Chapter 7
"Miss Mars, please have a seat."
The way Judge Connors said it, she knew that he was going to give her bad news.
"Would you mind waiting outside?" he asked, looking between Leanne and her lawyer.
"But I want to hear the verdict!" Leanne protested.
"You will be informed in a moment. But first, I would like to explain my decision to your daughter. Thank you." His tone indicated that it wasn't a discussion and Leanne's lawyer led her out of the room.
"I'm sorry, Veronica, but according to the law I cannot grant you lone emancipation. Your mother, while not exactly amazing as a parent, is not unfit. However, I am going to grant you emancipation."
"I don't understand."
"I'm going to grant you emancipation through marriage. Your father's letter isn't enough, you need a judge. I'm going to be that judge, but I recommend that you do so quickly. Don't give your mother time to fight. If you can, do it tomorrow."
"Thank you," Veronica nodded.
"I just wish that I could have done more for you two," he sighed.
"You've done more than most people would." Veronica looked down at her hands and moved her engagement ring to the proper hand.
"So do we have to stick around?" Logan asked. "Because it seems that we have planning to do."
"No, you're free to go," Connors smiled. "But why don't you use the back door. I feel like it might be the safer course of action."
"I'm sorry we couldn't do more, V," Cliff sighed when he joined them a moment later.
"You did the best you could, Cliffy. Thank you." Veronica hugged him. "Will you come to my wedding?"
"I wouldn't miss it," he kissed her on cheek. "Do you need a ride?"
"Can you drive us to the Grand? Veronica's car is still there." Logan asked.
"Sure."
"So what are we going to do first?" Logan asked, sitting in the driver's seat of the Le Baron.
"Drive to city hall and get married?" Veronica shrugged.
"Don't you want to get some friends? Maybe a dress?"
Veronica thought about that. She really did want Mac and Wallace to be there- maybe even Weevil.
"Maybe..."
"Let's get you to a phone and a store," Logan leaned over and kissed her cheek.
"Do you want to invite anyone?" she asked.
"I guess I could invite Dick, but I don't think he's in the wedding mood."
The weight of that statement hit Logan as he said it. He really didn't have a lot of close friends. Now that Duncan was gone, Dick was his best friend. And if Dick was his best friend, why hadn't he called and told him how sorry he was about Cassidy? He made a note to do that.
"Where do you want to go?" Logan asked her.
"I have no idea. Lily always picked the stores-" Veronica's voice fell as she spoke and suddenly she was stuck thinking of Lily again.
"V?"
"I always wanted Lily to stand beside me," she admitted. "And I wanted my dad to give me away. Logan, everything I ever wanted from my wedding is never going to happen, except that I love the guy I'm marrying."
"I know." He took her hand in his, rubbing circles over it with his thumb. "But just because they're not here doesn't mean that they're not with you. Lily will always be your maid of honour and, in a way, your dad did give you away."
"I guess," Veronica agreed sadly.
"Come on, we'll find you the perfect dress to wear to our wedding."
"Actually, do you mind if I do it by myself?" she asked, chewing her lip nervously.
"Sure!" Logan agreed. "I'll go get a coffee are something. Are you sure, though? Not that I have to follow you everywhere, but I just don't want you to feel-"
"Logan, I'll be fine," she smiled. "Seriously. If I need you I'll call you."
"Okay."
While Logan sat in a Starbucks and drank coffee, Veronica hit a couple of stores downtown, all of which were filled with wedding dresses that cost more than Logan's car, and the more dresses she looked at and sales associates she dealt with, the more frustrated and upset she got.
After the fourth store, she pulled out her phone and called Logan. "What am I doing?!"
"You're looking for a wedding dress," he reminded her. "And yelling at me."
"I can't do this!" She cried, the phone shaking in her hand.
"Bobcat-"
"No! I can't do it! Not without Lily! I don't know how!" She bit back tears. Lily's death hadn't upset Veronica this much in a year. She had made peace, she had found Lilly's killer, this shouldn't be bothering her.
"Hey, hey. It's okay," Logan tried to comfort her. "You don't have to get a dress. You can get married in jeans, or shorts or anything you want."
"I want to wear a dress," Veronica insisted. "I just don't know how to do this without Lily! I've never had to."
"Okay, I know I'm no Lily, but I do do a pretty good impression of her," Logan offered.
Veronica smiled at him through the phone and he seemed to take her silence as a yes.
"So where are you?"
"Outside a store called 'Bridal Galleria'. Bring me an iced coffee."
"Okay. I'll be there in 5 minutes. Try to avoid having a nervous breakdown before I get there."
When Logan arrived, he pulled Veronica into a hug and watched her shoulders relax as she let out a deep breath.
"Alright," He fell into an uncanny impression of his ex-girlfriend. "We have a mission. We must find Veronica Mars the perfect wedding dress!"
"You don't actually have to impersonate Lily," Veronica laughed softly.
"But it's just so fun!" Logan threw his arm around her shoulder. "Alright, where did you and Lilly like to shop?"
"The mall, but I don't want to go to the mall."
"What about that store where Lilly got her homecoming dress?" He suggested, but Veronica wrinkled her nose unhappily.
"That store is ridiculously expensive."
"Every store in Neptune is ridiculously expensive," Logan reasoned. "I, however, am ridiculously rich."
"Logan, I don't expect-"
"I'm paying and you're not arguing. Let's find a store." He kissed her cheek and began guiding her up the street.
"Anthropologie."
"Sorry?" Logan looked back at Veronica, who had stopped in front of a store.
"Lily always said I should shop at Anthropologie more," she explained. "You know, back when I was girly and not so-"
"Perfect?" Logan suggested.
"Sure," she snorted. "If that's the word you want to go for."
"Let's go find a dress then," he grinned, pulling her into the store.
They combed through the racks for over an hour and Veronica was getting tired of trying things on. And then she found it. The dress that Lily would have pulled from a rack and demanded she wear to her wedding. It was like Lily was shoving the dress in her face and screaming "Damn it, Veronica Mars! Put it on! Put it on right now!" The dress had a short tulle skirt and a sweetheart neckline. It was perfect for a city hall wedding.
Veronica had seen a lot of wedding dress shows on TV, the people on them always talked about finding 'their' dress and she'd always thought they were full of it. Now she got it. This was her dress. Hers and Lily's.
"Hey, Logan?"
"Ya?" He looked up from the rack he was idly searching and saw her beaming at him. "Is that it?"
"This is what Lily would have picked," she nodded.
"Let's go try it on, then!" Logan grinned, waving her towards the change rooms.
"You're not allowed to see," Veronica tucked the dress behind her back, an impish grin on her face.
"Seriously?"
"Seriously," she nodded.
"You're a pain."
"I know." Veronica stood on tiptoe and kissed him on the cheek before heading to the change room.
"Bobcat?" Logan called after her.
"Ya?" She turned to look at him.
"Are you happy?"
"Happier than I thought I could be," she smiled.
