A/N: Ok, people. This chapter is filled with info info info. I worked hard on this one, hoping to make it understandable. But there is a lot of the timeline in here, with them going over what "could have" happened on Dick's case. Not a ton of Madison's case, and probably won't be for at least 2 more chapters. I really hope you all enjoy! Rated T for language and ahem, sexy times, for all you patient MaDi, this may make you happy-ish.

I also hope you don't mind this is becoming more of a novel in my opinion. I can't stand when things are glossed over and therefore, these chapters are becoming involved. I have never written...anything...quite like this and I am in no hurry to speed the pace up. We may have 10 chapters left here or 20. I really don't know at this point.

Thanks in advance for reading.

Chapter 13 Awareness

Having first told Dick the bad news about his Land Rover, Veronica was now listening as he finished telling her what he and Mac had learned at the doctor's that afternoon when Mac strode in, papers in hand. Sitting heavily down in the seat next to Dick, Mac gave Veronica a hard stare, handing the papers to her across the desk. "Sorry to interrupt, but I need your opinion on this. I don't like what I'm thinking. I'm wondering if you will think the same thing."

Veronica first read over the email Madison had sent to the Ten. "So she's blaming Lauren's sickness as the reason she can't come in?" Mac just nodded, gesturing to the other emails. Veronica continued reading. While they waited, Dick and Mac chattered back and forth about something, lightly laughing. "She implies here she doesn't even like Mark."

Mac broke her conversation with Dick to meet Veronica's gaze. "She basically says she'd prostitute herself for Lauren." Dick made a face. She ignored him to suggest, "I think we should talk to Shelley Pomroy. And find this Rick fellow."

"I'm pretty sure that 'Rick' is Madison's ex, Patrick Muldoon," Veronica told them, opening her middle drawer to grab the Sinclair's folder that she had stored there earlier.

"Wait, what?" Dick leaned over to take the printed email away from where Veronica had set it in front of her to scan the words. "Patrick who?"

Veronica flipped through the information in the file. Finding what she was looking for, she turned the paperwork so that they could see what was in bold type. "Patrick Muldoon is who Madison broke up with about two months ago, according to Mrs. Sinclair. When were those emails written?"

"April seventh," Mac informed her quietly, stealing a glance over at Dick.

"Yeah, and that coincides almost exactly. She broke it off with him and her family was aware of it…" Veronica realized that both Mac and Dick sat blankly staring at her. "What…am I missing something?"

Mac turned her head towards Dick. "I guess you haven't told her about the Grand."

Shaking his head, Dick answered, "I was just getting to that, actually."

"What about the Grand?"

Together, Mac and Dick told her a condensed version of their quick drink at the bar of the Grand, and how they had found out the name of their suited man: Aidan Muldoon. Briefly, they described narrowly running into him as they left.

Veronica sat back in her chair, flabbergasted. Raising a hand to rub her temple, she shook her head in disbelief. "Aidan Muldoon. Patrick Muldoon. These two cases are…are linked?"

Reading the emails himself, Dick shuffled through the papers. "What in the hell does this even have to do with Madison? I haven't talked to her in years."

Mac asked, "Do you think these two are brothers or something?"

Veronica shook her head in absolute confusion. "I am at a complete loss with this." She turned to her computer to boot up her trusty PI search engine. "Let's just check in and find out." Typing, she filled out a rough search for a Patrick Muldoon, living in or near Neptune California. Within seconds, she was staring at a bio for him, which confirmed the relationship to Aidan. "Bingo. Yeah, they're brothers, all right. Looks like Patrick has been in the real estate business for the past six years." Clicking onto a new page, Veronica typed in 'Patrick Muldoon for sale' in the search tab and pulled up listings under his name. "He's got multiple listings that are over a million dollars each. He's a high roller." She glanced at Dick. "You sure you've never heard of this guy?" When he didn't answer, she clicked back into the PI search engine, searching this time for Aidan Muldoon. What popped up there surprised her a little. "Aidan is a banker out of San Diego for the First Trust Bank. The CFO, according to this."

"A CFO of a major bank drugged me?" Dick sat back, stunned. "What the hell for?"

Reluctantly, Mac took the email from Dick's grasp. "I think I have a slight theory about that," she said slowly. "It makes more sense knowing that Patrick is a real estate mogul." She visibly swallowed. "I don't know if I'm anywhere on target, and I for sure don't know why it's involving Dick. But…when you read Shelley's response, Veronica, did you notice that she referred to the reunion and that 'Rick was only good for getting the whole tape.' The only tape I could think of from that night that would have mattered was-" she darted a glance at her friend, "Well, take a guess."

Alert, Veronica sat up, suddenly very intent, a sick feeling forming in the pit of her stomach. "Holy hell."

Nodding, Mac sat the email back down on the desk between them. "That makes the most sense to me. And who would have access to the whole tape? I don't mean to bring it up, but…what they showed at the reunion was ten times more than what was leaked back then. Shelley says here 'he has connections. That's the only thing you'll miss.'" She pointed it out. "What kind of connections do you think she means?"

Dick had been still, watching and listening to them both, digesting the information. Veronica could see the wheels turning in his head, linking everything they were saying together. He, too, suddenly sat up, leaning in to where the email now sat. "You're shitting me."

All three of them breathed the word at the same time:

"The Castle."

Mac's bad feeling had just imploded into full on sickening alarm. "If the Castle is involved with all of this, Dick…." She shook her head in complete bewilderment. "Why would the Castle be involved in this? What have you done to piss them off?" Suddenly suspicious, she scowled. "How do you even know about the Castle?"

"Are you kidding? The ruination of any happiness for my best friend was something I was completely aware of back at Hearst. I remember totally when all that shit went down. And who was involved." Dick stared intently at Veronica. "That tape was what Logan blamed for everything going to hell in hand basket."

"Yeah, I can see why he felt that way, but I never told him about the Castle." Veronica squirmed under Dick's gaze. "And quit looking at me like that. I wasn't the one that taped it!"

"Yeah, well, true, but you're the one that made Logan a living nightmare to live with the next three years."

Mac watched her friend forcibly clasp her hands together, her eyes shooting darts at Dick. Taking a breath, Veronica shook her head, obviously calming herself. "Tell me how you came to know about the Castle and why they would want to ruin you."

Dick dragged his hand through his hair. Rubbing an eye, he sighed deeply. "The way I came to find out about the Castle was right after…the tape came out. Remember when you came and went through my email, looking for the source? How it came from Chip. Chip Diller?"

"Ah, yes, Chip. How could I forget my old friend?" Veronica asked disdainfully. She crinkled her nose in disgust. "Go on."

"Yeah, well, we were talking about it and it came up. He knew that the Castle was behind the tape, because one of his friends talked. Whatever, somehow he knew they did it." Dick flipped his hair back. "Well, that next year…they tapped me."

"Oh, please," Veronica tittered in skepticism. "Why would any society tap you?"

"Hey!" Dick straightened up, indignant. "I came from a wealthy family. And back then, Dad was more of a legend around here. They liked that my mom's new husband knew the governor and that never hurt." He shrugged. "Hell, I was surprised, too, but whatever. I aced through my business classes, once I started showing up. That first year was pretty shitty, but once Dad went to the slammer, I got a little more serious. They look at all that when they're considering people."

Mac, listening to their exchange, nodded in agreement. She remembered, actually, that both Logan and Dick had started passing all their classes that year. Not that she had stalked them or anything. "Uh, so, they tapped you? What happened then?"

"After about no thought, I turned them down." He chewed at his thumb nail. "Part of their speech when they approach you goes into all this garbage about protecting their members, helping the elite throughout life. It turned my stomach, honestly, thinking about how it was basically a 'I scratch your back you scratch mine' type of club. And I knew Logan would kill me, being part of the group that…well, you know. And I can't keep secrets from him for shit."

"So you turned them down, cold?" Veronica asked, ever the skeptic.

Dick said nothing for a few minutes. Chewing on his lip, he stared up and above Veronica's head in thought. Exhaling a deep breath, he answered, "Well, when they first tapped me, I idiotically said yes not really thinking about what it all meant. I mean, it was shocking, to say the least, that they wanted me in their group."

"So did you make it to Hell Night?"

Dick dropped his gaze to look at Veronica sharply. "You know all their secrets, too, huh?"

"I know my share of their ways. Not all of their secrets, no, but enough."

"Well. Hell Night? No, I refused the invitation once it came. And that didn't set well with them; there was a slight threat that I would face troubles in my future career. I told them I would have to take that chance and walked away."

"So, were they true to their word? Has it been difficult at all for you these past ten years?"

Dick set the email back on the edge of Veronica's desk, obviously thinking back. "The year I opened the Water Dog, I ran into a few zoning issues. But it went smoothly enough. I never associated that with The Castle, if that's what you mean."

"How long have you been trying to get your foundation off the ground?" Mac asked.

"Oh, I've been toying with the idea for a while. But finding the right piece of property has been a bit of a problem. This one I just finally landed is a little gem of a piece that I'm lucky to have found. It was a great price, for where it's at."

Mac touched his arm lightly, making Dick look straight at her. She blinked. "Did you put offers in for any other properties before this one?"

He scratched his neck. "Two…actually. One about two months ago and the other, oh, I think it was in February."

"How long has the County Board known about this all?"

"Probably since the end of last year sometime. My lawyer approached them about zoning issues and permits, licenses, all that kind of stuff. He submitted the requests under my name."

Veronica rolled her neck, as if to stretch it. "Okay. So what exactly do we think we know here?" She opened her eyes, giving both Dick and Mac a hard stare. "If what we are assuming, and we are assuming at this point, is true, then what? Madison was dating a member of the Castle earlier this year, one Patrick Muldoon, real estate broker. She brings him to Neptune's reunion in January. She finagled him into getting the sex tape that the Castle had of me…because, well, we know why, because she's a bitch…." Veronica's voice trailed off.

Mac continued on with the thought, "The tape gets played and what happens? Logan starts a fight, trying to get to the player in time to shut the thing off. Everyone jumps in; major fight ensues between the 09ers, Logan, Wallace, Weevil, Piz, and Dick," she flicked her eyes toward Dick, "And the major players in that fight on the 09er side, if I remember correctly, were the guys that Shelley and Madison came in with. I had never seen them before, had you?"

Neither Dick nor Veronica said anything.

"Okay, so then in February, you lose a property that you were looking into for the foundation." Mac paused. "What were the reasons the board gave you for losing those properties?"

Seemingly tense, Dick began fidgeting with his hands. "Well, the first loss, they said I hadn't applied for all the permits, which, according to my lawyer, I had. I had it all in place, but that was their reason for refusal."

"Sure," Mac nodded, "someone could have easily 'misplaced' those, making that an easy excuse to refuse you. All right, then in April was your second attempt at a piece of property? Why did you lose out on that one?"

Dick shook his head, smiling in a defeated kind of way. "I can't believe this. Yeah, I lost that one due to a zoning issue that had been cleared originally but apparently they decided to void the clearance. It didn't make sense at the time, but my lawyer just told me to move on, so I didn't fight that one."

Mac sat, thinking over everything. She scratched the side of her neck. "So…what was different about this property that you just got? Why did the panel approve it?"

Staring down in his lap, Dick flexed his fingers. "I honestly don't know. My lawyer followed everything down the rabbit hole that much I do know. But I never got as far as the panel the last two times. The properties were refused way before that step." Keeping his head down, he peeked up through his blond mane of hair that had fallen down into his eyes. "That's why it was so serious that I keep my name out of the papers and do what Dr. Morris told me to do. I was finally to the last step and it almost got screwed up."

Standing up, Veronica began to pace. "So, let's say, that it slipped through the Castle's fingers. It got to the Panel before they could come up with a reason for it to not go through. Their only option is to ruin your reputation, and that would make the Panel turn against you." Stopping, she reached down to grab Madison's email to Shelley. "According to this, 'Rick' was 'obsessed with his stuff.' That was April seventh. When did you get refused for the second property?"

"Can I see a calendar? I don't remember the exact date." When she handed him the calendar that hung on the wall behind her desk, Dick flipped it back to April and scanned it, heavy in thought. "It would have been…oh, it was the week taxes were due. So yeah, just over a week after the seventh."

They were silent then, each thinking their own thoughts. Mac was stunned and a little scared for Dick. The little she knew about the Castle, she knew they had people everywhere that mattered. If they wanted to ruin him, they could do so quickly and effectively. It would be easy, and there wouldn't be anything he could do about it.

Veronica, musing as well, started to speak. "But we know that Madison broke it off with Patrick Muldoon before that second time. She didn't like his obsession. I wonder if she knew what he was up to?" She flipped through the file again. "When's the last time you spoke with Madison, Dick?"

"Well, briefly at the reunion. But before that, uh…years. We haven't dated since college."

"Did you part on good terms?"

"Well, seeing that she conned my best friend into sleeping with her on a winter trip, I kind of had it out with her."

Veronica froze. "Oh?" she asked, lightly. "Conned is a strong word, Dick. Did you have proof?" Shaking her head, she cleared her throat. "Never mind. That completely is off point. The point is that it was your idea to break it off. Would she have a reason to want to ruin you?"

"Well," Dick said, "she wanted to stay together. I mean, it was me, the Dickster. It wasn't her idea. She apologized up and down, but it was just too weird to have her around."

Mac spoke up then. "Okay, so let's fast forward to last week. You get the news that you're in with the Panel, you show up, do your thing, and what? How were the people on the Panel with you? Positive, negative, indifferent?"

"They actually seemed very receptive. There isn't a facility here like the one I proposed, kids have to be shipped off to San Diego or be ignored…which is usually the case. The only way they're not ignored is when they get brought in to hospitals or a social worker steps in."

"So bear with me while I go over a timeline." Mac interrupted. "I've been thinking about this since talking with Dr. Morris. You went to the Panel meeting, it goes well. You leave, and someone on the Panel or whoever else involved knows your facility is going to pass. They don't want it to, for whatever reason. A phone call is made to Aidan…or…I don't know that part is muddy to me." Mac kept talking, trying to make sense of it all, "Somehow he's at the Grand the same time as you. But that bartender did say that he's there a lot. But being there a lot versus being there, waiting to drug you? I don't know. Anyway, he delivers the water to you. Has someone follow you to the beach….maybe someone was lying in wait to follow you—gets to the beach and waits for you to pass out?"

Veronica, listening to all this, nodded her head in agreement. "That seems right. But then what, the guy just waits for hours until Dick is alone to attack?"

"And what is the deal with the cops not taking a police report?" Dick asked, "Do you think the Castle paid them off to ignore it?"

Veronica, who had turned to stare out the window and into the night, turned back to look at them both. "That part confuses me the most. If the Castle wanted your name ruined, the first thing they would have required was a police report. Your name would have gone straight to the wires, and into the papers and media sources. As of right now, no one really even knows about what has happened to you. Why?"

They broke for the night then, each exhausted in their own right. Before they left, however, Veronica asked to speak to Mac alone for a few minutes.

"I'm calling Mrs. Sinclair in the morning and I plan to go there to speak to her and her husband about the case as soon as they are available. I want you to come with me, Mac. It's time."

There wasn't anything that she could say, so Mac just nodded. With everything going with Dick and his case, she had kind of set aside all thought of the Sinclair's. She couldn't crumble though, not for at least another hour, until she got home and could lock herself away in her room. In a fog, she grabbed her bag and sweater, heading for the door where Dick stood, waiting for her. She raised her eyes to meet his, holding them there, seeking comfort that he didn't even know he could or should give. She smiled when he motioned to take her keys from her fingers, and she relinquished them gratefully. Mac wondered if he thought it was strange that she seemed to be in more shock than he was, but if he did, he didn't comment.

They made their way to her car, Dick opening the passenger door for her, letting her climb slowly in. She watched as he walked around the front of the car to fold himself into the driver's seat, pushing the key into the ignition and turning it, peeling away from the curb quickly. Her eyes wandered down to where his hand rested on the shifter, his cast seeming to not hinder his driving. She took in the fact that he had shed his jacket and rolled his sleeve on that side up to his elbow, to give clearance to the cast, she was sure. The air between them felt thick, and she felt the familiar thudding in her chest that she now had anytime she was in close proximity of him.

Turning onto the freeway, Dick finally spoke. "You don't have to channel your driving skills to my limbs, Mackie. I've got it covered." His voice was tense. "What's going on in that head of yours?" He quickly glanced over to her, "Penny for your thoughts?"

As he had turned to look at her, she swiftly looked out the front window. A penny for my thoughts, huh? Not exactly the purest of thoughts, that's for sure. "It's this Castle thing. I'm just a little freaked out about it, that's all."

Dick clucked his tongue. "You know, when you say it like that, I almost believe you." She felt a knot form in her stomach when Dick suddenly reached over to place his hand on her leg, lightly running his thumb in a circle on the outer edge of her knee. "You're as tense as a board. Seriously, what's up?"

Mac's eyes dropped to watch his thumb, circling and circling, her breath coming in erratic spurts. She felt light headed. Instead of answering him, she rolled her window down. Realizing right away that the window down while on the freeway while Dick was driving eighty-miles per hour perhaps wasn't the best choice, she rolled it straight back up. She instead reached to turn the air conditioner and fan on high.

She couldn't think of anything to say. Mac felt at odds with herself, after everything that had come to light that day. First of all, finding out that Dick was so much more than just a burned out surfer. Second of all, that the doctor had knowingly lied about Dick being an alcoholic and that Dick went along with it, and then finding out about the possible Castle link to his case. And lastly, that tomorrow was the day. The day it all would change for her.

Moving her knee away from his touch, she adjusted herself in her seat to stare hard at him. He eyed her, paying attention mostly to the road, but looked long enough to laugh uneasily. "Now you're not the only one freaked out."

"What do you think would have happened back in high school if I would have been an 09er?"

He took more time to look at her with that question. "What do you mean?"

Taking a breath, she dove for it. "I mean, if I would have been an 09er, would you have cared that Cassidy dated me? You gave us such shit back then. I just want to know if it was because of me being more of an…02er."

Dick barked out a laugh. "You really think that's why?"

"Well, what the hell else could it have been?" She pointed at him. "You were horrible to us. To him, about me. Worse than all the other 09ers combined."

His knuckles tightened on the steering wheel. "Maybe I was jealous."

"Jealous of what? Cassidy?"

"Jealous…or envious, sure. That Cassidy took what he wanted and didn't give a damn about what everyone else thought. I know you won't believe it, Mac," Dick told her, "But Cassidy did something with you that I never was able to do. I dated people like Madison Sinclair, for fuck's sake. As if I wanted her…or whatever. I mean, yeah, we were young, any rich thing that put out was fair game…sure. But, really? Cassidy had a real relationship with you." He shrugged. "I was jealous," he said simply.

"Well, sheesh, Dick…you and Logan owned the school. Anyone would have said yes if you would have asked them."

"Would you have?" He looked at her severely, whipping his head rapidly back and forth to the road and her face. "Said yes?"

"Me?" Mac felt the word escape her.

"Yes. You."

She felt desperately vulnerable seeing the fierce way he glared out the window, as if he knew what her answer would be. She felt a nervous chuckle bubble out of her mouth. "Come on, Dick. Don't be stupid. You never even knew my name until Cassidy brought me home."

"That's bull shit and you know it." Traffic suddenly stopped and he slammed on the brakes. "I knew who you were years before Cassidy came into play."

Her eyes dipped into a hard squint. Disbelievingly, she stared at him, replying cynically, "Really."

"Yes, really." Easing off the brake, the car started going once again with the flow of traffic. "You don't have to believe me. I remember a lot about it, I can prove it to you if you'd like." She was silent. He sighed. "Fine. The one thing I remember is that funky truck you used to drive. I remember when you bought your Bug...and how you financed it." He turned to grin at her. "I'll have you know that I owned a good portion of that car."

She let herself laugh with that. "You and every other 09er."

His grin faded, and he continued, "That's my point, though. The 09er's ruled me and what I really wanted. My dad ruled me. Cassidy wasn't like that. He never cared about the boundaries that were set in school…he pursued the one thing that I was too proud to try for."

Pushing what he was suggesting away, Mac asked, "Is that why you were with Madison for so long? To keep up with appearances?"

Reaching their exit, Dick signaled and merged off the freeway, taking his time before answering. "Madison was supposed to be a trophy wife, I guess. Did you know her mom was a beauty queen in her younger years? Dad never let me forget it. But then, the joke was on him, cause turns Madison out was adopted."

"A beauty queen? Seriously?" Mac bit her lip, hard. "Your dad wanted you to go after Madison because of that?"

"Well, that was only part of it. Dad had this saying, about a good wife being seen and not heard. Did you ever meet Kendal?" When she nodded, he did, too. "Exhibit A of Dick Senior's charm. His fatherly advice was to get 'em young, train 'em young. Get rid of them at thirty." Pulling into the apartment complex, Dick maneuvered the car into a spot and put it into park. "To him, Madison was this perfect combination—she had the genes, or so he thought." He pulled the keys out of the ignition and handed them to her. "She was young enough to be brainwashed—start on them early—and she came from a good enough family, lower-end 09ers." His hand reached for the handle of the door. "She was eye candy, sure. And she eventually put out a lot. That was enough for me back then, I guess, to keep me from complaining."

He exited the car, leaving her staring after him, dumbfounded. What he had essentially told her gave her a slightly sick feeling. She could have been the object of his desire back them, just because of her name. Madison wasn't his girlfriend because he loved her or even, from what he implied, that he liked her. She was a convenient Barbie doll that he had been told he could control. Not for the first time, she wondered what she would have been like as Madison Sinclair. Would she have been the shallow, bitchy girl they all knew to be Madison? Would she have ended up more like Meg Manning, all sweetness and butterflies? Would she ever have befriended Veronica, or found an interest in computers? Dick had no idea what he had just done to her, telling her all that. It made her indescribably sad, to think of how their relationship could have been. Meaningless.

Not that they had a relationship now, she reminded herself. This was a temporary thing that would be over as soon as they solved his case, which would hopefully not be dragged out too much longer for his sake. Reminding herself of that helped, more than reminding herself of the hot embrace they had shared earlier at the Grand. Damn. She just reminded herself of it.

He had come around and was opening her door, making her smile to herself, thinking of what a contradiction he was. The Dick that she had always thought of prior to last week was not one that opened doors or carried people to their beds, or cared enough to start a facility for abused children. The person she had always associated with Dick was a self-absorbed ass that had no thought of anyone but himself. Climbing out of the car, she followed him as he led her up to the front steps of her apartment. He waited as she unlocked the front door and let her step in before he entered after her.

As he shut the door behind them, Mac stepped to the table and set her bag down. She watched Dick make himself at home, slamming the door and then removing his shoes to slide them under a bench next to the front door. He wasn't paying the slightest bit of attention to her as he stepped into the kitchen to grab a banana on his way to the fridge to pull out the pitcher of water they stored there, grabbing a cup from the cupboard to pour himself some water.

Still facing the cupboard, he asked over his shoulder, "Can I get you some water?" but when she didn't answer, he turned to find her staring at him. "Mac?" He was completely unaware of all the emotions that had been coursing through her, but as he met her eyes, his movements slowed as he set his water cup back on the counter, turning back to really look at her. "You all right?"

She didn't know when it had happened. When over the course of the past few days, she had started to fall. But at some point, she definitely had, and there wasn't anything she could have done to stop it. She never permitted herself to fall. She hadn't let herself fall in years, but this man had barged into her life and made her fall in a matter of days.

Mac was tired. So tired of the worry and the stress that had been threatening to boil over since Thursday, since her birth mother had walked into MI looking for help. She just wanted to not think anymore, to not be responsible for a few hours; to just let go. Dick would willingly give it; she knew he would. And he didn't have to know that it would mean more to her than just the casual encounter that it would be for him. That in a way, it could possibly be the most important encounter that Mac had ever had in her life.

Dick was becoming concerned now, with her silence hanging between them. He stepped forward towards her, hands awkward as he decided what exactly he should do. "Hey. What's wrong?"

Blinking, she bit her lip lightly, allowing a small smile. "Sorry." Shaking her head, she rolled her eyes. "Just in my own head for a moment." Swallowing, she stepped away from him, into the living room, "I just need…I'll be…I'll be right back." She headed for her bedroom door, feeling like an imbecile for even entertaining the notion of sleeping with him.

She could hear the padding of his footsteps, following after her. As she opened her door, she let herself look back to where he stood, watching her not five feet away. The look in his eye was cautious, mixed with longing and it made her heart jump to her throat, beating wildly. Not allowing another thought to hinder her own longing, she stepped into her room, leaving the door open, a silent invitation for him to please follow.

She reached the door to her bathroom before she let herself turn around to face him. Dick still stood at the threshold, as if unsure of the message she was sending him. Mac was surprised that he wasn't running into the room full blast, with all the hints and suggestive remarks he had been giving her for the past few days. He looked…nervous. Or shocked. Maybe a little of both.

Minutes passed while they stood staring across at each other soundlessly. The only noise that Mac was aware of was the ticking of the clock that hung above her dresser and the slight whirring of the air conditioner. Concluding that he needed a little prodding, she smiled at him. That got his feet moving, into the room finally, shutting the door behind him, but he still just stood there, feet away from her.

He spoke then, his voice thick, "Please tell me that I'm reading this right."

Mac laughed. Swallowing her nerves, she nodded. "You're reading this right." Breathing in, she exhaled slowly, gathering her courage. "Help me out of my dress?"

His eyes turned from hazy to crystal blue in a second flat, a smirk forming at his lips as crossed to her in a beat. "You said it." He pulled her into him, deftly finding the zipper under her arm and tugging it down. Mac felt the tips of his fingers lightly graze her skin, causing her to shiver. Dick tilted his head down to catch her mouth, which had tipped up towards him when he had grabbed her. His tongue traced the edge of her lips, seeking permission to enter her mouth, which she gave into easily. They played a game of give and take, Mac tentatively entering his mouth with her tongue, mirroring his actions. Pulling away, Dick laughed thickly. "Wow," He said, resting his forehead on hers. "Really?"

Mac didn't want to talk. She didn't want to think or make it mean too much. She didn't want him to be nice or make it special…because then it would hurt too much later, when he was gone. It would hurt too much to think about this time…but if they were silent, she could just remember the physical release and not think about the look he was giving her right now, all softness and tenderness, things that she never before had thought she would ever see in his face. Especially not when he was looking at her.

She answered him by attacking the buttons of his shirt, almost tearing the fabric off him. He laughed even more now, taking hold of her small hands in his. "Slow down, Mac. I never took you as the rough type."

Letting him take over his own shirt, Mac pulled at her dress, flinging it off of her, it hitting with a soft thud against the back of her bed. His eyes caught the movement, and his gaze raked over her body, eyes dilating with lust. Suddenly, she felt self-conscious, wishing belatedly that the light were off. Not that she was embarrassed, per se, of her body, but it had been a little while since she had been done this with anyone, and usually there was a little planning involved before the 'big event.' This morning when she had dressed for work, she had not been thinking that this was how she would be ending her night.

He wasn't acting disappointed though, instead flinging his own shirt where her dress had landed and grabbing her arm to pull him to him once again. He was still in an undershirt and his slacks, but he pressed her into him, his arm running down the length of her, his fingers stopping at the band of her panties.

Her own hands were feverishly running down his chest, to the band of his slacks, pulling at the undershirt to loosen and pull it up and over his head. Her breathing became labored as Dick pulled his hands away from her to lift his shirt over his head and off, exposing his very fine and chiseled chest. Unable to contain herself, Mac let her fingers trail down it to the waistband once again. She was surprised when Dick's hands covered hers to still them. She looked up into his face and saw the question there.

Never in her wildest dreams would she have pegged Dick as an unsure lover, one hesitant to make a wrong move or need permission from his partner. But she recognized that very specific look of uncertainty and it melted her heart, even more, to see it there. Pulling a hand from his grasp, she touched his cheek to bring her mouth to his. Lightly kissing him, she hoped it conveyed the message that yes, this was exactly what she needed. What she wanted. She pulled back to give him a slow, sexy grin, pulling him toward her bed.

He followed, letting her lay down and he straddled her. Mac pulled at his belt, loosening it, pulling it out of the loops to drop it at the side of the bed. He sat back on his haunches, legs still astride her, looking her over in wonder. His hands fell to her flat stomach, fingertips touching the edge of her black bra. Dropping his head down, he kissed her there, hands now running up to cup her shoulders as he nuzzled his way up to her neck, breathing her in deeply. She could feel the leanness of his body along the span of her, all hard muscles and edges. Her hands ran through his hair; tugging at the ends, enough for him to angle his head up to look her in the eye, grinning. His eyes were heavy and she could see his pulse beating madly in his throat, exciting her, making her own pulse even more erratic. She felt herself buck against him in want, and his grin widened. "All in good time, baby."

Lowering his head, he nipped his teeth against her neck, trailing a kiss down to the base of her throat, nipping her there lightly while his hands made their way to the back clasp of her bra. Mac began to feel restless, as his mouth trailed back and then nipped at her ear, his tongue teasing the sensitive skin there. She sighed in pleasure as he worked the straps of her bra down her arms—

There was a loud knock at her door and they sprang apart, both breathing heavily. "Mac?" Veronica called, voice concerned.

Dick and Mac stared at each other, eyes wide. Dick looked like he was going to burst out laughing as Mac tried unsuccessfully to re-clasp her bra in her haste, trying guiltily to find clothing, anything, to cover herself enough to be able to open the door. Pointing to the bathroom, he whispered, "I can tell her that you're in the shower and that you didn't know I was in here. My stuff's still in here…" He stepped to his duffle bag, "See? I can tell her I wanted to change."

Knowing that Veronica wouldn't be likely to buy that story, but desperate, Mac hurriedly stepped in the bathroom, locking the door and turned the shower on immediately. Slipping her few remaining bits of clothing off of her, Mac stepped over the tub's lip, letting the freezing water hit her full force before it could warm to even lukewarm. Needing to cool down, she kept herself from crying out in shock as the icy blast sprayed her, the water like shards of glass hitting her flushed skin, helping but not abating the slow burn that Dick had just stoked into a steady fire. She stayed there for a long time, wishing he were with her.

Stepping out fifteen minutes later, she was chagrined to realize that she had brought no clothes in with her. Hoping against hope that Dick had joined Veronica in the living room, she peeped her head out the door, looking for signs of life. When she found none, breathing a sigh of relief, she opened the door wider, dried off and found herself the most dowdy-looking pair of sweat pants and over-sized shirt that she owned, pulled them on and then headed out the door to face the judgment of her best friend and her near one-time lover.

A/N: All right, so hopefully it all made sense and that you are still wanting more of this story. I have a lot more where this came from! Thank you ALL for the follows/favorites and especially, your reviews. They help me stay excited, and I think that knowing I have all of you reading this along with me writing it is what keeps me a tad bit...shall I say...obsessed with this thing. Please leave your thoughts for me if you have the time. Thank you for taking time to read this, and taking time out to review it. Thank you thank you.