all over the shop

Fic: Freaky Friday Casablancas Style (Dick, Cassidy) PG-13

Sat, 02 Sep 2006 02:28:56 GMT

Title: Freaky Friday Casablancas Style
Author: bittersweet_99
Word Count: 2493
Summary: Everyone's favourite brothers have a little Freaky Friday of their own.
Characters: Dick, Cassidy, also Logan, Madison, Mac, mentions of others
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: Swearing because in my head they both have dirty mouths. And maybe a little underage drinking.
Spoilers: There's just one thing I referred to in canon that was in the finale but other that, this is one AU mess.
A/N: Written for the vmars_switched challenge. I had sort of had fun with this because the challenge seemed fun and yeah, I think it turned out all right. This is also my longest fic ever so yeah hope you all like it. I'll love you forever if you read this and tell me what you thought. I'm really really sorry for the delay. Thx to 15north for everything (the awesome feedback, the lightning fast beta), this is dedicated to her. And thx to klawick003 and encircleme for a kick ass challenge.

---

"Dick!" Cassidy yelled at the top of his lungs, sounding like a schoolgirl who just saw a spider.

"What?" Dick shouted back through the wall separating their rooms, sounding annoyed and just a little bit concerned. Beaver hadn't called for him like that since they were kids. When he used to have those nightmares he refused to talk about.

"Do you notice anything um...dif-different this morning?" He was stuttering. Actual, honest to god stuttering. He hadn't stuttered for years. This wasn't good.

"Let's see. You're weirder than usual."

Cassidy rolled his eyes, but continued the conversation. He would ignore the sarcasm for now. He had more pressing matters to address at the moment.

"Tell me I'm dreaming."

"Dude, you're dreaming."

"Fuck. No, I'm not."

"How would you know?"

"Because I just pinched myself and it hurt."

Cassidy groaned as his brother promptly burst into laughter in the next room. Cue the "Cassidy is a wimp" remark now.

"God, you're such a wuss."

"Hey, what are you doing?"

"Getting dressed. What is up with you, Beave? I've come to expect weird from you, but this is getting annoying."

"I can't go to school."

"You're ditching? Way to go, my man! Finally my devilish ways rub off on you."

"Your devilish ways? More like demented ways."

"Don't hate the player, hate-"

"The game?"

"Well...yeah. You're seriously skipping bro? What about that test you're been bitching about for the past week?"

"Fuck. I'll just have to write it later."

"Beaver?"

"Yeah?"

"Unlock the door you dork."

"I can't."

"Come on, it's perfectly normal"

"Excuse me?"

"So you had a little wet dream. Welcome to the wondrous land of puberty. Hey! It's just like that O-town song."

As if half-hearted implication that he had yet to hit puberty wasn't bad enough, the off key singing certainly did it.

"Throw in a body like Jennifer's and you've got the star of my liquid dreams...Oh oh my liquid dreams."

"Shut up! I did not have...That's not it okay?!"

"You sure? Then what the hell, Beave?"

"Fine. Don't say I didn't warn you."

"Yeah, yeah.  Shaking in my Nikes here. Open up already."

At the exasperated tone in his voice, Cassidy finally caved and threw open the door.

"Give me back my body!"

"Give me back mine."

"Wait..If you look like me..."

"Yup, you're in mine."

"Dude, we cannot go to school."

"My sentiments exactly."

"What kind of fucked up version of Freaky Friday is this?"

"A very twisted one?"

"I don't know what you're complaining about. I'm all dorky and small."

"Oh poor you. I don't exactly like looking like the Good Blond Giant myself."

"Because blond, tall, and awesome is such a drawback?"

"Funny...What are we going to do?"

"We go to school and act like ourselves. I mean each other. I mean..."

Dick could feel his brother smirking at him before he saw it. Cue the "Dick is a dumbass" comment now.

"It's remarkable how little it takes for you to confuse yourself."

"Have any better ideas, genius?"

"Well, yes. We just act like each other as if everything's normal."

"That's what I just said!"

"Dick, try not embarass me all right."

"Me embarass you? You don't embarass me dude."

----

"What are you doing?"

"Going to school."

"Dude, I bum a ride off Logan."

"So..."

Cassidy stared blankly at his brother and winced as he watched himself roll his eyes and sigh. This was just too weird.

"And I'm the dumb one? You are me today...I am you..."

"Oh right. Fine. Here are my keys. Try not to wreck my car."

"Yeah, whatever dude. I won't wreck your pretty ol' station wagon."

"Dick, I mean it--"

"Back to referring to yourself in the third person are we, Dick?"

Cassidy and Dick jumped and spun around to see their one mutual friend standing in their drive way with his ever present amused smirk in place.

"Logan!" Why were they speaking in unison now? Dick shot his brother an annoyed look, but seeing himself shrug and smile sheepishly back at him was just too weird.

"Yeah? Sorry, did I scare you two ladies?"

"Sorta..."

"I mean, hell no my man."

"I've gotta bounce suckers...I mean I'm going to school now. Seeya Logan...Dick."

"Okay...Cassidy."

The brothers both laughed as Logan stared on. They stopped when they saw Logan's expression, a tentative mix of "What the fuck?" and "Why, god why?".

Dick, well Dick as Cassidy, drove off, leaving Cassidy, well Cassidy as Dick, alone with Logan.

"So you coming to Luke's party?"

"Luke's?"

"Yeah, Luke's. It's early, but it's not that early. Don't tell me you forgot already."

"Oh yeah yeah. Sure. I'm going to Luke's....Are you going to Luke's?"

"Yeah...what is up with you?"

"You don't want to know."

"Okay then. Let's get educated shall we?"

Logan walked around to the X-terra and hopped in. It took Cassidy a good ten seconds before he remembered who he was supposed to be and got in the car.

----

"Psst...Psst...Dick!"

Cassidy turned around to see Madison Sinclair beckoning him. Oh yeah...he was Dick. If he pretended not to hear her, would he get away with it? He slowly stepped backwards and began to turn away, testing out his theory.

When Madison yanked him into the girl's bathroom, suffice to say, his theory was defunct. There was no escaping Madison Sinclair. She was like global warming. You wished it would just go away, but alas the ozone layer kept on shrinking, the polar ice caps kept on melting. No escape.

"Come on."

Cassidy abandoned his train of thought to stare dumbly at the person he just likened to one of nature's most potentially deadly phenomenons.

"What?"

At his question, Madison sighed and clucked her tongue for good measure. How Dick tolerated her very presence was a mystery to him.

"Do you need a diagram?"

Apparently he did because he couldn't think of one reason why he was in the girl's bathroom with Madison Sinclair and what exactly she expected him to do...Oh no.

---

"Hey Cassidy! Wait up."

Dick stopped walking when he felt the hand on his shoulder. His first instinct was to shrug whoever it was off, but then it all came back to him. Oh hell, he was Cassidy. He turned to see a somewhat familiar face. Peter something. Him and Cassidy had played little league together, but he didn't think that he still kept in contact with him. What would you know? The Beav had friends. Or one friend at least.

He followed Peter out to the bleachers where a couple of other boys sat. They all looked strangely serious. He sat down and more or less tuned them out.  It wasn't until the words Goodman and we're going to tell hit his ears did he begin to sit up and litsen. What was that about the mayor?

After quietly listening to them for another five minutes, Dick got up from the bleachers before breaking into the fastest sprint of his life.

He tripped into the nearest bathroom and gripped the sides of the sink. No. That wasn't it. That couldn't be it. But when he saw his brother's reflection staring back at him in the mirror, he couldn't help but feel like he failed the only family he ever cared about.

---

Cassidy crept out of the girl's bathroom, checking the hallway before he made a complete exit. But if anyone saw him, they would see Dick and upon realizing this fact, he instantly relaxed and turned to offer his eternal gratitude to the person who saved him from the clutches of Madison Sinclair.

But when he looked back to say thanks, all that greeted him was an empty hallway.

"Mr. Casablancas."

Oh shit. The deep gravel voice was unmistakeble.  He turned around and thought fast to explain himself. What the hell was he going to say? 'Madison Sinclair was holding me hostage' wasn't exactly the most credible defense.

"Hi Principal Clemmons. I was just...I mean..."

"Frankly, I don't want to know. Just try not to make it a habit of using the girl's facilities."

"Okay sir...I'll just...go to class now."

"Excellent idea."

Cassidy scurried away as quickly as he could with just one thought pounding in his head. Dick was going to kill him.

---

"What is the boy's bathroom not hip and happening anymore?"

Dick nearly jumped out of his skin. Oh fuck. He was in the fucking girl's--Fuckity fuck. He still stood at the sink, his grip on the marble still in place. When he looked up, he caught a flash of blue sharing his reflection with him. Or rather Cassidy's reflection. He didn't even know what to think anymore.

"I just had the distinct pleasure of running into your brother earlier. And now you. Must be my lucky day."

At the mention of his brother, Dick held on to the sink for dear life and wished that the lead like feeling in his legs would vanish so he could get out of there.

"Hey, are you all right?" The sarcastic tone in her voice was gone, but that wasn't what he noticed at all. It was the concern and distress that tinged the question.

Was he all right? He tried to think back. How many times did he ask that question of Beaver? Seriously asked him how he was.  He didn't. Not really and he wanted to tell this girl that he wasn't the one she should be worried about.

Except in an ironic way, this was right. She thought he was Cassidy and from the way she bit at her lip all nervous and pained, it was pretty obvious that whoever this girl was she liked his brother. A lot. And for once in his life, Dick put someone else first.

---

"Tell your brother that we are so over."

Cassidy fell back a little as Madison pushed past him. He let out a light chuckle. Hey, at least this beat her holding him hostage in the lavatory of the fairer sex.

Wait...she said his brother. If he were Dick then she would be breaking up with him. He made his way through the throng of people condensed in Luke's living room. With no mirrors in sight, he needed some way of verifying this.

"Logan! Logan!"

"Yeah Beaver?"

"I'm Beaver?!"

Logan shot him a bemused look before replying. "Yes, you are Beaver. I am Logan. This is Luke. You didn't try Corny's crack did you?"

Cassidy laughed right out loud and shook his head. It was over. It was finally over. He needed to find Dick. Where the hell was he?

"You haven't seen Dick have you?"

Logan tipped his beer towards him. "Right behind you man."

"Hey--" Before Cassidy could say anything else, he was crushed into the tightest bear hug of his life.

"Dick...I can't breathe..."

Dick let go of him, but kept his hand on his shoulder, looking down at him with the strangest expression. Cassidy couldn't read it and that was odd considering out of the two of them, Dick was the open book.

"Sorry dude. I just....Can we go talk or something?"

"Sure."

---

"Hey, thank god we're back to normal huh? Oh um, Madison may have sort of broken up with you and there was this thing with Clemmons and--"

"Cassidy, I know okay?"

"You know what?" Cassidy was thankful that he wasn't mad, but he expected Dick to be a little pissed. When did his brother get all woobie?

Dick fell silent. He didn't quite know if he could verbalise this yet. But he had to do this. He had to let him know that he wasn't in this alone anymore.

"I know...I know about Goodman."

"Oh...How do you know?"

"That doesn't matter."

"You weren't supposed to know!"

"Dude, it's all right."

"All right? It isn't all right, Dick. It was never all right....You weren't supposed to know."

Neither of them said anything for a long while, just sat outside on Luke's porch. Cassidy was the first to break the silence.

"So what now?"

Dick glanced over at his brother and wondered how he could have missed it all these years. The way his shoulders hunched over as if there was an invisible weight on them. The way the pain flashed in his eyes, briefly yes, but it was all there. He just never saw it. He wished he had.

"Now we get through this. We're brothers, we deal with this together from now on all right?"

Cassidy could feel his throat constricting and he forced himself to breathe out, the air leaving his lungs in one hard whoosh.

He expected blame, anger, digust, even just indifference. Anything but this. Support was the last thing, the last thing he ever thought he would receive after anyone found out.

He could feel Dick watching him, waiting for some type of response. All he could do was nod, which he was rewarded with by a light punch in his shoulder and for the first time in a long time, Cassidy felt like he really was going to be all right. Correction: They were going to be all right.

---

"Hey Mac!"

Cassidy looked up to see who Dick was calling out to. When his eyes fell on her coming towards him, he felt himself gulp. So that was her name. Mac. But how did Dick know?

"Stop thinking. I have my ways okay." Dick nudged him forward with his elbow, making him half-stumble, but Cassidy regained his balance just in time to face the girl he'd watched from afar for months, now less than two feet away from him.

"Well if it isn't my favourite bathroom crashing brothers. Thanks for inviting me." She spoke to the both of them, but her gaze stayed on him. I have my ways okay. He turned towards Dick, but he was already moving away from them, a nod towards Mac, a wink for him. He shook his head and ducked his head. Dick.

"Sure no problem. Wait...that was you?" He remembered just how he gotten away from Madison. Madison Sinclair using school grounds to entertain her erotic desires. I wonder what the cheerleading squad would think of this. He had bolted before he saw who it was. It was her.

"Sorry?" Mac asked him, confused. He didn't blame her. Confused was the watchword for this day.

"Nothing. Do you want to dance or something?" He scratched at the back of his head, but relaxed when he saw her smile.

"Yeah, I'd like that."

---

Dick sat with Logan and Luke, opting not to drink. He could see Cassidy and Mac dancing and smiled to himself as Beaver tried to find his rhythm. They had so much to deal with. And they would get through it. Together.

But for tonight, he figured they could have a little fun. It was a Friday after all.

---

Ficlet: One Night (Mac) PG

Fri, 01 Sep 2006 20:07:05 GMT

Title: One Night
Author: me
Rating: PG
Word Count: 230
Characters: Mac, mentions of Cassidy
Summary: Another little Mac post-finale thing
Spoilers: Everything aka Not Pictured.
Warnings: None
A/N: I wrote this for the vm500 challenge One Night, but I didn't finish it in time. So here it is in all its belated glory.

---

One night was all it took.

One night when the earth shattered, chasms opening and gaping, swallowing everything.

She doesn't see anything anymore. It's almost as if she's blind, but she knows she isn't. Because if she was blind, she would never had seen his face, and it wouldn't keep reaching up into her conciousness, reminding her of what she's lost.

She wants him here with her. She wants him here with her and she hates herself for being so weak.

She hates herself for wanting him even after everything they all told her. He hurt people, so many people.

He hurt her.

And now she wishes he was here with her, to take her in his arms, to take her away. Away from their lies, their stories, their accusations. Because whoever it was that did those things wasn't her Cassidy.

She believes that. She believes that in the same way she believes that it wasn't all make believe. It wasn't. He loved her. She knows that. She does. Because if he didn't love her, if it wasn't real, then they were all right.

And they're not. They're not.

Someone else did all those things. Not her Cassidy. Someone else made that bus go off that cliff. Not her Cassidy. Someone else shot at Logan. Not her Cassidy. Someone else hurt Veronica. Not her Cassidy.

Someone else died that night.

Not her Cassidy.

---

Ficlet: Stars, Lakes and Snow (Cassidy, Mac/Cassidy) PG

Fri, 18 Aug 2006 02:27:31 GMT

Title: Stars, Lakes and Snow
Author: May
Rating: PG
Word Count: 531
Characters: Cassidy, Mac/Cassidy
Summary: She makes him remember. She makes him forget.
Warnings: None
Spoilers: Everything just to be safe.
A/N: I needed to write Massidy. Mission accomplished. This isn't what I intended to write, but whatever. Feedback is what makes the world go round. Make the world go round. Thx 15north.

---------

When she kisses him, he doesn't expect to feel this sense of completeness. He doesn't expect to feel this much so soon. He half expects the memories to surface, to remind just why he can't do this, why he can't feel this. But they don't. There's just this brightness in her eyes, glowing like stars. And when he traces her palm with his fingers, the skin on skin contact doesn't make him recoil, like he expected, instead he pulls her tighter, grasping at the fabric at her waist like a life preserver. Except he isn't drowning. At least not in the way he expected. It's more like floating, and the corny movie lines start making perfect sense.

He sits outside, his gaze lost in the dark. He sees the stars. And thinks of her. He can still feel the tingle on his lips and he can feel hair, smooth as floss, sliding fast between his fingers. She's in his head, ingrained into his mind, and he sees the stars and thinks of her.

------------

The next time they kiss, he's the one to initiate it. He doesn't plan it like he does with everything else he wants. He doesn't overthink it. He doesn't analyze it. He just leans over and hopes it isn't...He doesn't know what he hopes. That it isn't too much? Too little? That it isn't what will make her know, make her realize that he's not what he seems, not what she wants. But when her lips press back on his, the whispers of fear and doubt fall away, tumbling backwards, replaced with the best feeling he's ever felt.

It reminds him of summers as a kid, hot and humid, diving into the lake at the cottage. The water cool and slick against his skin as it erupted around him, sending ripples outward. He remembers laughing. And now she whispers against his ear, her arm around his neck, and he laughs.

He lies in bed, smiling out into the twilight. He sees the lake. And thinks of her.

-----------

"Cassidy..."

She breathes his name, and he instantly pulls back, bringing his eyes to hers. Then he remembers, and he thinks maybe this is it. Maybe this is when she decides that this isn't right. That he isn't right. But she looks at him, her eyes full, brimming with something he doesn't want to identify, even if it's in his own mind, because he never hoped for that, he never expected it. He didn't expect her and he usually sees what's coming. Not in a psychic way, but the more general what's possible and what's not worth hoping for way.

It's the snow of 97' that comes to mind this time. The one and only time Neptune ever had a snowfall. It was pure white, soft and cold to the touch, as it melted against your hand. Unexpected, unanticipated, sure, but wonderful. It was the first time he ever saw real snow, and he remembers staring in awe at the whiteness surrounding him.

He hasn't thought of that day for years, but he remembers thinking there was nothing better. Nothing in the world that could beat this.

She beats it.

-----------

Ficlet: Authorized Personnel Only (Ensemble) PG

Sat, 12 Aug 2006 02:55:09 GMT

Title: Authorized Personnel Only
Author: bittersweet_99
Rating: PG
Word Count: 176
Summary: Finding a place to be alone is hard.
Characters: Ensemble
Warnings: none
Spoilers: none
A/N: written for vm500 challenge Alias Titles. Response #2. Thx to my beta 15north for the once over.

"Are you sure about this?"

"Yeah. No one ever comes back here. Don't worry."

"Okay. Lead the way, wonder boy."

"Wonder boy?"

"Just shut up and walk."

"Yes, master."

"Shut up."

"I'll shut up just as soon as..."

"Dick?!"

"Veronica?!"

"Oh...my...god. You...you said no one ever comes back here?!"

"No one ever does. Way to kill the mood, Beav."

"Mac..."

"Yeah?"

"You're staring."

"Sorry...so you like Dick?"

"Apparently."

"Aww, you finally admit it. That's the first step."

"Shut up!"

"Or what?"

"Or I'll go all Sydney Bristow on your ass and you'll be black and blue once I'm done."

"Promise?"

*smacks, howls of pain, groans*

"Cassidy?"

"Yeah?"

"You're staring. Let's go."

"Cassidy!"

"Huh? Coming, coming."

"Yo, Beaver, the room is all yours...once we're done, that is."

"No thanks."

"No one ever comes back here huh? My ass."

"Mac, come on. I didn't know. I'll make it up to you."

"How?"

"I think I can think of something."

*muffled sounds, gasps, moans*

"Dude, we can totally hear you."

"Yeah, want to take it elsewhere?"

*giggles, groans, then silence*

Ficlet: Princess (MaDi) PG

Fri, 11 Aug 2006 23:33:49 GMT

Title: Princess
Author: bittersweet_99
Rating: PG
Word Count: 181
Summary: Just read it. It's too short to summarize
Characters: MaDi
Warnings: none
Spoilers: none
A/N: This is written because of the prompt 15north gave me. So thx. I feel better now. :D

She's six and innocent when she first dreams of being a princess. She believes the fairytales, the happy endings, thinking one day she'll find a prince of her own.

She's ten and jaded when she realizes that princesses are chosen. You didn't get to be one just because you wanted to. And no one chooses her.

---

A boy with bottomless blue eyes makes her feel like one years later when the dreams are long gone, almost forgotten. And she thinks she's found her prince. Except the carriage never comes, the dress turns to rags, and the prince doesn't believe in happily ever after.

---

She's twenty and grown when her best friend tells her he could be her prince. He knows she's still waiting on her first. He knows that even if she doesn't. So he brings her a carriage, sows her a dress, and shows her happily ever after is all it's cracked up to be and more.

She's stopped believing in fairy tales, but she feels like a princess and for now she has a prince of her own.

Fic: Deja Vu (Dick/Veronica) R

Wed, 09 Aug 2006 23:50:01 GMT

Title: Deja Vu
Author: bittersweet_99
Rating: R for language and some adult themes
Word Count: 1138
Characters: Dick, Veronica aka DiVe!
Summary: Dick and Veronica in the aftermath.
Warnings: Swearing, adult themes
Spoilers: Through Not Pictured
A/N: Written specifically for klawick003. Hope you like it. :D

"What the hell are you doing here?" The words are spat out with an uncharacteristic bite, and she wills herself not to jump.

"Hi Dick." She hasn't seen him since graduation and the transformation within the two weeks following is drastic and only reminds her of what she wishes she could forget.

"You're giving your statement aren't you? He's dead! What the hell else do they want?" He asks the question out loud, but he really is talking to himself as he slumps down into the chair beside her.

"Dick, I'm sorry I know he was your brother..."

"Dick, I'm sorry I know he was your brother." He imitates her, his voice underlined with rage and condescension.

"Where the fuck do you get off, Veronica? He was my family. All that was left of it. And he's gone."

"You don't understand. I thought my father was dead."

"Yeah, well last I heard Daddy Mars is alive and kicking."

She doesn't argue, just watches him as he now paces across the yellow linoleum floor of the police department.

"You and Logan just stood there. You watched him fuckin jump and you just stood there and watched."

"What the hell was I supposed to do? You know what he did. I was supposed to save a killer?" She half shouts the words, angry at the accusation in his voice, but wishes she hadn't when she sees him blink fast, his eyes broken and empty.

"No, you were supposed to save my brother." He leaves, kicking over a chair on his way out, his words echoing in her head long after he's gone.

"Sorry Ronnie I didn't make any 1-900 calls tonight. Maybe tomorrow if you're really lucky."

He pushes the door close, but she slips inside before he can say 'annoying tiny blonde', somehow managing to move under his arm and walk into the house.

"So now what? You want to tell me how much of a monster Beaver was? I thought we covered that." He talks to her back as he follows her into the living room, slamming the door behind him.

She shakes her head, giving him the grimmest of smiles, her eyes dark with something he doesn't want to think about. "No, let's talk about you."

"What the fuck are you going on about now?" She just stares at him expectantly, tilting her head in that way she always does before it hits him just what she's implying.

"Fuck...do you think that I knew what he was going to do? That any of us fuckin knew? We were all drunk off our asses and Beav would never..."

His voice falters and her eyes glance up towards him. He's not looking at her anymore. His gaze is pointed in her direction, but he's looking through her, drifting in the vastness of a pain she knew all too well. Losing Lilly taught her about that kind of pain.

"I'm sorry okay. But you're not the only one who's life is fucked up. You're not. I lost my fuckin' brother. And now there's all this shit I never knew." He pauses for a moment before continuing, his voice helpless and lost.

"And Beav...I didn't know okay? I didn't know about Goodman...what that shit did to him. I should've protected him from that. But I didn't and my brother got fuckin' molested." He screams out the last words, his face contorting in agony as the grief engulfs him, pulling him down further, deeper than ever before.

Veronica doesn't know what to say. She feels like she's back on the roof again, but this time it isn't Cassidy on the ledge about to fall into the black. It's Dick.

He hears the door bell ring for fifth time, and rolls his eyes.  He knows who it is, and he really doesn't want to open the door. Maybe she'll think he's not home.

But after the ninth ring, he realizes that is never going to happen. This is Veronica Mars he's talking about. She probably had a tracking device implanted in his ass by now.   The thrum thrum of his cell as it vibrates in his pocket finally breaks all his illusions of being left alone for the day.

He throws open the door, and she's standing there as he expected.

"What is this? Dick suicide watch?" He winces at his own choice of words, but she's unfazed. Either that or she just doesn't let on if he just evoked memories of a night she wouldn't want to relive. Instead she reaches into her bag.

"Scarface or Pootie Tang?"

When he laughs, she gives him a small smile and his stomach clenches. It isn't anything big, but he feels better...better than he has in a long time.

"Dick. Wake up." When he opens his eyes all he sees is blond hair and fair skin. Yeah, he's definitely dreaming. But then the blond hair and fair skin is pinching him in side and he sits up with a jolt.

"You fell asleep." She whispers the words, the blues of her eyes glowing in the dark. He rubs at his own eyes and from the clock on the wall realizes just how long he's been out.

"You didn't have to stay." He half speaks, half yawns as she sits down beside him on the couch.

"I know." She doesn't look at him, staring ahead, her face clouded in shadows.

He doesn't quite know what it is.  The proximity to each other, the errie quiet of the house, or a combination of both. Either way it's unnerving him, and his stomach clenches again. Harder than the last time.

When she's picking up her things, getting ready to leave, he breathes out a sigh of relief because for a moment there he was thinking...

He turns to say goodbye, offers her a ride home, but she insists she's all right. Can she stay over till morning? Sure. She curls up on the couch, and he lies down on the floor beneath her. He doesn't sleep. He lies there in the dark and forces himself not to touch the strands of gold that fall off the side of the couch, glistening above him.

"Veronica..."

He says her name, soft and slow. There's warning in his eyes as he gives her the chance to reconsider, to stop. Except she doesn't want to stop so she leans in further.

When their lips slide past one another, he can't help feeling a sense of deja vu. Except this time, it's him who kisses her and they're both dead sober.

Ficlet: You Could Be Happy (Meg, Logan) PG

Tue, 08 Aug 2006 18:50:51 GMT

Title: You Could Be Happy
Author: bittersweet_99
Rating: PG
Word Count: 421
Characters: Meg, Logan
Summary: Meg and Logan talk. Set sometime in the summer after season 1.
Spoilers: Up through Normal Is The Watchword.
Warnings: None.
A/N: This started off as a Mac piece then Meg replaced Mac and then Logan showed up. My muse is having such good fun right now. Anyway, hope you like and feedback is love. Written for the vm500 challenge 2: Alias Titles. Mine was A Broken Heart. The title is from the song of the same name by the Snow Patrol. Thx to 15north for giving this the once over.

---

Her feet drag through the sand as the chains of the swing uncoil and release. Colours blur around her fast, blending in and out, and her eyes close against the wind threading through her hair, bright gold against the dark.

"Meg Manning, good girl by day, park lurker by night."

The smile on her face comes up fast at the sound of his voice. It's almost sad how desperate she is to push away the pain, she'll grab hold of anything, even the teasing words of a boy she hardly knows.

"Hi Logan."

He sits himself down in the sand in front of her, kneeling back on his forearms. His eyes are dark and searching as he stares up at her, and she gives him what she hopes is a reassuring smile.

"You don't have to pretend with me."  His words are even and calm and she twists herself on the swing away from him. No matter what had been going on in her life, she could always put on a smile and no one ever questioned it. And the realization he's taken that from her as well...she just kept losing.

"How are things with Veronica?"  Her voice breaks a little, the act of speaking compromised by something hot and sharp tickling at her throat. When her gaze returns to him, she's surprised to see the bitter smirk on his face as his hands tug at his too long sleeves.

"She broke up with me."  His shoulders raise themselves in a nonchalant shrug, but the sadness is etched into the lines of his face, betraying his efforts.

"I'm sorry. You seemed happy together." Her response is lame, she knows, but it's true. They did seem happy, but then again she thought the same thing about...He's speaking and she's thankful for the distraction.

"We were. I think we could have been still if..."  He pauses for a moment, taking in a ragged breath and before she realizes what she's doing, she hops off the swing, and kneels down in the sand with him, clasping her hand around his.

"I know. And we will be. Be happy...one day."  Logan looks down at her hand, and he knows that she doesn't quite believe it herself, but the thought is nice and hope never hurt anyone...much.

They walk home, in perfect step with each other, two broken hearts hoping for the best as they push past the pain for something better...something new.

---

Ficlet: Burst (Pam, Jim/Pam) PG

Sun, 06 Aug 2006 22:22:18 GMT

Ficlet: Burst
Author: who else? moi (bittersweet_99, May, crazy fic girl)
Rating: PG
Word Count: 291
Fandom: The Office
Characters: Pam, Jim/Pam aka JAM! :)
Warnings: nope
Spoilers: hell yes! season finale
A/N: Um I've been watching JAM videos like crazy and hence a jim/pam ficlet just b/c i can and yeah i have no life lol :D

---

She presses the phone to her ear, listening to her mother's voice. She always calls her when the panic sets in, when she can't pretend that everything's all right.

I'm in love with you.

The words tumble around in her head, bouncing off the walls, tearing everything apart. She feels like she's bursting, about to rupture with the weight of his confession. A part of her is telling her to run back, to tell him...

Roy. He's finally set the date. She couldn't. She can't. She loves him, she does. But it isn't Roy who makes her laugh. It isn't Roy who pushes her to chase her dreams. It isn't Roy who makes everything else dissapear.

The phone cord twists around her fingers, and she whispers to her mother what she couldn't say to him.

Jim. He's here, and she hastily ends the call, placing the phone down in its cradle. She breathes out his name, looking up into a face she can see with her eyes closed.  Her fingers twitch as she tries to think of what to say.

Hands press softly into her back, pulling her forward, and his lips push down on hers. Her breath snags in her throat, and the panic stops, falling away from her, leaving just this quiet feeling thrumming under her skin, making her feel so light.

Thick hair runs through her fingers, and she doesn't remember when she decided to kiss him back. The reflex is automatic and natural...way too natural, but she won't realize this until later.

Later that night, Angela gives her a ride home and Pam can't bear to look at her. She rests her head back on the car seat, staring blankly out the window. Needless to say the bubble has officially burst.

---

Ficlet: Name (Logan, Cassidy) R

Fri, 04 Aug 2006 07:27:54 GMT

Title: Name
Author: bittersweet_99
Rating: R
Word Count: 438
Characters: Logan, Cassidy, mentions of Lynn, Aaron, Lilly, Betina, Richard, Mac, Veronica, Dick
Summary: Logan & Cassidy ficlet. AU-ish on Cassidy's part. What's in a name?
Warnings: Swearing. Lots of it.
Spoilers: Season 1 and 2.
A/N: I can't sleep so more fic. :D Feedback is gorgeous Cassidy love. For 15north, just because.

---

Logan Echolls is his name. That alone makes people want to know him, get close to him. He fucking hates it. He always has. He loves Lilly Kane for all the ways they're alike. They don't give a fuck about their names, about their families. People fear them, people admire them. When the world screws them over, they give it the finger with sneers on their faces. Nothing matters. Nothing ever did.

Aaron Echolls is his father. Ruthless, cold, and hollow. He doesn't want his legacy. He doesn't want to be his son. But when he looks in the mirror, his father's face is there behind the glass and he feels sick.

Lynn Echolls is his mother. Broken, tired, and just fuckin gone. It hurts knowing that she can't do what mothers are supposed to do. She's so fuckin broken and he hates her for it. Because he never asked for a broken mother. He never asked for a hollow father. He never asked to be ruthless, cold, hollow, broken, and just fuckin gone.

Veronica Mars is his end. He loves her for making him feel like he can save himself, that he can save the both of them. She takes away ruthless, cold, hollow, and broken. And he's just fuckin gone.

---

Cassidy Casablancas is his name.  But Beaver is all anyone hears. Beaver is all anyone calls out. He fuckin hates it. He always has.  No one sees him. No one notices him. And he's always so fuckin alone.  He loves Dick for all the ways he tries to hurt him. He taunts him, he humiliates him, he dismisses him, but he's always there.  Ever present.

Richard Casablancas is his father. Strong, calculating, and cold. He's a dissapointment to him and he knows it. He's always been a dissapointment to him.  He doesn't want his legacy. He just wants his love. Something he'll never receive. He loves his father. But he wishes he didn't because then it probably wouldn't hurt so much.

Betina Casablancas is his mother. His dad says he takes after her. He knows he means it as a jab; that he's weak, needy, but he doesn't care. She took care of him as much as she could. It wasn't easy for her. With his father nothing's ever easy. She tried, and he'll always love her for that. For the effort, for the cost, for not giving up.

Cindy Mackenzie is his beginning. He loves her for making him feel like he's okay...the way he is. And even though pure is something he lost a long time ago, she makes him believe he can be. Again.

---

Ficlet: Enough (Mac/Cassidy) PG

Thu, 03 Aug 2006 21:16:50 GMT

Title: Enough
Author: bittersweet_99
Rating: PG
Word Count: 172
Summary: It's enough and it isn't enough. Massidy, the early days.
Characters: Mac/Cassidy
Warnings/Spoilers: Not really. However, there are allusions to *something* in the finale. Very mild, vague allusions, but allusions none the less.
A/N: I was listening to Coldplay and feeling awfully sentimental and this is the result. Written for vm500's challenge beginnings.

---

It isn't what she wants. Far from it. But it's enough.

It isn't what he needs. Far from it. But it's enough.

The touch is enough. Knowing he's there is enough.

The ease is enough. Knowing she's there is enough.

---

It is what she needs. And she's never going to have enough.

It is what he wants. And he's never going to get enough.

The hope isn't enough. The words aren't enough. The wishes aren't enough.

The ease isn't enough. The touch isn't enough.

They're not enough.

---

It's enough but it isn't.

It isn't enough but it is.

They're enough, but they're not.

They're not enough, but they are.

---

Each day is different.

Each smile is different.

Each laugh is different.

Each dream is different.

---

It's not enough for either of them.

It's more than enough for both of them.

---

It isn't enough when his lips catch hers.

It's more than enough when her lips catch his.

They begin and it's enough.

---

Fic: Surf (Mac/Dick) PG-13

Tue, 01 Aug 2006 23:39:34 GMT

Title: Surf
Author: bittersweet_99
Rating: PG-13 (well i don't really know it's prolly just PG)
Characters: Mac, Dick, mentions of Cassidy
Summary: Dick teaches Mac to surf.
Word Count: 683
Spoilers: Up to Not Pictured.
Warnings: One solitary curse word. Oh I know, I'm so bad. :P
A/N: *gasp* 1st EVER Mac/Dick fic. Dedicated to, inspired by, and written for 15north. Because she was suffering from withdrawal and I decided to help her out...for a price :D Hope you like it.

---

"Okay now put your arms like this." Dick sticks his arms straight out, while bending his knees downward on his board. Mac nods knowingly. Looks easy enough. Hands out, knees bent...okay she could do this.

She mimics his actions, but her foot slips and she topples over, receiving a face full of sand in the process. The heckling behind her doesn't help matters any. After five more consecutive falls, she finally gives up, and stays down, lying with her back on the hot sand.

"Dick. I want to surf." He gives her a look as if to say "No shit?"

"No, I want to surf, like in actual water, riding real waves." Her hand gestures towards the body of water facing them.

He shakes his head at her, his expression an irritating mixture of incredulity and amusement. "Dude, you're so not ready for that."

"No?" Her arms cross themselves over her chest. The action is meant to be intimidating, but all it does is make Dick smile.

"Heck no. You can't even stand on the board right and you want to surf? Those waves have no mercy sweet cheeks. Just get back up on the board. We'll try again...it's cool, you'll get the hang of this...someday."

Mac doesn't know what it is. Him calling her sweet cheeks, the blatant mocking, the way he stands there all blond and Californian like he was made for this, or maybe it was just the challenge underlying his words.

But she gets up, clumsily placing the board he brought for her under her arm and stalks off towards the shore. As she nears the water, an arm snakes around her waist, and she's being hurled into the oncoming tide. When she surfaces, he's laughing his head off and she is so done being nice.

She sprints after him, and they’re running across the beach, feet tripping and sliding over the shifting sand. When she has him cornered between a family of four and a pair of elderly ladies, he drops to his knees and relents.

"Okay. Okay. I’ll teach you how to surf. Chill woman."

--- --- --- ---

He drops her off and with her t-shirt wet and clinging to her body, she raises herself on her toes and kisses him quickly on the cheek.

"Thanks for teaching me how to surf."

"If I give you more lessons, do I get more?"

"More?" Mac appraises him, an eyebrow arch accompanying the question in her voice. He's smirking and she's just a little afraid. No good was ever committed after that smirk.

"Yeah." He's right in front of her now and she watches in slow motion as he bends down to look her in the eye. "More." His gaze moves down to her lips, watching her mouth. The smirk is still there, and she's past afraid. She's in The Twilight Zone.

...and on this episode of The Twilight Zone, Dick Casablancas puts the moves on Cindy Mackenzie aka "Ghost World".

Considering the only other boy she ever dated was his brother, her dead boyfriend, who jumped off the Neptune Grand the night she was going to lose her virginity to him, this is could be construed as odd in some circles...Okay fine, it was just plain weird.

She wants to tell him she can't, that she's still in love with her first boyfriend, his dead brother, but when she takes him in, still standing in front of her, the wicked glint in his eye flashing, she knows it's useless. He already knows all that and he's still doing this.

She looks up again and despite her wandering thoughts he’s still there. Wispy blond hair sticking to his forehead, sky blue eyes daring her on, and Mac decides weird might be just what she needs.

His hands dig deep into her hair and hers brush his out of his eyes. Their clothes stick against their skin, saturated with ocean tide and summer heat.

When she kisses him, he tastes like salt, sun, and surf, and oddly enough, she doesn't feel the least bit weird.

---

Ficlet: Fall Back (Mac, Dick) PG

Sun, 30 Jul 2006 18:14:14 GMT

Title: Fall Back
Author: bittersweet_99
Rating: PG
Characters: Mac, Dick, mentions of Cassidy
Summary: Sequel to See It Coming
Word Count: 488
Spoilers: up to Not Pictured
Warnings: not really
A/N: This is a little sequel to See It Coming. So read that first so you can get this one.

---

When she opens her eyes, she wishes she hadn't. The room is abnormally bright and she raises a hand to her face to shield herself. A tangle of wires tug at her skin and force her hand back down. It's then that she looks around and instantly knows where she is. She doesn't remember though, her mind is fuzzy and dark, and she can't remember.

Someone steps forward and the iridescent yellow brings it all back, and she wants to curse at him for reminding her. He sits down in a chair on her side, a muss of blond hair, and blue eyes weaved in red. He looks nothing like him, and she's slightly dissapointed. Which is odd considering she already knew that.

"Expecting someone else, Ghost World?" His voice startles her back to the present, away from thoughts of someone long gone. He doesn't sound like himself, which isn't much in itself, but the difference is palpable and weighs down on her shoulders. She lies back onto the bed with a sigh, staring up at the tiles that pattern the ceiling. She tries to count them, but she gets dizzy after number twenty four.

-

When she opens her eyes again, Dick isn't there anymore. She grabs the remote off the night table and flips on the television set, scanning the channels aimlessly. When Cassidy's face fills the screen, all the memories she wanted to keep at bay race through her mind.

The computer lab. The Java Hut. The winter carnival. The dance. The break up. The make up. The party. The hotel. The end.

His voice is echoing in her head, and she doesn't see anything anymore. Her chest tightens, and her throat burns as she gasps, trying to get in air. The tears come down in droves, and she doesn't try to hold it in any longer. She's crying for all she's worth and she must be loud, because a nurse comes in. She looks worried and Mac wants to tell her it's all right, but that only succeeds in making her want to cry more.

The television turns black with a crackle, and the sound makes her stop for a moment. He doesn't say anything. Just looks at her with empty broken eyes.

He's by her side again and he's her handing her something. She looks over to see what it is, and half smiles when she sees the white tissue dangling from his hand.

"I think I'm going to need a little bit more." Her voice is sarcastic and bitter, but he simply nods and bends down. When he gets up, three boxes of tissues are being placed in her lap and she's laughing before she can stop herself. His lips twist and the sound of his laughter mixes in with hers. The nurse asks them if they're all right, but there are tears in their eyes and they can't speak so they shake their heads and laugh some more.

---

Ficlet: See It Coming (Mac) PG

Sat, 29 Jul 2006 08:42:25 GMT

Ficlet: See It Coming
Author: bittersweet_99
Rating: PG
Characters: Mac, mentions of Cassidy, Dick
Summary: A little Mac post finale piece.
Word Count: 317
Spoilers: up to Not Pictured
Warnings: not really
A/N: My first actual non-dream post finale thing. Also my first 2nd POV fic. I'm really sad right now because I didn't want to write this, but alas I did so tell me what you think. Feedback makes me all warm and fuzzy inside.

---

You never see it coming. You never had a clue. All the tired cliches ring so true.

You're too happy about finally being able to be with your first boyfriend. You love him. You're not quite sure what the word means, but you think that if you ever love anyone this is it. You're tempted to write his name all over the cover of your notebook during class, but stop yourself when the juvenility of it hits you.

It's three am when they tell you Cassidy is dead. You're already feeling too much and you tell youself this can't be real. The words repeat themselves over and over in your head before you realize that the chanting you hear is your newfound mantra falling from your lips. This can't be real. This can't be real.

Something scratches at you making you lose faith, but you're still chanting, trying to escape the itch at the back of your mind, whispering things you don't want to hear.

You don't recognize your own voice, it's small and scared, like a child's. You want someone to tell you that it's all a bad dream, that everything's going to be fine, but no one does so you do it yourself. You'll wake up any moment now...any moment now.

When you see Dick Casablancas crying in the lobby, on his knees, his chest heaving with grief, the smoke clears and you know then that you're never going to wake up. That there is no waking up from this.

You never feel yourself hit the ground as the lights go out before your eyes. You're falling out of all this, and you're so grateful, so grateful that you feel sick with it. But when your eyes pull their shutters down, and your body goes limp, you can still hear yourself chanting...

This can't be real. This can't be real.

---

Perchance to Dream (Cassidy/Mac, Veronica, Keith, Cassidy) PG-13

Fri, 14 Jul 2006 17:21:52 GMT

Title: Perchance to Dream
Author: bittersweet_99
Rating: PG-13
Characters/Pairings: Cassidy/Mac, Veronica, Keith, Cassidy
Word Count: 496
Summary: Everyone is dreaming about Cassidy. :)
Spoilers: Oh yeah. Not pictured ppl. And all of season 1 and 2 just to make sure.
Warnings: None really. If you've seen the finale you're fine.
A/N: As always, feedback is love. Thx to 15north for the feedback and ideas (namely Keith).

****************************************************************

Cindy Mackenzie knows she’s dreaming. She knows what she is seeing isn’t real. She knows it is all in her head.

He is perfect. All shimmer and translucence. It is him. They’re somewhere beautiful, green, and pure. He smiles at her and she smiles back. He says something, but she can’t hear him. His voice is muted as she remembers with a start. She turns to him, to ask him the same question she asked Veronica in the bare cold hotel room, the same question she’s been asking herself every moment since the night the sky fell apart and rained down on her.

"Why?"

His lips stop moving. He looks at her, his eyes the same big blues. He touches her cheek, and her eyes shut close.

"All you need to know is that a boy named Cassidy loved a girl called Cindy."

Her cheeks are wet. He speaks the words into her hair. She breathes in, trying to store his smell in her mind. She doesn’t want to forget. She’s so afraid of forgetting this…them. She hopes she never forgets.

"He was too broken. He couldn’t fix it. But he wishes he could have had the chance to love her…I wish I had the chance to love you."

Lips brush hers. Soft and light.

And Cindy Mackenzie knows she is dreaming.

****************************************************************

Veronica Mars knows she's dreaming. But the pain is real and etched in her soul. She doesn't want to see him, tells him to leave.

He can't hear her. Trapped inside his own mind. His own all encompassing pain, he doesn't hear her.

"Why didn't I tell him to stop? Why didn't I tell him to stop? Why?" The words are like a prayer that will never be answered. They break inside him and she sees everything he hid so deep, for so long.

A boy of 12, innocent and trusting. A man that would destroy all he had. A secret that he could never tell.

He rocks himself back and forth. Repeating the same question over and over as tears fall from his red red eyes.

This is Cassidy. A boy of 12, broken forever.

This is Cassidy...This is her.

*************************************************************

Keith Mars knows he's dreaming. He knows it, but he still wants to kill him. The boy who hurt his baby. He grabs him by the scruff of the neck, fist clenched, arm ready to spring. He almost does.

He stands there motionless. Eyes blank, underlined with pain no one ever saw. Pain no one ever knew.

He takes a breath, his arm still raised, his fist still clenched. He can't. He wants so badly just to hurt him, but realizes there's nothing left to hurt.

He lets him go, and he collapses to the ground, sobs shaking their way through his small frame.

He's just a boy. A boy who had no one to protect him.

Keith puts a hand on his shoulder. "There now, son."

Cassidy cries harder.