Previously on Xena...
Hello, Mother.
Hope?
Ares came to me.
He said that I had to stop you from
k*lling Hope, or you were going to die.
I would gladly die to rid
the world of that thing.
Daughter of Dahak...
When the blood flows,
my father will enter the world.
I know that Hope has to die...
It's growing...
Hope is pregnant
with your child.
The way that
I grew inside of you.
If Xena kills Hope...
Xena... will die.
Hope!
Gabrielle!
Xena!
Pluto?
Blasted dog!
Where in Tartarus...?
Pluto!
Confounded dog!
Pluto!
Come here!
Pluto!
Here, boy!
Come!
Come here!
By the gods!
Pluto?
Pluto!
Zeus, you scared me!
Hey, none of that.
I brought your favorite...
Daisies.
They're in bloom now, so...
I can bring 'em fresh
to ya every day.
Gabrielle...
Gabrielle!
She's alive!
Xena?
What're you doing?
Gabrielle's alive?
She's alive?
I had a vision.
I couldn't be sure until now.
A vision...
Xena...
No one could have
survived that fall.
And if they did,
the lava river would have...
Poteidaia...
She would've gone
back to her family.
You know, I can see Gabrielle
growin' up around here...
Helping her mom and dad
with the chores...
Playing games with her sister...
Makin' the other kids laugh...
- Tell us a story!
- Tell us a story!
Oh, what a lovely
day it is today!
Hello.
Who are you?
Hello, boys and girls...
Funny,
I just thought that maybe...
- My name is Mr. Wolf.
- I love this story!
- It's a nice day today, isn't it?
- Yeah.
- Oh, what are they?
- Sheep.
They look very nice.
Four plump...
In a time of ancient gods...
...warlords...
...and kings...
A land in turmoil
cried out for a hero...
She was Xena...
a mighty princess,
forged in the heat of battle...
...The power...
...The passion...
...The danger...
Her courage will
change the world...
Gabrielle!
Gabrielle?
I don't believe it!
You're... You're alive.
You're...
And you're here.
You're here!
I've missed you too!
You guys...
catch up. I'm gonna go
check out the sights.
I can't believe you're here!
The gods themselves
couldn't keep me away.
Xena, when you didn't answer
my messages, I thought...
Messages?
Gabrielle, I never got them!
I thought you were dead!
I thought I'd lost you forever!
You nearly did.
It was a nightmare, Xena.
We just kept falling...
straight at the lava.
I got knocked into
a niche in a wall.
But Hope...
Why, Mother? Why?
I don't know how long I was out.
When I came to, I tried to shout
for your help, but I couldn't.
I just laid there.
You were in shock.
Yeah, I was a mess
for a long time.
If you never got my messages,
then how did you know I was alive?
It's hard to describe...
but I saw you.
Not now...
It was...
someplace in the future.
The future...
Don't tell me you've
become an oracle.
Not a very good one.
I got a definite sense
of danger around you...
Not the peace and quiet
of Poteiadaia.
You're right...
There is danger here.
Xena... Gabrielle...
You guys better
take a look at this.
By the gods...
That's the worst yet.
There have been others?
Sheep, cows, a horse...
Never a man...
until now.
Xena...
We wondered
when you'd get here.
Hello.
It's nice to see you all too.
Gabrielle?
Aren't you gonna introduce
your other friend?
These are my parents...
Hecuba, Herodotus...
and my sister, Lila.
Joxer, the Mighty...
at your service.
Ma'am.
Sir?
You know...
Any sister of Gabrielle's
is a part of her family.
Pleased to meet you.
Is that fennel soup?
Oh, what a nice young man...
So gallant...
So...
- How's she been?
- Without you...
just fine.
I meant after everything
she's been through.
You should know.
Seducing her away from home
with your heroics?
Filling her head
with strange ideas.
How's she been?
Changed forever...
'cause of you.
It's almost dawn.
Bad luck about the storm!
Are you giving up?
Of course not.
You never give up
on anything.
No matter the odds,
the cost, the pain.
I missed you, Xena.
Back atcha.
Still, hunting the thing in the daylight
might be better, anyway.
I thought you wanted to
get it someplace confined.
I do and I will if we can
track it down to its lair.
You shouldn't play with your food.
Gabrielle!
Brace yourselves!
Daylight's got him on the run.
What was that?
All I know is I cut
it up pretty bad.
- You did?
- Gabrielle, you've hurt your knee.
Come, and I'll see to it.
Lila, get me some fresh water.
Herodotus, get a clean cloth.
Xena, you don't look so good.
You know...
- Whatever that thing is out there...
- That thing is Dahak's grandchild...
The Destroyer.
Destroyer...
Xena, let me go get Gabrielle.
Why don't you sit down for a while?
That thing is the Destroyer!
And that means that the girl
in the other room is not Gabrielle.
It's Hope!
Xena...
You're hurt worse than ya know.
Of course that's Gabrielle.
You shut up and you listen to me!
I wanted to believe it too,
'cause she is good...
But she's not Gabrielle.
How do you know?
The monster...
She was directly in its path
and it blew by her not once,
several times.
And she never even moved.
Ok...
If that's really Hope,
why didn't she k*ll you herself?
Because she enjoyed it...
watching her creature
try to tear me apart.
If that's Hope, why don't
we just go in there and...
Joxer, don't you see?
As long as we pretend to play
her game, the family is safe.
And I can use her to
help me k*ll the beast.
And after that...
I guess that vision of yours
really was Hope, after all.
Maybe, next time you'll listen when
we tell ya not to go courting trouble!
Come on, dear... She's fine.
You'll get one of your headaches.
Don't worry, Gab.
That thing looked awful,
but at least Xena wounded it.
I heard.
It's bound to be weaker
next time Xena tries.
She'll probably k*ll it,
no problem.
Gaby, what is it?
What's really wrong?
When Xena kills
the monster, Lila,...
we're going to be leaving.
I'm gonna miss you.
I wish there was some way that we
could spend time together before I go.
Of course there's a way!
You can't k*ll Hope!
Well...
Ok.
You can, but you can't.
Don't you remember Ares
dealing with the Fates?
You k*ll Hope and they'll...
Ares released that debt when
he thought Hope was dead...
not that it'd stop me.
Hope and her monster must
die whatever the cost.
Xena, didn'tcha see that thing?
It's huge!
It had spikes like this.
Well...
At least you got
a piece of him.
Didn't.
Well, not a big chunk, but you...
wounded it, right?
Nothing.
I just said that to make
Hope think I hurt it.
I can track her.
She'll lead me straight to it.
- And then...
- We'll k*ll 'em both.
- Yeah.
- For Gabrielle.
Who am I kiddin'?
You're in no shape
to take on a monster.
- Sure I am.
- Good.
I'm gonna need a backup plan.
- It's not gonna be easy.
- No.
I need you to scout the land,
calculating all the flocks.
Maybe then, we can get a fix on
where the beast will strike next.
Good idea!
Wait. You want me to
count flocks of sheep?
Think you can handle it?
I appreciate that
she saved our lives.
That doesn't give her the right
to take our little girl.
Oh, sweetheart,
Gabrielle's not a child.
If she wants to go with Xena,
we can't just lock her in her room.
Talk to her. Let her know the kind
of mistake that she's makin'.
What kinda mistake is that?
The kind of mistake
that can ruin a life...
or take one.
If you're lookin' for Gabrielle,
she went for a walk.
Without you.
- Did she?
- That's right.
They wanted to spend
some time alone.
- They?
- Gabrielle and Lila...
After all, they are sisters.
And blood is thicker than water.
But we'd like to thank...
Gaby... Slow down.
Where is this special
place of yours, anyway?
- I'm gettin' hungry.
- You're not the only one.
It's just off to the left.
Ah, good. I hope we
brought enough food.
- There's plenty! Come.
- Gabrielle!
Lila!
- Ah, you guys walk fast!
- What are doing here?
Your parents said you
went out for a walk.
I thought I'd join ya.
- You don't mind?
- Why should we mind?
- Fine with me.
- Oh, no, no. Not that way.
- I thought you said left.
- This is a shortcut.
It's much faster.
... ...
...
Great... Lost count again.
, ...
, ...
So much for your shortcut.
I could've sworn this bridge
was sound.
You must be thinkin'
about someplace else.
It's been like this for years.
Do you think it's further down?
What do you think, Lila?
Careful, Gabrielle...
It doesn't look safe.
Lila!
Gabrielle?
Lila!
I'll get Father.
Ok...
I gotcha.
Ok... Lila!
Come on!
Gimme your hand!
I...
I can't!
Yes, you can!
Come on!
Xena!
Thank the gods!
And you!
Thank you for saving me!
No thanks needed.
You all right?
Good, now go home.
Call off the alarm,
your parents will be worried.
But, what about you?
What are you gonna do?
Some search and destroy.
Mamma!
Hello, beautiful.
Are you cut?
Did she hurt you?
Let Mother see.
Now, stop that.
Stop it.
Stop!
My child...
Mother won't hurt you.
No, no.
There.
We're too close to fulfilling
my father's plan to fail now.
Listen to me.
Hold still.
Be careful with Mother.
Let me see if she hurt you.
Careful.
Good.
She was using me to get to you.
Xena knows who I am.
Yes...
Good.
Rest now.
Tonight...
I want you to enjoy
every moment.
Yes.
Gabrielle?
Gabri...
Is that you?
I'm sorry...
I'm so sorry...
I searched for you...
I searched for you!
I was afraid that...
- You thought I was dead.
- Yeah.
What else could you think?
I could've had faith!
You would have.
I should've known
you'd survive!
How could you?
I didn't know that
I was gonna survive.
I'm not sure I have, really.
Sit down.
What happened?
I don't remember much.
I remember falling...
I remember fire and the rocks.
I remember Hope...
screaming when she d*ed.
I just blacked out then and...
I woke up in this hospice.
Apparently I had been
there for a long time
and I sent word to you.
I don't know how to tell you this.
Hope's alive?
By the gods, she's alive.
Are you comfortable?
Good!
It won't last long.
When darkness comes,
my child will awake.
He'll be hungry.
Oh, sh*t!
- Gabrielle, slow down!
- Xena, we're almost there!
Look...
You'll blow the plan
if you don't get focused!
You lose your head,
and we are history!
The thought of Hope
with my family...
I mean, if she
were to hurt them...
She won't.
Now that she knows I'm on to her,
she'll use your family as leverage.
As long as she needs them,
they're safe, you know that.
I don't know that.
Herodotus, Hecuba...
Can I... have a word?
Why?
So you can do to us
what you did to Gabrielle?
And you're supposed
to be her friend!
What kind of friend does this?
Get out.
And don't come back...
ever.
- But, Herodotus...
- You heard my father.
Leave, Xena,
before somebody else gets hurt.
I'm warning you, Xena.
Any bloodshed here,
it'll be on your hands.
He's right.
If you were a real friend,
you wouldn't leave poor Joxer
all alone out there,
waiting for the monster.
You sent him out there alone?
Poor young man.
He's just too brave
for his own good.
Or too stupid.
Well, it's true.
He'd have to be a fool
to take it on alone.
Ask her!
Gabrielle, you scared me!
I told you I was gonna get
cloth for more bandages!
Just...
don't say anything.
Look...
It's me, it's Gabrielle.
All right.
Now, I want you to listen to me.
I know that thing in there
looks like me, but it's not.
- She wants to k*ll us all.
- Wh...?
No!
Just listen.
Remember...
Remember when we were kids?
We got lost in the snow...
and I promised that I would
give you my Solstice gift
if you would just keep walking
till we found help.
And I kept my word,
do you remember?
I gave you that rag doll.
Don't you remember?
Now do you believe me?
Gabrielle...
What are we gonna do?
Take this cloth out there.
Act like nothing is wrong.
Tell Mom and Dad that you need
some help with some medicines.
And bring them in here.
Be careful.
Hope is very smart.
Hello, Mother.
Joxer, run to the village!
Tell them to light torches
and keep 'em burning
till you hear from me.
Go!
Come and get some!
It's turned into quite
the family reunion.
What is it now?
Four generations?
Your parents...
There's you...
Me...
My pride...
My joy...
Your grandson, Mother.
The Destroyer.
Why aren't you dead?
Well, it's certainly not for
your lack of trying, is it?
The truth is, I could say
the same thing about you...
if I cared.
Which I don't.
I saw the fire.
No one survives that.
No one but me.
Dahak's flame rising to save me.
But then, I've always been
Daddy's little girl, haven't I?
Always.
Is that why you never loved me?
I loved you, Hope.
I just had to stop you.
For Xena?
No.
For us all.
Bye-bye, Mommy!
Gabrielle...
Bite me.
Wait!
Let's do it together.
Mamma...
No!
It's over.
Or is it?
Xena...
Do you ever...
Do you get the feeling that
sometimes nothing is really over?
You know, it just keeps coming
back around, but it's...
it's wearing a different face.
It's the same underneath.
Do you know what I mean?
Sure.
I was trapped in a cycle
of v*olence and hatred.
And no matter how
I tried to break free
something always pulled me back.
Until you.
Xena...
No, it's true.
You talk about trying to find your
way but to me, you are my way.
How can I be your way,
when I...
I'm lost myself?
I'm searching for answers too.
But how we look for
them doesn't matter...
as long as we look
for them together.
You and me.