Mac trembled as the information before her became thoughts and ideas that swarmed her and threatened to bury her under their weight.

She punched the control to print it out.

Mac sat in stunned silence.

Veronica slipped in from the kitchen. "We've got celery sticks and carrots with several dipping sauces." She boasted.

Mac looked to the plate. "What exactly turns them from salad dressings in to dipping sauces?"

"Putting them in these tiny little cups, of course." She shot Mac a mock shocked look before pausing to take a good look at her. "Are you okay?"

"Veronica, you know how you always say that its not easy to carry everything you learn around with you?" Mac swallowed. "And I never really believe you?"

"Sure. I guess so." Veronica blinked.

Mac pulled the sheets from the printer and handed them to Veronica. "I'm sorry. You're right. If this means what I think it means then… Then life really is unfair. And everything does just kind of suck… I don't even like showing it to you."

Veronica took a few long, slow breaths. "But… there's a two year gap in the time frame! It couldn't be…"

"Veronica…" Mac swallowed. "It takes two years for…"

"For a newborns body chemistry to stabilize enough for a DNA paternity test." Veronica pressed her eyes closed and exhaled. "This is all circumstantial." She said at last. "There are still plenty of other avenues to explore."

Mac wanted to cry. "Yeah, but none of them look as true as this does right now."

"I know." Veronica breathed. "I just wish I knew how Logan would take it."

"He wasn't the one I was thinking of Veronica." Mac met V's eyes. "Speaking as a child denied the benefits of the family fortune I can honestly say… It's … frustrating. And I know that, by comparison… I had it pretty good."

"Comparatively… We all did I guess." Veronica sighed. "But we're not saying a word about this until I can confirm a few things."

"Right. Mums the word." Mac pursed her lips. "Damn it."

The self-same ideas that had threatened to overwhelm Mac now rocked like an angry sea within Veronica's mind.

Mac was right. If this is true then life is totally unfair. To everyone. And all the time.

Damn it was right Mac. How many lives did Aaron Echolls screw up beyond repair?

At just that moment a demon surprised Aaron from behind. "Hey Aaron."

Aaron jumped. "Oh, hey Dwight."

"Fun trivia fact came up today." Dwight smiled with both rows of teeth. "Guess what?"

"Aaron shrugged. "What?"

"You've destroyed 311 lives beyond repair." Dwight nodded. "It was on the 666 news at 6. The question was submitted by Veronica Mars."

Aaron took a long, slow breath in through his nose. "Of course it was."

"Oh… And her friend Mac called you a bastard." Dwight nodded, just making chitchat.

"I was the ghost of Christmas future for her just this year!" He argued. (In Three Ghosts by this author)

Dwight shrugged something like 400 pounds worth of shoulder. "Well… She's not wrong."

Aaron mulled this for a moment. "Maybe not… But still."

A long silence hung between them for a moment.

"Christmas future?" Dwight said at last, nodding once again. "Sweet gig."

"Yeah. I think we sold it too." Aaron said sincerely. "I think we really helped, you know?"

"I tell you… I get that same feeling at the end of every day." Dwight stretched and grinned. Finally he sighed. "Well, back to work. Most of these folks won't torture themselves!"

Aaron smiled. "Later Dwight! My best to Carol!"

"Will do!" Came the jovial reply. "Will do!"

Aaron waved after him. "Sweet kids." He decided at last with a nod. "Good people."

Keith walked in, shaking his head sadly.

"Dad, you look too good to look so sad. What's wrong?" She abruptly caught herself. "It's not… red eye? Is it? I know it ruins thousands of pictures every year. You're not alone."

"No, no, the pictures came out great." He began unloading his pockets on to the table. "It's Logan's mystery family."

"Lot of that going around." Mac muttered under her breath.

Keith ignored it but filed it away for later digestion. "I think they're illegal. People keep giving me the run around." He sighed. "Once a cop always a cop and these people… they're afraid of the cops."

Mac could almost see the wheels turning in Veronica's mind.

"Sooo… what you really need is like… A criminal? Maybe a bilingual one with, oh, I don't know… His weight in street cred?"

"Veronica, I told you! We cant…"

"I'm not talking about bringing him on full time! I know we tried that! But Dad, come on! You could go with him and keep him in line! Come on! Giving money to an underprivileged family? Do you really think anyone would try harder to make that happen than Weevil?"

Keith Mars exhaled slowly. "You're both annoying and persuasive when you're right."

"I know. People find that both endearing and charming about me."

"They do?" Mac asked, actually shocked and choking on the words.

"They most certainly do!" Veronica smiled. "But only in retrospect."