ACT FOUR

FADE IN

All six of them approach the gates of Hell, Xena, Gabrielle, Eve and Ares holding the spheres of the other gods, Zeus and Hera behind them. They look disoriented.

There is a bright flash of light that beams down in front of them and Michael, Uriel and Raphael appear. They are all holding their swords.

MICHAEL:
     Well, if it isn't the Salvation Army. Where do you think you're going? You're in Hell; once you've entered, you can never leave even if it isn't your time yet.

XENA:
     Oh, really? And who's going to stop me? You? You know as well as I do that gods have no powers in the underworlds. And that includes angels.

RAPHAEL (trying to reason with her):
     By defying us, you are putting yourself in a position that will permanently put you on the list for Hell when you die.

XENA:
     What makes you think I won't end up here anyway?

GABRIELLE:
     I thought you were on our side, Raphael, that you were different than those two?

RAPHAEL:
     I serve God, Gabrielle, first and foremost. I will not disobey Him.

URIEL (anxious):
     Oh, cut with the chitchat. Are we going to stop them or what?

All three archangels attack. Xena, Ares and Gabrielle give their spheres to Zeus, Hera, and Eve and then attack. It is a magnificent fight, but without the archangel's powers, they become like any other mortal.

Xena attacks Michael angrily. He swings and she counters it with her sword, pushing him backward. Before he has time to recover, Xena leaps into the air and kicks him in the face. She lands behind him and catches him as he loses his balance. She pulls her sword over his throat.

XENA (snarls):
     Not so tough without your powers, huh?

MICHAEL:
     You will not reach the surface with the gods! By doing so, they'll regain their powers.

XENA:
     Exactly what I'm counting on!

CUT TO

Ares fighting Uriel.

URIEL:
     You know, I would have thought the God of War would be able to fight better than you.

ARES (annoyed):
     I'm just doing my bit to make it a fair fight. You're not exactly the sharpest tool in the shed, are you?

He kicks Ares in the side; he steps back before regaining his balance.

URIEL:
     I'm better than you.

Ares lunges at Uriel with all his might, throwing him against the cave wall. His sword placed against Uriel's throat.

ARES:
     Yeah. Like I said.

CUT TO

Eve, Zeus, and Hera watching the battle before them. Zeus looks at Eve.

ZEUS:
     So you're Eve. (she looks at him) I saw you when you were first born and...I was going to kill you until...I died instead. You must hate me for what I tried to do.

EVE:
     Michael may be corrupted but that doesn't mean Eli is. I've done worse things in my time--why should I be angry with you?

Zeus holds his hand out to her.

ZEUS:
     You're a wise young woman.

Eve takes his hand.

EVE:
     It runs in the family.

CUT TO

Gabrielle fighting Raphael. Raphael swings at Gabrielle, she catches the sword in her sais and pushes him back. He stops fighting for a moment.

RAPHAEL:
     I'm sorry I have to do this, Gabrielle but...it's our duty to keep God in power. By restoring the pantheon, you will be disrupting the order of things.

GABRIELLE:
     Them being in power and being alive are two different things, Raphael. Just because their reign is over doesn't mean they deserved that fate.

Raphael backs off for a moment and looks at Michael and Uriel who are still fighting Ares and Xena. They seem to be losing, Michael is backed into a corner, Xena's sword pointed at his throat and Uriel is on his back, Ares looking down at him, sword pointed.

MICHAEL (realizing defeat, snarls):
     This isn't over, Xena. Make no mistake of that. God will always prevail.

Xena moves her sword away from his throat. He walks over to Uriel, who stands up and then they both walk over to Raphael. Michael and Uriel give all of them scornful looks.

URIEL:
     We will return. Count on it.

XENA:
     Oh, I am.

Raphael looks at Gabrielle, but there isn't hate in his eyes like there is in Michael and Uriel's. He looks at her thoughtfully before a light from above shoots down over the three archangels and engulfs them. They disappear.

Xena sighs and puts her sword in the scabbard at her back. She looks at Eve, Gabrielle, Ares, Zeus and Hera who walk up to her. She takes the spheres from Zeus and Hera, giving some to Ares and Gabrielle and then they head out through the gates.

CUT TO

The six of them are walking out of the cave. Just as they do so, Zeus and Hera, who are walking behind them, begin to glow brightly with a brilliant light. The four of them look back at the gods who are being covered with a light, wind whipping around them. It soon fades and the four of them can see that Zeus and Hera have been returned to their normal selves; their powers are back.

After moments of silence, Zeus walks up to Xena.

ZEUS:
     Xena, I was wrong...for trying to kill Eve. I was too afraid of losing my powers and I was willing to do anything to keep that from happening.

XENA:
     It might have been Michael's plan, but it was my daughter that suffered. It's her you need to apologize to.

ZEUS:
     I already did.

Xena looks over at Eve, who nods in confirmation.

XENA:
     If she forgives you, I'll try to do the same.

Zeus nods. He then looks over at Ares, who is watching him, emotionless.

ZEUS (walks up to him):
     Son...

Ares waits for him to continue but realizes that he isn't going to and nods in understanding. Zeus walks over to Hera, takes her and in a spectacular burst of light, they disappear.

Xena watches as the light fades and then looks at the spheres she holds in her hands. Inside each one, a miniature form of the gods can be seen, scrapping at the glass and screaming, begging to be let out.

Xena looks at it for a moment and then lets go of it. It falls to the ground and shatters. From it, the god that had been trapped rises from it, still in the form of a shinning firefly and flies up into the sky.

Ares, Gabrielle, and Eve do the same with their spheres. Ares, however, saves one with a golden aura. All four of them watch as the different colored lights fly into the sky, zigging and zagging through the air, shouting with joy until they are gone from sight.

Ares looks at the one sphere he has left.

ARES:
     Oh, look...my dear sister.

He shakes it. Golden glittery stuff flies all over the place.

ARES:
     It's snowing!

He watches for a moment longer before dropping it to the ground. A little golden firefly hops out, quickly growing to a full-sized Athena. She looks weak and thin and there is a hollowness in her eyes.

She steps closer to Ares--who is wary--and then, on an impulse, hugs him tightly. He looks over her shoulder at Xena, completely wrong footed. She nods at him, so he awkwardly pats his sister's back.

We see Athena's face. Her eyes are closed, but a few tears have run down her face. She is overcome by emotion.

They finally break apart.

ARES:
     Guess that means you don't hate me at the moment, right?

Athena makes a noise partway between a laugh and a sob.

ATHENA:
     Thank you, Ares. I mean that.

She takes Ares' hand in her own and they nod at each other before Athena disappears in a flicker of gold light.

EVE:
     The gods are free. (she smiles) I hope they take advantage of their second chance at life and use it wisely.

GABRIELLE:
     Yeah.

Gabrielle smiles at Eve and then looks over at Xena and Ares, who are looking at each other thoughtfully. Gabrielle puts her hand on Eve's shoulder and they turn and walk a short distance away, leaving Xena and Ares alone.

ARES (grins):
     So, you're not afraid of me, huh? I must be slipping.

XENA:
     Keep slipping, Ares--you're on the right track.

ARES:
     So I was right. You do care.

There is a moment of silence.

XENA:
     You know I do.

She gives him a half smile and he disappears. Xena heads back to Gabrielle and Eve.

CUT TO

GABRIELLE:
     You know, something good happened while we were in there.

Xena and Eve both look at her, as if to say "duh." Gabrielle corrects herself.

GABRIELLE:
     I mean aside from the obvious.

XENA:
     And what would that be?

GABRIELLE:
     I think I finally let go of Hope. You know, all these years, I thought that she was...well, the way she was--because I didn't love her enough. (she pauses, battling her emotions)

XENA:
     But you did! You loved her so much...

GABRIELLE (swallows and nods):
     I know that now. I guess I felt I'd failed her somehow. Failed myself. (more confidently) But I hadn't. (with tentative humor) I think I could be a good mother, as long as the child wasn't another murdering demon created to bring about the end of the world.

Eve looks down guiltily. Gabrielle sees her and realizes what she said.

GABRIELLE:
     I'm sorry, Eve--I didn't mean that.

Eve walks on ahead of the other two.

GABRIELLE:
     I didn't mean that like it sounded, Xena.

Xena looks at her for a moment and nods.

XENA:
     I know. Let me go talk to her.

CUT TO

Eve and Xena walking. They don't speak for a long while. Eve eventually breaks the silence.

EVE:
     I wouldn't have killed you in that temple, you know.

XENA:
     I know. Gabrielle wasn't talking about you back then. She didn't mean it.

EVE:
     I know she wasn't--but this whole thing happened because I was born.

Xena stops her and puts a hand on her face.

XENA:
     No. It happened--and you were born--because of Michael and his God. Don't you blame yourself for his evil. You have enough to worry about with your own.

Eve nods thoughtfully.

EVE:
     How do you live with it, Mother? How do you fight and still tell yourself you're doing the right thing?

XENA:
     All you can do to make amends for your past is to do the right thing. There's no other option. For you, at the moment, your preaching is the best way to do that. For me it's stopping Michael from corrupting someone else's daughter.

EVE:
     You don't think I should fight like you and Gabrielle?

XENA:
     I think you will, when you're ready.

EVE:
     Maybe.

XENA:
     Do you want to go back and walk with Gabrielle again?

EVE:
     Yeah...let's go.

CUT TO

Eve, Xena and Gabrielle walking.

GABRIELLE:
     Xena, you really think Michael and the other archangels will be back? With the gods back, what would be the point? (chuckles) It's not like they're going to get you to kill them again.

XENA:
     I don't know. But we'll be ready for them if they do.

EVE:
     We always are.

XENA (nods, puts her hand around Eve; smiles):
     That's right.

Gabrielle puts her hand around Xena and they walk along the steps of the temple until they are out of view as we:

FADE OUT

THE END

[None of Lucifer's winged demons were harmed during the production of this motion picture. However, several were mildly traumatized by being labeled "pet bats".]

Xena: Warrior Princess Shipper Seasons Season 7 Episode 10 A Very Narrow Bridge Story By: Tango and LadyKate Written By: Aurora Edited By: Amber Collage By: Aurora Images Gathered By: Aurora Cast Xena Lucy Lawless Gabrielle Renee O'Connor Eve Adrienne Wilkinson Ares Kevin Smith Michael Charles Mesure Raphael Tamati Rice Uriel Carmon Hanson Zeus Charles Keating Hera Meg Foster Athena Paris Jefferson Briareus Travis Patrick Cottus Jared Patterson Gyges Mike Nance Head #1 Mark Newell Head #1 Val Ky Head #1 Erik Mullin Head #1 Bill Erens Original Airdate January 12, 2002 None of Lucifer's winged demons were harmed during the production of this motion picture. However, several were mildly traumatized by being labeled "pet bats". DEDICATED TO KEVIN SMITH All characters and storylines that have appeared in the syndicated series Xena: Warrior Princess are a copyright and trademark of Universal and Renaissance Pictures. No infringement was intended during the writing of this script. All original characters and storylines are a copyright of the respective authors and of the Shipper Seasons. No script may be reproduced on a website elsewhere without the author's consent. © Shipper Seasons www.shipperseasons.com

This script is provided by GDev Resources.