The days flew by so quickly that Lindsey barely even paid attention to Christmas, her every waking moment consumed with preparing for the wedding. She'd had the final fitting on her dress, the girls' bridesmaids dresses were perfect ("Oooo! Orange!" Sabriena had squealed in delight), the cake was ordered, a caterer and photographer hired, and the music prepared. The day before the wedding, a rehearsal was staged in the great room of the warehouse. Decorations were going up all around, the pastor at the front of the room, going over the ceremony with Lindsey and Gohan.
"You nervous?" Gohan asked as they finished the rehearsal.
"Maybe a little," she said.
"Me too," he admitted.
The pastor approached them once more. "It must have slipped my mind," he said apologetically, "but was your father not able to attend today? We didn't go over the part where he gives you away."
Lindsey's breath caught in her chest. She hadn't thought about it. "My dad's deceased," she answered quietly.
"Oh, I'm sorry," the pastor said. "Is there someone who will stand in for him? An uncle, perhaps?"
Lindsey shook her head. "Can we just skip that part?"
The pastor nodded kindly. "Of course."
"Thanks," Gohan smiled.
"I will see you all tomorrow evening, then," the pastor said, shaking hands with them and leaving.
"Sorry about that, Lins," Gohan said.
She shrugged. "It's okay."
Goku and Chichi stepped closer. "Do you want Goku to give you away?" Chichi offered.
"ME?!" Goku exclaimed. "I thought I just got to watch!"
"It's okay, Chichi," Lindsey answered. "He can't really give me away and accept me into your family at the same time."
Chichi laughed, "I suppose you're right. Isn't there anyone who could do it?"
"I'm not that worried about it," Lindsey lied. The truth was, she had been feeling rather choked up about it now that it had been mentioned, but didn't want to put a damper on anyone's spirits. She really wished her dad could be there.
"Okay, I think tha's it," Sophie said, standing back and admiring her work.
"Thank you all for working so hard for us," Lindsey said.
"Ah, we love you, girl," Sophie smiled.
"Okay then," Bulma said. "It's six thirty! You men better get outta here."
"Huh?" Gohan asked.
"Don't you know it's bad luck to see the bride within twenty-four hours of the wedding?" Bulma asked. "The wedding is at seven tomorrow! You have to go to the ranch house!"
"Oh, I didn't know that," Gohan said in a sullen voice.
"Yep," Chichi said, "it's tradition. All you men are going to the ranch and the ladies are staying here."
"I guess the next time I see you, you'll be walking down that aisle," Gohan said, pulling Lindsey to him.
She took a nervous breath. "Yeah, I guess so."
They stared at each other for a moment, then wrapped themselves in each other's arms, kissing passionately.
"Hey you two!" Krillin yelled, "Save it for the honeymoon!"
Gohan broke away from Lindsey, turning violently red. "Krillin!"
"Now you boys get to bed early. No partying tonight and no drinking!" Bulma instructed them.
"Don't worry so much, Bulma," Goku grinned. "We've got it under control."
"And no getting cold feet, Gohan!" Bulma added.
"Not a chance," he answered.
"Come on, we can figure this out," Catie said, sitting on Lindsey's bed a few hours later.
"It has to be perfect and I don't know what to say!" Lindsey cried, throwing her pen and paper on the bed. She'd been trying to write her wedding vows for days.
"Nothing like waiting to the last minute," Catie grumbled.
The truth was, it wasn't her vows that were bugging her at the moment. It was the fact that there was no one to give her away. She'd thought of asking Shayne, but he'd been so distant from her for so long, it just didn't seem right. She suddenly got to her feet.
"I'm going to see Yorgi," Lindsey stated.
"Yorgi? Why?" Catie asked.
"I have to ask him something. I'll be right back."
She hurried down the darkened hall, climbing the stairs and finally coming to a stop outside Yorgi's door when she heard raised voices inside.
"She is not leaving!"
"Yorgi, I'm telling you, when she gets on that plane to leave for her honeymoon, she's not coming back! You have to get over it!" Memphis shouted.
Lindsey froze in her tracks, leaning closer to the door.
"I forbid it," Yorgi growled.
Memphis laughed. "As if you have a say in the matter."
"I mean it, Memphis," Yorgi said in a warning tone.
"I'll do as I please, Yorgi."
Lindsey tried to lean even closer but lost her footing and fell against the door. She quickly knocked to try and cover for it.
"DA?" Yorgi called.
Lindsey creaked the door open. "Am I interrupting something?"
"What do you need, Little Dove?" Yorgi asked.
A look of irritation crossed Memphis' face. "She has a goddamn name, Yorgi. It's Lindsey! Although, with the way you treat her, perhaps Little Dove is more appropriate. Keeping her caged up here all the time!"
Yorgi looked murderous.
"I can come back later," Lindsey said uncertainly.
"What do you need?" Yorgi repeated.
"I was, well, I was wondering if tomorrow, at the wedding, if you would give me away?" she asked.
Yorgi narrowed his eyes. "I am not so sure I like this term 'give away.' It sound like you leaving us."
Lindsey bit her lip and said nothing.
"So it true?" Yorgi asked. "You plan to leave and never come back."
"I never said I wouldn't come back," Lindsey answered. "But that's where Gohan's family is. It's important to him."
"And we are not important to you?"
"Of course you are, Yorgi," Lindsey answered.
"Don't lay a guilt trip on her," Memphis said.
"Well then why don't you do it?" Yorgi spat. "You seem so keen on getting her out of here."
"You're damn right I am," Memphis said. "And I'm taking Kip and Jenny, too."
Yorgi was breathing heavy through his nose, looking back and forth between Lindsey and Memphis. "What did I do to deserve such mutiny?"
"You took it too far, Yorgi," Memphis answered softly. "This was supposed to be fun. It isn't fun anymore."
"Just because you turn chickenshit and run for it…"
"Can you blame me?!" Memphis spat. "I'm looking at fifteen years if they catch me! And all because of some bullshit order I tried to pull for you! You set me up and you know it!"
Yorgi said nothing, but continued to stare at the two of them, his nose twitching and a muscle working in his jaw.
"See? You don't even deny it!" Memphis shouted. "It was supposed to be about the cars, not the money! But that's all you care about now, isn't it? They're gonna catch you one day, Yorgi. You really want these kids to go down with you?"
"I am above the law," Yorgi stated smugly. "I can buy my way in or out of anything."
Memphis snorted. "Yeah, okay. It's gonna catch up to you one day."
"Little Dove, you would not leave me again, would you? After everything I've done for you?" he walked closer and put his arm around her shoulders.
Lindsey felt like crying. "Yorgi, Gohan really wants to…"
"Gohan!" Yorgi spat. "So he is more important to you than I?"
Lindsey blinked for a moment. "Yes." She nodded emphatically, "Yes he is."
Yorgi's expression turned dark. "Fine. You want to betray me like this? I give you away. I give you away right now. Get out!" He shoved her away from him, her back slamming against Memphis. Memphis grabbed her by the shoulders to keep her from falling.
"Yorgi!" Lindsey cried. "Please! You have to understand!"
"I have to do nothing!" he shouted. "I hope you enjoy your life with Gohan, being penniless and living with his parents. Or worse, living on the street."
"I have money," Lindsey said, looking confused.
"Not anymore you don't," Yorgi threatened. "I will empty your account."
"But I earned that money working for you!" she protested.
"Exactly. I give it and I take it away," Yorgi sneered. "Hope that piece of shit half-breed Jap is worth it."
It was in that moment that Lindsey found her backbone to stand up to Yorgi. "NO ONE speaks about my husband that way. I'd rather be poor and happy with Gohan than to be rich and miserable with you."
Yorgi looked like he could explode with rage. "THAT IT! WEDDING IS OFF!"
Lindsey blinked in shock. "You wouldn't…"
"I just did."
"THAT IS ENOUGH."
Everyone jumped and turned to stare at Yelena, who had just entered the room.
"Not you too," Yorgi groaned.
"Now you listen," Yelena stated boldly, her hands on her hips. "I work hard, very hard, on this wedding. For almost a year, I work on this. You will not take that away."
"YELENA, SHE IS LEAVING US!" Yorgi protested.
"Of course she is, Yorgi," Yelena said. "She getting married. Is time for her to move on with her life."
Yorgi crossed his arms, fuming.
"This wedding will happen. Here. Tomorrow," Yelena stated.
"Not in my house," Yorgi growled.
"Yes, it will. Or I blow the whistle on you," she threatened.
Memphis actually jumped at that. Only one person had ever threatened to turn Yorgi in before, and soon after, that person went "missing." But would Yorgi do that to Yelena?
"You watch your words," Yorgi warned.
"Or what, Yorgi? You have me killed?"
"Yorgi," Memphis started, "Don't you see how ridiculous this all is? Canceling the wedding? Throwing Lindsey out? KILLING YELENA? Are you MAD?"
"Never," Yorgi breathed, "have I ever been so betrayed."
"Yorgi…" Lindsey began.
"Get out," he breathed in a low voice. "All of you. Get out of my room."
Hurt and angry, Lindsey marched out of the room, followed closely by Yelena and Memphis.
"I told you," Lindsey muttered to Memphis once they'd reached the hall.
"Ah, I ain't done with him yet," Memphis said. "He's known this was coming for awhile. Excellent timing, by the way, Yelena."
She shrugged.
"Yeah, how do you always manage to do that?" Lindsey asked.
"Yorgi thinks he know everyone so good," she snorted, "He not know half of what I know."
"So, the wedding?" Lindsey asked nervously.
"I not let him cancel it," Yelena answered. "You don't worry about that."
"Thanks, Yelena," Lindsey said.
Yelena nodded and returned to her room.
"Hey kiddo," Memphis said in a voice that sounded uncertain.
"Huh?" Lindsey asked, turning to him.
"Since, ya know, since Yorgi turned ya down, would you want me to do it? You know," he hesitated, "walk you down the aisle?"
"You'd do that for me?" she asked in awe.
"Well sure," he smiled, tucking his hands in the pockets of his jeans. "If you want me to. If not, that's cool."
"I would be honored to have you give me away, Memphis," she said.
By the time she returned to her bedroom, Catie was laying sideways on the bed, snoring softly.
"It's only nine o'clock," Lindsey sighed. She folded the blanket back to cover Catie as best as she could and picked up her paper and pen again.
"Pre-wedding jitters?" came Sophie's voice.
Lindsey turned to her and sighed. "This whole thing is going to be a train-wreck."
Sophie crossed her arms and leaned against the doorframe. "Why d'ya say tha' love?"
"I asked Yorgi to give me away," Lindsey said sadly. "He refused."
"Wha? Why on earth would 'e do somethin' like tha'?"
"He doesn't want to give me away. In any sense of the phrase."
"Well, I can't say I blame 'im," Sophie admitted. "I don' want to see you go either. But I always kind of knew you would."
"You did?"
"Yeah, you're too much of a free spirit. You can' be 'eld down 'ere."
Lindsey smiled at Sophie. "I'll miss you Sophie. You get people. You really see them, you know?"
Sophie smiled back. "Wha' I see is a girl struggling to write 'er vows."
Lindsey rolled her eyes. "I know. I don't know what to say."
"You want to know wha' I think?" Sophie asked.
Lindsey nodded.
"I think you've spent so much time focusing on the wedding tha' you're not concentrating on getting married."
"Huh?" Lindsey asked.
"You're getting so wrapped up in all the formalities, you're forgetting the whole purpose of the day. When it's all said and done, all that matters is you and Gohan. You need to find tha' spark. Tha' fun, butterfly feeling tha' tells you you're in love."
Lindsey tipped her head to the side, questioning.
Sophie stepped closer, grabbing Lindsey by the shoulders. "Go to 'im. Do something fun and just let go. Forget the stress and the worry. It'll all fall into place like it's supposed to."
Lindsey's eyes lit up. "Thank you, Sophie!"