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LoVe Me Madly

Veronica saw Logan standing at the end of a line of cars in the parking lot of the Hard Rock. She would have beat him back to the casino if he hadn't blown passed her to run the last red light. She hoped their friends were waiting, ready to get back on the road. As it was, it was going to be past one by the time they made it home. She turned down an aisle, was lucky enough to find an open space near the front. As she pulled into it, she glanced around for the others. And that's when she saw what was happening. Not that she could believe it. "What's going on?" she called as she shut the door to the Sebring and half walked/half ran over to were Logan and Wallace were standing.

Logan turned to look at her approach. He was chuckling. "I have no idea, but I wish I had a video camera. This is priceless."

Veronica rolled her eyes at his juvenile remark while she pushed past him. "If you're not going to stop it, I will."

But Wallace grabbed her arm from behind. "Don't. This is the most fun I've had all day." Veronica struggled, but he held firm.

On her other side, Logan draped his arm across her shoulder, anchoring her to him. "Relax. He's in more danger from her than she is from him. Besides, you should be loving this."

A few feet in front of the trio, Mac smacked Dick with her messenger bag – again. "You can't possibly be that stupid! No one is that stupid! I've seen fish demonstrate more intelligence than you, you big ape!"

Dick covered his head and did his best to sidestep the continuing on slot. He peeked over at Logan, but from the wide smile spread across his friend's face, he knew no help was coming from that corner. "I already said I'm sorry. What more do you want?"

"What I want, is for I you to think," Mac took another swing, "before you open your Big! Stupid! Mouth!" She punctuated each word with a direct hit.

"I told you, I didn't do it on purpose." Dick took a step back, dodging and weaving. What was it with these midget women constantly attacking him? "It just slipped out."

"It just slipped out," Mac mimicked as she slammed her hands flat against his chest, the force actually causing him to stumble.

"It's not the end of the world," Dick said as he quickly righted himself. And where did they get their freakish strength?

Mac ground her teeth together. "Do you have any idea how much trouble I could have gotten into?"

Hearing that, Veronica wrenched herself away from the boys, and insinuated herself between Mac and her victim. "What happened? What did he do to you?"

Mac, who until that moment hadn't realized Veronica was there, and even if she had, wouldn't have cared, roughly brushed her hair out of her face. A face that was red with rage. "That idiot," she pointed an accusing finger over Veronica's shoulder, "accused me of card counter while I was sitting at the blackjack table! Card counting!"

Dick, not as stupid as Mac thought he was, took advantage of Veronica's protection. With the petite blonde between them, his usual cocky attitude returned. "Yeah, and the dealer just laughed it off. Calm down, drama queen."

Mac pushed Veronica aside and advanced on Dick again, murder in her eyes. "Las Vegas casinos have some of the best security and surveillance equipment in the world. Including facial recognition software. They could have pulled up my driver's license, you moron. My real driver's license! The minimum they would have done was kick me out of the casino. If they actually thought I was card counting, they could have put me in the black book." She watched the revelation roll off Dick's shoulders. "And if they thought you were helping me, they would have black booked you too!"

For the first time since the whole mess started, Dick actually looked concerned. "But I didn't do anything. You were the one who was cheating!"

Mac screamed in frustration, her hands balled at her sides. "I was not cheating! I was playing the odds." She went back to beating on him, this time with her bare hands. "It's not my fault you don't understand the basic principles of blackjack! Can you even count to twenty-one?"

Logan leaned close to Wallace. "How much did he lose?"

"A couple grand," Wallace informed him, more animated than he'd been all day. "But that's not what set him off. They had a side bet going - who could win the most in an hour - and she was kicking his ass. He got frustrated and accused her of counting cards. They made the bet when they first sat down at the table. The dealer heard them, so I think he knew that Dick only said it because he was losing, but Mac has a point."

Logan shook his head. Dick was an idiot. "What was the bet?"

Wallace watched as Veronica unsuccessfully tried to separate the two, almost getting clocked by a stray punch for her efforts. "Loser details the winner's car. By hand. In a bathing suit."

"Holy shit!" Logan choked out. "How did he get her to agree that?"

Wallace shrugged. "It was her idea."

Mac's arms were getting tired, so she finally caved and let Veronica drag her away. But she was still mad. "You own me, Mars. I'm talking huge!" She raised her voice. "And we're not done, Casablancas!"

Dick jogged over to the guys, while the girls stayed a good distance away. Once Mac was calm, Veronica was able to get the whole story. Towards the end, she was biting her bottom lip to keep from smiling. "I am so sorry," she managed to get out with a straight face.

"Yeah, you look sorry." Mac was not in the mood to be placated or patronized. "Can we go home now?" Veronica nodded vigorously. Mac walked over to where she'd dropped her messenger bag, muttering under her breath. "I should have gone to the go-cart races with my parents."

Veronica picked up the bag before Mac could, lugging it over own shoulder. "Look on the bright side. You won money, and a bet with an 09er. I suggest you make him wear a bikini when he washes your car. And take pictures, lots of pictures."

Mac snorted. Dick in a bikini. Intriguing, twisted, disgusting and embarrassing all at the same time. "Or I could sell tickets."

"Making money off Dick's misery. That sounds like something I'd do." Veronica pressed her hand to her chest. "I'm so proud."

"Oh, shut up," Mac said in annoyance as she started towards the boys. Dick was standing with Logan and Wallace, looking like he didn't have a care in the world. "Get me out of here before I slap him again."

"Are you sure we're not twins?" Veronica called after her.

While Mac had been informing Veronica about the day's events, Logan had been razzing Dick. He stuck out his bottom lip, a sad expression on his face. "Did the itty-bitty girl give you a boo-boo?"

Dick rubbed his stomach where one of Mac's last punches had connected with surprising accuracy. "I'm telling you, she hits like Evander Holyfield."

Although Wallace didn't know Dick that well, he joined in. It was a guy thing. "I can see it. Mac is secretly training to be a professional boxer. The vegan, pacifist, computer geek thing; it's all a cover."

Logan nodded in agreement. "That has to be it. Because the only other explanation is that Dick's a wuss. Who got his ass kicked. By a girl."

Dick huffed. "What did you expect me to do? Fight back?" He leveled his hand against his chest. "She doesn't even come up to here on me. I could have hurt her."

Logan talked directly to Wallace, pretending to ignore Dick. "I think the best part was when he covered his head and ran around in a circle. I haven't seen moves like that since kindergarten."

"Good, yes, but not the best part," Wallace quickly corrected him. "You weren't here for the start of it. The first time she hit him, he screamed like a little bitch."

"She hit me in the nut sack!" Dick said in his own defense. Both boys turned to look at him. A second passed and then they burst out laughing. Which only agitated Dick more. "Do you know how heavy that damn bag is? It was like getting hit in the balls with a brick. And I wanted to punch her. I mean, you don't do shit like that. But I knew Veronica would kill me."

Logan recovered enough to say, "I would have killed you. You don't hit girls. Ever."

"That's what I've been saying!" Dick threw-up his hands. "Neither one of you jumped in to stop her, so I didn't have a choice. I had to take it." He leaned against an old Chevy Caprice Classic. "And thanks for watching my back. I totally feel the love. Thank god Ronnie showed up. You two are useless."

Slowly, Wallace and Logan calmed down. They continued to smirk, but the riotous laughter was over. Logan put his hand on Dick's shoulder. "I'm sorry, man, but you know in my position you'd do the same thing."

"Whatever, dude." Dick shuffled his feet, his eyes trained on the ground. "I know I screwed up, but I didn't expect her to take it so hard. It was totally an accident."

"You accused her of card counting," Wallace reminded him as he leaned on the car opposite of them.

"It was an accident!" Dick said again with more force. "She kept winning and winning, and then she doubled-down on that one hand…" He shook his head in disgust. Mac had won more on that hand of cards than he'd lost since they'd sat down at the table. "Nobody's that lucky. She was doing something."

"So it wasn't an accident." That's why Logan rarely invited Dick to his poker games at home. The guy was a sore loser. Especially when someone else was winning big. "She was having good luck, you were having bad luck, and you took it out on her. Nice."

"By the way." Dick reached into his pocket and took out four hundred dollars. "You place your own bets from now on. I think you jinxed me." Dick couldn't remember a worse day in a casino. His dad was going to have a fit when he saw the amount of money he'd had taken out of his account. "I won that first bet for you and then I didn't win a dime after. I even lost on the slots."

Logan let out a low whistle as he took the money. "Damn, that sucks." He stuffed it in his wallet. It wasn't much, but at least it paid for some of the gas. "If you were on such a bad streak, why did you make the side bet with her in the first place?"

"Fuck." Dick dropped his chin to his chest. "She's gonna make me wash her car, isn't she?"

"Hell, yes," Mac said as she approached. "And if I find one scratch on my baby, you're paying for a new paint job."

Veronica gave Logan a quick kiss. "I think it's about time we head out. We're already going to be late getting home. Wallace? Are you coming with me?"

"Of course. I want to ride in your new car," Wallace said with a smile. "How did it go at the dealership?"

Veronica was happy her best friend was verbal once again. The grunted responses from earlier had really worried her. At some point, she'd have to ask him what happened, but she wasn't up for another emotional conversation right then. She linked arms with him. "Great! I have a practically brand new car and for a lot less then I would have expected to pay. It almost makes up for the loss of the Le Baron."

There was a lot Wallace wanted to say about her last statement, but he decided to let it go. Mac had been right. Veronica was happy today and he wasn't going to say or do anything to bring her down. And as long as he didn't have to ride back to Neptune with Weevil… "Aren't we missing someone?"

The question prompted Mac to look around. "Where is Weevil?"

"He decided to extend his visit with his cousin. He's going to head back to Neptune tomorrow." Wallace accepted the explanation, just as Logan had, but Veronica saw Mac's forehead wrinkle in question. She shook at head at the other girl, pleading in her eyes. Mac slowly nodded in agreement.

-VVV

Dinner was a fiasco. Well, not the beginning, Veronica amended in her head. It had been nice to actually sit down to eat with everyone instead of getting fast food on the road. It had been Logan's idea. He'd missed lunch and he said he wanted more than a crappy burger and fries. Besides, they were already going to be late, what difference could it make? So they'd stopped at a restaurant on the outskirts of Barstow. Mac, Wallace and Veronica taking the opportunity to call home, letting their parents know they would be later than expected so no one would worry. And everything had been going well.

Until Dick spoke.

He made a joke about Mac being a typical girl who ordered salad when the rest of them were getting steak. He followed that up by asking if she was trying to lose those last few pounds of baby fat. Mac's reply had been a solid kick to his shin.

For the rest of the meal, every time Dick went to open his mouth, Logan shot him a dirty look. Mac remained eerily silent, her concentration so completely focused on the plate in front of her, Veronica was worried the lettuce would burst into flames. Wallace did his best to keep conversation going, but with Logan watching Dick and Veronica watching Mac, it was a lost cause. The group skipped dessert and were soon back on the road.

Forty-five miles later, Mac was still fuming in the back seat of the Sebring. Veronica took a quick peak at her through the rearview. This was a side of Mac she'd never seen before and she didn't know quite what to make of it. "I have to say, watching you beat-up Dick was the highlight of my week, believe me, but it's a little out of character. What's going on with you, Mac?"

Mac continued to stare out the side window. "Nothing."

"Nothing? Really? That's what you're going with?" Veronica said in a flat, sarcastic tone. "Did you forget who you're talking to?"

Mac shifted uncomfortably in her seat, not enjoying being under the Mars' microscope. "He rubs me the wrong way, that's all."

Veronica knew it was more than that. It had to be. Sweet, gentle, shy Mac didn't attack people. Especially a guy who had at least a hundred pounds on her. "Are you sure? Because –"

"I said it was nothing," Mac said in the same voice she'd used earlier when dealing with Dick outside the casino. "I'm not one of your cases, Veronica. There's no mystery to solve here."

Veronica raised her eyebrows at the response. Whatever it was, Mac really didn't want to talk about it. Of course, that wouldn't last long. Veronica would get it out of her eventually. But it could wait. Instead, she turned to Wallace. "And your problem?"

Wallace straightened, surprised by the question. "I don't have a problem."

"And now you're going to act like you don't know what I'm talking about. What is it with you two?" Mac seemed genuinely upset, so Veronica was willing to cut her some slack. Wallace wasn't going to get off so easily. "Earlier today? When you were mute-boy? Care to explain?"

Wallace should have seen it coming. She wanted answers and since she wasn't getting them from Mac, she focused on him instead. He tried to turn the tables on her. "You and Logan were awfully quiet too. You want to tell me what that was about?"

Veronica chose to ignore the question, to act like Wallace hadn't said a thing. "You barely said two words. You actually grunted at me when you got out of the car at the Hard Rock. Did I do something to piss you off?"

"Tell her," Mac said simply from the back.

Wallace looked over his shoulder, confused by her too. "You told me not to say anything."

"I told you not to bring it up, but she did, so just tell her." Mac knew the best time – the only time – to tell Veronica something she didn't want to hear, was when she initiated the conversation. It might be Wallace's only chance. And it would keep Veronica from circling back to Mac's behavior. Which she couldn't explain unless she spilled everything, and she didn't want Veronica to know the stupid thing she was doing the next day.

When Wallace remained silent, Veronica glanced between him, the rearview mirror and the road. "Okay, someone better start talking or I'm pulling the car over."

Wallace hated that Mac had backed him into a corner. If he continued to say nothing, Veronica would interrogate him for the rest of the trip. "It's about Weevil," he said finally. "I'm not sure you've noticed. I mean, you'd have to be blind not to notice, and you usually pick up on things, but…" His face contorted in a mix of discomfort and frustration. "Weevil likes you."

The corner of Veronica's mouth turned up in a smirk. "I know Weevil likes me. We're friends."

"No," Wallace dragged out the word like he was talking to a two-year old. "He likes you, likes you." Veronica bit her bottom lip and Wallace groaned. "Now you've got me talking like a girl. Weevil has the hots for you. There. I said it."

Veronica started to laugh, really laugh, but when she realized the other two didn't find the comment as funny as she did, she quickly quieted down. "You're serious."

"Hell, yes, I'm serious." Truth be told, Wallace had wanted to say something about Weevil's behavior for weeks, but he'd held his tongue. With everything else going on, it hadn't seemed important enough to bother her. Now it was and he wasn't going to let her blow him off. "He thinks he's a part of your life!"

Veronica's voice grew cold, almost deadly. "Weevil is a part of my life. He's my friend."

Wallace heard the tone, knew he was walking on thin ice. "I would never try to tell you who to be friends with. If I'd listened to what other people said, I wouldn't be friends with you. But Weevil…" How did he say this without making her go ballistic? "I know he's helped you out of some jams, helped you with some cases. But, girl, the way he looks at you sometimes… You might not want to see it, but I sure as hell do. And I bet Logan sees it too. You need to watch what you say and do around him, or he's going to get the wrong idea."

Veronica expected this from her boyfriend, but not from Wallace. He had more sense. "You don't understand and you should, because I know I've explained this before. Weevil is nice to me, and yes, he is protective, but it's not because he has a thing for me. It's because of Lilly."

"And because he's got a crush on you." Wallace persisted. Veronica was so good at reading people, except for those closest to her. Half the time, she didn't see what was going on right in front of her.

Veronica took a deep breath. She was driving; she couldn't lose control or they could all end up dead. Calm, she told herself. You need to stay calm. "I was Lilly's best friend, and I loved her, just like Weevil did. He wasn't able to protect her, and he's never going to forgive himself for that. So sometimes he goes out of his way to make sure I'm okay. But he does it because of Lilly. Because he thinks it's what Lilly would want him to do. It has nothing to do with me. It's all about her."

Wallace turned in his seat so he could get a better look at her. "You really believe that?"

"Yes!" Veronica said with force through clenched teeth.

Wallace shook his head, threw up his hands. "Then you're blind."

Screw calm. Wallace was being obtuse on purpose. "Weevil and I are friends. Why does it have to be more than that? Why can't he care about me without it being something else?" Veronica pointed between the two of them. "You're a guy and we're friends. Does that mean you're in love with me?"

"What happened this morning?" Wallace asked, his tone now matching hers. "What happened between you and Weevil that upset Logan so much he didn't talk to you?"

Veronica's stomach dropped. "That was a misunderstanding," she said trying to downplay the situation.

"What happened?" Wallace pushed. "Tell me now or I'll ask Logan the next time we stop."

Now it was Veronica who was backed into the corner. The last thing she wanted was Wallace prodding at Logan. Her boyfriend had been uncharacteristically reasonable, and she'd like it to stay that way. "Logan heard Weevil… sort of… make a pass at me. But it's not what it sounds like," she added quickly. "I was upset about… something that happened and Weevil was trying to make me feel better. I made a joke about him beating up Logan when Logan was drunk. And he said he could take sober Logan. And then I said he couldn't even take me. And he asked if it was a challenge. And I said it was. And then he said, if you want to touch me all you have to do is ask. And that's the part Logan heard. But it was all a joke."

"Sure it was," Wallace snorted, his suspicions confirmed. Weevil had made a pass at her. So much for Mac's theory that the biker would never try something while Veronica and Logan were dating. Wallace was amazed Logan hadn't taken a swing at the guy. He would have.

Veronica couldn't tell Wallace why she'd been upset, because then she'd have to tell him about Tad. And she was still feeling guilty about the events she'd set into motion. Weevil had only been trying to make her feel better, to lighten the mood. But there was no way to fully explain that without getting into the other stuff. So instead of specifics, she was left with generalities, which she knew weren't going to work. "I think when guys and girls are friends – just friends, they have two types of relationships. They either act like we do, brother and sister, or they antagonize each other. When Lilly and Logan were dating, Logan used to say crap like that to me all the time. Usually because he was trying to get me to blush, or make Lilly laugh. But he wasn't serious."

"And now you're dating him." Wallace smiled in triumph. "Did you ever consider the possibility that Logan said stuff like that to you, because even back then, he liked you? And that Weevil does the same thing now for the same reason?"

"Are we having a When Harry Met Sally moment?" Veronica asked, the sarcasm back. "The next thing you're going to say is that guys and girls can't be friends because sex always gets in the way."

Wallace thought for a second, then nodded. "Well, it does." He watched Veronica huff beside him. "I think your theory on guy/girl relationships is half right. But you're not thinking like a guy. The only reason we treat a girl like a sister, is because we aren't attracted to her. You're cute and all, but you're not my type, so we've got the sibling thing going on. But most guys who want to be friends with you," Wallace air quoted the words, "are only waiting around to take their shot."

"If that's true," Veronica held up her hand when she saw the smile creep up once again on Wallace's face. "And I'm not saying it is – but if it is true, then I think Weevil thinks of me like a little sister."

"Wrong again," Wallace said. Once Veronica got an idea in her head it took an avalanche of common sense to knock it lose. "If he did he wouldn't have said what he did. I would never say something like that to you. I wouldn't even think something like that. It's gross."

Veronica pursed her lips. "Gee, thanks."

"You know what I mean." Wallace closed his eyes, prayed for strength. "Mac, a little help here? Please?"

Mac fondly remembered the days before she was friends with Veronica, when human drama was almost completely, blissfully absent from her life. "I've gotten this talk from my older male cousins. And from my dad. They pretty much said the same thing. A guy, as long as he's not gay, is always scoping out girls, even girls he considers friends. He might not constantly think about it, but he does think about it. It's in the DNA." Mac had never experienced the phenomenon herself. Her male friends were all computer geeks who worked from a different set of rules, but she'd observed enough of it at school to know to was true. "Normally, I'd said my cousins are a bunch of idiots, and my dad's being overprotective, but I think they're right. And I think Wallace is right about Weevil."

Veronica was silent for a moment, chewing on her bottom lip and the words of her friends. "You really think –"

"Yes!" came the echoing response.

"Okay, okay." Veronica shifted in her seat. She waited a beat, a then, "But I still think you're wrong."

Wallace groaned. It was going to be a long, long ride back to Neptune.

-VVV

Mac waved goodbye to Wallace as he pulled out of the parking lot of the Grand, then used the same hand to cover her mouth as a yawn escaped. It was almost three in the morning and she was exhausted. She stood with Veronica, hoping that whatever Logan and Dick were discussing, the conversation would end soon. "Thanks for letting me stay tonight."

Veronica, just as tired, gave her a weak smile. "You can barely keep your eyes open. What kind of friend would I be if I let you drive home? I only wish I could have convinced Wallace to stay."

"He's fine. He got a couple hours of sleep in the car." Once the three of them realized they were talking in circles about Weevil, they'd collectively decided to let the subject drop. At least for the time being. But Wallace had shown his displeasure by ignoring Veronica and then dropping off in his seat. "And as long as Logan isn't trying to convince Dick to stay, I'm good with crashing."

Veronica snorted. "I care what happens to you, what happens to Wallace. Dick? Not so much. Besides, this is early for him. He's probably trying to talk Logan into going back to his place to party." She glanced at her watch. One more minute, and then she was going up to the suite with or without Logan. The boys had just spent seven hours in a car together. What could they possibly need to discuss now? "Your parents don't mind you staying here?"

"They were fine with it. The advantages of being a good kid. They actually trust me." Mac leaned against the concrete wall for support. She was practically asleep on her feet. "It didn't take much to convince them to let me come in the first place. They like you."

Veronica raised an eyebrow in speculation. "Even with everything going on?"

"Especially with everything going on. They thought your dad was a good sheriff, that he got a raw deal. I know they voted for him. And all week my mom's been asking me how you're doing, if you need anything." Mac shrugged. "Like I said, they like you."

Veronica looked at her watch again. Time's up, she thought. She started walking towards Dick's car. "Logan? Mac and I are heading up. You can stay down here if you want, but we're going to bed." Dick said something she couldn't hear, but she did notice it got him a smack on the back of the head from Logan.

Finally, Dick drove off and Logan jogged over to where Mac and Veronica were standing. "Sorry. Dick…" He stopped after remembering his audience. "You don't want to know."

Veronica was too tired to argue, and knowing Dick, Logan was probably right – she didn't want to know.

The group made their way to up to the suite. Once through the door, Veronica headed straight for the living room, while Logan detoured toward the kitchenette. She dropped down onto the sofa. "Exactly what are you going to tell your parents about our trip? How you won a ton of money playing blackjack? Or how you beat the crap out of a guy in a parking lot?"

Mac narrowed her eyes at her friend as she flopped down too. "Funny. I was thinking more along the lines of lunch at the Hard Rock. The dancing fountains in front of the Bellagio. The shops at Caesar's. I managed to take a fair number of pictures while Surfer Boy dragged us from casino to casino." She felt a nudge at her shoulder, turned to see Logan extending a bottle of water towards her. "Oh, bless you."

Logan gave a matching bottle to Veronica before sitting next to her on the arm of the sofa. "Thanks," she said as she patted his leg, then quickly pulled her hand away. "Your jeans are wet."

Logan finished taking a long swig of his water before answering. "You know the bump in the road on Henderson? The one they put in to curb speeding?" Veronica nodded. "Dick was taking his drink out of the cup holder right as we went over it. He spilled soda all over me." Mac snorted and Logan smirked. "It really wasn't his fault."

"Did it get all over the car?" Veronica asked around another yawn.

"No, mostly it just got on me. I mopped up the rest with some napkins. The car's fine. But I could definitely use a shower." Logan pulled the material of his jeans away from his thigh. "Sticky." He stood and headed towards Veronica's bedroom. "Night, Mac," he called over his shoulder.

"Goodnight." Mac waited for the door to close before she asked Veronica the one question she'd been dying to know the answer to. "So how did the plan go?"

Veronica barked out a laugh. "Not as planned. But then, did you really think I could pull it off without something going wrong?" She thought about Logan, angry and crying over his mother. "I don't know what I was thinking. Maybe when things settled down..."

"As if that will ever happen." But Mac did pat Veronica shoulder in sympathy. "Meg will be disappointed. I think she's decided to live vicariously through you. But I must admit, I had my doubts when the two of you started off the day by not talking."

That sat in amicable silence, sipping their waters, enjoying the soft, plush comfort of the sofa, until Veronica yawned yet again. "How can I be this tired? All I did was sit in a car."

Mac groggily nodded in understanding. "Long drives are the worst. I'm about ready to pass out too. Before you go to bed, can you grab me a pillow and a blanket for the couch?"

"Don't even pretend you don't know the real sleeping arrangements. Take the second bedroom. No one else is using it. And I'll even lend you a pair of pajamas." Veronica stood with a groan, then stumbled towards her bedroom. She was back a minute later, pjs in hand. "These should work, at least for tonight. Maybe the two of us can go to breakfast – scratch that – lunch when we get up. Just me and you. We can talk." She hadn't given up on finding out exactly what was bothering her friend. Maybe with no one else around, Mac would tell her.

Mac took the offered clothes. "Sounds good, but I'll probably be gone before you wake-up. I have an appointment at nine. Someone's actually paying me to set-up a new computer system for them."

Veronica gave her a fake pout. "My Q's cheating on me?"

"Just doing a little side work, Bond. Nothing for you to worry about." Mac yawned again. "That's it, I'm going to bed. I'll call you tomorrow?"

Veronica wearily nodded and waved listlessly as she headed towards her room. "Night."

Mac walked through the bedroom and straight towards the bathroom. A few of Logan's things were scattered across the counter. She picked up the bottles and tubes, noted the brand names, found a face wash and decided to use it. She didn't think he would mind. Next she squirted a line of toothpaste on her finger and did the best she could without a toothbrush. When that was done, she changed into the loaner pajamas. The cami stretched across her chest and the pants were a little tight in the rear, but she wasn't forced to sleep in her underwear, so she'd deal. She set the alarm clock for seven and slid between the sheets.

She was tired – exhausted, but she stared up at the ceiling, eyes wide open. Telling Veronica about her appointment the next day had brought forward all her anxiety. She hadn't told her parents what she was doing, not sure what their reaction would be. And although she desperately wanted Veronica's opinion and her support, she hadn't said anything to her either. It was entirely possible she was making a huge mistake. A mistake she'd regret for a long, long time. But not going, that seemed like an even bigger mistake. She turned on her side, squeezed her eyes shut. Whatever the consequences, she'd deal with them. She had to know, she just had to.

-TBC