THE IDES OF MARCH

Callisto is suffering in hell where she is let in on a little deal with "Him."  She appears to Caesar (who has just awoken from a fantasy/nightmare about Xena) and promises him ultimate power and the riddance of Xena.  Elsewhere... Xena, Gabby, and Amarice are on their way to see Eli when they are suddenly attacked.  (Gabrielle non-violently saves Amarice.)  We learn that Caesar has a fortune of a bounty out on Xena's head.  "I'm going to kill him," declares Xena.  But, especially after that vision, she's going into Rome alone.  Back at Caesar's, Callisto explains that the reward was only to get Xena to come to him.  Gabrielle and Amarice find Eli healing the sick.  They are discussing power as love versus power at the end of a sword when they are suddenly taken captive by Brutus and his men.  It's Caesar's orders in his own self-defense and he's promised no one will get hurt.  Gabrielle doesn't believe this and Brutus expresses regret that their friends' wars have brought them into conflict.  Meanwhile, Xena has disguised herself as one of the Roman guards and throws her chakram at Caesar's neck.  It is caught by Callisto!  "Guards!" he yells.  A fight!  Xena escapes through the window where Callisto is waiting.  (We learn that Caesar is planning to announce himself emperor on the Ides of March.)  "I'm here to make you an offer," tempts Callisto.  She informs Xena that Gabrielle is currently in Roman hands.  Nevertheless, Xena refuses to hear her out.  Back at the prison entrance, Brutus leads the captives.  It is snowing just as it was in the vision.  And they are building crosses... for a boatload of pirates who are expected to arrive any day now....  Suddenly, Amarice tries to attack one of Brutus' men but Gabrielle hovers over her to protect her from punishment.  "I remember a time when mercy was shown to you!" she reminds Brutus.  "Put down your swords," he relents.  Later, Xena sneaks up on Brutus as he's takin' a piss.  She makes a deal with him that if he tells her Gabrielle's whereabouts, she will give him information that will save his life.  With that, she tells him that Caesar has been talking to assassins in Gaul and Brutus reveals the location of the prison.  In the jail cell, Gabby and Eli are meditating while Amarice complains.  Just outside, Xena is planning her breaking and entering when Callisto reappears, promising Xena the chance to walk away with all her friends if she'll only leave her warrior way.  But more tempting than that is the offer to cleanse her of "that shame that drives you."  "To redeem myself, I have to fight evil with a sword...."  Xena walks away from an ever increasingly frustrated Callisto yet again.  Back in Rome, Caesar basically (and verbally) gives Brutus every reason to suspect and distrust him.  "I keep the vision from coming true and you leave Caesar alone," says Callisto in a final attempt to turn Xena away.  Xena refuses.  So, Callisto lets out a war cry just outside the prison.  This sends every guard searching for Xena -who is busy freeing the prisoners.  A fight!  Callisto watches in disappointment as Xena gains the upper hand and Gabrielle leads the captives to safety.  Still in possession of Xena's chakram, Callisto forcefully throws it at Xena, shattering her spine!  (The chakram breaks in two.)  Seeing Xena's knees buckle and watching her fall to the ground, Gabrielle suddenly snaps into desperate kill-mode.  She plants a javelin into the chest of Xena's would-be killer, takes up Xena's sword and kills their other attackers, and stabs a guard repeatedly with a dagger.  (All to the sound of Xena's protesting.)  "Interesting," remarks Callisto.  Suddenly aware of her actions, Gabrielle drops the bloody dagger and is quickly surrounded by Roman guards....  Xena wakes up in prison resting on Gabrielle's lap.  They are both dressed in rags.  (Elsewhere, Brutus secretly convinces the senate of the threat to Rome that Caesar is rapidly becoming.)  Xena blames herself for Gabrielle's leaving the way of love.  "I chose the way of friendship," Gabrielle explains.  Gabby also tells Xena that she used to feel invisible until they met.  "You saw all the things that I could be.  You saved me, Xena."  Guards arrive to drag them to their crosses as Callisto eats the falling snow.  She also reveals that her Lord's main concern was making Caesar dictator.  "So while you lie here helpless -he's declaring himself emperor."  But as the nails are driven through the hands and feet of our heroes, dozens of daggers are being plunged into Caesar's flesh at the hands of his senate.  Brutus, of course, finishes him off.  And the spirits of Xena and Gabrielle ascend together.