FADE IN

Overhead view of a vast desert of sand in the dark of night. A few patches of yellow light dot the darkness.

CUT TO

Gabrielle sits beside a dying fire, holding Samuel in her arms. She rocks him gently, humming a soft tune. She is still wearing her Legacy-style desert outfit.

Scattered around her are the Israelite refugees, sleeping closely together around more campfires. Gabrielle looks down at Samuel.

His eyes have started to close as she rocks him to sleep but he looks up at her. She smiles at him then looks up into the sky, watching the stars twinkle and a bird fly overhead.

DISSOLVE TO

A small oasis. A campfire burns brightly in a small grove of sparse, scraggly trees, the sound of trickling water in the distance.

Ares is sitting on a large, dead log beside the campfire. His sword rests beside him and his horse can be seen tethered to a tree in the background. Haimon is sitting next to him, absent-mindedly tapping a stick on the ground, obviously lost in thought. Suddenly, in a gesture of obvious frustration, he breaks the stick in half with a loud snap and throws it in the fire. Ares raises his head slowly and gives him a questioning look.

Haimon rises to his feet and paces back and forth.

HAIMON (frustrated):
     She could have sent word she was having my child.

ARES:
     What did you expect? A letter care of the Roman army?

HAIMON:
     Sure, it's all my fault. (He sits down again and sighs) You know, this was not where I thought I'd end up.

ARES (chuckles):
     Welcome to the club.

HAIMON (almost to himself):
     All I really wanted was a life with Gabrielle. To be together--have a family...

As he speaks, the camera pans to Ares, who rolls his eyes sarcastically.

HAIMON (now off-camera, continues, his voice dropping lower):
     Except--there was always Xena.

Ares' expression turns almost sympathetic as he turns to look at Haimon.

HAIMON (continues):
     I didn't think I could compete.

Pan around to show Xena walking toward the camp, with a large bird in her hand. She stops in her tracks, looking troubled. Pan to Ares and Haimon; Xena's figure is visible behind them, though blurred.

ARES:
     That's the way it goes. Didn't I tell you they always come first for each other? You either deal with that--or move on.

HAIMON (bitterly):
     Easy for you to say.

Ares shoots him a sarcastic look.

ARES:
     You think?

Pan to Xena for a close-up. She looks troubled.

CUT TO

Daybreak. The blazing sun shines over a hot, dry desert of terracotta-colored sand.

CUT TO

The refugees are traveling through the desert, with red cliffs visible in the distance. Gabrielle leads the way; she has a sling over her shoulder with a pouch at the front that holds Samuel securely. Darion is walking next to her, holding out a stick like a sword and looking around. Gabrielle glances at him and smiles.

GABRIELLE:
     Want some water?

DARION:
     Sure.

Gabrielle opens the flap of a saddlebag on the horse beside her. She sees something move and jerks her hand away. A scorpion scurries out of the bag and Gabrielle pulls her hand back, startled, clutching Samuel closer. The scorpion sits on the side of the bag, its curled poison-tipped tail raised behind its body. Suddenly, a stick comes down, knocking the scorpion down into the sand and then, just as quickly, smashing it. Gabrielle looks up to see Darion pulling the stick back and scraping the end against the sand.

GABRIELLE (smiles):
     Always looking out for me, huh?

DARION (proudly):
     Yeah.

She chuckles and ruffles his hair.

GABRIELLE:
     Thank you, young man.

Darion beams as Gabrielle cautiously pulls the waterskin out of the bag and hands it to him.

DISSOLVE TO

A long shot of the caravan of refugees moving on through the desert.

DISSOLVE TO

The Israelites, led by Gabrielle with Darion at her side, walk between the walls of two cliffs.

Pan to a large, thuggish-looking man who steps out from behind some rocks and stands in the way of the caravan, his hand on a sword.

GABRIELLE (frowns):
     What do you want?

MAN:
     No one comes through the pass without paying the toll.

GABRIELLE (scoffs):
     Who's collecting?

MAN (grins broadly):
     Me and my friends.

A group of armed thugs file out from behind the rocks, blocking the path.

Gabrielle turns to Naomi and quickly hands Samuel over, then steps out in front of the group. Darion begins to follow her but Gabrielle holds out a firm hand as if to tell him to stay.

Close-up on Darion as he nods, backing off but watching Gabriele intently.

Gabrielle walks toward the bandits.

GABRIELLE (trying to reason):
     Look, these people have lost everything.

THUG LEADER (taps his hand on the hilt of his sword):
     Do I look like I care?

He laughs and the others join in. Gabrielle stands still for a moment, then gives him a chilly smile.

GABRIELLE:
     Give me a moment.

She walks toward the group of refugees, her back to the thugs, and approaches one of them, an old man who is leaning on a large walking stick.

Gabrielle nods silently toward the stick. The older man steps back, letting her take it. Gabrielle grips the stick with both hands and then whips around toward the bandits, a determined look in her eyes.

Pan to Naomi, who gasps slightly.

GABRIELLE:
     I care.

Gabrielle spins the staff skillfully as she moves toward the thugs.

THUG LEADER (shakes his head):
     Well, if you insist...

He signals his men to attack. They do.

Her confident moves showing that she has not lost her old skills, Gabrielle parries the bandit's attack with the staff, twirling it, hitting one man with one end, then hitting another man with the other. The swords are propelled from their hands and land in the sand beside the cliff.

Naomi and Darion watch; Darion with admiration, Naomi with uncertainty.

One of the bandits charges. Gabrielle aims the staff at his legs, knocking him off his feet and he falls face-first into the sand. With scraped palms, he stands up and turns. Gabrielle hits him in the stomach with the staff and he doubles over. She rams the staff into the sand and uses it as leverage as she rises up off the ground and kicks two more of the men coming toward her from behind, knocking them down as well.

Pan to Naomi. Samuel wakes up in her arms and starts to cry.

Quick pan to Gabrielle, who whips her head around at the sound of the baby's wail. Taking advantage of her distraction, one of the men she has just knocked down scrambles to his feet and starts coming up behind her, raising a club.

Quick pan to Darion. He bends down, picks up a piece of rock and throws it. Pan to the would-be assailant who is hit in the head. He stumbles and falls, momentarily knocked out. Gabrielle looks at Darion, clearly disturbed.

Meanwhile, the thug leader looks incredulously at his downed comrades and moves toward Gabrielle, trying to be cocky.

THUG LEADER:
     You're tougher than you look.

Gabrielle narrows her eyes at him as he charges, swinging his sword. She parries a thrust of the sword with her makeshift staff, then another. He kicks her in the shins and she stumbles for a moment--but then rallies to parry another blow of his sword, knocking it out of his hand. As he dives to pick it up, she slams the staff hard on his shoulders and knocks him down. He cries out as he falls.

Breathing hard, Gabrielle stands over him as he begins to pick himself up. He finds himself staring at the sharp end of the staff. He looks around at his men, who sit up groaning and rubbing the sore spots.

GABRIELLE:
     Had enough?

The thug leader grunts resentfully as she stands back to let him rise to his feet. He cautiously picks up his sword and slips it into the sheath, then waves retreat to his men. They disappear behind the rocks. Gabrielle stands still, staring after them.

Loud cheers go up from the Israelites. Gabrielle glances at them, startled, as if coming out of a bit of a trance. A look of regret comes over her face as she looks at the staff.

Darion runs up to her.

DARION:
     Are you okay?

GABRIELLE:
     Yes, I am. (She clutches his shoulder) What did you think you were doing? You could have killed that man!

DARION (defensively):
     I was helping you!

GABRIELLE (pained, slightly at a loss):
     Darion....

She is interrupted by Naomi, who walks up to her and holds out Samuel. The baby is still whimpering a little.

NAOMI:
     That was very brave.

Gabrielle looks down at her son who is looking back at her with big blue eyes, filled with tears.

Gabrielle looks up at Naomi and slowly takes the baby from her arms. She rocks Samuel until he stops crying, then secures him in the sling at her side. She hands the staff back to the old man.

GABRIELLE (in a determined voice):
     Come on. We'll be in Petra soon.

Gabrielle grabs her horse's reins and walks. Naomi and Darion watch her for a moment, then follow, with the other refugees behind them.

DISSOLVE TO

The sun setting in the sky, as we:

FADE OUT

END OF TEASER