ACT ONE

FADE IN:

INT. BEDROOM - EVE

Gabrielle is lying on her side as Xena gently places a bandage on her wound. Gabrielle slowly opens her eyes when she feels Xena’s lips on her forehead.

GABRIELLE

I couldn’t catch it and protect her too.

XENA

I know. You did the right thing.

GABRIELLE

Then why does it hurt so much?

XENA

The arrow went into your back, near

your spine. It was deep; I had to do

some serious cutting to get it out.

GABRIELLE

Am I gonna be okay?

XENA

Sure you are. Just a few days

rest and you’ll be fine.

She tries to hold back the tears as she combs her fingers through Gabrielle’s hair.

XENA

(Cont’d)

Rest now okay?

Gabrielle makes a soft mewing sound and is really asleep before Xena even finishes the sentence.

Xena stands up and turns to where Adrienne and Sappho are seated at a table in the corner. She looks back at Gabrielle and slowly walks across the room. She stops and leans her hands on the table, glaring at Adrienne.

XENA

Now. Did. You. Have. Anything.

To. Do. With. That?

ADRIENNE

No! Xena, I swear I don’t have any idea

who is behind this. I would never hurt

Sappho and I certainly wouldn’t hurt Gabrielle.

Sappho takes Xena’s clenched fist and rubs it.

SAPPHO

Is she okay?

XENA

There may be damage around her spine.

I won’t know for sure until the swelling

goes down, but she may never walk again.

Sappho puts her face in her hands, shaking her head slowly. She looks back to Xena with tears in her eyes.

SAPPHO

I’m so sorry.

XENA

So am I. And so is whoever did this

to her. They’ve crossed a line with me.

ADRIENNE

Is there anything we can do to help?

XENA

(nodding)

Oh you better believe it.

CUT TO:

EXT. VILLAGE - DAY

Xena, Adrienne and Sappho, still dressed like Gabrielle, are walking through the village and Xena is making a beeline for the magistrate’s office. Adrienne takes her by the arm.

ADRIENNE

Xena, trust me on this one. Danus

is a jackass. If you go in there

looking for trouble, he’ll give it to you.

XENA

Do I look like someone

who worries about trouble?

ADRIENNE

No, but let me try something before you

threaten to kill him. We’ve dealt with him

a lot. We know how to handle him. We

want to help you find out who hurt

Gabrielle, but busting his head

isn’t going to get us anywhere.

XENA

Maybe not, but I’ll feel a lot better.

Adrienne glances at Sappho and completely understands what Xena is saying.

ADRIENNE

I would too, but please let me try to help

you first. You’ve helped us by keeping

Sappho safe. It’s the least we can

do for the women who saved her life.

Xena nods reluctantly, but steps aside and lets Adrienne go in first.

CUT TO:

INT. OFFICE - DAY

Danus is seated at a large table with several of his men. They’re playing a card game of some type and there’s a pile of money in the middle.

XENA

Now there’s a vision of the

people’s tax money well spent.

All eyes turn to the trio. Adrienne steps forward, Sappho takes Xena hand and holds onto it.  Partly for support, and partly to try and hold her back.

ADRIENNE

We need to make a report, Danus.

Someone tried to kill Sappho.

Danus drops his cards and gets up from the table.

DANUS

When?

ADRIENNE

We were at the construction site with

Xena and Gabrielle and someone

shot her from the top of the wall.

DANUS

Do you have any idea who it was?

XENA

If we did, we wouldn’t be here.

DANUS

Oh, why not?

XENA

I would have already killed them.

SAPPHO

(quietly)

Xena....

Xena nods again and stops before she says too much. She looks at the faces of the young men playing cards with Danus. As she appraises them, she notices that they’re wearing cloaks like the one that she saw disappear over the wall. She tenses and Sappho once again tries to calm her. She takes Xena by the arm and leads her to a corner.

SAPPHO

Don’t.

XENA

It was one of them. I saw

one of those cloaks....

SAPPHO

Not necessarily. That’s a standard part of the

uniform and a lot of people in the island wear

them anyhow. Xena, if you tip your hand, you

won’t do Gabrielle any good. Let’s just get

this done and get back to the house so you

can be with her. Remember, we’ve got the

brains, but Danus has the numbers and he

wouldn’t hesitate to set every guard

under his command on you.

XENA

All right.

She smiles at Sappho.

XENA

(Cont’d)

You sound like Gabrielle.

SAPPHO

I take that as a great compliment.

Across the room, Adrienne still has Danus engaged in conversation.

DANUS

I’ll open an investigation immediately.

I’ll bring some men and see what we

can find out. I’ll need to see Sappho too.

SAPPHO

You can’t. She’s badly injured

and she needs to rest.

ADRIENNE

I won’t let you disturb her, at least

not today. Tomorrow perhaps.

DANUS

(nodding)

All right. Go back there and

wait for us. We’ll be out later.

CUT TO:

INT. BEDROOM - DAY

Xena is sitting on the bed wiping down Gabrielle’s skin with a cloth. It’s apparent that her condition is not improving at all and has probably even slipped since Xena has seen her last.

XENA

Hang in there, sweetheart.

Sappho enters with a young servant woman who is carrying a tray with food and a few other items, which she places on a table next to the bed. She bows politely and leaves.

SAPPHO

How is she?

XENA

Not good. The wound is infected

and she’s running a fever.

SAPPHO

The herbs you asked for are right here.

XENA

Thank you. Can you keep running this

over her forehead until I get them mixed?

SAPPHO

Of course.

They trade places and Xena begins mixing the herbs that hopefully will draw the infection from Gabrielle’s body.

SAPPHO

(Cont’d)

Xena, do you think there’s still a

chance she won’t walk again?

XENA

I think there is a very

good chance of that.

SAPPHO

What will you do?

XENA

I’m not sure. The one place we could

have gone doesn’t exist anymore.

SAPPHO

You could stay here if you like.

XENA

What?

SAPPHO

I said, you could stay here on the island if

you like. You’d be safe here and Gabrielle

could help teach at the school. Assuming I

ever get it open. Trust me when I tell you

Xena, that this is the first time in my life that

I have had problems here. It’s always been

a beautiful and very peaceful place. I would

understand if you would rather leave the

island though. I think it would be very

difficult for you two to be happy here.

Xena nods as she continues mixing the herbs. She bites her lip for a second before retaking her seat on the bed.

XENA

Help me roll her onto her stomach.

Carefully, they roll her over, causing her to groan a little. Xena uncovers the wound, which is now inflamed, and a very angry red.

Sappho tries not to gag.

SAPPHO

Oh my.

XENA

Hand me that knife.

Sappho hands the requested item from the table next to the bed and Xena places the blade against Gabrielle’s skin. Xena brushes her hand through Gabrielle’s hair even though she’s sure her partner can’t hear her.

XENA

I’m sorry, sweetheart.

This is going to hurt.

She proceeds to cut open the wound. Blood and a foul smelling puss pour out of it. Xena is quick to load it up with clean cloth and carefully clean away the infection. Sappho is standing there obviously fighting the desire to be sick as she watches Gabrielle’s hands reflex and grasp the sheets, even though she never makes a sound.

SAPPHO

Unconscious or not, I’d

be yelling like crazy.

XENA

She knows that she can’t. It’s a matter

of survival. If this had happened on the

road, she’d have to be quiet to

keep anyone from finding us.

Sappho shakes her head in disbelief. Xena just continues dealing with the wound, by packing herbs in it and then replacing the bandage.

SAPPHO

I’m sure she’s going to be fine.

But just in case, please

consider my offer.

XENA

I will.

She glances down to Gabrielle, who is slowly releasing her grip on the linens.

XENA

(Cont’d)

We will. Maybe this is her chance

to be that famous playwright.

SAPPHO

Excuse me?

XENA

Just something from another life.

CUT TO:

INT. BEDROOM - DAY

Xena is still sitting with Gabrielle, eating some stew but keeping a careful eye on her sleeping partner when there is a knock on the door.

XENA

Come in.

Adrienne enters. She is carrying a piece of cloth. She crosses to Xena and offers it.

ADRIENNE

Danus and his men just arrived, but I took

the liberty of doing a little investigating on

my own first.  I found this caught on the

branch of the tree that the arrow came from.

Xena takes the cloth.

XENA

Looks like our assassin

mussed his wardrobe.

ADRIENNE

He did more that than. He mussed

himself. There’s a streak of blood

on the other side of the wall about

the width of, oh say, a hand.

XENA

I don’t suppose you looked

for the actual hand?

ADRIENNE

I don’t think it was ripped off.

XENA

I can always hope.

ADRIENNE

True, but I suspect that it’s badly broken.

From the look of the ground where the

landing took place, it wasn’t the most

graceful. Fortunately, I know

someone who fits that description.

Xena is on her feet in a split second.

XENA

Who?

ADRIENNE

Danus’ son, Demis. He’s great with

a crossbow, but clumsy as a goat.

XENA

Why would he do this?

ADRIENNE

Last year, he asked to study here. Sappho said yes,

and from there everything went down hill. First, he has

no talent. I mean he can’t write, play an instrument,

paint, work with clay and don’t even let me tell you what

happened when he tried to sing. Second, it became

pretty clear that he had a horrible crush on Sappho.

That was when we had to ask him to leave. Eventually

we even had to go to his father and ask him to step

in. After that we didn’t have any more problems.

XENA

And now the idea of her opening a

school just pushed him over the edge?

ADRIENNE

I think it’s possible.

XENA

We need to find out for sure.

ADRIENNE

I know, and I have a plan

if you’re willing to hear it.

Xena gestures to Gabrielle.

XENA

Look at her. Of course

I’m willing to listen to it.

Adrienne takes a seat at the table and gestures for Xena to join her.

ADRIENNE

I think this is what we should do.

FADE OUT.

END OF ACT ONE

ACT TWO