Summary: California is supposed to be sunny and warm. It's supposed to be full of beautiful beaches, give you a tan year round, and be relaxing. It's not supposed to be cold and rainy. You're not supposed to spend your time breaking into rooms with locked doors, trying to make sure no guns are drawn, and dealing with family drama. Or so Macey McHenry thought before she started working for the CIA.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything.

Stanford

Macey McHenry/Calvin Peterson

Friendship/Action/Adventure

Three-shot

My dad's a retired senator, my mom's a cosmetic spokeswoman, and I'm a spy working for the CIA. You know who I am.

Since starting at the CIA I've done a lot of different jobs, traveled to a lot of different countries and dealt with more bullshit than I thought existed in the world. And coming from me that is saying a lot. But I've held my own. With everyone except one person: Calvin Peterson. Despite what my friends will say to the contrary, I'm not a boy expert. I grew up with three guy cousins who were around my age and messing around with them and their friends helped a lot but I am still far from being an expert. I have been just as befuddled by the way their mind works as my friends. Sometimes you have to just accept and not analyze.

"Yo, McHenry!" Cal called out Wednesday morning, which, as it happens, was my birthday. And since it was my birthday, I could do what I wanted and in this case it was completely ignore him. Obviously, that didn't rub well with him but I would be willing to bet that for this particular player it had more to do with the way it looked to his friends than the fact that I was ignoring him.

"Hey, McHenry," he said, catching my arm a few seconds later as I was rounding the corner.

"Hey," I replied, shifting the papers I was holding so that my arms could be crossed.

"Did you become temporarily deaf because I called you when you passed by my office."

"Don't you mean cubicle?" I corrected and he glared at me. "Okay, what did you want?" I gave in, not particularly wanting to get into a screaming match at the moment. We have those a lot actually.

"I want your help with a case I've been assigned," he said. "I have to go to California. Stanford actually."

"Why?" I asked suspiciously.

"Well, I'm kind of graduating." I raised my eyebrows. "Well, fake graduating, actually." My eyebrows rose higher.

"And this is an assignment how exactly?" I asked.

"Well, timing was actually in my favor. See, there's this guy who's graduating and they asked me to keep an eye on him."

"Because…" I probed.

"Because he's a scientific genius. I'll give you more info if you agree to go with me."

"Why do you need me to go with you?" I asked.

"Because I sent my parents fake graduation tickets that I bribed a techie to make for me," he explained. "I didn't think they'd come because they haven't traveled in years but then they called, and said they had gotten plane tickets and couldn't wait. So now I need to walk across that stage and graduate."

"You are going to trick your parents into believing that you, you Calvin Peterson, managed to stay at Stanford studying for a medical degree, and are now, five and a half years later, getting your undergrad."

"Pretty much," he said.

"And you really think they're falling for this?" I had to ask.

"I told my parents that I was double majoring, takes longer. And then I traveled to Africa for a semester (which wasn't a complete lie, by the way) to study down there but that I didn't get the required credits for the semester. But now, with all of my credits and experience, I'll be a doctor in no time."

"And they believed that?" I asked skeptically. Cal shrugged.

"They don't know much more about doctors than I do, so yeah," he said, sounding as unconcerned as he always did.

"Why didn't you ask Zach? He would have helped you. And he'd ask fewer questions, and annoy you way less. Heck, he'd probably be your wingman so you could hook-up with some of the college girls," I pointed out.

"Yeah probably," he said amicably. "But Zach's in Brazil with Cam until Sunday so…I also considered Peter but he doesn't like going against proto-cal very much and most of this needs to be off the books. Then there was Cammie, who would have been my second choice after Zach but obviously she's gone too. Then I thought of Bex, but she still scares me a little and there's something going on with her parents and M-16 that she's been working on and it's making her grumpy. So then I thought of Liz. But while her techno skills would come in handy, she can't lie to save her life and she's the clumsiest person I know. And so," he said, finally getting to the end of his ramble. "By process of elimination, I realized that you were the perfect candidate." And of course he ended his whole speech with a wide smile that looked like he was trying to become Miss America.

"Wow," I said, my voice dripping with sarcasm. "I feel honored."

"You should." Cal said, nodding his head in approval. "Our flight leaves at eight tomorrow morning. Meet me in Dulles at six." He handed me a boarding pass and started walking away.

"I haven't said 'yes' yet," I called after him. He turned to face me, a grin lighting up his face.

"Ah, but you were about to." And screw him for being right. Who was I to turn down a trip to California?

"By the way," he added as he got further away. "Happy birthday."

When I got to the airport at seven (who actually shows up for their flight two hours early?) Cal was already sitting in a black and silver chair listening to his iPod.

"Hey McHenry," he said without turning around, looking up, or taking out his earphones.

"Hi," I said, taking the seat beside him, placing my carry-on bag at my feet. Five years ago if I had to pack for California I would have had to check at least two bags. But I had become more efficient at packing and to be honest, I was actually proud of that. People still call me a bitch, and I won't deny that I am one, but materialistic is used…less.

When we landed the rain was pouring and the winter air freezing.

"This is California right?" I asked Cal. This was not the right weather to wear my sundresses.

"Course," he said, sounding unconcerned as he pulled on a hoodie. "But it's December."

"So? It's California. The sunshine state!"

"Isn't Florida the Sunshine State?" he mused while I glared. "Look, we're in Northern Cali. It's way more temperate than LA. I guess I should've warned you."

"No shit," I mumbled.

"Sorry," he apologized. I gawked at him.

"Did Calvin Peterson just apologize? Some one alert the media. This is a historic moment my friend."

"Shut up," he said but he was grinning as he nudged me and despite his lack of communication skills, I grinned back. We were in California after all.

When we got to Stanford I discovered the reason for Cal's personality transformation. There was more to the story than he was letting on.

"Hurry up, would you," he hissed. "We look a little strange here."

"If you're such an expert, you do it," I mumbled.

"I would but in case you haven't noticed, I have a cast on my left arm."

"Oh, I noticed. I noticed when you pitied the flight attendant into giving you free pretzels, I noticed when you used it as a ploy to hit on the girl across the isle, I noticed when…got it!" I exclaimed. We were in.

"Huh, it's smaller than I remembered," Cal said, dumping his suitcase on the dorm bed. "Oh, there's one more thing I need help with tonight—"

"Cal I swear to God if you—"

"You'll like this," he cut me off. "I promise." I don't know why I trusted him but there was something about the way he was looking at me that made me relent. After I nodded he opened his smaller carry-on bag and started pulling things out—pictures, posters, cards, college propaganda, etc.

"Personalizing the dorm room," he explained upon seeing my confused look. "So that it looks like I've been living here all semester."

Two hours and three pink glitter bottles (okay, so the last part of that's a lie) later the room was done.

"So McHenry, tell me about yourself," Cal said as we sat at Starbucks drinking hot chocolates.

"What do you want to know?" I asked apprehensively.

"I don't know. Anything. What's your favorite color?"

"Purple."

"What's your least favorite food?"

"Caviar."

"What's the craziest thing you've ever done?"

"Ah, and now he gets to the good stuff," I teased.

"Avoiding the question," he tsked at me.

"That's because you don't want to know." He raised his eyebrows.

"Now I'm intrigued," he said leaning forward.

"I'll tell you mine if you tell me yours," I said, deciding to counter his offer.

"Fair enough," he conceded. "I joined the CIA and then lied to my parents about going to Stanford and I'm about to stage a fake graduation. Your turn."

"Lame," I said. "Tell me something I don't know." I was expecting him to fight me over it but he surprised me.

"Fine. I'll give you my life story and you can decide. When I was five I threw a baseball and broke my neighbors window."

"Cliché," I snorted. He shrugged and kept going.

"When I was ten I stole one of the flashing yellow lights from the road where they were doing construction and put it under my white shirt to hide it when I saw a car. When I was rolling down the hill, it looked like I was flashing. They hit a bunny." I laughed but shook my head and he kept going.

"When I was thirteen I snuck into the neighborhood pool after hours and had pool parties with other kids from the neighborhood with snacks and music." Again I shook my head. Was he serious?

"When I was fifteen I had sex with a girl at school," I choked on my hot chocolate but he kept going. "When I was sixteen I new a cop had caught me speeding so I turned off at the first side road I came to and made a few turns so that he wouldn't find me and then I hung out on the side of the road and read a book for a while. When I thought it had been long enough I went back onto the main road just as the cop was coming back from searching for me and he pulled me over, asking if I knew that hiding from a cop was illegal. I told him I wasn't hiding from him and that I had gone to visit my grandmother. He gave me a ticket anyways." I laughed again and he cracked a smile as he continued.

"When I was seventeen I graduated high school and got into Stanford and I found a guy who made me a crappy fake ID that worked to get me into clubs where I would drink and hook up with sluts. When I was 19 I got fed up and quit, moved to DC and tried to break into the big L. I was busted but I was already in the grounds. They through me in a holding cell but then I told them my last name, said I wanted to sign up, and they sent me to the farm for a year. I then lied to my parents about going to school and now I'm about to lie to them about graduating, and soon I'll lie to them about being a doctor," he finished. I gaped at him.

"You broke into Langley?" I whispered. He nodded and I sat back. "I feel like I should be more surprised than I am," I said.

"Your turn," he said without missing a beat. "Craziest thing you've ever done."

"Alright. I got expelled from seven different boarding schools before I went to Gallagher."

"Nice," he said appreciatively.

"You do realize you're probably the only person who would think that's cool, right?"

"That's because not everyone gets you like I do. But in order for that to count you have to tell me how." I shrugged.

"Fine. Let's see…I vandalized a gym when I was twelve, flooded a school and got caught with alcohol on campus at thirteen, went to class high, hooked up with a guy instead of going to math class, and smoked at 14, and crashed my headmasters car after going for a joyride in his car without a permit or permission to have his keys at 15."

"Damn McHenry. That's not a half-bad life." I laughed. "I don't think you beat me, but I'll go with even," he decided.

"Oh please, you're just saying that because you know that I—" he put his hand up to cut me off.

"Wait. This is the longest time we've spent together without arguing." I considered him for a minute.

"Fine. It's a tie," I conceded. He nodded.

"Hey, what do your parents think your doing?" he asked a few minutes later.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, I know your dad was a senator but does he have clearance…"

"Oh," I said catching on. "I don't know if he has a clearance but I don't talk to them anymore. We've never had the best relationship and now that my dad's retired it doesn't matter. I doubt we could pick each other out in a crowd." I said matter-of-factly. Because that is just how my family is.

As we walked out, I fingered my long hair that was loosely curled at the end. It was true that my parents probably wouldn't recognize me. Last they had seen I had a blue streak in my short hair, I wore a fake nose ring just to piss them off, I was 'smoking' cigarettes with my friends, and I was wearing way more make-up then than I do now. But more than anything, I'm happy now. When they had actually attempted to know me, or at least pretend like they gave a shit about me, I wasn't the least bit happy. And with my happiness came confidence that, despite my act, I haven't had in a long time, if ever. And that had transformed me more than anything else.

A/N: Alright. It took me longer than I was hoping but in my defense...IT'S SUMMER! Yeah, it's almost as bad as school. Oh well, hope you liked it, it took me forever to get it right, it just wasn't working so REVIEW and tell me what you think. I love Macey and wanted to focus on her for a little while. It's based in December in her second year.

Thank you to my last few REVIEWers (Lemonn-Limee, anonymous, , GallagherGirl530, Kokylinda, anonymous, ms. eyes, hard2getchameleon, Jazz-shoes). You guys are amazing and I'm so sorry it took so long. And thanks to everyone who has alerted and favorited too, I love it when my inbox fills up with responses. :D Next chapter is Cal's POV.