So this creation has been on my computer for ages now. It's my first completed Veronica Mars fic, and I would love to hear what you think about it. Thank you for my amazing beta, Fluffernutter8, who was amazing with her comments on this story. Enjoy!
It was a sunny afternoon in Neptune when Mac walked down the aisle. It was a small wedding, family and a couple of close friends, on Logan's private stretch of the beach. They had set up a nice deck there, and it was a calm Friday afternoon wedding. Mac had managed to rope Veronica into being her maid of honor, stating that if she had to give that role to Parker, neither one of them would have left the ordeal alive. Veronica had begrudgingly agreed, hoping to make up for her lack of physical presence in her friend's life over the past couple of years. She wore a flowing blue dress and held a bouquet of blue and white orchids. At the last minute, Parker had stuck one of the white orchids in her long, curly hair. With one last spritz of hair spray, they were lining up to walk down the aisle. As the music started to play, Parker walked, followed by Lauren Sinclair and finally Veronica. She kept a smile on her face as she went, trying her hardest to avoid Logan's eyes as he gazed at her from his place beside Dick. She breathed a sigh of relief when she made it to the front without tripping, and watched Mac walk down with her father, a smile of pure happiness on her face.
The ceremony was quick and, after the traditional kiss, the happy couple joined hands and walked back down the aisle to the cheers of the crowd. Veronica smiled, and allowed Logan to put his arm through hers as she walked with him. It felt so right to be there next to him that she almost forgot the past four years of silence. He smiled at her, and walked away, not saying a word. Parker came to find her, whispering hysterically that she couldn't figure out how to do the buttons to detach Mac's bustle, and that Veronica needed to come immediately. She followed her regretfully, taking her gaze off Logan's back.
Soon after, they were dancing the obligatory maid of honor and best man dance, and they still had yet to exchange a single word. His hands found their place on her hips, and her arms went automatically to circle around his neck. He was boring into her with those deep chocolate eyes, and she felt her heart rate quicken. When the dance was over, she breathed a sigh of relief as she stepped away from him quickly and joined Wallace in talking to Piz and Parker.
After all the speeches, and once Alicia had caught the bouquet that Veronica dodged, they sent off the bride and groom to their lavish honeymoon in Europe. Veronica regretted not ducking out of the reception early when she bumped into him on her way out of the ladies room. He stared down into her blue eyes, and she leaned up and kissed him lightly on the lips, like that very first kiss on the balcony at the Camelot. He was stunned for about a fifth of a second before he cupped her face and pulled her to him, pouring into that kiss everything he wanted to tell her. They had always been better at the physical stuff than the verbal communication, and being civil was completely beyond them. They stumbled into the first door on the left, and she heard Logan flip the lock shut as he guided her towards the bed.
She left early in the morning, while he was still sleeping. As she got into her car, she realized that they hadn't exchanged a single word the entire day.
She ran into him again when she was standing in the tux store, waiting for her father to come out of the changing room. There were three days until she had to stand by his side as his best maid, and she sent a small smile Logan's way when he handed his used tux to the girl behind the counter. There was a tear in the seam that he needed sewn up. She blushed red when she realized how that tear got there, cursing her bad luck that it had to be today, months later, that he brought it in for repair. Still, she was about to say something when her father walked out of the dressing room and all words left her. Her father looked at her for approval, surprised to see her misty- eyed. She wiped her tears away as she told him that he looked dashing, and went to knock on the door of Wallace's stall. While her back was turned, Keith noticed Logan. He pulled an envelope out his bag and handed it to Logan. He walked back toward Veronica, who was now teasing Wallace about something or other. Logan frowned and walked out of the store, looking down at the envelope.
His mouth ran dry when he spotted her standing by her father at the altar, looking stunning as ever. She had her hair up in a French twist, and he spotted his mother's pearls around her neck, the ones he had given her for her birthday just before they started Hearst. She was wearing a strapless pale golden dress this time, which hugged her curves and made him want to reach out and pull her towards him. Instead, he balled his hands into fists and stuffed them in his pockets as he watched Darrell and Wallace walk down the aisle, followed by Alicia in a cream colored dress. He looked at Keith's shining face and wondered if that is what his face looked like when he looks at her, and whether Keith would wear the same smile of approval that Veronica had now if their positions were reversed.
After she and Wallace made their best maid and man of honor speeches, she slowly walked towards him until she was standing there, right in front of him. The room was full of what he assumed were Keith and Alicia's friends, and except for her, Wallace, Mac and Dick, he knew no one here. He was stunned when she asked him if he wanted to dance, but he nodded his agreement and his hands took the familiar place on her hips. She looked up at him, small smile playing at her lips, and quipped, "Are you ever going to say anything? Or am I bound to spend the rest of my life without hearing your voice again?"
"Veronica," he managed, his voice raspy and full of unspoken emotion. He pulled her tighter against him, afraid she will run again. "What do you want me to say?" he asked, looking at her intently.
She was never able to resist those eyes of his, and she felt her throat fill with tears when she realized that he was hurting again. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have left," she said, trying desperately to keep her composure.
He chuckled bitterly, pain crossing his face. "Which time?"
"I don't know," she said, her hands dropping to her sides. He let go of her, and brushed a stray strand of hair from her eyes. "I'm moving back to Neptune," she stated, effectively shocking him and he felt like all the air had been sucked out of his lungs. "As a profiler, I can work from everywhere, and I kind of miss the Californian sun." She attempted a smile. When he still didn't say a word, she took a step away from him, not knowing what else to say.
"I guess I'll see you around," he managed, and this time, he was the one to walk away from her.
She was sitting on the beach, her hair pulled up to a messy knot, her knees drawn close to her chest and her face buried in them. He could tell she was crying, even though he couldn't hear her from his spot leaning against the hood of the Range Rover. The battle raging inside of him was resolved the second he saw her back trembling, and he knew, just knew, that something was terribly wrong. He walked up to her, even more disturbed when she didn't notice him approaching, and sat down on the sand next to her. Seconds later, he pulled her into his lap, and instead of yelling or pushing him away, she was sobbing against his shirt. He clumsily threaded his fingers through her hair, slowly undoing the messy bun. She cried for another twenty minutes before he could feel her sobs soften and her breath slow, and he knew she had fallen asleep. He gently picked her up, and carried her over to his car. After a quick internal argument, he decided to take her to his place. She wasn't talking and he didn't know where she was living these days or where Keith was.
She woke up on a couch in an unfamiliar living room, disoriented. She felt the cool metal in her clutched palm, and it all came back to her. She let out a heart-wrenching sob that hurt her throat because of the tears already shed. Logan heard her from the kitchen and immediately rushed into the living room, pulling her into his lap like last night. He waited until she relaxed again, and then offered her a tissue. She sniffed into it, thanking him silently before settling against him quietly, relishing the feel of his arms around her, of being held tightly against his chest once again.
"Backup died," she managed finally, when it feels like they have been sitting on the couch for hours. "I took him to the vet last week because he had stopped eating, and they took an x-ray and there was a massive tumor in his lungs. We were going to go back and put him to sleep so he didn't suffer, but when I got up this morning, he was lying there on the end of my bed like always- but he was- he was-" and she started to cry again, not able to talk anymore.
"Shh," he said, stroking his hands down her back. "It's ok. I'm right here. I'm so sorry, baby. I'm so, so sorry." He pulled her closer to him, if that was even possible. After she calmed again, he carried her upstairs to what she assumed was the master bathroom, and placed her on the counter. He bent down and started the water in the tub, drawing a calming bath for her. He pulled out a big fluffy towel, and handed it to her. He kissed her on the forehead, and made his way out of the bathroom. He stopped seconds before disappearing out of the door, turning to her. "There are some clothes of yours that you left at the Grand. I never had the heart to throw them out," he said, smiling slightly at the memory of Heather in those clothes. "Second drawer from the bottom, to the left. I'm going to order some food- manicotti?" At her nod, he turned and left the bathroom, leaving a slightly stunned Veronica in his wake.
They buried Backup in his backyard, early the next morning. He held her the entire time, almost as if she will fall over if his arms weren't around her. That night they had everyone over for a barbeque in his memory, and she stayed over afterward. She woke up in Logan's arms, a smile slowly spreading on her tired face. This time, neither of them left. She moved in a month later.
They were once again standing on his stretch of beach, but this time, he was fidgeting nervously looking around, hoping she wouldn't run again. Dick and Wallace were standing beside him, the latter trying to calm him, assuring him that she is just as nervous, while Dick just looked around, wishing the ceremony would start already so he could get rid of the rings and the weight of responsibility. Logan would have been more terrified, but they had made it official with a Justice of the Peace a few weeks ago, so she was already his wife. This whole show was simply for friends and family.
Or at least that's what he told himself. He still breathed a sigh of relief when he saw a very pregnant Mac starting to come down the aisle, and took a minute to compose himself while she took her place. That moment didn't help. His throat suddenly went dry when she appeared, her father by her side, guiding her towards him. She was looking at him now, and he was willing to swear that she was actually glowing, with that gorgeous smile on her face. She was wearing a simple, elegantly flowing dress, her hair down in curls and her bangs gently pulled aside with a calla lily. She was holding a bouquet of the same lilies, and around her neck was Lilly's necklace. He spotted the earring he gave her just last week on their one year anniversary, and couldn't help but wonder how the hell he got so lucky. She reached him and her father, misty-eyed and wearing the smile of pride and approval that Logan had always yearned for, took his seat. Veronica turned toward him, first passing her bouquet to Mac, who was standing one step down, leaving the spot for the maid of honor empty. Just like the flowers, this was Veronica's way to pay a silent tribute to her dead best friend, who did not get to see her on this day.
When the guests were all gone, they walked together up the path into their house, and Logan carried her over the threshold, depositing her on their bed. She smiled at him, pulling him close to her by the collar of his shirt, whispering, "I love you". That was all he needed to hear, and they only managed to stumble out of bed around noon the next day- and even then just because Alicia and Keith were throwing them a farewell lunch before they left on their month-long honeymoon.
She is standing in front of her walk-in closet, trying to figure out what to wear. She has picked five different outfits already, and reconsidered each choice. What does one wear to the wedding of their estranged mother and the man she has been having an affair with for years?
She was shocked when she got the invitation. Stunned into silence, scaring Logan so much he actually put Riley down for a change and came over to see what happened. She hadn't planned on going, but her mother called and practically begged her, stating that she wants her daughter and grandchildren present at her wedding. While the term 'grandmother' could be only very loosely applied to Lianne, Veronica grumbled and agreed that they would be there. Now, she was regretting that decision.
"Veronica? You almost ready? There is only so much I can do to prevent him from getting messy," Logan calls, walking into the room holding their struggling son. "You're not dressed," he notes, frowning. "Hey, buddy, can you go check on your sister for me?" At the boy's nod, he sets him down and walked up to his wife, wrapping his arms around her. "What's wrong, babe?"
"Can we just not go? We can say that they kids got sick or something," she said, looking up at him desperately.
"Veronica," he drags out her name, knowing there is something underneath the surface. "This is your mom's wedding. I get that this sucks, but come on. Three hours and I'll then take you to Luigi's and you can eat manicotti to your heart's content, okay?" he said, hugging her towards him. "Wear the blue with the pearls. It will bring out your eyes and won't wrinkle too badly when you hold the kids." He smiles at her in the mirror, walking out of the room.
When they arrive, Logan takes the baby out while she helps her son out of his car seat, straightening his little suit and tie as she does. She clutches his hand in hers tightly, calming slightly when Logan places his hand at the small of her back. They walk into the ballroom, and nausea rises in her throat as she watches her mother marry the man who could have been her father.
"Hey there, stranger," she hears a familiar voice say, and turns around, worried glance shining on her face. "Well, well, well- look what the cat dragged in," Logan smiles, going to man-hug his long-lost best friend. "Duncan Kane, as I live and breathe. What are you doing here, man?"
"You didn't think Dad would get married without his only son, did you? He has been working closely with the FBI and now I am a free man," Duncan says, grinning, while Veronica's face visibly relaxes. "Rumor has it you two got hitched? And have two rugrats?" he asks, coming to stand next to them.
"Yeah, Owen Keith," Veronica says, pointing out their blond tornado as he ran past them. "And this is Riley Lynn." She leans over and kisses her sleeping daughter's head as she lies in Logan's arms, hidden by his suit jacket.
"Well, congrats. Lilly is floating around here somewhere. I can't seem to keep track of her these days," he jokes, looking around.
They stay for another few hours, staking a claim on their corner with Duncan, only speaking to the newlyweds when they approach. At some point, they are joined by the younger Lilly Kane, just as sassy as her aunt but with a deep Aussie accent. It is weird, yet surprisingly natural to stand there and chat with the Kanes, and if she squints hard, she could for a short second believe that nothing has changed in the past fifteen years. Lilly spends the rest of the night getting to know her Aunt Veronica, Uncle Logan and new cousins, and Veronica has to swallow her tears at how much this beautiful, lively girl resembled Meg and the first Lilly Kane, two of the people Veronica has lost.
The next day, during their yearly Memorial Day barbeque, Lilly walks up to her, and while Veronica braids her hair, they chat.
"Those four are so cute together," Lilly says pointing to the sand box, where Ricky Casablancas and Alexis Fennel were eating sand together with the Echolls siblings.
"Yeah, they are" Veronica smiles, wrapping a ponytail around the ends of her hair and sending Lilly on her way. She watches as Lilly knelt beside the sandbox, helping Riley use a shovel to scoop some sand instead of eating it. Guess history repeats after all, she thinks, as she shares a look with the two other members of the original Fab Four, who have been looking at the kids as well. She doesn't blame them. With what they have been through and what they've built despite it, it's hard to look away.
So, thoughts? Feeling? Hate it ? Love it? Comment!