Chapter 5 arrives more with a whimper than a bang, but hopefully, it's all part of my devious plan to write a believable mac/dick relationship. Thanks for the reviews, follows, and favorites. It's a lot of fun reading other people's take on the story, so keep your thoughts (and even criticism) coming!

None of these characters are my own and I borrow them only for my own fun. Infinite thanks to the amazing Rob Thomas and team for creating the Veronica Mars world that I happily get to play around in.

-XoXoXoXo-

Chapter 5

As promised, Dick showed up on time (surprisingly) for what would turn into hours of torture for Mac—getting dragged from house to condo to house in a whirl of granite countertops, master suites, and stunning landscaped pools. One McMansion after the other had blurred together, and Mac was hungry and tired and still had no idea why Dick had decided she should come along. He didn't seem to want her opinion on any of them; his m.o. was to take one look at a place, shake his head, mumble a brief, "nah," to the leggy realtor, a gorgeous red-head, who despite the potential for a six-figure commission, was also losing some of her perkiness about showing Dick more listings.

"Dick seriously, if I don't get me some food soon, I'm going to eat one of those cookie logs the owners have put in the oven to make the house smell like fresh baked goods." Mac grumbled to Dick who was forging on ahead to the next suburban monstrosity that the realtor was calling a "total-backelor's dream".

"Sorry, Mackers—just one more before we break. This place is supposed to have a kicking game room," Dick said as he eyed the listing sheet the broker had handed him before they had set off.

"Ugh. Not another stupid game room. You didn't like the last four houses that had them. Why will this one be any different?"

Mac just groaned and grabbed at the pile of listing that they were still supposed to see, and rifled through them. They all were large, beautiful homes in the 09 zip code—just like all the rest of the houses they had seen and rejected. She flipped through the pile quickly searching for something that might be different and stopped on a listing for a little 1950s beach bungalow.

"Dick, how about this one?" Mac waved the listing in front of Dick, who had just parked his car outside the current McMansion that the Nicole Kidman lookalike had promised would be "perfect for the son of Richard Casablancas."

"Let me see." Dick took the listing and glanced over the page, quickly handing it back to Mac and grimacing. "Nah, I was gonna skip that one. Too small. Not enough bedrooms, and it's being sold 'as-is' which is just real-estate speak for 'total-dump'."

"But Dick—it's perfect. It's on the water! You could roll out of bed and go surfing. Besides, why do you need a big house? You've been living in a hotel suite for the past year." Mac scoffed, and grabbed the sheet back from Dick. "This it totally the one. You need to go see it."

Mac wasn't sure why she was so sure about the little bungalow, but after viewing at least 15 of the same type of overstuffed chrome and granite places, she knew that more of the same wasn't going to be right for him.

"All right, Ghostworld, I'll humor you, but I think it's just your hunger talkin. We'll see this one next, then I'll feed you."

Mac just rolled her eyes and got out of the car. At this point she would have agreed to just about anything as long as she could get food and a finish to this seemingly endless tour of the 09 real-estate market.

Five minutes later they were back in Dick's car, this house rejected because the "fridge was too small." Mac wasn't going to argue the point, and wondered again why Dick had decided to drag her along. She was getting the feeling that it was only so that he would have company on the trip. He hadn't asked her opinion on any of the homes and he had rejected each house before she had a chance to form an opinion anyway. At least now she knew she would only need to see one more house before eating, and considering she was running on coffee and a granola bar, that's all she really cared about at the moment.

As Dick drove the car up the canyon road that would bring them to the little ocean-side community where the beach house was situated, Mac stole a look at Dick as he focused on navigating the narrow road. His shaggy blonde hair was a little too long, but with his sun-kissed skin, he was was the picture of the Californian surfer.

"So Dick, what inspired this sudden urge to be part of the home-owning masses?"

Dick glanced over at her quickly before focusing back on the road as he answered her question, "I don't know. It's a good investment. I guess I can't live in a hotel forever, and I'm kinda thinking it wouldn't be a bad thing to get away from the Grand. That place isn't exactly full of happy memories—for me or Logan." Dick's gaze was focused on the road and his blank expression wasn't giving anything away, but those words were loaded and she didn't feel like unpacking them at the moment. Half regretting that she'd asked the question, or rather the answer it elicited, she went back to looking over the listing for the next house.

"Hey Dick did you notice this house comes with a huge amount of property? The listing says there are two lots—you could buy the house and sell the spare lot if you wanted to, or maybe build another house on it…"

"Look at you Ghostworld sounding like a real-estate expert or something. Cassidy must have rubbed off on you a little." Dick smirked at her, but as he glanced her way and caught her stony expression, regret crossed his eyes. "Uh, sorry, Ghostworld. I didn't mean it in a bad way."

"It's okay Dick. I know what you meant. Sometimes I forget about the bad stuff, or the good stuff," she hurried on at his look of confusion, "I mean sometimes I think there's two Cassidy's, like the good one I liked and…" she hesitated, "this other person I didn't really know at all…"

Dick stared straight ahead, gripping the steering wheel tightly, "yeah, that's how I think of him too…it's like I didn't know him at all." Dick shook his head as if shaking off a memory, and was silent for a beat. Thankfully, the realtor, who they had been following to the listing, pulled to a stop in front of a little blue house with peeling paint.

"Hey, I think that's it" Mac said excitedly, glad they could switch gears away from more talk of Cassidy.

As they pulled into the tiny driveway in front of the dilapidated little house, Mac's heart sank, figuring that if the mansions they'd seen so far hadn't done much for Dick, there was no way the little bungalow would pass muster for the heir to the Casablancas real-estate empire. "Yeah, Dick, maybe it's too small…let's just skip this one and call it a day?"

"Cindy Mackenzie maybe this veganism thing isn't working out for you because you seem really obsessed with getting me to buy you lunch. Come on! You made me agree to see this place—no backing out now." And with that, Dick grabbed Mac's hand and pulled her to the door, which the realtor had waved them through.

The first thing Mac noticed was the hideous wood paneling and green shag carpeting, which she wondered how in 1965 something so ugly could have been so popular? The second thing she noticed was the ocean, which was framed by windows that ran along the back wall of the house. While Mac stared at the ocean, marveling at the view, Dick had disappeared somewhere with the realtor, who was saying something about price per square foot and long-term investment potential.

"What a dump, huh?" Dick's voice in her ear pulled her out of her meditation on the Pacific, and she snapped back to real-life.

"Yeah, but the view…" Mac paused wistfully, knowing that if she had a spare million or so she would snap the place up in a heartbeat, "is, well, it's perfect," she said wistfully, staring at Dick who was now looking out at the view too.

"Yeah, that's why I'm going to buy it." Dick whispered conspiratorially in her ear and smiled.

"What?" Mac gaped at him. "We've looked at like 20 houses in so much better shape than this one, and it doesn't even come with a fridge or game room."

"It's not like they're making more ocean-front property. This place is a steal, plus this view will totally like get me laid. Just look at your reaction. The panties will be dropping left and right."

"Ugh, Dick. You're gross." Mac scowled and whirled around, stomping back to the door and Dick's car.

"Aw, come on, Mackie. Way to take a joke." Dick called after her, but she just slammed the door and plopped down into the car, jamming her earbuds in and turning on her music to wait out whatever discussions Dick was having with his agent.

—-

Once Dick returned to the car, Mac asked to be driven home, ignoring his protests about the promised lunch. Mac guessed he must have sensed her aggravation with him and his characteristic inane chatter was missing from the ride back. As they approached the Hearst campus, Mac could sense that Dick wanted to say something to her, his furtive glances giving him away.

"What is it Dick?" Mac grumbled, pulling the earbuds back out of her ears to acknowledge him.

"You're not mad at me, right Mackers?" Dick quickly glanced her way to check her expression.

Mac just shook her head in the negative, but wouldn't look at him.

"Aw, come on Mac." Dick grabbed her arm and tugged, pulling her back towards him. "I had a girlfriend long enough to know when I'm getting the freeze out."

"It's nothing Dick." Mac replied mulishly and shrugged her shoulders, refusing to meet his eyes, but sighed in defeat when he wouldn't stop looking at her.

"I'm just hungry and tired. I guess I learned house hunting really isn't my thing. Set me loose in a computer store and I'd be happy for yours. Martha Stewart I am most definitely not." Mac tried to smile to ease the tension, though she wasn't sure why she felt like she needed to. Since when did she start caring about Dick's feelings?

"Look Mac, I'm uh, I feel kinda bad if you didn't have a good time." Dick hesitated and looked away from Mac. "You were so quiet, I just figured you were fine. Most girls I know bitch about everything, so I guess I figured since you were quiet, you were having a good time." Dick sighed and stuck his hands in his pants pockets, shrugging his shoulders in defeat. "I'm not so good at the whole sensitive dude thing like you're used to. Next time, if there ever is one, I'll like...I don't know, ask your opinion sooner or something." Dick smiled down at her in what Mac guessed was his typical flirtatious grin. "This being not such a douchebag thing is, like totally new to me, but you really did help me out. I never would have checked out that beach house. You totally made me embrace my inner beach bum."

Mac rolled her eyes, but couldn't help smiling at his infectious grin. "Glad I could help, Dick." Mac deadpanned.

"Really?" Dick waggled his eyebrows.

Mac smiled and laughed as she glanced up at him shaking her head, realizing not for the first time that the Casablancas charm really was a thing. "Yeah Dick. It wasn't so bad, and I think the place will be great. I'll see you, what did we say? Thursday?"

"Yeah, Thursday. Fake date night! And we'll work on getting our story straight." Dick turned away with a smile, returning her hesitant wave with a more enthusiastic one of his own.

Mac watched him go and just shook her head, wondering when she was going to stop wondering and just accept how weird her life was.