Title: Under My Skin
Author: Litizreal
Disclaimer: I don't own anything, I would love to own it, but according to a wise old rocker, you can't always get what you want.
Summary: A Macaddick fic, Mac and Dick just can't seem to avoid eachother, and after being asked by someone to help Dick, things change for the both of them.
Authors Note: It's short I know, but the next parts will be longer I promise.
Mac sighed as she entered her dorm room, and everything was quiet, so she knew that Parker wasn't there. Parker had been a quieter more subdued version of herself, ever since she had made the decision to stay. Veronica had opted to never meet Mac at the room, because of her feelings of guilt. Mac had tried to come to both of them, and settle this. It wasn't Veronica's fault, and she had tried to explain to Parker that, but she could understand that Parker needed someone to blame. Other than a faceless attacker.
Veronica had been dealing with things in her own way as of late. Mac had heard things from Wallace and random rumblings that Veronica had managed to get out that Cassidy had done something even worse to Veronica, than he had done to her, but everytime she had tried to talk about it with Veronica, she had just gotten a blank stare and then a change of topic.
Their was a new rape for every new week of school, and tensions were at an all time high. Security was so tight everywhere that it was beginning to effect classes, and the general feel of the campus. Hearst was known for being a great school with a light and happy student body, but now everyone was a suspect, and it was the perfect atmosphere, Mac realized, for Veronica Mars.
The only thing that bothered Mac more than the ongoing attacks on campus; was the fact that Dick seemed to be everywhere she was. He was Logan's best friend and Veronica always tried to include her when they went to movies or to concerts. Mac had been Veronica's backup for some of the cases, and Logan was there, and unfortunately, so was Dick.
She had refused to say one word to him since he had uttered those words (that was more painful than she would like to think or admit) to her. She felt pity for him before then, but after he said those words to her, she had given up. She didn't owe Cassidy anything and she certainly didn't owe Dick anything.
Until one day when Veronica had come to her. Veronica 'I've Got a Secret' Mars had come and opened up to Mac, about all that had happened in the last couple of years.
She had first explained why she was so… secretive. By the time that Veronica had finished telling her about her rape, and all the twists and turns of Lily's murder and the bus crash investigation, Mac felt for the first time like she actually knew Veronica Mars.
So when Veronica had come to her weeks later, and said words she never thought she would ever hear from her, it kind of forced her into action.
'Mac, you have great reasons to hate him, but Dick isn't doing so well, and maybe if you talked to him, that would help.'
Veronica had let her know all that had happened to Dick in the last couple of weeks. He was quiet and reserved, and that alone told Mac that things weren't going well for him. Dick was reluctant to go out and stayed in the suite and played halo. If anyone mentioned his brother's name, he would become silent for hours on end and just sit and stare at nothing.
Mac was about to rip Veronica a new one, because let's face it; helping out Dick was something that was along the lines as electro shock therapy, but for some reason she let Veronica continue.
'Logan told me that Dick has horrible nightmares Mac. He keeps on dreaming that he was in Logan's place and he is the one that pushes beaver off the edge of the roof. Logan doesn't know what to do, I don't know what to do.'
Mac was shocked to hear this. Sometimes she had that dream, that she wasn't in that stupid hotel room alone and hysterical, but on the roof with Veronica and Logan. So Mac made it a habit to try and see Dick without him knowing. She figured that they were going through the death of Cassidy, so she would understand what he was going through by just a look.
And she waited patiently for it, because she didn't want to come off as an idiot. She didn't want him mocking her, and that was what kept her from going directly to him. Finally she saw her chance. She had been invited over by Veronica to watch Trina's latest movie of the week. Veronica seemed really happy about it, so Mac felt like she had to go.
She hadn't been to the suite that much, Neptune Grand, gave her the creeps and she kept getting flash backs to that horrible night. But this was her chance, and the stress of upcoming midterms was getting to her.
When she knocked on the door, the door was opened up by Dick himself and Mac noticed he looked almost flabbergasted that Mac was standing there. His face was really like the shock he had on his face, the last time they had been in this exact pose.
'Mac.' He said dumbly and she tried to smile at him. She tried to forget all the horrible things he had said to her in their entire time of knowing each other.
'Dick.' She said and looked around to see if there was an end in sight. But with her luck, there wasn't. He looked at her strangely for a second, and then he blurted. 'I'm supposed to tell you that the movie night was cancelled. Ronnie's dad needed her for a big case, and Logan is protecting his women.'
Mac looks shocked. 'Oh. Veronica normally would have called me.' Dick looked troubled (something that I had only seen when I had made a sarcastic remark that he didn't get) and he scratches his head. 'She said that she would call you later, it was pretty urgent.' And I nodded and turned to leave, but before I could Dick called out my name.
'What I said, it wasn't the truth. None of it. I'm so sorry.' He says so quietly, that if there was any other noise than the two of us, I wouldn't hear it. He closed the door to the suite so quickly, that I couldn't even really react, but I knocked on the door again.
When he opened it, Dick's facial expression shown through and I got why Veronica had come to me. Even if I couldn't do anything to help him, I had to try.
'He loved you. I didn't know him that long and I don't think I really knew him, but I am sure that he thought you were a good brother, and I hope you know that he loved you.' I try to smile and then hightail it out of there, and hope that my small gesture works until I figure out how to do a more permanent fix.
What I didn't realize was that if you show someone kindness that they don't expect, it kind of changes your life forever.
TBC
