Chapter 25

Veronica was on her way back from her class the next afternoon when she was distracted by people yelling and clapping. She followed the noise, and found herself at a Take Back the Night rally.

"We are here to ask one question to the students of this university, the faculty of this university and the dean of this university!" A woman with her head shaved was standing on a stage, speaking into a megaphone. "How many women like me have to be raped, have to end up like this, their heads shaved before this administration listens to our demands?"

Veronica moved farther into the crowd as it called back its agreement.

"Two wasn't enough? Three wasn't enough. They say they're taking steps. Awesome. The dorms are same sex. Is that enough?"

"NO!" the crowd answered her question loudly.

"We demand more!" the woman called as Veronica looked around. "Mandatory sensitivity training, an official university sexual conduct code, more security personnel, more outdoor lights- twice as bright, and most of all, Dean O'Dell, shut down the fraternities!" The crowd reached an all time roar, and Veronica saw a familiar face.

"Women!" she said softly, walking up behind Mac. "Bitch, bitch, bitch, bitch, bitch."

She could see Mac smiling broadly, but she didn't look back at her.

"Why can't they just look pretty and get their MRS degrees?" Mac asked, as Veronica took a step to stand beside her.

"How's tricks, kid?"

"Shrink asked if a lifetime without a libido is such a bad thing. I think she's given up on me."

"You just need more time," Veronica promised her, trying to sound comforting. That's what they all needed. The only problem was that you can't always get it.

"Irony of all ironies?" Mac asked. "Frozen from the waist down's new roommate? She's a one woman red light district."

"Really?" Veronica asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Every night since orientation she's been with some new dude. The phone rings every ten minutes. If college is a boy buffet, she's got two full plates and a purse full of boys wrapped in napkins."

"Yet the void won't fill," Veronica commented.

Mac was about to reply, when their attention was drawn to a group of frat boys, holding up a boom box and cheering on somebody on the stage. They turned back to see a guy in union jack underwear and a balaclava, dancing on stage with a blow up doll.

"It's like we never left Neptune High," Mac commented as three girls rush the guy and hold him down to the ground while another girl knees him in the balls, and then pulls off the balaclava to reveal none other than Logan's BFF Dick Casablancas.

"It's exactly like we never left Neptune High." Veronica agreed, watching Dick groaning on the ground.

"So how are you and Logan doing? How was the honeymoon?" Mac asked as they walked away from the crowd.

"It was fantastic!" Veronica told her, pretending to swoon.

"Sex on the beach?" Mac joked.

"Doesn't live up to the movies. Way too much sand!" Veronica smiled.

"But seriously, what did you guys do, other than that."

"We went to the beach, and swam and went to the zoo and the aquarium. I got to play with a chinchilla!"

"The giant fuzzy hamsters?"

"Exactly. It was just so cute!"

"Anything else exciting happen?"

Veronica almost told her about the pregnancy, but stopped herself. Her and Logan hadn't talked about how or when they would tell people yet, and she didn't want to do it without him, even if Mac was one of her best friends.

"No, nothing really. I got a new car."

"You did!? Where is it? Let me see!" Mac cried, jumping up and down. Veronica laughed and led the way to the parking garage where she had parked.

"It's so pretty!" Mac cooed. "Logan finally made you get something to replace the Le Baron?"

"Ya, he insisted that I needed something safer. He just doesn't understand my need to live dangerously."

"I think h understands it better than you do," Mac laughed, climbing into the passenger's seat. "Alright, give me a ride to my dorm, let's see how this baby runs."

"Ay ay, Captain." Veronica saluted as she started the engine and backed out.

"So I saw your BFF today," Veronica told Logan as they sat eating dinner.

"Oh ya? Where?" Logan asked.

"At a Take Back the Night rally. He crashed the party in union jack underpants and a balaclava, and got his ass kicked by three girls."

"Well, they still haven't got you beat."

"Nobody will ever beat me when it comes to injuring Dick Casablancas." Veronica promised with a smile. "That being said, I think you were right yesterday. He seems worse than usual. Maybe you should try talking to him again."

"I'll try, but he really doesn't want to talk to me." Logan shrugged. "What were you doing at a Take Back the Night rally?"

"It's a topic that I have a personal interest in," Veronica reminded him, but he wasn't buying it. Veronica had never taken an interest in rape safety after Shelley Pomroy's party, other than that of herself and her friends.

"That, and it was loud and caught my eye while I was walking back to my car. Then I saw Mac, so I stayed and talked to her for a bit."

"How's she doing?"

"She's having a hard time. We all are. Grad night took it's toll on everyone."

"I know. We just need more time, that's all."

"That's what I told Mac. Speaking of telling Mac things, we have to talk about when we're gonna tell people, about me being pregnant."

"Your call," Logan told her, but she shook her head.

"It's your choice too. It's our baby. Not just mine."

"Okay, fine. When do you think we should tell them?"

"Well, most people wait until 12 weeks to tell people, but we can tell people whenever we want. We've already had the first appointment and heard the heartbeat, and we're only going to be telling a couple people-"

"What you're saying is that you want to tell people now." Logan laughed.

"Just Mac and Wallace," Veronica assured him. "Well, and Lily and Dad but they're obviously not going to tell anyone."

"I'm all for telling people." Logan told her. "Especially Sheriff Mars and Lily. Do you want to make a trip to the cemetery after dinner?"

"Sure," Veronica smiled.

"Lily!" Logan cried, jumping onto her grave and dancing a little jig. "So good to see you darling! Veronica here has a special announcement for you."

"Logan, stop that!" Veronica cried, pulling him off the grass in front of Lily's headstone and sitting down cross legged.

"Hi Lily, ignore Logan and his inability to respect the dead."

"I'm giving Lily all the respect she got when she was alive." Logan argued.

"You were dancing on her grave!"

"She loved dancing!" Logan said, sitting down beside her.

"Come on Veronica Mars, get to the exciting part!" Veronica heard Lily's voice in her head and smiled.

"I'm pregnant."

"Well, we're pregnant." Logan amended, putting an arm around Veronica's neck and pulling her towards him. "Granted, Veronica will be doing all the hard work-"

"Not that that's a new thing." Veronica said, pulling away from his grip and putting her head on his shoulder. "I wish you could be here, Lily. You would have been an amazing Aunt. I would have wanted to kill you half the time, but you would have been amazing."

"Well of course I would have. Everything I do is amazing!" Veronica smiled, thinking about how happy Lily would have been if she were here.

"If it's a girl, I want her middle name to be Lily," Veronica said turning to Logan.

"I think that's a great idea," Logan smiled. "I'm gonna go see my mom. You should tell Lily about our honeymoon."

"Okay," Veronica smiled softly as he got up and walked up the hill a ways to Lynne's plot.

"Well? Spill! How was it?"

"It was amazing. We went to Hawaii, and it was so beautiful! He took me to a dinner safari at the zoo, and I got to play with a Chinchilla."

"Screw Chinchillas! How was the sex?"

"Amazing!" Veronica swooned. "It's so much better when you're pregnant, Lil. SO much better. You would have loved it!" Veronica stopped and smiled to herself. "It's so weird talking about this with you, especially since you're not actually talking to me, you're just in my head."

"Well, you have to tell someone! Who else are you going to talk to about this kind of stuff? Mac? Wallace? I'm your best friend. You're obviously going to tell me even if I'm not really here."

Veronica smiled and leaned forward, putting her hand on the gravestone. "I love you, Lily. I'll come back soon."

"Don't wait too long, Veronica Mars! I get bored so very easily."

Veronica headed up the hill and joined Logan.

"And here she is now! My beautiful bride!" Logan smiled, holding out a hand for Veronica to take. "I was just filling mother dearest in on how amazing married life is. Hadn't gotten to the big news yet. But now that you're here," he turned back to the grave. "You're gonna be a grandma." Logan smiled, patting his mom's headstone. "Now, I know what you're going to say, 'I'm too young and beautiful to be a grandmother!' but think of it this way. All the other grandmothers up there are old and wrinkled, you're gonna win all the beauty contests!" Veronica smiled, imagining Lynne's face if she had been there when Logan told her this.

"Well, that's all. We have to go tell Veronica's dad, unless you've already done that. I know you've taken over the gossip circuit up there."

"Bye, Lynn." Veronica patted the stone as she walked away.

"Hi Daddy," she whispered as they came to Keith's plot. "I'm sorry I haven't been to see you lately. I've been getting Mars Investigations back up and running and school started yesterday. Plus there was my honeymoon and stuff..." she trailed off, blushing slightly as she thought about the things she had just told Lily a few minutes before.

"Hey Keith." Logan jumped in. "How's it going. I took your daughter to Hawaii a couple weeks ago, I tried to teach her how to surf, but she chickened out like usual."

"I told you, I can't!" Veronica argued before she realized what she was saying. "That's why I came to see you, Dad. Not that I have to have a reason, it's just that today I did. We're pregnant. You're gonna be a grandpa, just like you always wanted." She tried to smile, but was imagining what her father would be saying right now. How angry he would probably be.

"I know that it probably doesn't seem like the best timing, but we're happy. I'm happy. I hope that you'll be happy too. I just wanted you to know." She held her hand out, and Logan pulled her to her feet, wiping a tear from her cheek.

"What's wrong?"

"I just keep thinking that if he were here, he would be so angry right now."

"I don't think he would be. I think he would be happy if you were happy, especially given the situation."

Veronica shrugged, leaning her head against his chest.

"Ready to go?"

"Ya." Veronica wiped her eyes and nodded.

"Okay." Logan wrapped an arm around her and guided her back to the Xterra. "I'm happy, if that helps at all." He offered as they drove. Veronica looked over, giving him a small smile.

"Ya, it does." She turned back to the window, staring quietly.

"I'm happy too," she said finally giving Logan a quick smile.

The next morning, Veronica picked up Piz to go to the Sheriff's department and file a report.

"It's a cool ride." Piz told her as they got out. "Graduation gift?"

"No." She knew she sounded sharp, but she didn't really care.

"Well," Piz tried to break the silence. "A Saturn for a Mars."

"In Neptune!" Veronica finished. "Ya, the planets really aligned for this one. Now, move Uranus." She motioned towards the building and stepped ahead of him, picking up the pace. "The mercury's rising."

They got into the building and Sacks filled out the report for Piz.

"Don't feel too bad. Same outfit got four other victims. At least that's how many we've heard about. All of 'em in the span of ninety minutes." Sacks told them.

"Yeah, I guess that's comforting. Somehow." Piz sighed.

"Well, they must have had a truck or a van. You mind giving me a list of the other victims?" Veronica asked.

"I don't know Veronica," Sacks looked behind him towards Lamb's office.

"I track down the bad guys. Call you, you make the busts. You know what that makes everyone Sacks?" Veronica asked. "A winner!"

"Fine," Sacks huffed, handing over the files.

"Thanks, Sacks." Veronica smiled sweetly, putting the files in her bag. "Let's go Piz."

"But the report isn't finished!"

"Ya, the report doesn't matter." Veronica called as she walked away.

"Is she always like that?" Piz asked Sacks.

"Yep," Sacks sat down and went back to his paperwork. Leaving Piz to chase after Veronica.

"So what now?" Piz asked once they were back in the car.

"Now you go back to your dorm, and I go have a chat with some other poor victims."

"I can help!" Piz offered.

"No offence, but you'll just slow me down." Veronica told him, pulling up outside his dorm hall. "I'll let you know if I find anything."

Veronica spent the afternoon talking to the other victims, all of whom agreed with Piz's description of the Welcome Wagon girl. She was on her way back to the parking lot when she passed a fryer advertising a concert- the unwashed. Veronica smiled to herself, ripping down the flier and going home to change. She had to look the part for a punk concert after all.

"Hey, what are you getting dressed for?" Logan asked, walking into their bedroom to see her smearing on eyeliner and wearing a shirt with fake tattoo sleeves.

"I have a concert to go to."

"Where was my invitation?" Logan asked, pulling off his shirt, which was covered in sweat.

"You have a class. Where were you?" Veronica asked, taking in his state.

"I had weight-lifting and then I went for a run." Logan said, walking over to where she was sitting in front of a mirror. "Want a hug?" he offered, holding his arms open and grinning.

"No, stay away from me." Veronica got up from her chair, backing up with her hands up.

"Come on, Sugarpuss! Give me a hug." He quickened his pace, trying to catch up to her.

"No. Logan, I swear to God I will taze your sorry ass if you-" But she was too late. Logan made a run for it and before she could get to the door he was on her, wrapping his arms around her and kissing her sloppily on the cheek.

"I love you, Bobcat!" he smiled, laughing as she wriggled her way out.

"You're disgusting! Go take a shower!" Veronica cried, spraying herself with some perfume.

"Who are you going to the concert with?" Logan asked as he walked towards the bathroom.

"Wallace, Mac and Piz. Why?"

"Just wondering."

"Sure." Veronica smiled at his over-protectiveness. It was sweet, but she would never tell him that. "I'm heading out. I'll see you later tonight." She promised, grabbing her bag off the bed.

A few minutes later she was knocking on Mac's door. The door was covered by a large white board, full of comments and names with the words "Parker loves you!" written in the middle. Beside the white board was a small piece of masking tape with Mac's name on it.

"Hey!" A tall, bubbling blonde girl answered the door as loud music poured out from behind her.

"Mac around?" Veronica asked.

"Oh my god! Are you one of Mac's friends?"

Veronica nodded, sticking her hands in her pockets.

"Well, come on in sister!" The girl beamed and stepped aside, waving Veronica into the room. "Mac's friends are my friends. I'm Parker." The girl held out her hand.

"Veronica," she smiled and took it.

"So, I just love Mac. Like love her," Parker gushed. "Like, I wish she was a little Bichon Frise that I could carry in my purse. I mean, how great is she?"

"She's, pretty great." Veronica agreed, a little taken aback by how excited Parker was.

"I was a little weirdly disappointed," Parker continued walking over to her bed and pulling her shirt over her head, much to Veronica's surprise. "Because I had this idea that I would get like this gangster street chick or some death metal girl and we'd be like all odd couple. But with me and Mac it was just, whoosh! Instant sisterhood. Total mesh, total blend. You know, you should come watch Top Model with us tonight!" Parker suggested.

"Mac's watching Top Model?" Veronica asked, trying her best to hide her scepticism.

"Mm Hmm." Parker nodded absent mindedly, hanging up the top she had been wearing beside a poster of Colin Farrell.

"Oooh, yours or Mac's?" Veronica asked, changing the subject.

"Collin?" Parker asked. "Oh, he's all mine. He should really love me, don't you think?"

"Depends. Have you had your shots?"

"Look at his eyes." Parker swooned. "He's just so... soulful, troubled and deep. You just know he'd kick ass in the back seat."

Veronica was slightly taken aback again, that not being the turn she had thought this conversation was going to take. Thankfully she was saved from continuing the conversation when the door opened, bearing Mac.

"Hey, Roomie!" Parker cried cheerfully.

"Hey." Mac looked even less enthusiastic than usual.

"Wanna go see a band play?" Veronica asked, turning to her friend.

"More than anything in the world."

"Oh my god! I'm so totally in!" Parker cried. "Just give me a second to change." She turned back to the clothing rack, undoing her shirt and pulling a new one of a hanger. Veronica looked over at Mac, who was looking back at her, both incredibly uncomfortable with the situation.

"I'll drive," Veronica offered, turning towards the door..

"Great!" Parker grabbed her purse and followed behind them. Parker jabbered away the whole way to the club, talking about everything from clothes to music to her classes. By the time they got there, Veronica was ready to knock her unconscious with her purse.

"Hey, I know that guy!" Mac smiled as they walked up to the club, seeing Wallace standing out front.

"Our muscle. Short notice," she added seeing the look on Mac's face.

"Your boyfriends?" Parker asked as Wallace and Piz walked towards them.

"No," Mac snapped, noticing Veronica fiddling with her wedding ring.

"What's up, V?" Wallace greeted. "Hey, Mac."

"Wallace, Piz, this is Parker. Parker, Wallace and Piz. And this is Mac. Mac, Piz." Veronica introduced everybody and handshakes were spread around.

"So gang, are we ready to rock?" Veronica asked in a falsely excited tone, holding her hands up in a rock and roll sign.

"No." Mac replied.

"Not particularly." Wallace agreed.

"That's the spirit!" Veronica squealed, leading them inside.

"Woo Hoo!" Parker cheered as they walked in, causing everybody else to look at her quizzically. They found a table near the back and ordered drinks, listening to the bad punk music while Parker danced with a couple guys in front of the stage.

"She seems nice," Piz commented, motioning towards where Parker was dancing. Veronica and Mac both stared at him, unsure what to make of this. Before they could find something to say, the song ended. Mac clapped wholeheartedly, and Veronica jumped from her seat as the singer pitched Cd's.

"That's my cue!" she called, running to the stage.

"What's she doing?" Piz asked, staring after her in a way that Wallace wasn't a fan of.

"I don't know." He mumbled.

"Alright! Give it up for the unwashed!" Veronica cried, now standing at the microphone, clapping. The crowd cheered and whistled along with her, and she waved her hands to quiet them down.

"I've got a little public service announcement. My friend had everything stolen out of his car over at Hearst, in the parking lot of Venice hall." The crowd cheered and she gave a small smile. Piz, however, was anything but pleased at the cheering.

"All right, all right." Veronica quieted the crowd again. "We think someone here might have seen something. My friend is offering a hundred dollar reward for information that'll help him get his stuff back. We're back at that table if you know something," Veronica pointed to the table that Wallace, Piz and Mac were occupying and then returned to her seat. Parker was chatting up the lead singer of the unwashed, laughing at something he had said, while Veronica and Mac watched her. "Look at her. She's like boynip." Mac commented, as three boys walked up to their table.

"We saw you get ripped off." The first boy said, stepping in front of the other two.

"You're twelve." Veronica said sceptically. "What were you doing at Hearst?"

"Checking out the college girls laying out. Some of them go topless!" His friend piped up.

"Whoa, whoa. Hold up right there, son." Wallace interrupted. "Tell us exactly where this sunbathing goes on."

"South quad, where that statue is." The boy told him, grinning sheepishly.

"What are you saying you saw?" Veronica asked the first boy, trying to get them back on subject, but Piz wasn't done learning about the sunbathers.

"Is it the Randolph Hearst statue or the amorphous blobby thing?" He asked.

"Hey!" Veronica waved her hand in front of Piz, bringing his attention back to her. "Breasts or the Holy Grail guitar?" she asked, weighing the options with her hands.

"We'd just come back from the parking lot. We saw two dudes in a moving van pull up by this car. They just started throwing stuff from the car into the van in a major hurry." The first kid said, turning back to Veronica.

"Anything you remember about the two dudes or the van?" Veronica asked.

"They were black dudes."

"Course they were," Wallace said, throwing his hands up.

"And the van didn't have any windows. It was white, I think?"

"Is that all?" Veronica asked, hoping to get something else but not expecting much.

"That's a lot!" The kid protested. "Where's our reward?"

"You didn't see squat! Motor, munchkins!" She shooed them away, turning to talk to Wallace. The boys turned, walking away, but then the first boy turned back.

"There was a chick there. A white chick." He offered, trying futily to win Veronica's good will.

"Course there was." Veronica nodded, taking a sip of her drink.

"She hopped up in the cab with them."

"Blonde? Chubby?" Piz asked.

"Naw, that was the weird part!" the kid said, pointing at Piz. "I thought she was a heifer at first, but when she in she pulled off her sweatshirt... she had a slammin' bod! Girl was packed tight, like she was wearing a fat suit."

Veronica stared at them in surprise, they had actually provided some useful information.

"So do we get our reward now?" The kid asked, looking at Veronica who glared at them, but reached into her pocket and pulled out a twenty dollar bill.

"Here, buy yourselves some ice cream." She handed them the money and grabbed her bag. "I gotta get out of here, the smell of beer is starting to get to me." Veronica said, causing Mac and Wallace to look at her oddly.