A.N. Don't own anything except my laptop and my imagination. Sorry this chapter took so long to post. For some reason, the ending was hard to get done.

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"I still say green," Dick reminded her, sending Captain Falcon into a roll on screen.

Mac shook her head. "I'll look like I'm molding. Red wouldn't look like a by-product of poor personal hygiene."

"No way, dude. Green's so much better than red." When she didn't immediately agree, Dick added, "Seriously, who's going to look at you and think 'Man, that dude has poor personal hygiene'?"

"Is this before or after finals?" Mac asked evenly, belching an egg out of Yoshi's mouth. Her teeth were beginning to clench.

"Dude. Gross."

Annoyance forced her to ask. "Has it escaped your notice that I'm female?"

Dick glanced at her. "What?"

"Dude is…Nevermind," she sighed after registering the innocent confusion on his face. "Look, I'm going for alternative, not alternative energy."

"What?" he spat out on a laugh.

She hid a smile. "Green says granola and biodiesel. Red is just…edgier."

"Red is predictable, Ghost World. Who else has green hair?"

Surprised, she glanced at him. He had a point. She was quiet for a moment until she could no longer stand his smug expression. "You done with midterms?"

Dick rolled his eyes. "Yes, oh Queen of Boring Topics, I'm done with midterms." The timer ran out on the match and the game declared Dick the winner. Mac sighed as he raised his hands in the air. "Yes!" he said in an exaggeratedly deep voice.

Mac glanced out the window and was surprised to find the sky turning gray. "What time is it?" she asked, craning her neck, trying to spot her cell phone.

"5:36," Dick said after glancing at his own phone. "Guess beauty sleep isn't an option now, huh?"

Mac blinked at him. "What are you talking about?"

"That's what Madison used to say when she wanted to leave something early. That she needed her beauty sleep."

Laughing, Mac stared at him. "You're kidding. She actually said that?"

"Every time," Dick said, glancing at her with a crooked grin.

Shaking her head, she let the laugh trail off before stating, "Dick, I think you'll find that Madison and I are nothing alike."

"Well, duh. I'd already figured that one out, Ghost World."

He wasn't looking at her when he said it, but she could hear the teasing smirk in his voice. She shook her head, a little amused.

"So, if beauty sleep isn't an option, should we switch to Mario Kart?" Mac asked, getting up and heading to the tv.

"Actually."

Mac glanced over her shoulder to find Dick staring out the window. When he turned back to her, his face was excited. "Let's get out of here."

"What?" Mac asked her hand still stretched out towards the tv.

"I know this cove. The surf is great in the mornings."

"The surf?"

"You know, waves, foam, boards." He grinned as if imparting great knowledge. "Surf."

She raised her eyebrows. "It's not even six."

"Yeah, we'll have the entire ocean to ourselves," he said, turning off the tv and smiling at her.

In the two months that they'd been doing…this, she and Dick had restricted their…acquaintance to this very room. They hadn't even spoken to each other in public, let alone gone anywhere in each other's company. This was a line that they had blockaded, sand-bagged and dug a moat around.

Biting the inside of her cheek, she shifted her eyes from Dick's face over her shoulder to Logan's closed door. Guilt flooded her mind at the thought of Veronica sleeping peacefully in the next room. What was she even considering doing? Veronica was her best friend.

She turned back to Dick and caught the excitement in his eyes. He needed to do this and would go without her if she said no. Suddenly, it struck her that if she didn't go with him right then, he wasn't going to ask again.

Logan and Veronica probably wouldn't even be up until noon. Wrapping her arms around herself, she nodded quickly. "Okay."

The drive took a good forty minutes and was completed entirely in silence. Mac stared out the window as Dick drove along the winding cliffs. It wasn't until he had parked and she was trailing him down a precarious path worn into the dirt and rocks of the sheer cliff that Mac realized he hadn't brought his surfboard.

Dick collapsed fluidly twenty feet from the line between wet and dry sand near the water and bent his leg so he could rest his arm on his knee. Feeling stiff and awkward, Mac eased herself down next to him. While Dick stared silently out at the water, Mac shifted to get comfortable and wrinkled her nose at the sand pressed into her palms. Holding her hands as far away from her body as possible, she brushed them against each other again and again until all the sand had fallen off.

Satisfied, she faced the water only to spot sand clinging to the knees of her corduroys. Now she remembered why she hated the beach. Sand and sunburns.

"Don't come to the beach much?"

Mac didn't glance at him as she gingerly rested her elbows on her knees. "Whatever gave it away?"

"Your usual pastiness was a bit tip off."

"Hey, when you're vaguely resembling the leather interior of your precious SUV, my skin will still be as youthful and dewy as it is today."

"Dewy?" He laughed, finally tearing his eyes away from the water.

"Dewy," she said firmly, locking her arms around her legs. The sun had just been clearing the horizon when they got out of the car, so the world was still gray and cold. Even the water looked gray at this time of day.

When Dick spoke again, the sun still hadn't risen over the cliff behind them, so couldn't have been more than a few minutes. But it had felt like over an hour to Mac, whose squirming was resulting in even more sand finding the openings in her pants. Yet, somehow, the sand wasn't the source of her discomfort.

"I tried to blame Logan and Veronica." Despite the roaring of the water, his voice seemed loud in her ears.

It was so abrupt that it took Mac a minute to figure out what he was talking about. "Why?" she finally asked, surprisingly eager to hear the answer.

Dick shrugged, eyes fixed to the waves roughly rolling onto the sand. "They were there."

She heard the silent on the roof that went along with the statement ring in her mind, and she had to hide a shudder. Turning it into a shiver, she pulled down her sleeves as far as three inches of cap sleeves would go and hugged her legs closer. "What made you stop?"

He was quiet a minute, reaching up to scratch an eyebrow before answering. "I found out what happened to Veronica."

Her head jerked around to look at him. "You didn't know?"

She hadn't meant to say it and she expected him to look uncomfortable at the question, but he just looked blank. "Beav—he told me nothing happened. That he puked and couldn't get it—" he stopped. "That nothing happened," he repeated.

She didn't say anything. She didn't ask, didn't accuse, but Dick tried to explain anyway.

"After Lilly died, we kinda needed someone to blame for Duncan and Logan. I mean, they were—they used to—" he stopped abruptly sounding frustrated.

After a moment of roaring waves, he continued without trying to explain. "When her dad screwed up and Logan started wigging out, we just followed his lead, I guess."

He swallowed and shook his head. She watched his profile, but he didn't turn to face her. "I've never done that to anyone. I don't know why I asked him to," he said quietly. He tossed his hair out of his face and picked up a twig from the beach.

It wasn't an excuse; nothing could excuse it. But she felt a little better discovering that he knew that. And she felt horrible for the relief she felt.

"Sometimes I can't look at Veronica," she offered evenly. "Knowing what happened."

"I couldn't pack up his room. I couldn't even go upstairs in the house. I just hired a moving crew and had them put everything in storage."

"I dream about him. Even when I'm awake. Sometimes I'm sitting in lecture and then I'm remembering a conversation we had last year. It feels so normal."

They couldn't stop talking. It was like some floodgate had opened. At least, Mac knew that was how she felt. Then he said something that made her lose her breath.

"I can't sleep. Ever. When I close my eyes, I see him. And the car."

Mac stared at him in horror. He didn't give her a chance to think of anything to say. "So I just lie there. I'll drift off for a half hour here, twenty minutes there. But that's it."

Snapping the stick into smaller pieces, Dick lapsed into silence. Mac watched him toss one of the pieces across the sand. His gray t-shirt fluttered in the rough breeze from the ocean.

"You saw him?"

Her voice was quiet, even hard for her to hear, but Dick nodded without hesitation. "I had to identify him."

He saw him.

Bile rose in Mac's throat. By the time she'd cleared it, Dick had pushed himself off the sand and was walking towards the water. As she watched his large form, he yanked off his shirt, dropped it in his wake and walked straight into the waves. She blinked in surprise and was on her feet as he dove under.

She counted the seconds, her heart pounding, but he surfaced almost right away and she clutched the hem of her shirt in relief. Sitting again, she watched him the entire time he was in the water, holding her breath when he dove under.

The sun was well over the cliff when Dick came walking out of the water, and several surfers were pulling boards out of their trucks. He calmly walked up the beach, bending to pick up his shirt without breaking stride and then continuing his trek past her.

Scrambling to her feet, she hurried to catch up with him, knowing she looked idiotic trying to jog in the sand. He, on the other hand, looked perfectly at home as he moved easily, water sliding down his body.

At the top of the cliff, one of the surfers noticed them and jerked his head at Dick, who just nodded back and unlocked the car. As Dick pulled out of the dirt lot, she watched the surfers descend to the beach, their boards bobbing over their heads as they climbed down.

"Did you love him?"

Turning away from the window, she eyed a drop of water that seemed precariously balanced on the tip of one of Dick's wet, matted curls. Had she? At the time, she had been sure she had. But now she was forced to wonder if she'd even known him, let alone loved him.

When she shrugged, Dick ran a hand through his hair and the droplet fell. "Yeah. Me, too."

xxx

"Unlimited amounts of food. Long weekend. Tv specials. And, best of all, no work." Turning to look at Mac as they picked up their bags, Veronica grinned. "I love Thanksgiving."

Laughing, Mac pulled up the zipper on her sweatshirt and stuffed her hands in the pockets. "You'd love any holiday that let us off school."

"Yeah, the food is just extra."

"So what are your big plans for this fortuitous occasion?" Mac asked, glancing at her friend as they pushed out of the lecture hall.

"Well, we're having dinner with Wallace and his family tomorrow. And then I plan to spend the entire weekend lying on my back on the couch. Except when I get up for more food. Crawling that five feet to the kitchen is going to be tough." Veronica sighed contentedly and smiled at Mac. "You?

"Dinner with the family. At which I can thank my blessings that Professor Snyder assigned a working program for Monday. Joy."

"What?" Veronica asked, genuine horror coloring her tone. "Aren't there Geneva codes against assigning work over holiday breaks?"

"Cruel and unusual education," Mac groaned, tucking hair behind her ear. "What's Logan doing?"

"I'm not sure," Veronica said, pulling her keys out of her bag. "He turned down my invitation to Thanksgiving. He said something about my Dad and a gun, but it wasn't very clear."

They reached Veronica's car and Mac watched as her friend took the top down. "I just hope he and Dick don't try to deep fry a turkey. That has tragedy written all over it."

"Are they seriously going to try that?"

"Logan threatened to," Veronica said thoughtfully. Then at Mac's worried expression, she shook her head. "No. It would be way too much work for them. They'll probably sit in front of the tv with their library of video games and order take out from somewhere really expensive."

"Well that's a relief at least," Mac said as the blonde opened her car door and slid behind the wheel.

"Okay, I will see you on Monday. Give me a call if you manage to miraculously finish your project early."

"And while you're lying in front of the tv as they play the year's first Christmas movies, remember me. At home. Chained to my computer." Mac sighed dramatically. Then she waved quickly and turned to go as Veronica began to pull out.

She was halfway back to her dorm before her cell rang. Checking the id, she flipped open the phone. "Hi, Mom. I'm almost on my way."

"Good. I've been looking forward to you coming back all week." Her mother laughed. "Scratch that. All semester."

"Mom," Mac whined with a smile. "I was home three weeks ago."

"Ah, yes, I'd almost forgotten the infamous hit and run laundry episode."

"Hey, I stayed for dinner." Taking the keys out of her bag, she unlocked the front door to the dorm and held it open for a girl with three bags. The girl smiled vaguely and Mac returned the gesture, having no idea who the girl was.

"Now you're sure you don't want to invite anyone back here for dinner tomorrow."

Mac squeezed her eyes shut as she pressed the button for the elevator. "Who is it that you've been wanting me to invite?" she asked wearily.

"Sweetheart, there must be some out of state people on your floor. Not everyone can just hop over for Thanksgiving."

"You know everyone I know, Mom. Veronica, Wallace, Logan." And Dick, she added, but didn't think her mother wanted to hear that she was spending time with her dead boyfriend's older brother. Especially one she'd heard her mother refer to as a "Dick Casablancas' psychopath of a son" on more than one occasion.

"Cindy," her mother was saying now, the hesitancy in her voice narrowing Mac's attention as the elevator dinged. "You have to at least make an effort."

The tired quality to her voice made Mac cringe as the doors slid open. "Mom, I'm getting on the elevator so I'm gonna lose you. I'll be home in an hour."

"Cindy—"

Mac flipped the phone shut and watched as her screen informed her that she had exited her service range. "Meredith," she muttered to herself as she finally remembered the girl from the front door. She lived on Mac's floor, two doors down.

xxx

Mac rested her chin in her hand and stared sightlessly at the glowing screen. She'd turned it down to the dimmest screen possible, but it still hurt her eyes. By now, she'd accepted the fact that she would be blind by thirty.

Dinner had been rushed, what with her brother's impatience to go to his friend Josh's house for the night. Ryan had fidgeted during the course of the meal while their parents had attempted to interrogate Mac on every aspect of her education, social life, dorm food and health.

Oddly, she found herself beholden to Ryan, though he would never know.

Now she was trying to complete at least part of the code necessary to make her program run before throwing herself onto the bed for a long night's sleep. She wasn't really getting anywhere, though.

The phone rang and Mac's eyebrows drew together. Digging through her bag, she found her cell and checked the caller id. Flipping it open, she smirked into the phone. "Double o seven."

"Q. What sort of trouble are you up to tonight?"

Mac fell backwards on her bed. "The same trouble I told you I'd be in."

"You're actually coding on our first night off?"

The appalled note to Veronica's voice made Mac snort a bitter laugh. "No, I'm riding a painted pony."

"Well, at least you can let your spinning wheel spin," Veronica quipped nonchalantly.

Mac rolled her eyes and tucked an arm behind her head. "So what exciting things are you up to?"

"Well, I just watched Dad chase down another bail jumper on live television. So, you know, the usual."

"Interesting."

"Yeah, he got the call earlier today. This guy was really bad at being a fugitive. He went straight back to his girlfriend's house."

"Jeez, that is stupid."

"Who'd had him arrested for violating a restraining order right before they reconciled. In court. The judge probably would have just fined the guy since the woman stated an intention to repeal the order, but he just had to run."

"So, if she didn't call the police, who did?" Mac asked.

"A neighbor. The guy just walked up to the front door and knocked."

"You're kidding."

"Please, like I could make this stuff up." Mac raised her eyebrows. "Okay, maybe I could, but I didn't."

"When's your dad getting home?"

"I don't know. We're not heading over to Wallace's until two, so he's got plenty of time. And he's only in LA." There was a pause and then Veronica giggled. "You're not going to believe where Logan went tonight, though."

Mac bit back a smile. "Where?"

"A strip club."

"What?" Mac sat up on the bed in shock.

"Yeah. Dick's frat brothers dragged them to a club downtown. Logan's called three times so far. Apparently, the guy in charge didn't check the club's calendar and they walked into the middle of a Ladies' Night."

It took a moment but then Mac was laughing so hard she could barely breathe. "Logan said," Veronica continued, gasping for breath of her own. "Logan said that they walked in right as the guy's thong came flying across the room. It hit the wall" gasp "right next to them!"

Mac was bent over, cradling her stomach as she listened to Veronica sob with laughter on the other end. After a few minutes, a knock came at Mac's door and she looked up to find her mother peeking around the corner. She smiled and mouthed "Good night." Mac wiped her eye with a smile and waved as her mother disappeared again.

"Uh oh," she heard Veronica say. "The boy toy is calling again."

"Go, answer and report back," Mac ordered, still sounding a little shaky.

"Aye aye, Captain. Have a good Thanksgiving. Say hi to your folks for me."

"Yeah, you, too. Say hi to everyone," Mac returned awkwardly. When they hung up, Mac sat there for a minute staring at the glowing screen of her phone, trying to imagine Dick's face as a man's thong came flying past him to hit the wall near his head.

Fresh peals of laughter filled the room as Mac collapsed backwards on her bed.

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xxtisheryxx I'm so glad you're enjoying the story! You seem to have picked up on exactly what I'm trying to convey with Dick. That makes me happy.

tchele I'm glad you're liking Mac/Dick. There are some other great stories out there with them, but I do agree that LoVe is the best. I hope you liked this chapter!

Alwayzpurple Yay! I'm glad you're still liking it! I hope this chapter was up to par. Keep reading and reviewing cuz you're really good for my morale!

Miss Higher Power Inquiring minds soon shall know. Don't worry, all shall be revealed…Thanks for reviewing! I hope you're still enjoying the story.

SatisfactoryInfluence Your reviews rock. They keep me inspired. :-p Yeah, Dick and Mac are pretty depressed, but that will lessen with time. I think this chapter kind of showed that. Maybe. Possibly.

Beauty in my Breakdown Thanks for reviewing! The story/relationship is moving a lot faster than I expected it to, actually. At this point, I have no idea when things are going to happen. They seem to be writing themselves! I hope you liked this chapter and please keep reviewing!

wantingchino Yay for Mac/Dick! No worries, as I told Beauty, the story is moving a lot faster than I thought it would. So be on the look out for Mac/Dick moments…soon maybe? ((evil grin))

jacedes Sometimes I want to smoosh them together, too. And Veronica and Logan…wait, I'm already doing that. :-p Thanks for reviewing and please keep it up! It makes me feel inspired. 

litizreal Sigh. You're right, RT putting them together is a long shot, but I'm still going to keep my fingers crossed next season. Though I heard Ryan Hansen is leaving the show as a regular! GASP!

LoVe23 I'm hoping that Dick will turn out to be much less mysterious than he appears. Mac is sure to figure him out eventually, right? Thanks for reviewing and I hope you're still enjoying the story!

FanFicFairy514 Thanks for reviewing again! I'm glad you're still liking the story. This chapter, to me, seemed like a large leap for Mac and Dick, so I think their bonding is speeding up a bit. I hope you liked it!

finkpishnets Hi and thanks for reviewing! I'm glad the development is coming across well; I wanted it to seem smooth and believable. I'm glad that's coming across. Veronica and Logan are inevitably adorable together; he's just too enamored. I hope you liked this chapter!

Gunny I'm so glad you like the story! It's great to find people who agree that this would be a compelling storyline in VM. (Are you listening Mr. Thomas?) Please keep reading and reviewing! Your reviews are officially awesome.

Lindsay Hi! I've so been Mac while wondering about what a guy was thinking. Except, without her technological skill. I'm glad you're liking the story!