A/N I updated the last 2 chaps as 1 but it didn't update like I thought, so I split it into 2 chaps. That is why this is so much shorter. If you didn't re-read chap 1 after May 5, please go back and reread it, it's about triple in length and much more detailed. Thanks! I hope you enjoy this
Veronica was in her room, adjusting the monitor to her lap top, waiting for the Skype call to come in. It had been a few weeks since they had gone the Skype route, emailing instead. His last email had been hopeful, asking her if she could spare a few minutes Thursday night for him.
The ping came and she accepted the call, and then he was there, smiling at her. "Hey."
She missed his touch; she wished he were here, sitting next to her, holding her hand. These past months had taught her a lot about how to have a relationship that couldn't be built on physical attraction or contact. There had been many nights of loneliness, where she had been sure that she couldn't make it to July, but now the end was so close, she was getting giddy with the anticipation of it.
She felt a blush creeping up her neck as she realized she was staring. The connection was always bad; she knew he was probably assuming that there had been a pause in the reception. "Hey. It's so great to see you."
These Skype dates always felt weird, she hated how she could see herself in the corner of the screen, it made her feel self-conscious and aware of how nervous it made her. It was always hard for her to sit still while they talked, and as much as she loved seeing him, sometimes email seemed better to express what she wanted to tell him.
He leaned into the camera, as if to see her better, "It's great to see you, too. It's been a while." The anticipated pause came in the reception then, delaying his movements. "What have you been up to?"
Veronica shrugged. "Oh, just typical cases." She had been debating all evening whether to tell him about Madison's mother hiring them, but she couldn't resist. "Elizabeth Sinclair came in this afternoon, claiming that Madison is missing."
Logan's face conveyed surprise, and he asked, "And you took the case?"
She had never told Logan about the Mac and Madison connection. The information was Mac's business to tell, so unless Mac had divulged it to Logan, he didn't know. Veronica felt herself squirming in her chair. "Well, it should be open and shut. She hasn't been missing all that long, just a day, but Lamb won't look into it yet, so her mom is being a typical nervous mama..."
"But you hate her. Why would you look for her?"
Veronica gave him a look. "I have a code of ethics I live by," she quipped. "But seriously, the look on her mom's face was pretty pathetic. And we really need the case, so I took it. "
Logan was silent for a few minutes. "Is that the only reason?"
She felt her resolve about Mac weaken. "You know I can never say no to a good mystery."
Nodding, Logan seemed content to let the subject drop. "So, speaking about Madison….that makes me think about Dick."
"Ah, my favorite topic to talk about on our only thirty minutes together all month…"
He grinned, but it quickly faded. "Sorry, I really don't mean to bring him up, but I just realized….today it's been ten years. Well, today in Neptune," he quickly amended.
Veronica felt heaviness settle over her as she glanced at the calendar hanging on her wall. Sickened she hadn't remembered, but knowing exactly what the "it" Logan was referring, she shook her head. "I completely forgot, Logan. Mac must be a mess! And I didn't even notice…."Her thoughts tumbled over the events of the day, and she winced. "I am the worst friend ever."
"Don't beat yourself up too much. I just remembered off-handedly myself. But I haven't heard from Dick for a while, I wondered if you had seen him?" he quirked his eyebrows, "I'm sure he's your first choice in replacing me."
Rolling her eyes in disdain, Veronica said, "Me and Dick, now that's a thought." She cleared her throat. "Do you want me to check on him?"
He shook his head. "No, I don't think so. If you happen by the surf shop, you could pop in quick maybe. Don't make a special trip. June is always a rough month for him. I'm sure he's just surfing through the days."
They really did change the subject then, talking about Logan's schedule and how they only had just over a month left of being apart. Too soon, Logan's time limit was up and they were disconnecting. Every time their calls ended, it felt to Veronica as if a small piece of her stayed with him. The room was always too quiet and too still, making her miss him more than ever.
The sound of the front door caused Veronica to remember about Mac and what today was. It was a little embarrassing that she hadn't even noticed a difference in Mac's behavior that day. The morning had been like any other morning, filled with phone calls and paperwork, and then the afternoon had been strange enough that Veronica had assumed Mac had just been stunned by the Sinclair case. Now, however, she wondered how Mac was really holding up.
She headed out to the living room and found Mac sitting on the couch in darkness, pouring a drink from a bottle of scotch into a shot glass. Quietly, Veronica sat down next to her, sighing. "I feel stupid."
"You don't need to feel stupid." Setting the bottle down, Mac picked the shot glass up and downed it, grimacing from the burn. "Madison is the least of my problems."
Veronica set her hand over Mac's, which was grabbing for the bottle again. "Slow down there, Nelly." When Mac met her gaze, Veronica continued, "I feel stupid because I forgot what today is. I'm sorry. I'm terrible."
Mac shook her head. "You don't need to be sorry. It's not your day. It really shouldn't be mine, but it's been ten years. Ten years!" Raising her voice, she let out a sob. "I just wanted to have one quick drink as a toast to him." She yielded her other hand, which held the lid to the bottle firmly grasped within it. "I promise. I'm done. Completely sober."
Veronica held out her hand for the cap, and once Mac had handed it to her, she firmly screwed it back onto the bottle. "You want to…watch a movie or something?"
"No, I think I'm just going to turn in. Have a good night." And with that, Mac headed into her room, not coming out again until the next morning.