Lindsey had had strange dreams all night, every one of which involved Holland and Lila watching and laughing as he and Rosemary struggled through quicksand, or raging waves, or a burning forest. Sometimes Holland had horns and a tail. Sometimes Lindsey was safe but Rosemary was in grave danger and he couldn't reach her. Had he really gone back to Wolfram & Hart? Did they really make him a junior partner? Why was he so very miserable? Was he somehow dooming Rosemary?

The phone rang. It was Father Brendan. Did they have the license? Lindsey told him he'd set it up right away. He called his friend at City Hall. The license would be ready for them to sign in an hour.   Meanwhile, Rosemary was busy on the cellular phone. She ordered four bouquets and three boutonnieres, a cake, and a catered luncheon at the apartment. Then she called Rob and told him when to meet at St. Malachi's. Suddenly Lindsey realized that he didn't have a ring for Rosemary. They had never officially been engaged, and now he didn't even have a wedding ring for her. What kind of groom was he? But Rosemary reassured him there was nothing to worry about.

They stopped by the florist to pick up the flowers; bouquets for herself and Janice, and smaller ones for Beth & Lisa, their flower girls. White roses for her hair. And a white rosebud for Lindsey, along with red ones for Rob and Dennis, the announcer, who would give her away. Before they arrived at the church, they stopped at the gift store to pick up the rings that Rosemary had bought.   The jeweler had polished them until they shone. Lindsey looked at the ring he would put on her finger and read the inscription inside. "Perfect!"

Arriving at the church a half hour before the wedding, Rosemary and then Lindsey went to Confession. As he had feared, his took a long time. He hadn't been in a church for years; the last time was Tony's funeral. But he felt so clean when he was finished. Then Dennis & the Thompsons arrived. Kneeling side by side, Rosemary O'Brien and Lindsey MacDonald became Mr. & Mrs. MacDonald. Rob and Janice had a special surprise for them. They sang One Hand, One Heart from West Side Story in beautiful harmony. Nobody had even known they could sing. Dennis had brought bottles of bubble blowing solution and wands, so Lindsey and Rosemary exited the church in a cloud of iridescent bubbles. The group, Father Brendan included, went to the apartment for a delicious lunch and a small but elegant cake. After a champagne toast, the guests left the newlyweds alone. Falling onto the couch, they promptly fell asleep. When they woke, they enjoyed their wedding night.

On the way to work the next morning, Lindsey wondered what he'd say when someone noticed his ring. But then he decided he didn't care. He wasn't afraid of them any more. No, he wasn't. Really he wasn't. At least not for himself. But he was scared to death for Rosemary. He had hoped that by going back he was protecting her. Now he feared he was wrong!

Lila was the first to notice the ring. Could it be? Could Lindsey have married that wishy washy blonde? Well, she was about to get hers. And then Lila would have Lindsey. She'd comfort him and catch him on the rebound. Of course there was Holland, but she knew he'd let her have Lindsey on the side. He had his occasional bimbos, too.

"Nice ring, Lindsey. A claddagh? Birthday gift?"

"No, it's my wedding ring. Rosemary & I got married yesterday." He stepped back just a little as she came toward him to give him a kiss and turned his head so it landed on his cheek. Lila pretended that was what she had meant to do. Just then Holland came out from around a corner somewhere.

"You got married, Lindsey? To that lovely girl we met at the baseball game? And you didn't invite any of your colleagues?"

Gulping, Lindsey said, "It was a very small wedding. Just three people and two little girls."

"Well, we'll have to celebrate. A new title, a new office, and now a new wife. This calls for a party." Actually, Holland had been planning this for a long time. The timing was great. Waiting for a baby shower would mean less of the potion in Rosemary's system. He'd make sure that she got a good dose early on to supplement the shots she had been given two nights ago as she lay unconscious in Lindsey's office. The thought of Rosemary realizing that the baby she was carrying, Lindsey's baby, would kill her made him smile one of those smiles that sent people running off in the opposite direction. He just had to make sure that she ingested some of it. He realized she'd be too leery of the firm to eat or drink anything. Then he had the perfect solution. Last night he had taken Lila to the ballet to see Le Corsaire. The heroine fell into a deep sleep after being given a bouquet of drugged flowers. Of course Rosemary would accept a bouquet from them, especially if she had to throw it to the single girls at the party. The potion would not affect anyone else. Of course Linda Matthews, one of the secretaries, was pregnant and unmarried, but, if she caught it, they'd just get her baby a little earlier. To think she actually believed that there was an adoptive family waiting for it!

The party was scheduled for the night before "the raising." Rosemary dressed very carefully, and ended up choosing the sapphire blue dress she had worn when she & Lindsey had gone to Alfredo's on their first dinner out. Lindsey also wore a blue suit, blue shirt, and blue-and-red tie, beautifully coordinated. He had bought her a wedding gift (a few days late, but she loved it), a gold bracelet engraved "Imzadi." Although both of them felt they were walking into a lion's den, they entered with heads held high to a wave of applause. Rosemary noticed that Lila did not have a happy look on her face. When Holland grabbed her elbow, she pasted on an obviously fake smile. From the one-way glass in the next room, the senior partners watched. So that was the girl Holland's protégé married. She almost radiated love for her husband; and both of them were wearing crucifixes! Hers was in plain view around her neck, while Lindsey, at least, had the common sense to wear his under his shirt. They agreed that he would bear close watching. Sometimes even Holland could make mistakes!

Everything went without incident. Rosemary was careful not to eat or drink anything, although she walked around with a glass in her hand and pretended to take sips from it. She did have to take a bite of the wedding cake; there was no getting around that. At the end, she was given a bouquet to throw to the unmarried girls. The flowers were beautiful but had a strange odor that made her head reel a little. She glanced behind her to see where Lila was standing and threw the bouquet as far in the other direction as she could.

Lindsey took off the garter they had given her and threw it; "Gruber deal" caught it. His secretary squealed in delight. "As if!" Lila thought. There was a gift from the firm: keys for a Lexus SUV. After all, they might be needing a car with more room for a family in the future! But finally the time came to leave. Lila gave Rosemary a stiff hug and an "air kiss." Holland also did the same. A few of the people at the party actually seemed happy for the two of them and congratulated them warmly.

Rosemary felt a little tired and just a trifle queasy when they got home. Lindsey was starting to realize that the next day was "the raising" that everyone had been so excited about. He was just apprehensive. He hoped that he had taken care of everything. It bothered him a little that none of the senior partners had come to the party, although he knew they were in the next room watching. They went to bed and, lying in each others arms, tried to hide their fears from each other.

At the office, Lindsey went over the arrangements again and again. He knew he had done all he could. Nevertheless, something could go wrong. He hoped that Angel wouldn't stick his nose into it. He didn't know that, while they were partying, the demon had caused an explosion that left Wesley in ICU at the hospital. He didn't know that Cordelia was in the psychiatric ward of the hospital. All he knew was that he was being closely watched and that, no matter what the cost, he had to protect Rosemary.

Although he hadn't told her anything except that he'd probably be very late getting home, Rosemary knew that something was going on with Lindsey. She worried so much that she gave the announcers the wrong discs twice. When Rob came in to check on her, he found her sitting at her desk half bent over in pain. Then she jumped up and ran to the bathroom, where she threw up. Rob got her purse and took her down to his car. "Who's your doctor?"

"I really don't have one. I haven't needed any."

"I'm taking you to Janice's doctor now." From his car phone, he asked for an emergency appointment. Then he drove her to a large medical building and took her up to an office with a sign on the door that said, "Christian Scott, Obstetrics & Gynecology."

"Dr. Scott delivered Beth & Lisa. He's a great guy. You'll like him."

They didn't have to wait too long. Dr. Scott, a young man with a soft voice and gentle hands, examined her. "Congratulations! You're about 4 weeks pregnant."

Rosemary was perplexed. "I can't be that far along. It can't be more than 2 weeks." He checked the date of her last cycle and had to agree, so he made another brief examination. This time he was perplexed. It was definitely 4 or even 5 weeks! He asked her to make another appointment for two weeks later, unless she wanted to choose her own doctor. "No, Janice raved about you. If you can take me on as a patient, I'll be back." Rob refused to take her back to work, but she said that she had to get her car, so he gave in. She went home and napped for a little while.

After a brief session of candle lighting at St. Malachi's, she drove to Wolfram & Hart, parking around the corner. She watched as Lindsey got into a limo with Holland & Lila and drove off, followed by a large truck. Then Angel started following them in his black car. She followed him, terrified. As she drove, she turned on the radio. An aria from Carmen was playing. Micaela, the girl who loved Don Jose, had followed him to the gypsies' camp to try to convince him to go home. Although she was scared to death, she was singing that she was not afraid. I'm not afraid either, Rosemary tried to convince herself. Arriving at the crypt, she wasn't sure where to go. Suddenly she saw Angel jump through the window. Now it didn't matter what happened to her, as long as Lindsey would be all right. She rushed in the door. Holland and Lila looked at her with very strange looks and then ignored her. Angel was fighting with a demon while Lindsey was chanting Latin from a scroll.   Suddenly Lindsey was knocked unconscious and the five vampires disappeared in a cloud of dust. Men came in and removed the crate. Holland and Lila left behind them. Lila didn't look back, but Holland just cast a brief look at Lindsey unconscious on the floor. Then he looked at Rosemary the way people look at a fly before they brush it off. Rosemary was petrified. The next few minutes were a blur. Lindsey, fending off Angel with a cross, burning the scroll, saying some very strange things that had obviously come from Holland originally. Then suddenly Angel threw the axe.  

"NOOOOOOOO!" Rosemary ran to her husband, who was lying on the floor screaming in pain and trying to stop the blood gushing out of his arm where his right hand had been. She cradled his head in her lap while searching in her purse for the cellular phone to dial 911. Angel calmly picked up the scroll and left. Rosemary MacDonald, only a few days married, sat on the floor of the crypt, cuddling her husband, her coat wrapped around his arm, joining her tears with his.

Later, at the hospital, she waited in the chapel while Lindsey was in surgery. Hours later, the doctor came to her, a grim look on his face. "I'm sorry, Mrs. MacDonald. We tried to reattach his hand, but somehow, it just wouldn't take, almost as if there were some kind of magic spell on it." It had to have been that axe, or the demon's blood on it. Rosemary went to Lindsey's room. He sat there, his stump bandaged, a stunned look on his face. She bent to kiss him, but he turned his head away. Gently she took his chin in her hand and turned his face toward her. There were tears in his eyes. "Poor Rosemary, I've failed you. You have a deformed freak for a husband."

"Do you think I'd stop loving you if you lost your hand in a accident or to bone cancer? I married a man, not a hand. I promised you I'd always love you, and I'd always be with you. You are no less to me now than you ever were. I'll be able to take you home tomorrow, and I'll take care of you. And I have your Hastings ring."

"I'll never be able to wear it again. What can I do with it now?"

"They still have your hand in cold storage in case they can figure out what went wrong with the reattachment. Now get some sleep so we can go home." She settled herself down on the chair in his room, even though he asked her to go home to bed.

The next two weeks were the worst of Rosemary's life. Although they had given him strong medication at the hospital, he was in a great deal of pain. Sometimes the wound would seep and she'd have to change his bandages.   He needed help dressing and eating. As she cut his meat in the kitchen, she realized that that was the scene she had "seen" the day they had met! Meanwhile, she was nauseous most of the time but wouldn't let him see how bad she felt. She couldn't wait to see Dr. Scott again. Everything had to be all right with this baby.

After a couple of days at home, Lindsey went back to work. So did Rosemary. Without being too obvious, Rob and Dennis kept an eye on her. They were worried. Finally her appointment with Dr. Scott arrived. He gave her a sonogram and looked very confused. Looking at her chart, he went back and looked at the sonogram again. "What is it?" she asked.

Two weeks ago, you were carrying what appeared to be a 4-week fetus. Now it's the size of an 8 or 9 week fetus, but your body hasn't changed at that rate. I don't understand. I'll have to consult with some experts. Please come see me next week at this same time. And please try to eat. You've lost 4 pounds!"

"I am eating, but I can't keep anything down." He gave her vitamins, iron pills, and a nutritional supplement, but he didn't tell her he wasn't sure it would help. Rosemary was starting to be terrified. Suddenly she thought of someone who might be able to help her, if he would.

She was lucky. He answered on the first call. "Angel Investigations. Wesley Wyndham-Pryce here."

"Please, I need to see you alone. I really need your help. Can you meet me in one hour at the Archivist?" She named a rare book store that she assumed he would probably know.

Wesley arrived five minutes later, alone. She walked up to him and put her hand on his arm. He looked around and saw a pretty blonde girl who looked more miserable than anyone he had ever seen. There was a coffee shop around the corner. He took her there and settled into a booth with her. "Who are you, and how can I help you?"

"I'm Rosemary MacDonald." Noticing the look on his face, she continued, "Yes, that MacDonald. Lindsey's wife! And I'm afraid I'm under some sort of terrible spell to harm me and our baby." As Wesley sat listening attentively, she told him the entire story, including the night that she believed she had lost an hour or two. He nodded and sat thinking for a moment.

"I think I'll need some more help with this. I have some friends in Sunnydale who may be able to come up with something, and I'll need to do some research. Give me your address. We'll be there tomorrow. I'll call you with the exact time." Impulsively he put his hand on her arm. "If I can possibly help you, I will. You shouldn't have to go through this. What does Lindsey think?"

"I haven't told him. Losing his hand has been too traumatic for him. I'm hoping that somehow we can take care of this and he'll never know there was a problem. If I can get through this and have a healthy baby, I'll get him away from Wolfram & Hart somehow."

The next afternoon Wesley showed up at her apartment with three other people: an older British gentleman named Giles; a slim dainty redhead named Willow; and a blonde girl about the same age named Tara. They had obviously been consulting. Wesley had remembered when Cordelia was pregnant overnight with seven demons, but this was quickly refuted. Rosemary was carrying a human child. Taking some hairs from Lindsey's brush, they quickly determined that it was indeed his. Books were consulted, and finally a consensus was reached. A growth spell had been invoked on the baby, and it was growing faster than Rosemary's body could nourish it. The baby was feeding on her. If she didn't abort the baby soon, she would die by the time it reached its full growth. They also were able to show her a vision of what happened that evening in Lindsey's office. She hung her head in embarrassment. How could she not have realized that it was someone else pretending to be Lindsey on the phone?

"I can't abort this baby. Even if I weren't Catholic, it's still Lindsey's and mine. I could never kill our baby."

"Even if it kills you?" Willow asked incredulously. Rosemary nodded. Wesley thought that if Lindsey could inspire such love in another person, and if he could risk his life to help children he didn't even know, maybe he wasn't as bad as Angel thought he was. Willow and Tara disappeared into the kitchen and came back a few minutes later with a glass of white liquid. "This is an herbal preparation that will at least get rid of the nausea. We'll make you a large supply. And we'll keep looking for a solution."

As everyone was preparing to leave, Lindsey came rushing in, looking distraught. "Rosemary! Are you all right? I tried to reach you at the station, but you weren't there. Rob finally told me you went to the doctor, but he didn't tell me why. What is it?" He pulled her close and hugged her tightly. Then he noticed Wesley and the others. "What's going on?" He suddenly saw the serious looks on their faces. "What's wrong? Tell me!"

Wesley said, "I think it's up to Rosemary to tell you. We'll wait in the living room."

"Rosemary? Darling? What is it? My God, you look awful. I haven't even noticed. I've been so fixated on my problem that I ignored you. Can you forgive me?" He brushed her hair gently back from her forehead and looked at her. "Tell me."

Slowly, sadly, Rosemary told him everything. When he heard about the night at the office, he was furious. But he was more afraid than anything else. She was suffering and he hadn't even noticed. Now she might be dying unless she –unless she got rid of their baby! He had often thought about the two of them having children. This should be such a happy occasion. He didn't want to lose the baby, but he couldn't stand to lose her.

"We'll make an appointment for the abortion tomorrow." He said sadly. She shook her head.

"I can't do that. Not just because it's wrong, but because I love this child. I know it's a little boy with wavy hair and killer blue eyes who'll look just like you. I can't lose him."

"Do you want to die?"

"Of course not. I want to grow old with you. I just have to have faith. Wesley and the others will try to see if they can circumvent this spell. We need to go and thank them now. The others came all the way from Sunnydale."

Lindsey thanked them all. Willow laid her hand gently on his stump, and some of the pain went away. Impulsively she hugged and kissed Rosemary. Wesley promised they would do all they could. Then they left. Rosemary and Lindsey stood there, holding each other as the bottom fell out of their world.