Chapter Fifteen

Samhain

"So remind me what we're doing here again?" Mac asked, abruptly breaking the silence of the elevator and looking at Veronica directly for the first time since the other girl had somehow managed to drag her out of her dorm room, into her car and into the Neptune Grand.

"We're here to part-ay," Veronica exclaimed, pumping her fist into the air.

All that was needed for one eyebrow lift from Mac for her fist to drop with little aplomb.

"Logan asked, nay he begged and..."

"Come on Veronica, give me a bit of credit," Mac interrupted her, crossing her arms. "There is no way you, and for some reason by default me, would be attending an 09er Halloween party. No matter how much Logan asked, especially after..." she trailed off here awkwardly.

Come on Mac you can say it. After all you'd seen the pictures plastered all over the media, along with the rest of Neptune. Madison's bloated face, Logan and I looking shell shocked, Madison's mother sobbing in front of the sheriffs office while her father looked on in a daze...your parents...Then again maybe some things are better left unspoken...

"What's the motive Mars?!" Mac recovered, narrowing her eyes and giving her best imitation of a hardened interrogator.

"I was getting around to it, I just wasn't sure how you'd take it..." Veronica tread carefully.

"I've done more illegal things for you than I have for myself. I think I can take it."

"Well, I was thinking perhaps, what with all our least favourite people conveniently gathered together, it might be an opportune time to do some questioning..."

"You think Madison was murdered?" Mac asked her bluntly, her voice oddly neutral.

"The coroners report hasn't come in yet, but this is Madison Sinclair we're talking about. Do you really think she'd ever be so drunk she would decide to take a swim in the ocean in her designer clothes?" Veronica raised her eyebrows speculatively.

"Don't take this the wrong way...But why do you care anyway?" Mac couldn't help asking blankly. She found herself struggling with her inflicted emotions, all the things she'd ever thought after finding out about the life she'd never have...her parents reaction to the recent news...the look in Madison's eyes when she'd stood at her door...But Veronica...what was her reason to flinch at the news after the initial shock wore off?

That's the million dollar question, isn't it Mac? I could tell you the truth, that I wanted to reveal Madison for what she was and then be in peace to despise her memory to the rest of my days...But I don't think anyone really wants to hear the truth, do they?

"I want the truth," Veronica shrugged, the irony not lost upon her.

"And Madison's just a means to an end?" there was no judgment in Mac's voice, but she couldn't help thinking with recent frequency what would have happened if she had been in Madison's place nineteen years ago. Would Veronica be in a lift right now with Madison Sinclair talking about the death of spoilt little rich Mac? Or maybe none of this would have even happened...

Veronica was saved from having to answer Mac as the lift doors opened. A particularly enthusiastic ghost, who was composed primarily of a white sheet and not much else, jubilantly jumped in front of them.

"BOO!"

Veronica had her tazer out in a matter of seconds, holding it in front of her an Mac and buzzing it a couple of times to allow it to penetrate the brains of the intellectually challenged.

"Woahhh..." the guy yelled, quickly backing away from the electric buzz and tumbling onto the floor, becoming tangled in his sheet. Some of his friends who were bunched in the corridor laughed uproariously.

"What the hell?!" Chip Diller's voice sputtered from the mess of sheets and flesh on the floor. He managed to extricate the sheet from his head, looking furiously up at Veronica.

"Woops. I knew I shouldn't have stayed up late and watched Poltergeist last night. Twitchy finger," she smiled sweetly, showing all her teeth as she buzzed the tazer again just to ensure he stayed on the ground. Then stepping over him she and Mac made there way through his parted sea of friends to the now familiar suite door.

In typical 09er style, even if one of their own dies, the party must go on. It was Halloween after all. I was hesitant at first in answering Logan's call, but from the look on Dad's face and the smell of his cologne I guessed he had some plans for the night with a a lady friend. Although he wouldn't admit it, I allowed him his small mystery for now. I was just glad he was feeling up to leaving the house and enjoying himself. Besides now I had my own mystery to think about and some 09ers to interrogate.

As soon as they entered the room their senses were assaulted with the sights and sound of the overtly privileged being overtly inebriated.

"So tell me again exactly why isn't Wallace here?" Mac asked as they dodged a toilet paper roll which narrowly flew past her head and hit somebody behind her.

"I think it was something about a kick ass party with normal people...or needing to catch up on kick ass sleep. Either or...Regardless we are here to question!" Veronica exclaimed, trying to keep them on track and not think about how grateful she was her Dad wasn't on duty right now. "See anyone who used to be close to Madison and put the screws to them!"

"And who would those people be, exactly?" Mac asked blankly.

"We went to high school with them. I'm sure some of them would have made an appearance."

"I meant through the costumes," Mac gestured at the countless wigs, face paint and masks which made up the crowd.

"Oh, good point," Veronica bit her lip, "I guess when all else fails start with the snitch you know. And there he is right now!"

She made the announcement brightly, holding up her hands to the suddenly hooting blonde surfer whose head had suddenly popped up above the crowd, standing on the table with the beer hog on his shoulder.

"Veronica I'm not sure..." Mac began, feeling apprehensive. But Veronica was already making her way through the crowd and Mac quickly dived in to follow.

Question: How many underage, privileged, drunk twenty year olds can you fit in one hotel suite? Answer: I think I need a drink.

"At last," Veronica was suddenly derailed from her goal-who had disappeared from the table ten minutes ago-by a strong pair of arms which twirled her around and planted a kiss on her lips. Logan disengaged and looked at her with a small hesitant smile on his face which Veronica returned.

So it's needless to say Logan and I had not gotten around to finishing that talk on the beach. We hadn't been sharing much time to do anything really besides answer questions and avoid nosey journalists and share some small moment of comfort. But avoidance was my middle name...or at least when it came to relationships it was...

"So do I gather from this costume you're trying to tell me I'm nauseating?" Veronica mock pouted as she took Logan's costume in a glance-a plain red t-shirt, black leather jacket, black jeans and a chain with a padlock attached.

"Not my idea..." Logan brushed it off, clearly embarrassed by the costume but relaxing slightly at her manner. "I didn't exactly have the ability to go costume hunting..."

"I didn't realise Dick was so subtle. Speaking of where is Johnny Rotten, I'd like to fix his teeth for him?" Veronica's smile was sickly sweet.

"Maybe tonight isn't the best time..." Logan began. "I think things have really gotten to him..."

"Hence the party?" Veronica waved her hand to encompass the full hotel suite.

"Dick's way of dealing?" Logan shrugged, smiling wanly. "So where is the date you said you were bringing?"

"Mac is...well she was right behind me," Veronica glanced, frowning and trying to peer through the crowd. Quickly whipping out her phone she sent a text. She received a reply almost instantaneously.

'Stuck between the hot dog and the clown. Drink now, question later!'

Veronica looked down at the message, wondering if perhaps she hadn't pushed Mac a bit too fast. The other girl had seemed to be in a bit of a funk after the news and Veronica had been hoping a mission would help her get back in the game. Perhaps letting Mac breathe for a while wouldn't be such a bad thing to do tonight.

"Just let me know if I have to exhibit some feat of masculinity to stave her off from my woman?" Logan returned to their familiar pattern of quips, clearly also an expert at avoiding.

"Not right now big guy," Veronica retorted, making her decision. "But do you mind if I interrogate some of your party guests in the meantime?"

"I didn't know the Sheriff was outsourcing? Should I expect to be busted soon?"

"If Dad wasn't on leave than you already would be," Veronica pointed out."But my questions are less towards under-age drinking and more towards..."

"Madison?" Logan dropped his gaze, both of them trying to skate around the awkwardness and unsaid words which seemed to hang between them whenever her name was mentioned. "So you still think there's something more to it then...?"

"Yeah..." Veronica replied quietly.

"I've got to say, it's hard to hide my disappointment-I was kind of hoping since you answered my call we would be spending the night enjoying some non-interrogating activities?" Logan tried to quip, looking up again.

"Sorry bubba, Momma got some work to do," Veronica gave him light punch on the chest and started to promptly make a beeline towards an unpleasantly familiar brunette. Logan followed close behind, entwining his fingers with hers.

"You know, I think I have this down to a fine art now," Veronica smiled.

"Yeah, well I figure you could always use some muscle," Logan shrugged giving her a half smile.

"As long as you're prepared to do some body slamming."

"Lets party like it's 1999." Logan retorted deadpan.

"Shelly Pomroy oh my god fancy meeting you here!" Veronica shouted, bumping into the girl who was scantily clad in a bee outfit. Shelley dropped the drink she had been holding onto the guy she was talking to. He quickly jumped back.

Outraged the brunette spun to look at Veronica.

"What the hell is your problem?!" she demanded.

If I didn't know better I'd say Shelly was channelling Madison. Then again it is halloween...

"It's me, Veronica Mars, remember?" Veronica smiled overly brightly.

"Yeah, I remember," Shelly replied, unimpressed.

"So, you're friends with Madison right?" Veronica decided to dive in head first, wanting to minimise her contact with this girl as much as possible. "Did you hear anything...weird from her the night she...disappeared..."

"Why don't you tell me, you're the one that found her body," Shelly retorted with, and if Veronica wasn't mistaken her tone was accusing. Veronica's retort was interrupted by Logan, who appeared.

"Shelly, glad you could make it," he smiled at the other girl as if she was a sight for sore eyes.

"Logan," she almost purred, fluttering her eyelashes, she touched his arm. "Long time no see." Veronica observed all this transpiring in front of her with raised eyebrows.

"So, you enjoying yourself?" Logan asked.

"Of course," Shelly smiled, it made Veronica want to upheave her stomach on her shoes.

"Well, if you want the good times to keep rolling how about you answer my girlfriends questions," Logan responded with amiably.

Shelly's smile immediately dropped. "So you guys really are dating?" she asked, not necessarily maliciously.

"Ah, 09ers, friends may come and friends may die but gossip will always be important."

"Madison and I haven't been friends for like ages," Shelly corrected Veronica snappily.

"Not even a text message?" Veronica demanded. "Errant snapchat? A word?"

"Unless you count her screaming at me for trying to surprise her on her nineteenth, that's the last time we talked," Shelly brushed her hair from her face irritably. "If you want to know what Madison was doing the night she died you should ask Sean Friedrich."

"And why would Sean Friedrich know what Madison Sinclair was doing?" Veronica demanded.

"He was her dealer, duh!" Shelly folded her arms and smirked at Veronica as if she was oblivious.

Well that wasn't exactly the answer I was expecting...

"So Sean, long time no see," Veronica proclaimed, throwing herself onto the couch next to Sean who was dressed as a cowboy, while Logan occupied the other side of him casually.

"Veronica, I'd like to say always a pleasure but..." Sean drawled with his usual arrogance, throwing the chip he had been about to eat back in the bowl and clearly trying to hide his obvious discomfort.

"Love what you've done with your hair," Veronica said, referring to the increased length in the boys usual crew cut. "So did you grow it just for the costume or is it a requirement all dealers wear the 'I'm so unkempt I don't even get haircuts anymore' look?"

"What do you want?" Sean asked, not bothering to reply to her jibes. "Cocaine, ecstasy, viagra?" he looked at Logan when he said this who opened his mouth to reply, flexing his fingers.

"How about some A, stands for answers, meaning if you don't give me some I'm going to tazer you somewhere very painful. Hint-After, viagra won't help you."

"Physical violence, isn't that a bit high school?" Sean scorned.

"Oh I don't know, I still find it pretty effective," Veronica smiled as she revealed her tazer from her bag and gave it an experimental buzz.

"Fine, fine so what do you want to know?" Sean quickly relented.

"Were you Madison Sinclair's drug dealer?"

"And what if I was?"

"I think the lady said she wanted answers Fried-rocks!" Logan snapped his fingers lazily.

"She's also the sheriff's daughter," Sean pointed out.

"Believe me, I don't care about your extracurriculars, and I'll give you a pass this once, if you answer me honestly."

Sean sized Veronica and her tazer up, then relented somewhat.

"Fine, I did give her stuff time to time."

"And how long did you guys have this arrangement?"

"I don't know..months ago. When we were in Aspen last year-"

"When's the last time you saw her?" Veronica demanded, quickly cutting off Sean before he could continue. She did not need to hear the details, although she did notice Logan was concentrating on his jeans, his brows furrowed.

"A few days before she took a midnight dive," Sean shrugged. "She wanted some coke, more than usual. I gave her some, plus a few barbiturates on the house."

"Wow, how generous!" Veronica's voice dripped with sarcasm.

"Yeah and look where it got me," Sean sneered. "She only paid half and we all know how Luke is with paying his debts..."

"Luke Halderman?" Veronica questioned. Logan gave an imperceptible shrug behind Sean, indicating he was as thrown as she was.

"You know for a detective you really are clueless," Sean noted snidely, Veronica merely sparked her tazer. "Luke and Madison were banging." he quickly elaborated, "If you're going to be threatening anyone it should be him."

"But threatening you is just so much fun," Veronica retorted chirpily, with a final buzz of her tazer she rose. "And just a word to the wise, keep your dealing to a minimum while your visiting because their's a new sheriff in town and I can't promise something might not slip from these clueless lips of mine." With that she turned to find her next suspect.

"I guess she hasn't thawed out since high school," Sean drawled to the rising Logan, leaning over he picked up the bowl of chips and lent back on the couch. "You should have stuck with Madison, short and sweet..."

Logan flipped the bowl of chips, which went tumbling onto Sean's lap.

"Woops, how clumsy of me," Logan put a hand to his mouth and mock gasped at the stunned Sean. "Maybe you could call your Dad and get him to help you clean that mess up. Or better yet, how about i don't see your face again tonight, unless you want something more than chips all over your shirt."

"What did I ever do to you?" Sean demanded, Logan didn't bother answering just turned and followed Veronica, his knuckles white as he clenched his fingers.

They say people change after high school, who knew how much...For everything Madison was she had never taken drugs, to the best of my knowledge. Too concerned over her thousand dollar nose no doubt...Then again I suppose it was all about the company you keep...

"Luke, it's been too long since our last highjinx together..." Veronica exclaimed cheerily, putting her arm around Luke who was clad in a skeleton costume. She squeezed his arm, making him wince.

"Uh, hey Veronica," Luke gave her a nervous smile. "Logan," he nodded at the other boy.

"Luke are you going to introduce us?" a thin girl dressed in a short red dress with devil horns adorning her honey blonde hair looked at Veronica with a tight smile.

"Sure, Sonya this is Veronica and her boyfriend Logan, we used to go to school together," Luke licked his lips nervously under his girlfriends scrutinising gaze, quickly extricating himself from out of Veronica's grasp and taking the girls hand. "Veronica, Logan this is my uh girlfriend Sonya."

"Pleased to meet you," Veronica smiled widely, taking the other girls hand and shaking it. "We go way back with Luke, us and our best friend Madison Sinclair..."

"Isn't that the girl that drowned?" Sonya queried. "You never told me you were friends with her Luke?"

"Uh well, I think friends would be putting it a bit strongly..." Luke blustered.

"So how would you describe your relationship?" Veronica queried.

"Acquaintances I guess...So uh...Logan great party..."

"It is, isn't it," Logan smiled blandly. "Speaking of great, I still have those pictures from our last trip to Tijuana, if you want to have a look."

"I'd love to see them," Sonya said brightly, smiling.

"We should definitely go get them then," Logan said not missing a beat, hooking his arm around Luke he led the other boy away firmly.

"Boys and their photos," Veronica shrugged at Sonya's look and jerked her thumb to indicate the two retreating figures, with Luke glancing back worriedly. "I should probably go help, I swear he would get lost in his own suite without a map, and he wouldn't ask for directions to boot." With that she quickly turned and left Luke's speechless girlfriend behind.

"Is this really necessary?" Luke asked as Logan released him only when they reached his room and Veronica closed the door behind them.

"I don't know Luke, how about you tell us?" Veronica asked.

"I have no idea why I'm here."

"Lets see, you were sleeping with Madison, cheating on a girl who was clearly in the dark and by the way probably out of your league and then...oh yeah, Madison ended up dead...The picture getting any clearer?"

"Logan, come on man, you know me, you know I wouldn't-" Luke began, looking at the other boy.

"Yeah well I thought I knew a lot of people and they all proved me wrong, so I think I'll follow Veronica's lead on this one," Logan shrugged, avoiding his gaze.

"I'm not accusing you of anything," Veronica said, less aggressive. "I just want to ask you some questions about Madison."

"Fine," Luke sighed, sinking onto Logan's couch.

"How long had you guys been...together?" Veronica started slow.

"We weren't," he laughed dryly. "I mean, Madison came back here on break last year and I saw her at a bar and the next thing I know we're making out in the bathroom with her legs-"

"I could be spared the gory details," Veronica grimaced.

"Well ever since then we've hooked up now and then," Luke shrugged. "Just casual stuff..."

"And this is the same Madison who held out on Dick unless he made some romantic gesture?" Logan asked sceptically.

"That's what I thought too, but I guess it's true what they say, girls really do experiment in college," he laughed, but his face quickly turned serious at Veronica's unamused look.

"So how long did it take her to threaten to tell your girlfriend?"

"She didn't. I'm serious!" he defended at Veronica's snort. "I think she just liked the company or something..."

"Okay then...So when did you last see her?"

"The evening she...you know..." Luke said. "I know it sounds bad but I swear she was alive the last time I laid eyes on her. Alive and being her usual Madison self..."

"Meaning?" Veronica raised her eyebrows.

"You know, bitchy, entitled, moody. I know it's horrible to say but it's the truth," he shifted on the couch awkwardly. "Like one minute we were making out the next she was screaming at me. She had taken something...I think...she always did whenever we met up. Anyway I left and I didn't see her again. You can check the cameras in the Camelot, they'll show her leaving after me. She was alive, I swear...Now can I go?"

"Sure," Veronica smiled sweetly. "Just a few more questions..."

Somehow Mac had lost sight of Veronica, and she had ended up by herself behind the coloured glass partition which created a type of corridor to the guest toilet, holding a plastic mug, of which origin she wasn't entirely certain of. She sniffed it then scrunching up her nose in disgust she quickly threw the contents of the mug into the nearby pot plant. As she watched the amber liquid dissipate she wondered how she was going to prevent her tutoring sessions with Dick from spilling out. She hadn't told Veronica about Madison's visit to her dorm room and thus far the sheriff's office hadn't contacted her. They had plenty of witnesses who had seen Madison stumbling around, right now it all looked like a tragic accident. But Veronica didn't think so, and Mac had learnt to trust the blonde girl, with most things at least...

"It's fake."

"What?" Mac squeaked, taken by surprise she turned to see Dick standing before her. He was wearing a white dress shirt, pants and tie. The beer hog had disappeared. The odd colour the light made as it reflected off the amber glass made him look older, or maybe it was the shadows under his eyes...

"It's uh...plastic," Dick mumbled, gesturing at the plant.

"Oh," Mac looked at it, then down at her mug.

"Dirts real though," Dick supplied, as if that was supposed to be condoling.

"So... what are you supposed to be?" it was a stupid question but she needed to fill the silence somehow.

"Oh, uh..." Dick patted his chest as if expecting to find something, then his arms turned to his back. He triumphantly produced a name tag sticker and pasted it clumsily back onto his shirt pocket. "Ta-duh!" he exclaimed, pointing at the name tag which Mac noticed had a red rosette on it.

"To: Women. From: God?" Mac read it, blinking.

"Yeah...I'm a gift from God, you know...it's supposed to be a joke..." Dick flicked his fringe from his eyes suddenly, looking very self-conscious.

"Yeah I gathered..." Mac replied awkwardly.

"So you came as yourself? That's cool!"

"... I better go find Veronica, we came together and she's probably looking for me..." she quickly turned to leave.

"Mac wait," Dick grabbed her arm and she turned back to face him.

"What Dick?" she asked as he just stood there, seeming unsure of what to say.

"I..I've been thinking a lot since...you know..."

"Dick, it's fine-"

"I just wanted to say...it's not like she said okay! I'm not like that-"

"Dick it's okay we don't have to..." Mac began but then trailed off. How was she supposed to finish that sentence? We don't have to talk about this, think about it, think about him ever again?

She was saved from having to say anything as two boy passed by them, heading to the guest toilet, one of them nudging her with his shoulder as he passed in the narrow space and Mac caught a small snapshot of their conversation.

"What the hell were you thinking with all that make-up man!" the vampire asked the supposed zombie.

"I was going for disturbing."

"Well you ended up with unattractive. You look like that dead kid, you know the one that jumped off the roof. Ju-"

It felt like something had pierced Mac's heart, she glanced at Dick he only had eyes for the vampire, his blue eyes oddly icy.

"Dick do-" Mac said, realising what was about to happen but before she could hold onto him Dick had launched himself at the vampire with a clumsy violence. They both slammed through the glass partition, which broke with them. Screams sounded as people quickly scrambled out of the a minute Mac and the zombie looked at each other in shock, then Mac quickly raced to the side of the scuffling pair, being careful to avoid any glass which had shattered to the floor. Luckily it was one of those expensive panes so the glass wasn't as big a problem as the scrabbling figures.

"Dick, come on!" Mac shouted, quickly grabbing the blonde surfer boy who had been pushed off by the other guy and was struggling to get up. She pulled him up to his shaky feet and held on to his shirt, keeping him from lunging again. The other guy was still on the ground looking up with Dick with a split lip and a bleeding nose. Mac somehow managed to to pull Dick away, steadily but surely.

She wasn't sure where she was heading but somehow instinctively they ended up on the balcony, the cool night air biting against her face. Luckily it was too cold outside to interest most of the scantily clad partygoers and whoever had braved it had deserted it in favour of the commotion inside. Mac shut the sliding door with a click and turned to Dick.

Dick had a small cut under his eye from the glass and a bruised knuckles, but they both otherwise seemed unharmed. The violence had been sudden, but Dick wasn't a fighter, not really. Now he stood, his gaze turned away from Mac, a dark silhouette against lights which spread out in front of them both endlessly.

"Are you okay?" Mac finally mustered the courage to ask, she reached out as if to touch him, but then her hand fell short.

"I'm not like she said!" Dick suddenly snapped, turning around and causing Mac to step back.

"I know you're not," she finally replied quietly in the silence, almost hurt. Dick's focused on her and there was instant regret in his eyes for his outburst.

"Look, I'll go see if I can find you some ice..." she finally said as they stood there awkwardly, she quickly turned to go find Logan who could hopefully soothe this strange agitated Dick, but before she could reach the sliding door strong fingers suddenly gripped her hand.

Mac turned, expecting Dick to quickly let go embarrassed, shift on his feet and to apologise or say something goofy, but instead his grip remained on his fingers, his eyes trained on her as if he was desperately trying to reconcile something , and then suddenly, impulsively his lips were on hers.

Mac stood there shocked, allowing it to happen as Dick's lips moved against hers, not unpleasantly. She felt heat and ice flow through her body at once, disconnected she felt as if she was floating above looking down at Cindy MacKenzie and Dick Casablanca's kissing. Finally Dick pulled softly away from her, looking at her with a feeling she couldn't quite place.

"Dick I...I can't do this," Mac heard her voice as if from thousand of miles away, barely a whisper. And then she turned, fumbling she opened the glass sliding door and fled.

CRASH

The noise interrupted Veronica, who was in the process of grilling Luke of every last detail of his last encounter with Madison.

"What the hell was that?!" Luke exclaimed, looking towards the room door nervously.

"Owe any more people money?" Veronica asked, smiling sweetly.

"I should probably check it out," Logan muttered, going to the door he opened it, allowing the chaotic sound of the party fill the room.

"Look I told you everything I know, can I go now?" Luke asked impatiently, his eyes flickering between Veronica and the door.

"Sure, but don't ignore my calls it hurts my feelings," Veronica qualified, Luke didn't need telling twice, he quickly left the room, almost jogging.

Veronica sighed and rose from her chair, going to the door herself into the chaos beyond.

Well I've got exactly...nothing. Right now the night felt like a wasted exercise, speaking of wasted...

"What the hell happened?" Logan demanded, looking down at the broken glass in front of him stunned.

"I dunno, some crazy blonde dude assaulted my friend," a guy who Veronica guessed was supposed to be a zombie exclaimed. He was propping up a guy in a Dracula coat who was nursing a blood nose, they seemed to be in the middle of the crowd of people who were surrounding the destruction.

Logan glanced around the crowded press of people and Veronica knew his mind had jumped to a certain apparently currently unstable surfer. She also glanced through the crowd, searching for Mac, but there was no sight of the other girl. She quickly took her phone out of her purse and texted her, hoping she hadn't been injured in the fray of flying glass and fists.

"Did you hear me, some crazy dude at your party assaulted my friend," the zombie repeated, looking at Logan. "I think he broke his nose! You should pay him compensation or something!"

"He can have my condolences," Logan's snapped, eyes turning to him. "But to be fair it would probably be an improvement."

There were whistles from the crowd, obviously eager to see more blood.

"This is bull shit man! I should call the cops," the guy announced.

"Yeah?" Logan smirked at the threat. "Have fun explaining how your friend got a broken nose after you both were consuming copious amounts of alcohol. How old are you, twelve? Well, however under twenty one you are don't let the door hit you on the way out."

"Burn!" someone shouted out and laughter followed. The zombies ears, the only part of him that wasn't pasted with make up, turned red. Logan, knowing he had won, turned his attention once more to looking for Dick, moving through the crowd. Veronica followed, battling harder.

"Have you seen Dick?" Logan asked of a Hearst girl dressed as a fairy, if you could call glitter and a bathing suit a costume.

"I think he went...well it was all pretty sudden I mean they just burst through the glass and Dick was whaling on that guy...like I never knew he had it in him..." the girl said breathlessly.

"Calm down Bessie, he doesn't bu-" Logan began, reverting to his snappy default in response to his stress.

"Logan I think I see Dick," Veronica said, quickly grabbing him and turning his attention to the blonde surfer who was pushing past people, looking desperate.

"Dick, hey man!" Logan quickly yelled out, closing the distance between them through sheer force of will he grabbed his friend by the arm, forcing the other boy to stop. "Hey, are you okay?"

"I'm great, why wouldn't I be?" Dick asked, his grin oddly wide.

"Uh...I dunno, maybe it's the smashed glass, or the, you know, blood," Logan pointed out, brushing his hand above his own eye to indicate Dick's cut.

"Oh yeah, sorry about that but some guy was dissing Baywatch and you know I can't have that," Dick babbled. "So I'm gonna blow this party, places to be and stuff-" he moved to leave.

"Dick are you sure-" Logan began, hesitant to let him go.

"I'm fine dude, don't be such a frigging girl," Dick snapped. "Now if it's okay with you I'm gonna go, unless you want to set a curfew or something."

"Fine," Logan released his arm, raising his hands in defeat.

"Good," Dick said, turning he pushed through the crowd and was gone.

"Well that was surprising un-Dick like," Veronica noted.

"Yeah..." Logan ran his hand through his hair. "But you know sometimes he gets a bit...sometimes it's best to just let him go..."

"Hey, I'm not complaining," Veronica shrugged. "Now if there was only a way to make his party go with him."

"Now that I can handle," Logan smiled slightly, he ducked between some people and before Veronica knew it the pounding music suddenly seized, accompanied by sounds of disgruntled protest.

"Hey everybody," Logan announced, popping up above people's heads by standing on a table. "Thanks for coming, you've been great, but all parties must come to an end-" boos began to accompany his announcement, forcing him to shout. "Luckily there's always an after party at Vespa, tab on me!" This announcement was accompanied by a cheer and the abrupt mass migration of people heading towards the hotel door. Veronica quickly shuffled into a corner, trying to stay out of the stampede. Eventually the last stragglers had left the hotel room and only Logan and Veronica were left.

"Ta-da," Logan exclaimed, waving his hands as if he had accomplished a magic trick, he jumped off the table.

"Tab on you? Feeling awfully generous tonight?" Veronica raised her eyebrows.

"Me, Dick, semantics." Logan shrugged.

"So what happened to partying like it's 1999?"

"I don't know, maybe I'm not in the mood." Logan smiled wanly. "Plus this was Dick's party anyway, so it was lacking my flare," he noted.

"Well you have one hell of a clean up mission," Veronica noted, looking at the copious amounts of rubbish which littered the floor.

"You know, when you live in a hotel somehow you go to sleep and the rubbish just disappears.'

"Along with a sizeable chunk of bills from your wallet?"

"Magical pixies are expensive," Logan smirked, shrugging. "Speaking of, whereabouts is Mac, unless I am to believe she took me up on my offer to Vespa?"

"Apparently she was tired so she took a taxi home," Veronica frowned down at her phone once more which contained the short text from her friend, feeling that familiar nagging concern for her friend.

"Well, since your friend and my friend is MIA...I was thinking perhaps we could maybe try out one of those swanky restaurant boats you love so much. You know, celebrate that great grade you were praising me so much about in style..." he smiled crookedly down at her, hopeful and a little hesitant,

"It's Halloween, what happened to the pranks, toilet papering houses, trick or treating?Are you turning all romantic and sentimental on me in your old age?" Veronica quipped.

"I don't know," his eyes dropped and then rose to meet hers earnestly. "I just suppose, with all this stuff going on, I think we should make the most of what we have you know. Things just seem to change so quickly all the time..."

"Yeah...I know..." Veronica replied quietly. "I'll go home and change into something more appropriate and meet you back here."

"Okay," Logan smiled and it was almost in relief as if he was expecting to be rebuffed. Veronica gave him a quick peck on his lips.

"Okay," she echoed smiling and then turned to leave.

"Just don't be too long, otherwise I'll have to go without you," Logan called after her.

"Enjoy your date with your hand then," she retorted, eliciting a grin from him.

Mac lay curled on her bed, still donning the jeans and T-shirt she'd been wearing at the party. She had escaped in the nearest taxi, her first instinct had been to go home, her real home with her parents and her annoying little brother. She had just wanted to crawl into her Mom's arms and be held, much like her mother had done for her after- But then she had remembered Madison and her parents weird behaviour after and how whenever they looked at her they seemed to be holding back tears, and she'd decided to come back to her empty dorm room instead.

Parker had gone out, presumably to the same party as Wallace, Veronica was no doubt still at Logan's, and so ended the list of people Mac would even contemplate talking out her tumult of emotions with.

A banging on the door interrupted Mac's inertia suddenly, an insistent obnoxious noise that could only be one person. Mac lay there, attempting to ignore it, but after fifteen minutes she could no longer bear it.

"Go away," she shouted out, knowing she was being childish and not caring.

"No," Dick retorted through the door.

Growling as the knocking resumed Mac rose, stumbled over and opened the door slightly just as Dick was raising his fist to knock some more.

"Listen Dic-" she began.

"No, let me just-just let me say this okay!" Dick interrupted her before she could begin, almost desperate. "I know what you're thinking and it's not that, okay! It's not all about Cassidy!"

"Yes it is Dick," Mac sighed slightly, trying to be patient and avoid the own lurch of her stomach and the pain in her heart at the sound of his name. "We both still miss him and it happens sometimes when people are 's nothing wrong with having the feelings, it's just you have to realize they're not real and they're going to go away!" She said it firmly, reasonably, as if she needed to believe it too.

"They are real for me!" Dick stated. "Don't you think I've tried to ride them out? I dunno I've never- And you may think I'm stupid or an idiot or whatever, but just know it's not all about Cassidy okay? I can tell when it's about him, and it may have started off like that...At first I just wanted to talk about him, you know? I didn't know enough and you two were real close...But after all this time we spent together...I like you Mac, I like you alot and I get why you don't want to be with me...but I just thought you ought to know that."

She had allowed him to ramble, unable to stop the tide. But now it was still, now he was still, standing before her awkwardly, his face almost hopeful.

"And you think telling me how you feel is just going to make everything better somehow?" Mac found her voice, and somehow it was angry.

"No, I just thought..." Dick spluttered, taken aback.

"No, you didn't think!" Mac snapped. "You never think about anyone but yourself."

"That's not true," Dick protested, hurt. "Okay, so yeah it was before...but I've been trying really hard.

"Oh, well congratulations!" Mac's voice dripped with sarcasm.

"No, look I didn't mean to upset you," Dick back-pedalled, frustrated.

"Well you did."

"I don't get it, what am I supposed to do?" Dick snapped now. "You think I want to have these feelings huh? I used to be happy going stag!"

"I'm so sorry to have inconvenienced you!"

"What do you want?!" Dick demanded.

"I don't know!" Mac snapped, it left her mouth before she could think about it and it was true, truer than her speech about grief and feelings, truer than anything she'd felt for someone else in a while.

"Well neither do I," Dick replied with, his voice oddly vulnerable as he looked at her, as if pleading for her to have the answers, but Mac didn't, Mac didn't have anything, she didn't even know how she felt, except maybe when...

Suddenly Mac's lips were on his, and she was in that place once more, the place where nothing really mattered except the here and now and this. Slowly Mac pulled Dick closer and automatically his kicked the dorm door shut behind them.

Veronica pulled into her familiar parking spot in front of her apartment, her headlights illuminating the dark windows. Closing her car door she took out her phone and checked the time as she walked to her door, raising her eyebrows and smirking slightly.

Well Dad, we are out past our curfew...

Putting her phone away and retrieving her keys Veronica went to open the door, when she noticed it was ajar slightly. Frowning she quickly took out her tazer, pushing it with her foot she held her tazer out in front of her while she used her other hand to switch on the light. She blinked in the sudden brightness and then almost dropped her tazer as she stared, shocked at the person looking up at her from her couch.

"Veronica..."

"Duncan?"

Logan scowled in front of the mirror as he regarded his hopeless third attempt at his tie. His fingers fumbled, attempting to undo the useless knot, when he heard a knock on the hotel door. Glancing at the time on his phone he grinned and headed towards it, continuing to fiddle with the silk around his neck.

"That was quick," he proclaimed, grinning as he unbolted the door. "And right on time here you are...

"Hello son."

A/N: This was a struggle to get out. I'm not entirely happy with it. But here it is. Sorry it took so long. But we've finally reached it, the big resurrection. R&R please :)