Gohan was lying awake in bed, staring at the ceiling. His stomach was twisting in knots as he thought about the upcoming day. He'd read and reread the vows he'd written until he had them memorized perfectly, yet he was still afraid he'd get tongue-tied and mess something up. And he couldn't stop picturing Lindsey in a white dress, walking towards him. The thought filled him with an excited energy.

The door to the bedroom creaked open and Goku peeked in. "You up?"

Gohan sat up in bed. "Yeah."

"I figured you wouldn't be sleeping," Goku chuckled. He stepped into the room. "Are you okay?"

Gohan smiled. "I think so. Just nervous."

"I don't blame you," Goku said. "I know I was nervous when I married your mother."

"I just don't want to be up in front of all those people," Gohan admitted. "Makes my stomach twist up."

"Just take a deep breath and calm down," Goku said. "It'll be fine. All that matters is you and her."

Gohan nodded. "Thanks, dad."

There was a soft knock on the open door and Lindsey stuck her head inside. "Is this a private party, or may I join?"

Gohan gasped. "I thought I wasn't supposed to see you until tomorrow?"

"Oh, to hell with that tradition," Lindsey said with a wave. "After all we've been through, I'm not worried about some stupid superstition."

"Atta girl," Goku grinned.

"Just don't tell Chichi," Lindsey giggled.

Goku drew an X on his chest with his finger. "Cross my heart."

"Goku, thank you for everything. I don't know where I'd be right now if it hadn't been for you," she said.

"I wasn't gonna give up on you that easy," Goku smiled.

Lindsey stepped forward and hugged him. "Thanks, dad."

Something caught in Goku's throat and he hugged her back. "You're welcome."

She turned to Gohan then. "I can't stand the stress anymore," she said. "I'm going to do the only thing I can think of to get rid of the stress."

A sudden fear pierced Gohan. "What would that be?"

"I'm going for a ride," she smiled. "Would you like to come with me?"

"A ride?" Gohan asked, getting to his feet.

"You can ride Patrick's horse. He won't mind."

Gohan smiled. "Sure."

They rode the horses out into the woods, the snow crunching beneath the heavy hooves.

"So did you get your vows written?" Lindsey asked.

"Yeah," he answered. "I did a few days ago. How about you?"

She stared at her horse's mane. "Still working on it."

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"I just don't know what to say. I want to make sure it's perfect," she said.

"It doesn't have to be a big production," he said.

She shrugged.

"You know, just get up there and tell everyone how totally awesome I am. How you are so lucky to be with they guy who's the most handsome, sexy, smart, talented…"

She threw her head back and laughed.

Gohan cocked an eyebrow, "That funny to you?"

"It's funny cause it's true," she giggled. "You're all of that and so much more."

"Nah," Gohan shook his head. "I was joking."

"I'm not," she said.

Gohan could feel his ears burning.

"Have you checked in with Lia and Kristen about Mercutio?" Gohan asked, turning the subject away from himself.

Lindsey shook her head. "I know he's okay. They're taking good care of him for me."

"When we get a house, I'll build you a pasture and you can bring him home," Gohan said.

"Really?" she smiled.

Gohan nodded.

Lindsey pulled her tall black horse up next to the buckskin Gohan was riding. "I love you," she said, leaning over to kiss him.

She broke the kiss as a gunshot rent the night air. Her black horse jumped a bit, but Gohan's horse remained still.

"Darn it, don't go getting thrown tonight!" Gohan warned.

"Easy, boy, easy," Lindsey soothed and the stallion calmed. "Who's out hunting at this time of night? There isn't anything in season right now."

She glanced around, narrowing her eyes at the bright beam of light that shone through the trees ahead. "Poachers."

"Huh?" Gohan asked.

"They're spotlighting," she said.

"What's that?" he asked.

"They shine a bright light at deer. It makes them freeze in their tracks. Easy targets. It's illegal," she answered. She urged her horse forwards, toward the light ahead.

Gohan sighed. "The night before our wedding, and she has to rid the world of injustice again." He nudged the sides of the horse and followed her at a trot.

As they neared the place where the light was shining, Lindsey slid from the saddle, landing lightly in the snow. Gohan dropped down beside her.

A voice carried across the dark woods. "Didja git 'im?"

Fear rooted Lindsey to the spot. That voice. No. No! Not now! Not the night before her wedding. She trembled as the memories washed over her again.

"I know that voice," Gohan said quietly. "Who is it?"

"Shoot it, Jonah!" came a second voice.

Gohan's expression turned to one of pure hatred. "Is that…?"

"Cody and Jonah," Lindsey whispered.

"I think it's about time they learned their lesson," Gohan said darkly. "Follow me." He quickly slipped through the trees as silent as a shadow, Lindsey blinking in shock and following him. They stopped at the edge of a clearing, peering around a large tree trunk.

The moon shone brightly off the snow, revealing the two young men standing there, a large light in Cody's hand and a rifle in Jonah's.

"This time, they're not getting away," Gohan growled.

Lindsey grabbed the back of his coat. "What are you doing?" she hissed. "They have a gun!"

Gohan raised his eyebrow skeptically. "I'm not afraid of that." He stepped out from behind the tree. "You're trespassing," he said loudly.

Lindsey pressed her back against the tree trunk, breathing heavily. Strong and fast as Gohan was, Lindsey was certain there was no way he could dodge a bullet. And there was no way he'd talk them into putting it down, either. She pressed her hands to her mouth, stifling a sob. She wanted a wedding tomorrow, not a funeral.

The Johnson boys spun around and stared at Gohan. "What's it to you?" Jonah spat.

"You don't know who I am, do you?" Gohan smirked.

Cody peered at Gohan, then snorted. "You're that Jap kid that Blackwell was gonna marry."

Gohan's eyes narrowed at the racial slur. "That's right."

"You get on outta here before you end up hurt," Jonah warned.

"That's all you do is hurt others, isn't it? Especially those who are weaker than you," Gohan said, his eyes landing on the deer several yards away, a large red pool staining the snow around it.

"Aw man, is she still telling that lie?" Cody snorted. "Look, I'd be mad, too, if my girl were runnin' around on me. I don't blame ya. But she's the one you oughta kick in the ass, not us."

Gohan could feel his shoulders starting to shake as he fought to control himself. "She didn't lie. I know what you did. And now I'm going to make you pay for what you did to her."

Jonah chambered a round in his rifle and shouldered it. "No you ain't."

Lindsey's heart stopped as the gunshot cracked across the clearing. Time stood still, a static filling her brain. Not her Gohan. They'd managed to take everything from her now. And in that instant, as the shot echoed throughout the trees, she lost her fear of the Johnson boys. Now it was replaced by nothing but sheer anger and hatred. "GOHAAAAAN!" she screamed, running out from behind the tree.

Gohan stood perfectly still, a smile on his face. "I believe this is yours," he said, holding his hand out to reveal the bullet he'd caught.

"You… you caught it," she breathed. "How did you…?"

"Not now," he answered.

"What are you, some kind of freak?" Cody shouted.

"Well hey, honey, long time no see," Jonah grinned at Lindsey.

"I'm not afraid of you anymore," she stated boldly.

"You never was," Jonah replied. "You loved every minute of it. What? You come out here to git some more?" He grabbed himself vulgarly.

Gohan's stomach rolled. He felt like he could vomit, just standing this close to them.

Lindsey's eyes burned a fiery orange as she looked at the two men who had tortured her so. With a scream of rage, her hair stood on end, turning into a blaze that melted the snow around her feet. She ripped her coat away and threw it in the snow. Her shoulders squared as she powered up, fine lines defined the long, lean muscles in her arms. The power emanating from her seemed to fill the clearing with a raw, crackling energy.

Gohan cast a glance at her in awe, goosebumps erupting along his arms and the hair on the back of his neck standing on end. "Wow," he breathed. She looked beautiful and terrifying as she faced the young men who had tried to destroy her.

Goku froze in the kitchen, a spoon in his mouth as he felt someone's energy skyrocket. The power was enormous. He smiled to himself as he recognized it.

There was a thundering on the stairs as the other Z Fighters tromped down them. The sudden power up had woken them.

"Kakarot, what is that?" Vegeta demanded.

Goku swallowed the large scoop of ice cream he had in his mouth, then stopped to pinch the bridge of his nose. "Brain freeze," he groaned.

"Goku, who is that?" Trunks asked in a softer tone than his father had used. "Do we need to be worried?"

"No need to worry, Trunks," Goku assured him. "That's Lindsey."

"No way," Tien breathed. "That's incredible."

Vegeta crossed his arms, concentrating. "Hmph. It is her."

"But why is she here?" Trunks asked. "And why is she powering up? Does she need our help?"

"Gohan's with her," Goku said.

"Well, come on!" Trunks cried, heading for the door. "They may need our help!"

"They don't need any help," Piccolo said.

"They don't?" Krillin asked.

"Be quiet for a minute and think. Do you sense anything strong enough to do any damage to them?" Piccolo asked.

Everyone fell silent for a moment.

"There's four energies there," Yamcha said quietly after a moment. "Lindsey and Gohan… but the other two… I don't understand it."

"Understand what, you baka?" Vegeta growled.

"The other two energies. They aren't powerful at all. But yet… they give me the chills. Like they're just pure evil, ya know?"

Goku gave a nod.

"She's still not as strong as Catie," Vegeta sneered.

Goku ignored Vegeta. He knew very well what was happening. "Let her do it, Gohan," he said softly, staring out the glass doors towards the far-away line of trees. "She needs to do it. Let her do it."

"Do what, Goku?" Krillin asked softly.

"Take her revenge."

"The hell?" Jonah gasped.

"Now it's your turn to be the bitch," Lindsey hissed as the two whips of flame appeared in her hands.

Jonah and Cody took nervous steps backwards and even Gohan shied slightly at the sight of them as she curled her wrists, the whips dancing lazily through the night air, leaving trails like sparklers. They sizzled and cracked in the frigid air.

"We… we didn't mean it," Cody squeaked.

Jonah quickly chambered another round, but before he could squeeze the trigger, Lindsey lashed out with a whip, wrapping it around the stock of the rifle and flinging it into the air. It landed several yards away, the metal barrel melted and twisted beyond all use.

"Fucking freak!" Jonah spat at her. "You filthy whore! You deserved everything you got and then some! You'll never be anything but a dirty little slut!"

"NO ONE TALKS TO HER LIKE THAT!" Gohan shouted and flew at Jonah, landing a hard punch to his stomach, doubling him over.

Cody turned to run, but his cowboy boots slipped in the snow and he fell face-first to the ground.

"You're mine," Lindsey snipped, flinging the whip again and catching Cody around the ankle. It burned quickly through the leather of his boot and into his skin. He screamed in agony.

"Stop! Stop!" he cried.

"You didn't stop when I was begging for my life," she sneered, pulling on the whip, tightening it. The rancid smell of burning flesh filled the clearing.

"I'm sorry!" Cody yelled, tears flowing from his eyes.

The look on Lindsey's face was incomprehensible. Her nose was wrinkled in a sneer, almost as if she wanted to bare her teeth like an angry wolf. Her eyes were narrowed as she took a step closer. "You weren't sorry when you broke my arm." She threw the second whip at him, wrapping it around his neck where it sizzled loudly. "You weren't sorry when you were fucking me!"

Gohan was pounding his fist into Jonah's face. Jonah held his hands up, trying to shield himself.

"Stop, man, stop!" he pleaded. "I'll never do it again!"

"Damn right, you won't," Gohan answered, kicking Jonah in the ribs so hard it threw him across the clearing. He flew at Jonah again before he had time to get to his feet. Gohan grabbed him by his shirt and slammed his back against a tree. "You made a big mistake, hurting my fiancée like that," he said in a low voice. "And now you have to pay."

"Please don't hurt me," Jonah begged.

"Hurt you?" Gohan snorted. "No. I'm going to kill you."

Fear shone on Jonah's face as a small blue orb of energy filled Gohan's free hand. He lifted it to Jonah's face and yelled "HAAAAA!" When the bright flash of light disappeared, there was nothing left of Jonah Johnson.

Cody was screaming in pure agony, writhing on the ground like a slug who'd wandered into a pile of salt.

"End it, Lindsey," Gohan commanded.

"No," she said, angry tears burning her eyes. "He has to suffer for what he did."

"End it now," Gohan said. "We're not like them. End it quick and be done with it."

She stared at Gohan, her teeth clenched together, every muscle in her body contracted as she pulled the whips tighter around Cody's ankle and throat. "He has to pay," she said in a painfully strained voice, her teeth still clenched.

"Finish him off!" Gohan shouted. "This is it! This is the moment where you can finally let go of all of this and put it behind you. Jonah's dead! He's gone from this world and can never harm anyone again!"

"Please…" Cody gasped. "Have mercy."

"You deserve none," Gohan spat nastily.

"I know," Cody croaked. "I'm… sorry…"

Lindsey stared at him as he gasped for air, his face burning and blistering from the heat of her whip around his neck. She almost felt… sorry? She slackened her grip for a split second.

"Lindsey, NO!" Gohan screamed.

Cody threw the whips off and sucked in a lungful of air. He shakily got to his feet. "Thank you…" he gasped.

"No," she said, her voice flat. "Thank you. I want to look you in the eye properly when you die." Before Cody could react, she lashed out with both whips, wrapping their ends around his throat once more and gave a mighty yank, using all the strength she could muster. As if in slow motion, Cody's body sank to the ground as his head rolled several feet away.

"Oh, you're cruel," Gohan smirked.

"That's not half of what he deserved," Lindsey sneered as she looked down her nose at the corpse.

Gohan walked to her side. "Should'a stuck one of those whips up his-"

"Gohan!" she snapped.

"Well, it would'a been a better revenge," he said. He looked down at the body. "Why is there no blood?"

She gave one of the whips a little snap. "Cauterized it at the same time."

"Well aren't you efficient?" he chuckled.

"It's over," she breathed, dropping the hard-ass attitude. The whips faded from her hands. "It's finally over!"

Gohan nodded and smiled proudly at her. "Come here," he said, throwing his arms wide. She threw herself against his chest, smothering his mouth with hers. Gohan jumped as the flames from her hair brushed him, but he quickly realized that they didn't burn him. In fact, it felt rather comforting against the frosty December air.

When they finally broke apart, he said, "We should do something about that." He nodded to Cody's body.

"A little kamehameha might do the trick," she suggested.

"Allow me," Gohan said. There was a flash of blue light and, same as his brother, Cody Johnson vanished forever.

Lindsey's hair fell back to soft red curls, her eyes green once again. She picked up her coat and brushed the snow from it.

"How do you feel?" Gohan said, turning to look at her.

She stood for a moment with her back to him, holding the coat in her hands, considering. "Free," she answered.

Gohan smiled and walked to her, putting his hands on her shoulders. "I'm proud of you."

She spun around, looking up at him. "Are you really?"

Gohan nodded.

Lindsey's knees shook and he grabbed her by the shoulders. "Whoa! You okay?" Her legs gave out completely and he sunk to the cold ground with her. "Baby, what's wrong?!"

A beautiful relief was washing over her, overwhelming her emotions. She heaved a sob and leaned into Gohan, who held her close. She'd done it. Her tormentors were gone for good and it had been at her hand. The nightmares would finally end. The cold walls she'd built were crumbling and she felt that she would finally, truly be herself once more. It was like finding a loved one safe and sound that you thought you'd lost.

Gohan was starting to panic. He didn't understand why she was shaking and crying, unable to speak her thoughts to him. He gripped her tightly, trying to calm her. "Lindsey, talk to me," he begged. "Please, tell me what's wrong!"

She gasped for air. "It's over. It's finally over!" she said again, this time the words actually sinking in.

He understood then. And he knew in that moment that she was his Lindsey once more. The fun, smart, sassy girl he'd fell in love with was finally back. Air rushed from his lungs as he hugged her still more tightly, tears of his own relief falling. The longer they clung to each other, the harder they cried, such joy and relief they had never known. They were sniffling and choking for air as they fell sideways into the snow, starting into each other's watery eyes.

"C-can we b-be us ag-again?" Gohan managed.

She gave a watery laugh and nodded.

Gohan sighed and closed his eyes against the fresh wave of tears, pressing his lips hard to her forehead and holding them there to stop himself from crying out. Several long moments later, they both drew deep, frosty breaths, trying to calm themselves. He brushed a cold, damp piece of hair from her face. "Come on," he said softly, getting to his feet and reaching down to help her up. She sniffed and wiped her nose on her shoulder.

He rubbed at his eyes and coughed, still recovering from his emotions. "Let's get back to the house. We both need some sleep. Big day tomorrow, ya know."

She nodded and picked up her coat, slinging her arms into it and zipping it up to her chin. They crunched through the snow back to where the horses were waiting. Gohan lifted her easily into the saddle, then threw himself onto his own horse. Without a word, they pulled the reins, reeling the horses around, and headed back the way they'd come, never once glancing back at the clearing.