A/N: Here 'ya go-another chapter. Hope everyone is having a safe, FUN holiday season! So happy you guys are still enjoying this story, especially since I have another 6 or 7 chapters to go. Give/take! Thank you so much for all the reviews, follows & favorites. And I'd like to give a big thank you to all the reviewers who I haven't been able to personally PM my appreciation to. A big thank you to my wonderful beta, cainc3, and thank you for your suggestions that I ran with! This chapter gets a bit on the angsty side, and there are some possible triggers at the end, just to warn you. It's definitely not all angst-ridden though, there's lots of fluff here, too. Thank you so much for reading. Enjoy!

Obligatory disclaimer: Nope, I don't own anything in the VM 'verse, I like to play in it though...

Chapter 18—Luigi's

***Friday, February 11th, 2005***

Mac scanned the crowded expanse of Lot A—the "poor" lot—searching for a familiar face. It was Friday afternoon, at the start of 6th period, and they were having their third fire drill that week. She didn't remember having that many in a year, well, except that one time her real junior year, but she quickly shoved that memory out of her headspace.

Up ahead and to her left was a thin, blonde on the short side animatedly talking to some guy who only looked somewhat familiar. The girl had her back to Mac but she was certain it was Veronica. Only once she got closer it was obvious she had the wrong blond. She was about to sneak away when Meg Manning whipped around.

"Madison!" Meg exclaimed, motioning her closer. "I haven't seen you around much now that you're off the squad. I miss our bench chats." She waved at the guy she'd been chatting with, politely but obviously dismissing him so she could focus all her attention on Mac.

"I've been busy."

"So I noticed," Meg said dryly, raising a brow.

Mac didn't need a girly girl-to-tomboy translation dictionary to know it was a reference to her dating life with another certain '09'er of the Dick persuasion. Regardless, she went with a blank expression.

"Dick," she hedged, at Mac's faux-lost look.

"Oh, him, yeah." She wasn't going to elaborate further.

"You doing okay?" Meg asked, concerned. "Your injury must have been worse than we first assumed since you quit Pep."

A pang went through her at the innocent question. Here Meg was inquiring about her health when in another dimension, the real one, she'd been dead for over four years. Despite trying her best to keep it in check, a tear leaked out. Mac quickly reached up to wipe away the evidence. "I'm doing well," she said in a shaky voice. "Mom just got a little freaked, and then with my studies and everything, well, quitting seemed like a good option."

"Makes sense," Meg agreed. "Now that basketball season is in full-swing, practice takes up a lot of time. If you tell anyone at all what I'm about to tell you I will deny it, but you were by far my favorite member of the squad."

Mac swallowed hard before squeaking out, "Ditto."

Their chat turned to more innocuous topics like classes and outlandish theories as to why there was a sudden spate of drills this week. As they talked Mac scanned the crowd. She caught a flash of blond hair on the other side of the lot. Dick. He was tall, therefore easy to find.

Not that she was looking, she lied to herself.

However, he was not alone; flanking him was Logan, Jackson and Cassidy. She became aware of a sharp bite of pain in her palm. She was digging her fingernails into her palm, an automatic, grounding gesture, something she was in desperate need of these days.

Where was a system's manual when she needed one to slog through this weird, murky plane of existence? Four months and it was still a Twilight Zone life, she was certain that feeling was never going to disappear.

She felt anger at Cassidy bubbling up all over again, made even more Technicolor in this moment as she discussed the minutia of her day with one of his victims. The surreal was her ruler these days.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Meg asked, empathy cocooning her words, her brown eyes sincere.

"Huh?" Mac sputtered out. "Oh, um, yeah, sorry. Fine." It wasn't an eloquent rejoinder. "I just thought I saw a ghost." She mentally cringed at the truth she spewed forth.

"Where's Dr. Venkman when we need him?" Meg teased.

"I prefer Dr. Spengler, myself."

"Of course you do," Meg said matter of factly, no doubt implying that the geekiest Ghostbuster was more Mac's/Madison's people. "Who else would you call?"

They traded smiles. The moment of levity was a nice way to relieve her blood pressure, which was spiking up just thinking of all the collateral damage her fucked up ex boyfriend inflicted on everyone, especially this gentle girl standing in front of her.

"Touché."

"Seriously Madi, if you need to talk, I'll listen."

"Thanks," she was shocked to discover she really wanted, needed, to open up to someone, and Meg was offering. She didn't have to go into specifics or anything. "I am a little confused, that's all. I found out something recently, and no one else knows this information. I don't know what to do with it because people will get hurt either way."

"No pressure there," Meg said her soft smile a contrast to her harsher sounding tone. "I guess it comes down to which scenario will cause the biggest fall out."

"Not telling." Mac didn't need to think about her reply at all.

"There you go then. See, you had the answer all along."

"Yeah, there I go," Mac echoed, softly and full of doubt. She still didn't have a clue who to tell or how to open that dialogue. It wasn't much of a plan, but Meg was right, she did have to tell someone about Cassidy. Maybe things were etched on the stone tablet here in this plane, too, but that didn't mean she shouldn't, at least, try.

Should she?

Just then Mac noticed big groups of students heading back toward the building. The teachers interspersed within the crowds tried to make order out of the chaos of the crush, but it was fruitless as people dodged and shoved each other.

Fortunately the distraction was enough to keep Meg's questions at bay, but Mac didn't think she would have pressed her anyway. That was partly why she felt safe saying what she did, it couldn't be classed as giving anything away but it felt nice to unburden herself. However, the irony—tragedy of epic proportion?—of who exactly she chose to seek counsel from didn't escape her. Meg had been Cassidy's collateral damage. The source of her knowledge would overshadow any benefit of warning, she was certain of that fact. No one would take a warning seriously if they thought the source was in need of a padded room get-away.

They headed back toward the building.

"Better now?" Meg asked, giving Mac an impromptu hug.

"Much. Thank you."

"Anytime," Meg replied. "Hey, do you want to maybe hang out sometime? Go to the Neptune Mall, or something?" It was asked like an afterthought.

"Sure. Call me," Mac said. She nodded at the guy who held the door open for them. Since it was almost time for her seventh period she just made her way to the East Wing in prep for Mrs. Murphy's English class, the one she and Dick had together. She was sure he'd turn the conversation to their plans that night. Ever since her party before Christmas, Logan and Veronica had stopped denying their attraction and were all-in dating wise. The cliché of a Valentine's Day celebration was lessened by their double date.

It was a different dimension than she was used to indeed.

********************Later that same night***********************

"So where did you say we were going for dinner?" Mac asked Dick as she flipped down the visor on the passenger side of Dick's yellow quad cab truck—the banana mobile, as she called it in both worlds. It was one of two cars he alternated driving, he also had access to a Jeep. Aw, the tough life of an '09'er, get tired of one car, there were always other ones to drive instead. In her '02'er upbringing Mac didn't ever remember changing purses as often as some of the richy riches changed their vehicles.

She opened the mirror and dug through her clutch until she found her tube of vegan-friendly lip gloss. As she was starting to apply it though, Dick hit the brakes hard causing the car to jerk to a stop.

"Oops, sorry," he said, in a tone that sounded anything but apologetic. "Did I smear your lipstick?"

"You did it on purpose, you ass, and no, your little plan failed. It's clear gloss," Mac smirked though she knew he couldn't see her in the dim lighting of the truck. She again rummaged in her purse, this time looking for a Kleenex to wipe away the sticky gloss.

"Hey, it was accident," Dick defended, "and I didn't say where we're going, but just to let you know, Logan was in charge of our destination tonight."

"So, I should blame him if I don't like it?" Mac inquired.

"Exactly."

"Diabolical."

"Clever," he corrected.

"Cleverly diabolical," Mac compromised.

"It's chosen to Ronnie's taste, I'm sure. It didn't take them long for the transfer of ownership papers on his ball sac to come through."

"I really don't think I want to waste our time conversing on Logan's balls," Mac said.

"Yeah, you're right, mine are much more interesting."

"Actually, I was thinking more along the lines of shifting our conversation to more philosophical matters."

"A zen, philosophical diatribe of the existential qualities of the male member?" Dick tried.

"Um, okay, first you strung words together without actually saying anything and second, it's still a discussion—I'm using that word loosely—on the male anatomy."

"It sounds intelligent though."

"But it's still a cleverly disguised conversation on balls, Dick."

"Diabolically clever, Madison."

Mac watched as he turned right onto Sixth Street in downtown Neptune. She thought she knew where they were headed. Her theory was proven correct when he pulled into the small lot next to Luigi's Fine Italian Food restaurant. It had been closed for about a year in her old life. She wondered if Veronica knew that, the "real" Veronica that was. She hadn't made it to the replacement restaurant yet, Mama Leone's or whatever.

They parked in the last, available spot in the tiny lot, and Dick got out of the truck first, coming around to help Mac out.

"Playing the gentleman card?"

"Go fish," Dick teased. "It's Valentine's Day, consider that your present."

She smiled her thanks and jumped down.

When they walked into the cozy restaurant with this black and white checker board tile floors and tables with the traditional red and white table clothes, they saw Logan and Veronica at a four top back in the corner. Logan waved, and they made their way back there. It was crowded, which was to be expected the Friday before Valentine's Day. Frank Sinatra was crooning over the sound system about how luck was a lady.

They took their seats across from Logan and Veronica, everyone exchanged greetings. There was a bottle of red wine on the table. Mac glanced pointedly at it.

"What's the point of dating a talented woman if you don't take advantage sometimes of her grey-arts," Logan replied in explanation.

"I hear ya, brother," Dick said as he turned his wine glass right side up and helped himself, then repeated the action for Mac automatically.

"Thanks," she said before taking a sip. "So how long have you guys been here?"

"Not long, maybe fifteen minutes," Veronica said.

"Bobcat here was suffering Luigi withdrawals, it's been what, a week since you last tasted their lasagna?"

"You need to clarify here, are we talking carry out or eat in?"

"Both."

"Three nights ago Dad brought a tray home for dinner, but it's been a week in a half since you last took me here."

"I didn't want her to get the shakes, or anything," Logan said.

"Always the gentleman, Echolls."

"I'm just trying to set a good example for you, Dick."

"Yeah," Veronica echoed. "Take notes."

"Hey, he opened the car door for me," Mac defended, and then smiled at Veronica's look of surprise.

The contest of gentlemanly behavior was interrupted by the arrival of their waitress. She introduced herself as Angie. Veronica jumped in with her order, and Logan ended up asking for the same thing. Dick and Mac exchanged looks, mocking the fact their friends were now ordering in sync. Relying on her memory of the menu as she hadn't really had much of a chance to peruse the menu since their arrival less than ten minutes ago, Mac decided on Tofu Scampi while Dick chose Chicken Marsala.

Once Angie left to enter in their orders, talk meandered back to the symptoms of coupledom Logan and Veronica were now exhibiting.

"At least I don't order the same thing Madison does," Dick rejoined, looking at Logan and shaking his head.

"That's only because she's vegan," Logan snapped back.

"Eh, small detail," Dick said, dismissively.

"That's the only detail that matters. Vegans aren't allowed to eat bacon."

As the guys argued back and forth Mac and Veronica started their own conversation.

"Are you still on the paper?" Mac asked.

Veronica waited a beat before answer, giving her a puzzled look. "Why wouldn't I be?"

"Um, no reason, just making conversation. We could swap recipes or try to start a knitting club."

"No, that's okay! The paper is going well. We are covering such hard hitting topics like the fire drill outbreak this week."

"Oh, I'll alert Woodward and Bernstein that they have competition."

"Somehow I don't think Neptune is on their radar," Veronica teased.

"Well, that's their mistake then. A town this shady should be on everyone's radar. I can guarantee it's on every crime syndicates network."

"Sad but true, Madi. So, what do you think, would winning a Pulitzer look good on college applications? Think Stanford would take me then?"

"As long as there's not a run on other underdog winners applying there," Mac said.

"What are you talking about? I am an underdog, the lead underdog," Veronica corrected, and then added in a softer tone, "I think there's a top down conspiracy on the school board. I'm trying to get on the inside, but right now the party line is there's some faulty wiring or a bad boiler, something like that."

"Oh, the plot is thickening. So did I just get some covert intel?"

"You did. If you scoop me, however, my retribution will be swift," Veronica threatened, her tone was menacing but the wink lessened its effects.

"I think I'll wait to scoop you when you have more definitive information."

"I'm working a couple angles," Veronica assured her friend.

"You always do." She said.

Both topics of conversation came to a halt as Angie came back with their meals. Dick refilled everyone's wine glasses.

Mac took a bite of her scampi and let out a soft moan of satisfaction, it was delicious, much better than she'd remembered. The presentation was gorgeous, too.

Dick leered at her.

"Talk about food porn," she whispered in his ear, hoping to make him blush. It didn't work; of course, she knew he was probably born without the embarrassment gene.

"I didn't know we were talking about porn in any format, let alone food," Dick said. "When I think of porn, I don't think about rabbit food."

"Tofu," Mac corrected.

"Tofu, rabbit food, eh, that's the same thing." Dick argued. "I think of naked babes, that's the only accepted form of porn."

"Yeah, when Dick hears the word porn, his ears perk up," Logan explained.

"Don't feign innocence there, Echolls. You are conditioned to do the same thing."

"D'uh. Of course, I don't want to lose my man card," Logan snarked back.

"What man card?" everyone asked in unison, but Veronica's voice led the pack. In return, he gave them each a one finger thank you.

Talking tapered down once they had said all they needed to about food and every other iteration of porn. Eating their meals took precedence.

Once the dishes had been cleared from the table and the dessert orders had been taken, Logan surprised Veronica, and everyone else, by presenting her with a small, wrapped gift.

"Happy Valentine's Day, Bobcat," he handed her the present and kissed her cheek.

"Oh Logan, you shouldn't have." Veronica replied automatically, but she accepted the gift and returned the kiss.

"You're supposed to open it first then say that."

"Oh, thanks for explaining proper etiquette to me."

"No problem, m'dear."

Despite the token protest, she eagerly unwrapped the package. Nestled in the small box was a Swiss Army knife with a mother of pearl inlay.

"You shouldn't have," she reiterated, but the words were diluted by the fact that she was rubbing her fingers over the smooth surface.

"It's a friend for Mr. Sparky, backup if you will. I rest easier knowing you're not fully unprotected for all the danger that seems to find you."

"She's a danger magnet," Mac cut in. It was on the tip of her tongue to start listing some examples, but she caught herself before she cited a couple that hadn't yet happened.

"It's a gift," Veronica replied with a shrug, "and speaking of that, I might have a little something for you, Logan, emphasis on little." She grabbed her red leather purse that had been hanging on the back of her chair and rummaged through it. From its depths she produced a small rectangular object wrapped in white tissue paper.

Logan eagerly tore into it, revealing a leather bound book. He flipped through a few pages, then stopped and read "'The actions of men are the best interpreters of their thoughts.' Any one know who said that?"

"Santa Claus," Dick guessed.

"Ghandi," Veronica said.

"James Joyce," Logan revealed before anyone else guessed. "I think we have our new inspirational message."

"That was my sinister plan all along. Look in the front cover."

Logan did as he was told, and a smile stole over his face as he read the inscription. "This is the perfect gift, Veronica." He turned to her, and this time the kiss wasn't so chaste, and it didn't land on her cheek, either.

"Get a room, guys," Dick grumped, finally. Then, he deliberately turned away from the PDA, and looked over at Mac sitting on his left. "Fearing your mean right hook, I couldn't let Mr. Suck Up, over there, be the only boyfriend to score points tonight. I got you something, too, Madi."

Dick was digging in his jacket pocket when the waitress came by with their desserts and a round of coffee.

Mac thanked the waitress and then pushed the plate of coconut vegan cake off to the side so she wouldn't make a mess when Dick finally unearthed her gift.

He triumphantly held up a small white plastic bag that he'd folded over several times and taped up.

"Let me guess, you wrapped it yourself?" Mac asked dryly.

"The maid was off today," he quipped back, but it was said with a teasing grin.

She ripped off the layers of scotch tape and reached into the bag, her hand made contact with a small object that felt like metal. Curious, she palmed it and then lifted her hand out, revealing a heart shaped necklace. Turning the heart over, she grinned at the design on the front, it was a picture of a computer keyboard with a white furry mouse on top.

"What a cute mouse, bet it gets a little squeaky," Mac teased. "Thank you, Dick. It's perfect."

"You're welcome. I wasn't sure what to get a computer nerd who has everything, um genius, yeah, genius, not nerd," he quickly backpedaled upon seeing her scowl. "Do I get a kiss? We can't let them be the only ones committing PDA."

Mac shook her head, but leaned forward to give him a quick kiss. She quickly broke it off. Before Dick could say anything she let him know he wouldn't be going gift-less tonight either.

"I know I am gift enough as it is," Mac teased, "but I got you a small present, too." Digging through the detritus of her purse, she made contact with a silver flask that surprisingly still had a red bow stuck to it, though it had been smooshed down by her wallet hitting against it in transit. It had been a tight squeeze fitting it into her Coach clutch bag that she'd been using regularly during her four month stint in this existence.

Like a kid on Christmas, Dick forcefully and excitedly grabbed the proffered present from Mac's outstretched hand. He turned it over and laughed loudly at the inscription.

"I am definitely 'Naughty by Design.' I love it, babe. It can replace my reused water bottles for vodka storage." It was his turn to kiss Mac, and he went for the surprise "attack" to assure more lip action than the one she'd gifted him with previously.

With the present exchange over, they all continued to tease each other as they ate their desserts and drank coffee. Once again Logan got the same thing as Veronica, a mountainous piece of Tiramisu.

"Hey now, this has always been my go-to dessert since way before Veronica took me here," Logan defended.

"So how bad did it hurt when you got neutered?" Dick asked before taking a big bite off the end of his Cannoli, a puddle of cream oozing out onto the plate.

"Funny, I was going to ask you the same question, Casablancas. You, too, are a whole new brand of asshole around Madi."

"Boys, we're in a family establishment," Veronica cut in. "Do I really need to break in my new gift this early?"

"It's too nice to break on their thick skulls," Mac reminded her. "I'd stick with tasering balls if I were you."

"You are, as always, the voice of reason."

"I'm thinking of getting that tattooed on my ass, actually."

"You should," Dick interjected. "What? You know Madi's ass always has my full attention."

"I do know that," Logan replied, "and that was my point all along, you are guilty of the same balls-in-a-vice-grip crime that you accuse me of."

"I think it's cute," Veronica said.

"Whatever," Dick said dismissively through another mouth full of Cannoli. "So what are we going to do after they kick us out of this fine family establishment? I was thinking we could drop by Casa Casablancas for some Halo action, so you could watch me take down some green men."

"Or watch you lose to the green men, and we could all school you on how it's actually done," Mac corrected.

"I must agree, you are definitely a voice of reason," Logan directed to Mac before sticking his tongue out at Dick.

"That's it guys, keep that confidence, my victory will be so much sweeter that way," Dick said, pointedly ignoring Logan.

After the checks were dropped off, and both guys paid for their own date, and a sizeable tip was left for Angie, the two couples left in their own cars.

On the fifteen minute drive to Dick's house, Mac watched the scenery fly by and her mind drifted back to earlier in the day during the fire drill.

"Where did Cassidy go tonight?" she asked in the lull.

"It's Valentine's Day," Dick said as though that explained everything. In his mind it probably did.

"Actually no, it's not. Valentine's Day is Monday," Mac corrected.

"Well, okay, Miss Know-it-all, it is Valentine's Weekend so Cass is home playing Dungeons and Dragons. D'uh!"

"Oh, I thought he might have a date."

"You two have met, right?"

A huff of laughter escaped her lips, though it was totally lacking in humor.

In the original time line Cassidy was probably crushing on her, but they didn't get together until her senior year.

It wasn't that she wanted him to be on a date, for the poor unsuspecting girl's sake, but she also was hoping not to face him. It was just such a confusing mish mash to know what seeded his depravity, the awful abuse he'd suffered from a trusted adult, but also having come face to face today with Meg kicked up the nausea once again. The coconut cake was a lump in her stomach now.

Dick pulled into his driveway, with Logan's X-Terra right behind him.

They filed into the Casablancas house—mansion—and made their way to the game room in the back of the house. Cassidy was spread out on the leather couch playing a game on the Xbox.

"Am-scray," Dick said, reaching out to remove the controller from his little brother's hands.

"I didn't know you spoke a foreign language," Veronica snickered.

Nervously, Mac hovered in the doorway looking around the room, trying not to make any eye contact with Cassidy, or anyone really. She didn't feel sympathy for Cassidy exactly, but she didn't like the way Dick spoke to his brother.

Of course, in the 2009 time period, present Dick felt a tremendous amount of guilt for that. He probably assigned himself too much blame really, but she wondered how different things would be if Dick had been more supportive and had known about the abuse.

It wasn't the first, or even the tenth, time she'd had that thought, but now she was in a position to force her hand.

"Dick, stop it," she admonished. Her voice wasn't very strong though. Mac cleared her throat, and tried again. "Cassidy was here first. He can play with us, too."

"No. Thanks though, Madison," Cassidy said. The smile he gave her was tentative but genuine. He shoved the controller at Dick, hitting him in the stomach, who let out a little oof of surprise and pain.

He left the room without another word, but he did wave as acknowledgment when Logan said "See you later, Beav."

Mac had hoped her cringe at that nickname was subtle, but Veronica gave her an inquiring look however she didn't say anything out loud.

Dick set up Halo 2, and then he and Logan paired up first. They stayed pretty even at first, and then Dick started to pull ahead. Mac studied their moves. She mentally noted which weapons packed the biggest kickback. She discovered that using a grenade to clear then room, and then burst in with a plasma gun was a very effective. technique.

When Logan finally went down in a blaze, it was finally the girls' chance to showcase their gaming skills. Veronica excelled at sharp shooting, and probably would have easily defeated Mac, except she started using the advantages she'd gleaned from watching Dick in action. She put her own spin on them though.

Veronica had just lined up what she'd been hoping would be a kill shot when Cassidy walked in with a big bag of veggie chips. He silently dropped them beside Mac on the couch. She turned and said thank you.

"Snack attack, Beav?" Dick asked.

"I came down to grab some chips before you guys ate them all, and saw these disgusting things you keep making the maid buy." Cassidy turned to make his escape once more.

"Thank you," Mac repeated.

"You're welcome," he gave her a tight, shy smile and quickly left the room.

Veronica's surprise sniper move had been thwarted by the snack break, so she regrouped with one hand on the controller as she reached into to the bag with her other hand to grab a handful of dehydrated veggies. "Not bad," she muttered with her mouth full.

"Not good, either," Dick volleyed back.

Veronica never did gain the upper hand back again, and Mac's studying paid off making her the victor. Since neither Logan nor Veronica was in the final match up, they made their leave shortly after Mac's big win.

They exchanged good-byes and walked them out to the entry way. After Dick shut the door, he turned to Mac and gave her a not so brief kiss.

"I bet they're off to make out," he said, reluctantly severing the embrace. "We could do that, too." It was said in a hopeful tone.

"Let's finish the veggie chips while I simultaneously take you down in a rematch," she countered.

"No, I'll let you finish the "chips," and I'll take you down in that rematch," he corrected. They turned back to the game room.

With all the mental mapping of the levels she'd done earlier, round two didn't last long and she held onto her champion status once again.

Cassidy didn't come out again, she figured he'd probably fallen asleep or was texting his friends about how big of an asshole his brother was.

They started in on Dick's alternate activity suggestion of kissing, which was a lovely way to spend time in both their minds. She moaned quietly as Dick's hand worked on her nipple. She played with his hair, running her hands through its silken strands as her tongue explored his mouth terrain.

Finally, they broke that off once again and Dick jumped up to get a couple of beers. She was still a little surprised at how understanding and un-Dick-like he'd been when she told him she didn't want to rush into sex in this sandbox dimension.

As he'd run to grab the beers, Mac sat back on the couch and let her eyes wander to the pictures lining the massive wooden shelf that ran the entire length of the stone fireplace. One frame caught her eye in particular. It was a team shot of a minor league baseball team. The Sharks. Cassidy had been absent the day it was taken, but having been the bat boy, his name was mentioned at the bottom after the heading Not Pictured.

That one innocent picture had started so much drama and pain. Mac felt the nausea churning once again. That was it, this was her one chance to change the course of her life. Well, try, at least.

Dick came back into the room with two already opened bottles of Sierra Nevada. He pressed one into her hand.

"Thanks," Mac replied. She took a deep breath and exhaled, as though it would blow out the nausea and nerves. It came out shuddery. She took a sip and prayed she wouldn't gag.

After a couple of minutes of innocuous chatter, Mac pointed to the team picture. "So which one of you was on the Sharks?"

"Huh?" Dick asked confused. "That's a minor league team," he explained. "None of us played on it. The Beav was a bat boy though, um, three years ago maybe. Or two, I guess. I don't remember. Why?" He took a big drink of his beer.

"I just saw the picture and was curious."

"Our mayor was coach."

"I know, Mayor Goodman. He's a weird guy," Mac said. "A fucked up guy."

"Weird? Fucked up? How?" Dick took another sip from the bottle, his grip tightening.

"I, ah," Mac took another cleansing breath. "I heard he toucheslittleboys." It came out in a jumbled mess. She looked at her shoes as she said it.

"What did you say, Madison?!" Dick asked sharply.

"I said, I heard that Goodman molests young boys." Her voice was stronger, more confident in the truth she was telling.

"How do you know that? Who told you that?" Dick asked. He sounded mostly surprised by that statement, but it sounded like he recognized a shred of possibility in there, too.

"I heard that Marcos Oliveres was one of his victims," Mac said instead of directly answering the question.

"He was a bat boy with Cassidy." It was said flatly.

"I know."

"What are you saying, Madison?" Dick's eyes were shut, his fist clenched, like he could filter out what he didn't want to hear.

"Are you sure no one hurt Cassidy?"

"Yes, I am absolutely sure no one hurt Cassidy. He would have told me if something happened...or mom...or someone." Dick sounded anything but sure of that. He finished the last of his beer, and then loudly slammed it on the coffee table in front of him. "Let's get you home."

"Okay. I'm walking though."

"Madison, let me drive. It's late, and you don't live far."

"I know I don't live far, that's why I'm going to walk. Look, are you mad?"

"I'm not mad, I'm…" Dick ran his hand through his hair, messing it up. "I don't know what I am, or what to think, or why the hell you would say something like that." His voice got louder as he went on. "Why would you want to mess with my family?"

Hurt is what Dick looked like, not angry, but hurt.

"That's the last thing I want to do, Dick, hurt you or your family. I just thought if it was possible that Cassidy had been victimized by the Mayor that you and your parents needed to know that. I'm…so sorry." Mac spoke softly. She briefly touched Dick's arm and then left. At the doorway, she briefly paused and turned around to see him slumped on the couch, his head down.

It didn't go the way she expected, she didn't honestly know what she was expecting really. Anger, maybe? Something other than just the pain and betrayal.

Obscured by the night, Mac let her tears flow unchecked as she walked the two blocks back home. She had just turned onto Shady Springs Ct. when she heard a car come up beside her.

She furtively wiped her eyes, and then turned to her right. It was a big yellow truck, Dick's.

He stopped the truck, and rolled down his window. "I wanted to make sure you got home okay, stubborn."

"Yeah, it's a dangerous hood we live in."

"Bad things happen everywhere, Madi."

She nodded her agreement, and then climbed in the front seat. Less than thirty seconds later he pulled into her driveway.

"Thanks for the lift, and for dinner." She turned to give him a quick peck on the cheek but he pulled away right before she could make contact. Whether that was on purpose or not, though, she wasn't certain. It seemed deliberate, but with Dick she never knew for sure.

"You're welcome. See you Monday." He pulled away with a brief wave the second she shut the passenger door.

With trepidation, Mac wondered what the following week would bring.

TBC…

*****So, what did you think? Love it, hate it, m'eh? I'd love to hear your thoughts while you're down here. Thanks for the review!*****