Writing later chapters is coming more easily than the next few, so I apologize for the delay. 10 points for spotting the West Wing reference.

"Wallace!" a chipper, buzzed Veronica greeted her friend as he came through the door of the Presidential Suite. He noticed she put something on the door, but couldn't tell what it was.

"Hey V," he said a bit wary looking around. "Hey Mac," he said as he saw the dejected girl slumped on the couch. Mac mumbled a greeting.

"Make yourself at home," Veronica said as she flopped on the couch by her friend. "The drinks are all over there at the bar."

"See, the thing about being the designated driver, V, you really aren't supposed to drink. I thought I was giving y'all a ride home."

"We don't have to leave yet, Wallace. Sit. Relax. Commiserate for a little while."

"Commiserate? What are we sad about tonight girls? And where are Logan and Dick? I thought since this was their place, you'd be partying it up with them."

"Logan and Dick are at a campus party," Veronica said. "Mr. Casablancas was being so generous with his hotel tonight, I was certain they wouldn't mind if we took over their place and got into their liquor cabinet."

"Oh, I see," said Wallace, a little smugly.

"You see what?" Veronica asked, but he ignored this.

"I'll ask again. What did you two get all dressed up for, just to come to the Grand and get drunk alone about?"

Mac spoke up at this, "Veronica set up a sting so I could catch my boyfriend hooking up with an old girlfriend. This was the easiest place to let me come cry, eat a fancy meal, and drink."

"Oh," Wallace said as he sat on the other side of Mac and patted her leg. "I'm sorry. That sucks. I thought Max was better than that."

"So, we're drinking to liars and scoundrels tonight, Dubs," Veronica told him raising her glass.

"Well, okay then," Wallace said with a smile as he hopped up from his seat, "Sounds like I need to catch up with you two," He took his friends' glasses and headed toward the bar.

"Where do they keep extra glasses," he asked absently as he looked around for one of his own.

"Under the bar," both girls said in unison.

Veronica smiled at Mac. "My excuse is that I essentially used to live here. How do you know where the glasses are, Mackie?"

"What fun is Halo if you're not three-sheets?" she asked, to which Veronica raised an eyebrow. "Just kidding, I've never been drunk here until this very moment. What does that say about you Veronica if you are a worse influence on me than Logan and Dick together?"

"I'd say we're having a pretty good Girls Night," she said with a smile. Wallace frowned at that as he handed them both refills.

"Name change. Right now, or I'm walking," he said stubbornly.

Veronica laughed and even Mac cracked a smile.

"Fine Wallace, tonight is no longer Girls' Night, but a celebration of the demise of bad guys. Liars and Scoundrels be damned." Mac surprised them both with her toast, "To Max: CEO of Cheaters Inc."

"To Max," echoed Wallace and Veronica as they all clinked glasses and took a sip.

"To Troy," said Veronica, playing along raising her glass again, "The best car-stealing, drug-dealing, girl-on-the-side rebound boyfriend a girl could ask for."

Mac and Wallace are both laughing pretty hard as they say, "To Troy." Clink and drink.

"To Jackie," said Wallace to the surprise of the girls, "The poor-little-rich-girl who stole my heart but left me for the Big Apple. The girl who wasn't ready for a relationship because she has a son, but is now engaged."

"What?" yelled Veronica at the same time Mac said, "Wallace, no!"

"She's engaged?" Veronica asked. "Wallace, how do you know?"

"She asked me to come see her in New York. She knew I was thinking about staying with Piz for a few days as I flew back from Uganda, so she asked me to come see her. Stupid me got all excited thinking we might really figure us out finally. Then she dropped a bomb on me. That was the second time she did that to me, in that stupid city. I hate New York," he said with frustration.

"All this time," Veronica said, "you've been missing her?"

"Yeah," he said, looking at the ground now. "I barely looked at any girls freshman year. I was always calling Jackie or writing Jackie. I'm an idiot."

"You're not an idiot," Veronica said sternly meeting Wallace's eyes. "Look around. All three of us are talking about getting duped by people who were supposed to love us. We're all pretty bright, too. The three of us could easily consider world-domination as our next career move. You weren't an idiot, you were just in love. That makes us all a little blind. You'll find somebody. Somebody worthy of you."

Wallace nodded, glad to have such good friends, then raised his glass. "To Jackie," he said.

"To Jackie," the girls said emphatically. The burn of the alcohol was fitting.

"Want to feel better about yourself, there Wally? " Mac slurred. "Talk about duped. Max was a cake-walk next to my first boyfriend."

They all took in the solemnity of her statement. No one could find it in themselves to think of anything comforting or funny enough to say to stop the cascade of thoughts each had about Cassidy. And none of them could bring themselves to even mock-toast a rapist and a murderer.

After a few moments passed, Veronica wanted to lighten the mood, "Movie time! What are we going to watch? I'm thinking Sandler or Ferrell. Nothing romantic or scary for this crowd." She grabbed the remote and started looking through the pay-per-view hotel movies.

"Girl, please," Wallace said.

Veronica was confused. She thought Wallace would endorse anything that lifted their moods.

"A comedy is fine, but you know what's going to happen," he said with a knowing look, then narrowed his eyes more, "You know why we're all here."

"What are you talking about Wallace?" she asked looking to Mac for support, finding none.

"I haven't heard your report on your date with Logan," he started. Veronica's smile dropped. "But seeing as he's not here—even on Girls' Night—I'm guessing you two had a fight. Does he know you're here?" He knew from her look that Logan didn't. "Let's jump ahead 3 hours—I've either taken Mac home or she and I fall asleep right here watching a movie. And you? You're curled up in Echolls' bed either way."

Veronica was shocked that Wallace would think this was her plan all along, but the thought had crossed her mind. Wallace knew how her mind worked. She just wanted to see him again. Make sure he wasn't too hurt, wasn't too mad at her to still work on their foundation again. She knew she wouldn't sleep with him, but just to sleep next to him after all this time apart was a huge temptation. And she was right here, right where he slept every night. And had the excuse of the alcohol to stay.

"And we're both fine with that, V," Mac said. "We like Logan. We do."

"And we like you two together. You balance each other out, somehow," offered Wallace.

"But go slow, okay? I don't think he'd recover from another break-up and neither could you. Not completely, at least."

"We just don't want to see you get hurt again," said Wallace, speaking for both of them.

Veronica was heartened to hear such kind words from her friends about Logan. She knew they had each grown to like him for their own reasons. After a moment's pause, Veronica said one of the most honest statements Mac and Wallace ever heard her say, "That's the thing. I'm already hurt. He's hurt. Even when we're together, we can't seem to stop hurting each other. But when we're together, we hurt less. So that's where I've got to start."