Author's Note: Thanks so much for the reviews and the follows! I hope you enjoy this short little epilogue to tie up the story.

Thanks to Rob Thomas for creating this characters (that I don't own) and making it possible for me to write about them!

- Epilogue -

As the setting sun was giving another one of its amazing early evening shows over the Pacific, Mac had to shield her eyes from the rays that were hitting her straight on as she opened the door and walked into the empty beach house. Putting her lap-top bag down in the entrance, she was greeted by the Dick's orange tabby that had trotted up to her ankles and was rubbing its body along her legs. "I guess I'm going to be a cat lady after all." Mac said ruefully to herself as she reached down to scratch the cat behind its ears.

Mac looked around at the now familiar house, taking in the tastefully furnished open living area and cozy kitchen, and wondered where Dick was. He had promised to help her finish moving her stuff back into the beach house, but was conveniently missing during her first loaded car ride back from her sublet. "Why is it that no one is ever around on moving day?" Mac grumbled to herself.

It had taken three more months, and a not too subtle campaign on Dick's part to convince Mac to move back in, but she had finally agreed when Veronica had not too casually pointed out that paying for the apartment was stupid considering the fact that Mac never spent any time there, plus she was 'getting sick' of Dick complaining about Mac leaving him alone when she did have a reason to go back to the sublet. "If I have to listen to Dick wax poetic about you for another minute, I'm going to puke. The dude is seriously wrecked," were Veronica's exact words.

If she was honest with herself, in her lust-addled soul, Mac had wanted to move in from almost the moment that she and Dick had their little heart-to-heart three months ago—she was crazy about the guy, but Mac's logical brain won out, and she had opted to slow the relationship down a bit, trying to give them space to breathe and grow accustomed to their fledgling romance. Going from bachelorhood to his first serious monogamous 'relationship' had to be a big transition she figured, and Mac wanted to give him time to adjust—didn't want to crowd him.

Smiling at the thought, Mac shook her head at the memory of her hesitation, knowing now it had been unwarranted. Dick still loved to torture her with bad puns or the badly timed, "that's what she said," jokes, but he also loved to wake up before she did and make her breakfast- 'Can't let only breadwinner in the family go to work on an empty stomach,' he would joke, or grumble at her to go to bed when she was up late working on some case for Veronica. He always made sure he had her favorite almond milk on hand, and had decided he was going to perfect the recipe for vegan pancakes. Dick was even nicer to Veronica, who had spent a lot of time with them before finding her own place in between Logan's most recent deployment. He had made friends with Wallace too, turning into the Neptune High JV Basketball unofficial mascot and cheer squad.

It turned out that when Dick was in, he was all in, and even now Mac had moments where she had to check herself because this Dick, the sweet, attentive, kind of Martha-Stewart like boyfriend, that Dick had turned out to be, was still a bit of a shock to her system.

While he wasn't into big gestures, Dick seemed to go out his way in lots of little ways to show Mac how much he liked taking care of her, and Mac had to admit, she kind of liked the fussing, which was why she was a little surprised that he wasn't around now to help her with her final moving chores. As a gust of cool wind blew off the ocean, Mac noticed the lanai door swing gently open. Heading over to the door, Mac stepped outside, taking in the setting sun and the approaching twilight. Noticing the blond head and the broad shoulders of her erstwhile boyfriend, Mac kicked off her shoes, and headed over to her beach boy, who was standing with his back to the house, looking towards the ocean.

"Penny for your thoughts?" Mac wrapped her arm around Dick's waist, and looked up at his face. Dick reached his own arm around Mac's shoulders in return and glanced down at her, giving her his easy smile and a warm glance that was still able to melt her insides.

"My thoughts are worth at least a nickel." Dick glanced away from Mac and back to the ocean. "Just enjoying my last moments of life as a single guy." Mac rolled her eyes, but accepted the gentle kiss Dick landed on her hairline.

"I hear the all the single ladies in Neptune are quite upset at that news," Mac quipped sarcastically, but pinched his side.

"That must explain the screams of misery I've been hearing all day." Dick glanced down at Mac, and squeezed her, but turned around and wrapped both his arms around her waist, lacing his hands behind her back and stared down at her with a serious expression on his face. Mac raised her eyebrows at him, expecting another joke.

"Mac…?" Dick hesitated.

"Yeah, Dick?" Mac waited for the next zinger, but was surprised by his next words.

"I'm glad you're here. I…I hope you stay for good this time." Taken off guard by the serious words of her usually emotionally reserved boyfriend, Mac looked up at Dick's bright eyes, and smiled at the emotion she saw there.

Mac leaned into Dick's embrace, resting her head against his chest, and tightened her arms around his body. She wasn't letting go. "I'm not going anywhere, Dick. I'm home now."