wood and closing her hand around it.

Xena removes the bloody cloth from the slash on Gabrielle's side. It is bleeding profusely.

XENA

I'm starting.

Gabrielle closes her eyes. Xena uses the tip of the knife to make holes on either side of the gash. Every time she cuts into Gabrielle's skin, she flinches, but makes no sound.

Selsha watches, horrified.

SELSHA

Isn't that making it worse?

Xena ignores her. She puts the knife down and picks up some stringy gut. With one hand, she pinches closed the bleeding cut, and with the other, she threads the gut through the holes she's made, drawing the gut tight and closing the gash.

Outside, the sounds of pursuit are coming closer. Xena hears them, but her hands never waver.

XENA

Almost done.

Gabrielle still has her eyes closed. She is almost still, but her jaw muscles are quivering slightly.

Xena puts in her last knot, cutting the excess gut with the knife and putting them both down.

XENA

(cont’d)

Done.

Gabrielle opens her eyes and blinks.  The sounds of the men following them are right outside. Gabrielle looks at Xena.

XENA

(cont’d)

I'm going to lead them off.

Be right back.

GABRIELLE

(hoarsely)

Promise?

Xena pats her gently on the cheek before standing up and heading for the entrance to the cave. She pauses before she exits, listens, then slips out and disappears.

CUT TO:

EXT. FOREST - NIGHT

Xena stops and hides behind a tree. A moment later, two of the thugs appear, holding torches.

THUG 1

There's the tracks! They

went this way for sure.

THUG 2

There's blood too. I knew

one of ‘em was hurt!

Xena growls. She steps from behind the tree into their path.

XENA

Hello, boys. Looking for me?

THUG 2

There she is! Get her!

THUG 1

Hey guys! Over here!

Over here! We got one!

Xena ducks behind the tree and breaks into a run. The thugs follow her, yelling.

THUG 2

Over here! C'mon!

Get the dogs!

Three or four other thugs join them in the chase.

CUT TO:

INT. SHALLOW CAVE - SAME TIME

Gabrielle manages to roll onto her side and prop herself up on one elbow. She spits out the leather - it is bitten through.  She releases the wood in her hand - it is cracked in several places and falls apart as she opens her fingers.

Selsha cautiously crawls over to her.

SELSHA

I'm sorry you got hurt but

I was just trying to help.

Gabrielle removes a splinter from her palm with her teeth, and spits it out across the cave.

GABRIELLE

I know that.

SELSHA

(glumly)

Xena doesn't.

GABRIELLE

She knows that.

(wincing)

Ow. Or you'd be hurting

more than I am.

Selsha looks at Gabrielle.

SELSHA

What does that mean?

GABRIELLE

Never mind.

Gabrielle painfully pulls her sais from her boots and sets them down in front of her.

SELSHA

What's that for?

GABRIELLE

In case they find us.

Gabrielle slowly drags herself up to a sitting position, putting her back to the cave wall and leaning back. She is breathing heavily.

SELSHA

It really hurts, huh?

GABRIELLE

Yeah.

Gabrielle shifts a little and picks up one sai, curling her fingers around it. She looks at Selsha thoughtfully.

GABRIELLE

(cont’d)

Comes with doing

what we do, though.

Selsha's eyes widen.

SELSHA

You mean... getting hurt?

That happens?

GABRIELLE

(wryly)

All the time.

Selsha sits back, with a look of consternation.

SELSHA

But... but you're a hero. Heroes

aren't supposed to get hurt.

CUT TO:

EXT. FOREST - NIGHT - SAME TIME

Xena leads the thugs on a merry chase.  She runs past a rock wall and stops, hiding behind it. The first thug chasing her runs past, and she grabs him by the arm, swinging him around to hit face first into the rock.

The thug slides down to the ground. Xena waits for the second thug, drawing her fist back and slugging him when he comes even with the wall.

Xena jumps over his body and runs the other direction, waving at the thugs still chasing her.

XENA

You couldn't catch a

three legged cow!

The thugs yell back at her and run faster. One throws an ax. Xena catches it, and throws it back. She pins the thug to a tree, his feet keep moving but he does not.

Xena laughs, and keeps running.

CUT TO:

EXT. FOREST - OUTSIDE SMALL CAVE - NIGHT

Three of the thugs have given up on the chase.

THUG 3

Hades with her. Let's

go have some beer.

THUG 4

Yeah.

The three men walk through the forest. Only one has a torch. The man with the torch stops to look at something, the other two walk on.

THUG 3

Hey, c'mon, man. Keep up!

THUG 4

Hey, look over there.

The number 4 thug points through the trees. Between the branches, they can see the faintest flicker of fire.

THUG 3

What's that?

THUG 4

Let's go see.

The men head towards the fire.

CUT TO:

EXT. FOREST - NIGHT - SAME TIME

Xena charges up a slope, the thugs right at her heels. The moon comes out and outlines all of them, almost dazzling in its brightness.

THUG 1

Hey! Stop! Stop! Or I'll....

XENA

Or you'll what, crap for brains?

THUG 1

Auuggh!! I'm gonna kill you!

Xena leads them up a path, and then she stumbles, making them yell in excitement. They reach out to grab her as she leads them around a corner.

Xena leaps into the air and catches hold of a hanging branch, swinging around and out over a sheer cliff.

The thugs pile after her, right off the end of the cliff without even a pause.

THUG 1

(cont’d)

Ahhhh!!! Ahhhh!!!!

THUG 2

Nooooooo!!!!!!!!!!

Xena pulls herself onto the branch and watches them fall, counting under her breath.

XENA

Six, seven, eight, nine....

Nine. Damn it!

Xena runs down the branch and jumps to the ground, heading off at a dead run.

CUT TO:

INT. SHALLOW CAVE - NIGHT - SAME TIME

Gabrielle holds her sais in her hands, the points resting on the ground. Selsha is sitting cross-legged next to her.

SELSHA

I never thought being a hero

would be so hard. So dangerous.

GABRIELLE

Neither did I.

SELSHA

What?

GABRIELLE

When I was a little girl, all I wanted to

be was a great warrior. Someone who

people told stories about to their children.

SELSHA

But... I thought you....

GABRIELLE

I thought if I could find someone to

teach me how, I'd have it made.

SELSHA

So what happened?

GABRIELLE

I found someone.

Gabrielle pauses and listens.

GABRIELLE

(cont’d)

And she taught me what

it was to be a warrior.

Gabrielle slowly gets up onto her knees.

SELSHA

Where are you going?

GABRIELLE

Get over near the wall behind me.

SELSHA

Why?

The sound of crackling branches is heard very close outside.

THUG 3

(voice over)

Hey look.... It's a cave!

THUG 4

(voice over)

Let's check it out!

Gabrielle struggles to her feet, facing the cave entrance. Selsha huddles against the wall, wide eyed.

SELSHA

(whispering)

What are you going to do?

Gabrielle manages a brief smile.

GABRIELLE

Whatever I have to.

The two thugs appear in the cave entrance.

THUG 3

Well, well. Lookie yere.

THUG 4

I knew leaving those jokers behind

was the right choice! Let's get ‘em!

Thug 3 lunges for Gabrielle, swiping at her with a club. Gabrielle manages to stop the swing, but at great cost. Her cut breaks partly open and she gasps.

The thug slams her against the wall and grabs one sai, twisting it out of her hand.

SELSHA

(screaming)

Ahhhhh!!! Ahhh! Help!!!!

Gabrielle shoves the thug back, but she drops to one knee as he bounces back. She grips her sai with both hands and makes her stand, putting her body between the thug and Selsha.

The thug grins and knocks Gabrielle's sai aside with a hand ax, reaching for her and lifting the ax for a second blow right at Gabrielle's head.

A whispering sound cuts through the air, and the thug jerks, then stiffens, his fingers twitching and his eyes bulging out of his head.

The thug falls forward onto Gabrielle, but he is literally a dead weight.

SELSHA

(cont’d, screaming)

AhhhhH!!!

A shadow fills the entrance to the cave. There is a man's scream outside, then Xena enters.

SELSHA

(cont’d)

Oh!

Xena pulls the dead thug off Gabrielle and tosses him to one side. Gabrielle groans, and drops her sai.

GABRIELLE

Xena.

Xena sits down on the ground and takes Gabrielle into her arms, cradling Gabrielle against her chest.

XENA

(whispering)

Too damn close.

Xena is covered in blood. She leans back against the wall, and stares over at Selsha.

Selsha swallows.

SELSHA

I don't think I wanna

be a hero anymore.

Gabrielle is obviously in a lot of pain.

GABRIELLE

Me either.

She pats Xena's chest.

GABRIELLE

(cont’d)

How bout you, Xena?

Xena rests her cheek against Gabrielle's hair.

XENA

Let's get out of here. We

can talk about heroes later.

GABRIELLE

Sounds like a great plan to me.

Xena stands up. She picks up Gabrielle and walks out of the cave, Selsha following meekly behind.

FADE OUT.

END OF ACT FOUR

TAG

FADE IN:

INT. VILLAGE INN - PRIVATE ROOM - MORNING

Gabrielle is propped up in bed, writing on a piece of parchment. The windows are open, and it is sunny and breezy outside.

Gabrielle pauses in her writing and glances out the window, smiles, then goes back to writing.

At the side of the bed is Xena's pack, with a roll of bandage half hanging out of it.  Next to the bed is a small table, on which rests a pitcher with a single pink and orange rose in it.

Someone knocks at the door. Gabrielle looks up again.

GABRIELLE

Come in.

The door opens, and Selsha enters. She is now dressed in a relatively demure dress and apron, and looks more like an innkeeper than a wild child.

SELSHA

Hi. Mind if I come in

and talk to you?

GABRIELLE

Never.

Gabrielle puts her parchment down. Selsha sits down gingerly on the chair near the bed.

SELSHA

How's your cut?

Gabrielle looks down at herself. Her middle is wrapped in perhaps a bit too much bandage.

GABRIELLE

Not too bad. It'll make an interesting

scar. Show and tell for the story.

Selsha winces.

SELSHA

I never thought being a hero was

like that.  Why do you do it?

Gabrielle twirls the quill she'd been writing with in her fingers.

GABRIELLE

Why? Hmm. I guess because

someone has to, don't they?

Selsha looks puzzled.

SELSHA

I don't get it. You wander around and

get hurt all the time, with grumpy

old Xena. What's in it for you?

Gabrielle looks at her parchment, then she looks at the pitcher, with its flower, then she looks at Selsha.

GABRIELLE

Everything.

Selsha gets up.

SELSHA

You're a little nutty. No offense.

GABRIELLE

None taken.

SELSHA

And I'm really sorry about the fight

and all. I hope you feel better soon.

Selsha goes to the door and opens it, turning to face Gabrielle.

SELSHA

(cont’d)

Good luck.

Gabrielle lifts her hand and waves. Selsha leaves, shaking her head.

Gabrielle folds her hands on her lap and turns her head to look at the window. Xena is on the outside, leaning against the window sill and watching her.

XENA

Everything?

Gabrielle nods. Xena jumps through the window and sits down on the edge of the bed. Gabrielle reaches out to take Xena's hand in hers.

GABRIELLE

(seriously)

Everything.

XENA

You are a little nutty.

GABRIELLE

Does that make

you a big nutty?

They both laugh, and Xena sprawls across the bed, tossing aside the parchment.

XENA

Thought I was

grumpy old Xena.

GABRIELLE

(snickering)

I should have told her where

the rose came from.

Xena picks up the quill and threatens Gabrielle with it.

XENA

Don't wreck my image, bard.

They both laugh again, and we -

FADE OUT.

DISCLAIMER

Gabrielle's macha was not harmed in the making of this motion

picture, but she will never turn down breakfast in bed if you offer.