The Return 7: Bets (Ensemble, MaDi) PG-13
Title: The Return 7-Bets
Rating: PG-13 (for some profanity and mentions of sexual situations)
Characters/Pairings:Mac, Dick, Wallace, Parker, Piz, Weevil, Duncan, Logan, Veronica, Lilly the first (mentions of: Lilly the second) Hints of Mac/Dick
Word Count: 2,165
Spoilers: All episodes (from 1.01: Pilot to 3.20: The Bitch Is Back. Just to be sure) Although this is obviously AU and there are obviously going to be some alterations to events and especially some in the last couple of episodes.
Disclaimer: I own nothing. Literally, nothing. So don’t sue me over his, because you won’t get anything. It all belongs to Rob Thomas and if I had owned it when it was still on the last season would have been way different.
A/N: This story was also no originally mine, and I’d really like to stress that in the first two chapters. The original story can be found here) And this is my first attempt at anything AU, so… enjoy
Chapter 1: Awake/ Chapter 2: Homecoming/ Chapter 3: Forgive/ Chapter 4: Arrival/ Chapter 5: Reconnect/ Chapter 6: Belong
The Return
7
Bets
~Mac~
“You ever think that one day we’re going to wake up and there will be screaming?” Mac questioned as she eyed Dick over the top of her cards. They were seated directly across from each other at the kitchen table, cards laying between them.
“Like, people having sex? We can go take care of that right now if you want, I don’t mind.” Dick jerked his head to the side, indicated the direction of the stairs, and making a move to lay down his cards.
“Yeah, well… pass. But I meant serious screaming, like fighting. Logan and Veronica are pretty damn good at it, and if that fight she had with Duncan senior year was any indication, he’s good at it too. And I know Lilly knows how to scream at people.” Mac corrected, reaching forward to tip his cards back up to his face, so she couldn’t see them.
“How do you know how Lilly screams? You weren’t friends back then.” Dick looked at his cards, studying them before trying to sneak a peak at hers. “Do you have an eight?”
“Go fish. And I know because of her very public breakups with Logan in the quad. I mean who could miss them screaming at each other about one of them being a slut and one of them being a bitch or one of them kissing someone else. And do you have a nine?” Mac queried, leaning slightly forward to see his cards, if his eyes lingered over any of them.
“Damn. And they did have some big fights. Why would we wake up to them screaming?” Dick asked, handing over his card while trying to keep the two other cards in his hand from falling.
“Do you have a six and why wouldn’t we hear them screaming? They’re going to fight at some point, you know they will. The four of them, as good as friends as they were or are, they’ve always been explosive. Logan and Veronica have only gotten more explosive since the Lilly days, there’s going to be a blow-up at some point.”
“Shit, do you just know all my cards? Is there a mirror behind me?” Dick made the move to look behind him.
“Just hand me the damn card.” Mac rolled her eyes, holding her hand out in order to receive the card in question. “I win.”
“I think there will be a hook up before a fight.” Dick pointed out as he handed her the last card she needed. Mac laid her remaining card on the table.
“Who’s hooking up?” Parker asked as she and Piz walked into the kitchen with Wallace. Weevil followed a moment later, looking more and more uncomfortable as the minutes went by, being stuck here with people he hadn’t previously hung out with. Besides Veronica.
“Nobody… yet. But I’m thinking that there’s no way we can get out of here without one. Any bets?” Dick threw his remaining cards on the table, leaning back in his chair until it balanced on the back two legs.
Everyone took a look around, looking at each other, waiting for someone else to take Dick up on it.
“What?” Piz and Parker questioned simultaneously.
“Come on. Logan is in a house with the two girl he could never resist. Duncan is back and single and Veronica is here and single and that combination has always led to them hooking back up. Lilly is pretty much guaranteed to hook up with someone. So, any takers?” Dick explained, and Mac fought the urge to place her own bet. That is until Wallace placed one.
“I’m betting on Duncan and Veronica, they didn’t get much closure from that fake ass fight they had senior year.” Wallace pulled a twenty out of his wallet and slapped it on the table.
“Well, my money is on Logan and Veronica. He may have been Lilly’s boy back in the day, but now he’s basically Veronica’s bitch.” Weevil pulled a twenty out of the front pocket of his leather jacket, letting it join Wallace’s bill on the table.
“Yeah, well, I’m going with Logan and Lilly. You’re first love is super powerful, and they didn’t have closure, her being in a coma and all. And on top of that, I’m going with Duncan and Veronica, for the same reasons…” Mac pulled her wallet out of her purse, which had been set next to her during her lively game of Go Fish with Dick. “Is that twenty or forty dollars?”
“Forty. Two bets. And I vote Veronica and Lilly.” Dick started to pull a twenty when three people leaned in to smack him upside the head. “What? It’s bound to happen. I heard about that kiss during Sophomore homecoming. Eventually they will not be able to resist each other, and fuck, that’ll be hot.”
Rolling her eyes, Mac turned to look at Piz and Parker at the same time as Wallace did.
“What?” They answer again, jointly.
“We have to stop that.” Piz mumbled, scratching at his head.
“Yeah, well maybe if people stopped looking at us like that. I can’t make a bet, I don’t even know why Duncan and Veronica would hook-up. Or why Lilly and Logan would hook up. If Lilly is Veronica’s best friend, why would she hook up with Logan?” Parker looked at Mac before looking at Wallace and then back to Mac.
“Nevermind.” Mac replied to Parker’s clueless expression. “So how much is that? A hundred?”
“Yeah, and I’ll keep this in the meantime.” Dick answered counting the bills before moving to put it in his back pocket.
“Hell naw, Mac will hold on to it. I trust her way more than you.” Wallace reached in plucked the five twenty dollar bills out of Dick’s hands and handed them to Mac.
Dick let his chair fall, all four legs now on the floor as he folded his arms across his chest, scowled and stuck out his bottom lip in a pout.
“Aw, poor baby.” Mac said as she tucked the money into her bag.
~Duncan~SL wouldn’t respond to it. You might as well start calling them Tall Lilly and Short Lilly.” Logan moved towards the mini-fridge that had been set up in the room. Removing two crystal clear bottles of water, he tossed one to Duncan before twisting off the lid to his own. “And if you start calling your sister by her middle name she’s just going to argue that she’s been using the name longer.”
“And if I switch the baby’s name she’ll get confused.” Duncan pointed out, standing in order to turn the television off manually. Who knows where the remote is?
“You know, when we were younger we called Lilly by a nickname.” At Duncan’s questioning look, Logan continued. “Billy. Remember?”
“Yeah, that was because Veronica was upset you were calling her Ronnie, which was a boy’s name.” Duncan pointed out, picking up the paper plates that were scattered around the room. “I also remember that you gave Veronica permission to call you Lauren, which I find even funnier now that I know where you got it from. And then you told her to start calling me Donna. Like we all needed opposite gender names.”
“So, and you are not allowed to repeat the Lauren thing to her, she’ll never let me forget it.” Logan looked at Duncan, his eyes pleading for him to promise.
“I promise I won’t tell Ronica about you’re little mistaken identity mishap.” Duncan held up three fingers to make the boy scout honor symbol.
“How long are you staying?” Logan asked suddenly, breaking completely off topic.
“Well, that was quite the segue. I think until the end of next week, then the papers should be final.” Duncan answered, still cleaning up the room that had become the home base of the house, where everyone eventually ended up.
“What papers?” Logan asked. Obviously Clarence had told him as little as possible.
“The papers my parents got the Mannings to sign. The ones that absolve me of any kidnapping charges as long as I agree to their terms.” Duncan set the pile of used paper plates on a nearby end table, looking at his friend.
“What exactly are these terms?” Logan hedged, obviously a little uncomfortable with the idea that his friend may have to do anything horribly drastic.
“They want visitation rights and to have her on the weekends. I said that it was good, but only for a trial period of a year and with a chaperon. I don’t want any of that sitting in a dark room for punishment thing.”
“Are those the only terms? These people talk a big game but…” Logan trailed off, looking at Duncan to either confirm or deny this assumption.
“No, I have to go to prison for a year. Evading the law, particularly the FBI, and even though the kidnapping charge will be dropped I still have to serve a little time for that.” Duncan looked at Logan in confusion. Somehow he’d assumed Logan knew all this from Clarence. Now he was confused that Logan wasn’t very well informed, that Logan hadn’t thought to ask that question before.
“You know, that monopoly game is still hidden. I checked.” Logan said, glancing around, changing the subject.
“I know, the girls never found it and they probably never will, they’re too short.” Duncan almost felt the need to get a stool and look at their ‘super secret hiding place’, but Logan was already there.
Logan stood on a small brown ottoman, stretching slightly up on his toes in order to reach the hidden cupboards above the large bookcases filled with DVDs and video games. They had found the cabinets one summer when a football veered off course and instead of sailing smoothly into Logan’s arms it had hit the wall several feet above his head. Logan’s insults of him throwing like a girl had been cutoff when a small door popped open.
They had kept it a secret, never mentioning it to the girls, since whatever they put in there was specifically put there to keep away from them. Like Veronica’s birthday presents, or Lilly’s car keys when she was drunk. Or board games they no longer could stand to play.
As Logan got down, Monopoly game in hand, Veronica and Lilly walked through the door.
“Hey! You said that your parents threw it away.” Lilly exclaimed as she pulled the long thin box from Logan’s hands. “I thought all those charms were lost forever. They were expensive you know.”
“And all that work, and five bottles of nail polish to get those houses painted. I thought I’d wasted my favorite color for nothing. You lied.” Veronica accused, popping the lid off and pulling a pink house out. “Wanna play?”
With a groan, Logan and Duncan flopped back onto the couch.
“You just had to take it out, didn’t you? You couldn’t just let it stay hidden and keep us from ever having to do this again, could you?” Duncan said, crossing his arms and pouting a little as Veronica and Lilly proceeded to set the game up.
“God, you act as if I’m killing you. It’s not the end of the world Donut, any way, it’s fun.” Lilly said reprovingly, obviously still annoyed with the fact that it had been hidden so long ago. “You act as if I’m gonna bash you upside the head with an ashtray.”
Everyone stopped to stare at her, their mouths dropping in shock at her poor joke, delivered almost off-handedly.
“Lilly, that’s not funny.” Veronica was the first to speak, her voice tense and shaky, almost as if she was either holding back tears or trying to keep from yelling.
“I can’t believe you’d fucking joke about that. It’s not like it was a good experience for any of us, but fuck Lil... have a little tact.” Logan’s voice was definitely tense from anger.
“God you guys, it was just a joke. It’s not like anyone died.” Lilly’s voice held no humor this time, as she pursed her lips and tilted her head, almost daring the two of them into a confrontation.
8:Fight
Rating: PG-13 (for some profanity and mentions of sexual situations)
Characters/Pairings:Mac, Dick, Wallace, Parker, Piz, Weevil, Duncan, Logan, Veronica, Lilly the first (mentions of: Lilly the second) Hints of Mac/Dick
Word Count: 2,165
Spoilers: All episodes (from 1.01: Pilot to 3.20: The Bitch Is Back. Just to be sure) Although this is obviously AU and there are obviously going to be some alterations to events and especially some in the last couple of episodes.
Disclaimer: I own nothing. Literally, nothing. So don’t sue me over his, because you won’t get anything. It all belongs to Rob Thomas and if I had owned it when it was still on the last season would have been way different.
A/N: This story was also no originally mine, and I’d really like to stress that in the first two chapters. The original story can be found here) And this is my first attempt at anything AU, so… enjoy
Chapter 1: Awake/ Chapter 2: Homecoming/ Chapter 3: Forgive/ Chapter 4: Arrival/ Chapter 5: Reconnect/ Chapter 6: Belong
The Return
7
Bets
~Mac~
“You ever think that one day we’re going to wake up and there will be screaming?” Mac questioned as she eyed Dick over the top of her cards. They were seated directly across from each other at the kitchen table, cards laying between them.
“Like, people having sex? We can go take care of that right now if you want, I don’t mind.” Dick jerked his head to the side, indicated the direction of the stairs, and making a move to lay down his cards.
“Yeah, well… pass. But I meant serious screaming, like fighting. Logan and Veronica are pretty damn good at it, and if that fight she had with Duncan senior year was any indication, he’s good at it too. And I know Lilly knows how to scream at people.” Mac corrected, reaching forward to tip his cards back up to his face, so she couldn’t see them.
“How do you know how Lilly screams? You weren’t friends back then.” Dick looked at his cards, studying them before trying to sneak a peak at hers. “Do you have an eight?”
“Go fish. And I know because of her very public breakups with Logan in the quad. I mean who could miss them screaming at each other about one of them being a slut and one of them being a bitch or one of them kissing someone else. And do you have a nine?” Mac queried, leaning slightly forward to see his cards, if his eyes lingered over any of them.
“Damn. And they did have some big fights. Why would we wake up to them screaming?” Dick asked, handing over his card while trying to keep the two other cards in his hand from falling.
“Do you have a six and why wouldn’t we hear them screaming? They’re going to fight at some point, you know they will. The four of them, as good as friends as they were or are, they’ve always been explosive. Logan and Veronica have only gotten more explosive since the Lilly days, there’s going to be a blow-up at some point.”
“Shit, do you just know all my cards? Is there a mirror behind me?” Dick made the move to look behind him.
“Just hand me the damn card.” Mac rolled her eyes, holding her hand out in order to receive the card in question. “I win.”
“I think there will be a hook up before a fight.” Dick pointed out as he handed her the last card she needed. Mac laid her remaining card on the table.
“Who’s hooking up?” Parker asked as she and Piz walked into the kitchen with Wallace. Weevil followed a moment later, looking more and more uncomfortable as the minutes went by, being stuck here with people he hadn’t previously hung out with. Besides Veronica.
“Nobody… yet. But I’m thinking that there’s no way we can get out of here without one. Any bets?” Dick threw his remaining cards on the table, leaning back in his chair until it balanced on the back two legs.
Everyone took a look around, looking at each other, waiting for someone else to take Dick up on it.
“What?” Piz and Parker questioned simultaneously.
“Come on. Logan is in a house with the two girl he could never resist. Duncan is back and single and Veronica is here and single and that combination has always led to them hooking back up. Lilly is pretty much guaranteed to hook up with someone. So, any takers?” Dick explained, and Mac fought the urge to place her own bet. That is until Wallace placed one.
“I’m betting on Duncan and Veronica, they didn’t get much closure from that fake ass fight they had senior year.” Wallace pulled a twenty out of his wallet and slapped it on the table.
“Well, my money is on Logan and Veronica. He may have been Lilly’s boy back in the day, but now he’s basically Veronica’s bitch.” Weevil pulled a twenty out of the front pocket of his leather jacket, letting it join Wallace’s bill on the table.
“Yeah, well, I’m going with Logan and Lilly. You’re first love is super powerful, and they didn’t have closure, her being in a coma and all. And on top of that, I’m going with Duncan and Veronica, for the same reasons…” Mac pulled her wallet out of her purse, which had been set next to her during her lively game of Go Fish with Dick. “Is that twenty or forty dollars?”
“Forty. Two bets. And I vote Veronica and Lilly.” Dick started to pull a twenty when three people leaned in to smack him upside the head. “What? It’s bound to happen. I heard about that kiss during Sophomore homecoming. Eventually they will not be able to resist each other, and fuck, that’ll be hot.”
Rolling her eyes, Mac turned to look at Piz and Parker at the same time as Wallace did.
“What?” They answer again, jointly.
“We have to stop that.” Piz mumbled, scratching at his head.
“Yeah, well maybe if people stopped looking at us like that. I can’t make a bet, I don’t even know why Duncan and Veronica would hook-up. Or why Lilly and Logan would hook up. If Lilly is Veronica’s best friend, why would she hook up with Logan?” Parker looked at Mac before looking at Wallace and then back to Mac.
“Nevermind.” Mac replied to Parker’s clueless expression. “So how much is that? A hundred?”
“Yeah, and I’ll keep this in the meantime.” Dick answered counting the bills before moving to put it in his back pocket.
“Hell naw, Mac will hold on to it. I trust her way more than you.” Wallace reached in plucked the five twenty dollar bills out of Dick’s hands and handed them to Mac.
Dick let his chair fall, all four legs now on the floor as he folded his arms across his chest, scowled and stuck out his bottom lip in a pout.
“Aw, poor baby.” Mac said as she tucked the money into her bag.
~Duncan~SL wouldn’t respond to it. You might as well start calling them Tall Lilly and Short Lilly.” Logan moved towards the mini-fridge that had been set up in the room. Removing two crystal clear bottles of water, he tossed one to Duncan before twisting off the lid to his own. “And if you start calling your sister by her middle name she’s just going to argue that she’s been using the name longer.”
“And if I switch the baby’s name she’ll get confused.” Duncan pointed out, standing in order to turn the television off manually. Who knows where the remote is?
“You know, when we were younger we called Lilly by a nickname.” At Duncan’s questioning look, Logan continued. “Billy. Remember?”
“Yeah, that was because Veronica was upset you were calling her Ronnie, which was a boy’s name.” Duncan pointed out, picking up the paper plates that were scattered around the room. “I also remember that you gave Veronica permission to call you Lauren, which I find even funnier now that I know where you got it from. And then you told her to start calling me Donna. Like we all needed opposite gender names.”
“So, and you are not allowed to repeat the Lauren thing to her, she’ll never let me forget it.” Logan looked at Duncan, his eyes pleading for him to promise.
“I promise I won’t tell Ronica about you’re little mistaken identity mishap.” Duncan held up three fingers to make the boy scout honor symbol.
“How long are you staying?” Logan asked suddenly, breaking completely off topic.
“Well, that was quite the segue. I think until the end of next week, then the papers should be final.” Duncan answered, still cleaning up the room that had become the home base of the house, where everyone eventually ended up.
“What papers?” Logan asked. Obviously Clarence had told him as little as possible.
“The papers my parents got the Mannings to sign. The ones that absolve me of any kidnapping charges as long as I agree to their terms.” Duncan set the pile of used paper plates on a nearby end table, looking at his friend.
“What exactly are these terms?” Logan hedged, obviously a little uncomfortable with the idea that his friend may have to do anything horribly drastic.
“They want visitation rights and to have her on the weekends. I said that it was good, but only for a trial period of a year and with a chaperon. I don’t want any of that sitting in a dark room for punishment thing.”
“Are those the only terms? These people talk a big game but…” Logan trailed off, looking at Duncan to either confirm or deny this assumption.
“No, I have to go to prison for a year. Evading the law, particularly the FBI, and even though the kidnapping charge will be dropped I still have to serve a little time for that.” Duncan looked at Logan in confusion. Somehow he’d assumed Logan knew all this from Clarence. Now he was confused that Logan wasn’t very well informed, that Logan hadn’t thought to ask that question before.
“You know, that monopoly game is still hidden. I checked.” Logan said, glancing around, changing the subject.
“I know, the girls never found it and they probably never will, they’re too short.” Duncan almost felt the need to get a stool and look at their ‘super secret hiding place’, but Logan was already there.
Logan stood on a small brown ottoman, stretching slightly up on his toes in order to reach the hidden cupboards above the large bookcases filled with DVDs and video games. They had found the cabinets one summer when a football veered off course and instead of sailing smoothly into Logan’s arms it had hit the wall several feet above his head. Logan’s insults of him throwing like a girl had been cutoff when a small door popped open.
They had kept it a secret, never mentioning it to the girls, since whatever they put in there was specifically put there to keep away from them. Like Veronica’s birthday presents, or Lilly’s car keys when she was drunk. Or board games they no longer could stand to play.
As Logan got down, Monopoly game in hand, Veronica and Lilly walked through the door.
“Hey! You said that your parents threw it away.” Lilly exclaimed as she pulled the long thin box from Logan’s hands. “I thought all those charms were lost forever. They were expensive you know.”
“And all that work, and five bottles of nail polish to get those houses painted. I thought I’d wasted my favorite color for nothing. You lied.” Veronica accused, popping the lid off and pulling a pink house out. “Wanna play?”
With a groan, Logan and Duncan flopped back onto the couch.
“You just had to take it out, didn’t you? You couldn’t just let it stay hidden and keep us from ever having to do this again, could you?” Duncan said, crossing his arms and pouting a little as Veronica and Lilly proceeded to set the game up.
“God, you act as if I’m killing you. It’s not the end of the world Donut, any way, it’s fun.” Lilly said reprovingly, obviously still annoyed with the fact that it had been hidden so long ago. “You act as if I’m gonna bash you upside the head with an ashtray.”
Everyone stopped to stare at her, their mouths dropping in shock at her poor joke, delivered almost off-handedly.
“Lilly, that’s not funny.” Veronica was the first to speak, her voice tense and shaky, almost as if she was either holding back tears or trying to keep from yelling.
“I can’t believe you’d fucking joke about that. It’s not like it was a good experience for any of us, but fuck Lil... have a little tact.” Logan’s voice was definitely tense from anger.
“God you guys, it was just a joke. It’s not like anyone died.” Lilly’s voice held no humor this time, as she pursed her lips and tilted her head, almost daring the two of them into a confrontation.
8:Fight