Big apologies for the long delay in publishing an update! I really struggled with writing this chapter and I sort of lost my muse. Hopefully the next few chapter will be more action packed and easier to write! Thanks for the reviews, follows and favorites-they really keep me going, so please keep 'em coming (good and bad).

As always, none of these characters are my own and I all credit to Rob Thomas and the VM creative team!

-xx-xxx-xx-xoxo-xxx-

Mac's week was surprisingly event free, barring the occasional semi-challenging computer virus, except for Thursday, which started out badly with a run in with Max, her recently ex boyfriend. She and Max had ended things fairly amicably, the initially hot and heavy relationship sputtering out by the end of year into general disinterest. Max had been fun, and they had similar interests, but there was nothing there beyond that. He didn't have any interests beyond hanging out, school wasn't important, and while the sex had been fun at first, it had gotten pretty rote towards the end.

There just hadn't been any spark of something special between them once the initial romance had worn off. Mac had sworn to herself that if she was going to get involved with someone again, she was going to get to know them a bit more before jumping into a relationship, 'hah, best laid plans, Mackenzie!', the irony of her current situation not lost on her as she prepared for her first "real" fake date with Dick.

In some ways, this date with Dick was sort of interesting when she looked at it analytically. Usually she'd worry about her hair and makeup, what she was wearing, but because it was Dick—and fake, she didn't really care about impressing him. It was sort of nice to not have think about the usual dating worries. Of course, she'd have to spend an evening with Dick, which was not exactly something she ever imagined or desired happening. Dick had decided they should do dinner and a movie, which he felt would be public enough activities that would lend believability to their faux relationship, and since she liked to eat and watch movies, she figured she could drown out Dick's presence easily enough from both activities.

Just as she was finishing straightening her hair, her phone rang and seeing Veronica's number on the caller ID, she picked up the call.

"Hey traitor." Mac jokingly answered the call.

"So I guess you're still not over the whole transferring to Stanford thing either?"

"No, I've just decided that it's easier to call you traitor than admit your plan for escaping was so much better than mine." Mac deadpanned as Veronica chuckled.

"I'm sure your plan is an excellent one, and will come to completion in due time…" Veronica laughed and Mac chuckled. "Seriously Q, I'm going to miss you, you know that, right?

"I know, Bond. I can't believe your leaving in only a few weeks."

"Well, that's actually why I'm calling. I am totally jones-ing for a Blazing Saddles re-watch and I feel like it would be wrong to watch without you. Any chance you want to come over and hang?"

Mac groaned silently, knowing her answer would probably elicit an interrogation, and chose her words carefully. "Sorry V, can't actually tonight I've got some stuff I've got to take care of."

"Is that stuff, like, a hot date? Have you been holding out about that computer lab dude last week that couldn't get the virus from the Russian porn site off his computer?"

"No, and ewww." Veronica laughed and Mac hesitated, picking her words carefully, "just some extra work I agreed to do to pick up some cash." Mac decided it was best to avoid an outright lie with Veronica; she almost always could sniff those out.

"Hmm. Sounds kind of prostitute-ey." Mac winced at that, but remained silent as Veronica continued. "Well, too bad you had to sell your soul to the devil, but I understand how ruthless those college-loan sharks can be. I'll just have to watch alone." Veronica's fake mournful tone made Mac smile, and she regretted not telling her what was really going on, but she got the feeling Veronica wouldn't like that she was working for Dick and didn't want to get into a long explanation of Dick's preposterous plan, considering the doubts she had about it working anyway.

"Sorry V. Maybe we can meet up early next week? I don't have much going on then and could definitely use some Gene Wilder hilarity."

"It's date! I'll touch base with you Monday to firm something up."

"Okay, sounds good, umm, I better go. Work is calling and all."

Mac sighed as she put down the phone, hating that she was hiding something from Veronica, but knowing that these were her last weeks in Neptune, she didn't want to complicate them with more of the usual shenanigans. Veronica deserved to move on, and Mac was going to do her best to help her make that happen.

—-

Dick was surprisingly on time for their "date" and was of course his usual gorgeous self, Mac couldn't help admitting. If there was one thing that could be said about Dick, he was easy on the eyes. She could see why so many of the less-brainy inclined women on campus fell for him, initially at least; six feet of golden skin and hair, washboard abs and toned arms, and of course that every present twinkle in his blue eyes. If she hadn't known Dick since basically the seventh grade and had experienced first hand what a complete idiot he was since they were twelve, she might have fallen victim to his superficial charms too. Thankfully, she had, and that wasn't something she would ever have to worry about.

"Mackie, you're looking fine, as usual." Dick smiled at her and Mac was actually taken aback by the warm and sincere look and 10,000 watt smile. All she could think was, she really needed to go on a real date because when Dick started looking sweet and charming to her, and his smile actually left her a little breathless, then she must be either losing her mind or completely hard up, or some combination of the two.

"Um, thanks, Dick. You look good too." Mac mumbled and avoided meeting Dick's eyes as she made a production out of finding her hoodie and purse.

"So I thought we'd hit up this all vegetarian place I've heard is good. Then we could go to a movie, I guess. That's like, typical date night stuff, right?"

Mac smiled and rolled her eyes at him, "Yeah, Dick, dinner and a movie is pretty typical for a date, but you know, we don't have to go to a vegetarian place. I know you eat meat, and I'm used to finding something on the menu that I can eat. You don't have to go to any trouble for me. This isn't a real date after all."

"Nah, Mackie, we've got to sell this and if me eating vegetables doesn't convince my dad I'm in love, I don't think anything will. Besides, I could stand to eat better." Dick patted his flat stomach, "I've been hitting the sauce lately and you know what they say; 'once on the lips, 10 years on the hips."

Mac just shook her head at him and followed him to his Audi, which he had parked close to her dorm. "Sure, Dick."

Once they got to the restaurant, which was actually a really nice Indian place that specialized in vegetarian dishes, Dick continued with his "whipped boyfriend" act and was uncharacteristically…'nice', was all Mac could think. He pulled out her chair, kept the conversation light and entertained her with stories about surfing and Logan or surfing with Logan. Mac actually had to catch herself a few times and remember that it wasn't an actual date, and that this was Dick Casablancas. All that she could think was that this side to him was an act, but if it was, he missed his calling because he was a really excellent actor. She was worried that he was ruining her a bit for the usual college guy who she would next date, and would likely consider a date, a trip to the local student health center to grab some condoms before taking her back to his room to watch a movie on his computer and just "chill."

"Yo, earth to Mackie. You're totally spacing. Come in, Mackster." Dick snapped his fingers in front of Mac's face annoyingly, breaking her out of her reverie about her next potential conquest.

"Sorry, Dick. You're right, I spaced."

"No need to apologize. I'm, like running out of surfing stories and was probably boring you anyway."

Mac smiled and shook her head. "No, it's not that….it's just…"

"What? You don't like this place either? Do I have something in my teeth?"

"No, no, dinner is great. You're teeth are as perfect as ever."

"So it's just my company that is totally boring you. I get it, Mac, better than you think. I know I'm, like, not your usual type."

Mac shook her head again in disagreement, but bit her lip, trying to pick her words carefully. "No, Dick, it's nothing like that. I can't believe I'm admitting this, but it's the opposite actually."

Dick just looked at her with a totally confused expression, which was actually a little endearing to Mac.

"Um, you'll have to explain what you mean, and use small words. I'm not a brainiac like you and Bea-, um, Cassidy are, were…" Dick grimaced, but stared intently at Mac, waiting for her answer.

"You're just being so weirdly nice, and almost…mature, I guess. It's just not what I expected."

"Figured I'd be entertaining you with fart jokes all night?" Dick smirked.

Mac rolled her eyes and laughed, "yeah, actually something like that."

"Well, goes to show that you don't know everything afterall." Dick raised his eyebrows and smirked at Mac, but then looked away quickly, avoiding her eyes, she noticed.

"I guess, not Dick." Mac quipped dryly, not really sure what to say next. She really wasn't ready to start thinking of Dick as anything but 'Dick-like' and definitely didn't want to have a conversation with him about it. After a slightly awkward moment of silence, Mac decided it was time to break the tension and asked what movie they were seeing, which started them down a road of arguing over whether Judd Apatow was a raging mysogynist or just a lazy writer, which thankfully for Mac, occupied them until Dick paid the bill, and rescued them from any more possibility of discussing Dick's newfound 'niceness'.

The only other slightly alarming moment happened when Dick grabbed Mac's hand on the way out of the restaurant and held onto it as they waited for the valet to bring his car back around. Mac had to pretend she was used to the casual embrace, but all she could think about was how Cassidy used to hold her hand and how Dick reacted when he saw them together. So for the rest of the night, Mac just nodded whenever it was appropriate or answered Dick's questions with a curt yes or no. She could tell Dick was getting a little annoyed with her, and she knew she was being a terrible 'date', but the whole fake dating thing with her dead boyfriend's bully of a brother was just messing with her head.

Driving back to her dorm after the movie, which had been some terrible Adam Sandler travesty that even Dick had agreed was 'a total garbage movie,' was an awkward, silence-filled affair. When Dick finally parked his car, they were barely speaking—he had pretty much gotten the hint and wasn't trying to make conversation anymore, and she was never the kind of person that felt the need to fill silences—though now she sort of wished she was that kind of person sometimes.

"So, um, I guess, I should walk you up? Make sure we're seen by a few more people, just to be on the safe side."

"Dick, if you don't mind, I think I'll just go in by myself."

Hearing her response, Mac noticed Dick's body tense up, and he grabbed on to the steering wheel, flexing his fingers around the wheel, and staring straight ahead sighed and clenched his jaw.

"Look, Mac…did I do something tonight to piss you off?"

Mac shook her head and tried for a reassuring tone, though she wasn't sure why she felt like she should reassure him, "No, Dick. I'm just tired. I guess I wasn't really feeling that sociable, I guess."

"So, it's nothing I did, you just hate being with me?" Dick stared over the steering wheel and nodded his head in understanding. "Got it."

Mac winced, and sighed, trying not to roll her eyes, but wondered why all men seemed to have this knack for self-pity when women weren't overjoyed to be with them?

"Dick, that's not it at all. I did have a good time with you. I do…"

"Then why act like I have herpes or something? You gave me the silent treatment almost from the minute the movie was over." Dick said accusingly.

Mac wanted to deny it, but knew he was speaking the truth, and stared out her window, hesitating.

"I guess that's my problem, Dick. I do ACTUALLY like spending time with you. I guess I'm just waiting for the Dick I know and can't stand to come out, and I…I don't know, I think I'm waiting for the other shoe to drop or something."

"Wow. Someone has got trust is—." Dick turned to look at Mac as he joked, but stopped as he realized what he was saying, and shook his head, "uh, sorry, Mac. Sometimes I forget…you know, about…" Mac stared at him as he trailed off.

"It's okay, Dick, sometimes I wish I was better at forgetting," she said and smiled weakly at him.

"We only have another week of fake dating, and then I've set up a dinner with my dad so we can lay the ground work for the big baby reveal. Then all you've got left is to fake those hospital tests, and then your mission is over, and we can go back to our normal lives again. You know, with you hating good old 'Douchebag Dick'."

"Sounds great." Mac muttered woodenly. "I'll text you when I'm free next for lunch. We can talk more then." Mac waited for Dick to say more, but he just nodded, and was silent as she got out of the car.

As Mac made her way back to her room, she couldn't help feel a little guilty, though she wasn't sure why. Dick was a douchebag. It wasn't wrong of her to distrust him. He was literally paying for her to pull a scam on his father, but...she hated the feeling that she was somehow judging him wrongly. Mac sighed as she got to her room, flopping down into her bed and closed her eyes, looking forward to the day when life wasn't so messed up.

FYI - I'll be wrapping up Part 1 of this story in the next 1-2 chapters. Part 2 will be set in the post-movie VM world, so stick with me folks and thanks for reading!