*Callisto-“Mom? Rachel?”

 

*Callisto looks up to see a young Xena (Adrienne Wilkenson) ride into the village, a battle cry on her lips. She swings a mace; killing the village men she passes by hitting them in the face.  When she reaches the center of the square she flips off her horse, lands and begins cutting down more village men.

 

*Callisto-“No!  Don’t hurt us!”

 

Eve

Please, don’t hurt us!

 

*Xena pulls one of her men aside as he chases a village woman.

 

*Xena-“How did this village catch fire?”

 

*Man-“I don’t know Xena.  I don’t know.”

 

*Xena lets the man go just as Callisto’s father attacks Xena.

 

*Callisto-“No!  Daddy don’t!”

 

*Xena quickly cuts him down.

 

*Callisto-“Daddy!”

 

Eve

Daddy!

 

*Callisto runs to Xena’s father, who lies at Xena’s feet, dead.  She weeps over his body.

 

In the present Eve mimic’s the movement’s of young Callisto.  She drops to her knees and weeps over him.

 

*As Callisto holds him, the burning tree falls onto the shed and Callisto can hear her mother and sister screaming as they die.

 

Eve

Mommy!  Rachel!  Somebody help them!

 

Eve gets to her feet and begins to run, still blind in her memories of Callisto’s youth.

 

*One of the soldiers moves up to pull Callisto to a slave wagon but Xena shoves him away.

 

*Xena-“Tell my men to move out.  Release the women and children we have.”

 

*Soldier-“But-“

 

*Xena-“Do it!  This village is a total loss.”

 

*Soldier-“Yes Xena.”

 

*The soldier moves away and Callisto looks up at Xena, tears spilling down her cheeks.

 

*Callisto-“Why?  Why did you destroy my life?”

 

*Xena-“I’m Xena.  It’s what I do.”

 

*Callisto-“Remember the name Callisto. I will be your greatest enemy.”

 

*Xena stares her down for a long moment.  When Callisto doesn’t look away, she mounts up.  She takes up the rear as her men head out of the village, but turns to face Callisto one last time.  We see a wide shot of Callisto looking Xena in the eye.

 

*Callisto- “I’ll make you wish I’d never been born”

 

The images go from Callisto’s village to the Roman arena in “Livia.”  This time we see Livia and Xena face to face in the exact same places Xena and Callisto had been in Callisto’s youth, Xena to the left of the screen Livia to the right.

 

*Livia-“I’ll make you wish I’d never been born.”

 

Eve comes out of her memories, covered in sweat and tears streaking her face.  She finds herself at the edge of the town Gabrielle is defending.  She looks to the local Inn, knowing Gabrielle is inside, perhaps 50 yards away.

 

Eve

Gabrielle.

 

Int-Palace in Heaven

Michael watches Eve as she stares at the Inn.

 

Michael

Eli is too late.  The Awakening

has begun.

 

Ext-Town Square-Eve

Someone taps Eve on the shoulder and she turns to find Rachel standing behind her.

 

Rachel

Boo!

 

Eve takes off for the Inn, screaming for help.

 

Eve

Gabrielle!  Help me!

 

                                                                                                                                                           Cut to:

Int-Cottage

 

Gabrielle and Hope are embroiled in a vicious battle.  Gabrielle succeeds in breaking Hope’s staff with her Katana but her daughter begins to use the staff like chobo’s. To better defend against them, she sheathes the Katana and draws her Sai’s and attacks Hope. 

 

Hope

I’m immortal.  You know you

can’t kill me so why do you try

so hard?

 

Gabrielle

I fight for good. I’ll die to defend

the world against creatures like you.

 

Hope

Xena felt the same way.  Look

what it got her.

 

Gabrielle

(pissed)

I don’t ever want to hear her

Name on your lips again!

 

Gabrielle attacks with a new ferocity until she hears Eve’s voice calling for help outside.  She turns to see Eve running up the street dressed as Callisto with a Callisto look-alike apparently flying through the air behind her.  A portal to hell opens directly in front of Eve and she falls in, though she does manage to grab the edge at the last second.

 

Gabrielle

What the hell?

 

Hope moves to make the fatal blow while Gabrielle’s head is turned but a hand wraps around her wrist and stops her.  Gabrielle turns to find Eli holding on to Hope’s wrist.  Hope goes into a seizure as if she is being electrocuted.  We see Dahak in his realm dying from the contact with Eli, a Holy being.  As Dahak screams, Hope mirrors it until Dahak explodes.  When Dahak dies, Hope collapses to the floor, unconscious.

 

Gabrielle

Eli!

 

Eli

Save Eve.  She must not be taken

to hell.

 

Gabrielle rushes out the door then executes an amazing flip through the air until she lands right in front of Eve. She manages to catch Eve’s wrist before she falls through the portal and hauls her out.

 

Rachel

I don’t believe it! The battling

Bard of Potidea in the flesh!  I

don’t think you have any idea how

much my mother hated you.

 

Eve

Don’t let her spit on you Gabrielle.

 

Gabrielle

Spit? 

 

Rachel does just that and Gabrielle manages to hold up her Sai’s to deflect it. They begin to dissolve immediately of course and she throws them down before the stuff can get on her hands. 

 

Gabrielle

Those were antiques you nasty

little bitch.

 

Rachel

Now is that anyway to talk to your

grand-niece, Auntie Gabrielle?

 

Gabrielle

What are you talking about?

 

Eve

She claims she’s my daughter.

 

Gabrielle studies the all too familiar face and shakes her head. 

 

Gabrielle

Not your daughter.  Callisto’s daughter.

 

Rachel

I don’t care what Lucifer says

Gabrielle.  You’re not stupid. 

And she is Callisto isn’t she?

 

Rachel attacks and Gabrielle defends by separating the Chakram and using the two halves.  The spit is disgusting but it has no effect on the Chakram, much to Rachel’s dismay, and her fireballs are useless against the Chakram as well.  Gabrielle finally succeeds in kicking Rachel back into the portal and it seals shut.

 

Gabrielle

Eve?  Are you ok?

 

Eve doesn’t answer because she is lost in another memory and Gabrielle can’t get her back.  Gabrielle looks up to find Eli standing over them, holding an unconscious Hope in his arms.

 

Gabrielle

Eli, what’s wrong with Eve?

What did that thing do to her?

 

Eli

She’s lost in the Awakening.

 

Gabrielle

What’s that?

 

Eli

There is much to explain.  Just

know for now we can’t stay here.

we need to keep moving.

 

Gabrielle

What about her? 

 

Eli

We take her with us.

 

Gabrielle

No.  Absolutely not.  I don’t doubt

in the least she was working with

that demon to kill Eve. 

 

Eli

I’m going to have to ask you to

trust me on this one Gabrielle.

She goes with us.

 

It’s clear that Gabrielle doesn’t like it but she gives up on her objections.  There isn’t much time before Rachel returns.

 

Gabrielle

Fine.  Let’s go.

 

                                                                                                                                                           Cut to:

Ext-Forest.

 

Gabrielle paces back and forth after having heard Eli’s story.  Hope and Eve lie near each other on bedrolls.  Hope is unconscious and Eve tosses and turns, lost in memories.

 

Gabrielle

So once someone is re-incarnated

and they lose their memories of

their past life, you have the power

to force them to remember?  This forced

memory is called the Awakening?

 

Eli

Yes.  Rachel has done this to Eve.

 

Gabrielle

And they want to take her back to

hell to make her to give them the

location of Heaven’s Gate?

 

Eli

Worse. They want to resurrect

Callisto so she will lead them in the

fight to secure their stronghold on

heaven.

 

Gabrielle

You have to save her.  You can’t

let her be turned back into Callisto.

Don’t you understand? She’s all I have

left of Xena.  When I look into her

eyes…it’s like looking into Xena’s eyes. I

can’t lose both of them Eli. I just can’t.

 

Eli

I understand that better than you think

Gabrielle, but because the Awakening

has already begun, it’s no longer a question of

if Callisto will return but when. 

 

Gabrielle

You’re saying you can’t stop it?

 

Eli

No, I can’t. She’s regaining all of

Callisto’s memories.  When that

happens Eve will have only a short

time before her present form dies

out and she physically transforms

back into Callisto.  The only thing

we can do to save her from hell is…

  

Gabrielle

What?

 

Eli

When she transforms back

into Callisto I will have to

kill her body so her soul can

be released back into Heaven.

that way she will be forever safe

in paradise, and so will the

secret of the Gate.

 

Gabrielle sits down and stares at Eve in shock.  She just can’t believe it. She’s lost Xena, now she’s going to lose Eve as well. 

 

Gabrielle

I can’t believe this. I just…

I can’t believe this is happening.

(numbly)

How long do you think it’s going

To take Hope to tell Rachel

Where we are?

 

Eli

She can’t. Dahak is dead and Hope

is no longer a god.  She’s no longer

evil Gabrielle.

 

Gabrielle

No longer evil?  That’s not possible.

 

Eli

It is.  Just as Xena redeemed

Callisto, I have redeemed Hope.

Now she’s a mortal, the same as

you, and when she comes to she’s

going to need her mother to help-

 

Gabrielle

No.  After all she’s done to Xena and me,

I can’t be her mother.  I won’t be her

mother. 

 

Eli

I know having you daughter

redeemed is your deepest desire.

You want to love her Gabrielle.  I have

given you have that chance now. 

 

Gabrielle

You want to give me something?

Save Eve. 

 

Eli

I can’t do that.

 

Gabrielle

Then find someone who can!  I don’t

care who you have to pray to but you

find a way to keep Eve from

turning back into Callisto!  She’s all I

have left of Xena Eli. I won’t lose her.

 

Instead of arguing the point Eli nods his head in agreement.

 

Eli

I’ll do what I can.  I don’t promise

anything. 

 

      Gabrielle

Just promise me you’ll try.

 

Gabrielle storms off into the forest leaving Eli to watch over Eve and Hope.

Continued - part 4