This is the promised sequel to "LoVe Forged in Fire." It takes place in the spring semester of their junior year at Hearst. If you have not read the previous stories that began with "Tear Away the Mask", do NOT read this one! This story will be like all the others, featuring LoVe, MaDi, and the various supporting characters that are both original to VM and my own creation.

Disclaimer: Veronica Mars and the characters from VM belong to Rob Thomas. The original characters are all mine!

Chapter 1: New Beginnings

*******Somewhere over the Pacific Ocean******

Veronica had her head on Logan's shoulders, her hand holding his. "I can't believe our honeymoon is over!" she said with a sigh.

"Yeah, it was a perfect week," Logan said, happier than he'd ever been in his life. "I can't wait to tell Dick that I got you to swim with the sharks!"

"That was very cool! But so was the top of the volcano on the Big Island. The views!" she said with another dreamy sigh. "I didn't know anything on earth could be that beautiful."

Logan gave her an adoring look. "I did," he said softly. He leaned down and kissed her cheek. "We are totally going to have to make Hawaii an annual trip."

"I don't think it would be as special if we went every year," she pointed out. "I want us to go to Europe on our next trip. Maybe after graduation, we can backpack across Europe. I can't wait to show you the places I saw in Italy!"

"If we backpacked, you know Dick would want to go. And Mac," Logan said with a grin.

"That'd be fun. Wallace and Thea. We'd have a great time," she said.

"Could you handle being away from Richie that long?" Logan asked her with a knowing grin.

Veronica frowned. "You kept me so distracted this week that I haven't missed him as much as I thought I would," she admitted, feeling a bit guilty over that fact.

"That was the idea!" he said with a wolfish grin.

"I can't wait to see him! Do you think he's grown any?" she asked.

"Possibly," Logan said with a shrug.

"I wonder how Trina managed all week without us or Dick and Mac?" she speculated.

"I checked on her three days ago, and she seemed okay. Mary stayed over to help," Logan said.

"I'm glad she and Mary have gotten so close. Her ASL has become very good. Mac said she's surpassed her already," Veronica shared.

"That's not surprising since they spend more time together practicing," Logan said.

"What do you think this new year will bring for us? I hope it's less pain filled," Veronica said, frowning as she thought about the bombing that killed Weidman, Jazmin's rape, the loss of her baby.

"It will be," he assured her, putting his arm around her shoulder. He had a good feeling about this year. Things were going to be perfect.

******The Airport*******

Dick and Mac arrived back in San Diego a few hours before Logan and Veronica were scheduled to arrive. They were waiting for their luggage.

"I can't believe we are back home already!" Dick said.

Mac threw her arms around her neck and pulled his head down for a kiss. "Thank you for the most wonderful vacation of my life!" she said.

Dick grinned. "Even better than Italy?" he asked hopefully.

"Totally!" she said, returning his grin. Dick had shown her the most romantic, wonderful time. He'd been sweet and thoughtful at every moment. He had shown her more than once that sex was not the only thing he valued from her. Every part of her grew to love him more over the past five days. "It was perfect!"

"You were pretty perfect!" Dick told her with a lecherous grin. He loved the fact that he alone knew what a total sex-kitten she was under that serious, brilliant exterior.

Mac laughed. "Oh, there's our luggage!" she said, pointing.

Dick grabbed their bags. A half hour later, the taxi pulled up to Mac's place.

"Are your roommates home?" Dick asked as they walked up to the house.

She shook her head. "Parker isn't due back until Saturday or Sunday. She and Piz went to spend some time together in Los Angeles after the wedding. Daisy is in Santa Barbara until Saturday," Mac said.

"So we have the place to ourselves for another twenty-four hours?" Dick asked eagerly.

"Yep," she said, flashing her dimples at him. She took her bag into her bedroom. She started to unpack it.

Dick frowned at her. "What are you doing?" he asked.

"Unpacking," she answered without looking up.

"I have a better idea," he said.

She glanced up at him and burst out laughing. He had stripped down to his underwear. "I can see that!" she exclaimed. "Aren't you tired?"

"Yep. We should totally rest up! Jet lag is no laughing matter!" Dick said gleefully. "You can unpack later. Right now you should totally get into that bed."

"Oh, I should, huh?" she asked in amusement.

Dick picked up her suitcase and laid it on the floor. Then he pounced on her, making her laugh as he nibbled on her neck. Before she could move away, he'd picked her up and tossed her onto the bed.

*******The Beach House*******

Logan opened the door to their house and set his luggage inside the door. He held up his hand, not letting Veronica through.

"Just a minute," he said. He took her bags and put them inside the door against the wall. Then he flashed her a grin. Before she realized his intentions, he'd swept her up in his arms. "I gotta carry you across the threshold."

Her arms went around his neck, and she smiled in delight as he stepped through the door with her. "I forgot this is our first time coming home as a married couple," she remarked.

He slowly set her down on her feet, shutting the door behind her. "Welcome home, wife," he said. He gave her a soft, sweet kiss.

"Logan? Is that you?" Trina called out. She stepped closer to the front door and grinned when she saw him. "I see the honeymoon isn't over!"

Logan turned to her and winked. "Never!" he vowed.

"Welcome home!" Trina said. She stepped up to hug him and her new sister. "How was the honeymoon?"

Veronica reached down to pick up a bag. "Too perfect for words!" she said.

"It was awesome!" Logan exclaimed. He grabbed the rest of the bags. "Let me take this to our room, and we'll tell you all about it."

"Where's Richie?" Veronica asked eagerly. She looked around the living room.

Trina smirked. "Actually, your dad has him. He figured you might not make visiting him and telling him about your trip a priority without an added incentive!" she said.

"Seriously?" Veronica asked in surprise.

Logan snickered. "He knows you well," he said on his way to their room.

"We already posted a bunch of pictures on our Facebook page!" Veronica said. "What more does he want?"

"Details I'm assuming," Trina said with a grin. "As do I!"

"Fine," she said. "I'll go freshen up. Then we can go get him!"

"Works for me," Trina replied.

A half hour later, Veronica was at her Dad's and Alicia's. Darrel was on the floor trying to get Richie to roll over, a feat he had yet to accomplish. Alicia and Keith were shouting out encouragement. They looked up when Veronica came in.

"We're back!" she announced.

They got to their feet to hug and congratulate them. Veronica wasted no time in picking up Richie and hugging and kissing him. "I missed you so much!" she told him. He smiled at her, putting his little hand on her cheek. The gesture was probably accidental, but it touched her deeply. Logan grinned at her and held out his hands. Veronica reluctantly surrendered him.

"I told Veronica if she wanted to see my son she had to see you guys," Trina said.

Keith laughed. "That's what we figured! Well, have a seat. We want to hear all about your honeymoon!" he said.

"Are you sure about that, Keith?" Logan asked with a smirk.

"You can call me Dad now," Keith told him. "And naturally we want the PG version of the trip!"

Logan's dirty joke left his mind at Keith's careless mention of calling him Dad. He wanted to ask him if he was serious or not, but he felt embarrassed. Instead, he held Richie in his lap and listened as Veronica began sharing all the details of their trip.

Later that night, he laid on the bed and watched his wife go through her normal night time routine. He idly wondered if ten or twenty years from then if her routine would still be the same. His bride was often unpredictable, but there were some things that never changed. The thought gave him comfort. He smiled at her as she pulled back the covers and crawled into bed next to him. His arm went around her as she placed her head on his chest.

"I can't believe this gets to be our life now," she said as she smiled in contentment.

"You can't believe it? I can't believe it!" he said, grinning down at her. "Now you'll have to hire a very expensive attorney to get rid of me."

"Well, I could just change my major to law," she said, giving him a wicked grin.

"I guess I could, too. And I'll be much more motivated than you!" he informed her. "It'd take you years of litigation to get away from me. By then, you'll have forgotten why you wanted to leave in the first place!"

She laughed. "Well, I then, I guess you'll do," she said. She rose up slightly, so she could kiss him. The kiss broke off when a yawn spilled out of her. "I'm sorry! I'm so wiped!"

"It's okay. I know I kind of wore you out on the honeymoon," he said with a leer.

She closed her eyes and laid back down on his chest. "You did. But I didn't mind," she said, smiling at the memories.

They were silent a few minutes. Finally, Logan said, "So do you think your dad meant what he said earlier?"

"About what?"

"About me calling him Dad," Logan said.

Veronica sat up and looked at him. She knew how badly Logan felt the lack of a parent. "Yes, I do. Dad always wanted a son. He loves being a stepdad to Darrel and Wallace, but I know he loves you, too. He wouldn't have said that if he didn't mean it," Veronica told him. "Out of respect to Alicia's late husband, he'd never ask Wallace or Darrel to do that, though. But I know he'd like it if they did call him that, especially Darrel."

"You don't think it would be a little strange?" he asked tentatively.

"Maybe at first," Veronica conceded. "But I think you'll both grow used to it after a bit." She reached out and squeezed his hand.

Logan smiled. On some level, he knew that when he married Veronica he didn't just gain a wife but a family. However, he didn't really think of the implications when it came to Keith Mars. Logan knew of no finer man than Veronica's dad. Veronica couldn't possibly have a better father. He was everything Logan's own father was not. Thinking of finally having a dad made him feel very emotional. He opened his mouth to say something to her, but words escaped him.

Veronica gave him a compassionate smile, understanding what this meant to him. She kissed him. His arms automatically went around her, and he pulled her close.

"My dad is a very lucky guy, and so am I," she told him before kissing him again.

In that moment, Logan wanted to argue and insist that he was the lucky one. However, the feel of her body pressing against him distracted him.

******The Next Day******

After lounging and playing most of the day away, Mac and Dick got up the next day and went to Dick's. Mac had forgotten that Weevil was moving into the pool house and was surprised when he came into the kitchen from the side door.

"Oh, hey, Weevil," she said, greeting him.

"You're back. How was the trip?" Weevil inquired.

"Wonderful. So beautiful and fun. Dick got us this cabana right by the water. It was private. It had a hot tub off the deck that faced the water. It was the most relaxing five days of my life," Mac said. "You'll have to take Jazmin there someday."

"It may take me years to afford a trip like that," Weevil said with a grimace.

"Well, when you finally get there, you'll see that it's worth it," Mac said. "How's Jazmin?"

"She's good. Killing David hasn't seemed to have affected her as much as I thought it would," Weevil said with a frown. He still wasn't sure if he was happy about that or disturbed. She was so angelic in his mind, so innocent that he had trouble coming to terms with the fact that she had unloaded a gun into David and slept better because of it.

"I guess that's not too surprising," Mac said. "He figured into her nightmares. She killed him, so now she has nothing to fear."

"I know. It's just hard to see her as someone that can take a life and not lose any sleep," Weevil said.

Dick came into the kitchen. "Dude. How's it going?" he asked.

"Good. We finished the year in the black, so Nico is going to shop around for actual medical insurance," Weevil shared.

"You don't have medical insurance?" Dick asked in surprise.

"Yea, through my job at Hearst. I've kept working there, so I'll have insurance," Weevil said.

"Does that mean you'll quit that job?" Mac asked.

Weevil nodded. "Yes. Today's my last day there. Classes start Monday. I'm taking a few," he admitted.

Mac grinned. "Really? You're taking more than one?" she asked.

Weevil looked embarrassed as he admitted, "Yeah. Three this semester. Jason's a real nag. I know women get the reputation for nagging, but Jason bitches about stuff a lot more than his sister. He wouldn't shut up and caught me at a weak moment. Somehow I ended up enrolling in three classes."

Dick snickered. "Careful, dude. He may have you joining a fraternity before you know it!"

"When hell freezes over," Weevil said firmly. "J & E is staying busy. Between it and the twins, I don't have time for anything else. Of course, I'd die before joining the pod people."

"Like they'd have you," Dick said with a sneer.

"I'm so wounded," Weevil replied dryly.

"We're about to head to my bio parents for lunch," Mac said. "Then my parents for dinner. Full day."

"I'm on my way to work. I'm going to stop by J & E before heading to Hearst. My final shift is two to ten," Weevil said.

"Later, dude," Dick said. Weevil waved and left. Mac and Dick followed him out.

A short time later, Mac and Dick were at the Sinclairs passing out some souvenirs they'd picked up. Lauren really loved the handcrafted necklace Mac got her. Mac had given Marilyn and Madison a similar one. Madison had been surprised by the gesture and managed to give Mac a polite thank you.

"So are you ready for classes?" her dad asked.

"Yeah, I have some challenging courses this semester. All my gen-ed requirements are done," Mac said.

"That's the beauty of being a business major," Dick said with a grin, "the gen-ed classes were the challenging ones! Smooth sailing from here!"

Everyone laughed.

"Well, you have a decided advantage over your classmates since you are already in business for yourself," Marilyn said.

"Yep and every time I get assigned to create a business model or a similar project, it's a piece of cake," Dick said smugly.

"Madison's going to get to decorate a real house this semester," Lauren said eagerly. "Isn't that cool?"

Mac looked at Madison. "Really? Do you have a house picked out yet?" she wondered.

"No, but I have a month," Madison said with a shrug. "We're not allowed to use a family member's house."

"You can use mine if you want," Mac found herself offering. Then she winced. "I mean, I'll talk to my roommates, but Jazmin had supplied most of the decoration in the place. Now she's moved out."

Marilyn gave her a proud look. The kindness of Mac's gesture wasn't lost on her. "Cindy, that's so generous of you!" she gushed.

Madison looked wary, but said, "Are you sure? 'Cause I don't want to hear about it if you hate what I do."

"Don't worry. Daisy will probably be in charge, so you'll have to deal with her. If you can please her, you can please anyone!" Mac said with a grin.

"Daisy? That really awful Hispanic girl Veronica's always with?" Madison asked, blanching.

"She's an acquired taste, but she's great once you get to know her. Veronica and her were enemies when they first met," Mac shared. "She's the first woman I've ever met that could effectively hold her own against Veronica. Eventually, Veronica found her amusing, especially when she quit dating Wallace."

"There you go, sweetie. If you can manage to handle a difficult client before you graduate, you'll do very well on your own some day," Marilyn said with an encouraging smile.

"Well, if they agree, okay," Madison said. "Thanks."

"Hold your thanks until you manage to deal with Daisy without insulting her. It'll be a real exercise in self-restraint," Mac couldn't resist adding.

"Like that'll happen. Maddie's never learned to hold her catty comments," Dick said with a snicker.

Madison glared at him. Their father intervened before things got out of hand. "Now I'm sure Madison knows dealing with people you don't like is just a part of business," he said, giving her a pointed look. "It'll be a good experience for her."

Marilyn clapped her hands excitedly. "And you two will have a project to do together! It'll be so wonderful!" she exclaimed.

"I'll talk to the girls, but why don't you plan to come over next Sunday afternoon? You can look at the place and get a feel for our tastes and stuff," Mac said.

"Did you guys get out the blood stain from Jazmin's room where she killed the lunatic David?" Dick asked.

Mac elbowed him as her mom gasped at the reminder. "Dick!"

"Well, I was just wondering. I never go upstairs since your room is downstairs," Dick said sheepishly.

"I don't think I could live in a house where some guy died in," Lauren said with a shudder.

"If Daisy can deal with sleeping in the room, then Parker and I can get past it," Mac said. "A redecoration would probably go a long way to helping with that."

"Maybe you should get started earlier than your class requires, Madison," their mom suggested. "I'm sure it'll make things much easier for the girls."

Madison grimaced. She wasn't sure this was a good idea, but she did need a house to decorate. Plus, it'll make them happy if she and Mac could manage to get along. Now that she realized Lauren still loved her and considered Madison just as much her sister as before, it was easier to let go of her resentment toward Mac. Not to mention, Mac's mom Cindy was pretty cool. "Sure," she said.

Mac hoped this impulsive offer of hers didn't turn into a huge regret, but she figured Daisy would be more than a match for Madison.

******The Next Day******

Daisy drove into Neptune with a lot on her mind. She'd spent the week talking to her cousins about Jason. They'd convinced her that she'd overreacted with him. Most of them had been in Puerto Rico and saw first hand how much Jason cared about her when he'd came with her to the funeral. Her cousin Nancy told her that she was being a spoiled brat. Her mom had told her that love never came without risks and some heartache. When she finally got it right, it'd be worth it. Daisy wasn't sure, but she knew that she missed Jason much more than she ever thought she would. Not being in Neptune made it harder to hold on to her anger toward him. She regretted asking Mac to make sure they had none of the same classes this semester. If they weren't in class together, she'd have no real excuse to see him.

Her phone rang as she was pulling up at her new house. "Hello?"

"Hi, Daisy. It's Leo."

"Deputy Leo. It's good to hear from you. How are you?" she asked. Leo was very sweet and a good-looking guy. If he didn't cause her pulse to race as much as Jason's, it didn't matter. At least she didn't have to worry about him hurting her.

"Great. I was wondering if you were back in town," he asked.

"I just pulled up to the house actually. Perfect timing," she said as she turned off the car.

"Do you feel like going out to dinner?" he asked hopefully.

Daisy hesitated. She didn't want to lead on a perfectly nice man. Then again, a dinner didn't have to be a big deal. She'd make a point of talking to him about where her head and heart were at. "That sounds great. Why don't you pick me up at seven?" she suggested.

"I'll see you then," he said.

Daisy hung up the phone feeling conflicted. She wasn't sure if she wanted to start the new year out playing games. She knew she could easily use Leo to torment Jason. A part of her wanted Jason to prove to her how much she mattered. She didn't want to risk letting him back in if he was just going to disappoint and hurt her a few months down the road. Finally, she opened up the car door and got out. Maybe she shouldn't worry so much. Maybe she should think of this as a new beginning. She'll go through whatever door opened up. Maybe she should just live in the moment. She was too young to start developing frown lines!

******Chapter End*******