This story is a rewrite of Gabrielle's Hope. Some of the episode did not suit me well. It starts at the scene when evil is lurking around, focusing on the main characters. You see Xena staring down at Gabrielle warily.

Xena stared down at her lover. Saw the bard's chest rise and fall with her even breathing, one hand absently stroking the baby's stomach over the cloth garment it was clothed with. Inside, the warrior knew the baby was the child of the darkness. She couldn't explain it to Gabrielle. The bard just wouldn't listen. She hated to do this to her lover. She understood what Gabrielle felt for the child. Her warrior instincts told her this was wrong. This monster had to be stopped. It-

She perked up as a scraping sound escaped through the air. Her crystal blue eyes darkened, becoming an icy blizzard. She put her hand to the hilt of her sword and stepped forward cautiously, glancing back and forth seeing nothing but innocent castle wall.

She glanced around. Goen was peacefully asleep, leaning against the stone that she had pulled the highly decorated sword out of earlier. She smiled. He looked peaceful and relaxing. Her gaze sank.

"Iokid?" ...No answer. Xena sighed desparingly. "Iokid?!"

Iokid was gone. He wasn't in her line of vision anywhere.

Xena tapped Goen awake and covered his mouth when he attempted to raise his voice. "Goen, Iokid's gone."

Goen squinted his hazel eyes. "What? How is that possible?"
 

They both straightened themselves and Xena's blue eyes became concerned, her full lips moving. "There must be another way out of here," she observed.

"Well, the castle's full of secret passageways," Goen answered, his bangs fluttering with an unfelt breeze. His eyes became concerned and mysterious at the same time. His cloak fluttered as he shuffled his feet. "Well, Iokid has lived here longer than anyone else all the more." His face became worried. "I wouldn't worry though. Iokid would do nothing to hurt that child."

Xena's tone became dark and threatening. "If you don't mind, I'll worry all right."

Goen watched as the beautiful warrior walked over to the stray wall to the far corner of the room. He couldn't help but stare at the leather and armor she wore and the immense arms of the warrior princess. Her sword was most noticable, her back straight from the tighteness of the leather, her raven hair flowing past her shoulders.

He watched as she approached the wall. "He moved back here. And, then I heard some kind of scraping sound," she murmured, tapping on the wall with her strong hands. She began to explore it, moving all around, pressing her palms inward and agains the stone whenever she could. An audible click was heard and then Goen's eyes widened as the wall moved and she stepped back. He shook his head in disbelief at what he was seeing. This meant trouble.

The warrior flashed him a seductive smile and pursed her lips together, her feet shuffling. "I'm going to see where our little friend went," her use of tongue was casual, yet daring. Then, it became protective. "You stay here and look after Gabrielle and the baby."

Goen nodded and resumed his seat by the rock. He watched Xena disappear through the secret door and before he could think, a cry from the baby sounded and he glanced over at the crying Hope, crawling restlessly across the floor.

"Come here sweetheart." Instinctively, he picked her up and began to speak soothing words to the adorable little girl. "O----hhh. What's the matter? Can't sleep?" he asked. He tenderly set her in his lap. "Oh... here. Look up. Look up. Come on," he said, handing the little darling his medallion.

She leapt to her feet and ran to the sound. Her heart shattered, her eyes bulged. Her hands clamped over her mouth, a fist tightening in her stomach. Hope... Hope was strangling innocent Goen with his own medallion chain. The look on the baby was sickening, her face twisted and smiling as she watched Goen struggle to breathe, his twisted face becoming the color blue, his eyes popping out from his skull as his heart slowed.

The bard couldn't move. All she could do was stare in horrific shock. She couldn't move. Her heart stopped beating for single seconds. She could hear nothing but the unmistakable sounds of death as the realization was sealed. Her lover had been right the whole time. Hope was the child of darkness.

She quivered and fell to her knees, weeping uncontrollably as Hope released the medallion, taking the decoration off and holding it between her hands. Her expression turned from contorted to joyful at what she had just accomplished. Her first kill...

Gabrielle vomited to the side, shivering. Her eyes rolled back in her head and darkness enveloped her with a sickening heap.

"Goen... Goen we've got trouble! Iokid's a tratior and..." the warrior's eyes widened and her heart froze icily. Panic boiled through her veins. The sight of Goen's purplish flesh was enough to sicken her senses.

The sound of a hushed and jubilant cry from Hope caught her attention and she drew her sword. The child of darkness held the medallion in her clutched hands.

"You little harlot! You killed Goen... You... you deliberately killed him! Now I'm going to even the score! " Xena raged, holding the sword above her head, her face determined. All she could feel was immense and verified hate for this evil baby and her destructive father that had planted his seed into her sweetest lover without warning and without judgement. It's going to end right here. Time to die...

The sword pierced the baby's stomach and cut upwards, slicing the limp carcasses weak flesh in half. Blood splattered her sword and dripped in gushing rolls over the floor. It littered the ground in luscious movements, and the baby's creamy skin became doused in the fresh liquid.

The warrior spotted Gabrielle curled up into a ball. The air reaked of her fresh vomit. Xena sheathed her bloodied sword and wrapped her arms around the bard's waist, lifting her over her shoulder. The darkness she had brought into this earth was gone. The warrior prayed that her younger lover's soul had not gone with it.