From: daviderl31@yahoo.com   
      
                               5.20 Livia   
      
   First airing was May 1, 2000.   
      
   The story starts out with Roman soldiers fighting, and killing, local   
   villagers. A metal hooded woman warrior rides in and starts killing. Ares   
   appears and tells her she's doing a good job. He also says she's been named   
   the official successor to the emperor of Rome. She kisses Ares. She says now   
   no one can stop her from ruling all of Rome and killing all the followers of   
   Eli.   
      
       Up on the mountain, an avalanche causes a hole in the ice cave. The   
   sunlight shines through on Xena's ice coffin. The ice begins to melt. Xena   
   slowly wakes up. Then her fist breaks through the ice and she sits up. She   
   sees Gabrielle in a coffin next to hers. She goes to the coffin but it is   
   solid ice. Xena sees her sword and Chakram. She grabs the sword and breaks   
   through the icy top and pulls a very stiff Gabrielle to her. Then Xena asks   
   where's Eve? She looks around. She tells Gabrielle something must have went   
   wrong, because Octavius didn't bring the Eve to her. They have to go find   
   her.   
      
       Xena and Gabrielle are in a village they don't recognize. A woman asks   
   them if they are lost. Then she tells them they are at the foot of Mount   
   Etna. Xena says Ares must have done something. She yells for Ares. The woman   
   says Ares hasn't been seen in the area for about 25 years, ever since the   
   Xena died. Xena asks if the woman has ever heard of Octavius. The woman says   
   the only Roman anyone ever talks about is the Roman commander named Livia –   
   the emperor's bitch. Xena and Gabrielle leave to find Eve.   
      
   They find the Sword and Chakram Tavern. They enter it and see it is a shrine   
   to Xena and Gabrielle, with dolls and paintings of them and Gabrielle's   
   scrolls in frames.   
      
       They see an old woman who is Meg. Meg tells Gabrielle she'd almost look   
   like Gabrielle if she wasn't so butch. Old Joxer enters the room and he and   
   Meg argue. Gabrielle says his name. Joxer drops the tray of food in his   
   hands then goes to Xena and Gabrielle and hugs them. They sit and talk.   
      
       He says he looked for them for years, but quit after Argo died. Joxer   
   takes them out back. He has Argo's daughter, that he let no one ride. Xena   
   throws a saddle on her and there's the new Argo. Joxer introduces his son   
   Virgil. Xena and Gabrielle say they are going to Rome to find Eve. Joxer and   
   Virgil say they want go along. Virgil makes some comments about Joxer's   
   heroic deeds and Joxer tells him to be quiet.   
      
       They arrive in Rome. Xena asks Gabrielle to take the horses to a stable   
   (Gabrielle has a horse, too) while Xena takes in a Roman "victory march".   
      
       She sees that Octavius is Augustus Caesar. She sneaks up on him. He   
   looks really surprised. Xena asks where her daughter is. Octavius looks down   
   as Livia rides in, victorious, with her prisoners of war.   
      
      "Livia. Champion of Rome," he says. "That's Eve?"  Xena cries out. Xena   
   remains in the background. Livia presents herself to Augustus. Xena tells   
   him to wave and close the curtain so they can talk.   
      
       Octavius tells Xena that Livia was raised with the best of everything,   
   and she became the champion of Rome. He says Xena wasn't there, what did she   
   expect? Xena says she expected to raise her herself. Octavius says he loves   
   Livia and wants to marry her. Livia does not know that she is really Xena's   
   daughter. Octavius says if Xena tells the truth to anyone, Eve will be in   
   mortal danger from the gods again. But as his my wife, the gods will only   
   know her as Livia.   
      
       Later, that night Xena stares out of a window and Gabrielle comes to   
   her. They talk. Xena says she gave away one child, and lost another, and she   
   just wanted to do right. Xena says Livia has Xena's darkness inside of her   
   and Callisto's spirit -- not a good combination of things. Gabrielle says   
   the two of them can change her, because Xena changed, so this daughter of   
   Xena's will too. Xena says they have to turn her back.   
      
       The next morning Xena leaves to go find Livia. Gabrielle stays with   
   Virgil and Joxer. Roman soldiers appear and want money from everyone for a   
   new temple that Livia is erecting to Ares. Gabrielle says she isn't giving   
   any money, the soldiers declare her an Eli worshipper, Gabrielle and Virgil   
   fight the Romans until one of them puts a knife to Joxer's throat. The three   
   are thrown into prison with the other Eli-ites.   
      
       Livia and Ares practice fighting, training for Livia. Then they kiss   
   just as Xena opens a door. She throws her Chakram, separating them. Ares is   
   stunned and Xena pulls out her sword. Livia looks disgusted and jealous.   
   Xena tells Ares if he was mortal, she'd cut out his heart. Ares walks to   
   her, and through her sword, and tries to kiss her. She gives him a head   
   butt. Livia pulls a sword on Xena. Ares introduces them and pushes Livia's   
   sword away. Then he says if Xena is alive, Eve is too, and that means his   
   immortality is in jeopardy.   
      
       Livia goes to the prisoners and tells them to find a champion to fight   
   her. She picks Virgil to fight her.   
      
       Xena goes to Octavius. She tells him that Livia does not love him, she   
   loves Ares. He has seduced her with promises of absolute power. She tells   
   Octavius she will prove it to him at a party that night.   
      
       At the party, Xena, with a veil over her face and dressed as a servant,   
   comes in. Octavius sees her and goes and gets Livia. Xena goes to Ares, who   
   realizes it is Xena. He says he has to know what happened because he mourned   
   her for years. He says Livia isn't Xena, and if he thought for one minute he   
   had a chance with Xena, Livia would be "dropped like a nasty habit." Xena   
   and Ares kiss passionately. Livia sees and hears all this, with Octavius   
   seeing and hearing it all, too. Octavius tells Livia that he'd sooner see   
   his empire crumble than leave it to her.   
      
       Xena goes outside. She senses Ares' presence. He says he has figured out   
   that Livia is Eve. He says he didn't know it until Xena arrived. Xena says   
   it is personal because he has corrupted her daughter. Ares says 'you, me, a   
   child, otherwise, I go to the gods'.   Xena says 'you would do that to the   
   woman you love, condemn her to death?', and he says 'no, but I would condemn   
   her daughter'.   
      
       Back in the prison, Gabrielle sees Virgil writing a poem. They are about   
   Joxer's deeds. Gabrielle smiles and says Joxer is inspiring. She doesn't   
   tell Virgil the truth.   
      
       Livia tears up a room because she is mad. Xena comes in and Livia draws   
   her sword. Xena knocks it away with her Chakram. Livia throws a knife at   
      
   [continued in next message]   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)