Mac's heart dropped a little as she walked back to her boyfriend. Did I imagine that?

Nope. Max looked up at her like he'd been caught.

Mac didn't sit down. "Max, can I talk to you?" She found herself beckoning him with her index finger. Who am I? Mac did not delight in being the type of girl who had a dramatic outburst at a party. She led him out into the hallway of the hotel.

"Echolls—" Dick said loudly to his friend. "We've got a situation that needs your attention."

Logan and Dick soon walked into the hallway as well and heard the tail end of a conversation:

"I don't care! What you were doing makes me look like a fool!"

"Mac, Sweetie, you're not listening to me, Nothing was—"

Max stopped abruptly. The show of force by the considerably larger, considerably more hostile, men emerging from the party made him forget his train of thought.

"Guys?" Mac started weakly, finally looking tired from her long day of work. "Can you give us a second?"

Dick spoke first, glaring at Max, "Mac, is there a problem out here?"

And Logan quickly followed, "Because if Mac has a problem with you," he sneered at Max, "then you have a problem with us."

Dick chuckled lightly; it reminded him Logan's speech at the surprise party Aaron threw his son. The party where 'Ronnie was first caught with Logan. The one where Duncan lost his mind. Luckily, for Dick, the laugh didn't make Max relax. He thought Dick's laugh made him sound insane.

"No, there's no problem," Mac said with a disappointed tone. She had been contemplating dumping Max on the spot. Although Logan and Dick may have thought they were helping, they actually just saved Max's ass. And now she was too spent to deal. "We just had a misunderstanding" her glance at Max made him realize this conversation wasn't over. "Actually, I think I'm going to go on home."

Max said, "Are you okay getting home?" at the same time Dick asked, "Can I give you a ride?"

Why is Dick being nicer than my boyfriend? Mac caught herself thinking. Probably because my boyfriend was just saved from my wrath and doesn't want to be in a car with me right now.

Logan smiled as the other boys eyed one another, "Let me call you a cab, Mac."

"I'm fine, really," she said, "Just one drink, a while ago. And a couple of sips of this one," she shoved the full drink she had just made with Logan into Max's hand, "Unlike you," she continued as she patted Dick on the shoulder, "who might do more harm than good being a tipsy- taxi, but thanks, everyone. Night, fellas."

They all watched Mac walk down the hall. The three men had very different thoughts running through their minds: Logan felt sorry for her; this wasn't her scene. She had wanted a break from her boyfriend and instead found him here and hitting on another girl. Dick was disappointed Mac hadn't blown up a little more at Max. He knew how funny and sharp her words could be and he was hoping to get a front row seat to a tongue lashing that wasn't for him. And, if he was honest with himself, he was diggin' the jeans as she strutted away. And pissed at Max. And wanting another drink to stop thinking so much about all of this. Max was just relieved he hasn't suffered worse; he knew that was coming tomorrow. Truthfully, he was also thinking a little bit about Wendy, but didn't want that to show on his face. These guys were huge. Not until her elevator door closed completely did they speak again.

Dick turned to Max, "You're officially kicked out of this party. Clear out the geek squad and your harem, and next time you hear about a party here, consider yourself uninvited."

Logan was a little surprised, about Dick ushering out the girls, at least.

When the offending party was tossed out, Dick returned to mingling with his guests. He did grab that next beer. No more thinking. A party weary Logan stepped to back of the suite and dialed Veronica.

"So, listen," she started, without even a 'hi, how are ya?' "if you're calling for my opinion on who to seal the deal with tonight, I'm voting for the busty redhead in the green dress. "

Logan, shocked, looked around. He remembered talking to just such a girl, earlier that night.

"She's over by the fireplace." He looked in that direction, and there she sat.

"Veronica Mars—" surprise, anger, amusement, all in her name.

"I know the black haired girl in the black top was all over you," She surely was. He thought, looking over at another woman he had turned down earlier in the night. "But I think the black on black thing is a little goth for your California boy liking. If it wasn't for that fuchsia lipstick, she would look pretty sickly. As it is, she just looks desperate."

He laughed, but came back angrier, "If you put cameras in my suite on my first day—"

"Quit looking around at the ceiling, you look like an idiot."

"How in the hell are you—"

"And the girl in the blue dress, was kind of cute, if you're down for that mousy thing. But she was tall, and Lord knows you have issues with short girls."

"Veronica," he said, now softening, pleading, "please, please tell me you're here." His eyes scanned every female body in the room looking for the figure he knew so well. He was looking at every hair-do as a wig, every overdone face as a make-up disguise, "Please tell me you're back. You're in costume at my party and I'm going to get to spend the rest of my night with you."

She stopped her teasing and replied a little too quickly, a little too honestly, "God, that's what I want now, too. If wishing made it so… I'm sorry to get your hopes up. I'm still in Virginia."

He took a deep breath and paused. But it meant something to know she was longing for him too.

"So, your vote is for the redhead, then?" he asked. She could hear his cocky grin.

"You do love green," she replied encouragingly. Both were back to their sarcastic shells.

"I do, I do. But sadly, she's taken ."

"Liar," Veronica said sharply. "that's not what my intel says. Word on the street is you shot her down fast and hard. Then brought her a drink. You are such a gentleman."

"Damn, Veronica, how are you doing this?"

"Please," she spat, "like I'd ever tell you my methods," then more gently she asked, "Why aren't you picking up girls, Logan?"

"You know why," he said with intensity, letting the words hang in the air for a moment. And then a bit lighter, "I sent you that text already, no one here is as pretty as you."

Changing the subject, Veronica said, in a sing-song voice, "I bet you are in trou-ble."

"Why do you say that?"

"Well, Party Police Dick is surely going to make you do at least 3 or 4 shots for this: you calling me during a party at your place has got to be # 1 on his party foul list."

"Actually, my roommate is the one who encouraged me to call. We've got a case for you."