A/N: Wow, the love for this fic and the wonderful reviews never fail to amaze me. You reader peops are all awesome, thank you so much for all your kindness - it means a lot :-)

(For disclaimer, etc. - see chapter 1)

Chapter 18

Mac headed home late in the morning. Dick had offered to drive her but she had her own car anyway so she declined, thanking him for being so sweet anyway. There was a long lingering kiss at the door as she said goodbye for now and left. She felt just a little bad for telling a half-truth. A good part of the reason for not wanting to let her guy drive her back was so her parents didn't know where she'd been or what she'd done. She shouldn't be ashamed, honestly she wasn't exactly that so much as she just couldn't deal with the drama right now. As if her hormones weren't making her feel emotional enough, between that and the night she spent with Dick, she really couldn't handle a fight with her parents over 'proper behaviour' as well.

"Hey, sweetie" Mrs Mackenzie smiled at her as she came in the door, abandoning her cleaning a moment, "Did you have fun with Veronica?" she asked her.

"It was a good night" she nodded, telling no lies with her vague answer.

She had texted from the en-suite bathroom, not so much to hide that she was lying from Dick, but more so because the idea of contacting her mother from a guy's bed disturbed her. Mac had vaguely considered the option of telling the truth but dismissed it pretty fast. There was no easy way to explain to her folks that she had got pregnant by a guy and then started to fall for him, and by text was not the way to do it anyway. Instead, she had said she was at Veronica's apartment and would be staying the night, deciding the little white lie would be fine. It wasn't as if her parents never told her any untruths, and one rather large one sprung easily to mind every time she gave the topic much thought.

Of course, with lies came cover stories, and Mac made quick work of getting away from her Mom and rushing to her bedroom. She needed to call Veronica as fast as she could, ensuring that if the topic ever came up, she knew to say Mac stayed at her place last night. Of course, that also meant explaining what happened with Dick, but she figured Veronica would understand. They were best friends after all, and if they couldn't understand each other then no-one was going to get it... except maybe Wallace and he was still many miles away until next week.

Dialling the number, Mac was surprised when Veronica's cell went to voicemail since the girl always tried her best to take a call if she possibly could. It wasn't so very early in the morning so she doubted she would be sleeping, and couldn't imagine even Veronica having gotten herself into trouble after just a couple of days back in Neptune.

A knock on the front door startled Mac from her thoughts and she was pretty sure her heart stopped as she had a horrible thought. Rushing to the bedroom door, she hurried out, knowing she was probably being crazy but also highly aware that if it was Veronica at the door and her mother answered, she was well and truly busted. Unfortunately for Mac, her brother scurried past her to the front door, despite her yelling after him not to dare. That only got her mother more suspiscious as she appeared from the kitchen and followed Ryan to the door, finding Veronica Mars on the other side.

"Excellent" sighed Mac as she stepped out of her room, knowing she may as well face the music already.

"Veronica?" Mrs Mackenzie said with evident confusion, "You can't be missing Cindy already, she only just got home?"

The look on the blonde's face was equal parts apologetic and mortified at what she'd done, though to be fair it was in no way her fault. Without being warned she was to be used as a cover story, there was simply no way for her to know that coming here was a no go right now. It was all just a case of very bad timing, that soon had Mac realising that lying about this stuff really just wasn't worth it.

"Mom" began Mac awkwardly, as she appeared at her side, "I, er... I wasn't at Veronica's place last night" she admitted, feeling precisely ten years old in the space of a second, "I was with Dick"

At that revelation there were two sets of wide eyes staring at Mac and she knew it too. Ryan was immediately sent back to his room as Veronica shifted uncomfortably in the doorway and then offered to go too.

"No, you don't have to" said Mac definitely, closing the front door so that Veronica wouldn't make an easy escape.

To be honest, she kind of wanted her friend here with her right now, even if she probably was surprised by what she just heard, even if she was unlikely to wade into the mother-daughter argument that was no doubt about to begin. Mac waited for her Mom to speak again, but she didn't. She walked away to the living room and sank down onto the couch, clearly overwhelmed.

"You know what has me so confused, Cindy?" she asked eventually as her daughter and Veronica followed on into the room, "Why you feel the need to lie to me?" she wanted to know as she looked up at her, with evident anger and hurt written all over her face, "I mean, what did we do so wrong that you want to keep telling us anything but the truth lately?"

"Like you know so much about the truth, Mom" she said with an emphasis that Veronica could make sense of even if Mrs Mackenzie struggled, "Maybe if I wasn't so worried about you and Dad going crazy at me for any little thing I do that's less than perfect, then I wouldn't have to keep secrets and tell lies" she explained, with tears building in her eyes every second, "I'm not a little kid anymore, in fact I'm having one of my own. That means I can make my own choices and..."

"Whilst you live under this roof, young lady, you obey our rules" her mother chimed in, perhaps the dumbest thing she could've said in the circumstances.

"Then I won't live under your roof anymore" snapped Cindy, perhaps a little too easily, "I've been waiting for years to get out anyway" she ended much more quietly than she'd begun before storming off to her bedroom and slamming the door behind her.

Veronica looked from her friend to her Mom and back, opening and closing her mouth three times because she really hadn't a clue what she was supposed to say or do next. Two women in tears, both of which were right in their own way about all of this, and neither that Veronica could really help right now. In the end, loyalty to her friend won out and she slipped past the older woman with her face in her hands to chase after Mac.

Tapping on the bedroom door, Veronica didn't wait for an answer before inching into the room, not at all surprised to find Mac face down on her bed, bawling. It seemed so ironic, such childish behaviour from a young woman who just told her mother she was an adult. Even Mac realised how dumb she was being, but she couldn't help herself.

"Oh, Mac" sighed Veronica as she sat down on the edge of the bed and reached out a hand to her friends shoulder, "I'm so sorry"

"It's not your fault" she sniffed as she made herself sit up some and face the blonde that would comfort her, "It's mine. It's all my stupid fault" she lamented, smashing her fist into the nearest pillow out of pure frustration, "It really wasn't supposed to turn out this way, none of it was"

"Including sleeping with Dick?" Veronica checked, "Again?"

Mac sniffed and looked away a moment, knowing she was blushing and hating it. She really didn't regret being with Dick last night, but somehow the merest mention of sex could make her feel dumb and embarrassed at times.

"No" she admitted, "That I actually meant to do" she admitted, "And I know you think I'm crazy..."

"No, not crazy" said her friend with a definite shake of her head, "Really not crazy at all" she insisted when it seemed Mac wasn't convinced, "I asked you before if you were sure about what you were doing, and clearly you are" she told her, "I know you wouldn't've gone that far if you weren't really serious"

"I did before" she rolled her eyes at her own dumb behaviour, her hand going absently to her swelling belly.

"That was different" Veronica reminded her, "And those kind of mistakes, you don't make them twice" she said, the voice of experience, as ever, "If you slept with Dick last night, I know it's because you trust him and whatever you guys are feeling for each other must be running pretty deep"

Mac nodded her head at that, wiping old tears from her cheeks.

"It really is" she admitted, finding a smile even she wasn't expecting, "It's not like either of us have dared to go near the big L word yet but... but we like each other a lot, we care about each other in this way that I can't even describe" she tried to explain, "I want him in my life, Veronica, and not just because of the baby, though honestly, I doubt we would've gotten this close without"

"Oh, I don't know" her friend shrugged, "Fate has weird ways of working out who is for who, regardless of how you get there"

There was look that passed over Veronica's face then that Mac was sure she read correctly. Someone for everyone, a perfect mate for each girl and boy in the world, it was a theory that a lot of people believed in. One thing was for sure, if such ideas were true, Veronica certainly had her match in the shape of Logan Echolls, a fact nobody could deny at this point.

"How'd it go with Piz?" asked Mac then, sure her friend's love life was a safer topic right now than anything in her own life.

"Good" she replied with a sigh, "If a break-up can ever be good. Honestly, he was so sweet about it I wanted to kill myself" she said, running her hands over her face and hiding amongst her hair, "Oh, Mac. I was such a bitch using him that way"

"You're not a bitch, Veronica" Mac promised her, putting a hand to her arm, "You just made a mistake is all"

"When it comes to relationships, that is the story of my life" she groaned as she peaked out from between her blonde locks, "Why am I a train-wreck?" she lamented so dramatically, Mac almost wanted to laugh.

"Don't ask me" she urged her, "I'm the girl who's pregnant and falling in love with Dick 'my surfboard hit me on the head this morning' Casablancas" she said, causing Veronica to laugh in spite of herself.

The two were in fits of giggles for all of five minutes before reality hit home. They both had serious life choices to make here. There were conversations to be had that would not be pretty and may not necessarily end well. Sometimes even people like Mac and Veronica, who hated Neptune High with a fiery passion, could easily wish themselves back into High School where things seemed just that little more dealable. Then they recalled bullies and bitches, murders and suicides, and thanked their lucky stars they'd made it this far in the first place.

"Will you wipe that stupid grin off your face?" Logan requested as he glanced from the TV screen to his friend, "You look like the Joker"

Dick hadn't stopped smiling all day long and even though his butt was getting kicked at Gears of War, the happy expression still wouldn't shift.

"Dude, what can I say?" he shrugged, uncaring about his friends attitude, "I'm totally happy!" he declared without hesitation.

Logan knew he was being a real ass, ragging on Dick for being so happy in his love life, just because he wasn't himself. If Veronica had really come home from the FBI and threw herself at him with words of love and adoration as in his dream last night, he'd be smiling too. Hell, he'd be doing the happiest of all happy dances, naked, in the middle of main street, but it wasn't to be. It seemed where he was unlucky in love he was slightly more lucky with computer games today as Dick's character was all but blown sky high, leaving Logan the rightful winner.

"Seriously, man" he said as he tossed the controller on the table and Dick followed suit, "I think it's cool that you and Mac are making things work. Y'know you could do a lot worse"

"Man, I have done a lot worse" the blond rolled his eyes, "Remember Madison?"

That comment was meant to be throwaway and yet hit a nerve as he ought to have known it would. Logan looked away, a pained expression on his face as Dick physically winced.

"Oops. Sorry, Logan" he said seriously.

"Don't worry about it" he told his friend with forced smile, "Y'know you didn't ask me to sleep with your ex, that was my own stupid mistake. I should've known better" he sighed as he got to his feet and turned to walk away.

"Hey, you ever think maybe Ronnie will just, like, get over it and you guys will get back together?" asked Dick curiously.

Logan stopped walking but never turned back when he answered;

"Only in my dreams"

To Be Continued...

A/N2: Just to warn you all, this fic is now on a MINI-HIATUS until the New Year. Sorry to disappoint, but I have Christmas fic to write (Leverage fandom and not Veronica Mars, sorry!) and other stuff to do that'll keep me away from this fic.

In the meantime, Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and Seasons Greetings to all as is appropriate! :-)