AN: Hi to everyone who has been reading, thanks for your feedback, particularly those to whom I can't send replies to for their reviews! Enjoy, and let me know what you think. I wasn't quite sure how this chapter would go, and I was quite surprised by who came out to play.
Chapter 4 – Think of me
Now that she's back in the atmosphere
I'm afraid that she might think of me as plain ol' Jane
The next day Veronica stood in the same spot Logan had the day before, with her hand raised to knock. Once again the door was flung open before any knocking could occur, and there stood Dick Casablancas. Dissimilar to yesterday he looked unwelcoming and if possible, a little angry.
"Ronnie," Dick said, his tone wary and a little hard.
"Dick," Veronica replied, her tone friendly, an interesting reversal from days of old. "Dick, could I see Mac please? Is she here?"
"She in her office," Dick answered, somewhat reluctantly. "Veronica, don't screw things up this time," Dick continued seriously. "When you left, Logan fell apart, even more than he already had. Mac, you hurt her a lot too, and I'm not going to let that happen this time."
"I'm sorry Dick," Veronica replied. "I know I hurt them, especially Mac, she didn't deserve to have me leave her like that. Oh, I'm also sorry I missed your wedding."
"Okay," Dick allowed, calming down a little now that he'd got his message across. "I'll take you to her office."
Dick led Veronica through the house to Mac's office where she was working studiously. Perhaps with a little less focus than yesterday, before she knew that Veronica was back. Mac worked from home pretty much all the time. She contracted herself out to companies that wanted her, and who she chose to do work for. Mac had a reputation as a very skilled hacker and programmer, both of which skills she chose to use to do what was best, without taking money into consideration. Mac also still worked with Logan on various investment ventures and the two had stayed friends as well as business associates following Veronica's departures. When she and Dick started dating she spent even more time with Logan and from time to time Wallace would hang out with the. Sometimes when this happened all but Dick would notice with some pain the gap that Veronica should have filled. No one tried to fill it though, or was ever allowed to try to fill it. They went on with their lives, living, but knowing they were missing something.
Veronica stopped behind Dick who stood in the doorway and said quietly, "Mackie, there's someone here to see you."
Mac turned around on her chair, slowly this time, instinct telling her who was there. She faced Veronica and waited expectantly, her face blank, and a little hardness in her eyes.
"Hi Mac," Veronica began.
Mac sighed and said, "What do you want Veronica?"
"Mac, please just give me a chance!" Veronica implored
"You know, I don't really feel inclined to do that Veronica," Mac stated. "You left, leaving me only a letter. I thought we were better friends than that! Then all you ever sent were casual, 'distant acquaintance' emails! You couldn't even be here for my wedding!" Mac finished, her voice well and truly loud by this point.
Dick had been standing in the hall watching and waiting to see how things played out. Once he was sure Mac was telling Veronica what she needed to hear he slipped away and left them to talk or fight, whichever they felt like.
Mac had half been expected Veronica to yell back or make excuses, but Veronica just said quietly, "I know. I'm sorry Q."
"No Veronica, I'm not the Q to your Bond anymore," Mac replied a little sorrowfully. "Knowing you, you found someone better to do you favours. I mean, did you miss me at all? Did you ever think, 'Gee I wish Mac was here to help me or to talk to me'? I did, we all missed you Veronica, and you just seem like you're fine, everything's just fine for you!"
"Mac…" Veronica tried to say.
"No Veronica," Mac stopped her. "I'm not really ready to hear anything to have to say. Maybe later, maybe once you've proved you're here to stay."
Veronica nodded. She hadn't expected Mac to be as upset and as unresponsive as she had been. Then again, after listening to all she had said, Veronica realised how her actions had really affected Mac. "Okay Mac, if you really don't want to talk now, I'll go for the moment," Veronica told her. "I'm not leaving though, not this time. I'm staying at the Grand by the way. I hope I'll see you soon. I really missed you Q, ah, Mac."
With that Veronica made her way out to her car, with a brief wave to Dick. Mac stayed sitting at her desk for quite some time. She sat very still and eventually drew a shuddering breath as two tears made glistening tracks down her cheeks. Mac turned back to her computer and tried to work, but instead she spent a lot of time thinking over ever thing that Veronica had said, and puzzling over the apparent change in her friend. Dick appeared in her office a while later, having waited some time before seeing her, knowing his wife liked her space, especially after emotional confrontation. He walked up behind her chair and wrapped his arms around her shoulders.
"Are you alright Mackie?" Dick asked, deciding to play his sensitive card.
Mac just turned around and said, "I love you Dick."
Dick prompted further and asked, "Will we be seeing more of Ronnie?"
Mac gave him a weak smile and said, "I dare say we will. Even if we didn't want to, when has Veronica stayed away from something she wanted?"
Told a story about a man who is too afraid to fly so he never did land
After leaving the Casablancas house Veronica made her way to her Dad's. Veronica let herself in with the key her Dad had given her yesterday and found Wallace sitting at the dining table. Veronica came to an abrupt stop, not expecting to see Wallace then. She had been hoping to speak to him somewhere where they wouldn't be interrupted. Keith and Alicia appeared to be out however, so Veronica decided now was as good a time as any to have a chat. Wallace for his part had looked up and the look that crossed his face was as close to irate as loyal and loving Wallace could look.
Veronica tried to smile, not looking forward to the conversation and said, "Hey Wallace. So, any chance of us setting up those bunk beds anytime soon?"
Wallace stared back, unresponsive, clearly not warming to her attempt to break the tension. "Hello Veronica. I'd say the chances of us having bunk beds, or anything like that, are pretty slim at the moment."
"Wallace, can we talk, please?" Veronica said gently.
"Did you bring me snickerdoodles? Any sort of baked goods?" Wallace asked, his good nature coming through in his words, even though his tone was hostile.
"I don't actually have any now, but if you'll let me see you again, I'm pretty sure I could produce something," Veronica replied with a smile.
"Well I don't know Veronica," Wallace said, still cautious.
"Wallace, I know you're mad, and with every right, but can I tell you a story? Just give me a chance," Veronica implored, subconsciously adding her head tilt.
"Fine," Wallace gave in. "You knew when you asked me if we could talk that I would say yes. You know no one can resist that head tilt, even if they haven't seen you in years and years."
"Well knowing you Wallace, as I hoped I use to, you are one of the best people I've ever met," Veronica informed him.
"So how about that story?" Wallace said, skipping over her admission.
"Well, about fifteen years ago there was a girl, and she had it all, she thought her life couldn't get any better," Veronica started with. She and Wallace both knew where the story was going for the time, but Wallace just stayed quiet and let her continue. "Then all that changed. Her world fell apart, and so did she, temporarily, but she got back up and pulled herself together and came back fighting. During her fight back she cut a boy down off a flagpole, expecting nothing, but he offered her friendship, and she took it, and began to trust again, to realise that she still could take a chance of friendship. That boy stayed by her side, and then a few years later when the girl's world started to crumble again, she couldn't find the strength to fight back. She fled, and it was nothing to do with her best friend. It hurt her greatly to leave him, but she couldn't stay. While she was gone she thought about him, he influenced her choices and her actions. Wallace, I didn't leave because of anything you had done, you were one of the main things I considered staying for. I love you and you're still my best friend."
She looked at Wallace and after several minutes passed, realised he wasn't going to, or wasn't ready to say anything. "Wallace, I'll go now," she told him calmly. "If you're ready to talk to me tomorrow, meet me at the dog beach about 4 tomorrow afternoon? I'll even have something baked," she added with a little smile. "Anyway, tell Dad and Alicia that I dropped by."
With that Veronica made her way out to her car, hoping for the second time that day that her friends would take another chance on her.
Tell me did the wind sweep you off your feet
Originally Veronica hadn't planned on making the trip that she was making now, but after seeing Wallace, she just needed to. She pulled up at the curb, stepped out of her car and walked until she reached her destination. She sat down the grass in front of the stone slab and started to talk.
"Hi Lil, I know it's been a long time since I've actually been here. Well really, I've only been here once, right before I left Neptune. There hasn't been a day I haven't thought about you, or crazily talked to you in my head, but you know that. I know if you were here now you'd still be calling me 'Ronica' and we'd still see each other every day. I know that wherever you are now you're making trouble, and making people love you, and making people laugh. I just wish you were here right now to make me laugh. I love you Lilly," Veronica concluded, her voice cracking a little.
The wind gentle skipped through the cemetery and a voice startled Veronica out of her peaceful moment. "You know, I don't know if I could've have said that any better," the new comer said.
Veronica stood up and turned slowly around, gathering her wits, and replied, "How long had you been standing there?"
"Long enough to hear pretty much your whole conversation," he replied. "You know, I might've said almost the same thing, except I doubt she would've been calling me Ronica."
Veronica then moved forward and said, "I've missed you so much Duncan!" She threw her arms around him and he buried his face in her neck.
"I've missed you so much Veronica," Duncan said.
"I just want to check," Veronica said shakily, "but you're here because you've been cleared of all charges, right? I wouldn't want to have to hug you then arrest you!"
"Oh Dad's money and influence took care of that, eventually," Duncan said, his tone a little more cynical that in their high school days.
"Yes, I am familiar with the power and money of Jake Kane," Veronica sardonically commented. Then she seemed to remember something, for her whole face lit up. "Duncan! Where's Lily? If you're here, she must be!"
Duncan laughed, and his face lit up as well at the mention of his daughter. "She's a few rows down that way," he answered. "When I saw it was you, I asked her to wait there while I spoke to you. I figured just one of us to start with would be shock enough."
Veronica looked, her keen eyes instantly spotting Lily. She was in her early teens now, and was tall, and blonde, that much Veronica could tell at a distance.
"Come on," Duncan invited, "come and see her."
The two old friends walked comfortably down through the plots and when Lily noticed their approach she began to run towards them. Her hair was long and it flew in the breeze. Her legs were long and tanned, and her smile was electric, just like her aunt's. Her soft, kind eyes were all her mother's though, and Veronica felt a little stab of sadness thinking of the friend she had lost. Lily launched herself at Veronica with a cry of, "Aunt Veronica!"
Silent tears streamed down Veronica's face. The baby she had once held and loved so briefly was now almost a young woman, and she looked so much like Lilly and Meg that it was very moving for Veronica, particularly after visiting the grave minutes before.
"I showed her pictures of you over the years," Duncan said by way of an explanation. "I always referred to you as Aunt Veronica, and I told her all about you, and about the Fab Four. She needed a female role model, and I chose you. If we'd been able to stay here you would've been, and I didn't want my choices to change that."
Veronica stepped back from Lily's embrace and spoke, "You're so much like your mother and aunt. You're just beautiful. Will you be here for long?" Veronica turned and looked at Duncan.
"Probably just for the summer," Duncan replied. "It's not decided yet."
"Well, I'll be here for at least that long too," Veronica replied happily. "Have you seen Logan yet? We'll all have to catch up."
"Not yet," Duncan owned. "We've only been here a week, and we've been lying low. I'm still pretty big news around here," Duncan joked, albeit truthfully. "We'll see Logan soon. I'm guessing he's around at the moment? It'll be just like old times, or sort of," Duncan jokingly remarked.
"Anyway, I have things I should probably do now," Veronica said. "But, I'll see you both really soon, okay? I'm at the Grand, and I'm sure you'll work out where Dad is living these days, I'll be there a lot too."
She hugged Lily close again, kissed Duncan's cheek, and left them to make their visits in the cemetery.
AN: Just another quick note to say, thanks for reading, please review! Also, I've actually written a novel, and I'm looking for someone(s) to read it and if anyone is interesting I would consider it a huge favour, so please PM me and let me know! Have a lovely day :)