Bleck. I'm not sure how I feel this. There's some parts I really love how they came out...others, not so much. It's my first attempt at a Dick/Mac pairing; I just had to try them, I adore them together. Just tell me what you thought of it, okay? If this isn't such a failure, I'll take another attempt at them. Maybe something cuter and happier :3.

Disclaimer: I do not own Veronica Mars. That belongs to the amazing Rob Thomas.

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Noticing

The first time Dick Casablancas saw Cindy "Mac" Mackenzie more than just as Veronica's friend, the girl who dated his brother, was on the beach.

It started off as a typical Friday afternoon for Dick. He and Logan were done with classes by late afternoon, and they decided to treat themselves to a little evening surfing. Logan was down after having yet another fight with Veronica, so Dick decided to steal his best friend for some quality surfing before Veronica forgave him yet again, and took him from Dick…yet again.

The afternoon started off normal; both men proving just how well they could surf. It wasn't until after almost an hour when Veronica and Mac showed up. Upon sighting his girlfriend, Logan instantly paddled out to shore to see her, ready to end their stupid fight, leaving Dick to have to follow him.

"Do you mind if I steal him for a minute?" asked Veronica as they walked onto shore, her tone making Dick understand that she wasn't going to take no for an answer.

"If it means ending another pointless fight, then yes, go right ahead, Ronnie." Logan dropped his surfboard as Veronica gently grabbed his arm, leading them away, leaving Dick alone with Mac. "'Sup, Mac?" asked Dick, his tone uncaring.

"Nothing much," replied Mac, her voice quiet and her tone also uncaring. Noticing that Mac wasn't really up for talking either, Dick didn't speak again. He instead watched as Mac turned her focus to the ocean, watching quietly as waves rolled onto shore. The sun was getting ready to set.

"This is my favorite time of day," blurted Dick without really thinking. "Whoa, I don't know why I just told you that," he finished, mostly talking to himself.

"Mine too," whispered Mac. Dick turned to her, only to catch her whipping a tear from her eye.

"Uh…you okay there, Macky?"

"I'm fine…I'm fine. It's just…Cassidy and I…we use to watch the sunset together." Mac chuckled darkly. "Now I don't know why I told you that."

"Be-Cassidy was my little brother, and I knew almost nothing about him before he committed-died." Dick just couldn't bring himself to say the word. Suicide. He just hated how it sounded in his head.

"I don't think any of us really knew him. Not even me."

"I still don't understand why he did any of it. I still don't understand why he…he-"

"Killed himself?"

Dick winced. "Yeah…that."

Neither of them spoke for a minute, unsure if they really wanted to go down this road. It was Dick who spoke up again. "After everything he's done, after how much shit he's fucked up, everyone is expected to hate him. You, Veronica…me. But I can't. I can't hate him. I loved him too much. I fucking loved him, okay? I loved him. The last time I told him that I did was when I was seven. Fucking seven. And, I can't help but to think that if I spent more time being there for him, telling him I loved him, instead of tormenting him, things may have turned out differently." It was Dick's turn to let out a very dark snicker. "I don't know why I just told you that. I've…I've never said that out loud."

Mac turned to face Dick for the first time. Tears were forming in his eyes, but Dick looked set on making sure that they didn't fall. She waited until he finally turned to face her. "I don't hate him, either," she whispered. "He lied to me, he killed my classmates, he raped my best friend…but I don't hate him. I don't hate him because he's the only person to ever just stop and listen to me…to understand me."

"We're one of a kind, Macky, aren't we?" said Dick, shaking his head as a sad smiled formed on his lips.

Mac looked over his shoulder to catch Veronica and Logan breaking apart from a kiss and start walking back towards them. "Well this has been…odd."

"Don't tell anybody what I said today, okay?" asked Dick. For once he sounded like a wounded child rather than a legal adult.

"I won't," replied Mac almost right away. It surprised her how easily it was for her to open up to Dick, how much she had in common with him.

Dick smiled another sad smile at her before turning to notice Logan and Veronica nearing them.

"Did you call me Macky?" asked Mac, completely changing the subject, taking Dick off guard.

"I did. Why?"

"Don't."

"You don't like it?"

"Absolutely not."

"Then it sticks…Macky."

Mac shook her head as the typical Dick she knew resurfaced. Dick laughed at the obvious annoyance on Mac's face, glad that the conversation about his dead brother was over for now.

The first time Dick noticed Mac as a girl he could be himself around was when she showed up at Logan's room a week later. Dick's relationship with Mac was somehow different since their day on the beach; they were in no way best friends or anything, but they weren't strangers either. Mac was more of a friend to Dick, rather than just a friend of a friend's girlfriend.

Dick was staying over at Logan's once again, mostly to use his video game systems. He was so wrapped up in the video game he was playing that he almost ignored the person knocking at Logan's door completely. Once he realized that the person on the other side of the door wasn't going to go away anytime soon, Dick sighed and paused his game. He heaved himself off of the couch and headed to answer the door.

"Macky? Macky!" said Dick once he realized who was there.

Mac rolled her eyes, but couldn't help the smile that touched the corner of her lips. "Hi Dick. I'm looking for Veronica. Is she with Logan?"

"You just missed them actually."

Mac sighed. "So they're not here?"

"Nope. Why? You need, Ronnie for something?"

Mac shook her head. "Nothing important. I just needed her help with something. Wait, why are you here?"

"Because Logan has the most epic gaming system," said Dick, grinning. "You can wait for her here. I'm sure they'll be back soon."

Mac shrugged; she had nothing else to do. "Why not." Mac followed Dick back into Logan's room and watched as he jumped back onto the couch, completely focusing on the video game once again. "What are you playing anyways?" asked Mac a few minutes later.

"Taken four. I kinda rule at it," smirked Dick. Mac studied the screen for a minute, watching as an older man with white hair kicked a panda.

"Are you fighting a panda?" asked Mac

"Yeah. He's probably the easiest opponent." Mac shook her head at the video game. Leave it to Dick to find a game that involved beating up a panda. "You wanna play, Macky?"

"I've never played before."

"So here's your chance to try it. Come on, I'll go easy on you."

Mac once again shrugged. What the hell, she thought to herself, as she reached for the controller next to Dick.

Twenty minutes later, Mac found herself so wrapped up in the game that she didn't even notice Logan and Veronica walking in. Her first few fights against Dick were rough, no doubt about it; he creamed her, and then would proceed to gloat how he won. Finally, Mac was tired of loosing and stepped her game up.

She delivered one final powerful kick to Dick's character, knocking him out cold, making Mac the winner. She dropped the controller and threw her hands up in the air. "Victorious! Who's the loser now, Dick?"

"Lucky win," grumbled Dick. "I never loose."

"Well it looks like you just did…to a computer nerd…to a girl computer nerd."

"I want a rematch. Now."

Mac laughed. "So you can loose again? Oh you're on. You've created a monster, Dick, so be prepared!"

The duo wrapped themselves back into their video game, completely unaware of Logan and Veronica now watching them.

The first time Dick saw Mac for what she truly was: a strong, yet fragile, tough, yet weak girl was when he was heading to her room.

Ever since their video game marathon, Dick and Mac's relationship had definitely grown. They spend more time together than either would have ever thought. Dick willingly skips parties if it means a night with Mac, and Mac's cancelled numerous times on her friends, including her boyfriend at the time, Max, just to challenge Dick to some video games.

Dick was heading to her room in hopes that she'll come test out his new game with him. It was a Monday night, and Dick found himself secretly hoping she would be free from studying to spend time with him.

He reached her door and knocked twice. "Oh Macky!" he called. "Open up! I got a new game that I'm sure I can kick your butt in!" He heard the sounds of movement through the thin door. "Macky, hello? I know someone's in there."

"Just a minute, Dick," he heard her call. Her voice was soft, and Dick could tell she's been crying.

"Mac," he said, using her usual name. "You okay in there?"

"I'm fine," she called. Dick knew better, and reached to turn the doorknob. Realizing it was unlocked, he carefully opened it.

His eyes were instantly locked with the figure on the floor: Mac. Her knees were brought up to her face as her hands rubs furiously at her eyes. Dick opened his mouth to say something, but closes it, deciding against whatever he was going to say and instead, goes to sit on the floor next to Mac. He's never seen her cry, and seeing her now, looking broken and hurt, sends a pain shooting through Dick's chest. He isn't sure why it hurts him so much to see her cry, but it does, and that's all that mattered to Dick.

He scooted closer to Mac, and without saying anything, carefully placed an arm around her shoulders. After a few seconds a hesitation, Mac leaned into him, her head leaning against his chest for support.

It was another few minutes before she spoke. "Max broke up with me."

Dick didn't reply at first; he wasn't really sure how to. He wasn't use to having friends that got upset over a relationship ending (With the exception of Logan, of course), and to Dick, Mac didn't seem like the girl to get all worked up over a college relationship breakup. "I'm…I'm sorry." His statement sounded more like a question.

Dick played with Mac's hair as he waited for her to elaborate on why she was crying; he knew there was more to this story, Dick just knew.

"He wanted to take our relationship to the next level and…and I thought I did too. I mean, I've been with Max for sometime now, it only makes sense, right?"

Dick shrugged. "Not if you're not ready, it doesn't. So what happened?" Dick wanted to help his new found friend, but he suddenly found himself wishing that wherever this story was heading, it wasn't ending with Mac sleeping with Max.

"Well… he set up this nice night for us and everything, and it was sweet, it was…but, when it came time to take that next step…I couldn't."

"Wait, wait, wait…he dumped you because you wouldn't sleep with him?" anger was starting to surface inside of Dick.

"You don't understand," whispered Mac as tears began to form in her eyes. "This isn't the first time I've done this to him. Numerous times we've prepared to take the next step…and every time I stop him. And I stop him because every time I think I'm ready to go that far with him…I'm not…and I don't think I ever will be." Mac started sobbing again. Dick, not saying anything, pulled her closer.

He was starting to understand, yet something told him there was more to this. When a girl broke up with her boyfriend, didn't she usually turn to her closest girl friends? Weren't they the ones to comfort her, to tell her she's better than him, and proceed to have a girl's night? Why wasn't Mac calling Veronica or Parker? Why was she opening up to him, to Dick, the one man she knows who lives to sleep around?

Dick knew the answer, even when he wished he didn't. Mac was opening up to him and only him because of one simple reason: Cassidy. And Dick knew he would be the only person to help her right now.

"Mac," he whispered to her, "what else?"

It took Mac a moment to continue. "I won't ever be able to take that next step with Max…and I'm starting to think that I'll never be ready to take that next step with anyone."

"Mac, you don't know that."

"I do, though. How could I be? How could I be knowing that the first time I was ready to open myself up to a guy, to give it all up to one person, was to a murder, a rapist. How can I expect to ever be normal after that?"

Dick was quiet for a moment, taking in what Mac had just shared with him. "Because you try. You pick up the pieces and move on. If you say that, if you let that happen, then you're letting Cassidy win. Let's face it, Mac, we never may be able to hate him, but we can't let him run our lives. Just like I can't live wondering if I helped caused what happened with him, you can't let one bad incident with him ruin you. You're stronger than that, Mac, I know it. I know, I know I'm not the smartest guy out there, or anything like that, but I know you can overcome this, I just know."

Silence erupted after Dick spoke. He looked down at the fragile girl leaning against him for support as she continued to stare ahead of her.

Dick was starting to wonder if she even heard him at all, until she spoke: "I won't be able to overcome this on my own, though, and you know it."

"I'm right here, Macky, and I'm not going anywhere."

"Promise me you'll try and stop blaming yourself for what he did."

"Only if you promise you'll try and make sure he doesn't run your life."

Mac finally looked up at Dick. If she was told last year that it would be Dick to help her through everything, she would have laughed in your face and walked away. Now, as she looked up at the one person who's been there for her, Mac realized that up until these past couple of weeks, she never really knew Dick at all. "I promise," she whispered to him.

"Me too," he whispered back. They didn't speak after that. Mac leaned back against Dick's chest, and much to hers, and his, surprise, Dick bent down to kiss her head. It was simple gesture, something to show Mac that he'd always be there, that he'd prove to her that there's more to him than meets the eye, but it held so many unanswered feelings.

The duo sat there for what seemed like eternity. Dick forgot all about his plans for video games; sitting in a comfortable silence with Mac was more comforting than he could have ever imagined.

It's been almost a year since Dick first noticed Mac as something different, and his life was sure different from what he thought it would ever be, and that was perfectly okay with him. He sat with her on his couch, his fingers laced with his.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" he whispered to her, his voice gentle.

"I'm sure…yeah, I'm sure," replied Mac, her voice slowly building up confidence.

"Look if you're not…"

"Dick, I want to be with you and only you. I want you to be the first. I'm ready." That's all Dick needed to hear before he leaned into Mac, covering her lips with his. The kiss started off slow and gentle, Dick preparing for Mac to ask him to stop. Instead, Mac leaned back on the couch, and Dick's body covered hers. They stayed like that for a few minutes, both tasting each other like it was the first time.

Finally, Dick abruptly got off of her, only to scoop her up into his arms. He carried her into his bedroom and gently placed her onto his bed. Almost right away, he was on top of her again, leaving a trail of kisses from her shoulder, up her neck, and finally to her mouth.

They undressed each other slowly; Dick knew Mac was insecure about how she would look completely exposed next to him, no matter how many times Dick assured her that she was the most beautiful thing he's ever seen.

As she lay under him, her whole body naked, Dick couldn't help but to whisper to her, "You're beautiful. God, are you beautiful."

Mac blushed, something she almost never did, and brought her lips to meet his.

They started off slow, Dick afraid that he would hurt her. Mac had been hurt too many times in her life, and Dick didn't want to be another person to hurt her. After assuring him twice that she was fine; that what they were doing felt right, Dick sped up. Their hips seemed to move in synch, as if their bodies were made to be connected.

They climaxed at the same time, both letting out a pleasurable moan. When it was all over, Dick fell onto the bed beside her. His arms opened up as Mac moved closer to him. He held her in silence for a few minutes before he spoke up. "I love you," he whispered to her, speaking the most honest thing he could ever say to her.

"I love you, too," she replied.

"I didn't hurt you, did I?"

"No. No, you didn't." Mac looked up and smiled at Dick, who returned the smile with a genuine one of his one. It took Dick a few years, but he finally saw Mac for who she really was, and he loved what he saw. No girl he's ever been with could ever compared to the girl he had now, and Dick knew that for a fact. Dick knew that nothing else could be as perfect as this moment right now, laying with the one woman, the only woman he's ever really loved, his Macky.