"We really need to start planning the wedding," Chichi said one afternoon.

Lindsey blinked at her across the table. "Yeah, I guess so."

"Well I have a list," Chichi went on cheerily. "You should start with this." She handed it to Lindsey.

Lindsey's eyes widened at the incredibly long list Chichi had hand-written for her. Gohan leaned over her shoulder to get a better look. "That's a long list," he said.

Chichi smiled, obviously pleased with herself. "I just want everything to be perfect!"

"Uh, thanks, Chichi," Lindsey said and sat the list next to her plate. "I think I'm full."

"You didn't eat much," Goku observed.

Lindsey shrugged. "Gotta fit in that wedding dress," she said with a forced smile. She stood and took her plate to the sink. She swiped the list from the table and headed out the front door, reading it aloud as she went. "Pick a date, choose color scheme, contact photographer. . ."

"She seems better," Chichi said.

"We're working on it," Gohan said, shoveling the rest of his food in his mouth. "Thanks for lunch, mom." He ran to follow Lindsey.

She was nearly to her car when he caught up to her. "Where ya going?"

"I was, uh, gonna go start on your mom's list," she said.

"You want me to come with you?"

"Nah," she answered. "I'm okay."

"I don't mind," Gohan said, hoping she'd let him come along. He didn't like being away from her. He worried that something else would happen and he wouldn't be there to protect her.

"Pick a dress is near the top of the list," she said, holding it up to show him. "You can't see me in the dress."

He beamed at her. "Okay then. Pick out a good one."

She smiled again, gave him a tiny peck on the lips, then hopped in her car. He watched her drive away and felt his hopes lift. She was picking out her dress. This was a good sign. Maybe things were finally getting back to normal.

Lindsey strolled across the large garage of the warehouse, tossing the list on the bar counter. "Take care of that for me, would you?" she asked Yelena.

Yelena picked up the list and ran her dark eyes over it. "You want me to take care of all of this?" she asked in her light accent.

Lindsey stared at Yelena with bored eyes. "I don't know anything about this crap."

"Neither do I," Yelena answered.

"But you could knock out half that list in an afternoon," Lindsey whined. "Please? Just get Chichi off my back."

Yelena sighed and nodded, then turned to her laptop.

Lindsey wound her way passed the people in the garage until she found Kolya near the back wall, talking to Xander.

"Hey you," Xander greeted her.

She nodded to him. She crooked her finger at Kolya, signaling him to follow her. She walked through the doorway into the narrow hall and he shut the door behind him.

"You got anything for me?" she asked for the fourth time that week.

"Not now," he answered.

"Why not?" she asked, a panic rising in her chest.

"I have some on Friday," he answered.

"But, Kolya. . ."

He shrugged. "That when I get more."

She drew a long breath through her nose and huffed at him. "It's Wednesday. What am I supposed to do in the mean time?"

Kolya stared at the floor, thinking. Finally he sighed and withdrew the cell phone from his pocket. "I see what I can do."

Heaving a huge sigh of relief, Lindsey leaned back against the wall and listened as Kolya jabbered away in rapid Russian over his phone.

He hung up the phone and looked at her apologetically.

She tipped her head to the side, "Whaaaa?"

"Friday," he said.

"Goddammit," she huffed. "This is bullshit."

Kolya pressed his lips to a straight line, then pulled a pint from his back pocket. "Here."

Lindsey looked at the bottle of expensive vodka he'd pressed into her hand. "Thanks," she said half-heartedly as she unscrewed the top and took a long swallow.

"You want chaser?" he asked, eyeing her in a surprised sort of way.

She shook her head no as she continued to drink.

"Okay," he said and returned to the garage.

Lindsey slid down the wall of the hallway, drinking down the bottle as fast as her stomach would allow her. The affects weren't hitting her fast enough for her liking. She polished the bottle off quickly and squeezed her eyes shut as her head began to swim.

"Kolya?" she asked the darkness of the tiny hallway. There was no answer. "Kolya!"

The door cracked open and Kolya blinked in confusion as he found her sitting in the hall.

"I need more," she slurred, holding up the empty bottle.

"More?" he asked, tipping his head in concern.

"MORE."

He took the empty bottle from her and returned moments late with a fresh one. He handed it to her without saying a word, then sat on the floor next to her. He gave her a playful shove with his elbow and she jumped, slopping some of the liquid down her front.

"Don't touch me!" she yelled. She slid a couple feet away from him, nursing the bottle and eyeing him suspiciously.

Kolya looked confused and stood to walk away from her. He looked like he wanted to say something, but seemed to think better of it, and left.

The blackness of the hallway appeared to be growing as she drank. Weird shadows seemed to move on the walls. She whimpered and tried to shrink back against the wall. The feeling of falling asleep came upon her strongly and so swiftly, she could barely process what was happening, and she slumped sideways, completely asleep before she even hit the floor.

She awoke to a soft rocking feeling, the side of her face blissfully cool. Her eyes fluttered open. It was dark and her face was pressed against the cold glass of a car window. Her stomach was churning. The only thing keeping her from being sick was that cool, smooth pane of glass. She closed her eyes again and groaned.

Gohan sat in the living room, staring out the front window. The girls had taken Piccolo, Seventeen and Trunks to the movies. He'd been hoping Lindsey would have returned home in time so they could go, too. Goku, Yamcha, Tien and Krillin were there with him, sitting on the floor around the coffee table, playing card in their hands.

"Don't you want to play, Gohan?" Krillin asked.

"No thanks," Gohan answered without looking away from the window.

"She'll be back soon," Yamcha said absently, considering his cards.

Gohan didn't reply.

Every minute seemed as long as an hour. She wasn't answering her phone. There was no way any wedding shop was still open this late.

Headlights rolled across the windows and Gohan breathed a sigh of relief as he saw Xander's GTO pull to a stop in the circle drive. He'd never been so happy to see Xander. Gohan jumped up and headed out the front door.

With the lazy movement of a large cat, Xander slid out of his car and slammed the door behind him.

"You got Lindsey with you?" Gohan called as he walked down the front steps.

"Yeah, she's in there," Xander answered in his deep voice.

"Did something happen to her car?" Gohan asked, standing next to Xander.

"Nah, her car's fine. She's not."

Gohan's insides turned to ice. "What do you mean?"

"I found her passed out in a hallway. She's drunk as hell, man."

Gohan relaxed slightly. Drunk, he could handle.

"Thanks for driving her home," he said.

Xander walked around the front of the car, pulled open the passenger side door, and grabbed Lindsey by the wrist. He hauled her to her feet and she shouted in protest.

"Get off me!" she yelled at Xander and slapped at him across the face. She took a few wobbly steps forward before her feet slid out from under her on the gravel. She sat there for a moment before uttering a pitiful sounding, "ow."

Xander shook his head as he stared at her.

Gohan started towards her, reaching to help her up. She withdrew from him. "Leave me alone."

Gohan looked up to Xander, confusion on his face. "I told you. She's DRUNK."

"Lindsey, it's me," Gohan said in a soft voice, crouching down to be on eye level with her.

Her green eyes blinked slowly at him, a blank expression across her face. She didn't even know where she was. Gohan waited for a few minutes before he tried to pull her to her feet again. She screamed again, struggling to pull her wrist from his grip, clawing at his arm with her free hand.

"It's me!" he shouted. "It's Gohan! I'm not going to hurt you!"

Hearing the commotion from inside the house, Goku, Krillin, Tien and Yamcha ran out onto the porch. They stared in bewilderment as Gohan held Lindsey's arm, trying to calm her down, as she lay nearly sideways on the ground, screaming and kicking, sending gravel flying.

"What is going on out here?" Goku yelled and started across the yard towards them.

Gohan paused to look up at his dad. "She's drunk, I'm trying to get her in the house."

Lindsey was trying desperately to peel Gohan's fingers from her wrist. "Please, let go," she begged. "LET GO!"

"Let her go, Gohan," Goku said. Gohan released his grip and Lindsey fell back into the gravel. "Lindsey, get up," Goku commanded. She stared at him, wild-eyed and distrusting. "You need to go to bed."

She didn't move or respond. She rolled to her left side and put her right hand to her face.

"Get up," Goku said again, a little more harshly this time.

"Go away," she murmured.

A stern look crossed Goku's face and he bent down to her. In one quick movement, he picked her up and hauled her over his shoulder. Screaming in protest, she pounded her fists on his back. "Let me go! Don't touch me! Leave me alone! Stop! STOP! You're hurting me!"

Goku wasn't phased as he carried her across the lawn. Lindsey tried to twist and squirm away, but it was useless.

"GET OFF OF ME!" she screamed, the sound a gut-wrenching plea. "PLE-HEASE! DON'T!"

Yamcha and Krillin stepped to the side so Goku could pass them. He carried her straight into the house and up the stairs to her room, followed by Gohan. He flipped her from his shoulder onto the bed.

"Thanks dad," Gohan said, staring miserably at his fiancée as she curled into a fetal position on the bed.

Not knowing what to say or think, Goku squeezed Gohan's shoulder and left the room. Gohan sat on the edge of the bed, trying to decide what to do. Lindsey gave one big, shuddering sigh and fell asleep.

"She'll be okay," Xander said from the doorway.

Gohan hadn't even realized he was standing there. "Thanks for bringing her home," he said again.

"No big deal," Xander said.

They looked at each other for a minute before Xander said, "Well I gotta get back. See you later, Gohan."

"See ya," Gohan said.

He ran a hand through his hair, squeezing the back of his neck. He pulled her shoes off and tossed them aside. He didn't dare try to help her change clothes. He changed his own clothes to pajamas, clicked the light off, then slipped into bed beside her.

He lay in the dark, replaying the scene from outside in his head. He was terribly embarrassed that not only had his father seen how she was behaving, but Yamcha and Krillin and Tien as well. It was just like Piccolo had said.

Gohan felt as if a weight were pressing on his chest. He reached for her in the dark and curled his body against her back.

"Gohan," she murmured in her sleep.

"It's me," he whispered to her. "I'm here. I'm not going anywhere."

He nuzzled into the back of her neck, the sweet scent of her perfume mixed with alcohol. He sighed, feeling her cool, soft skin against his face. He wanted her so badly. He wanted her smile, her laugh, her larger-than-life personality. He squeezed his eyes shut, fighting tears that came anyway.