A/N: Heavy on the MaDi here. Small amount of the mystery on Dick's case none on the Madison. Hope you enjoy! Seriously my longest chapter yet
They sat on the couch, side by side, while Wallace sat in the recliner. They had decided to watch the latest Avengers or Captain America movie; Mac didn't even know which because she was too aware of the heat emanating from Dick's body. She could feel his every movement, each time he squirmed to get more comfortable or reached to get another handful of the popcorn that sat on the other side of him, closer to Wallace. She had moved as close to the arm rest as possible, but kept feeling her body slip closer and closer to the middle of the worn out couch until she was almost hip to hip with Dick. Their arms kept brushing into one another, which was distracting her. The lights were off, so she knew that Wallace was unaware of the flush creeping up her neck, but Dick was another matter. He seemed fully aware of how stiff she was keeping her body.
During an exceptionally loud scene, she heard Dick mutter near her ear, "You can relax, Mac, I'm not going to bite."
From the corner of her eye, she watched as he propped his feet up on the coffee table, causing her to roll even closer into him. "Why don't we get a little more comfortable?" Leaning back into the couch, he swung his arm up and behind her, high enough that it draped across the back of the couch, not touching her. A few minutes later, Dick squirmed again. "Hey, Wallace, hand me that blanket would ya?"
Wallace grabbed the blanket that rested beside him in a basket and threw it over, eyes not leaving the screen. Sheesh, Mac thought, some wingman Wallace was turning out to be. She willed him to look their way, but it was as if Wallace was refusing to be a part of anything untoward by ignoring all possibility of it.
Dick arranged the blanket, which was, of course, a king-sized jumbo blanket that could fit forty people underneath it. He covered his legs and then placed a large piece of it over her, so that they were sharing it. Not really thinking, Mac pulled at it so that it covered her also, hoping that it might hide some of her nerves.
About twenty minutes later, she felt his hand moving underneath the blanket, creeping nearer to her. She stilled, even more rigid than she had already been, not sure what to think. Her hand closest to him sat atop her hip, palm upward, and his hand brushed along the length of her forearm and slowly clasped her hands, his fingers entwining in hers. Mac jerked to quickly look at Dick, shocked. She was surprised where his hand had ended up more than that he had just made a move. What she had expected was for his hand try to rest on her thigh, perhaps creeping upward as the movie progressed. Her eyes caught his and he smiled modestly.
His hand was warm and comforting, and she was reluctant to pull away from him. After their talk that afternoon, she felt closer to him, as if they just might be friends. She was content for the moment to just hold on to his hand, to take that comfort only Dick could impart.
Her mind wasn't on the movie at all. The events of the day, from Dick's revelation about his feelings regarding Cassidy to the strange, sad emails that she had read from Madison's email account, to the fact that she was sitting in the dark watching a movie holding hands with Dick Casablancas, kept revolving like a Ferris wheel in her mind. She felt her own fingers tighten against his hand, running her thumb methodically along his forefinger. Somehow, just being quiet next to Dick, just listening to his breathing, relaxed her. Eventually, she felt herself slip into sleep, burrowing unknowingly into the side of his chest, her legs curled up alongside the couch.
Startling awake, Mac felt arms going around her, lifting her up and she heard someone whisper, "I'll open the door, man." Her face was pressed into someone's neck, her arms automatically clutching to his shirt. Dimly, she realized it was Dick that was carrying her because she could feel his cast scratching at her back, where her shirt had raised up. She buried her head into his collar bone, breathing in his musky scent. He smelled of sandalwood with a slight hint of lime, a heady scent to her. She felt dizzy as he twirled his body around to avoid hazards and all too quickly she was gently deposited on her bed. She kept her eyes closed as Dick pulled blankets up and around her.
She felt him lean in close to her and then heard him whisper, "I know you're faking it, Mac. I could be a real jack ass and sleep in here next to you, but I'm feeling generous tonight. Don't count on it lasting. See you in the morning." Then she felt his lips brush her temple, causing her to open her eyes in shock. As he drew back, their eyes met in the moonlight and he grinned. "Sweet dreams, Mackie." And then he was gone.
Morning light filtered in through the window, casting a faint light across her bed, and Mac sat up, suddenly unable to sleep any longer. She glanced at the clock on the nightstand, which read 6:30.
She had slept fitfully once placed in her bed. It embarrassed her how hard she had been sleeping next to Dick, hard enough that she knew he could have left her there all night next to him and she wouldn't have noticed. In fact, she wondered if she would still be asleep now.
Mac stood and padded to her door, opening it slightly to look out to the living room where Dick was sprawled out on the couch. She chuckled at the sight, his good arm draped over his face to block the morning light, his leg flung up on the back of the couch. He had the blanket they had used last night wrapped haphazardly around him, half of it on the floor. His shirtless chest peaked out over the top of it. He was too tall to sleep comfortably on their couch, but somehow he made it look as if he was sleeping soundly.
She closed the door quietly, leaning against it in slight turmoil. She felt like she was in high school with all this angst. And over Dick Casablancas, for crying out loud! Could she be any more stupid? He was a drunk, immature surfer whose only known trait was being eye candy.
All these years, she had wondered about Dick and how he was coping. But she had never really thought of him in a romantic way, not really. She recalled the awkward near-kiss back at the end of the freshman year at Hearst. He had been more than a little drunk, she was sure of it. He had tried, half-assed, to apologize for being a jerk to her and then had leaned in to kiss her. She had just pushed him away and left immediately, ignoring him as he called out not to say anything to Logan about it. That was the extent of their "romantic" involvement. He probably didn't even remember it.
But now that they had really cleared the air, something had seemed to change between them. The dynamic of their conversations were filled with an undercurrent of awareness, of an understanding that only they knew. It was a bit terrifying, actually. She had always wondered if Dick would understand her best, but she had never truly planned to find out. And with everyone else, she kept her secrets guarded as if under lock and key. Only Mac's very closest friends knew even a small amount of the baggage that was hers. To have someone new know…even if it was Dick, who personally could understand even some of it, made her feel cautious. She didn't like feeling vulnerable.
She couldn't allow this odd situation make her susceptible to Dick's goofy charm and good looks. There was so much going on right now, that to be weakened in resolve could seriously tear her heart to shreds, and she wasn't willing to put herself in a place that was sure to do just that. Dick was never serious about anything, and she knew that these little games he was playing with her, holding her hand, chastely putting her to bed, kissing her modestly goodnight, was all just a twisted way for him to get another notch on his bed post. Mac knew how he worked, she had watched it for years and no matter the bonding she was feeling with him, she could not permit herself to fall into his trap. She wouldn't allow him to toy with her for sport.
Determined to play to her strengths and not let Dick get the best of her, she headed into the bathroom, locked the door and stripped down to take a shower. This was a new day, and she would resist Dick's charms if it was the last thing she did. Last night was a momentary thing, she had just needed a little comfort and she knew she could just leave it at that. Besides, there was only one more day before she could find him some hired help and wash her hands of him.
Veronica entered the living room and stopped in relief. She hadn't come out at all last night after her conversation with Logan and it wasn't until this morning that she thought to worry about where Mac had spent the night. It was reassuring to see Dick passed out on their couch, alone.
She wondered how he was doing with no alcohol in his system for two straight days. It occurred to her that he might start in on the withdrawals here soon, and that they all needed to have a sit-down about what to do with him once it started. It might not be a pretty sight, she knew from experience with her mother. Although she hadn't seen the full onset of it, Veronica knew enough that getting dry was one of the hardest things an addicted person could do. And that was if they wanted to do it.
Dick wasn't someone that addressed his problems head on. It worried her a little how he might react to them encouraging him to stop with the drinking, at least for a little while. He was definitely an alcoholic, and had always been one since at least college, and likely since high school. This might be harder than anyone thought, and as much as she hated to disappoint Logan, a nurse just might have to be called in to help.
She padded past Dick's sleeping form and went into the kitchen, making quick work of setting the coffee pot up, readying it to brew. She arranged cereal boxes and got out bowls for breakfast. There were noises coming from within Mac's room, and soon the sound of her shower running.
Over in the living room, there was movement as Dick stirred awake. He sat up slowly, a hand to his head, groaning. Veronica watched as he stood up, the blanket covering him falling to the floor as stretched, exposing his bare chest and boxer briefs. His eyes popped open and he scowled. "This is definitely not the Grand. How can you call that thing a couch?"
Shaking her head in amusement, Veronica poured them both a cup of coffee and came over to hand one to him. He took it gratefully, sipping it cautiously to avoid burning his mouth. "I don't think we ever meant for you to sleep there. How are you feeling this morning?"
"Grumpy." He sat back down carefully. "With all the kinks in my back, I think it's going to be a tip-top morning for sure."
Eyeing him, Veronica asked slowly, "How's your head feeling?"
"Well, I think the swelling's down." He said, touching the stitches that ran above his eye.
Veronica set her coffee cup down on a side table and sat down next to him, turning to face him. "Yeah, I can tell it does look better. Are you having any headaches or feeling nauseous?"
"What's this? Veronica Mars concerned about me? It's the end of the world as we know it." Dick frowned at her. "Don't worry about the Dickster, he can take care of himself."
Sighing heavily, Veronica replied, "You know, Dick, you don't have to act like a petulant child at all times of the day. There's nothing to gain by it." She swallowed. "I realize that you're coming off a high of alcohol and you might be having withdrawals. I am concerned, actually. I think I have a right to be worried, since you're staying here with us. I don't want you going postal on us. It's just disguised as concern for you."
"Well, then I'll keep my outbursts to a minimum."
"That's mighty generous of you," Veronica retorted. "But seriously, how are you feeling?"
All at once, Dick seemed to deflate in front of her, his fight gone. "I do…have a headache. And I'm nauseous," he admitted grudgingly. "But, whatever, I'll live."
She stood up and crossed over the recliner, giving him some space. "I talked to Logan last night, you know. He's worried about you."
"Yeah, well, at least someone is. How's he doing?"
They were momentarily distracted when Mac's door opened, Mac emerging and pausing at the corner of the room, watching them. "Good morning." She crossed over to the kitchen, poured herself a cup coffee and then headed back to stand behind where Veronica sat in the recliner, facing Dick. "Don't stop your conversation on my account." She waved a hand, "Continue on."
"Ronnie here was just starting to tell me about her hot conversation she had last night with her sailor."
"I was just saying that he's worried about you, that's all. That he's hoping you're all right, and I just wanted to pass that on." Veronica grimaced as she turned to look up at Mac. "Dick here seems to be having slight withdrawal symptoms."
"Jeez, Veronica!" Dick said abruptly. "I don't just spout out your business to whoever walks by!"
"Sorry! I didn't realize Mac was 'whoever' since she's only been taking care of you for the past two days. I thought it might be prudent to tell her. I didn't mean anything by it."
Mac's hand touched Veronica's shoulder, calming her down for a moment. "What are the symptoms?"
"Headache, nausea, irritability," Veronica listed, "being a general pain in my ass doesn't count, though, because that's normal."
"Thanks, Ronnie, and like you're a walk in the park yourself," Dick muttered.
"You two, get a grip." Mac chided. "You're making me nauseous."
Veronica stood up, done with the conversation. "I'll make you some toast, Dick, that should help with the nausea. Mac, can I talk to you in the kitchen for a moment?"
Mac followed Veronica into the kitchen, around the bar that separated it from the living room and leaned against the counter as Veronica pulled sliced bread out and stuck them into a toaster. She waited silently as Veronica found a butter knife and pulled out a plate to set the toast on once it finished toasting.
Finally, Veronica turned and stared at her. "Logan asked if we could keep Dick with us for the next two weeks instead of finding him a live-in."
"Oh?" No other word would come out. "And where did you tell Logan to stick that suggestion?"
Veronica looked contrite. "I might have agreed to house him for a little bit longer."
"You mean, two weeks longer?" Unable to sit still any longer, Mac stalked over to the fridge, looking for something to eat. "What did Logan have to do to get you to agree to this?" She glanced over her shoulder at Veronica, who was guiltily staring at the ground. "Never mind. One look from his doe eyes and he owns you."
Her friend met her eye. "Yeah, well, I miss him. He does kind of own me right now." She shrugged. "What can I say? But look," Veronica continued, "Dad will be home later tonight, we can all take turns with him. And he will have to go to work at some point, won't he? I was thinking about this in the night. Maybe someone there would be willing to help out."
"No can do, Ronnie," Dick interrupted, tromping heavily into view, "My staff has nothing to do with this. I can't have them giving me sponge baths."
"Well, we may just have to hire that job out then, Dick, because no one here wants that honor, either," Mac bit out harshly.
Dick glanced at her, a quick frown forming on his lips, quickly retorting, "Well, maybe we should put it to a vote. Ronnie just might not agree with you."
"As much as I would love an opportunity to drown you, Dick, I think I'll pass."
"Whatever you decide, sounds like I'm just along for the ride. But that ride needs to take me to the surf shop because I have to get my paperwork in by the morning and if I don't do it by then, my people won't get paid. Then they all will be in line for that opportunity to drown me."
"We could rent a dunk tank," Veronica suggested, "Then the whole town could be in on it."
"Be careful what you wish for, Ronnie. I don't think I'm the first that everyone would want inside that thing."
Mac couldn't believe that she was once again stuck with Dick. Not that she truly minded, but she really wished that she could have a bit of a breather from the guy. When he was with more than just her, he seemed like he always did, jokey and a regular ass-hat. But then when it was just the two of them, he was calmer and it confused her. He was almost nice. She had to remind herself that it had just been too long since she'd had male attention and not to read too much into how he was acting.
Veronica had begged off of going to the surf shop. She said that she and Wallace had plans to meet again at Moonlight Beach and then she was supposed to pick Keith up at the airport. Mac knew that Keith could take a shuttle back into Neptune, and therefore Veronica was just coming up with excuses to stay away from Dick. And she hadn't even looked worried when Mac had shot her a 'if you don't come with me I'll kill you' look, in fact, she had just ignored her. Wallace had dropped by and then they had all parted, going their respective ways.
Dick's surf shop sat on the end of a strip of businesses near Dog Beach. He had aptly named it The Water Dog. Mac followed him into the well-lit shop, taking in all the customers milling about. Once, about four years before, Mac had given into curiosity and had come into The Water Dog under the guise of looking for a present for Ryan's birthday. It had been interesting to watch Dick behind the counter that day, even though he had been too busy to even notice her. When he had first opened his doors, there wasn't much of a staff and he had been involved with a lot of the sales and rentals. She had entered and seen him there, making her freeze, wondering what in the world she was going to say to him. She had spent less than five minutes looking around and then headed straight out the door before a salesman or Dick had the chance to approach her.
Now, however, she could see even from that small amount of time between four years ago to now, how much Dick's business had changed. He had purchased the shop next to his and had expanded at some point, tearing out the wall between and putting in a section of swim suits and even a small section of beach necessities like chairs, blankets, and umbrellas. There was a wide array of surf boards, boogie boards, and paddleboards lined up in the front and hanging from the rafters. He had installed wide windows that let in a large amount of sun light and gave a generous view of the beach beyond.
Dick led her past the front of the store, past the back counter and through a wide swinging door that brought them to a break room for the employees and then beyond to his office. Switching on the light, he ushered her in and then closed the door. He motioned for her to sit in the chair by the desk while he went around the desk and sat at the computer.
"You know, I probably can handle some daylight hours by myself," Dick muttered, "I'm not a complete drunk that I can't be trusted before happy hour."
"You didn't see what you looked like in that hospital bed Friday morning. I think we shouldn't take the chance."
Dick said nothing as he typed in some information, swiveling in his chair looking on his desk for something. Evidently finding it, he picked up what looked like time sheets and began inputting information on a spreadsheet of some type.
Mac watched with interest as he went to work. She had seen the evidence of his professionalism the day before, but this was even more proof of the adult that he had become. The fact that he was worried about his employees touched her, because it showed evidence that he wasn't so self-absorbed to think that just because his life was on hold, his people's lives should be also.
The whole morning had been about getting here and getting the payroll done, because no one else had the clearance to approve the employees hours for the week before he submitted them to the company that processed their checks. He had told her that it was his main job to approve the schedule and the hours worked, and that usually he did that on Sundays anyway, so he wasn't even behind. He needed to post next week's schedule before closing time today along with submitting payroll, so he would probably be here for a few hours. There was also the matter of inventory reports and some ordering he needed to check, which he said he was definitely behind on. Apparently he did those on Fridays, and that hadn't happened, so if it had been a busy weekend, their inventory might be a little low for the next week. Dick had looked slightly worried about the possibility of not getting here in time to do everything that needed done.
Eventually, Mac pulled out her own laptop, which she had brought in with her. She opened it up, accessing her email and checking again to see if anything interesting had come in, and then she went to work on her expense report that Keith would want on his desk in the morning. Monday was MI's day for all the payroll/reports and Dick's flurry of activity had reminded her of it.
As they worked quietly together, both on their respective projects, Mac realized that it was companionable silence between them. Dick didn't try to interrupt her; in fact, he was so busy she wondered if he even was aware she was there. For Mac, however, she was very much cognizant of his every move; from the corner of her eye she could see the muscles in his arms moving as he typed on his keyboard, the way he leaned into his paperwork to double check numbers.
Her phone pinged, and she picked it up to check the text from Veronica.
I think we found something. Can we meet up with you and D soon? There seems to be a witness.
Mac glanced up at Dick, studiously working. I think he's got a lot here yet to do. Any chance you can bring the witness here?
After a few minutes, Veronica's answer came. Just bribed him with promises of pizza. One o'clock?
Checking the time, Mac sent back an affirmative and then said to Dick, "Looks like we have a lunch date at one. What do you like on your pizza?"
Veronica and Wallace arrived directly at one, carting with them a large pizza and a salad for Mac. As they placed all the food down, Veronica checked her phone and disappeared out the door, returning a few minutes later with a college-aged kid. He was tall and lanky, wearing board shorts and a t-shirt, his brown hair the typical length of a carefree surfer.
Veronica gestured for him to sit in the only available chair. "Have a seat and dig in. Wallace here has some drinks." He passed one over and Veronica continued on, "Everyone, this is Todd. Todd, this is Mac, and you might remember Dick here from the other night."
Dick, who had been ignoring the goings on up until this point, turned to sharply look at Todd. "Hello….do I know you?"
Veronica barreled over what Todd was about to say, supplying, "Todd here says that he was there when you passed out. That you had been dancing around a bon fire like you were part of a Wicca ceremony."
"What's so surprising about that? That's every other night for me," Dick replied sarcastically. "Were you the one that called nine-one-one?"
Shifting uncomfortably, Todd swallowed a bite of pizza. "No, dude." He pointed at Veronica, "She said you were passed out in your own puke, and you weren't that way when I left. You passed out and me and a couple other guys got you away from the fire and left you there, I swear."
"Huh." Dick leaned back in his chair. "Well thanks for leaving me there."
Veronica sat back, observing the scene. The irony of this situation wasn't lost on her. It felt eerily familiar thinking back to when she herself was trying to find out what had happened to her the night she had been dosed back in high school. And how afterwards she had realized how stupid it was to go somewhere alone where other people could take such advantage of you. She felt a twinge of empathy towards him. It sucked; the not knowing.
Mac spoke up, "What time did you leave, Todd? And how long had Dick been with your group?"
Todd directed his answer to Dick, "Man. Uh, well, we all met there about 8:30 and you were sitting at a bench, with a huge cooler of booze, so we asked if you wanted to join us," his eyes shifted to Mac, "anyone with beer is welcome to the party, ya know?"
"Did he have his surf board with?" Wallace interrupted.
"Nah, I didn't see it. Just the booze."
"Did you offer him some of yours? Dick says he remembers taking some harder stuff," Mac inquired.
"All we had was beer." Todd grabbed another piece of pizza, "does that matter?"
Mac and Veronica glanced at Dick at the same time, who sat ramrod straight. Veronica finally said, "We're just wondering if there were drinks other than beer there."
"Well, I know when we rummaged around in his cooler…." Todd guiltily eyed Dick, "there was a bottle of water in there, and we all avoided that. If it wasn't alcoholic, we didn't want it."
Mac seemed doubtful as she asked, "Why would you remember a bottle of water?"
Shrugging, Todd answered, "Yeah, well, that's the thing. It had the Neptune Grand's logo on it. None of us can afford that type of a place, I don't know, there were some jokes about it." When they all looked at him questioningly, he explained, "Like if your friend here could afford the Grand why couldn't he afford better beer?"
Dick grunted. "I happen to like the cheap stuff."
Wallace stood from where he had been sitting on the floor. "That's weird though, why would you have water from the Neptune Grand?"
Veronica watched as a look passed between Mac and Dick. As if they knew something she didn't. Vaguely, Dick answered Wallace with, "Someone must have given it to me."
"What time did you leave him there?" Mac asked quietly.
"Probably around eleven-thirty. We all had work the next morning, so we shut it down early." Todd squirmed under all their stares, "What? Moonlight Beach is a safe place; we didn't see the harm of leaving him there. He just needed to sleep it off."
Mac stood up from where she had been sitting on the ground, looming over Todd's sitting frame. "You should never leave an unconscious person, especially when they've been heavily drinking! Are you an idiot?"
Veronica grabbed Mac's arm, pulling her back away from the kid, "Mac, calm down. He's not an idiot, he's just…young."
"That's hardly an excuse." Mac tried to tug out of her grasp. "And you," she twirled to face Dick, "How idiotic was it for you to go do all that alone? Partying with complete strangers?" She felt her voice rising dangerously, "You're old enough to know better!"
Dick stood up, focusing solely on Mac's face, anger flashing across his features, "Yeah, well, maybe I don't give a damn, did you ever think about that? No one else ever has!"
The tension was crackling between them and peripherally Mac could see Wallace staring wide-eyed and open-mouthed from his spot on the floor. Veronica had let go of her arm, soundlessly flicking her eyes between the two of them. Dick and Mac could have been the only ones in the room for all she cared, as she stared him down. "That's where you're dead wrong. This is ridiculous. I can't listen to any more. I have to go." Mac gathered her laptop, stuffing it angrily into her bag and turned to leave. "I'll see you all at the apartment later. I have things I need to do."
Mac got in her car and drove. She drove the scenic route on the Pacific Highway for about an hour, stopping for gas in a little town and then heading back, radio silent, with the windows down. The cool air coming in from the ocean hitting her face in bursts helped to calm her down.
Honestly, she wasn't sure what had set her off. Listening to Todd going on about how Dick had been behaving had made her feel unbelievably sad for him. She had always thought about how Dick could help her, understanding Cassidy and all of that. But it had really hit her back in that office, how alone Dick really was, without an actual family to support him. It was a miracle that Dick had made it this far in life, and she realized that it had to be sheer determination on his part, that he hadn't fell into a worse pattern of destruction. He had no real father figure, his mother had run away from their familial problems, and his brother was dead. All he really had for family was Logan, thousands of miles away on a ship at sea, where he was unable to talk him through the tough days.
Without really realizing it, she pulled into her parent's driveway. Sunday afternoons were reserved at the Mackenzie's for summer barbeques for any of the family that could make it. She made it more often than not, but today felt a little different. On one hand, she was late. They typically started at one and it was nearing four. On the other hand, after the week she had had, Mac was in desperate need to just be with her family. To see their smiling and loving faces that held no judgment.
She entered the back yard, where her parents stood staring up at a lemon tree. They were holding hands and laughing at something that one of them had said, her mother leaning into her dad. Hearing the gate close, they turned and both beamed at her.
"You came!" Her mother detached herself from her dad and stepped over to her. "I had kind of given up on you. We already ate, but I think we can scrounge you up something."
"No," Mac said, her heart full, "I just wanted to stop in and say hi."
Mac stayed until well after dark, enjoying the evening with her parents and Ryan, who had come home from college just that week. They had started playing Monopoly out on the back porch as the sun went down and the evening air cooled.
When she finally got back to the apartment, she was unsurprised to see that Veronica's car was there and the lights were out. She let herself in, quietly shutting the door, tiptoeing past the living room and entering her room, dropping her purse and keys on her dresser and flicking on the lights.
"Good to see you made it home safely." Dick's voice filled the room and she jumped, startled. He was sitting on her bed, back resting against the headboard, staring straight at her. "Looks like you were responsible enough to go it alone, huh?"
Not in the mood for an argument, Mac shrugged off her jacket, silent. Bracing herself, she met his eyes as if in a dare. Finally, she asked, "What's it to you?"
"Well, jeez, Mac, you stomp out of the office for no real reason and then we don't hear from you all afternoon, which, by the way, is totally uncool."
"Did you ask Veronica where I might be?"
Dick looked away. "Well, no…but she wouldn't tell me anyway."
"Relax, Dick, I just needed to go see my family. Sunday barbeque." She stepped out of her shoes and threw them into her closet. "Why do you even care?"
"Well, maybe because I was just getting used to you being my keeper. Now I've got Wallace since Veronica won't sit with me for more than ten minute increments." His voice softened as he regarded her, "I missed you."
She visibly rolled her eyes. "Dick, how can you miss me? You don't even know me."
Standing up, he stalked towards her, glowering, "You say that, but you don't really mean it, do you? I mean, really, who in this world knows you better than me?" He stopped inches from her, his height making him seem ominous.
She stood firm, however, straightening to her full height, glowering right back, responding, "I can think of quite a few people, actually."
"Let me rephrase that. What man in this world knows you better than me?" He sneered, looking her up and down, "Who knows all your fears and your past with Cassidy, who can understand that?" His hands grabbed her shoulders and he shook her, "What man isn't afraid that you might break if he does this?" With that, he roughly pulled her into him, his mouth claiming hers, thrusting his tongue deeply into the depths of her mouth, seeking the heat found there.
She felt herself melting into him, mindlessly responding, her body arching up into his, her arms grasping at him, running the length of his back. Her brain caught up with her body, however, and she pulled away in anger, reaching to slap him. Dick must have expected it, though, because he caught her arm before her hand could touch his face. "How dare you?" she screamed, glaring up at him, "You think you can play on my sympathies and then throw Cassidy in my face? You have no shame." Pulling her arm out of his grasp, she furiously crossed her arms across her chest and scowled at him.
"No Shame? Shame? Is that what you call this? I call this finding the one woman that remotely understands why I do the things I do, only to have her push me away the moment it gets too complicated." He stepped away from her and toward the door, "You can't run forever, Mackenzie. This is going to happen, you just wait and see."
Following him out into the living room to where he was angrily arranging blankets and pillows, she told him forcefully, "I didn't ask for you to come here, or to disrupt my life. This is a temporary arrangement, Richard. I know how you work, and I'm not stupid. I refuse to be one of your playmates of the month, tossed aside the moment you get what you want. I don't work that way, so get over yourself." Turning, she headed back to her room not stopping until she was safely inside, slamming the door behind her.
Her lips burned from how his lips and tongue had seared into her. Mac brought a hand to her mouth, reliving the force of his kiss and the moment of utter mindlessness it had brought. Her head fell back to rest on the door, eyes staring into nothing. Ah, shit, she thought, I'm in some serious trouble.
A/N: This is where these characters led me. I hope I seem to be staying true to their personalities in your eyes. I love discovering what is happening to them along with you.
The next chapter is very much about Madison's mystery. There will be some questions arising from it, and also answers as well. It's fun to read the speculation about what's going on there in your comments.
Please if you have the time, let me know what you think. I hope the MaDi is working for you all!