A/N: Hope all my wonderful reader peops haven't run off and abandoned me. I know it probably seemed like I had abandoned you, but I really hadn't, I was just gone a bit longer than I originally intended - sorry 'bout that! I'm back now and updates should once again be regular so I really hope you'll stick with me :)

(For disclaimer, etc. - see chapter 1)

Chapter 19

It was a big decision, Mac knew that, but then she ought to be getting used to the fact that her life was going to consist of largely big decisions from now on. If she could find sense and reasoning enough to choose whether she would keep a baby, if she should sleep with Dick, surely she could figure out if she wanted to move out of her childhood home or not.

There were pros and cons, as there were with most things. The fact was, when she told her mother she wanted out, it had been said in anger and not entirely serious. Now she was calm, and still Mac wondered if it was such a crazy idea to go out into the world on her own. Raising a baby was going to be hard, even if Dick did stick around and she at least had some faith in him to do so right now. She didn't want to alienate the only parents she had ever known, she just wasn't that mad at them anymore, but Mac was also pretty sure she'd like to get out of here right about now.

Space of her own, for her and the child she was having, it made sense. She and her parents and little brother were already kind of crammed into this place, and it would only get worse. Ryan was getting older, he'd be a teenager before long, not wanting a screaming niece or nephew down the hall, and the baby would grow and need a room of his or her own. It made sense to Mac to make the break now, after all, it was what she always wanted, an escape.

College had meant living alone and that was fine. Of course, that was dealing with a room mate and campus accommodation, not quite the same as an apartment or a house for Mac to live in alone with a small child. It would be much more expensive, a lot more work, and potentially lonely unless... The thought occurred to Mac over and over that she didn't have to be completely alone and destitute. Dick was the father of her baby and he cared about her, and she couldn't help but recall how much money he had too. Of course, she didn't just want him around for his cash, but if he wanted to be with her and their child, it would certainly help to have two of them chipping in for bills and all.

The prospect of not just moving into her own place but doing so with Dick only made Mac's big step seem bigger and more scary, and yet somehow more exciting at the same time. A smile came to her lips at the idea of a perfect family scene; Mommy, Daddy, and baby. She never in a million years would've assigned the parent roles in the fairytale ending to herself and Dick, and honestly it was so very unlikely they would get a happily ever after here. Still, he wanted to try for her and she wanted to try too. The least she could do was talk to him about it, but before that Mac knew she was going to have to face her parents.

They couldn't stop her from moving out if she wanted to. She was over eighteen, closer to twenty than anything else actually, and she had her own mind. The trouble was, they cared. Mac's parents cared so much she feared she'd suffocate sometimes, though she couldn't really blame them. Several times since finding out her true origins, Mac had wondered if the Mackenzies loved and cared for her so overly much in a bid to compensate for her not really being their daughter. Maybe it was that, or maybe they really did just love her that much. Whichever the reason, it meant hurting them to help herself, and Mac wasn't sure she was totally comfortable with that. Her Mom was probably still crying after their spat, and that would mean her Dad was angry at her if he'd heard what happened. She kept on thinking and saying she was so grown up, now it seemed it was time to prove it as she got up from her bed and ventured out into the hall.

Mac found her parents separately, her father on the couch reading his newspaper, and her Mom she could see through the door in the kitchen. Maybe Dad didn't know what had happened yet, but he was going to have to. This needed figuring out and it had to be now, before Mac over thought it all and lost her nerve.

"Hey, sweetheart" her father greeted her with a smile around his paper, "How're you doing today?"

"Pretty good" she shrugged in response, "Actually... well, I kinda need to talk to you, both of you" she amended as her Mom appeared in the doorway, still looking a little stung by what happened before, "I'm sorry I yelled at you, and for the lying, that wasn't an adult thing to do, I know that" she apologised.

Mrs Mackenzie nodded that she understood, a look passing between her and her husband when he heard the words his daughter spoke. It seemed there had been an upset but if it was all figured out now, no need for him to go wading in, dragging it all up again and making matters worse.

Encouraging her parents to share the couch and prepare for what she was about to say, Mac perched herself in the armchair and studied her own hands for a long moment.

"Honey, if you need to say something..." her Dad prompted when she was quiet too long.

"I do" she admitted, as she forced herself to meet their eyes, "I... I am sorry about the yelling and everything, it was dumb" she said again, "but the fact is, I can't deal here anymore" she admitted, "I mean, I love that you care and that you're being supportive. Believe me, I know a lot of parents that wouldn't have been half so cool about it" she admitted, "but I need my own space to do this my way"

There was a horrible silence then as both Mac's Mom and Dad seemed to take in what she was saying and consider it carefully before they dare speak. On her part, Mac really didn't want to have to say anything else until they answered what she'd said herself so far. She dreaded another argument, it was the last thing any of them needed right now, and yet understanding of such a move might be a little too much to ask.

"Okay" said Mr Mackenzie at length, "Well, I see your point, honey, I do" he told her, nodding his head, "but just financially, how do you think you're going to cope alone, with a baby?"

"I have college money" she reminded him, "I mean, it's not like I can go back, at least not this semester and who knows how things will be after the baby comes?" she shrugged, "I'm just concentrating on one thing at a time right now, and I think the next thing has to be a place of my own"

"I'm not sure about this" Mrs Mackenzie shook her head, "I mean, living alone, and in your condition, I can't see it's a good idea"

"Mom, I lived alone in college" Mac pointed out carefully, "I know I had a dorm buddy but it was mostly like being alone, and I coped just fine"

"She's always been independent, Natalie" her father cut in, even as he put a comforting arm around his wife's shoulders, "This day was going to come soon enough, with or without a baby"

Mac had to agree with that. If not for the fact she could escape to college more weeks out of the year than she needed to spend at home, she'd have moved out sooner. It wasn't that she didn't love her parents, given the circumstances that they were not in fact her biological Mom and Dad made her appreciate their love and kindness all the more, but she didn't belong here, not really. She was so different to her parents and her brother, and since she'd had a new family thrust upon her like this, she figured this was as good a time as any to make a break and do things her own way.

"I can cope, honestly" she told her parents with a smile, "And it's not like I plan to move to the other side of the world, not even out of Neptune" she promised them, "and I might not even be completely alone ..." she said carefully.

It was dangerous water to go into for more than one reason. She hadn't spoken to Dick about this yet and there was nothing to say he would want to move in with her at all, just because they were closer than before. It was all still very new, despite the fact they were having a baby together. The genuine love-type part of their relationship had only really begun last night. Besides, it was probably a big enough shock for her folks to hear she wanted out. Telling them she was moving in with the guy that knocked her up only to then three months later become her boyfriend might be too much.

"It seems Cindy and Dick have grown closer since their... first encounter" said Mrs Mackenzie awkwardly when she noted that her husband wouldn't understand.

"Ah" he nodded in response, watching his daughter flush pink, "Well, it can't be a bad thing for this baby to have parents that care for each other" he said with consideration, "Perhaps this whole situation might just work out for the best after all" he said, ever the optimist it seemed, "but if you're moving out, Cindy, with or without this boy to share your new home with, I have two conditions I need you to stick to"

Mac nodded for him to go on, her voice stuck in her throat by now.

"First, you come visit me and your Mom regular, before and after this child is born" he insisted, "And second, we will help you pay for this new place of yours, no arguments you hear me?" he added fast, pointing a finger at Mac as if he were angry when she opened her mouth, and yet smiling widely by now.

"I love you, Dad" declared Mac with tears in her eyes that she felt stupid for shedding, as she got up and went into his waiting arms for a hug.

It was crazy to think these were not her real parents, as she moved to hug her mother too. They loved her so much and that was amazing to her. So often she had wondered about contacting Mrs Sinclair, her birth mother, once again, especially when she found out she was pregnant. Now Mac wondered why the thought ever really crossed her mind. She was a Mackenzie, it was the name she used, and though she looked and acted kind of different to the rest of her family, she loved them so much. She couldn't imagine ever calling anyone else Mom and Dad, especially right now in this moment.

"Here's to you, V" said Weevil as he clicked his coffee cup against her own, "This town's been too quiet without you in it"

"Thank you, but I'm sure you're more than capable of picking up the slack for me" Veronica smiled as she drank.

This was nice and normal, and a break from the emotional turmoil that she was dealing with where so many other men in her life were concerned. When she ran into Weevil on her way home from the store and he asked how she'd been and how her internship at the FBI had gone, Veronica immediately asked if he wanted to meet to catch up properly. Now here they were in Java the Hut, enjoying a caffeine hit and a friendly chat.

It was easy and comfortable with Weevil, they knew each other well enough now and neither judged based on where they came from or what they'd done in the past. They cared for each other as friends, with none of the baggage of deeper feelings. It was almost the way things were with Veronica and Wallace, except on some level she still felt the need to keep things hidden from her best bud sometimes, and besides he did tend to give her the kindly sugar-coated version of any truth she asked for. Weevil was decidedly straight-forward and sometimes that was just what a girl needed in a friend.

"So, how's things, Weevil?" she asked him, leaning back in the comfortable chair, "Is your knee any better?"

"Can't complain" he shrugged, "I mean, I could, but what good would it do, right?" he smiled wryly, "Honestly, nothing much is different with me, same old, same old. Been working some for Uncle Angel til school starts up again and I can go back to the exciting job of cleaning up after you college kids" he explained, with a smirk, "You gotta have a lot more interesting tales to tell than me"

"I don't know about that" Veronica sighed, "I mean, the FBI was interesting and exciting, and I think I learnt a lot" she told him, "Kinda missed this place though"

"And it missed you, believe me" her friend told her, a kind compliment but the truth none the less, "I'm, guessin' your girl Mac is glad to have a friend home" he noted and Veronica was just mildly surprised to realise he knew about that situation.

"Wow, good news really does travel fast" she rolled her eyes, "Honestly, I'm happy if she's happy, though I really, really wouldn't have taken her and Dick for a couple"

"Yeah, well" said Weevil as he drank down a slug of coffee, "I never did get why you smart girls fall so hard for these rich white dudes"

The look he shot Veronica over the rim of his mug said he meant just what she thought he was implying with those words.

"Excuse me, my last boyfriend may have been white but he was not rich" she pointed out.

"I ain't talkin' about Placeholder Piz, V, and you know it" replied Weevil, in all seriousness apparently, "Hey, wait a second, your last boyfriend was? You dump the kid already?" he checked with a frown.

So much for having no news to share, he had apparently missed the latest revelation in the Veronica Mars train-wreck of a love life!

Veronica opened her mouth to protest that she hadn't a clue what he was talking about when he used the word 'placeholder' and that her dumping Piz was completely unrelated to anybody else, but it was a bare-faced lie and she knew it as well as her friend did. Weevil had a way of seeing through her and a knack for honesty that she admired. She could hardly be mad at him now for doing just what she loved him for. She laughed at how dumb the whole thing was, opening her mouth a moment later to speak but stopping fast when she realised Weevil was no longer paying attention to her.

"Well, isn't this cosy?" said a voice she knew too well, and her head turned to look in the same direction as her coffee-buddy then.

"Logan" she greeted him coolly, "We were just..."

"Hey, none of my business what you're doing" he said, holding his hands up in mock-surrender.

"You got that right, Opie" Weevil told him, "So why don't you run along while me and my woman here get back to our alone time, okay?" he suggested in a way that sounded more like an order than a request, as he shifted closer to Veronica on the couch and slung his arm around her shoulders.

Veronica could have argued, pushed him away, protested her innocence; she did none of those things. Honestly, she didn't see why she should. Logan had no right to make comments about her friends or what she did with them. Hell, if she wanted to date Weevil she would, it'd still have nothing to do with the guy she dated two boyfriends ago. This is why she leaned into the ex-biker's embrace all the more and picked up her coffee, sipping it without a care. When she bothered to look his way again, Logan was gone.

A sound akin to a growl emanated from her throat as she slammed her cup back down on the table.

"God, he is just so...! How is what I do any of his business?" she asked apparently rhetorically as she continued to rant, and Weevil moved away from her a little again before he got caught up in the fit she was pitching, "I swear, sometimes I think I was crazy for ever dating him!"

"Er, V?" her friend cut in when he was sure he wasn't going to get hit for daring to speak, "Go after him" he said, waving his hand in a 'off you go' sort of a gesture.

Veronica glanced to the door and back, frowning hard.

"Que?" she asked in astonishment at what she just heard, "Seriously, it sounded like you just told me to go after my ass of an ex who, hello, you hate"

"What I think about the guy doesn't matter" he waved away her comment, finishing off his coffee all in one go and dumping the mug on the table, "If Echolls can still get you that hot under the collar just by standin' there, then you ain't over him" he said easily as he leaned back against the cushions.

Veronica opened her mouth three times, each time meaning to argue with him, but every word caught in the back of her throat. He was right. She hated it, but Weevil was totally and unequivocally correct.

"Why must you always be right?" she asked with a smile she couldn't hold in.

"What can I tell you, chica?" shrugged Weevil as he watched her scramble from her seat, throwing on her jacket and fastening her purse, "It's all part of my charm" he smirked.

"We will do this again" she promised, momentarily turning back on her way to the door, "When I don't have to run off and deal"

"You got it" he nodded, as she practically ran out of the place, "La chica es loca..." he muttered to himself then, before growing thoughtful, "but you can't help who you fall in love with, right, Lil?" he said, turning his eyes heavenward.

With that, Weevil pulled himself to his feet, tossed some bills on the table, and left. This really wasn't his kind of place anyway.

To Be Continued...