I walked slowly up the steps of the station giving myself time to turn around. I honestly didn't know why I was here, and what was about to transpire, but I was ready for whatever. I knocked on the door and a grunt was all I got. I entered giving myself one last chance to flee, but my feet wouldn't do it.
"Veronica Mars... what brings you here on Christmas even?" Sheriff Don Lamb said leaning back in his chair. Irritation edged his face.
I gave him a small smile, " My dad is in Columbia tracking down a bail jumper."
"So? " His irritation increased.
"I guess I thought it was dumb to be alone on Christmas."
"What about one of your many admirers?"
"Meh, why would I spend the holidays with people who adore me, when I can spend it with someone who loathes and detests me," I set the bags down. He gave me that doubting look, "We used to celebrate it together," I explained further.
"That was before... things are different now," he said distractedly Of course they were Veronica. He had stabbed your father in the back, and cast you off like used newspaper.
"I realize this, but no one deserves to be alone on Christmas. I even brought dinner," I said in a hopeful tone.
"Fine fine, come in if you must," he rose to help me with my bags, "this isn't going to become a habit."
"Why deputy of course not. People will think you like me or something," I grinned sitting in the chair in front of his desk.
" Sherriff...What did you bring to eat?" He said leaning forward placing his forearms onto the desk.
"I brought you a reuben from Michael's Deli," I said opening the bag, and distributing the food out. He smiled a small smile remembering when I used to bring him lunch everyday.
"My favorite. You remembered," he said quietly.
"Some things you just don't forget," our eyes held for a moment, and I felt uncomfortable. There was something in his eyes. regret perhaps. I pulled my eyes away staring down at my food.
"Somethings you hope people will forget," he almost whispered, "Or at least forgive." He looked at me again almost pointedly. Of course Lambypoo I forgive you for throwing me to the dogs, and for believing what everyone else did for me. Oh yeah, and that rape thing...total water under the bridge.
"Sometimes, all a person needs to hear is sorry," I set my food down, and picked up my messenger bag.
"Veronica, you have no idea how sorry I am. Everything. How I treated you. How I treated your family," he looked at me earnestly.
"Yea, me too," I said. I gathered my food, "You know maybe this wasn't such a great idea. I mean we both are kind of uncomfortable." I started to leave.
"I'm done with work in about an hour. Why don't you come over, and we can do a real Christmas thing? No one should be alone on Christmas," he rose and was coming towards me.
"Are you sure? You know it's going to be me coming over right? "
"Of course."
"Alright, but you really don't know what your asking," I grinned again and exited through the door.

LAMB~~~

I didn't know why I had asked her to spend Christmas at my house with me. Perhaps, for a minute I remembered what it was like to be friends with Veronica Mars. Anyone who managed to have her as a friend was lucky. She was unwaveringly loyal, and good to those she cared about. To have her as an enemy, well, I didn't want to think about that. I had been on her bad side for too long.
I had finished up a half hour later, and went home to straighten up. Not that I wanted to impress her, but my house was a disaster area with the Hearst rapes. I had been logging in lots of extra hours at the station. Within fifteen minutes of my arrival at home a light knock sounded at my door. It sounded almost hesitant. I rushed to the door to let Veronica in.
"Hey," I opened the door to her allowing her in.
"I was thinking you were going to change your mind," Veronica said as she came through the door several bags in tow.
"Nah, you're right. Christmas is all about togetherness," I said taking the bags from her and placing them on the counter.
"Well, Christianity would beg to differ with you on that. Birth of Christ and all that jazz," she quipped. She began to unload the bags.
"Smart ass," I said.
"You used to love my smart ass. Wow... you actually have a tree," she giggled as she made her way to my tree.
I opened the last bag to find a bottle of red wine to go with the Chinese food she brought.
"Yea, that's one thing I never forget. It's not Christmas without one. Now, Veronica where did you get this bottle of wine you being underage and all. I'm afraid I'll have to confiscate this. I can't be contributing to delinquency of a minor. And with you, that's just asking for trouble," I put the wine away. I had no intention of keeping her from having a glass, but the verbal judo felt good. Just like old times. I watched her as she almost danced around my kitchen knowing exactly where everything was.
"Why, I'm shocked Sheriff. You haven't changed anything around in all this time?" she jested.
"Why broke what ain't fixed," I retorted.
"why indeed," she seated herself at the table with the plates she had just collected. I went over to the counter and popped open the bottle of wine. I poured two glasses and came back to the table.
"Change of heart?" she asked dishing her plate.
"Don't make me regret it Mars," I said seating myself next to her. We ate in relative silence, and when we were finished she helped clean up. We stood side by side washing the dishes.
"Why now?" I asked finally.
"I feel like I need to mend some of the bridges I burned," she said cryptically. I looked down at her reading her expression. There was a sincerity and innocence in her eyes I hadn't expect to see from Veronica "I've Seen it all and lived to tell the tale" Mars. In that moment, I saw the girl I used to pick up from cheerleading practice when I knew Lianne was too intoxicated to drive. The girl who had always habored a fascination and awe for her father's favorite deputy.
She turned towards me, and what she did next surprised me. She wrapped her arms tightly around my waist, and rested her head against my chest. I returned the embrace, and we stayed like that for an eternity. And after that eternity I felt a dampness on my shirt, and realized she was crying.
"Hey... what's the matter?"
She pulled away and looked up at me, "I'm sorry. I don't know what came over me. It's just all these emotions flooding over me at once," she leaned into me again.
I don't know what came over me perhaps it was the fact that she had done this five years ago when she first learned Lily Kane had died, but I pressed a kiss into her hair. She looked up at me again almost immediately. She stared at me like she was going to burn a hole into my hell bound soul. She leaned forward, pressed a soft kiss on my lips, and pulled away, "I knew he was in there somewhere."
"Who?" Suddenly I was very confused.
"The man I used to love," she explained. She walked to the other side of the kitchen and seated herself on my counter. I came to where she sat, and looked up at her searching her eyes for something. What I saw I couldn't fathom. It was a look I had never seen before.
"Love's a pretty strong word even when you were twelve," I said.
"I was sixteen Don," she explained.
"And still very much illegal," I retorted.
"I'm legal now," she slid off the counter, and we were chest to chest.
"Yes, but you loathe and detest me now," I said my hand unconciously went to her hip.
"Says you," She kissed me again. The kiss was wild with passion. Lips bruising lips, and teeth gnashing against each other. Each opponent begging for the other to relent and grant access to the caverns of the others mouths. I finally had reached my boiling point, and opened my mouth to her; instantly I was being slammed into the wall behind me. I pulled away from her gasping for breath.
"We should talk," I said removing my hands from her hips.
"Talkings overrated. I can think of about fifty other things we can do instead," she grinned up at me. Her hand was tracing the planes of the muscles of my chest.
"Only fifty Veronica? Maybe, you aren't smarter then me after all," I captured her lips again. This time she began to work with the buttons of my shirt. Soon she was divesting me of my uniform top. I pulled off her top revealing a cerulean lace bra, "I wouldn't have taken you for blue lace."
"I love blue. A long time ago, I was in love with a guy with the most indescribable blue eyes," she said helping me pull the straps down on her bra.
"What happened to him?"
"I'll have to let you know," My thumb and forefinger pinched one of her rosy nipples, a low growl escaped her throat, and her legs parted more freely for me. I filed this in my mental rolodex in tricks I would use on her over and over again. Her back arched up to me as I traced designs on the valley between them. Occasionally, my hand would move from one to the other tickling them innocently. I finally leaned forward and laved my tongue over one of her nipples before blowing a stream of cool air onto it. I watched as her entire chest goose bumped, and another low growl spilled from those plump red lips.
Her hands threaded into my hair and pulled me down for a gentle kiss before moving her lips over my Adams apple making me gulp in response. Soon, she was dragging off her pants leaving her standing in a matching pair of panties
I moved a hand over her flat stomach to the lacy vee of her panties. I slid a finger under the waistband of the cerulean scrap of material. My finger running over the smooth skin that laid out before me. She moaned softly as my hand slid all the way into her panties, and traced her southern lips. Her hips began to act in own accordance pushing my hand further down to the place where she wanted to be touched the most. I couldn't deny her anymore, and I gently inserted a finger into her soaked core. Her hip bucked into my hand as I added a second finger, and moved in and out of her slowly. I could tell it had been a very long time for her, her inner muscles gripped my fingers almost viciously. I worked her over the edge slowly, and she came apart with a scream. She thrashed her head back and forth from the intensity as I worked her back down. She looked up at me after she was rational again, "Merry Christmas Don."
I had a feeling it was going to be a very merry Christmas as I picked her up fireman style, and hauled her to my bedroom .