A/N – We finally made it to the end! I hope you enjoy this final chapter. More notes at the end.
And thank you to my wonderful beta Bondopoulos! She's been so great helping me with edits and helping me write better stories!
Disclaimer: All original VM characters belong to Rob Thomas.
Chapter 29 Thankfulness
Veronica and Logan thoroughly enjoyed the rest of their time at the beach house after spending Friday at the stables and riding on the beach. Charlie's question about Thanksgiving had been drifting in and out of Veronica's mind ever since he mentioned it, and she finally had a chance to discuss it more with Logan Friday evening after they'd returned the horses and driven back to the house. Logan was totally onboard with her suggestion to invite everyone to their house and to coordinate it with Alicia since Veronica was sure Alicia would want to do some of the cooking too. Veronica was a little surprised by how excited Logan had been at the idea, which helped to further confirm her suspicion that he and Alexis may have typically been gone for the holidays. Whether or not that was true didn't really matter, and she vowed to herself to just let that go.
Logan actually had an extensive collection of cookbooks at the beach house, so they spent a portion of Saturday snuggled up together on a lounge chair listening to the Pacific Ocean crash on the shore below them while they planned out their Thanksgiving menu. Veronica had called her dad Saturday morning, and he and Alicia were both more than happy to let them host the dinner at her and Logan's house. Her dad of course emphasized that the pro would be that the mess would not be at his place. After confirming with them, Veronica and Logan shared the task of calling the rest of their friends and family whom they wanted to invite. Veronica could easily tell how happy the thought of spending Thanksgiving with Charlie and Abby was to Logan as she watched him talk to Charlie on the phone. When he got off the phone, he let her know that Cassie was trying to move up her return date from her assignment, since she would have originally been gone over the Thanksgiving weekend. Logan commented that he was sure Cassie probably was trying to shorten her trip so she could get back to spend time with Charlie again too.
They both seemed to be dragging their feet on Sunday when it came to heading back to the city. In the morning they'd agreed to pack up and head back after lunch, but then once they were done eating Logan suggested an afternoon nap before they drove back. Of course there were other bedroom activities before their nap, and then once they were thoroughly rested from napping, waking up naked wrapped up in each other's arms led to another round of bedroom activities. When they finally made it out of bed, Veronica suggested a long soak in the luxurious bathtub instead of a quick shower. They eventually discussed staying another night and heading back in the morning, but given the length of the drive and how early they both needed to work, they decided that they'd better just head back that night. There was a quaint little restaurant that overlooked the ocean about halfway between the beach house and Neptune, so they stopped there for dinner on the way back. The views were almost as amazing as the food, and watching the sun set into the horizon with soft jazz music playing in the background was the perfect ending to their perfect relaxing weekend.
Veronica had done a little digging into where Emily might be while they were at the beach house, but she hadn't had any big breakthroughs. Logan's comment about a sister in Montana hadn't led her or Mac to anything yet either. Mac was monitoring Emily's bank accounts, so at least they'd know when she accessed them again.
When Veronica returned to work on Monday, she decided she should probably mention to Leo that she was trying to find Emily. She'd discussed it with Logan, and he thought it would be better if it didn't catch Leo off guard later and there was a chance he might have some other helpful information. Logan also pointed out that Leo might be unofficially looking for Emily too, and maybe they could work together on it if he was. Veronica headed into Leo's office after dropping off her things in her own office.
"Did you and Logan enjoy your little getaway?" Leo asked as Veronica closed the door behind her.
"Yeah, it was great after everything that's been going on the last two weeks," she replied a little cautiously. She certainly knew that he hadn't had a great couple of weeks himself.
"I heard back from the investigators working the jewelry case on Friday, and they agreed to wait to see if you could catch Stephanie red-handed at the dance. The insurance company said they could work with you on a potential list of what jewelry she might try to take based on which families have kids she might baby-sit," Leo explained as Veronica took a seat in front of his desk.
"That's great. I can't tell you how excited I am to bust her," Veronica said with a confident smile. She was hoping that they would agree to wait so she could have hard proof that Stephanie did it. While finding the stolen jewelry in France with Jake would be great as well, she really hoped to be part of the action when it all went down.
Leo nodded in agreement. "So..." Veronica started a bit hesitantly. "Alexis came to see me before she left for Catalina." She waited a few seconds to see what his reaction would be. He crooked his eyebrow at her, but didn't say anything else so she continued. "She asked me to try to find Emily to let her know that she wasn't going to press any charges and that Emily didn't have to keep looking over her shoulder."
Leo let out a deep sigh. "Did you find her?" he asked with a concerned look on his face.
"Not yet, but I didn't want you to be caught by surprise if I do." She paused a moment before she continued. "And I wondered if you might have any information that could help me."
Leo gave her an unsettled look. "Maybe it would be better if you didn't try to find her. You said Alexis was blackmailing her. Whatever that was about might be even worse, so maybe... Maybe it's better just to stay away from this Veronica."
Veronica gave Leo a critical scowl. "I think we have all done some things we aren't proud of… and if we've been given second chances, doesn't Emily deserve that too?"
Leo let out another sigh and shook his head slightly at her. "I shouldn't be surprised that you aren't going to let this go." He paused a second and then nodded slowly. "And you're right… none of us are perfect."
Veronica nodded in reply. "So… any idea where she might be? Have you heard anything from her since she left?"
Leo shook his head and let out a discouraged breath. "Obviously she doesn't have a grandmother in LA. I haven't heard from her since she stopped to say goodbye the day she left."
"Did she ever allude to a sister?" Veronica asked next. "Logan said she mentioned something about a sister in Montana. She actually grew up in foster care, and we've been trying to find some of the other kids that may have been at homes with her, but haven't had much luck yet."
Leo's brow furrowed as he thought about the question. "I'd completely forgotten. She did mention a sister once. I think her name was Jenny, maybe. I don't think she said where she lived though."
"I'll see if Mac found anyone with that name in our search. It doesn't ring a bell with me though." She paused and gave him a concerned look. "If we do find Emily… do you want her to contact you?"
Veronica could easily see that Leo was struggling to come up with an answer. He finally let out a deep breath and nodded. "Yeah… I do want to talk to her again."
Veronica gave him a somber smile and nodded in reply. "Good… knowing what Alexis was capable of, I don't think it's fair to completely blame Emily for what happened. Like you said, we've all made mistakes. And I know she wasn't trying to hurt me at all. She could have easily done something bad if she'd wanted to. She was just trying to run and I showed up at the wrong time." Veronica could tell Leo understood and likely agreed with her. "Hey, if you're not working on Thanksgiving, we're having a dinner at our place if you want to join us."
"I'm actually planning to work that day to give some of the other deputies time with their families, but thanks for the offer, Veronica."
"Of course," Veronica replied with a small smile. "If you get a chance and want to just stop by for a to-go plate, you're welcome to do that too."
Leo smiled a bit more and nodded. "I may just take you up on that."
Veronica split her time at work between further research for the Fitzpatrick case and lining up things for the jewelry case. The insurance company didn't want to tip off Stephanie that they were investigating her, so they worked directly with Veronica and didn't have her go through Stephanie's dad. They had sent her a list of families with insured necklaces so Veronica could work on establishing which ones Stephanie might baby-sit for. Once they had that narrowed down, they would send her pictures of the insured necklaces so she'd have that on hand when they approached Stephanie at the dance. Veronica planned to have it organized by color of gemstone so she could more quickly find the right one once they saw her with a necklace, and then they could contact the owner to verify that Stephanie hadn't been given permission to borrow it. Veronica really didn't want to give Stephanie the chance to make her look bad by actually changing her MO this time.
On Tuesday evening, Veronica received a call from Wallace and could immediately tell there was reluctance in his tone. After some brief small talk he finally got to the reason for his call. "So… I was talking to Piz earlier today…" Veronica let out a small sigh as she waited for him to continue. "He mentioned that he wasn't flying back to Portland for Thanksgiving… and he's still not getting along too well with his ex-wife, so I was wondering…" He paused a bit nervously again.
"You were wondering if you could bring him to dinner on Thursday?" Veronica continued for him.
"Yeah… only if it's okay with you and Logan of course."
"Of course…" Veronica said a bit annoyed by the request. Logan was sitting on the couch next to her and quirked an eyebrow at her. "Hold on Wallace, let me ask Logan."
Veronica pulled the phone away from her face. Logan's smile grew a bit more. "Piz?" he asked with a soft chuckle. She wasn't surprised that he had guessed based on her side of the conversation. She rolled her eyes and nodded, causing Logan to chuckle a little more. "It's up to you. I don't care if he comes."
"All right," she said with a sigh as she shook her head. She told Wallace it would be fine, but it was his responsibility to keep Piz out of trouble.
Logan laughed as she ended the call with Wallace. "Our first Thanksgiving together and we get to spend it with your ex… how romantic is that?" Logan teased as he reached out and grabbed her and pulled her onto his lap. He pushed her hair back, so he could place kisses along her neck. "Maybe I'll spike his drinks so we get another entertaining show like at the last poker game."
"You'd better not," Veronica warned with a scolding sneer. Logan laughed and moved so he could place a kiss on her lips.
"Okay, I'll be good," he said with a smirk after the kiss. "I wonder if Wallace already told him our exciting news," he pondered as he picked up her left hand and placed a kiss by her engagement ring. "You forgot to include Piz on your list of wedding guests the other day. I mean… it's only fair… I got to go to his wedding, so he should get to come to mine." The smug look on Logan's face made Veronica shake her head and poke him in the stomach.
"You're not funny, you know?"
Logan laughed a bit more and shook his head. "I'm hilarious and you know it," he replied before he flipped them so that Veronica was lying flat on the couch with him hovering above her. "I'm also several other adjectives that I'd rather show you than explain," he said as he waggled his eyebrows at her and started placing slow long kisses along her neck. She let out a sultry sigh as one of his hands slipped under her blouse. Thanksgiving and Piz were completely wiped from her mind as Logan proved he really was many things besides just hilarious.
Veronica was a little nervous when Thursday finally arrived. Logan kept reassuring her that it was going to be fine, but there had been several times that she second-guessed her decision to offer to host dinner at their place.
"What if the turkey is too dry? Or it's not cooked enough?" Veronica asked with a concerned expression on her face as Logan pulled the turkey out of the fridge so they could stuff it and get it into the oven.
Logan chuckled and placed a kiss on her forehead. "Alicia will be here way before it's done cooking and she'll make sure we don't screw it up," Logan said reassuringly.
Dinner wasn't going to be served until five since Dick and Mac were going to have an earlier lunch with her family before they came over to join them for dinner. That also gave Wallace and Cora a chance to stop by her family's house earlier in the day too. Alicia, Keith and Darrell came over around noon so Alicia could help with some of the other food preparation that still needed to be done. Once they arrived, Keith and Darrell slipped into the media room to watch football, while Logan stayed in the kitchen helping Veronica and Alicia. Logan chuckled when Veronica started stressing out over the meal again and Alicia gently reassured her that everything would be fine. Alicia's first suggestion was to pour Veronica a very large glass of wine, which Logan obediently did with a huge smile on his face.
Logan had gone in to watch the game with Keith and Darrell for a little while, when the doorbell rang. Veronica opened the door to a nervous looking Piz. He awkwardly held out a bottle of wine as she gave him a polite smile.
"Thanks," Veronica said as she reached out and took the bottle. "Come on in."
Piz nodded and followed her inside. "Thanks for letting me crash your dinner," Piz said apprehensively as Veronica walked back toward the kitchen.
"Yeah, sure. No problem," Veronica replied as she sat the wine on the counter. Veronica cringed, realizing that Alicia must have gone in to check on the guys while she was getting the door. She was now alone with Piz.
"So, how are things going in San Diego?" Veronica asked, trying to be polite and make small talk as she leaned against the other side of the counter from where he stood.
"Great… well it's great to see my daughter again. And the job has been going well. I just wish…" he trailed off and glanced down at the counter between the two of them.
Veronica recognized the sad dejected look, having been the recipient of it when they broke up. "Things not going so well with Marjorie?"
Piz gave her a grim smile and shook his head. "Nope… she um… she has a new boyfriend, so that's been a bit awkward at times."
Veronica gave him an understanding smile. "Sorry…"
"Yeah, it's fine… just not how I hoped things would go when I came back down here. But at least since she's been busy with the new guy, I've gotten to spend more time with Rachelle."
"How old is she?" Veronica asked curiously. She hadn't bothered to ask Wallace or Logan about Piz's daughter and felt a little bad about that now.
"She's almost four," he said with a soft smile as he pulled out his phone and handed it to her. There was a picture of a little girl with curly red hair and sparkling blue eyes on the screen.
"She's really cute," Veronica said as she passed the phone back to him. "She looks just like her mom."
"Thanks. She's a good kid," he said with a tender smile as he stared down at the picture, and then his expression changed slightly. "How'd you know she looks like Marjorie?"
"Oh… I um… I met her when I was at Hearst, at the Theta Beta's, when I was working on a case."
"Of course," Piz said a bit somberly. "I didn't realize you knew who she was. I really did love her and sure wish things would have worked out differently. But I guess sometimes love isn't enough."
"At least you're down here so you can be a part of your daughter's life," Veronica replied with an encouraging smile. "Who knows… maybe in time, things will get better between you and Marjorie again."
"Yeah, maybe…" Piz glanced at her hand for a moment before he spoke again. "Congratulations, by the way. Wallace told me about your engagement."
"Yeah… thanks," Veronica said with a smile. "We're both really happy about it."
"Both really happy about what?" Logan asked as he walked into the kitchen. "Hey Piz, good to see you again." Logan reached out his hand to shake Piz's.
"What do you think?" Veronica asked in reply with a smug smile.
Logan chuckled and walked over so he could stand behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist, placing a quick kiss on her cheek. "Ah… that you finally agreed to make an honest man of me?"
Veronica nodded and leaned a bit more into him.
Piz chuckled softly, looking slightly uncomfortable again. "It's crazy how things turn out sometimes, isn't it? And I originally thought going on a double date years ago with Logan and one of Marjorie's Theta Beta sisters was going to be awkward. Now I'm spending Thanksgiving with the two of you."
"Sister!" Veronica said with big wide eyes as she turned to face Logan. "How could I not think of that?"
Logan cocked his head at her for a second before he must have caught up. "Montana… you think it's one of her Theta Beta sisters from UCLA?" Veronica nodded and smiled.
"Leo said she mentioned a sister named Jenny, but we haven't been able to find anyone through the foster home named that, but maybe it was one of the Theta Betas instead."
Logan gave her an encouraging smile and nodded. "Yeah… I'd forgotten that she was a Theta Beta too. But that could certainly be it. Alexis would occasionally refer to some of the girls she was close to as sisters too."
Veronica gave him a slightly grimaced look. "I wonder if Alexis might know who Jenny is? We might be able to find her faster if she knows."
Logan gave her a troubled look in reply. "You could give her a call," he said after a few seconds. Veronica gave him an understanding look and nodded. She wasn't surprised that he didn't volunteer to call and ask for her. He obviously wasn't ready to talk to Alexis if he didn't have to.
"Maybe tomorrow," she said softly. "Today's for enjoying our friends and family and not worrying about cases."
Logan nodded and she tipped up on her toes and kissed him tenderly on the lips. Logan chuckled softly after a second, as he glanced past her at where she'd forgotten Piz was standing.
"Can I get you a beer or something, man?" Logan asked as they stopped kissing and Veronica turned back toward Piz with a slightly embarrassed smile.
Piz had a confused look on his face, obviously clueless as to what they were just talking about. "Yeah… I'll take a beer," he replied after a few seconds.
Logan gave Veronica a quick kiss on the side of the head and then stepped toward the fridge to retrieve a beer for Piz. Alicia reappeared at that point, and they went back to working on side dishes for dinner. Logan said he'd show Piz where the other guys were watching football. Veronica thought she saw a slight grimace on Piz's face and chuckled softly to herself, knowing Piz was never a huge sports fan.
Logan returned a few minutes later to help Alicia and Veronica again. He'd only been in the kitchen for a few minutes before the doorbell rang again. Veronica was in the middle of something, so Logan said he'd get the door. Veronica could hear the unmistakable sound of Dick's voice coming from the foyer. It sounded like he and Logan were headed to the media room, while she heard someone else walking toward the kitchen.
"Wow, it smells delicious in here?" Mac said as she turned the corner and took a deep breath. Veronica and Alicia both gave her a curious look at the same time.
"It's the turkey," Veronica said with a smirk. Alicia chuckled as well and raised her eyebrows at Mac.
"Having some unusual cravings are we?" Alicia asked with a conspiratorial smile.
Mac glared slightly at Veronica. "Hey, don't look at me like that!" Veronica protested.
Alicia laughed and shook her head. "Oh sweetie, I won't say anything, but I more or less figured that out when we were here for the BBQ. Keith and Veronica aren't the only ones with keen observational skills."
Mac let out a soft sigh and shook her head. "I told Dick I didn't think we'd really be able to keep it a secret until after the wedding. At least my parents haven't suspected anything yet that I'm aware of. I think that's who Dick didn't want to disappoint, although I keep trying to tell him that I'm sure they'll be happy for us. It's not like they aren't going to be able to do the math anyway. I guess he just doesn't want any awkwardness right before the wedding."
"I'm sure they'll be ecstatic," Alicia said reassuringly. "I know Keith and I will be thrilled when we get to be grandparents too," she added as she gave Veronica a sly smile.
Veronica had just taken a drink of her wine as Alicia was talking and nearly choked as she swallowed.
"Sorry," Alicia said with a soft chuckle.
"It wouldn't be so bad to have a little turkey right… if it's for the baby?" Mac pondered out loud as she moved closer to the oven and inhaled deeply.
"Will you feel bad about it though? Afterwards?" Alicia asked with a questioning expression.
Mac let out a frustrated sigh and nodded. "Yeah, I probably would." She frowned as she walked away from the oven. "It just smells so delicious. It's not the first time I've been craving meat this week either. And of course it was torturous at my parents' house too. I'm not sure how I'm going to survive 6 more months of this if it doesn't change."
"I craved sauerkraut when I was pregnant with Wallace and tuna and banana sandwiches when I was pregnant with Darrell," Alicia shared with a fond smile.
Both Mac and Veronica made disgusted faces and then laughed at each other.
"Well we did make you butternut squash with whole wheat, wild rice, & onion stuffing, which smells delicious too, so maybe that will keep you away from the turkey," Alicia told Mac with a little wink.
"Mmm… okay, that does sound delicious. Just keep the turkey at the opposite end of the table from me, and I'm sure all will be fine," Mac teased the other two women, who laughed and nodded in agreement.
They moved on from discussing food to discussing the latest plans for Mac's wedding. The wedding was happening the week before Christmas, which was rapidly approaching now. Mac had previously asked Veronica to be one of her bridesmaids, along with Cora and Lauren. Mac let Veronica know that she finally picked out what dresses they'd all be wearing. Mac also told her that she'd schedule a fitting for them all at Monique's boutique sometime in the next week.
It wasn't much longer before Wallace and Cora arrived, followed immediately after by Charlie, Abby and Cassie. Veronica smiled to herself as she watched how affectionate Cassie and Charlie were being with each other and agreed that Logan's earlier assessment of a potential reconciliation was correct. She also enjoyed getting to spend a little time actually getting to know Cassie, since their first encounter had been awkward to say the least. Veronica could also tell that Abby was thrilled to be back again and enjoyed all the attention that several of the adults bestowed upon her. She even caught Piz doting on Abby a bit and realized that he was probably really missing his daughter. Veronica wondered if having Abby there had made it worse for him. As Veronica visited with some of the other guests, she caught Logan over talking with Piz a few times, and was caught a little by surprise at how easily the two of them interacted.
"I bet that's something you never expected to see," Keith whispered to her at one point when he caught her watching Logan and Piz.
Veronica chuckled and nodded in reply. "Yeah… I guess there are still things that catch me a little by surprise being back home again."
Keith gave her a tender smile and wrapped his arm around her shoulder as he kissed her tenderly on the temple. "Well I'm awfully glad you're home, kiddo." He glanced over at the two men that she'd been watching. "I can't speak for Stosh, but Logan's definitely changed a lot in the years you were gone… for the better, of course. I'm not surprised that he's able to be a good friend, even to one of your exes."
Veronica gave him a small smile and nodded. "Yeah… something I never expected to happen given where things stood when I left for Virginia, but I'm glad it's turned out this way too."
Keith gave her a slight squeeze and kissed her one more time on the head before he walked back over to sit by Alicia.
By the time all their guests left, Logan and Veronica were completely exhausted. Most everyone had insisted on sticking around after dinner to help clean up, so luckily the house was not a total disaster. They'd put together a few to-go plates for their guests as well as for Leo. He'd stopped by as they were finishing up desserts, so he'd had a quick slice of pie with them all before heading back to the station.
"I think we both deserve a nice long soak in the hot tub," Logan said with a predatory smile after the last of the guests had walked out the front door.
"You do, do you?" Veronica asked as she gave him a sly smile and raised one eyebrow in his direction.
"Yes, I do," he said confidently with a wolfish grin. "And I think swimsuits are completely optional."
She shook her head, but her smile became more salacious to match his own. "And I'm guessing by optional that you actually mean prohibited?"
"Hmm…" he said as he pretended to thoughtfully consider her comment. "Well I am the Mayor, so if I want to outlaw swimsuits, I think I can."
She laughed and gave him a questioning glance. "I don't think it really works like that… but I suppose you are king of the castle here, so if you say no swimsuits, then I suppose I'll just have to oblige."
Logan walked closer to her and his expression became even more dangerous. "Mm… I do like being able to make the rules."
"I thought you liked breaking rules?" she asked with a mischievous smirk.
Logan laughed as he reached down toward the zipper of her pants. "Only the ones that I haven't made," he said smugly as he slipped her pants down her thighs. He squatted down slightly as he pushed her pants all the way to her ankles, caressing her legs in the process. He placed a lingering kiss on her stomach before looking back up at her with lust-filled eyes. She quirked her eyebrow at him, but didn't protest so he continued undressing her, lifting her shirt up over her head next. His mouth slowly moved from her stomach, up toward her head, leaving kisses along the way.
"Well now I'm feeling a bit underdressed," she said slyly as she reached out to pull his shirt off as well.
He leaned in and kissed her passionately on the lips as he reached down and lifted her up. She wrapped her legs around his waist, using the position to her advantage. His small moans of pleasure as she moved slowly against him were intoxicating and she was getting more aroused by the second as well. They were still in the living room, and he pressed her up against the closest wall, allowing him to control some of their motions as well. When he pulled his mouth away from hers they were breathing hard and she laughed softly.
"What happened to hot tub time?" she panted as she gave him a questioning glance.
He chuckled and shook his head. "Sorry… got momentarily distracted by your hotness." He kissed her briefly again and then let her slide back down onto her feet. He took her hand and led her to the patio door, pressing one of the light switches. The patio, that had been brightly lit up earlier, became much darker with only a few soft glowing lights remaining. He pressed another button and music started playing through speakers in the house as well as on the patio. Veronica gave him a fond smile as his dedication song was of course the first one on his playlist.
It didn't take Logan long to get the cover off of the hot tub, and then he quickly shifted back to getting the remaining lace bra and thong off of Veronica. He gave her a slow sultry kiss as his hands caressed down her back and over the curve of her hips. After the kiss, she gave him a salacious grin as she turned and left him standing alone as she climbed into the hot water.
"Mmm… you're right… this does feel wonderful," she said in a husky moan as she arched back against the wall. "A glass of wine would make it even better," she added with a sly smile. She had to resist laughing as she watched Logan's expression become a bit confounded. "Hurry back," she said when he hadn't moved from his spot yet.
He gave her a curious look and nodded as he turned back toward the house. "Wait…" she called after him with an amused tone to her voice. As he turned to look at her she gave him a sly smile. "I was just teasing. Wanted to make sure you realized it's really the queen of the castle who's in charge here."
He narrowed his eyes at her as he shook his head. "Duly noted, your highness," he replied with a playful smirk before he quickly slipped out of his pants and boxers and climbed into the hot tub as well.
"This does feel good," he said in a low husky voice as he closed the space between them, running his hands up her outer thighs and then pressing his body against hers. His mouth quickly found hers as his hand continued caressing all her curves. There was a lounge seat in the hot tub, and he skillfully maneuvered her over to it while continuing to kiss her. He slid next to her so their bodies were still pressed together, but they were both lying on their sides. "I think this is my favorite Thanksgiving, ever," he said between placing kisses on her lips and neck.
"Me too," she said a little breathlessly as she tried to actually pay attention to what he was saying and not just what he was doing with his hands that were roaming all over her body, touching her in all the right places.
"And you know you're the thing I'm most thankful for, right?" he said as he stopped placing kisses along her neck and stared at her with an intense look in his eyes.
"Even more than Alicia's pumpkin pie? Don't think I didn't notice you took seconds," she quipped back with a playful smirk.
"Veronica," he replied with a slightly admonishing expression.
She smiled softly at him and nodded. "I know… of course I know that. And getting the chance to be with you again… I can't even express how thankful I am for that."
His look softened before he pressed his lips to hers again. She shifted on top of him as they kissed, enjoying the feel of him between her thighs as she pulled her knees up under her. Logan moaned as she slid a little lower onto him. "Better than pumpkin pie," she whispered in a sultry tone into his ear.
"God yes," he replied as his hands gripped her hips, shifting his own body slightly to make it even more pleasurable for them both. She couldn't help the sultry moan that slipped out as he moved just the right way. He was always so aware of even the slightest change in her reaction to him, and, even after all this time, he could still find ways to surprise her with the level of euphoria he created in her. She was extremely grateful that their backyard had as much privacy as it did, because they weren't shy about showing each other exactly how thankful they were to be back in each other's lives again. As she drifted off to sleep that night, she thought once more about all the things in her life she had to be thankful for, with Logan of course being at the very top of that list.
Veronica had shared her Theta Beta sister theory with Mac on Thanksgiving, and she was hoping that would turn up a new lead in finding Emily. Veronica wasn't sure how protective Emily's friends might be, and knew just calling might not work and that she might have to actually travel to check out a few leads. The list of members of the Theta Beta sorority at UCLA was a bit tricky for Mac to track down, but eventually she was able to get it. Of course, given the many years that Emily had gone there, the sister wouldn't have had to be in the same class as her, so that made the potential list even larger. Given how self-absorbed Alexis always seemed to be, in addition to her leaving UCLA after only being there for two years, Veronica wasn't sure if she'd actually know who Emily may have been close to there. She decided a potential lead was better than none, so finally asked Logan for Alexis's number so she could call and ask. It was easy to see he was still upset with Alexis over everything that happened, and she really couldn't blame him. As she expected, Alexis didn't have anything very helpful to add, but Veronica did get David's number from Alexis to try him as well.
David was quite surprised to hear from Veronica, and while he wasn't sure of anyone named Jenny, he did give her the name of one other sorority sister that Emily had been close to. Veronica checked the list that Mac had pulled together and found out that woman was still in LA. Veronica didn't hold out much hope that Emily would be staying with her, but she hoped that maybe the woman might know who else Emily had been close to. Unfortunately that call didn't shed any light on the mysterious Jenny either.
As mentioned on Thanksgiving, Mac had set up an afternoon for them all to meet at Monique's for their dress fittings. She'd selected red A-line chiffon dresses for her bridesmaids to wear. Monique had all their measurements on hand previously, so she was able to order three dresses and then she was planning on making final adjustments to be sure each one fit perfectly. Veronica noticed two high school girls come in to pick up dresses as Monique was finishing up with Mac's group. "Winter formal?" Veronica asked Monique after the two girls had left.
Monique nodded in reply. "Yeah, I get quite a few girls that special order dresses for high school dances from me."
"Stephanie Whitman wouldn't happen to be one of those girls would she?" Veronica asked curiously.
Monique smiled and nodded. "She would… why do you ask?"
Veronica gave her an apologetic look. "It's sort of related to a case I'm working on… any chance you could tell me what the dress looked like? Like what color it was?"
"I can do one better," Monique replied with a smile. "She hasn't picked it up yet, so I still have it in the back."
Veronica was ecstatic over her good luck. She snapped a couple photos of the dark emerald dress with her cell phone. When she got back to the office, she focused her attention on the insured families with emerald necklaces and then checked that against the list of which ones had kids in the age range that would still utilize baby sitters. There were two families on the list, but Veronica still made sure she had a complete set of photos in case Stephanie went with something other than an emerald necklace.
The dance was the weekend after Thanksgiving, which only gave Veronica a small amount of time to work on putting together all the information, but was also the reason the insurance company was willing to wait before they made a move in France. Veronica had spoken to Mr. Clemmons in advance, and he'd agreed to let her come inside the gymnasium to wait for Stephanie to arrive. Veronica knew that Stephanie hadn't worn the other necklace at home, but had put it on when she was at the dance with Stacey based on the picture on her Facebook page.
Veronica was standing in a corner with some of the other chaperones so she wouldn't immediately stand out. Wallace happened to be one of the chaperones at the dance and he also knew what was going on. He provided Veronica with a bit of cover so Stephanie wouldn't immediately spot her and bolt. Quite a few kids had already arrived and Veronica still hadn't seen Stephanie come in. Veronica still expected her to be there since she'd ordered a dress for the dance from Monique. Veronica was starting to question the sanity of her plan as she stood there trying to endure watching awkward teens on the dance floor and others lingering around the gymnasium. At least the band they'd hired wasn't terrible. She was relieved when, about forty-five minutes after the dance had started, she finally spotted Stephanie and Stacey walk through the door. Veronica couldn't help the huge grin that spread across her face when she spotted the emerald necklace on Stephanie. She knew exactly whose it was and dialed Mrs. Lansing as she stepped back behind a set of bleachers where it was quieter and Stephanie wouldn't spot her.
After Mrs. Lansing came on the line, Veronica began to explain the situation. "Hi, Mrs. Lansing, this is Veronica Mars from the Balboa County Sheriff's Department. Are you currently at home?" When Mrs. Lansing confirmed that she was, Veronica asked her if she could check to see if her emerald necklace was missing. The gasp on the other end of the line a few minutes later sent a wave of delight through Veronica. She quickly calmed Mrs. Lansing down and let her know that she was sure she knew where her necklace was and that a deputy would be by in a little while to take a statement from her. She was sure Mrs. Lansing hadn't loaned the necklace to Stephanie based on her reaction, but still asked the question to be sure that there couldn't have been any misunderstanding between Mrs. Lansing and Stephanie that she had given her permission for Stephanie to borrow. Her 'absolutely not' response made Veronica feel even better. After she disconnected the call, she phoned Norris, who was waiting out in the parking lot in the car. He said he'd meet her at the gym door in case there was any problem with Stephanie.
When Veronica came out from behind the bleachers, Wallace pointed to where Stephanie was sitting, since he'd already been assigned look-out ahead of time. "Thanks Papa Bear," Veronica said with a wink as she walked by him in the direction of Stephanie. Stephanie hadn't been expecting her and was busy talking with some friends so was completely startled when Veronica stopped in front of her.
"Nice necklace," Veronica said with a smug smile. "I'm sure Mrs. Lansing would like it back, though. If you'd please come with me." Stephanie let out a defeated sigh and looked like she was going to protest for a moment. "We can do this the easy way, or the more embarrassing way," Veronica continued as she pointed to the handcuffs she had on her belt under her jacket.
Stephanie gave her a grim smile and nodded as she stood up from her seat. Veronica placed a firm hand on Stephanie's bicep as she led her out of the gym to where Norris was patiently waiting. Norris read Stephanie her rights as he led her to the squad car. He congratulated Veronica on a job well done as she climbed in to ride back to the station with him. While Stephanie initially tried to maintain her innocence, being caught red-handed made it hard to talk her way out of the crime. She eventually did admit to taking the other necklaces and sending them to Jake in France. She'd planned to keep them for herself once she was there. Veronica's only regret was that Stephanie wasn't 18 yet, so she would be tried as a minor and would probably get off much easier than she would have if she'd been an adult. Leo was still extremely pleased that Veronica had been able to solve the case. The insurance company's representative was also happy when they called him and gave him the news as well.
Veronica was still elated over the jewelry case when Mac called her Saturday morning. "I finally found a Theta Beta who lives in Montana," Mac told Veronica excitedly over the phone. "Her name is Genevieve, so I'm guessing she may go by Ginny, not Jenny, which was why it didn't immediately occur to me. She's also been married since then, so it was a little harder to track her down."
Veronica was as excited as Mac was by the time she got off the phone with her. Logan was in the kitchen making breakfast for the two of them. "How'd you like to take a trip to Sidney?" Veronica asked with a sweet smile as she took a seat at the kitchen counter.
"Australia?" Logan asked with a surprised expression.
Veronica laughed and shook her head. "No… Montana. Spelled slightly differently actually, but yeah, sounds the same."
"Well you know I'm not letting you go on your own, so I guess that sounds delightful," he replied with a smug smile. "Montana in December… isn't that where everyone wants to go?"
Veronica laughed and shook her head at him. "Well I'm sure it will not be as delightful as Australia, but I wouldn't want to go without you, either."
Veronica was hoping they could catch Emily at Genevieve's house. Veronica had found out that Genevieve was also a nursing student and worked at the hospital there in the small town. They couldn't find any evidence that Emily may also have gone back to nursing yet, but that didn't mean she wasn't doing something else for cash so that she didn't have to access her bank accounts yet.
Sidney was located on the border of Montana in the northeastern corner of the state right by the North Dakota border. Logan and Veronica flew out Sunday morning, and after they finally arrived at the small airport just outside of Sidney, they rented a car and headed to Genevieve's house. Fortunately the area had a semi-arid climate, and while it was extremely cold, they didn't have to deal with driving in snow. Veronica chuckled when she had pulled out some of the heavier clothes that she had worn when she was living back in Massachusetts, not really expecting to be using them again so soon.
Veronica was a little nervous about how the interaction might go, but tried not to let Logan figure that out because she didn't want to put him on edge as well. When they finally arrived at Genevieve's house, Veronica suggested that Logan should maybe wait in the car. She really didn't want to upset Emily, and was worried that both of them showing up at the door might be a bit much. Logan of course nixed that idea, and followed her up to the front steps. After Veronica had rang the bell, a slender brunette who Veronica recognized as Genevieve from the information she'd collected on her, answered the door. Veronica stalled for a moment before introducing herself, quickly looking past Genevieve into the house. She immediately spotted Emily putting plates on the kitchen table and Veronica gave her the most compassionate smile she could. Veronica saw Emily sigh and then she walked toward the door.
"I've got this Ginny," she said softly, giving her friend a reassuring look as she stepped out on the porch and closed the door. She'd grabbed a jacket that was hanging near the door on her way out and slipped it on as she looked between Logan and Veronica.
"I wondered if you'd eventually find me," Emily said a bit sorrowfully.
"We're not here to take you back, if that's what you're worried about," Veronica said with an understanding expression. "Alexis decided not to press charges, and I'm not going to either," Veronica explained. Emily looked surprised and Veronica thought it looked like Emily maybe didn't really believe her as well.
"Then why are you here?" Emily asked next as she looked nervously between Veronica and Logan. She crossed her arms in front of her, still looking scared and defensive.
"Alexis actually had a change of heart after her near death experience, and asked me to find you to let you know. She also wanted you to know that she wasn't planning on telling anyone about what she knew about your past as well."
Emily let out a frustrated breath and shook her head. "I'm sorry, but I sort of have a hard time believing that. Alexis has never been one to just give up on anything. How do I know it's not just a trick to get me to come back so she can have me arrested?"
"I guess there isn't really anything I can say, other than I think she was being sincere," Veronica answered compassionately.
"Did she tell you…" Emily's expression became a bit more concerned.
Veronica shook her head. "She didn't… but I accidentally stumbled across it on my own. But I give you my word - I'll never tell anyone. I can understand why you may have done what you did."
Emily gave Logan a concerned glance as well. "Veronica didn't even tell me," he added softly. "You have our word, Emily, that we aren't here to get you into trouble."
Emily looked a bit more convinced after Logan spoke. She took a deep breath and shook her head. "I just don't think I can go back… Leo must hate me."
Veronica reached out and gently squeezed Emily's forearm. "I told Leo I was trying to find you and he said he'd like to talk to you, but that's up to you. I also promise I'm not going to tell him where you are if you don't want me to. I think you've been through enough pain in your life already, and I really don't want to be the cause of any more."
Emily gave her a grim smile and nodded. "Thank you… for that and for coming all the way out here to find me."
Veronica smiled and nodded. "Think about it and maybe give him a call when you're ready. I think he'd really like to talk to you. You can always get an untraceable phone if you're really not sure about everything. Maybe he can help convince you though."
"Okay… I'll think about it," Emily replied. She still seemed extremely hesitant about everything and Veronica couldn't really blame her. Veronica couldn't help but wonder if Emily might run again after they were gone if she really was paranoid that this was all a trick. At least Veronica knew that she'd done her best to help her. She'd delivered the message, but what Emily decided to do with it was up to her.
"We'd better let you get back inside where it's warmer," Veronica finally said after a moment of silence. "Take care of yourself Emily, and I really do hope you decide to come back. Leo means a lot to me too, and that's one of the reasons why I wanted to find you. But it's up to you now… whatever you decide to do, it's your choice."
"Thank you," Emily said with a small nod before she turned and headed back into the house.
"Do you think she'll run again?" Logan asked somberly as they walked back to the car. He probably had expected her to react a bit differently as well.
"I don't know," Veronica said with a soft sigh. "Maybe… but at least we tried."
Logan wrapped his arm around her shoulders and kissed the side of her head as they continued to walk toward the car. "You did all you could do, Bobcat," he said softly before he kissed her head one more time and reached down to open the door for her.
They flew back to Billings where they had a delicious dinner before retreating to the room Logan had booked for them at the Crown Plaza. They were able to book a flight back in the morning since they'd found Emily so quickly. Logan teased her on the flight back that next time they flew to Sydney, he insisted it be the one in Australia instead. He also complained about the forty-degree weather for part of the flight as well, pointing out that it would actually be summertime in Australia this time of year.
It certainly felt good to be back in Southern California as they walked off the airplane into the warm air and sunshine. They were walking toward the parking garage holding hands when they had to pause for a flow of people coming in from a different gate. Logan had taken the brief stop as an opportunity to place a kiss on Veronica's temple and pull her a little closer. The crowd had thinned out, and they were about to start walking again when they were stopped in their tracks by a very unwelcome interruption.
"Well if it isn't the Mayor and my favorite cheerleader…" a voice from behind them called out. Veronica immediately felt Logan tense up and take a sharp breath. They, of course, could both recognize that voice without even turning to see who was speaking. "Here to welcome me back to Neptune? I'd love to see those pom-poms in action. Why don't you give me a cheer for old time's sake, Mars?"
They both turned and Veronica grabbed Logan before he could lunge at the asshole who stood there, sneering, in front of them.
"It sure is great to be back in the sunshine. New York just wasn't quite as nice, especially this time of year," he continued with the same menacing expression. "Too bad my cousin Liam got his ass tossed in jail, but that certainly works out great for me. Always happy to help out the family… and well, when Aunt Stella called and asked for help with the family business… I just couldn't say no." He gave them a smug smile before he continued. "Guess I'll be seeing you two around."
Veronica could see the anger rolling off of Logan as he watched Gory Sorokin walk toward the exit. She hadn't seen him that angry in a very long time and knew in the past it never led to anything good. "Logan," she said softly, finally getting him to look back at her. "You made me promise, and now I'm asking you to make the same one to me," she said resolutely as she looked up at him with a pleading expression.
He slowly nodded and pulled her against his chest, burying his face into her hair. She could hear his heart beating rapidly and she held on to him as tightly as she could. He let out a deep breath and squeezed her a little tighter as well. "Whatever happens, we can handle it together," she said softly against his chest. She felt him nod before he let out a soft 'yeah' and placed a slow kiss against her head.
A/N – Thank you to everyone who stuck with the story and read it all the way to the end. I hope you enjoyed it! I truly appreciated all the support and wonderful comments everyone left. As I said last time, I may revisit this series later when I wrap up some of the other stories since I do love this version of them. And of course with Gory returning, there could be more trouble that they'd have to deal with together this time.
