A/N: As you may have guessed, Mac's pregnancy is reaching an end, and therefore so is my story. Just a few chapters left to go! Thanx for all the lovely supportive reviews, once again. I know many of you would like this fic to go on indefinitely. I just really don't think I could do that! lol

(For disclaimer, etc. - see chapter 1)

Chapter 26

"Oh my God, Mac!" Veronica gasped when she saw her, "I swear you get bigger every time I see you!"

"Thanks, that doesn't make me feel like a beached whale at all" her friend replied flatly.

Immediately, the blonde was apologising, but smiling as she did so, assuring her BFF that she was not meaning to be at all insulting.

"It's not like you're fat" Veronica reminded her, "You're pregnant. That's a beautiful thing"

"Yeah, 'cause I feel beautiful!" Mac scoffed as she flopped down on the couch and her friend joined her, "And I'll remind you of that when it's your turn"

"Oh, no, no, no, no" she argued vehemently, shaking her head wildly, "That's way, way, way off into the future. We're talking years, and many of them"

Mac laughed at that. She knew how committed Logan and Veronica were to each other this time around, and she believed they would be together in years to come this time around. She also believed that marriage and kids would be a part of the future they were looking at sharing together, though she understood why waiting for that was a good choice.

"I said that once" she reminded her friend, "And now look" she sighed, with both hands on her ever expanding belly.

She was now seven months gone and facing a New Year's party exponentially bigger than she had seen in this year. Mac didn't mind, she didn't resent the baby, and she was now fully prepared for what was happening, well, as much as any expectant mother ever could be. It helped that she had Dick, and that he was so committed, something that few people really understood or believed him capable of. Veronica was one of his chief doubters from the start, but once in a while she saw the glimmers of hope and decency in her best friend's man. Right now the glimmer she was seeing was blinding and not coming directly from Dick but from what she presumed to be his Christmas gift to Mac.

"Geez, Mac, what is that?" she asked, holding her hands up as if the glare was literally causing her retinas to burn, "Did they leave any stones in the mine?" she joked, as Mac rolled her eyes.

"It's not a huge deal" she sighed, before seeing the look on Veronica's face and adding, "Okay, so maybe it is. It's not an engagement ring or anything, we're so not ready for that" she confirmed as she showed off her hand, "It's more like a promise ring, a promise that Dick's going to be there, always" she explained, feeling just a little silly, "It's okay, you can laugh at the cheesy romantic now if you want"

"I'm not gonna laugh, Mac" her friend assured her, "How could I? Logan wants to buy me a frickin' apartment!" she reminded her, "Not that we're going to jump into that yet… soon though. Kind of exciting" she smiled in spite of herself.

"How was Christmas for you guys?" asked Mac curiously, "Did Logan get Grandma Mars approval?" she checked, wondering how things must have gone when Veronica and her Dad took the boyfriend back to meet her one remaining grandparent.

"It went pretty well actually" Veronica smiled, "I mean, I could have used Grandma not slapping Logan on the butt first chance she got, and not regaling us with the stories of all the bad boys she used to date before she married Grandpa Mars, but Logan was great" she sighed happily, "He just wasn't phased by the family thing, he handled the questions about his own family so well, and… and I was really proud of him" she smiled giddily.

"Wow, we're both starting the New Year happy and in love" Mac noted with a grin of her own, "Who knew that was possible?"

"Um, not me, that's for sure" Veronica confirmed as they both lay their sprawled on the couch, "So, I'm assuming every one was impeccably behaved at the Mackenzie house?"

"Pretty much" Mac nodded, then giggled some, "Dick has taken to calling my Dad 'sir' and no matter how many times he tells him he doesn't have to, he keeps on doing it, like a habit, it's so cute" she explained, "And then after a couple of beers, it's like 'sir-dude' started happening"

"Oh God" Veronica gasped, covering her mouth with the her hand a moment, "Did your Dad notice?"

"If he did, he didn't say anything" she laughed, "I think Mom did but she was too polite to say anything, and the look I gave Ryan was enough to keep his mouth shut too. He knows even pregnant I can still take him down"

They both continued to laugh and then sighed almost as one, lounging into the couch cushions and watching the sun make patterns on the ceiling.

"You know this isn't getting us ready for the party, right?" said Mac after five long minutes of companionable silence and comfortable sitting.

"I know" her friend confirmed, "Are you going to be okay with the whole partying thing?" she checked then, looking sideways at Mac, "I mean midnight is a loooong way off and you're all… well, I'm thinking carrying that load tires a body out pretty fast"

"You're not kidding!" Mac agreed whole-heartedly, "but it's fine. We'll be at Logan's suite in the Grand. I'm sure I can crash in Dick's old room if I need to nap"

"Good thinking, Q" Veronica nodded once.

"Thank you, Bond" Mac replied with a giggle that turned into a groan of complaint when Veronica got to her feet, all peppy and full of energy.

"Come on!" she commanded, reaching for Mac's hand to help pull her up off the couch, "Let's go find you something stunning to wear"

"Stunning? In maternity wear?" Mac asked looking dubious, "Yeah, that'll happen"

It was the strangest party since Mac and Dick's housewarming of their new apartment, but everyone present hoped it ended better than that debacle. Since all guests had been vetted, and Madison Sinclair was accounted for as being far, far away, things were looking pretty good. Of course, it was still the most diverse collection of people ever to be stuffed into a suite at the Neptune Grand.

Logan and Veronica had decided it was the best location for a New Year party. Trashing Mac and Dick's place when she was seven months pregnant and in no fit state to host a party or the clean up after it seemed wrong, and anything at the Hearst dorms was bound to get out of hand. The Grand just about let anything slide if you paid them enough, and between them Logan and Dick were happy to foot the bill for everyone to see in 2008 in style.

"Woah, that's just freaky" Wallace declared, on being invited to feel the baby kick from inside of Mac's belly.

"Totally, dude!" Dick agreed whole-heartedly, surprisingly not drunk yet despite the clock reading way past eleven.

"How much longer you got to wait now, Mac?" Wallace asked his friend, who had only just now returned from a long nap, right on time for midnight.

"Eight weeks if kiddo arrives on time" she explained, "but seriously hoping for earlier" she admitted, as Dick hugged her close.

"My Macky is doing amazing with the whole pregnant thing" he declared, swigging on his beer, "She totally doesn't bitch and complain like some chicks would, and she still looks totally hot"

Wallace wasn't sure how to respond to that, except to smile and nod politely. It was pretty amazing to him that a guy like Dick could be so decent. After all these weeks, maybe he ought to be used to it, but then he had spent two years of High School and one of college seeing the guy act like a complete ass-hat on a daily basis. He had to hand it to him though, Dick had really stepped up to the plate on this one, being a good supportive boyfriend and a proud father-to-be. Wallace was genuinely impressed.

"Honestly" he said, as Dick excused himself to go talk to some of his other friends, "and I never thought I'd say this, ever" he said vehemently, "but I hope if I ever found myself in that situation, I'd step up as good as Dick's done, 'cause man, he surprised the hell out of me"

"Me too" Mac admitted with a giggle she couldn't help, "Sometimes I still wonder if he's the same guy that we went to High School with, or if maybe some aliens took over his brain when we weren't paying attention"

She thought on that a moment, as did Wallace, and then they both shook their heads at the same time.

"Well, seems to be you making this all work out for yourself, Miss Mac" he smiled, "I'm real happy for ya" he promised, as he 'clinked' his beer bottle against her paper cup of soda.

"Thanks" she smiled back at him, "I just wish you could be as happy. Can't be nice seeing all the couples that are gonna kiss at midnight and Leticia is so far away" she sympathised.

"These things in life are sent to try us" he said sagely, "It's cool. She thought she'd be able to make it down for a visit, it didn't happen. There'll be other holidays" he smiled bravely.

Across the room, Veronica watched her friends all having a good time. She saw Dick return to Mac's side within ten minutes, as if he were attached by elastic. It was so darn cute, she could hardly stand it, but she loved to see her friends to happy. It was sad that Leticia couldn't make it like she and Wallace planned, but he was keeping his chin up about it, reminding them all that other people suffered so much worse.

"That's a thoughtful expression" said Logan as he appeared by his girlfriend, wrapping his arms around her from behind, "Should I be afraid? Maybe hide the sharp objects?" he teased as he kissed her neck.

"No" she assured him with a giggle, "I was just thinking how great it is that everyone is so happy" she sighed as she leant back into his embrace, "And how different everything is going to be next year. We'll have our own place, we'll complete Sophomore year before long, and by then Mac and Dick will be parents. They'll actually have a baby, it's... it's crazy" she said, unable to find another word that suited right now.

"There is a lot going on" Logan agreed, "but good stuff for a change, so that's cool"

"Yeah" she said, turning in his arms to face him, "but don't pretend you're not thinking just the same as me. You're waiting for the hammer to fall, for the next bad thing to come along and wreck everything"

Logan wished he could tell her she was wrong, but Veronica knew him way too well for him to get away with even a kindly lie anymore. It was always there in the back of his mind, that amongst all the good in his life, some tragic thing must be due to happen. Of course, with all he and Veronica had been through in their young lives, he doubted there was much more that could go wrong. The last thing Logan was going to do was tempt fate by saying so!

"Let's just not worry about that, not tonight" he urged her, "For one night, let's pretend we're normal people with normal lives, in a normal town where crap doesn't happen to us just because it can" he said, dropping a kiss on her nose.

"Sounds like a plan" his girlfriend agreed as she reached up to kiss his lips.

"Hey, save it for midnight, you two" Wallace interrupted their moment, though neither Logan or Veronica minded too much, "Hey, you seen that girl Piz brought along? Man, no disrespect to you, girl" he told Veronica, "but he rebounds good!"

The truth was, Veronica hadn't really noticed Piz had even showed up tonight. She knew he was invited, after all, there was no reason not to. They all got along pretty well these days as friends, the initial awkwardness of she and him being exes and Logan having pummelled Piz into the ground that one time apparently gone now. Turning around, she and Logan both surveyed the scene and suddenly spotted Wallace's room-mate by the punch bowl with a tall and stunning blonde.

"Wow" said Logan, as Veronica let out a long low whistle.

"She is... not what I expected to be Piz's type" she admitted.

"I don't know" Logan shrugged, "He obviously goes for hot and blonde. I can respect that" he smirked, as Veronica tipped her head back to look up at him and they kissed.

"Hey guys!" Dick yelled then to get everyone's attention, turning up the volume on the TV, "We're on the countdown!" he declared as everyone paid attention to the ball dropping on the TV and Dick Clark counting down from ten to the magic of midnight and the new year's beginning.

The party goers started to gather, the count down was being yelled by every man and woman in the room, and in other rooms throughout the building too.

Ten

Dick slung his arm around Mac's shoulder and held her close.

Nine

Veronica leaned into Logan's embrace as she watched the ball drop.

Eight

Piz shifted awkwardly beside his new girlfriend, anticipating tonight's big kiss.

Seven

Wallace looked out at the couple-o-rama around him.

Six

The poor guy kind of wished he was anywhere but here in this moment.

Five

Putting down his near-empty beer, he backed up through the crowd some.

Four

By the door, Wallace hoped to slip away without anyone noticing, when he suddenly felt a tap on his shoulder.

Three

"I can't believe I made it" said a voice he knew so well, his eyes going wide as he spun around to face her.

Two

"Letitia?" he gasped with shock, "What you doing here, girl?" he asked with a smile.

One

"Happy New Year, Wallace" was her only reply, as she went into his arms and kissed him long and hard on the lips.

Their reunion kiss was in unison with so many other couples, including Logan and Veronica, and Mac and Dick too. It was kind of a beautiful moment for all, and the perfect start to 2008.

To Be Continued...