A/N: Another new chapter making its world debut! Thank you so much for continuing to read this story, and hopefully still enjoying it. I really appreciate all the reviews and guest reviews, follows, favorites, etc. Now, on to the story...Happy reading!

Chapter 28—Wake to Dream

Thursday, October 1st, 2009

Mac walked out of her economics class, the last one for the day, in a daze. Today was the day that she'd be meeting Lauren at Java the Hut for coffee.

Finally!

It was the haze of a dream meeting the technicolor sharpness of reality.

She had been dreaming of sisterly bonding with Lauren every single day since she'd learned about the existence of her biological sister five years ago. It had at one time seemed like a fantasy that would never reach reality, but all that changed just over a week ago when both families starring in the baby switch drama—the Mackenzie's and Sinclair's—sat down their respective children and revealed the truth. Too bad they were five years too late. Veronica had beat them to it. Mac seized the moment when classmates started hiring her PI friend to dig up dirt on their parents. Finally, she had the chance to quiet that seething inner voice that kept whispering that she wasn't biologically a Mackenzie. Only that plan was an epic failure, instead of quieting that inner voice, it had the opposite effect. It confirmed what her soul apparently already knew.

Mac was still second guessing her decision to not tell 'Mom1' that she had known the entire sordid story since her junior year of high school. She was done with secrets. They had defined her life for way too long.

A deep voice and a light tap on the shoulder interrupted her rumination.

"A Soy Chai Latte for your thoughts?"

She recognized that voice right away and accepted the proffered beverage.

"Thank you kindly, coffee bitch, or should I say, tea bitch, technically." Mac said. She had been read into Dick, and Logan's roles, respectively, as beverage fetchers during her "red carpet" stay at Neptune Memorial Hospital during the summer. The drink bitch moniker was Veronica's nickname, one of several she bestowed on her boyfriend and his BFF. "Of course," she added "I'm actually on my way to Java to meet Lauren. Not that I'm not appreciative of your gesture."

"I remember," Dick said, falling into step beside her in the now-crowded halls of the mathematics building. "I thought you might want to pre-game it."

"Pre-game, eh? Isn't that what you do before going to a kegger?"

"I could always take the drink back."

"No! I didn't say that I don't appreciate your gesture, and I definitely did not say I wouldn't drink it." Mac's voice was a bit sharper than intended.

"I thought I'd escort you to the parking lot," Dick explained.

"Always the gentleman."

"Shh. I don't want that to get out, it might ruin my street cred."

"The only way that could happen is if you had any street cred to begin with, Casablancas."

"Touché, Makenzie, touché!"

"Seriously though, thank you. I'm a little nervous. I'm excited, too, of course. I've been wanting to get to know Lauren, who is this virtual stranger that shares my blood, ever since I'd learned that she existed, but what if she hates me?" Her insecurity bled into her words as she verbalized to Dick the thoughts that had been haunting her all day.

"Impossible," Dick said immediately. His tone dismissive. "No one hates you. They couldn't even if they tried. I know because I did try, you know freshman year at Hearst. It's impossible," he repeated. Dick's voice seemed to carry the same ratio of confidence that hers held doubt. "You'll be fine. You know, be yourself. The exact opposite advice people usually give me." He shrugged and said the last bit wryly. "Go figure."

Who knew Dick gave such good pep talks? That seemed to be her new hobby these days, discovering new facets of Dick's personality. Mac ignored his confession about trying to hate her their fresh-person year at Hearst. Bygones. They'd moved past that brief, sorry chapter of their shared history. Dick had been drowning in grief and guilt over Cassidy's recent death. In a desperate move to relieve some of the pressure that had been bearing down on him, he'd begun seeking out other people in his brother's narrow orbit to share in his pain. Mac couldn't fault him for that, she knew firsthand what a lonely address pain was.

They walked down the steps of the building and out into the quad. Dick had maneuvered himself over to her other side, so he could hold her left hand while she held the latte in her right.

They'd bumped into each other on campus every day since the week began, which gave weight to Mac's suspicion that Dick had been avoiding her before. Their talk had cleared things up, and he was set straight about his—wrong—assumption that she didn't want him around during the lonely weeks she'd spent recovering from her serious injury back in June. That talk had another side effect, too, it ended up leading to their first date on Saturday. That invitation was unexpected, but not unwelcome.

"Any other parting advice?" Mac asked.

"Whatever you do, no matter how much they cry, do not feed the Gremlins after midnight." Dick stated.

"I meant about Lauren. I was just mentally giving you points for a good pep talk. Now, I'm forced to subtract them. You leave me no choice." She grumbled, using her best Kindergarten teacher voice.

"I think I have a few ideas on how I can gain some extra credit, Professor Mackie. No, seriously, you'll be fine. Lauren is so nice, and smart. You know, now that I think about it, you remind me of her." Dick said, tapping his finger on his chin, as though in deep thought.

"Oh, you mean like we could be sisters?" Mac snarked.

"Maybe," Dick hedged, adding, "it's a novel idea, I know."

They crossed one of the main campus streets into Commuter Lot A. Mac's distinctive lime green Beetle was parked in the 3rd row, dead center.

"Wish me luck," Mac murmured, as they stopped in front of her car. She handed Dick her cup as she dug through her bag in search of her keys.

"Good luck!" Dick said, and then added, "not that you'll need it. Don't put too much pressure on today. Take it slow." He paused, and then added "I don't think I've ever said those words to a chick before."

Mac found her keys at the bottom of her bag. She pressed the key fob to open the door, and then took her latte back from Dick. She rolled her eyes at Dick's crack about this being the first time he'd ever told a "chick" to go slow in his life, though she suspected it was the truth.

Dick gently positioned Mac up against her car, his lips meeting hers, his tongue plundering her mouth, exploring its depths. She snaked one hand around Dick's broad shoulders, the other one cupped his butt, melding them into one.

Reluctantly, she severed the embrace. Mac didn't want to be late meeting Lauren, regardless of how much she was enjoying Dick's sendoff.

"Have fun," Dick said as Mac pulled the door handle towards her. She got into the driver's seat, tossing her bag on the passenger seat.

"I will. Thanks for the chai latte. See you later!" Mac said, though her words got lost at the end as Dick closed her car door.

She licked her kiss-swollen lips, as she started the car. It was only a 5-minute drive from campus. A glance at the dashboard clock showed she'd be a little early. Her mom ('Mom1') always tried to be prompt, but she always ended up trending closer to 10-minutes late. It was something that always annoyed her, a small bullet point on her mental list, but it was there, nonetheless. It was yet another difference between her mom and herself that she'd been cataloging since toddlerhood.

She found a spot less than a block from Java. She must have done something right to deserve that blessing from the parking Gods.

Mac opened the door to the coffee shop and saw Lauren sitting at a table by the window. Evidently her promptness gene came from the Sinclair pool.

Lauren waved.

Mac returned the wave, before hopping into the short line. A few minutes later she had her second latte of the day in hand.

"Hi! Sorry I'm late," Mac said, sliding into the chair across from this girl who looked so much like a younger version of herself.

"You're not late, I was just extra early, that's all." Lauren replied, before taking a sip of her own drink.

"It's like I always say, if you're not early, you're late," Mac said.

"You sound just like mom," Lauren replied. She waited a beat, "um, my mom, our mom?" The questioning tone pressed down. "I'm not sure what to say here." She laughed softly.

"I'm not sure either. I've started calling them 'Mom1' and 'Mom2', just to keep track of them in my head. Sadly, I couldn't find a system's manual for today," Mac confessed.

"That's okay, I don't think we need one anyway," Lauren replied. "By the way, I like your shirt."

Mac glanced down at her shirt, reminding herself of what she was wearing. It was her favorite black tee shirt AH: The Element of Surprise. It seemed like an appropriate thing to wear for a coffee shop "date" with the biological sister she always dreamed of. "This old thing? Thanks. Ryan gave it to me last Christmas. I like your Naruto shirt, too."

Lauren smiled. "This old thing?" She repeated. "Thanks."

"So, you're an anime fan?" Mac questioned.

"I'm a Naruto fan, at least. What about you?"

"I've seen it. It's pretty good. I think I like One Piece, better though."

"Is that the pirate one?" Lauren inquired.

"Yes," Mac confirmed. "So, you've watched it?"

"Not yet. Maybe I should check it out."

"Yes, you definitely should. I mean, we are Neptune pirates, after all." Mac teased

"True! I guess when you put it like that, it ought to be mandatory." Lauren said.

"Maybe we can make it your homework," Mac added.

"Homework?" Lauren repeated, raising an eyebrow. "I thought I was done with school, for the day, at least."

"Yes, homework," Mac confirmed. "What if I promised not to make you write a report on it?"

"Sold," Lauren conceded. She stuck out her hand towards Mac. They shook on the promise. "So, what are you drinking?" she asked.

"Soy Chai Latte," Mac replied. "You?"

"A skinny chai."

"An excellent choice," Mac confirmed.

"You, too. It's funny, I'd always wondered why Madison and I were so different, but I'd just dismiss it as normal sister stuff. You know?"

"I know exactly what you mean. With Ryan, well, being a boy, that didn't seem that odd to me, all those differences between us. For me, what was so obvious, and so sad, was how different my mom and I are. I loved her, um, I do love her, very much. It's just I never felt like she got me or something like that." Mac's voice got softer, tracing a finger around the rim of the mug. "How are you doing with everything?"

Lauren gifted her a look of surprise. "I think I'm supposed to ask you that."

"No systems manual to follow, remember? Believe me, I'm getting a lot of support, but it's not just me and Madison who are affected, it's every bit as life changing for you and Ryan, as it is for us."

"I think I'm still digesting it all. What about you?" Lauren played with the mug handle before taking a noisy sip of her tea.

"I'm definitely still digesting it all." Mac echoed. "This is the part where I wish there was a system's manual, or maybe even one of those For-Dummies self-help books."

"You should write one."

"I'll put it on my to-do list," Mac joked, "though I really hope there's not a big market for a book like that." The next thing out of her mouth surprised her though. "I already knew about Madison and me. I've known since I was 17, just a little older than you are now. My friend Veronica discovered that my parents had won a settlement from Neptune Memorial. I guess I should've already digested this news a long time ago, but apparently I never have."

Lauren didn't reply, but she cocked her head slightly.

"I haven't told mom, er 'Mom1', that I already knew everything. I've tried many times through the years but chickened out every single time."

"At least you don't have to hide this anymore. That's got to feel pretty good."

"It does." Mac said. She kept the mostly she'd mentally tacked on the end of the sentence to herself. Lauren was still the best part of this complex equation that represented her life.

"Madison's not taking it as well as you seem to be." Lauren's blurted out, as she started shredding a napkin in front of her.

At the mere mention of Madison's name, Mac concentrated on not flinching or making a sour face.

"Well, again, I had more time to get used to things," Mac reiterated. Defending her high school bully wasn't something she was used to. She was pretty sure she'd never get to that point. "There will be days where she hardly thinks about it at all, though it may take some time to get there. Other days, it's the only thing she'll be able to concentrate on."

"I should have been suspicious about the interest my mom took in your accident this summer," Lauren confessed, breaking off the brief silence that had bubbled up. "Oh, crap! You probably don't want to talk about that." She looked stricken. "Sorry."

"It's okay," Mac rushed to reassure her. "What do you mean?" She reached out and brushed her hand against Lauren's arm.

"I was permanently assigned to your room once you woke up, and every shift mom asked me a lot of questions about all my patients; how they were doing, any progress, etc. She'd never really gotten that involved before, but this time she played it off as something to do with the family charity and taking more of an active role going forward. It sounded plausible, I guess. Plus, she did a pretty good job making it seem like she was interested in all the patients I assisted, not just you."

"Why would you be suspicious? I'm sure I would have believed that story, too, if the roles were reversed."

"I guess," Lauren finally replied. She took the final sip of her tea, and then pushed the cup away.

Mac didn't think she looked convinced. "Well, as they say, hindsight is 20/20. It's not like any of this is a normal situation."

"That's an understatement."

Mac nodded her agreement.

"Uh, this is weird, but I guess what turned out to be the day of your accident, we ran into each other here at Java. Only later, after…you know, your accident, I thought you looked familiar. Anyway, I guess you, uh, knew who I was then? Do you even remember seeing me here?" The confession came tumbling out of Lauren's mouth, Mac tried to mentally piece together what her sister was trying to say.

"Yes, and yes, but vaguely. It's actually the only part of that day I remember now." Mac admitted, looking down at her hands. "Everything else is just a big blank until I woke up."

"That must be hard, running into a stranger and knowing we're um, blood related. I actually don't know what I'd do if I knew who were, and you didn't know me at all."

"Hard, I guess, is one way to put it," Mac admitted. The desire to change the subject was overriding her circuits. "On another subject, are you ready for another Chai?"

"Yes, please."

Mac went over to the counter to order two more drinks. Overall, occasional conversational ramblings aside, she was pleased at how well things were going. Even when they were discussing the uncomfortable things, she never felt judged by this girl who had always been her unfulfilled wish come true.

A few minutes later Mac sat back down at their table with two steaming cups of Chai.

"Thanks," Lauren said, grabbing the proffered cup. She blew on it a couple of times before taking a small sip. "Delicious."

"You're welcome," Mac replied. She wrapped her hands around the cup, letting the heat bleed through. "Here's a fun fact. Did you know Chai means tea in Hindi?"

"No, I didn't. Learn something new every day, I guess. So, does that mean calling it chai tea is redundant?"

"Yes, you're right," Mac agreed. "That would be a department of redundancy department error. So, speaking of learning something new every day, how is school going?"

"Nice segue," Lauren said, before answering the question. "It's okay, so far, at least. I can't believe I'm a junior now. Ryan is a sophomore, right?"

"Yes, he is. Did you know him, before last Saturday, that is?"

"Only his name. Neptune High is so big, and he's a grade below me. Well, I guess I'll be getting to know him better now. What should I call him? He's kind of my stepbrother, I guess?" Lauren mused.

Mac laughed at that and gave a little shrug. "I think this entire situation defies definition, but a kind of stepbrother could work. It's probably easier than having to explain he's your sister's bio brother." She gingerly took a sip of her tea.

"Or maybe I won't say anything at all. It's no one else's business anyway." It was Lauren's turn to shrug. "Well, except Brittany. She already knows everything."

"Brittany?" Mac asked, even though she vaguely remembered Lauren's friend from the day of the accident.

As they worked their way through their second round of chai, Lauren launched into a history of her friendship with Brittany, and the mysteries they'd solved together. Their friendship had started in the 7th grade when Brittany moved to Neptune from Cincinnati, Ohio. It was Brittany who solved the mystery of the missing class hamster. The story sounded eerily familiar, like she'd heard it before, probably in her coma dream.

After exhausting the subject of Brittany and their exploits, the subject meandered over to guys. Lauren was excited about the upcoming Homecoming dance. Kyle had finally asked her out. She explained how, between shifts at her non-paying job, she'd been hanging out at the pool at the Neptune country club, getting to know a certain lifeguard. All her efforts in that endeavor finally seemed to be paying off.

Mac loved Lauren's smile, and the one dimple that made frequent appearances while she talked about Kyle. They had matching dimples, though Mac thought this girl across from her, with the same DNA, wore hers better.

"What about you? I've been doing all the talking. Any boyfriends at Hearst? Or girlfriends?"

"It might be a little soon to slap on the boyfriend label, but I did go out on a date last weekend," Mac said shyly. "With a guy," she added unnecessarily.

Lauren laughed. "Yeah, I figured that out already."

"I guess calling him my not-yet boyfriend was a bit of a hint."

"What's this mysterious not-yet boyfriend's name? Is he from Neptune?"

"Yes, surprisingly, he is a Neptune native. And I believe you know him already. Dick Casablancas."

"Wow!" Lauren's surprise was broadcasted on her face. It was confirmation that the lack of a poker face was also a dominant Sinclair gene. "That's a name from the past. I saw him at the hospital this summer."

"Yes, I'm sure you did," Mac confirmed. "He was with me when the…the accident, I guess, happened. Mom, 'Mom1' that is, said he hung out in the waiting room the entire time I was out of it."

"He and Madison dated off and on in high school. I almost didn't recognize him. He seemed, well, less of an asshole, I guess," Lauren said, then blushed a deep red after realizing what she said. "Oops. Sorry."

"No, no," Mac said, waving off the apology. "He was definitely an asshole in high school. Believe me, back then if someone had told me I'd ever willingly spend more than 30 seconds in the same room with him, let alone go on an actual date, I'd be ironing a straitjacket for them. Fortunately, people change, and who we were in high school isn't always who we end up becoming. Life changes us, it beats us up, and maybe that makes us softer. I don't know. Something like that. I sound like I'm a million years old now, but yes, I guess that's one thing I've learned in this world, so far at least."

"So, is our family mix up one of the ways life beat you up?" Lauren's voice sounded tentative, like she was afraid the question overstepped bounds of their gossamer connection.

"No," Mac said immediately, then she waited a beat, adding "well, not really. Maybe. I don't know. Okay, yes, I guess it was. Sadly, it's not even close to the only thing that's beat me up in life, metaphorically speaking at least. However, at the same time, I grew up knowing I was loved. Many of my friends can't say the same, unfortunately. The trade off, on the other hand, was I also grew up not feeling like I belonged anywhere, until I met Veronica. The Bond to my Q, my 1.0 version to your Brittany 2.0."

"2.0?!"

"Yes, from all your stories, I'd have to say Brittany is your class's version of Veronica Mars. Our senior amateur detective, flagship edition, to Brittany's junior version."

"Well, every piece of software needs a beta version first, I guess." Lauren said, snark coloring her words.

Mac didn't agree, but she was pleased that she had a worthy tech-trash talking opponent. "Agree to disagree."

"Done and done!" Lauren said decisively, waving her right hand for emphasis.

"Is Mr. Clemmons still principal at Neptune High?" Mac thought there needed to be another subject change.

"Yes," Lauren said immediately. "I doubt he'll ever retire. Brittany is a frequent visitor to his office. She does cherish their meetings. I mean, it's not her fault he keeps his passwords on the bottom of his stapler. Or that his locks are easy to pick."

Mac laughed. "I guess he didn't learn anything from the Veronica years."

"That generation never does."

"Touché," Mac said, but before she could say anything more on the subject, her phone pinged a text notification. She planned on ignoring it though.

"Ooh, a text from Dick? You can check it, I don't mind."

Before Mac could say anything though, Lauren's phone also pinged with an incoming text of her own.

"Ooh, a text from Kyle? You can check it, I don't mind." Mac parroted back.

"My turn to say touché." Lauren laughed as she glanced down at her own phone screen. "Yes, it's Kyle. He just wanted to know how things were going."

"I thought you only told Brittany about our family situation."

"Well, I might have mentioned it to Kyle, as well." Lauren confessed. After a couple of beats, she added, "I was a little nervous, to be honest. What if you hated me?" She admitted quietly, looking down at the table first, before looking back up at Mac.

"I was a little nervous, too," Mac reassured her. "I guess neither of us had anything to worry about. It's not like we were total strangers. You were my patient assistant, after all."

"Good point." Lauren sounded relieved. "Maybe we can do this again sometime? I don't want Madison to think I'm replacing her, I'm not, but, yeah, today's been fun."

Mac quickly located her phone in the inner pocket of her bag.

Dick: How's it going? You haven't called me yet; I'm hoping that's a good sign.

"I get that. I feel the exact same way with Ryan. He'll always be my pesky baby brother." Mac paused. "I had fun, as well, and I'd like to do it again sometime, too," she agreed, before firing off a quick reply to Dick's text.

Me: Awesome!

Dick: I was right! I knew you two would have fun together. TTYL…

"Oh, and don't forget, mom is planning this giant Thanksgiving gathering. You are coming, right?"

"I think I heard both moms plotting something for the holiday," Mac said, non-committedly.

"Lucille is an amazing cook," Lauren said, continuing to try to sell Mac on the idea.

"Yes, she is. I'm still stuffed from Saturday's brunch." Mac sassed. Her eyes landed on the clock on the opposite wall. She was surprised to see it was after 6 PM.

Time moved quickly when you were catching up on a lifetime of memories with your bio sister who only recently learned about your existence.

A few minutes later they reluctantly said their good-byes, briefly hugging before leaving the coffee shop and heading out in different directions.

Mac got into her Beetle; her motions automatic as she thought back to all those times, she had imagined little scenarios involving sisterly bonding with Lauren. This time those dreams had merged into reality. It truly was a pinch-me moment. No matter what happened in the future, as the Sinclair's and Mackenzie's tried to make sense of their cosmic tie, at least Mac's biggest wish had come true, Lauren was now a part of her life.

Before starting her car, she dug around for her cell, unearthing it from the depths of her bag. Tossing the messenger bag on the passenger seat, she scrolled through until she found Dick's name in her contacts menu.

"Hey, it's me. I just left the coffee shop. I had so much fun getting to know Lauren better…Yes, you were right…No, no, I'm not going to repeat that for posterity." She smiled and shook her head, aware that Dick couldn't see her over the cell connection. Between the coffee shop visit with Lauren, and the phone conversation with Dick, she wondered if the smile that was currently overtaking her face was on its way to becoming a permanent fixture, she just hoped her face wouldn't break.

TBC...

**Thanks for reading! And as always, if you could spare a moment or two to let me know your thoughts, I'd really appreciate it. Reviews are a gift!