Slowly the man emerged into consciousness. He tried to sit up, but Maggie laid her hand on his chest. "Don't. Please don't try to get up."

"Who are you?" he cried out in fear. "Please don't hurt me any more." Tears started to run down his cheeks and his body shook.

"I won't hurt you. I found you here by the side of the road. I think someone beat you and abused you and then threw you from a car. I want to help you. My name is Maggie. I'm going to my car to call an ambulance."

He grabbed her arm with his good hand. "No, no ambulance. Please. I don't want them to know I'm still alive. Please."

She made a decision which surprised and shocked her. "Do you think you can stand up and walk a few steps to my car? I'll take you to my place and care for you. No one will know you're alive until you want them to know." He nodded. She helped him to his feet, wrapping the blanket around him, and led him to her car. He lay down on the back seat. Picking up her jacket, she closed the door, got in the driver's side, and drove home.

Getting him to her apartment, she thought, would be a problem. As she pulled into the parking garage, she saw that nobody was around. That was helpful. She helped him out of the car, threw his arm around her shoulder, made sure that the blanket at least covered him decently, and half carried him to the elevator. Once inside the elevator, she said a little prayer to St. Mary Magdalene that nobody would try to use the elevator while they were on it. Evidently her prayer was heard, as they made it unseen to her apartment. She immediately took him to her bed, laid him on top of it, and found more blankets to cover him, as he was shivering uncontrollably.

He moaned and even cried out in his sleep. Evidently he was reliving the torture that he had been put through. So she stopped trying to sleep, pulled up a chair, and sat next to him, gently washing the blood off of his face with a damp cloth. There were a lot of bruises, but, as far as she could tell, no broken facial bones. All his teeth seemed to be intact as well. He was a very handsome young man in his mid to late twenties. She gently wiped the blood from the side of his neck. He had bled a great deal, she thought. Sitting in the chair next to him, she did eventually drop off to sleep.

In the morning, she felt his forehead. He was hot, although he shivered under the blankets. Now she was really worried. One of her neighbors was a nurse who worked the night shift. She should be home now.

"Pat, this is Maggie. Can you please come down? I know you're tired, but it's urgent or I wouldn't bother you. And please bring a first aid kid and some surgical gloves if you have them."

Five minutes later Pat Connor knocked on Maggie's door. She was a widow in her late fifties whose children, though close, had homes of their own. All three of them had invited Pat to live with them, but she valued their privacy and refused. She was a nurse at LA General and something of a surrogate mother to Maggie since she had moved in. "What is it, Maggie? Are you all right?"

"Pat, you have to promise me that you won't tell anyone what I'm going to show you. Not anyone!" Pat nodded. Maggie led her into the bedroom. "My God, Maggie! Who is this? Where did he come from?" Maggie walked over to the young man and felt his head. She reached for his arm to take his pulse and was shocked to find that there was no hand attached to it. "What have you got yourself into?"

"I found him lying by the side of the road. He'd been beaten, and I also think he'd been raped. I wanted to call an ambulance, but he came to briefly and said no, that he didn't want 'them' to know he was still alive. I don't even know his name."

Shaking her head, Pat went to work. She took his pulse, which was rapid and thready. His temperature was 102. Just then he started to stir. He thrashed about on the bed, begging, "No, please don't hurt me any more."

"My name is Pat Connor, and I'm a nurse. Maggie found you and brought you here. I'm going to take your temperature and your pulse and then take a look at you. Maggie has already sworn me to secrecy, and I won't tell anyone, although I agree with her that you belong in a hospital." Turning to Maggie, she asked, "I assume he wasn't shot?"

"No, I think whoever left him there expected him to die either from the cold (it had been a rare cold night for Los Angeles), from loss of blood, or possibly by being hit by a car or eaten by an animal."

"He seems to have lost a good deal of blood and he's burning up. I want to look him over a little more." She addressed the man directly. "First of all, I want to examine your wounds. Please allow me. I promise I won't hurt you any more than I can help." He nodded weakly. After she examined the puncture wounds on his neck, she pulled back the covers and gently touched his rib cage. "I think there are several broken ribs. Now I want to turn you over." Gently she turned him and noted the blood, bruising, and tearing of the rectal area. She looked at Maggie. "Yes, he's been raped. I should do a blood test for HIV, but it's too soon."

After she covered him up, she took Maggie out into the kitchen. "Maggie, he has some wounds that will require stitching, and I'll tape his broken ribs. The genital damage is only superficial. He'll need blood. As a nurse, I can't prescribe, but aspirin should bring down his fever. I don't know how I'll get him a transfusion without taking him to the hospital."

"Can you do a direct transfusion? I know that I'm O negative, so that makes me the universal donor. No matter what his blood type, he can take my blood."

"I'd better call Marty. We need him."

"How long will it take him to get here?"

"About two minutes. He's up in my apartment waiting for me," Pat answered, blushing.

"Marty has moved in with you? Great!" Maggie hugged her friend. "I guess he'd better come now."

Pat picked up the phone and called her phone. A minute or so later Dr. Martin Gold, a handsome man in his early 60's, arrived, medical bag in hand. "Where's the patient?"

"In my bed, Marty. Thanks so much for coming. I have to swear you to secrecy. He's terrified.

Marty nodded. "What's his name?"

"I don't know. I haven't asked him anything yet."

Marty looked down at the young man on the bed. "Son, I'm Doctor Gold. I promise that I won't let anyone know that you're here. Doctor/patient privilege, you know. Now tell me your name and what happened to you."

The young man stirred and tried to open his eyes. Finally he opened them, and then he cried out, "I can't see! I'm blind!"

Dr. Gold took the patient's face in his hands. "There are glass splinters in your eyes. But none on the rest of your face. Someone did this deliberately." Turning to Pat and Maggie, he said, "I can't take care of his eyes. We'll need an ophthalmologist and maybe an ocular surgeon. Let me look at the rest of his wounds now." Slowly and gently he examined the young man. "It really would be easier if I could call you by name. Please tell me your first name at least."

"It's Lindsey. Lindsey MacDonald. Please, nobody must know. Somebody was trying to kill me."

Dr. Gold turned to Maggie. "He needs blood right away. Pat tells me that you're O negative. Do you have any proof of that?" Maggie went to her purse and took out her blood donor card and the card that said she had had a shot of Rhogan. "All right, we'll go for it. I have some plastic tubing upstairs. Please go get it, Pat. Also a roll of surgical tape for his ribs."

When Pat came down, Marty set up a direct transfusion between Lindsey and Maggie. As her blood flowed through the tube and into Lindsey, Maggie had a very strange feeling. She was becoming a part of him.

After he finished the transfusion, Marty taped Lindsey's ribs and took some samples of an antibiotic out of his bag. "I want him to take one of these every four hours with water or clear juice like apple or white grape or tea. Nothing else for the time being. Now I want to look at his backside." He gently turned Lindsey over and examined his wounded bottom, taking a swab from inside to see if there was any trace of the perpetrator. But there was none. "Whoever did this was very careful and used a condom. But no lubricant. And he was very rough. I'll have to stitch a little and apply some medication. This will hurt, Lindsey. I'm sorry, but I can't help it." Finally Marty was done. He called Maggie out into the kitchen.

"Maggie, if he had been shot, I'd have had to report this. As it is, I'm not comfortable leaving him here, but I gave my word. I'll check in on him a couple of times a day. He'll need more blood. I'm going to take a little of his for typing and see what I can do. Give him all the clear fluid he'll drink. I have antibiotics and pain pills for him. Let him sleep as much as possible. I don't know what I'll do about his eyes. Someone really hated him to treat him this way." Marty closed his bag and left with Pat.

Maggie returned to the bedroom and sat down on the bed. Lindsey was lying down on his side, tears of pain in his eyes. "Lindsey, would you like some water? Some tea?" He shook his head. "How about some music? Do you like classical? Chopin?"

"Not Chopin. Darla liked Chopin. Do you have any Beethoven or Tchaikovsky?"

Soon Swan Lake filled the air. Maggie brought Lindsey a glass of cool water with a straw so he could drink it easily. She held the glass and he drank. Then slowly he drifted back off to sleep.

Later that night, however, he took a sudden turn for the worse. As Maggie slept fitfully in the chair, she suddenly awoke. That hadn't happened for two years, but it had often happened when Tommy was alive. Mother's instinct, she had called it. Now it was back. "Tommy?" she called. Then she remembered. It wasn't Tommy, it was Lindsey. He needed her. She looked at him. He was flushed. When she felt him, he was burning up worse than before. Quickly she ran to the bathroom and filled the tub with cool water. Then she half-carried, half-dragged him to the bathroom and put him into the tub. She lowered him until he was in water up to his neck and placed a folded towel behind his head for comfort. Then she began adding ice cubes to the water. Not too many and not too often. Mopping his face with a cool, wet cloth, she kept this up for hours. While he was in the tub he was babbling incoherently, although she did catch a few words: Darla (she had heard this name before; the one who liked Chopin), Lilah, and Angel, along with Holland (was that somewhere he was supposed to go? She could tell he wasn't Dutch). As soon as she could tell that his temperature was back to normal, she helped him to his feet, dried him off, & helped him back to bed. Finally, when he appeared to be sleeping normally, she dozed off a little.

In the morning he woke up and asked for a drink. "Would you like water, or do you think you can handle a little juice?"

"Juice, please." She brought him a glass of white grape juice and held it while he sipped it through a straw.

"Would you like your head raised a little?" He nodded, so she rearranged the pillows under him. "More music?" He nodded again, so she played some more ballet music, Giselle by Adam.

"That's very nice. Giselle, right?"

"You've seen it?"

"On television once. With Baryshnikov and Makarova. I liked its theme of redemption through love. And, of course, the dancing was magnificent." She suddenly noticed the tears again. "I guess I'll never see it again."

"Don't say that, Lindsey. When you're ready, we'll get your eyes taken care of. You won't be blind."

"You can't be sure of that. Somebody really did a good job on me. I guess I can learn to read Braille left-handed!" Maggie suddenly realized that there were tears in her eyes, too. We will take care of you, Lindsey. I promise!

Maggie stayed by his side, giving him his medicine when it was called for. He dozed off and on, but he didn't say anything more.

In the afternoon he woke up. His face was red but not from fever. He said, "Maggie, I need. . .I mean, I have to. . ." He broke off. Suddenly she realized what he meant. She didn't have a bedpan, but she still had Tommy's potty seat with the removable pot. Why hadn't she got rid of that when she moved here? However, she was glad she had. She brought it to the bed and figured how to set things up so that he could relieve himself. What's going to happen when I give him solid food and he has to defecate? That area must be very painful now as it is. She hated whoever had done this to him.

"Would you like me to read the newspaper to you, Lindsey? Or could I bring in a television so you can listen to the news?"

"If you want to. Right now I don't care what's going on in the world." So she just played more music and sat with him.

Marty was as good as his word and came down twice a day. He brought Lindsey some vitamins and iron tablets. He had typed Lindsey's blood and determined that he was O positive, the same as Pat and himself, so he set Pat up for a direct transfusion. "I'll give him some of mine tomorrow. He has a long way to go, but you're doing a fine job, Maggie."

Slowly he did begin to get better. He received the transfusion from Pat. As soon as Marty agreed, Maggie gave him another one as well. Marty added clear broths to his diet. When the time came that he did indeed need to eliminate, Marty was with him. He took him into the bathroom and closed the door. Maggie could hear through the door that it was quite painful. Afterwards he shooed the Maggie and Pat out of the bedroom and cared for him. It did become easier for him as time passed and he healed.

Maggie refused to leave his side, although Pat offered to stay with him while she went shopping or to a movie or something. She did take Pat up on the offer to do a little grocery shopping as the variety of his diet was increased. She bought a razor and blades so she could shave him and some clippers to trim his hair. She had cut Tommy's hair because he had been afraid of barbers. Tommy. . .

Maggie also quit her job. That's all it was, just a job, and she had Tom's insurance money to carry her over for a while. That was one thing she could say about Tom. He had been a firm believer in life insurance, especially after Tommy was born.

One day, a few weeks after Lindsey had come into her life, he called out to her. "Maggie, I'm naked."

"Of course you are. That's how I found you."

"I know, but I just realized it. I mean. . .you know what I mean."

Suddenly she also realized that he was naked. Were the sheets tented a little? He must be getting better! "If Pat or Marty will stay with you, I'll buy you some underwear and pajamas. Could we get some of your things from your place?"

"No, I'm sure that they'd expect me to do that. I have to forget all of that for now."

"Maybe not. We'll have to start making some plans. We have to know who did this to you and how to bring them to justice."

He shook his head. "That's not possible."

"We'll talk about that tonight. For now I need to get you some clothes. What are your sizes?"   She wrote them down.

He called to her again. "Maggie, thank you. You've been so good to me. Why?"

"Somehow I knew I had to take care of you, Lindsey." She bent over him to arrange his pillows. He reached up and touched her face gently with his left hand. Then he pulled himself up and kissed her gently. She suddenly found feelings that she had thought were dead coming back. She kissed him again and discovered that her face was wet with tears. So was his.

"I love you, Maggie," he said softly.

"I love you, Lindsey." He kissed her again and again. She stood up and pulled her sweater over her head. Then she unfastened her bra, stepped out of her skirt and underpants, and kicked off her sandals. He pulled the bedding aside and moved over, gently pulling her down beside him. All of the passion that had been bottled up in her for the last two years came flooding out, and she and Lindsey made gentle, tender love, being careful of the places where he had not yet completely healed.

As Maggie lay next to Lindsey, his arm around her and tears of joy in her eyes, she realized just how long it had been. It was two years since Tom and Tommy had died; how long before that had she & Tom stopped making love? Months.

Lindsey pulled her a little closer and kissed the back of her neck. "Even though I still ache all over and may be permanently blind, I can't remember when I've ever been so happy. Did I tell you I love you?"

"Yes, but you can tell me again." She snuggled closer to him.

"I love you, my wonderful Maggie." His hand, which had been on her stomach, moved up to her breast and gently but insistently fondled it. Then he rolled her over on her back, slid his hand down to her crotch, and ran his tongue slowly and sensuously around her nipple. Moments later, they were making love again.

Finally Maggie realized that she had to get going if she was going to buy him clothes. He didn't want to let go of her. "If I don't have any clothes, it'll be easier to make love."

"But we can't go on like this. You need to get out of bed. I should at least have bought you underwear and pajamas long before this."

"I guess you just wanted to keep me as your sex slave," Lindsey laughed.

Maggie called Pat to stay with Lindsey and set out. As she passed by a drugstore, she suddenly realized that she & Lindsey had made love—twice!—with no protection. She had been off the pill since Tommy died, and there had never been any reason to have condoms in her apartment. Although it wasn't the optimum time for her to become pregnant, anything was possible. She decided to stop at the drugstore for condoms. Maybe she'd ask Marty to give her a new prescription for birth control pills too.

From the drugstore she went to the department store & came back with underwear, pajamas, robe, socks, sweat pants, and polo shirts.

When she got home, she called out to Lindsey, "Why don't you get dressed and come out to the living room? I'll help you."

Lindsey, with Maggie's help, put on boxers, a blue polo shirt, and gray sweat pants. She led him out to her living room and sat down on the sofa next to him.

The doorbell rang; it was Marty coming to take blood from Lindsey for the HIV test. He told Lindsey that he was glad to see him out of bed, drew some blood, and left.

My God, what were we thinking? Lindsey wondered. The person who raped me could have given me AIDS and I could have passed it on to Maggie. "I'm so sorry, Maggie. I didn't think. Can you forgive me?"

She kissed him on the lips. "Of course. We were both careless. But it had been so long and I wanted you so badly."

"I hadn't made love since I left law school. How long has it been for you?"

"About two and a half years. You're a lawyer?"

"I'm not sure what I am any more," he said bitterly.

"Maybe the time has come for you to tell me what's going on. Who could have hated you so much to do such horrible things to you? They tortured you and blinded you and left you to die. Why?"

"I've been thinking about that. Actually all I've been doing is thinking. I had been sitting in my condo when suddenly I lost consciousness. I think it was some kind of gas perhaps. When I woke up, my eyes hurt terribly. I was beaten, whipped, burned, and then someone or some thing was cutting into my penis with long nails or fangs. That hurt so badly. But then I was assaulted from behind. That was the most painful of all. While he was doing that, he was also biting my neck as well. I lost consciousness again." Maggie winced at the thought of that happening to Lindsey. "There are two possibilities. One is Angel, who cut off my hand. I think he could have been capable of it, but I really don't think he'd have gone this far unless he had gone back to being Angelus again. In that case, there's not much doubt in my mind."

"What are you talking about, Lindsey? Who is Angel? That's one of the names I heard you call out when you were delirious. And Angelus? Does he have a split personality?"

Lindsey shook his head. "It takes quite a leap of faith to believe what I'm going to tell you. There are all sorts of creatures that you wouldn't believe in LA, demons of all sorts, vampires, werewolves. Angel is a vampire. Right now, as far as I know, he has a soul and is trying to redeem himself by doing good. But if he has lost his soul, he's Angelus, one of the most reprehensible creatures that ever walked the earth, capable of any evil that he can think of."

"Angelus cut off your hand?"

"No, Angel did because I had a scroll that would save his assistant's sanity, among other things, and I was going to burn it rather than give it to him. He threw an axe at me. I did deserve it, but I did what I thought I had to do for the firm."

"The firm as in the Tom Cruise movie?"

"No, ten times worse. Anyway, if Angel, or rather Angelus, didn't do it, then Wolfram & Hart did. I betrayed them once and they took me back, and even made me a 'junior partner,' but I think they were just toying with me and using me until the time came to take their revenge. They wanted more than just to kill me, I'm sure."

"This is a lot to assimilate in one sitting, Lindsey. I'll need some time to digest it."

He suddenly took her hand. "I've made love to you under false pretenses. I know you think I'm some innocent victim, but I've done some really bad things in the last few years. If you knew half of what I've done, you'd throw me out and never ever want to set eyes on me again."

She leaned over and kissed him. "Too late, Lindsey. I don't care what you've done in the past. That Lindsey died at the side of the road. You've been reborn with a second chance. And I can't stop loving you. I just wonder if you'll still love me once you can see me."

"I know I will. Nothing will change, I promise you. I'll always love you, my angel from heaven." He pulled her close and they sat next to each other, her head on his shoulder.

"We have to find out who did this to you and why. If they suspect you're not dead, they may come looking for you. I'm sure that nobody knows you're here except Pat and Marty, and they won't tell. But still, we have to do something."

"No. I won't put you in any danger. I'll leave first."

"That would be the worst thing of all. I couldn't ever be happy without you. We'll figure something out." They sat, holding each other, until it was time to go to bed. That night, for the first time in weeks, Maggie slept in her own bed, Lindsey beside her.

When Marty came by the next day, he told them that he had made arrangements for a friend of his, an ophthalmologist, to see Lindsey after hours, with his office staff gone. Lindsey and Maggie realized that she hadn't bought him shoes, so she set off to get him a pair of sneakers. But she made another stop first.

Entering the Hyperion, she saw a pretty dark-haired girl sitting at the desk. "I want to see Angel, please. It's very important."

"I'm Angel." She turned to see a tall, dark man dressed entirely in black. He looked quite grim. "What can I do for you?" Another man, tall, slim, bespectacled, came to the desk to join them.

"Tell me why you tortured and murdered Lindsey MacDonald."

His jaw dropped and shock registered on all of their faces. "What in the world are you talking about?"

"This is some kind of a joke, right?" asked the brunette.

"About five weeks ago I found a man by the side of the road where he had been thrown from a car, naked, burned, whipped, cut, sexually assaulted, anally raped, blinded from glass slivers in his eyes, and bleeding from two puncture wounds in the side of his neck. Oh, yes, and he was missing his right hand, although that was an old wound.   Before he died, he told me his name was Lindsey MacDonald. I asked him who had done this and he said, "Angel."

"Lindsey is dead?" the man with the glasses asked. "I can't believe it! And to die like that! I wouldn't have wished that on anyone."

The vampire grabbed both of her arms. "Listen, I hated Lindsey, and there were times I would have gladly killed him. I did cut off his hand, but I had a good reason for that. But I would have probably strangled him. I wouldn't have tortured him, and I certainly wouldn't have sexually assaulted him."

"You've never raped anyone?"

He looked down at the floor and then looked Maggie in the eyes. "When I was Angelus, I raped a few women. Never men. And I have tortured people. But I haven't been Angelus for a long time. And I promise you I didn't kill Lindsey. When did this happen, anyway?"

"January 2^nd, a little over five weeks ago."

"Cordelia, do you have any record of what we were doing then?"

Cordelia consulted a ledger. "We were at Caritas. You were singing. Not well."

Wesley nodded. "I remember. It was the evening after New Years Day. The three of us were together all day and all evening."

Maggie nodded. "I believe you. He said it probably wasn't you. But I decided to come and check it out myself."

"He's not dead?" the man with glasses asked.

"No, because I happened to find him before he bled or froze to death. I took him home and have been taking care of him. He's pretty well healed except for his eyes. We're going to take him to an eye doctor now that he's well enough to go out, but I don't know if he'll ever be able to see again. And, of course, it's possible that the monster who raped him gave him AIDS. We're waiting for the results of the blood test."

"It must have been Wolfram & Hart, the law firm he works for. On second thought, better make that worked for. I had a feeling that they would eventually terminate his employment once they were finished using him for their own purposes." Angel said.

"Will you help him? Or do you hate him too much? If you won't, I'll do what I can to get my revenge on them."

Cordelia looked at her with genuine sympathy. "You love him, don't you?" Maggie nodded. "Angel, even Lindsey doesn't deserve that. I want to help."

Wesley nodded. Angel looked her in the eyes. "This had better not be some kind of trick." As she shook her head, he said, "We'll be there this evening."

"Dr. Gold and I are taking him to the eye doctor at 7. Can you come about 8:30? I'll give you my address and phone number. By the way, my name is Maggie Reilly."

The brunette shook her hand. "I'm Cordelia Chase, and tall, dark, and skinny there is Wesley Wyndham-Pryce." Wesley shook her hand. "Our other associate, Thomas Gunn, isn't in right now. Should we all come tonight?" Maggie nodded. "We'll see you then."

After she bought Lindsey a pair of shoes, Maggie went home and told him what she'd done. "My God, Maggie, if he had been Angelus, he'd have killed you."

"It was a risk I chose to take. So it must have been Wolfram & Hart. What you told me about sitting in your condo made me remember a show I used to love. Did you ever see The Prisoner?"

"Yes, and what happened to me was very similar to that. I'm sure I was gassed. But instead of taking me to The Village, they took me to a chamber of horrors. Horrors for me, at least."

"Maybe it's time we found something out about them. Cell phone calls are still impossible to trace, aren't they?" He nodded. "Give me your work number."

"Hello, Wolfram & Hart. I'd like to speak to Lindsey MacDonald.I'm his cousin Megan."

"I'm sorry, there's no one here by that name."

"But I saw his name and picture in the paper not too long ago. It said he had been promoted to junior partner."

"Let me connect you with someone who can help you."

After a brief pause, a man came on the phone. "Holland Manners here. How can I help you?"

"My name is Megan MacDonald, and I'm trying to reach my cousin Lindsey. I just got into town from San Francisco, and I wanted to ask him about Hastings, as I'm thinking of going there. I know he was working there, because he sent me the clipping from the Times about his promotion."

"Lindsey quit very unexpectedly about three months ago. I don't know where he went. He left his apartment with no forwarding address. We've been quite worried about him. His behavior had become quite erratic before he left. Would you like to come in and talk to me?" Lindsey, who had been listening, shook his head violently.

"Perhaps later. I'll call you again. Thank you, Mr. Manners." She turned to Lindsey.

"When you were delirious, one of the things you said was 'Holland,' but I thought you were referring to the country. Is he your boss?"

"Evidently 'was' is the operative word now. So that's their cover story. Now what shall we do?"

After he had hung up the phone, Holland turned to Lilah. "So Lindsey has a cousin who is looking for him. I wonder what we should do about her." He pushed a button on his intercom. "Did you get the number? A cell phone. I see. Thank you." He turned back to Lilah. "Still no news of our boy Lindsey, Lilah? His body hasn't been found, and he hasn't turned up in any hospital yet."

"No, nothing. Do you think someone found him and took him home and cared for him there?"

"If that's the case, we may never locate him. However, have you tried eye doctors? Even if the person could care for him, he'd need to have the glass removed from his eyes. Put someone on it right away." As Lilah started to leave his office, Holland put his hand out and caught her by the arm. "Make that in about a half hour," he said as he led her to his couch.

"No more planning now, Lindsey. It's time to go to the eye doctor. Marty will be here any minute."

Marty arrived very shortly thereafter and drove them to a large medical building that Maggie was quite familiar with. Dr. Christian Scott, her OB-GYN who had delivered Tommy, had his offices here. Dr. Robert Rubin was on the floor above Dr. Scott. He was a jolly man in his mid-forties with a pleasant manner.

"Marty tells me that you're afraid that the person who did this to you may try to look for you through doctors' records, so I'll give you an assumed name for the files. Any ideas?"

"How about if I take Donald Michael after my last name and my middle name?" Dr. Rubin nodded and took a brief medical history. Then he examined Lindsey's eyes. "Do you have any glass splinters in your heart as well, Kay?"

"No, I haven't met the Snow Queen yet," Lindsey replied, knowing that Dr. Rubin was referring to the fairy tale by Hans Christian Andersen. "And if I do, Gerda will save me." Maggie beamed with love and pride.

Dr. Rubin carefully removed the glass splinters and applied medication to Lindsey's eyes. Then he bandaged them. "Come back in two weeks and I'll take off the bandages. Your vision should be back then. If not, we'll explore other options."

Suddenly Lindsey realized he had no money and no access to his health insurance. "I don't know how I'll pay you, Dr. Rubin."

"When you can, Lindsey, just pay it forward. Consider this pro bono."

Arriving back at the apartment, they thanked Marty, who went back to his apartment to pick up Pat and take her out for the evening. Lindsey sat down on the sofa. "Maggie, I can't believe how many people have gone out of their way to help me. I never knew kindness like that in my whole life. Perhaps if I had, I wouldn't have gone to Wolfram & Hart."

Maggie hugged him. "They're out there, my love. I know." After a moment she went on, "Until Angel and his colleagues arrive, tell me who the other two people are whose names you called out when you were delirious: Darla and Lilah."

"Lilah Morgan is another associate at the firm. I was her equal and then I was promoted before she was although she had been there four years longer. At best she's my rival and at worst she's my mortal enemy. As for Darla. . ." he hesitated.

"Soon after you came here I offered to play some Chopin for you, but you refused because Darla liked it. Is she your ex-wife or ex-girlfriend?"

"She's a vampire we raised from dust to turn Angel back to Angelus. I was in charge of taking care of her, and I must admit I was very attracted to her. But she didn't reciprocate. I felt so betrayed."

"Do you still care for her?"

"No. She was vulnerable and pathetic and I did care for her then. But I love you."   He pulled her close and kissed her. Just then there was a knock at the door. Maggie went to open it.

"Please come in," Maggie said. Angel entered accompanied by Cordelia, Wesley, and another young man who had to be Gunn. "Sit down." She brought in chairs from the kitchen so that all of them had seats and then sat next to Lindsey on the sofa.

Angel sat down across from Lindsey. "You should have left Wolfram & Hart while you had the chance, Lindsey. Do you think they did this to you?"

"I'm sure of it. I was just sitting in my condo when I blacked out and woke up unable to see, my eyes hurting like hell, stark naked. Then the real fun started," he said bitterly. He told the group everything, including one thing he hadn't told Maggie. "While all this was going on, I heard voices, including at least one woman's voice, and laughter, and music. There was even applause when they did something that made me scream. I was the entertainment at some ghastly sort of party. It could have been Angelus and Darla, but it seemed more likely to have been Wolfram & Hart." At the end of his story Cordelia had tears in her eyes, Gunn was shaking his head in disbelief, and Wesley had a faraway look on his face as he remembered his torture at Faith's hands. Maggie moved closer to him and put her arms around him protectively. His cheeks were wet from tears, and the bandages were soaked at the bottom.

"What do you want us to do for you, Lindsey?" Angel asked.

"When there's nothing you can do but lie in bed, feel every part of your body ache, and think, some things become really clear. I want to be free. I want to be able to marry Maggie and raise our kids without looking over my shoulder all the time to see if Wolfram & Hart has found us. I don't want to have to worry if one of my kids is late coming home from school or Maggie takes longer than she should at the mall. I want to be liked and respected, not feared and despised. But what I want right now is my life back. I had a life before Wolfram & Hart, and it's gone. I want my mother's picture and my sister's wedding picture. I want my birth certificate, driver's license, and social security card. And I want my Hastings ring, even though I'll never be able to wear it again."

"You could wear it on your left hand," Cordelia said.

Lindsey turned toward Maggie. "No, I have other plans for that finger, if Maggie will agree."

"Is that a proposal, Lindsey?"

"I want to propose to you in private, not with an audience. But it's just letting you know that there will definitely be one soon. That is, if you want to marry a one-handed blind man who may possibly be HIV-positive."

"I'd marry you if you were a blind, deaf leper."

"So you'd like us to break into your condo and get these things?"

"Yes, but it would have to look like a burglary or something. You could take the television and stereo and give them to charity. And give away the Rolex. I don't need it any more. I'm not going to let my clothes and my car define who I am. Maggie said that the old Lindsey died at the side of the road and a new one was reborn. That's what I want. If you could get my safe-deposit box key so I could take out some stock certificates to pay Dr. Gold and Dr. Rubin along with the copies of the discs I stole from Wolfram & Hart, that would be great, too."

"What about your books, Lindsey? A. Merritt & C.L. Moore. Some of them are out of print." Wes knew that he & Lindsey had shared a love of fantastic fiction.

"I'd love to have those, but I don't want to be too much trouble. I hope I could read them again someday. If not, I'll give them to you."

"We can do that. Tell me about your security system, Lindsey." As the four men put their heads together, Maggie and Cordelia went into the kitchen to make coffee and pour soft drinks.

"Maybe he's changed, Maggie. I hope so. That doesn't sound like the old Lindsey at all."

"I think what he went through would change anyone, Cordelia. It was an epiphany."

"You changed him with the love you gave him. I can just feel the love flowing between you. I hope that happens to me someday."

Maggie hugged her. "It will." If it hasn't already, she thought, having noticed the fondness she & Wes had for each other.

Later that night four burglars broke into Lindsey's condo. It was an absolute wreck. Everything was smashed, torn, and mangled. It had obviously been thoroughly searched. Cordelia picked up the two framed pictures, which lay in the shards of the glass that had protected them. The pictures, fortunately, were intact. Angel picked up the stereo and Gunn and Wesley took the television, which was a large and heavy one. Cordelia found his wallet and ring and took the bottle of maple syrup out of the refrigerator. She put the wallet, the ring, the pictures, some books (Wes showed her which ones), and the syrup bottle into a cardboard box and they got out of there fast.

When they arrived back at Maggie's, Lindsey took the bottle of syrup and poured it out into the sink. On the bottom Maggie found a small key. "Here's the key to my safe-deposit box. I thought they wouldn't look here. By the way, Wes, help yourself to whatever books you want, but, if I get my sight back, I want them returned."

"Now that you have your life back, what do you want to do now?" Angel asked.

"As I said, I want to be free. I want payback, but I can live without that. After all, I tried to pay you back and it backfired on me. But if I can rid the world of the creature that did this to me, I think it would be a better place."

"Since your body hasn't been found, I assume that Wolfram & Hart is still looking for you."

"That's right. I used an assumed name with the eye doctor. Only Maggie, Pat Connor, the nurse who helped her take care of me, and Dr. Gold know my real name."

"Do you have any friends at the firm?"

"Friends? Not there. But there are one or two people who are acquaintances and occasional drinking buddies. You met Brett Mogler. He's out of the loop but he could still be dangerous. The mind readers, you remember."

"Wasn't he that 'Gruber meeting' guy? Pretty hyper character."

"Yes, but he's a good guy. Maybe my 'cousin Megan' should try to see him. Do you have something that could make him tell the truth and then make him forget everything?"

Wesley thought a minute. "I believe I can concoct something. I can bring it by tomorrow."

Angel rose. "We'll go from there." The four members of Angel Investigations left.

Lindsey gently ran his fingers over his mother's picture. "I'm glad they didn't hurt this."

"She's very beautiful. And so is your sister."

"Yes, they were. Mom died when I was ten, and Elaine died in childbirth about 7 years ago. I miss them both. Elaine and I were just a little over a year apart, and she, her husband Tony, and I were best friends. Tony died in an automobile accident just a week after Elaine and the baby died."

Maggie put her arms around him. "I'm so very sorry, Lindsey. I know what it's like to lose someone you love."

"Your husband?"

"I loved him once. I fell in love with him our freshman year in college. He was a wonderful 18-year-old. Unfortunately it's not so great being an 18-year-old when you're 25 and a father."

"What happened to your husband and your child?"

Maggie sighed. "Tom couldn't quit smoking. One night I went out to a bridal shower for one of my friends. He fell asleep with a cigarette. Tommy died of smoke inhalation and Tom burned to death. At least Tommy didn't suffer. He died in his sleep." Maggie started weeping. Lindsey took her in his arms and let her cry until she ran out of tears. Then, gently, he led her to the bedroom. Or tried to, but he bumped into the wall.

"Damn!" Then he burst out laughing. Maggie joined in his laughter. Then she led him into the bedroom. They made love and fell asleep in each other's arms.

The next morning Maggie called Brett on her cell phone. "Hi, Brett. I'm Lindsey's cousin Megan. He often mentioned you. Could we meet for lunch? How about Hastings' at noon. I'll wear a red dress."

On her way to Hastings' Maggie picked up the small vials of liquid from Wesley. Then she arrived at the restaurant and sat facing the door.

Brett, a handsome, dark-haired man about Lindsey's age, was right on time. "So you're Lindsey's cousin. I wonder where he is and what's happened to him."

Maggie was wondering how she could slip the truth potion to Brett when her opportunity arose. "Look, is that Jennifer Aniston?" As Brett turned to look at the beautiful star of Friends, she poured the small bottle of clear liquid into his coffee. Wesley had said it would take a couple of minutes to take effect. She waited all through the salads and then said, "What do you know about Lindsey's disappearance."

"I know that the firm is looking for him. There was a party for a new employee, and I overheard Lilah Morgan and Holland Manners talking about it. Lilah had laughed and said that Lindsey would be a great 'party favor' for their new employee."

"Who was the employee?"

"From what I heard, he was a vampire who calls himself Caligula. He's not the real Roman emperor, of course, but I understand he's several hundred years old."

She questioned him a little longer but realized that was all he knew. As Gwyneth Paltrow strolled into the restaurant, she pointed her out to Brett and slipped the forgetfulness drug into his coffee. Right before they left, Brett picking up the tab on a platinum Wolfram & Hart credit card, she looked him in the eye and said. "You will forget everything we discussed. We just traded memories of Lindsey, that's all." He nodded.

Maggie grabbed a cab and went straight to Angel's. "Do you know anything about a vampire named Caligula?" she asked him.

"He was pretty much on a level with Angelus except that he was a homosexual. Angelus was strictly hetero. He was a true sadist. I wonder why he didn't kill Lindsey?"

"Maybe they wanted him to have the final humiliation of dying naked by the side of the road. They had taken everything else away from him."

"I'll see if I can find Caligula. He definitely deserves to be dusted. What about Wolfram & Hart?"

"He's a new employee, and Lindsey was the favor at his welcoming party!" Cordelia's face went totally white at this. "Lindsey told me about a man who had disappointed the senior partners and had to eat his own liver. This is even worse."

"Who was the one who had this idea?"

"Holland Manners and Lilah Morgan. Why?"

"Maybe Caligula would like another party."

When Maggie arrived back at the apartment, she told Lindsey what she had discovered. His face darkened with anger as she related Holland's and Lilah's roles in his torture, humiliation, and near death. "Does Angel have a plan? I want to be in on it."

"He'll be over later on."

Later that afternoon Maggie discovered that she was not pregnant. What surprised her was that she was more disappointed than relieved. I really want to have Lindsey's baby, she thought. Now was not the right time, but I hope it'll be soon.

When she told him, his feeling was very much the same. Although he too knew that this was not the right time, and he did not want to be a father while he was doubly challenged with blindness and the loss of his hand, the thought of his own little boy or girl filled him with wonder and awe. He put his arm around Maggie and suddenly found that both of them had tears in their eyes.

"Maggie, I do want to marry you, but I have absolutely nothing to offer you. I'm blind, I have one hand, and we still don't know whether or not I have AIDS. But I do love you. We just need to find out about my eyes and if I'm clean or not. Then we'll take it from there. I hope you understand."

"I told you before that I don't care about any of that, but I'll wait for you as long as it takes. You're worth it." Before they knew it, they were back in bed together. And that's where they stayed until it was time for Angel to come.

Angel arrived late that evening with word that he knew where Caligula could be found. Now it was time for a little party planning.

"I think we'll just have a little foursome: Holland, Lilah, Caligula, and me. We'll see how Holland and Lilah like being the party favors. I'll get Lilah myself, and then I'll stash her and bring Caligula. Maggie, you'll lure Holland. I have an idea that I know will work."

Suddenly Lindsey spoke up, "I want to be there, too, when they get what I got."

"No, Lindsey. Caligula would want to finish you off. Anyway, you really don't want to be there."

"Yes, I do. I guess I'm not born again. I'm the same old Lindsey, and there must still be a lot of evil in me. The idea of revenge is too sweet."

Maggie looked at him, shocked. "Lindsey, I know what they did was horrible, but you surely don't want to see it happening to them."

"I told you, Maggie. When he was whipping me, people were cheering and applauding. When he burned a hole in my navel, the same thing. There was one other humiliation I didn't tell you about. After I had been whipped, and burned, and cut, he forced me down onto my knees and pushed my head down onto him. When I refused to close my mouth around him, he started pumping into me furiously. After he had finished, I spit it out and he hit me so hard I thought my neck would snap. Some of the guys had experimented around with other guys in college, but I never had. But now I was being forced to service another guy in front of a big party. Then he hauled me up on my feet and forced himself into me from behind, so hard I could feel my skin tearing. Meanwhile he was fondling my penis and then raking it with his nails. I could feel it bleeding. Then he bit me. I never ever dreamed I would die like that, being raped by a vampire in front of a cheering crowd."

"Lindsey," Wes started to say, thinking of his own torture at Faith's hands, but he stopped. Yes, she had hurt him badly, but nothing like this.

"Did you know, Angel, that night in the crypt, I had hoped you'd kill me. That's why I tried to burn the scroll. Before we went there, Lilah had reminded me of Robert Price being forced to eat his own liver. And of course Lee had been shot right next to me. I thought you'd at least give me a clean death. There were so many nights I'd sit in my condo just drinking and thinking of all the bad things I'd done. The night you were with Russell Winters, Cordelia, I was out driving my car 120 miles per hour, hoping I'd run into a tree or over one of the seaside cliffs. I've done that more than you know, but somehow I always made it back safely without hurting myself or anyone else. I was never even stopped by the police for speeding!" Tears were pouring down Lindsey's cheeks as he went on. "I wonder if my mother was watching over me. I know I have to have disappointed her so badly. You should have killed me, Angel."

Maggie put her hand on Lindsey's arm. "I lied to you, Lindsey. Tommy did die in the fire, but Tom didn't. I killed him. I found him there on the sidewalk while Tommy's body was being carried out by the firemen. I asked him why he didn't get Tommy, and he told me he barely got out himself. So I started screaming and yelling that he should be the one that was dead, not Tommy. Then I began pounding on his chest and scratching his face, and then I pushed him, hard, and he fell and hit his head on the corner of the porch. I heard his neck snap. There were enough witnesses that nobody did anything. They said I had just gone temporarily insane, and for good reason. Kate Lockley was the police officer there, and she even took me in her arms and hugged me and let me cry it out on her shoulder. But I wanted him to die. I wanted him to be punished for killing Tommy. I wanted to beat him to death. So I guess I'm evil too."

"Oh, my God, Maggie. Poor Maggie." Lindsey took her in his arms and the two stood together, crying. Angel nodded at his companions and they went into the kitchen to wait until Maggie and Lindsey had settled down.

Tears were flowing down Cordelia's cheeks as well. Wesley wiped them away and took her in his arms. Gunn was just shaking his head, and Angel had a look of amazement on his face. He wanted me to kill him? Maybe he's not beyond redemption after all.

Maggie finally walked into the kitchen. Her face was calm. "Please come back into the living room. I'm sorry about the outbursts."

Angel walked over to Lindsey, "For what it's worth, I'm sorry now that I cut off your hand."

"It's not as bad as being blind, Angel. I just realized that before this it wasn't my eyes that were blind, it was my heart."

Gunn cleared his throat. "Maybe we should get back to the plan."

Angel nodded. "Maggie, you'll call Holland tomorrow from your cell phone, of course. Lindsey, you'll need to be with her when she calls because he may ask to hear your voice. And this is basically what you'll say. . ."

Shortly afterwards the Angel crew left. Cordelia gave Maggie a hug and turned to Lindsey. "I forgive you, too, Lindsey."

As they walked to the bedroom, Lindsey said, "I wish you hadn't had to have gone through that. That must have been hell for you."

"You would have saved Tommy or died trying, wouldn't you?" He nodded. "I wish I had met you before I met Tom. Things would be so different now."

"Yes, they would have. I would probably not have joined Wolfram & Hart. We'd probably have a couple of kids and be happy."

"At least now, when we're happy, we'll know it." They were both too emotionally spent to make love, but he took her in his arms and they fell asleep.

The next morning according to the plan, Maggie took the cell phone and dialed Wolfram & Hart. "I want to speak to Holland Manners."

"Who shall I say is calling?" the woman at the switchboard asked.

"Just tell him I've found what he has lost."

Less than a minute later she heard, "Holland Manners speaking. How may I help you?"

"How may I help you, Mr. Manners? I believe I have something you've been looking for for about the last six weeks."

"I'm not sure what you mean, Miss. . ."

"You know damn well what I mean. Let's not play games. I have what you misplaced, and I want to know how much it's worth to you. I'm talking a generous finder's fee." Maggie, who had acted in high school and college and had once considered a career in some form of theater, was really getting into her tough girl act.

"How can I be sure that you have the genuine article?"

"About five ten, dark hair, one hand missing, bruised, cut, burned, blind. Does that describe your missing item?"

"But is it intact? Except for the hand, that is? As I recall, it was in very bad shape."

"All right, then, listen."

She handed the phone to Lindsey. "Holland, it's me. Let me go. All I want is out. Please let me go." Lindsey allowed his voice to rise ever so slightly as if he were truly afraid. Maggie wondered if he had done any acting. He was good!

"It would appear that you have taken good care of our poor missing associate. We were so worried about him, as he'd been very distracted lately. He must have been kidnapped by some sort of demon gang. What he must have gone through. Of course you deserve a reward for taking such good care of him, my dear. Why not bring him over here to the office and I'll have a nice check for you?"

"You must think I was born yesterday. First of all, if we walked in there, neither of us would get out alive. Secondly, I don't want a check. I want cash. If it's not enough, we go to the police,and Lindsey has a lot to tell them. How much do you want for him? Let's start at one million dollars."

"My dear, I haven't the foggiest idea what you must think of us here at Wolfram & Hart. We're just a law firm, and poor Lindsey hadn't been himself for a long time. We'll welcome him back with open arms. And you too!"

"Don't try to con me, Holland. Demon gang, indeed! Demon lawyers is more like it. I want to meet you at my chosen spot, and I want cash. As I've said, I know someone who is interested in justice who would make it worth my while to take Lindsey to the police to bring your firm down. And he's cute. I would seriously consider keeping him."

"I can't get a million dollars at such short notice. How about one hundred thousand?"

you turned down the opportunity to get Lindsey back.  I wonder if you'd have to eat more than your liver?'

'All right, half a million.  That's all I can justify to the senior partners.' 

Lindsey nodded.  'I agree.  Meet me at 9:00 tonight at the Old Regal Ballroom on 17^th Street.  And come alone.  No guards, no demons, no vampires.  And don't wear a wire or have any sort of listening device.  Bring a cell phone, and give me its number now.'  She took down the number.  'It had better be on.  Goodbye.'

Lindsey was smiling broadly.  'I guess Angel's plan is working so far.'

As Lilah headed for her car in the Wolfram and Hart garage, she heard footsteps but didn't think anything of them.  After all, she wasn't the only attorney who'd be going home.  However, she was grabbed from behind and a hand was clamped over her mouth.  'Hello, Lilah.  Remember me?  We have a date tonight.  I'm taking you to a party.'  She smelled the sickly sweet odor of chloroform and promptly lost consciousness.  Angel carried her to his car and threw her into the back seat.  Then he tied her hands and feet and drove off.  There was a mansion that had been shut down since the owners died and the will was still being contested.  He took her there and put her in a large room all set up for a party.  Then he took off for Caritas.

Caligula was there at Caritas sipping a warm blood and tonic.  Angel vamped into his Angelus face and sat next to him.  'Hey, Caligula, remember me?'

'Angelus!  It's been centuries!  How's Darla?'

'We had a parting of the ways.  How about you and Nero?'  Caligula had had a penchant for naming his children and companions after ancient Roman emperors and gods.

'Same here.  He ran off with a female vampire, so I had to finish him off.  I'm unattached right now.  How would you like to party?'

'Just what I had in mind, old friend.'  Angel ran his hand down Caligula's arm and licked his lips.  Caligula got off the stool and followed him.

As Holland approached the theater, where he had a number of guards waiting, his cell phone rang.  'Naughty boy, didn't I tell you to come alone?  We're going somewhere else.  Turn right onto Randolph and keep going.  Keep this line open so I can direct you.  I'm not the fool you think I am.'  Maggie directed him to the mansion where Lilah had been taken.  When he got inside, she stepped out from a dark corner.  'I'll take my money now.  But you open it.  I want to make sure there are no dye packs or any other kind of booby traps inside.  Take it out slowly.'  After she had checked that everything was all right, she had him put it back inside the attaché case.  'Now give it to me.'

'Where's Lindsey?'  She pointed over where Lindsey was standing.  Holland walked toward him.  He had an uneasy feeling.  Something wasn't quite right.  But as he reached for Lindsey, something pushed him from behind.  He landed on his hands and knees in a large room where Lilah was lying bound hand & foot.  As the door closed behind him, and he heard a key being turned in a lock, he saw that what he had thought was Lindsey had been his mirror image.  That was what was wrong.  Lindsey's left hand had been missing!  Stupid, stupid, stupid.  Then he noticed that his cell phone was missing.  The witch must have picked his pocket!

Maggie picked up the attaché case, took Lindsey by the hand, and led him out of the building to her car.  As they pulled out of the gate, she saw Angel's car coming around the corner.  'Get down, Lindsey!  We don't want Caligula to see you.'  Lindsey obliged, and she drove him home to await the developments.

'Here we are, Caligula.  It's a small party.  You and I are the only guests, but I have two really great party favors for you.'

'Isn't that my new boss?'  Caligula asked as he saw Holland.

'He was.  Now he's a little gift for you.  A thank you gift for the great job you did on Lindsey.  Now enjoy.'

'Are you going to take the girl?'

'No, I'll just watch.  They're both for you, but I want to finish them off.  Do whatever you want.  I brought the whip, the poker, the knives, and I have a nice hot fire going.'

Caligula walked over to Holland and ripped his shirt open.  Then he pulled off his shirt and jacket in one motion.  As he picked up the whip, Holland began to beg and plead.  'No, let me go.  I'll give you whatever you want.  Don't do this.  Angel is our enemy.  Please.'

'Gee, Holland, I'm hurt,' Angel said.  'Are you offering to trade Lilah for yourself?'

'Yes, take her.  Just let me go.'  Just then the whip cracked across his shoulders and Holland screamed.

'The cute one, Lindsey, took a lot more punishment before he started screaming.  Even blind, he gave me this defiant look.  I think he was a lot more fun than Holland will be.'  He whipped him again.

Angel watched while Caligula repeated on Holland what he had done to Lindsey.  As he was biting Holland while raping him, Lilah looking on with horror, Angel came around in front of Holland.  'I understand that while this was being done to Lindsey, you were laughing and applauding, Holland.  You should be laughing and applauding now.  And so should you, Princess,' he said, walking around to Lilah.  I don't hear you laughing now.  Or is it just funny when it happens to Lindsey?'  He took her by her hair and looked into her face.  She wore a look of sheer horror.

'Remember, Caligula, I get to finish them off.  And I think Lilah is getting bored watching.  She wants to join into the festivities.'  Caligula stopped sucking Holland's blood, although he didn't let him go until he had climaxed.  Then he went over to Lilah.  Angel knelt on the floor next to Holland.  'Do you want to live, Holland?  Do you want me to give you more of a chance than you gave Lindsey?'

'Yes, please, Angel, please save me.'

'Not a word about Lilah?  Holland, I'm very disappointed in you.  I thought you two had a relationship.  I guess loyalty is not something that is respected at Wolfram & Hart.  I will save both of your lives if you agree to certain conditions.'

'Anything, Angel.  Just save me.'

'First of all,' he said over Lilah's screams, 'Lindsey, his fiancée, and any other members of his family are totally free from any threats by Wolfram & Hart.  They will be allowed to live their lives with no interference from you or anyone else.  Do you agree?'

'Yes,' Holland gasped.

'I want all of Lindsey's personal effects to be ready for one of my associates to pick up tomorrow.  That includes his college and law school diplomas.  Understood?'

'Yes.'

'He also gets a check for all of his back pay, six months severance pay, his medical insurance, and full disability while he's blind.  Partial disability as well from the date of the loss of his hand.  And anything that's still usable from his condo.  I want a check ready for him tomorrow.  A cashier's check.  Do you understand?'

'Yes.'

Angel took some papers from the table.  'Sign these.  There are three copies: one for the firm, one for Lindsey, and one for me.  By the way, Lindsey and I both have copies of the discs he borrowed.  Just so you don't forget.  Oops, I'm out of ink.'  He dipped the tip of the pen in the blood that was flowing from Holland's arm.  'Now sign.'

Lilah's screams were getting louder and louder.  Finally, as Caligula was raping and drinking her, Angel said, 'Enough.  I said I wanted to finish them off.'  Caligula got up and let Lilah drop to the floor.  'By them I meant all of you.'  He pulled a stake out of his sleeve and, before Caligula could react, Angel had staked him through the heart.  Then Angel got on a cell phone and called the LA Express, which was a tabloid specializing in the sensational.  'May I speak to Josh Chase?'  Josh was the reporter who loved to dish the dirt, the dirtier, the better.  'Hello, Josh.  Get a photographer and get over to the old Reynolds Mansion on 15^th.  One of those sex and sadism clubs had a party, and things went a little too far for two of the guests.  They're from Wolfram & Hart.'  He could hear Josh chuckling over the phone.  'Holland Manners and Lilah Morgan.  You'd better call an ambulance for them, but I'd take my pictures first.  And don't worry.  The door will be unlocked.'  He walked over to Holland.  'I know there's somebody at the firm now.  Call and give them the order for Lindsey's check and his personal effects.  You probably won't be in any shape to do it tomorrow.'  He waited while Holland gave the appropriate orders.  Then he headed for the door.  'By the way, Holland, this is nothing compared with what would happen to you and pretty Lilah if I ever do go back to being Angelus.'

As he drove away, he could see Josh and the photographer driving up.  I can't wait to see the paper tomorrow, he thought.

The next morning Maggie and Lindsey woke up, made love, and had breakfast.  Then they looked at the attaché case full of money.  Lindsey opened it, looked at the money, and then closed it.  'I thought I'd want this for what they put me through, but I can't touch it.  It's blood money.'

'Let's get dressed and then I'll take it.'

Lindsey turned toward her, a disappointed look on his face.  'You'll take it?'

'Trust me,' she said, kissing him.

After they got dressed, she took him down to the street.  They walked about two blocks when she turned into a building.  I guess it's her bank, Lindsey thought.  I can't blame her, I guess.  She quit her job to take care of me.  Just then he heard organ music.  It's a church.  She led him into a pew and knelt as Mass was beginning. 

After Mass was over, Maggie took his hand and led him toward the altar.  'Maggie, darling,' he heard the priest say.  'Its good to see you.'

'Brendan, I have something for you.  Let's go into the rectory.'  Taking his hand, she led him into the rectory where they sat at a table in what smelled like a kitchen.  And a wonderful smell it was.

'Brendan, this is Lindsey MacDonald, the man I'm going to marry one day soon.  Lindsey, this is my brother, Brendan Shaughnessy.'  Lindsey felt Brendan take his good left hand and shake it.

'Your brother is a priest?' 

'Yes, and I brought you this money, Brendan.  It's dirty money, the price of a man's life.  I know you can do a lot of good with it.'

'Can I ever!  The school needs a new roof, and we have a number of young people in the parish who need to have help with their tuition.  Not to mention the soup kitchen.  This is a godsend, Maggie.  Please tell me all about it.  And I want to get to know Lindsey as well.'

'Only if you give us tea and some of Mrs. Williams' shortbread.'  Brendan laughed and got up to get the tea and cookies. 

On the way back to an apartment they passed a newsstand.  A picture of Holland and Lilah, naked and bleeding, was spread across the front page.  The headline read, 'Wolfram & Hart Attorneys Injured in Orgy.'  'I'm glad that Angel didn't kill them,' Lindsey said.  'Lilah may make it out of this in one piece, but I think that Holland will be dead meat when the firm gets their hands on him.'

That afternoon Gunn went to Wolfram & Hart and picked up Lindsey's personal effects and a sizeable cashier's check, which he took to Maggie's apartment.  Maggie insisted that he stay for dinner, so he did.  Maggie called a neighbor, a pretty young teacher named Coralie, and invited her and her young son Willie over for dinner too.  Coralie was a divorcee who taught night school so her mother could take care of Willie in the evening.  She also taught at the high school during the day.  Before the meal was over, Coralie had convinced Gunn to sign up for GED classes which, incidentally, she taught.

As Coralie and Gunn left, her sleeping son in his arms, Lindsey turned to Maggie.  'I can't see your face, but I'll bet you have a smug look on it.  Are you a born matchmaker?'

Maggie smiled and said, 'Let's go to bed, darling.' 

That night Lindsey felt he could see the light at the end of the tunnel.  Not that he could see, that was.  But he had hope.  He and Maggie would be married and move away from Los Angeles. 

Marty and Pat came by the next morning, big smiles on their faces.  'I have good news and good news.  The first good news is that your HIV test came back negative, Lindsey.'

Lindsey was extremely happy.  As Angel had informed him that vampires can't carry diseases, and he was pretty sure that only Caligula had assaulted him, he was not as concerned as he had originally been, but still it was good to have it confirmed.

'I'd still be retested in six months just to be safe, but I wouldn't worry.'

'So what's the other good news?'  Then Maggie looked at Pat's left hand, which was flashing a large diamond ring.  'You're getting married!'  She hugged Pat and then Marty.  Lindsey hugged Pat and shook Marty's hand.

'We're trying to figure out how to have a Presbyterian/Jewish ceremony.  And how we can include all of our kids and grandkids into the wedding party without making it overwhelming.  But it'll be soon.  Neither of us is comfortable living together outside of wedlock.  I guess we're old fashioned.'

'I guess we are, too.'  Lindsey surprised Maggie by saying that.  'Now that I would appear to be off the hook with Wolfram & Hart, we'll have to get together with Maggie's brother Father Brendan and start making some plans ourselves.'

Ten days later, Holland and Lilah were released from the hospital.  A limousine from Wolfram & Hart came to pick them up.  They were whisked up to the conference room on the top floor where Nathan was waiting for them.  He shook his head.  'Miss Morgan, Miss Morgan, what am I going to do with you?  You really must get your act together.  I'm expecting much better of you than I've seen lately.  However, you are not the one who is responsible for this latest fiasco, so I'm going to just let you go with a warning.  You may also move into Mr. MacDonald's old office.  We'll discuss your responsibilities later.  Now leave us.'

After Lilah had scurried out the door, Nathan turned to Holland.  'Old friend, this was just too much.  Signing away any of our rights to Mr. MacDonald.  Betraying the firm to save your own life.  Costing us a half million dollars as well as all of Mr. MacDonald's pay and benefits.  And, worst of all, this adverse publicity you've generated for us.  We should have kept Lindsey and given you to Caligula.  You couldn't just kill him, could you?  You wanted to humiliate him and make him suffer.  Why?  Because Lilah and some of the other women you've been sexually harassing preferred him and he hadn't even looked at them?  Well, Holland, I hope you're hungry.  You're going to have a nice dish of liver with a side dish of those organs that got you in so much trouble.'  The partners and associates filed into the conference room followed by two demons in white lab coats bearing large knives.

'NOOOOOOOO!!!!!'

A few days later Maggie took Lindsey to see Dr. Rubin.  As he gently removed the bandages, he asked Lindsey to keep his eyes closed for a minute and then slowly open them.  'Can you see anything?'

'Just light and darkness and shadowy shapes.  That's all.'

'I'm going to bandage your eyes again after I put in some medication.  Come back two weeks from now and we'll check them again.  It's just taking a little longer to heal than I thought.'

Later Lindsey said that he'd propose to Maggie if he had a ring to give her.

'I have one you can use,' she said.

'I won't give you the one Tom gave you.  That's unlucky.'

'My mother died shortly after Tommy was born.  She and Dad had a long and very happy marriage.  As I was her only daughter, she gave me her ring.  I'd be proud to wear it.  And it fits!'

Her mother's ring in his hand, Lindsey knelt in front of Maggie, saying, 'I love you, Maggie.  Please marry me.  I want to be with you forever.'

Maggie let him slip her mother's ring on her finger.  Then she kissed him tenderly.  'I love you so very much.  You know, I rarely go the way I did when I found you.  I just took that route on impulse.  Now I know it was fate.'

'Maybe your mother and my mother got together in heaven and decided to be our matchmakers!'

Two weeks later Dr. Rubin said that Lindsey's eyes were better.  He had to wear thick glasses for the next two weeks.  With each checkup his vision improved. 

He and Maggie attended Pat and Marty's wedding.  They were attended by their grandchildren and married in the Presbyterian church with the minister and Marty's rabbi officiating.  At the reception, Pat threw the bouquet straight at Maggie, who caught it in triumph.

On a beautiful June afternoon Maggie and Lindsey were married at St. Malachi's Church by Father Brendan with Pat and Marty as their witnesses.  Cordelia, Wesley, Gunn, and Coralie, whom he had started dating, were among the guests.  Maggie had a lot more friends than he realized.  Brett Mogler was invited, and he surprised Lindsey by coming.  'Did you know that Holland had to eat his liver and his sex organs too?  He really messed big time.  Lilah now has his job, and she's never been so careful in her life.  I don't envy her at all!'

Angel had allowed them to hold the reception at the Hyperion, and he was there along with David Nabbitt.  The eccentric millionaire took Lindsey aside during the reception.