What Is and What Might Have Been
By Misha

Disclaimer- I don't own anything to do with "Veronica Mars", I really wish I did, but I don't. It belongs to Rob Thomas and the UPN. I'm not making any money off of this, so please don't sue me.

Author's Notes- I've had this idea in my head for sometimes. It's set in the future sometime after "Donut Run". It's sweet and sad, a mix of fantasy and reality and I like how it turned out. The stuff in italics is fantasy by the way, while the rest is reality. That's all, I hope you like it!

Pairings- Veronica/Duncan, Veronica/Leo.

Summery- Two wedding days for Veronica Mars, the one that is and the one that might have been...

Rating- PG-13

Spoilers- Up to "Donut Run".

Veronica stood in front of the mirror and accessed her appearance and then gave a satisfied nod at what she saw. She wasn't a starry-eyed, fairy-tale bride, but she looked acceptable. Even elegant.

Her hair fell down her back, pinned back from her face by white-rosebud clips, her only adornment. Her dress was a simple and sophisticated floor-length, spaghetti strapped white satin. She carried a small bouquet of white roses and lilies, because she couldn't imagine not having lilies with her on this particular day.

Veronica stood in front of the mirror, carefully accessing her appearance. "How do I look?" She asked with a frown, picking up on slight flaws.

"Like the perfect fairy-tale princess." Lilly assured her. "Exactly how you should look. After all in, a few minutes, Prince Charming is going to come and sweep you off into the sunset for your happily-ever after."
Veronica smiled dreamily, reassured by Lilly's words. She wasn't normally this concerned with her appearance, but she wanted to be perfect. After all, it was her wedding day. She took one last look at the final result and decided that it would do. Her hair was up in an elegant clasp and white rosebud clips, a gift from Lilly years before and her something old, held her frothy veil in place and her white satin gown with its princess skirt and sweetheart neckline was right out of a fairy-tale. Her elaborate bouquet of pink and white roses would complete the picture.

"Hey, Veronica, you ready?"

Veronica turned from her reflection to answer the question. Her two bridesmaids stood there, waiting for an answer. "I am." She told them. "Do I look properly bridal?"

"You look awesome." Mac answered with a grin.

"You look incredible." Laura, the other bridesmaid and a friend of Veronica's from college, answered. "Your groom won't know what hit him."

"Everyone decent in here?" Wallace, Veronica's "man of honour" called out, before entering.

"All decent." Veronica reassured him.

"Damn." Wallace said playfully, then he looked at her. "You look great, girl."

"So how do I look?" Lilly asked with a grin, striking a pose. "Do I make an acceptable maid of honour?"
"You look fabulous," Veronica assured, "But then how could you look anything else?"
"True." Lilly said with a grin. "Fabulous is my natural state. However, today I accept that I am just background decoration. Nobody is going to be able to take their eyes off of you, Veronica, especially not the group."
Veronica smiled, it wasn't often that she got the spotlight, not with Lilly around, but it was her day after all. "I hope so."

"Is my groom ready?" Veronica asked Wallace. He'd spent the morning with the groomsmen.

"Not only ready, but eager." Wallace assured her. "He can't wait for you to get to the end of that aisle."
"Me either." Veronica said with a the confident smile of a woman who knew she was loved.

Five more minutes. Five minutes and then she would walk down the aisle to the man she loved. The man she would love for the rest of her life. It wasn't the perfect fairy-tale love she had once dreamed of; it was the type of love that came with maturity and that had been weathered by tragedy.

He didn't have her whole heart, the girl she had been would always love others, but the woman she had become only wanted one man. And in five minutes he would be her husband.

"Is Duncan ready?" Veronica asked her mother. Her mother had been out in the church, making sure everything was running smoothly, but had come back to the bridal room to help Veronica with the last details.
"Ready and anxious." Lianne assured her and then she took Veronica's face in her hands. "Oh, sweetheart, you look so beautiful. The perfect bride."
"Thanks." Veronica told her and then she let out a happily giggle. "I can't believe I'm about to be Mrs. Duncan Kane."
"Me neither." Liane told her, dropping her hands.
There was a shadow in her mother's eyes that Veronica didn't understand, but she pushed it from her mind and concentrated on her joy. This was the day she had always dreamed of. She'd loved Duncan for as long as she could remember, he was her Prince Charming and this was their happily ever after. Nothing could ruin it.

"Is there a bride in here?" Keith asked as he entered the room.

"There might be." Veronica said, stepping towards him.

He stopped and took a good look at her and she saw the tears in his eyes. "You look beautiful." He told her.

"Thanks Dad," Veronica said, blinking back her own tears.

"I guess it's time," Keith said after a moment, holding out his arm.

She took it and they left the little chamber behind the bridal party waiting for their turn to walk down the aisle, towards the man she loved and her new life.

"I love you." Keith whispered as they watched Wallace walk down.

"I love you too." Veronica assured him. "And I'll always be your little girl."

"Yes you will," Keith said squeezing her hand, "But now I have to share you. He's a lucky man and a good man, that makes it easier."

"You look beautiful," Keith told her as he entered the bridal suite.
Veronica smiled. "Thanks Daddy." She blinked. "Is it time."
"Almost," Keith assured her. He turned to Lianne. "It's time for the mother of the bride to take her seat."
Lianne nodded and gave Veronica a quick kiss before exiting. Lilly and the other bridesmaids did the same, preparing to take their place in the processional and giving father and daughter a moment alone.
"I love you." Keith told her daughter.
"I love you too, Daddy," she assured him, leaning to kiss his cheek.
Keith smiled and offered her his hand. "Are you ready to go back Duncan the luckiest man in the world?"

Veronica walked down the aisle on her father's arm, her gaze focused on the man she loved.

He'd been patient, waiting for her even when she chose other men over him, and that patience had paid off because she'd realized how special he was and life had brought her back to him. And today she was about to become Mrs. Leo D'Amato.

They reached the end of the aisle and Keith placed her hand in Leo's.

Veronica walked down the aisle on her father's arms, her eyes focused on the man waiting for her at the other end. Her one true love. Duncan.
She beamed as she walked towards him, towards their life together. Duncan was her one and only love and she'd dreamed of this day for years and it was finally here. She'd once doodled "Veronica Kane" in her notebooks and now that was going to be her name.
She tore her eyes from Duncan for a second and saw Logan standing beside him, a big grin on his face, giving her a thumbs up. She was sure Celeste would having to say about that later.
After what seemed an eternity they reached the end of the aisle and Keith placed her hand in Duncan's and Veronica gazed up at her Prince Charming with adoring eyes.

"Do you, Leonardo D'Amato, take this woman to be your lawful wedded wife in sickness and in health, for richer or for poorer, until death do you part?" The priest asked Leo.

He smiled warmly, his eyes focused on Veronica. "I do."

The priest looked at Veronica. "Do you, Veronica Mars, take this man to be your lawful wedded husband in sickness and in health, for richer or for poorer, until death do you part?"

"I do." Veronica said, her gaze focused on Leo's. She wanted no one other than him, was so thrilled to be sharing her life with him. He was everything she had ever wanted.

"Do you, Duncan Kane, take this woman to be your lawful wedded wife in sickness and health, for richer or for poorer, until death do you part?" The minister asked Duncan.
"I do." He said, without hesitation, his adoring gaze focused on Veronica.
The minister turned to Veronica. "Do you, Veronica Mars, take this man to be your lawful wedded husband in sickness and in health, for richer or poorer, until death do you part?"
"I do." Veronica said quickly, beaming at Duncan. It felt like she had been waiting her entire life to say those words.
She had always known that she and Duncan were meant to be and now it was official. Her fairytale had it's happy ending…

As happy as she was, she had moment of sadness as she thought of those who weren't there to see her happiness. Lilly, Duncan, Logan. Once the most important people in her life, but Lilly had been dead for a decade now and it had been eight years since Duncan had left and almost as long since she and Logan had been on speaking terms.

When she'd imagined her wedding as a girl, the three of them had all had starring roles and yet, none of them were there for the reality. It didn't hurt as much as she'd thought it would. Oh, she missed them, would always miss them, but she wasn't the girl they had loved and they had no place in the life she had built for herself.

Veronica smiled tenderly at Leo as they were pronounced husband and wife. That life was a good life. A happy one, filled with love and friendship. It wasn't the life she'd once imagined, but it was the only life she wanted.

Anything else was just a fantasy and while some part of her would always wonder "what might have been", the reality was better than any fantasy.

Besides, that fantasy life didn't belong to her. It belonged to the Veronica Mars that was, while reality belonged to Veronica D'Amato and she wouldn't have it any other way.

The End