The Impostors
Written by: Caina Q.
Fuller
Episode #12.
Fade In
Eve sits on a hillside that overlooks a beautiful valley that seems
to have remained undiscovered by man.
There are no building’s to mar the fluid landscape before her. Only natures loving hand has touched this
place.
Eve closes her eyes to the beauty however. Instead she is doing her best to shut out
the voices of the victims from her past as they scream for mercy that was never
shown them. She can hear her cold laughter as a response to their pleas, and it
hurts her to her soul.
Finally Eve opens her eyes to find she is not alone. Her daughter Rachel sits next to her,
wearing the immaculate white gowns of the heavenly angels.
Eve
Rachel. Are you really here? Or is it just my
imagination?
Rachel
It’s not a dream. I’m here for you mother.
Eve
Why have you come?
Rachel
As an angel of heaven, it is my duty to help
those in need. I couldn’t
ignore my family, now
could I?
Eve
I suppose not. What do you think I’m in need
of?
Rachel
Isn’t it obvious? You long for forgiveness. You
yearn for a sense of peace you will never allow
yourself to indulge in. I
know exactly how
you’re feeling right now mother.
Eve
I don’t think you can possibly imagine how I
feel. I have done so much evil in my life. I just
wish I…
Rachel
You wish you could rid yourself of the painful
memories.
Eve
Yes.
Rachel takes her mother’s hand in her own, offering Eve the gentle
love she so desperately needs.
Rachel
That cannot be. If you are to redeem yourself,
you must transcend who you used to be. You
must learn to let go of your past. I will be
here, every step of the way.
Eve
It will be a long journey Rachel.
Rachel nods her head in agreement.
Rachel
It is a journey that will take a life time of self
discovery to complete.
Eve
Will a lifetime be long enough?
Rachel
With me by your side, I think it will.
Fade Out.
End of Teaser.
Act One
Fade In-Potidaea
Gabrielle paces back and forth in her room. Hope watches on with pity on her face, but
she knows there is nothing she can say to calm her mother.
Hope
I don’t understand what you’re so worried about.
You love Benjamin. You have the rest of your
lives to look forward to. This should be a day of
happiness for you.
Gabrielle
I am happy sweetheart. Really.
Hope
You don’t look very happy to me.
Gabrielle does her best to change the subject.
Gabrielle
Where is Eve? She’s supposed to be back by
now. Do you think she ran into trouble?
Hope
I doubt it, but even if she did, I’m sure it’s
nothing she can’t handle.
Gabrielle
Right. Never mind.
Gabrielle continues to pace until Hope reaches
out and pulls her down onto the bed next to her.
Hope
Do you want to be Benjamin’s wife?
Gabrielle
I’m already his wife.
Hope
No, you were the wife of his last incarnation.
Now he’s a new man, and you’re a new woman.
It’s time to make a fresh start. Do you want
to marry him tomorrow?
Gabrielle
More than anything. I’m just not sure he wants
to marry me. I think I may be rushing him into
this.
Now Hope is REALLY confused.
Hope
I thought you said he asked you to marry him.
Gabrielle
He did but…
Hope
What?
Gabrielle
It’s complicated. For one
thing, I’ve barely
gotten to know you. I can’t leave you now.
Hope
You’re afraid I’ll feel abandoned if you marry
Benjamin? Oh, that’s so sweet.
Hope is touched that her mother is thinking of
her, but she’s not about to let Gabrielle delay her life over her.
Hope
I don’t want you to put your life on hold for me.
I’m happy that you’ve found Benjamin. You
know what I like most about life without the
influence of an evil god hanging over my head?
Gabrielle
No more blood sacrifices? No more wild parties
to clean up after?
Hope rolls her eyes at her mother’s somewhat poor sense of humor and wraps an arm around her.
Hope
I love the changes that come with my new
freedom. Dahak made sure I
never knew there
was life outside of his temple. Now that all of
that’s changed, I’ve discovered a whole new
world. I’ve gotten to know my mother, and now
I’m having a child. I
can’t think of better ways
for our lives to change. You’ve spent too much
of your life worrying about other people’s
happiness. It’s time you put your own needs
first.
Gabrielle
Gods, you’re a wonderful daughter Hope.
You’re everything I could dream of in a child.
Hope
I’ve always wanted to hear you say
that.
They share a hug, and when they look up, they
see Eve in the doorway watching them with a smile on her tired face. Despite the warm love pervading every corner
of the room, she looks down, lethargic.
Dark circles line her eyes and her shoulders sag as if she is Atlas,
carrying the weight of the world on her shoulders.
Eve
I’m sorry to interrupt. I
just wanted to let you
know I’ve made it back with the materials. Lila
says she should have the alterations to her old
dress finished in a couple of hours.
Gabrielle
Thank you Eve. Come on in.
I was getting
worried about you. You’ve
been so distant over
the past week. Is there something the matter?
Eve
I’m fine. The truth is, Rachel has been visiting
me for about a week now. Michael is allowing
her to see me at her discretion.
Hope
That’s wonderful Eve.
Eve
It’s bitter sweet. I wish
she was here in the
flesh, so I could have moments like what I just
saw with her. Wishful
thinking usually leads
to disappointment though.
Gabrielle stands and touches Eve’s face.
Gabrielle
Never give up on wishful thinking. It can inspire
you to make your dreams come true, and to
make the world a better place for others to live.
Eve
So can anger.
Gabrielle and Hope frown, sharing a look at
Eve’s strange choice of words.
Gabrielle leaves the. When she’s
gone, Eve lies back on the bed and Hope comes to sit next to her. She can sense
something is not quite right with Eve.
Hope
Are you sure you’re ok? You have been acting a
bit strange lately. And your skin is so pale.
Are you ill?
Eve
I’ll be fine. I’m just a little tired is all. Once
I’ve had a few hours of sleep, I’ll be as good as
new.
Hope doesn’t look convinced, but she decides it’s best right now to drop the subject.
Hope
Well, if you say so. I’ll be in Aunt Lila’s room if
you need me.
Eve
Ok. Love you Hope.
Hope
I Love you too.
Ext. Lake side-Day
Benjamin stands at the side of the lake pacing nervously back and
forth. As he does this, he notices a boat in the distance. It’s his family
coming in for the wedding. Benjamin is
wound tighter than a spinning top, and he jumps when a pair of hands touches
his shoulders. When he looks around he
finds its Gabrielle.
Benjamin
Gabrielle. You scared me half to death.
Gabrielle
You’re nervous too.
Benjamin, before your
family gets here, there’s something I have to
know.
Benjamin
Sure, anything.
Gabrielle
Do you feel like I’m rushing you?
Benjamin
Of course not. I’m ready to get married. Actually,
I’m ready to renew our already existing vows.
Gabrielle turns away, her fingernails suddenly
objects of great interest. Something is definitely wrong, and it’s not with
Benjamin.
Benjamin
Gabrielle? Are you sure you’re ready for this? I
mean…we can hold off-
Gabrielle
No. I want to be your wife.
I really do. Besides,
you’re family is already here, and the village is
decorated.
Benjamin
None of that matters. If you’re not ready to do
this, we can reschedule. As a matter of fact,
I’m ready to love you as we are now. We don’t
have to take vows for you to have my heart.
It’s all up to you.
Gabrielle
I know. But this is the right thing to do.
Benjamin
You’re not betraying Xena. You know that, don’t
you? She’s been gone for over a year. You can
move on.
Gabrielle
I know that. Really. Look, after the wedding,
there’s something I want to do.
He comes to stand behind Gabrielle, wrapping
his arms around her as they watch the boat come closer.
Benjamin
Anything.
Gabrielle
I told you I was going to lay down my weapons
and try to live a normal life.
I want us to do
that in Amphipolis. It’s the one place I feel
close to Xena. Her roots
are there.
Benjamin
You don’t have to explain to me love. If you
want to reopen the Inn, I’m all for it.
Gabrielle
Thank you Ben.
Benjamin
Do you think we could convince Hope and Lila to
move up there with us?
Gabrielle
I think I can persuade them.
The boat is close now, and we can see
Benjamin’s parents and two sisters waving to them. His sisters have dark, Mediterranean looks, as do his mother and
father.
Benjamin
Let me introduce you to my family. I think I
should warn you about my mother. She’s hard
to get along with at first. It takes awhile to
warm up to her and her old fashioned ideas.
Gabrielle
I’ll kill her with kindness.
Benjamin
Give her five seconds.
You’ll be ready to kill
her alright.
Ext. House-Day
Eve and Hope prepare the evening meal while Lila works on
Gabrielle’s dress in the next room.
Lila
Don’t use too much pepper in the stew Eve.
It makes Ben sneeze.
Eve
Light on the pepper. Gotcha Aunt Lila.
Hope begins to giggle and nudges Eve in the
ribs.
Hope
It makes her sneeze, but she’ll never admit to
that.
Lila
Do I hear someone whispering in there? Hope?
Hope
No Auntie. We’re not whispering.
There’s a loud knock on the door and when Eve
answers, she finds a panicked Calantha on the other side. Her clothes are torn and her face is covered
with fresh cuts and bruises. She’s obviously been attacked, and it was
recently. Eve pulls her in and helps her to the table. Hope pours her some
water.
Eve
Calantha! What’s the matter? What happened? Who did
this to you?
Calantha
Virgil and I were attacked by some highwaymen
on the way in here. They’re beating him up pretty
badly. Virgil needs help.
Eve
Where on the road?
Calantha
About a mile out.
Eve
Aunt Lila, take care of Calantha.
Hope, go tell
your mother what’s happened. I’m going out
now.
Eve whistles from the door then turns and
helps Calantha into the room. When Eve goes back outside, she finds Braveheart
trotting up to her. She mounts him,
bareback, and then takes off out of town.
Ext. Lake side
Benjamin introduces his family to Gabrielle. Though his sisters
and his father are very friendly and sweet, his mother gives Gabrielle the cold
shoulder right off the bat.
Benjamin
I’d like for you to meet my sister Agathi. She’s
the middle child. And the
baby of the family,
Lotus. Mother named her
after my favorite
flower.
Gabrielle
How do you do.
Agathi
Ben has told us so much about you in his
scrolls.
I feel like I know you already.
Lotus
He said you were beautiful, but he understated
a bit, in my opinion.
Gabrielle
God, I love you girls already. Thank you so
much.
Benjamin
I’d like you to meet
my father, Owen.
Gabrielle
How do you do sir.
Owen
No need to be so formal. Call me Owen. It’s a
pleasure to finally meet you.
Benjamin puts an arm around his mother, and
she smiles at him lovingly. It’s clear
she loves her little boy.
Benjamin
And my second favorite gal in all the world. My
mother, Faith.
Though no one but Gabrielle sees it, Faith’s
smile diminishes somewhat when her son introduces her as his second
favorite gal, when he used to call her his first favorite. It’s obvious there’s going to be some
jealousy on Faith’s part over Gabrielle’s role in her son’s life.
Gabrielle
Ma’am. It’s an honor
to meet you.
Faith
Yes, well.
Faith sounds as if being nice to Gabrielle
will kill her. She ignores the stern
looks of disapproval from her family and pulls a bag from the boat.
Faith
Shall we go? I’ve never been one to travel by
water. I’d like to sit down for awhile on a
steady surface.
In an effort to warm up to her, Gabrielle
falls into step next to Faith.
Gabrielle
Oh, well we have something in common in that
way. I’ve never cared much for the water
either-
Instead of listening, Faith only picks up her
pace and move on ahead of Gabrielle, rudely brushing her off.
Owen
Faith!
Gabrielle
No, no. It’s alright. She’s tired from her journey.
I understand.
Agathi
That’s still no reason for her to be so rude
to
you Gabrielle.
Gabrielle
It’s ok, really. Let’s get you all settled in,
shall we?
Just then, Hope comes rushing up to them.
Hope
Mother!
Mother, you have to come quick.
Now everyone stops and looks back at
Gabrielle. Someone who appears to be a twin sister is calling Gabrielle
mother?
Gabrielle
Everyone, I’d like for you to meet my
daughter,
Hope.
Faith
Excuse me, but just how
old are you?
Gabrielle
Fifty five.
Everyone’s mouth drops open, especially
Faith’s, and Benjamin grins at his fiancé’s little victory over his mother.
Hope
Mother, its Virgil. He and Calantha were
attacked.
Eve has already gone out to help him.
Gabrielle
Benjamin?
Benjamin
I’m with you.
Gabrielle
No, you stay here and
help Hope.
Hope
I don’t need any help
with anything-
Gabrielle
Don’t argue with me. I’ll be right back.
Gabrielle rushes off and Benjamin’s family
turns to him. His sister Lotus, bless her heart, tries to smooth over the
awkward silence that follows Gabrielle’s departure.
Lotus
Wow, Ben. Your fiancé looks great for her age.