Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Word Count: 3,725

Spoilers: Starts during Weapons of Class Destruction. From when ATF agent Ben takes Veronica to the Camelot. The rest of season one will happen, however, it will happen differently than in the show. A lot of stuff will happen earlier, so not everything will happen in the order portrayed on the show.

Disclaimer: I do not own anything Veronica Mars. I wish I did though. 'Cause, you know, then it'd be all about the LoVe. Always. :)

2:47 AM. Veronica lays in her bed, wide awake. She'd fallen asleep soon after going to bed, but an hour and a half later she woke up again. She stared up at the ceiling. She couldn't stop thinking about everything that happened that night. I finished Carmen's case, finally helping her get rid of Tad. Logan came over and we had a successful dinner with dad. But at the beach afterwards… Veronica turns onto her right side, glancing over at Backup who was fast asleep on the floor by her bed. I still don't know if telling him about the rape was a good thing or a bad thing. Veronica sighs, closing her eyes. Well, I guess I'll find out eventually won't I? She laid in bed for the next hour awake, plagued by her thoughts. Her mind just wouldn't shut up. It wasn't until 4:32 that she was finally able to fall asleep.

"Veronica! Wake up dorkus!" Veronica's eyes shot open. She couldn't believe what she was seeing. Lily was standing in front of her, just as she was when she was alive.

"Jesus, Veronica. Have you gone, like, deaf since I died? What are you doing still laying in bed? I've been telling you to get up for, like, the past ten minutes!" Lilly said, moving over to haul Veronica out of the bed herself.

"What?" Veronica asked, trying to steady herself after being literally pulled out of her bed by Lilly.

Lilly rolled her eyes at her best friend. "I've been standing in front of you - you with your eyes wide open staring at me - telling you to get up out of bed. We have things to talk about and do, Veronica Mars!" Lilly stood there with her hands on her hips, facing Veronica.

Nodding, Veronica sighed. "Okay," she said, moving to sit down on her bed, leaving some space for Lilly to sit. Smiling, Lilly sat down.

The two moved to sit so they were facing each other. They sat like that, smiling at each other, neither one saying a word. After two minutes, Veronica tilted her head and raised an eyebrow. Lilly simply continued smiling, bobbing her eyebrows up and down. "So, you and Logan, huh?" Lilly said, bobbing her eyebrows up and down some more.

Grinning, Veronica sighed, shaking her head slightly. "Yeahh. I-"

"Well it's about time!" Lilly exclaims, pulling Veronica into a tight hug. Veronica almost couldn't breathe.

When Lilly finally lets her go, Veronica says, laughing, "Wow. Well, you seem ecstatic about it."

"Well, of course I am! How can I not be? Two of the people that I adore most are together! This is a momentous occasion, Veronica Mars. We must celebrate your newfound relationship with Logan," Lilly says, scooting backwards on the bed so that she's leaning against the wall.

Veronica smiles at her best friend. She sighs and scoots to sit next to Lilly against the wall. In a quiet voice, she said, "You know, there was a part of me that thought you'd be mad at me for this, but I'm glad you're not."

Lilly sighs, soft look on her face. "You know, Logan and I never seemed to work out. We'd break up, like, at least once a month. And sure, we'd get back together soon after, but really, we'd never last like that. That last time we broke up? It definitely felt final, you know? Like after that, we'd only ever be friends. Nothing more. Of course, now there's no chance for that." Veronica gets a sad look on her face and Lilly smiles sadly back at her. "Besides, you know that if he's going to be with someone else, of course I'd want it to be you. You guys are, like, the best!" Veronica smiles at Lilly. "And together you two are amazing."

Veronica sighs, looking away. "You really think that?" she asks. Lilly opens her mouth to respond, but Veronica beats her to it. "I mean, this whole last year was bad. Like, really, really bad. And I know that we're trying to move passed that, but Lilly… I can't help but have this feeling, you know? Like this isn't even real and I'll wake up and suddenly, everything is back to how it was before when Logan hated me and the only person I really had was my dad and…" she trails off, sighing. She leans forward slightly, burying her face in her hands and massaging her temple.

Lilly takes in a breath, digesting everything Veronica had said. Scooting closer, she grabs ahold of Veronica's hands, prompting Veronica to look up at her. "Veronica, I know how bad this past year's been for you. I've seen what's happened." She sighs, sadly. "Well, of course, not all of it, but enough. And I hope you know how much I tried talking to Logan about it. To get him to stop and really see the bigger picture. But, obviously, he didn't listen." Veronica nods. "Look, I know you feel like one day he'll just pull a 180 and be a total dick again. But Logan's had a taste of what it's like having you back in his life again, and I know that he wouldn't give that up for anything. Not this time. Not ever again. Definitely not like before. He's not stupid. Sure he can act like a total idiot sometimes, but you and I both know he's not stupid. He'll stand by you this time. I mean… Remember when he saw your laptop with the file on my investigation?" Lilly asked, waiting for a response from Veronica. Veronica nodded, knowing exactly what Lilly was talking about. "He may have sort of seemed a little mad about it at first, but he didn't bitch out at you like he would have if he'd seen it, like what, three, four months ago?" Veronica nods along to Lilly's little speech, understanding everything her best friend is telling her. "I promise you he won't turn on you again. I'll make sure of it this time." Lilly says, evil smile beginning to form on her face. "I'll haunt him so he remembers the good thing he's got going on with you now. That boy won't mess this up again." Lilly smiles wide now and Veronica can't help but smile back at her, giggling."But seriously, Veronica, don't hold back so much just because you're afraid that he'll turn on you and hurt you. You'll only be hurting yourself worse if you do. Let him in. Share things with each other. Be the friends you used to be back when I was alive. Listen, you've got a great thing going on now. You've got Logan again. You've got new great friends; Mac and Wallace. Hell, even Weevil. It's not just your dad anymore. They'll be there for you too. You're not all alone anymore, Veronica. You never really were," she finished softly. "Okay?"

Veronica smiled, eyes glistening. "Yeah," she said sniffling, nodding. "Okay." The more she thought about it, the more she realized how much Lilly was right. Wallace and Mac are great friends to her. Even Weevil had her back every now and then. She had Logan back in her life again, and things between them were pretty great; getting better every day. She had more people in her life she could count on. But then Veronica got a look on her face. "Lilly?" she asked, hesitantly.

Lilly could tell Veronica wasn't sure of something by the look on her face. And by what's happened recently, she had a pretty good guess of what it was about. "Yeah?"

Veronica bit her lip, looking down at her hands before looking up and responding. "Do you think it was a good idea to tell Logan about what happened at Shelley's party?"

Lilly thought about it for a second, getting her thoughts in order. "Yeah, Veronica. I think it was a good thing to tell him. If anyone's as determined to find who did this to you — you know, besides you, your dad, and your friends — it's Logan. He won't use it against you, you know that right?"

Veronica nodded. "Yeah, I know. It's just… I don't know. What if he realizes how damaged I am or doesn't want to—"

"Veronica, you are my best friend! Don't you dare think about yourself that way!" Lilly exclaims. "You were hurt. People hurt you and may have broken you sometimes, but you put yourself back together! Every. Fucking. Time! You are strong, Veronica Mars!" Lilly says, grabbing Veronica by the shoulders, looking her straight in the eyes. "You don't take people's crap anymore. Logan knows that. He'll be by your side now, however you need him. Telling him about your rape won't change how he feels about you," she says. Veronica sits there, tears threatening to spill over, watching and listening. "He's not going to leave you, okay," Lilly adds softly, grabbing Veronica's hands, giving them a reassuring squeeze. Veronica blinks, allowing for her silent tears to fall. She nods, sniffling. Lilly wipes away her tears. "Maybe you should talk to Logan more about everything that's happened. Go over it all again, you know? I know you probably won't like it much, but I bet you'll both feel better afterwards. Get your closure. You two deserve it," she says before pulling Veronica in for a hug. They're in a silent embrace for a few minutes, both thinking. Veronica heard what Lilly said, but still, a part of her will always feel like she's not strong enough, no matter how many people tell her she is. She wants to believe it. She really does. And she knows she probably does need to talk more with Logan, but it won't be easy. She just needs some time. Lilly hopes Veronica sees what she does. She wants the best for Veronica. She'll visit every night and tell her over and over again if she has to.

After a while longer, Lilly nudges Veronica's arm. "Hey, let's not get all sad and depressed anymore, okay? It's BFF time! We have SO much more to talk about!" Lilly exclaimed, getting up from Veronica's bed and heading to the stereo on the shelf. She turned it on, turning up the volume. Veronica smiled at her best friend, forgetting about all of her worries for now. This was a dream. She knew that. But Lilly was here with her. And it was just like old times.

~~LoVe~~

The next morning, Veronica awoke refreshed and happy. At first she didn't know why she felt so good. She'd only slept for a few hours, but then she remembered. Lilly. She sat up in bed, grinning. She'd dreamt of Lilly some times before, and many had felt so real, but last night's dream felt the most real of them all.

Veronica glanced over at the clock as she got up from bed. 8:07. Wow, only a couple of hours of real sleep and yet I feel so refreshed. Grabbing some clothes, she went to go take a shower and get ready for the day.

When Veronica got out of the bathroom, her phone was on the floor. That wasn't there before. She picked it up and noticed she had a few text messages. Ahh. So it must have fallen off the desk from the vibrations. She went out to the kitchen before checking her messages. Her dad had left her a note on the kitchen island. Was gonna leave you some breakfast, but had to leave in a hurry. Sorry, honey. Be back in a few days. Keep your phone charged and close by. I'll call everyday. Love, Dad. P.S. I talked to Alicia & asked if she could check up on you every once in a while since I'll be gone longer than usual. Don't worry though. She'll only invite you over a few times. Maybe for breakfast or dinner. Be good! She sighed, tossing the note in the trash, before sitting down on a stool to read her texts. There were two from Logan and one from Wallace.

8:13 To Veronica from Logan:

Good morning :)

8:29 To Veronica from Logan:

Wanna get breakfast?

8:33 To Veronica from Wallace:

Mornin V. Mom wants 2 kno if u wanna come over 4 breakfast

Hmmm. What to do. What to do. Veronica stayed in place, staring at her phone, for a couple of minutes trying to decide what to do. She sighed. Well, damn. She dialed a number on her phone and waited for the other person to answer.

"Hey. Did you get my text?" he asked.

"Yeah. Sorry, but I can't. I have plans for breakfast over at Wallace's," Veronica replied.

"Oh, okay," Logan sighed. Veronica could hear a hint of disappointment in his voice and she felt a little bad. "How about later? We're still on for talking about having a little intervention thing for Duncan, right?" Logan asked.

"Oh yeah. Of course. I'm just gonna hang out with Wallace for a little while and then I'll head over to your place, okay? I feel like I haven't seen him in forever, you know," she said. It was true. Ever since she started dating Logan, she'd spent less time with Wallace and she felt bad about it. She missed him and she knew he probably felt a little left out.

"Hey, don't worry about it. He's your best friend. I get it."

She smiled. "Good. I'll see you later okay?"

"Okay. I'll see you later Veronica."

"Bye Logan."

"Bye," he said before hanging up. Veronica went to her room to grab her bag, texting Wallace that she's on her way over.

~~LoVe~~

"Morning V," Wallace greeted after opening the door for Veronica.

She stepped inside the house. "Morning Wallace."

"So your dad has you on watch, huh?" Wallace teased as they made their way passed the living room.

Veronica snorted. "Sort of, I guess," she said, before the two of them stepped into the kitchen.

"Good morning, Veronica," Alicia said as she placed plates on the table. Darrel, who was already sitting at the table, munched on toast and mumbled out a "Goo' Mornin' Vronca."

"Morning Mrs. Fennel. Hi Darrel," Veronica said. Wallace motioned for them to sit down at the table, and so Veronica sat down in the seat between him and Darrel.

"I hope you like chocolate chip pancakes with eggs and bacon, Veronica," Alicia said, setting plates full of the food down in the middle of the table.

Before Veronica could respond, however, Wallace said, "Pshhtt. Mom, Veronica will eat almost anything with bacon," he teased, grinning over at Veronica who just rolled her eyes at him. Alicia watched the two of them with a small smile on her face, amused.

"Yes, Mrs. Fennel. Of course I like chocolate chip pancakes with eggs and bacon. In fact, I love them. Thank you very much," Veronica said, a hint of teasing to her tone, as she glanced over at Wallace with slightly narrowed eyes.

"I love chocolate chip pancakes! But I love french toast more!" Darrel exclaimed, wanting to contribute something to the conversations occurring around him. Everyone else at the table just laughed and began to fill their plates with breakfast.

"Yes, honey. I know you do," Alicia said, scooping some eggs onto Darrel's plate.

~~LoVe~~

After breakfast, Veronica and Wallace went to the living room and sat on the couch. Darrel followed them, sitting in the armchair, getting comfortable to watch his Saturday morning cartoons. Alicia was in the kitchen working on some files from work.

"So what do you have planned for today?" Veronica asks Wallace. They are both sitting side by side on the couch, watching the cartoons Darrel chose as they talked.

"Uhm. Well, I'll probably stick around the house. Finish my homework like the good boy I am," he says, chuckling. "I think my mom has a work-related lunch to go to later today so I gotta watch Darrel. Why?" he asks, turning his head to look at her.

"No reason really. Just wanted to make conversation, you know. Like two normal people would," Veronica says.

Wallace laughs. "Since when have you been normal?"

Veronica narrows her eyes at him. "I wouldn't be so quick, Wallace. You aren't so normal yourself."

Wallace shakes his head, big grin on his face. "Hey! I'm as normal as they get," he said, patting his chest. "Hey, did you and Logan ever figure out what happened to Duncan?" he asked.

Veronica sighed, shaking her head. "Not really, no. I talked to Meg about what happened between the two of them, but we don't know what's really going on with him. We have our theories, but no one's seen or heard from him much lately."

"Damn, V. Looks like things are gonna get tough, huh?" Wallace says.

Veronica nods, letting out a soft sigh. "Yeah. Yeah, Wallace. I think so."

They sat in silence for a while, watching cartoons and simply enjoying each others company. About a half an hour later, Alicia came into the living room and told them that she had to leave to run some errands. Once she left, Darrel asked, "Wallace, can I get ice cream?"

Wallace sighed, rolling his eyes. Of course he waits to ask after mom leaves! "You know mom wouldn't want you to have some right now."

Darrel pouts at him. "Pleeeeaaassseee Wallace. Pretty pleeeaaasssseee."

Wallace sighed, shaking his head. He glanced over at Veronica. She had an amused look on her face. He rolled his eyes again. "Fine. But you're only getting a little bit."

"Yay!" Darrel exclaims, leaping off of the armchair and making a run for the kitchen. Veronica and Wallace watched him go.

"Man, I swear if my mom finds out…" Wallace trails off.

Veronica chuckles. "Oh c'mon, Wallace. She's not going to find out. Now go," Veronica says, using her thumb to point in the direction of the kitchen. "Go give the kid some ice cream!"

Wallace laughed and shook his head at her. "Want some?"

"With chocolate syrup, whipped cream, sprinkles, and a cherry on top?" Veronica hurriedly asked.

"Is there any other way?"

Veronica quickly got up, grabbing Wallace's arm and dragged him towards the kitchen. "Well then c'mon! What are we waiting around here for?" Veronica says, laughing along with Wallace. Definitely gonna have to make way more time to hang out with Wallace.

~~LoVe~~

The three of them sat at the table, happily full from eating their ice cream sundaes. Veronica sighed. "That was some good ice cream, my friend."

"For sure," Wallace said, leaning back in his chair and patting his stomach.

"Fosho!" Darrel exclaimed. Veronica and Wallace grinned at his remark.

Wallace and Veronica were beginning to put the dishes in the sink when Veronica's phone started to ring.

"The phone! The phone is ringing! The phone! We'll be right there!" Darrel sang as he got up from the table and ran out to the living room.

Veronica grabbed her phone from her back pocket, checking the caller ID first. Dad.

"Hey, dad. What's up?"

"Hey, honey. Did you have a good morning?" Keith asked.

"Yeah. Actually, I did."

"You have breakfast at Wallace's?"

"Yes, dad. And it was delicious," Veronica said with a sigh.

"Well that's good to hear. Are you still over there?"

"Yeah. Why?" Veronica asked, curious. Since when does dad ask me so many questions about my mornings?

"No reason. I just wanted to make sure things were going well. Anyways, honey. I just wanted to let you know that I won't be home until Tuesday, okay? I know I didn't really give you a specific day before leaving this morning. But after going over some details now that I'm here…" he trailed off.

"Got it, dad. Don't worry. I'll be fine. I'll always have Backup nearby. And besides, you've got Mrs. Fennel on, like, 'Veronica watch' so… It's not like I'm going to be completely alone while you're gone this time."

Keith smiled. Yeah. She won't be so alone this time around. "Well, I've got to go, honey. I've got a couple things to take care of before going to a meeting. Remember: be careful, be safe, and always—"

"—take Backup," they finished in unison. "I got it, dad," Veronica said.

"Well, alright. Bye Veronica. Love you," Keith said.

"Love you too," Veronica replied, hanging up the phone.

"Your dad checking in?" Wallace asked.

"Yeah," Veronica said, putting her phone away. "He won't be back until Tuesday."

"Oooh. So what are you gonna do while he's gone?" he asked, making his way back out to the living room.

"Hmmm. I don't know. It's not exactly like I honestly have many options here," Veronica said, following him.

"Well, you could stay out as late as you want since he won't be there to actually see you. Hell, you don't even have go home all weekend!"

"As true as that may be, my dear Wallace, I have other more pressing matters to attend to," Veronica said, leaning back in her seat on the couch.

"Hmmm, like what?" Wallace asked, sarcastically, tapping his fingers on his chin. "Oh, like hanging out with that boyfriend of yours?" Wallace said, raising an eyebrow as he looked at Veronica. She simply shrugged her shoulders with an innocent look on her face. "Ooh!" Wallace exclaimed, pointing a finger up in the air. "Or even better! You could hang out with your BFF!" he said.

Veronica gasped, mouth agape, as she placed a hand to her chest. "Really? You don't say!" Wallace laughed along with her.

After the two calmed down a bit, Wallace asked, "So what is your boy up to, huh?"

"He's home. I'm heading over there later. We're going to try to figure out what to do about the whole Duncan situation," Veronica said.

Wallace nodded, blowing out a puff of air. "Well, good luck with that, V. If you need any help, you know where to find me," he said with a smile.

"Thanks, Wallace," Veronica replied, smiling in return. The two of them turned back to watch whatever tv show Darrel was watching now, snickering and making fun of some of the things the characters did or said. I should really do this more often.