Many Happy Returns Part 2

Outside, Xena pulls the waterskin from Argo's back. She approaches Gabs who raises her fists quickly. "Here, want some water?" "Oh, no!" Gabs replies, suspicious, but Xena just shrugs, "Suit yourself" and takes a long drink. Gabs gives a "Curses, foiled again!" gesture as Xena passes the waterskin to Janiah. Janiah takes a drink as Xena turns innocently and walks back by Gabrielle who feels the need to duck...for no apparent reason. Gabs comes up with one of her sais in hand. Janiah offers Aphrodite a drink, but is told goddesses don't drink. But Janiah doesn't believe Aphrodite is a goddess.

Xena watches with great interest as Aphrodite replicates the bag containing the helmet, and then creates a rose right before Janiah's eyes. But Janiah thinks a goddess uses her powers to reward the faithful and punish the sinners, not do party tricks. Gabs is scratching her head with her sai as Aprhodite approaches Xena and asks if she can't just pop them to Thebes. But no, Xena wants Janiah to spend time with a real immortal. "That's you," she says, patting Aphrodite's shoulder. Then with a glance over her shoulder, she adds very sweetly, "Come on, Gabrielle, the sooner we get to Thebes, the sooner you get your present." "Uh huh," Gabs replies to the retreating figure, then she whirls on Aphrodite with a frightened look. "She's planning my doom...I know it! I can feel it." Aphrodite pauses before following. "This is going to be a fun trip. Come on, you unfaithful." Janiah brings up the rear of the procession.

Thebes has a brightly covered marketplace with lots of activities abound. People are bustling everywhere, there's a juggler and a sword swallower with a guy standing nearby imitating with a banana...a bizarre image to be sure. Janiah is wide eyed as she takes it all in. "The virgin in the city...that is so cute...you come with me," Aphrodite gushes. Behind them, Xena offers Gabrielle a piece of fruit from one of the stands. Gabrielle dodges like it's a flaming torch..."Xena! It's the forbidden fruit gag, huh?...No, you've probably laced it with chile powder...or arsenic...or maybe not." She stares as Xena shrugs and eats the fruit, then reaches for another piece. Janiah is checking out a shoe display, but suddenly before her she spots the handsome young Frankas, who has been spying again. He looks back at her, surprised. Meanwhile, Xena is still chewing as she says, "Come on, girls, we've got a show to catch" before walking away with an evil laugh. Gabs snags a piece of fruit behind her before following.

The next stop is a tavern, and a blonde head laying face down on a table. A moan of anguish rises up. Xena's arm is patting the head, then shaking the shoulder. "Gabrielle, I'm sorry....look, I don't know how I could have gotten the times wrong." Something in her expression says she isn't quite telling the truth. Gabrielle finally rises her fists slamming into the table. She's angry because they came all that way just to miss Sappho.

"Just relax...have a drink." Xena has poured her a mug of suds, but Gabrielle eyes it. "Oh no, Xena," she grins triumphantly. "No dribble cups today." Xena shrugs again (lots of shrugging, huh?). "Suit yourself." She removes the bag and tells Gabs to watch it while she rustles up some food. As Xena disappears, Gabs wonders why Xena had her keep the bag when she could have just as easily taken it with her. Aphrodite and Janiah tell her that Xena switched bags with them in the marketplace, without giving any reason. Gabs pokes at the bag...."Huh....really?....hmmm." She hugs it to her as Xena reapproaches. As Xena sits down, Gabs has her face propped up on one hand. "Hi Xena...still just sitting here...watching your bag," she says a litlle too casually. Xena barely pays attention. "Yeah, thanks." She asks where the other two are and Gabs tells her they went to freshen up. All business now, Xena tells Gabs they have to keep an eye on Janiah, as they were being followed in the marketplace. Gabs asks if it was the zealots and Xena tells her that's possible.

Cue Viagra...err...Varagas who tries to make a forceful entrance only to be knocked from behind by his own men. Xena doesn't even turn to look at him until he hisses her name, then she slowly rises and turns to look at him. "Varagas." He's impressed she remembers him, but she tells him (from the previews), "It's on your belt buckle." He isn't amused, telling her he wants the bag. Xena doesn't bat an eye. "It's not for sale." Varagas tells her he wasn't going to pay for it. "Oh, you'll pay," she purrs and the fight is on.

Aphrodite and Janiah crouch behind an upturned table during this melee, but Xena and Gabs are right in the thick of things. Gabs actually struggles for a while, as thugs keep trying to rob her of her cargo. "Get your hands off my bag!" Meanwhile, Xena gleefully takes on the attackers. One of the barmaid reacts to one of Xena's more colorful moves, and the girl resembles Willa O'Neill, the actress who plays Gabs's sister Lila. As the fight continues, Xena yells for Aphrodite to get Janiah out of there, and "take the bag with ya!" Aphrodite responds with, "Duh! Like I'd leave behind a new handbag," before popping out of the scene holding Janiah's hand. They reappear in the marketplace, with Janiah's eyes wide. She now believes Aphrodite is really a goddess. Aphrodite chuckles affectionately. "What took you so long?"

Inside the tavern, the brawl continues as the music kicks into overdrive...it's the same whimsical tune from the fight scene in A Solstice Carol, minus the Jingle Bells, of course. Gabs is now using the bag as a weapon as Xena tries out some new moves on Varagas and his spiked club. One of the moves is very cool. as she twists his arm between her calves and clouts him in the head with his own club before swiping the weapon and using it in more traditional ways. Xena grabs a chandelier to swing from as Gabs tussles with a thug for her bag, which ends up flying in the air. Varagas has been sent flying himself, but Gabs makes a dive for the bag and it ends up being catapulted upward again. The bag lands in front of Vagaras, who laughs, grabs it, and runs out of the tavern double time. All Gabs can do is yell out her frustration.

Xena takes out the last bad guy ( I originally wrote "bag guy"), and grabs the bottle from his hand with a "thanks" as he collapses. She takes a long drink as Gabs runs up. She tells Xena they have to go after Varagas as he now has the helmet. "Nah, Aphrodite's got it. We switched bags in the marketplace." She takes another drink as Gabs clenches her temples, "I switched them back." Xena's reaction is the classic messy spittake before regaining her bearings, "What?" Gabrielle shuffles uncomfortably. "I thought you were trying to get something over on me, Xena," she offers, looking up at Xena hesitantly. Xena just nods, looking in a different direction. "I asked for that." And indeed, she did.

Outside the tavern, Gabrielle is trying to figure out Xena's reasoning..."Unless...you knew that I'd be suspicious...and so you'd switch the bags..." She trails off as Xena glares at her. "I'm not close at all, am I?" she admits. Xena just barks for Aphrodite who appears with Janiah who is now dressed in pink pj's like the love goddess. She even has on flowered shoes and her hair is cut in Aprhodite-style curls. Xena and Gabs just stare as the giggling twosome clink their coconut shell cups together. Aphrodite informs them her new disciple calls her "Mighty Aphrodite", and that's what Xena and Gabs should call her. Xena and Gabs continue to stare open-mouthed as Janiah tells them she is now dedicating her life to Aphrodite, but finally Gabs breaks the trance. "That's not exactly what we had in mind." "We'll fix that later," Xena adds, "Right now we've got some baggage to claim, come on." Gabbers follows her, but Janiah and Aphrodite don't. Did they really claim baggage in Ancient Greece?

Janiah wants to know how she can worship Aphrodite if she's never experienced love. Aphrodite agrees and tells her to pick a guy, any guy. Strains of guitar music from Old Ares Had a Farm rise up as Janiah surveys the marketplace. She doesn't want the guy who is exposing half his crack as he bends down, nor does she want the guy who's overly concerned with his own body odors. Can't blame her for that. Then she spots Frankas, who is still spying from afar. "I'll take him!" Aphrodite clutches her heart..."Good girl, bad boy...I love a classic" before sending the love darts to Frankas, then Janiah. The twosome beam at each other, then rush to hug the other, declaring their love for each other. Aphrodite wiggles her joy at "love at first sight, my specialty" before disappearing. Frankas proposes to Janiah, who accepts, and as they run off, our spotted by some of the zealots, including the leader. "That man's got my virgin!"

At his lair, Varagas has tried on the helmet, and is flying around, beating up on his own men. Xena and Gabs have concealed themselves behind some rocks from a distance, and Xena doesn't look amused by the spectacle before her. She raises her chakram telling Gabs "What goes up...must come down." Before she can throw though, there's the sound of a bell being rung. "Since when do warriors get company?" Gabs muses. Xena watches in shock as Frankas and Janiah enter, and Frankas introduces his new love to his father.

From the rocks, Xena and Gabrielle growl in unison, "Aphrodite", not knowing the Love Goddess has appeared behind them. "Down in front, I can't see!" she says, prompting Xena to jerk her down to a more covert position. Gabrielle tells, rather than asks, her she put a love spell on Janiah and as Aphrodite confirms and muses about the sweet virgin falling in love, Xena's open mouthed eye shift made me break out in laughter. Aprodite is still pleased with herself until she realizes Francas's father is a gulp...warlord. But no fear, Aphrodite will fix it all. Xena stops her, telling her if she releases Janiah, she'll throw her for a loop. She has a better idea and the others should follow her lead.

I wasn't prepared for the next part...I really wasn't. Varagas is sitting on his throne, enjoying a cigar. The young lovers are before him sharing a bite to eat. The door chime sounds again. In walks Aphrodite dressed as a common folk, her arm hooked with someone who at first glance looked like John Stamos. I never would have believed it was Lucy in that getup until she started talking. Her turbaned head shows wild curly hairly tumbling out from underneath it, and she'd stuffed a pillow under the man's shirt to simulate a pot belly. The goatee and moustache completely disguised her features, and she really was unrecognizable. She does some fast talking, introducing herself to Frankas, after warmly clasping his hands. She calls herself "Anthrax" and introduced the wife, "Spitunia." (Once again, I'm not kidding here.) She puts her hands in her belt, "We just wanted to know what kind of family our little girl was marrying herself into." Frankas turns with a bemused smile as Anthrax plants an arm around him and directs him toward Janiah. He tells her her parents are there, and Janiah almost blows the cover. "My parents are dead" Spitunia takes over, "Dedicated to making sure you have the best weddin' ever, Pookie." Anthrax pops Frankas' stomach. "That's right!" Spitunia climbs on Varagas lap, drawling in her Southern accent about how hard weddings are to organize. "Which is why we've brought some help," Anthrax adds.

Cue Gabs, who enters looking very much like...Gabs. Her clothes are different, but her blonde head isn't disguised in any way. After the fight in the tavern, it is inconceivable that Varagas, Frankas, and his men wouldn't recognize her, but they didn't get suspicious at all. Gabs affects another Southern accent, which is probably closer to Renee's native Texas, and she is dressed in a flashy robe. "I put the "ding" in wedding." She emphasizes her statement with a hip move as Anthrax adds off-camera, "Yes, you do, Sister." The wedding planner climbs up on the other side of Varagas lap, musing about what colors should be used at the wedding. Janiah wants to pick out her own outfits, but Spitunia herds her off, telling her the expert can worry about that. Gabs settles herself down with an enticing wiggle as Xena, her arm around still around Frankas declares, "Well, why don't you fix these two fine fellows up with some new duds while we go have that long overdue talk with Janiah about her...conjugals." She raises her eyebrows at Frankas, releases him, and moves away. Gabrielle smiles at Frankas..."Now I see before my eyes...harem pants."

Spitunia...errr...Aphrodite has gotten Janiah to a relatively safe spot and removes the spell. Janiah wants to know where she is, and Anthrax...err...Xena, who is at their heels tells her they're in Varagas's lair. Janiah squints..."Xena?" "Yeah!" Xena responds, as if she doesn't know why Janiah wouldn't recognize her. Janiah doesn't know how she got there, but Aphrodite reminds her it was so she could experience love. Janiah remembers then, and Xena begins her "believe in yourself" speech. She reminds Janiah she was willing to give herself up for a blood-thirsty god, and tells her she can't just give up her life to any deity that comes along. Aprhodite adds her two dinars, "It's true, Sweetpea; we're not all we're cracked up to be." Janiah doesn't understand how she can make her way without someone to lead her. Xena gives her an impassioned, "You've got to stop following...maybe you can be your own guide. Janiah, haven't you ever felt happy just to be yourself?" Janiah thinks about it and beams she has the last few days with her and Gabrielle. Xena is pleased. "That's a start. Now we're gonna get you out of here." Aphrodite gives Janaiah a "Stay!" command, and follows Xena...err...Anthrax back to the main action.

Gabs now has Varagas decked out in some gold decorated tunic, but he doesn't like it. It's too "girlie" for him. Gabs doesn't agree..."Oh no, Honey, not with those shoulders!" "Now for the final touch..." she adds, reaching for the helmet with an expression I've only seen on Xena's face before, but Varagas grabs it and growls that the helmet stays. Gabs turns to the inlaws with an exasperated look, and Anthrax takes the cue. Anthrax works Varagas like a puppet. After confiming he's in the "warlord business," she asks if he has any scars. He reveals a gaping scar, telling Anthrax it's where a guy took out his spleen. Anthrax isn't impressed, "Who needs a spleen?" Varagas points to his neck, "A guy got me with a short sword!" "Lucky it wasn't a long one," Anthrax quips back, still unfazed. Anthrax and the wedding planner watch as Varagas raves about showing them scars before removing the helmet and placing it in the bag. He leaves the bag laying on the ground (not your brightest move here, Varagas), so he can show Anthrax the scar given to him by Xena, the Warrior Princess. "Let me take a look at that,"Anthrax replies, and with a glance over the shoulder, tells Aphrodite and Gabs, "I don't remember." Heh heh. Rather fortuitious that the scar was on his head, and Xena takes said head under her arm. I thought she was going to give him a noogie, but she just wants to check out the damage. "Oh yeah...that Xena really is something. She nearly split you open like a coconut!" While Anthrax distracts Varagas, the other two swap bags. Anthrax gives Varagas's head a hollow thump, then releases him, only to put an arm around him telling him they're going to get Janiah out of there. "Doesn't do for the bride to be exposed before the big day. Plenty of time for that afterwards, know what I mean?" Gabs is standing behind Anthrax, and her expressions at Xena's hamming are priceless. Anthrax leaves, and Varagas moves to retrieve the bag, but Gabs stops him with a laugh. "Now, about my bill..." she begins.

Meanwhile, Aphrodite uses her powers to zap Janiah out of the lair. She sends her back to the marketplace, directly into the path of the zealots. As she is grabbed, leaving her shoe behind, the leader clasps his hands skyward. "Thy will be done," he intones as the scene fades.

Outside the hideout, Xena and Gabs are removing their disguises as they approach a happy Aphrodite. Xena wants to know where the bag is, and Aphrodite tells them Janiah has it. All that's left of Anthrax is the moustache, and Xena angrily rips it off when she hears Janiah has been popped into the marketplace, in case she wanted to do any shopping. Gabs is just fuming quietly as Aphrodite tells them they don't have to thank her, "It's a god thing." Xena angrily tells Aphrodite the zealots are looking for her there, and as Aphrodite doesn't quite get it, Gabbers adds, "Robe, altar, human sacrifice." Aphrodite is shocked as she stares at Xena..."That was a true story?" Xena gives a frustrated "Arghhh!" waving her hands in front of Aphrodite in an effort not to actually strangle the naive goddess, then dashes away.

Meanwhile, Varagas is going to put on his beloved helmet, only to open the bag to find...the contents of a goddess's handbag. The lighting is dark, but among the contents are some lacy pieces, fruit, jewlery, and errr..manacles. Okay! As Varagas throws a tantrum, he is approached by the leader of the zealots who thinks he might be of some assistance. He's holding the other bag, the one Janiah had when she was taken. Varagas opens the bag, finds it empty, and demands the helmet, but the zealot wants to make a deal.

In the marketplace, Aphrodite and Gabs haven't located Janiah anywhere. They take turns blaming themselves; Aphrodite for casting the spell, and Gabrielle for switching the bags. Gabs chides herself for being so suspicious, but who could blame her when Xena was being so secretive? Xena runs up yelling out Gabrielle's name, and from behind her back pulls a flowered shoe, the one that Janiah left behind during her abduction. Aphrodite assumes she's been sacrificed, but Xena isn't so sure. She tells them there's a zealot temple two miles down the road (must be by the city jail!), and Xena thinks they'll kill her there. Aphrodite immediately wants to help in any way...."I can cast a spell!" Xena and Gabrielle's hands shoot up in the "no thanks" guesture, then Xena's eyes narrow. "Actually, there is something you could do." Aphrodite beams.

At the temple, Janiah has been wrapped in the shroud again, and is laying on an altar. Above her is slab of wood laden with spikes, ready to drop at any time. The leader is praying as Xena and Gabrielle burst in. The leader turns to face them, asking Xena if she's ever heard of religious freedom. Xena sounds very Warrior Princess-like as she snarls back, "Freedom has nothing to do with sacrificing Janiah or anyone else, and neither has religion. This ends here." The leader smiles confidently. "We'll see." One of his men moves to set a torch under the rope restraining the slab, and as Xena moves to stop him, in swoops Varagas with the helmet on. Xena tells Varagas to stay out of it; she'll deal with him later. But he doesn't think so, as he's struck a deal with the zealots. Gabs asks a good question. "Since when do warlords keep their promises?" Varagas's answer ..."Since I wanted to kick your butt anyway." The fight begins.

Gabs does a much better job here than she did earlier, as she takes on bad guy after bad guy at ground level. Xena is concentrating on Varagas, who is using the helmet to his advantage. But, of course, Xena is capable of short flights of her own, and manages to move to any height Varagas goes for. She has a better sense of balance too, and sends Varagas spinning out of control so she can dispense of a few of the other men, some of them zealots and some of them Varagas's henchmen. Varagas may be able to fly, but he's a lousy fighter. After trying to taunt Xena, "Losing your touch?" she sheathes her sword, grabs a ladder, and plunges it over his head and shoulders, trapping him. She swings the ladder back and forth, trying to knock some sense into the idiot, and finally grounding him, temporarily. Gabs handily dispenses with another zealot as Varagas breaks free, and flies back up to meet Xena who is now on another ladder and swings outward to knock some more henchmen down. On the return trip, she grabs the helmet from Varagas with a "thank you." Varagas hits the ground hard, and stays down. Meanwhile, Xena throws the helmet to Gabrielle.

Gabbers catches the helmet, then takes off out of the temple in a dead run. Xena assesses the situation with Janiah, then makes a wild dive. Just as the rope snaps from being burned through, she grabs it, and using her body weight, slowly the slab moves back into place. Xena ties it off, then frees Janiah with her chakram. She immediately bellows for Gabrielle, and a voice calls out, "Up here!!" Xena and Janiah look up to see Gabrielle has been captured by the zealot leader. He's holding a knife to her throat. He rants at Xena about she may have been successful in stopping this sacrifice but there will always be others. He puts on the helmet he has wrestled from Gabs, and takes a step off the ledge. He plunges immediately to the floor. "Or not," Xena adds, looking down at him. Janiah doesn't understand, "He was wearing the helmet." "He was wearing A helmet," Xena corrects and Gabs tells Janiah that Xena had her switch the helmets, just in case. Janiah wants to know where the real helmet is, and Aphrodite pops in, holding a bag. "Right here, Sweetpea."

The foursome watch the leader carried out of the temple (is he dead or not?) as Janiah says she can't believe she almost gave up her life for them. Frankas approaches then, the love spell firmly still in place. Janiah tells him they can't be together. Frankas thinks it's because of his father, but Janiah says it's because Xena has taught her she can't live her life for others. But they can still be friends. Xena watches the young man's crushed expression with a hand on his shoulder, and gives him an affectionate pat with a sympathetic look. Janiah then tells Xena and Gabs they are going to have to go along without me. "Oh, you're sure?" Xena asks, trying to look disappointed. Janiah is smiling sweetly as she tells them before they met, she was bent on throwing her life away, but now she's found something to live for. Xena asks what, and Janiah replies she's going to turn the convent into a shelter for those who need it. Xena thinks that's great, and gives the girl a hug. "Good for you," Gabs adds, and she gives her own hug. Aphrodite has been smiling away during all this, and now hands Janiah a flower, which Janiah gives to Gabrielle. "Happy birthday." "Speaking of which," Xena continues, putting her arm around Gabs who raises an eyebrow as she is pulled away, "we've got a show to catch. Bye bye!" Aphrodite calls out for them to have fun before turning to Janiah and Frankas. She can settle with them being friends. But Janiah's whole retro-sacrficial outfit has got to go.

Now for the final scene...possibly the best scene of the whole episode. Xena and Gabrielle are seated on a couple of rocks, near a lake. The setting sun is shining down on the calm water behind them. Xena apologizes to Gabrielle, telling her she didn't realize Sappho was in town for only one performance. She pours herself and Gabs a glass of water. "It's the thought that counts, Xena," Gabs says in return, brushing a hand along Xena's arm. She admits she would like to hear Sappho's poetry someday. Gabs wants to know how Xena didn't fall for her fish guts gag, but Xena just mutters, "I dunno," before taking a drink. Gabs is still thinking, "You know I'd go crazy waiting for you to get even," she says, holding the cup to her own lips. "I didn't see it coming," Gabs admits, before taking a drink. Xena has been watching all this soberly, but immediately breaks into a happy grin as water spills down Gabrielle's chin. "Nor that," she says with a shake of her head, "Now, we're even!" Gabs laughs and wipes her mouth as Xena takes the cup back. "I want you to close your eyes." "No," Gabrielle responds immediately, and something in her expression looks much more like Renee than Gabrielle. And Xena suddenly appears much more like Lucy as she laughs, "Trust me, please," to another giggling "no" from Gabrielle. Finally they grow serious, and Xena whispers "close your eyes". Gabs finally does, a small smile flirting her lips as Xena gazes warmly at her for a second, then turns to retrieve something. She turns back and lays a scroll in Gabrielle's lap. Gabrielle's eyes finally open and she looks at Xena. "What is this?" Xena smiles tenderly at her, then the smile disappears. She shrugs. "Open it." As the bard does so, Xena can't keep her secret hidden anymore. "I had Sappho jot something down for ya." Gabrielle opens it and sees it's a poem. She can't believe it. She looks up at Xena. "Xena, you had this planned all along didn't you?" Xena's head is lowered slightly, and she's looking up toward Gabs with a soft expression. She shrugs gently, as if she doesn' t trust her own voice right then. Gabs begins to read, "There's a moment when I look at you..." and Xena is studying her face with a most adoring look, "and no speech is left in me. My tongue breaks, then fire races through my skin and I tremble." At this point, Xena is looking a little taken aback, and I fully expected to hear her say "That doesn't rhyme," but she stays quiet. Gabs continues to read, her voice filling with more and more emotion. "And grow pale, for I am dying of such love, or so it seems to me." Gabs is obviously overcome with this, but Xena has moved from the mushy stuff to an exaggerated headshake and a fake look of heartsickness that makes Gabrielle burst out with laughter. "It's beautiful, " she tells Xena, who is back to the gentler expression. Gabrielle stands up with her hands outstretched. "This is the best birthday I've ever had." The two hug, and over Gabrielle's shoulder, Xena says, "Of course, it ain't over yet", before slipping on the Helmet of Hermes. With a short warcry, they take to the skies to fly off over the water, one arm around the other's waist and the other outstretched. They're flying off...directly into the sunset. Xena calls out, "Happy Birthday, Gabrielle!" and as the shot fades, something else is said, but I can't quite make it out. It almost sounds like Gabs saying, "You're going down," or possibly "You're next", but I'm not sure...Maybe someone else can figure it out. The final moments of this episode are wonderfully rich and poignant, funny and at the same time, heart tugging. The pefect ending for the final Xena comedy.

The disclaimer is "No fish guts were harmed in the making of this motion picture." Maybe not, but if looks could kill, Xena would have murdered several of them!

As always, all questions, comments,.and criticisms are welcome.

And here's what Gary has to say about Many Happy Returns:

I really loved this episode.It had a few ideas similar to A Day in the Life,which is my fav comedy of all time. I will refer to it as DAY.

First,it is Gabby's birthday,or the day before,and Xena is up to her old practical jokes on Gabby.There will be pranks or no gift.Gabby pokes Xena's breastplate armor,as in DAY,when she climbed it when she fell off the roof,trying to ambush Xena.There was a sound of a horn going off in DAY,but this was just a sight gag.

Xena makes Gab beg over and over,saying PLEASE! not to do any tricks. Xena agrees,but has her fingers crossed.Oh-oh.

Xena is carrying the helmet of Hermes,which allows people to fly. She is bringing it to a coronation.We do not know how she got it.Hermes,never mentioned before,must be a god she did not kill.

Xena's first prank is to get Gab to look thru a spyglass. Gab does,and gets a black ring around her right eye,which looked pretty funny.

Next is the scene of a virgin sacrifice by the Zealots,as they are called. The girl will be thrown over a cliff,down a chute to her death as a sacrifice so that a warlord will not attack them in the future.The cranking of a handle was a lot like in Blind Faith,when Gab was going to be burned to death.

Xena and Gab fight the zealots,and the virgin,Genia,falls.Xena used the bag with the helmet as a weapon,and Gab used her sais. Xena dons the helmet,and flies to rescue the girl,with the sound of wind as in Superman.

The helmet looks like the one Gab had on in Antony and Cleopatra...very nice-looking on Xena. Xena lands with the girl,and the girl laments the fact that she was not sacrificed...she was raised for it and is mad at Xena.She then thinks Xena is a goddess,and says,"Take thy humble servant to your bosom." Xena replies that it is already spoken for. What a great line.I wonder who claimed it? Hint-hint...Gabby?

Many Happy Returns Part 1
Many Happy Returns Part 3
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