A/N: once upon a time I promised the readers of VMHP the whole MaDi scene and well, you've waited long enough, I hope it is to your liking. Those who haven't read Veronica meets her past, should do so as this happens in the middle of that fic. Happy reading and don't forget to review, please;)

TRYING SOMETHING WILL RETURN TO NORMAL SHORTLY

Dick stood in front of Mac with an unusual expression of seriousness on his face. Macs eyes were etched into his and Veronica stopped dead in her tracks wishing for the floor to swallow her before they noticed her.

"Why haven't you ever answered my e-mails?"

Dicks question hit Mac like a knife and she said quietly:" Because there wasn't anymore to say. You might have had some kind of emotion for me, but Dick let's be real, you'll never really get over the fact that Cassidy was my first love."

Dick's eyes narrowed and even Veronica could see, that although he had been drinking a lot he was intent on getting through to her friend.

"The relationship between you two has nothing to do with us. We were kids and I know I acted like an ass after his death, but that's a long time ago now and what we had is nothing like what you had with him… unless of course you still love him?"

Mac laughed bitterly and answered almost with a sneer:" He left me naked in a hotel room, killed several people, and let us not forget how he raped my best friend!!"

Dick almost yelled as he gripped Macs shoulders:" For Christ sake, why does everything evolve around Veronica Mars? Logan has totally let her ruin him and shit like that. Wherever she walked he followed ending up causing him extreme pain! Do you even know how much trouble he got for beating up that Gory Sorokin kid? Veronica makes the people who care for her suffer, remember that and remember this too!"

At the end of his tirade Dick bent down and gave Mac a passionate kiss, which after a moment Mac responded to.

After the kiss they'd shared, Dick had sort of hoped, that Mac would come to her senses, but right in the middle of their breathtaking kiss, she'd pulled away and disappeared.

"I gotta find her, I can't take this anymore."

That thought kept popping into Dicks mind after their discussion and he'd already sort of come up with a plan. His eyes caught Veronica, who was almost swallowed by the crowds of their old classmates. Before he could fall back into his old self Dick called out to her and watched the pretty blonde turn her head towards him.

Her blue eyes shone with suspicion and something else. Amusement and teasing.

"What's up with that?" was all Dick had time to think before Logan's ex-girlfriend opened her mouth to deliver her signature snarky remarks.

"Yes, oh my dearest friend." She answered with that teasing glimpse in her eyes. Dick only wanted to get to the point and didn't even respond to the sarcasm like he normally would. He simply asked in a hush voice:" Do you know where Mac is, I kind of need to talk her."

Dicks eyes widened as Veronica smirked with a sugary sweet sounding voice:" Why Dick? To tell her again how her friend only causes severe pain to those she loves?"

"Damn, she knows! How does that little barbie know everything before everyone else?"

Dick then paid more attention to the particular use of words Veronica had used and remembered. He fought of an embarrassing blush and said in a voice he hoped showed some kind of remorse:

"I'm sorry for that Veronica, I just need to get through to Mac, she and I met last summer in a bar and we got to talking and one thing led to another and the next morning I woke up feeling like I've honestly never felt before only to find out she had left while I slept. "

Veronica looked down on the floor, obviously caught up in her own memories. Dick held his breath.

"Please answer and I swear never to objectify woman ever again," he prayed inwardly and then he let out a huge sigh as the usually so sarcastic woman answered:

"I saw her leave for her room right before Mandy's speech."

Dick felt like jumping over and hugging Veronica, but settled with a broad smile, which apparently seemed to take her a bit by surprise.

Dick smiled to himself as he almost ran to the receptionist, who might be able to tell him Macs room number.

The tall blonde Casablancas heir was in such a hurry that he didn't notice Veronica's smile and soft laughter as she watched his retreating form.

MADIMADIMADIMADIMADIMADIMADIMADIMADIMADIMADIMADIMADI

A few minutes later Dick finally knocked on Macs hotel room door. His heart pounded and he didn't really have time to think about what to say before the door was opened.

Macs big blue grey eyes paralysed him.

"Move Dick, move you asshole." Dicks thoughts didn't seem to help him and he just stood there staring at the woman he just knew was his one and only.

"Dick?"

Macs voice woke him up and Dick straightened up, gave a half smile and asked looking over her shoulder into the tiny hotel room.

"Gonna let me in?"

Mac sighed and asked sounding tired:" Why, what's the point?"

Dick sighed too and wished he could just grab her waist and pull her into a fierce kiss – no words needed.

The intelligent and cynical gleam in Macs eyes made him pause.

"I think we should talk about…everything, ya know."

"There I've said it," Dick congratulated himself and his insides nearly made him jump in the air when it became obvious that Mac was about to let him enter her room.

The next moment Dick sat on the small bed and watched Mac sit on the uncomfortable looking chair at the tiny desk which surprise surprise was covered in computer gear.

"So talk Dick, you obviously have something to say…more insults for my best friends – maybe a jive at my parents now you're at it…"

Dick swallowed something he rarely experienced – a lump of fear.

"I gotta start somewhere," he decided and he looked up at Mac, who had crossed her arms looking quite ready for a fight.

"I'm sorry I said those things. Logan's my pal and I look out for him. Like you do with Ronnie I guess. But that's not what I came to talk to you about."

Mac leaned back in her chair and nodded for him to continue.

Dick cleared his throat and dived in.

"That night I saw you sitting in that bar I thought to myself; damn that chick has serious potential. Then you turned to leave and I recognized you in a flash and when your eyes met mine I somehow knew I had to have you."

Mac chuckled a sarcastic laugh and interrupted:" Well, you got your wish, didn't you. Then why are you here?"

Dick ran a hand through his wilde blonde hair and answered –knowing full well that these next few minutes could make or break him and his chance of happiness:

"My plan of a one night stand quickly fell out the window when we started talking and when you kissed me I just knew what I'd been too afraid to think about in Hearst – that you belonged with me."

Mac shifted a bit in her seat and started pulling a stray of dark brown hair between her fingers.

"I remember when you walked in the bar too. I recognized you right of the bat. I guess I was flattered that you took an interest in me after all this time. When we started talking I saw for the first time that you and Cassidy weren't all that different – at least when it came down to who you were under your images…" the woman's voice halted and Dick literally had to sit on his hands to keep from touching her.

"I woke up that night after the sex thing…" Mac hesitated for a nanosecond and then corrected herself," after making love and felt so guilty."

Dick straightened up and looked at her with a face so serious and intense that Mac doubted whether anyone else had seen the real Dick Casablancas.

"Why guilt of all things? I wasn't that bad, was I?"

Mac smiled and let go of her abused hair.

"No, absolutely not – if you must know. But seeing you like that reminded me of all the things we've been through over the years. The bullying, me falling for your brother, your hate for Veronica and the rest of us and all that Madison thing."

Dick actually felt a bit angry hearing this, but he remembered their last debate and its not so great ending.

"I never hated you – not once. And the whole me being a complete jerk, well, I was a kid and a damn rich one at that. And for your information I've never really hated Veronica – I just hate what she's done to my best friend." Dick paused and took in a deep breath before continuing:" …and Cass…I'll never forgive myself for how I treated him or failed to see how Goodman ruined him and I know you have had the same doubts as me. Could I have stopped it, did he even love me when he could go out and kill all those people?"

Mac tensed up as Dick mentioned some of her darkest fears, but then the blonde surprised her by kneeling down in front of her and gently placing his big hands over hers and saying:

"What ever it's worth – I knew Cass and I know he loved you – no matter what I said that night at your dorm. And I know that you'll probably never stop loving him or even caring about someone else as much as you did for him…like you said, he was your first love."

Dick looked up at Mac with surprise when she gave a soft snort.

"Don't you know already - I thought it was quite obvious?" Macs blue grey eyes locked with his own and she leaned forward and caressed his cheek.

"I loved Cassidy – the part of him we rarely saw and all that – but one night with you made me realize that I was capable of feeling a lot more for someone…"

"Does she mean?" Dick's thought shone in his question filled eyes and Mac smiled:

"I felt guilty because all of those things from the past didn't matter anymore – for all I cared we could've lived in that hotel room and never talked to another person again. I fell in love with you that night – and however lame this might sound, I knew I'd loose myself if I didn't leave and I had things to do before I lost myself in another person."

Dicks mind sang hallelujah as Mac declared her love for him after so long and he decided not to go into the whole "If- you'd- just- told- me- that- we'd- be- together- already-and-would-have-avoided-a-shitload-of-suffering- seeing as she'd finally let him get close to her again.

"I love you Cindy Mackenzie and I promise," his blue eyes twinkled," that you'll never have to feel guilty for being lame ever again."

Mac broke out into a short laugh, and punched him on the shoulder, muttering a soft:" shut up."

Dick rose from the floor and finally let his arms pull the brunette into his embrace and he put his lips on her soft ones in a gentle kiss.

After a few moments he pulled away and stared intently at Mac:" You know now I'll never let you go again, right?"

Mac put her arms around his neck, kissed the tip of his nose and said:" I'm flattered, but you have to do something for me before even announcing this relationship to the masses and thereby devastating your fan club of lonely and drunk frat girls.

Dick chuckled and nodded:" Whatever you say."

Then he moaned in mock hurt and disbelief as Mac whispered in his ear:" Put the party pig in a retirement home, I'm a non drinker, ya know."

The new couple in Neptune laughed softly before locking lips in a passionate kiss – a kiss they were still enjoying very much when Mac's roommate entered the room and left without ever being noticed.

A long while later the two lovebirds walked down to the paintball pit. On their way down Mac whispered to Dick:" So twenty bucks says Veronica somehow kicks Madison's fake ass."

Dick smiled:" You're on."

They entered the large room and saw Veronica eying them looking rather pleased with herself before she jumped into the game.

Mac saw Logan's eyes follow his ex intently and she poked Dick on the arm and said quietly:

"Somehow we have to fix that."

Dick looked at his very own brunette, put an arm around her shoulders and answered:" If we can make it work, so can they – don't worry it'll be fine."