Okay guys, here is where the mystery starts. I apologize if this chapter is overly emotional, but it had to be done. Don't forget to hit the review button at the bottem!!

Mac was in the middle of a nice dream when Dick woke her up. She'd been the owner of Apple, and was releasing the newest laptop that could break a password code in less then a minute. Two of her deepest desires in one dream. The look on Dick's face when she opened her eyes though, told her reality wasn't going to be nearly as perfect as dreamland.

She sat up quickly. "Dick? What's wrong?" It was odd for him to be up earlier then her.

"Logan just called." He explained as he dragged her out of bed and towards the living room. "He said to turn on the TV. You should see this too."

They sat down on the couch and Dick flipped to the local news station. Mac's eyes grew wider as she looked at the screen. It showed the police station, or what used to be the police station, now a pile of rubble and fire on the corner of the street. A reporter discussed the destruction, apparently the result of an explosion that had gone off in the station about three hours ago. There were 10 suspected deaths, including those of Deputy Sacks, Deputy Leo, and the kind Secretary Inga. Mac leaned against Dick heavily. The only luck they had was that Sheriff Mars had been on call at another location at the time.

"Sacks. Leo. Inga. Dead." She mumbled. Neptune had a way of being the death of good people.

Dick slid his arm around her and pulled her into his chest. She sat there for a minute, letting him see her softer side as she silently shed tears into his shirt. She could tell his jaw was working silently, a habit he had when he was trying hard not to cry. The deaths of so many people all of a sudden was hitting both of them hard. Suddenly Mac sat up straight.

"We have to call Veronica."

Mac felt Dicks arms reluctantly drop from around her, and she offered him a stoic smile. She would be there for him in a few minutes, but first she had to make sure her other best friend was okay. The one who was more affected by the situation. When she found her phone she hit the speed dial for Veronica's cell, and waited impatiently for her to answer.

"Yes?" Veronica sounded more broken then Mac had heard in a long time.

"Who is it Ronnie?" She heard in the background. Good, Logan was there already.

"Veronica it's Mac. I saw the news."

There was a pause on the other end of the line. "They're all dead Mac."

"I know V." Mac searched for something comforting to say. "Whoever did this, we're not going to let them get away with it."

That seemed to do the trick, because when Veronica answered her voice was stronger then before. "Damn straight we're not. I'm going to head down to the station and start asking some questions."

"Veronica." Mac said quickly to slow down her friend. "I said we're going to catch them, I didn't mean right this second. It's okay to grieve a little."

"Who are you, Dr. Phil?" They reverted to the sarcastic humor they always used in situations like this. The fact that they had encountered enough similar situations gave Mac a pause, but she answered strongly.

"Hell no, he's ugly, just call me Dr. Mac."

The little laugh that comment got from Veronica was worth it. She knew that Logan would handle the rest. "Hey, let me speak to Logan for a second."

"Plotting against me?"

"Always."

A slight pause indicated the transfer of the phone over to Logan. His voice was stronger then V's, but the edge indicated that he was torn up too. "What's up Mac-attack?"

"Don't let her go after this case right away."

Logan's answer didn't surprise her. "I don't want her going after this case at all." Apparently he'd moved away from Veronica because she didn't hear anyone yelling in the background.

"You and I both know that isn't going to happen. For now just help her get over this. Dick and I will be over in a while. And Logan?" She said right before he was about to hang up.

"Yeah?"

Mac sighed, "Don't go ordering her not to do anything and get her pissed off."

"I'll do my best."

The click of the phone shutting off made Mac sigh again. There, she'd made sure Veronica was okay. But Mac wasn't sure if she herself was. Though she didn't know the people at the station as well as her best friend did, she still spent quite a bit of time over there during the last couple of years. Not only did she have weekly lunches with Veronica and the Sheriff, but some of the deputies sometimes asked for her help solving cases that involved breaking into complicated computer systems. Deputy Leo especially. That man really did not know his way around a computer. That thought caused her to tear up. He wouldn't be asking for her help anymore.

She headed back into the living room slowly, and saw Dick sitting on the couch. He was leaning forward towards the television, and his face held more sadness and determination on it then she'd seen in a long time. Dick also knew the men at the station fairly well, he'd gone out drinking with several of them occasionally since they helped him catch a fraudulent employee a while back. Sacks was his personal favorite. It turns out Sheriff Mars' second in command was also a first class drinking game expert. Because of that connection Mac knew he wasn't going to let this rest. One of the traits Mac respected most about Dick was his loyalty, she knew that he would do anything in his power to help Veronica and Sheriff Mars catch the bastards who did this.

Sitting down next to him, Mac began to rub his shoulders soothingly. "It's going to be okay."

"I don't know." The sound of Dick's voice broke Mac's heart. It was filled with more pain then she'd heard since they first talked about Cassidy's death. "This shit keeps happening you know? It just seems that sooner or later our luck has to run out. Sooner or later Ronnie isn't going to be able to catch the bad guy. Maybe even one of us will end up dead. I can't handle that Mac, I just can't…" His face crumbled.

Mac reached up and pulled him into her arms letting his head resting on her chest. "Shh, Dick. It's going to be okay. Everyone is going to be okay. I promise you that okay? From me to you, from Ghostworld to Surfer boy, I promise that everything is going to turn out okay."

She wasn't sure that everything she was saying was true, but it would cost too much to believe otherwise. If she let herself believe that things were going to end badly then she wouldn't have the energy to fight against it. So she fortified herself with thoughts of her friends, of Dick and Veronica and how much they needed her and she needed them. It was because of that connection that she would make sure everything turned out okay. Silently she stroked Dick's hair, letting him cry into her shirt. That was one reason she cared so deeply about Dick, he let himself feel things. Really feel them. Feel them enough to cry about them even when he generally said crying was the first sign of being a pussy.

After a few minutes his tears started slowing down, and she felt him push himself into sitting up position. He smiled tightly down at her and gave her a quick hug.

"Thank you." He said simply.

A few years ago she never would have believed that Dick Casablancas was capable of such emotions, and she certainly never would have believed that he'd let her comfort him, this softer side of Dick was a new development. Personally she believed that he'd hidden it under all the layers of jackass he wore until their sophomore year of college. Now she'd seen that side of him several times, and every time she did all she wanted to do was take care of him. Anyone who said Mac Mackenzie didn't have a heart should really see her now.

She smiled softly back at him and gave him a kiss on the cheek. "I know, we don't mention this to anyone. Wouldn't want your manly reputation to be ruined. Bad for business."

Dick laughed. The laugh made her feel better, as long as she could still make him laugh it really was going to be okay. "You sure know how to cheer a guy up Ghostworld. Come on, let's go rescue Ronnie from Logan's over protectiveness."

"I don't care what your opinion is Logan, it really has no bearing here!"

Mac winced slightly as the approached Veronica's apartment and heard the yelling. Apparently Logan had decided not to take her advice. The idiot sometimes had a death wish when it came to his ex-girlfriend. He really didn't have a healthy enough dose of fear of the tiny blonde. She shot a glance at Dick out of the corner of her eye, and to her surprise he had a grin on his face.

"Sounds like my boy is about to get back together with Ronnie."

She laughed at that. Sometimes Dick was still the same guy he'd been in High School. Minus the jackass part. Potentially awkward and tense situations had the annoying habit of not affecting him at all. If they could bottle that trait and sell it they would be millionaires. Well, she would be a millionaire and Dick would be more of a millionaire then he already was.

Dick reached up and knocked on the door. "Yo, Logan dude, stop flirting with Veronica and open the door!"

A second later the yelling stopped and Logan appeared at the door. He glared at Dick as he opened it. "Hi Mac, hi jackass."

Dick just smiled at him. "Is that anyway to greet your best friend?"

They all went inside, and Mac shook her head silently at Dick. He knew when to revert back to the fun loving guy he used to be, and his carefree attitude helped lighten the tense situation. Even though Mac knew it was only an act now instead of his actual personality like it used to be, she was glad he was using it, she could see the tension in Logan's shoulders fade a little as he argued with his best friend. They all entered the living room, where Veronica stood with her arms crossed, a sure sign that at any second all hell was going to break loose.

"Ronnie!" Dick exclaimed. "It's nice to see you don't have a taser on you. Wouldn't want Logan to end up dead or anything."

The deceptively small girl glared at Dick as he threw an arm around her shoulders. "Don't make me go get it and use it on you Dick."

Mac walked up to avoid a potentially dangerous situation. She glanced at Dick to let him know that she appreciated his efforts, and that she'd take over from there. "Okay guys, why don't I make us some coffee. Or how about a full breakfast, I know Dick and I haven't eaten anything."

The other three individuals in the room sat down at the kitchen table as she moved around the kitchen easily. Several years of fending for herself, and Dick for the most part, had turned her into a decent cook. She couldn't do anything fancy, but coffee and pancakes she could handle. At the table, Logan and Veronica sat tensely, and Dick was taking it upon himself to amuse the group by launching into a story about an idiotic business associate. Though she could tell neither of the other two really cared about his story, it at least kept the room from being silent.

When the pancakes were done she sat the stack in front of them and started pouring coffee. "Dick? Do you mind setting the table?"

His story had finished a few minutes ago, and she could tell he certainly didn't mind having something to do. She would deal with Logan's cracks about how she'd domesticated Dick later. For now she concentrated on distributing food so they would all have something to think about besides the police station situation. Of course, right as she thought that Veronica started talking.

"I'm going to head down to the station after we eat."

Logan looked up at her quickly, but Mac cut him off before he could say anything. "Are you sure that's such a good idea V? They're trying to clean up, you could be in the way."

"I'm tiny." Veronica answered, "The only way I could get in anyone's way is if I tried. Which I won't. I just want to get a feel for the situation."

"I'm going with you." Logan said suddenly.

Veronica's only answer was to shrug her shoulders. That was a lot better then Mac could have hoped for. At least she didn't start yelling again.

"What do you want me to do?" She asked.

"What do you mean?" The other girl sounded surprised.

Dick interjected before Mac could. "You don't honestly think we'd let you do this alone do you?"

Obviously caught off guard Veronica looked back and forth between the other three people at the table. Then her face softened into a small smile. "No I guess you guys wouldn't."

MaDiMaDiMaDiMaDi

It turned out the first steps in their investigation were simple. Veronica headed to the crime scene with Logan to find out what the police knew. How she was going to manage that nobody knew, or really wanted to know for that matter, but they were sure she'd do it. She assigned Mac to searching the web for any clues, and even actually gave Dick a job. He was going to talk to his business contacts and see if any of them knew anything.

So far the internet search had only yielded articles explaining the tragedy. Even CNN had done a little spot on it, calling it an attack on the modern justice system. Seriously, the people who wrote those articles needed to get lives. Mac read over the list of suspected victims sadly, recognizing many of the names. Like the bus crash tragedy of so many years ago this one had caught the heart of Neptune. One article reported that as early as tonight there would be a candle lighting ceremony at the remains of the station. Mac only hoped that this time she didn't know who was responsible. Beside her Dick was talking away on the phone with his good friend from college and business partner Joshua Samuels. Mac had met the man many times both in college and since; he was a sometimes contender in their Halo contests. He was also a kind hearted man with a wife and child on the way, who repeatedly told Dick he needed to settle down. She liked his influence on Dick. Around Josh he seemed much more mature then usual, maybe because Josh hadn't known Dick in his asshole days, the pair had met in their Sophomore year of college.

"Okay. Yeah, talk to you later man." Mac turned around when she heard Dick end his phone call.

"Any luck?"

Dick settled down next to her and shook his head sadly. "A police station doesn't really effect stocks or sales, so most of the business world isn't even really aware of it. I'll be surprised if any of them are even really upset."

A frustrated sigh escaped Mac, and she turned to lean her head against the table. They hadn't discovered anything useful in the hours they'd been searching. Of course, finding clues this early after the accident would have been a miracle, but she'd hoped anyways. She looked up as Dick began massaging her shoulders.

"Don't worry Mac-attack. We'll find something."

They shared this roll reversal many times. One of them would get the other out of a tough spot, only to need the same comfort later. It touched her that Dick knew exactly what to say at the right time. She really didn't know what she would do without him.

With that thought she reached up and gripped his hand in a panic, turning to look him straight in the eye. "Don't ever leave me okay? Dying is not an option."

Dick lost his smile as he looked down at her face. This was as serious as she ever got, and all she needed in that moment was an assurance that she wouldn't ever have to face life without him. A million scenarios ran through her head. Some involved Dick leaving, or forgetting about her, or, god forbid, getting killed. That was one thing she knew would break her. More then Cassidy's death or anything that had happened since she knew that if he died she wouldn't be able to take it. Swallowing deeply Dick leaned down until his forehead rested against Mac's.

"I promise." His voice came out hoarse. "I promise that I'll never leave you of my own free will, and I'll fight like hell to make sure I don't leave you any other way."

Mac nodded and closed her eyes, trying to make the images stop flowing. The tragedy at the Police station had shaken up all the thoughts she'd thought were gone. As tears began to flow she felt Dick's hand reach under her chin and tilt her face up to look at him. Reluctantly she opened her eyes and stared into his baby blue ones.

"I need you to promise the same thing. I don't think I can do this whole living thing without you."

Words failed to come to her for a moment, so she nodded her head. Finally she managed to choke out, "I promise."

They stayed like that for one long, meaningful moment. Mac stared into his eyes and knew that this was the moment when everything changed. Right in that moment was when she realized that living without Dick was not an option. That moment was when she realized she was in love with Dick Casablancas.

It figured that it took ten people dying to make her realize it.

So there it is guys, please let me know what you think!! Another update should be up as soon as tomorrow, though if my classes go long I can't make any promises.