I'm going to dedicate this chapter to 1st LT Melissa Stockwell. On April 13, 2004 while serving her country in Iraq she lost her leg above her knee to an IED explosion. She was the first woman to loose a limb in war. This is a tiny token of appreciation. She relearned to walk and rebuilt her life. Now 2 and half years later she has a goal of swimming to Olympic gold in 2008.

Part 8

The Gilmore Girls Meet Wallace Fennel

Rory sat on a bench next to her mother drinking their afternoon coffee. She had less then an hour before needing to get back to the paper. If she didn't she knew there would be a repeat of the incident a few months ago in which Paris Gellar single handedly caused a 75 percent drop in staff. There were only 5 staff members willing to weather that storm. But if it ever happened again she knew she would be the only one left to put the paper to bed. Well Veronica, being the workaholic she is, would still be there. The antics of Paris Gellar had yet to faze her and Logan would likely be a supportive as well as a well known figure. Every little bit helps.

She sat there thinking when her mother broke in, "am I so boring that you have to revert to the Brad Pitt scenario in your head."

"Sorry mom. I was thinking about the paper."

"Wasn't Brad Pitt a journalist once?"

"I'm pretty sure that was Christian Slater. I was actually thinking about Paris."

"Ouch! That kind of hurt, Honey. Unless you think she's a vampire in dire need of an interview. I would feel better knowing you had a healthy imagination. I'm not sure Paris in your head qualifies as healthy."

"Yeah well I don't want her in my head either but if I don't get back she might be the cause of the senior staff quitting again. Then that would leave only three of us to put the paper to bed."

"Three…my first two guesses would be my lovely daughter and her handsome boyfriend. Who might be the third member of the trio be? Certainly not Paris Gellar."

"Veronica Mars. She seems to be immune to the antics of Paris Gellar."

"Thick skinned?"

"She has a very…" her sentence trailed off when a handsome young man walked by using a cane for support. He was wearing a crisp military uniform. In Rory's mind he could only be one person.

"Rory?" Lorelai asked waving her hand in front of her daughter's eye.

"Mom do you know who that is?" She said pointing vaguely at the military man who had just walked by.

"Should I?"

Rory didn't answer her mother. She stood up and bolted after the young man calling out, "Wallace! Wallace Fennel!"

He stopped with the sound of his name. He turned to the source seeing a young college student standing in the middle of the court yard staring at him, "do I know you?"

"God, it really is you. I had hoped."

"My brain has been scrambled a little bit recently but I don't think we've actually met."

"I'm sorry. I'm Rory Gilmore. I know Veronica Mars."

"You've seen Veronica."

"We met a couple of months back. She works on the Yale paper with me."

"How is she?"

"She misses you. She doesn't think I know but she's been calling every military installation from coast to coast trying to find you. She called the Pentagon, an Iraq Seal support Team, Camp Pendleton, Cherry Point. I even think she managed to contact people in White House. For the life of me I can't figure out were she gets her sources but she hasn't quit since she heard about the explosion your convoy was in. She has never given up."

"She's Veronica Mars. She has spent her entire life scaring and surprising people. She spent more than a year looking for her mom and investigating her best friend's murder. I'm happy to hear I ranked with the most important people in her life."

"What happened to you? Where have you been for the last few months?"

"Can you take me to Veronica?"

"Yeah…yes of course. Lucky for you she's a workaholic."

"That's my Veronica."

By this time Lorelai caught up to her daughter, "hi, honey. Remember me? Are you going to introduce me to your mystery man?"

"I'm sorry mom. Wallace this is my mom, Lorelai. Mom, this is Wallace Fennel."

"You mean Veronica's Wallace?"

"Yeah, he's going to tell me what happened to him and I'm going to take him to the paper." Rory looked at her watch cringing, "we better get over there I have another 15 minutes before Paris comes out of her hole and start making people cry."

They started walking and Rory asked again, "so, Mr. Fennel. What happened to you?"

"Actually it's Sergeant Fennel and I'll tell you what I can remember…I was right in the center of that explosion…I still don't know how I survived. I was thrown more than 100 yards from where I was standing. The guy standing next to me, Joey, wasn't so lucky…Shrapnel rained down on us. I ended up with a serve concussion, a dislocated shoulder, four broken ribs, a hell of a lot cuts, bruises, and burns…I was in rehab at Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio…" Wallace stopped talking.

"How long were you in San Antonio?"

"Two months relearning to walk. I know I should have called Veronica before now but I couldn't stand the thought of her seeing me like that. I didn't feel like a complete man. I was angry. Anyway when I was well enough I was flown to San Diego. That is were my family is. I finally told my mom I had to see Veronica. She's been through so much. I came here because I realized something…" his voice cracked and he trailed off.

He was silent while Rory waited. She knew if she stayed quiet he would begin to speak on his own. She made sure to catch her mom's eye telling her with a stare 'don't say anything'.

Suddenly Wallace began to speak again, "When I woke up after the explosion I couldn't remember anything. I didn't even know my own name. The only thing I could remember from my life was an image of a girl… petite, blonde hair, blue eyes, and persnickety. She was my angel of mercy. She is the reason I wanted to survive."

"Wow…" Rory whispered.

They continued to walk through campus with Rory leading the way.

"The amnesia lasted a couple of weeks. Everyday I began to remember little things then with bright flashed in my head the big things started coming back. Needless to say I know who I am and I know who my parents are. I also know Veronica Mars is my best friend but I do hope I can convince her of more…tell me she's not seeing anyone."

"I don't see her very much throughout the day but I can't see how she has the time for dating. Beyond her classes she is on the paper and works part time at one of the student book stores. She even runs. There can't be that many hours in the day."

"Too much has happened to her. She doesn't sleep", he said simply.

She walked next to Wallace allowing him to set the pace. She couldn't help taking furtive glances his way. Although Veronica rarely spoke about him Rory knew somehow that this man, this Marine, Wallace Fennel, occupied her mind every waking moment and more than likely her dreams. She waved her mom back. She turned her head to him then spoke softly, "you love her don't you?"

He stopped walking in order to face her, "with every beat of my heart and every breath I take. With everything I am or ever hope to be." With that he turned back to their previous direction and started walking again.

She looked suspiciously as her mom, "uh, shouldn't you be getting back to Stars Hollow?"

"Sweetie I'm not missing this", Lorelai told her daughter in low voice.

"This way", Rory said guiding Wallace and up the stair of a pillared building. Lorelai was following close behind.

"Mom what are doing?" Rory said stopping her mom.

"It's on a rare occasion when a long lost love returns. I need a happy ending if I am to ever believe there is one in my future."

Rory gave her mom a knowing look, "Luke is going to marry you."

Lorelai shook her head without saying a word.

Rory slowed to a stop pointing at an open door, "this is the Yale paper. Her desk is in the very back on the left."

Before Wallace entered the room he could hear Veronica's voice in a heated and apparently one sided conversation. "Paris this thing you have built", she said gesturing the crudely built structure in front of her. "Its nuts, bonkers…it's freakin' insane."

The girl in which Veronica directed these words was throwing daggers with here eyes. It put a whole new spin on 'if looks could kill'.

Before either of them could throw the first inevitable punch Wallace Fennel filled the room with him own booming voice, "VERONICA MARS! RETRACT CLAWS!" Speak from the diaphragm the Marine Corps had taught him well.

Veronica stopped in the middle of her next sentence. She turned her head slowly as if in a dream in the direction of her name. Wallace was standing there in the middle of the desks.

"Wallace?" she whispered dropping the papers she had clutched in her hand and letting them float noiselessly to the floor. Her eyes filled with tears. She couldn't believe the sight of Wallace Fennel with a high and tight haircut wearing Marine Corps blues. The last time she had seen him he was boarding a bus for basic training. He had not been given his military haircut nor been issued uniforms. That was more than a year ago. Almost two years have gone by.

Paris now forgotten stood stunned and motionless as Veronica turned her back on her. Veronica shot forward and launched herself into the arms of her, previously missing in action, best friend.

Wallace staggered back slightly dropping him cane with a loud clattered as it hit the floor. Rory stood just behind him and was able to keep him from falling backward with a supportive hand to his back.

"Oh God I thought…they told me…I didn't believe it…I kept searching…" Veronica now in sobbing tears couldn't form a complete sentence.

"I know V…I know. I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry", he said putting his face against hers. She hesitantly put both feet back on the ground and he gathered her face in both hands pulling her to him. He kissed her gently tasting her sweet lips.

"Wallace", she breathed when they broke apart. He was different and she knew it he was now tender in a way he wasn't before and it made her asked, "What happened to you?"

"I was hurt pretty badly in that explosion. Once I healed enough the military sent me Texas. I couldn't let you see me like that."

"It wouldn't have mattered to me."

"I know that V but it mattered to me. I didn't feel like a complete man. I'm not a complete man."

"I don't understand."

He bent down to pick up the cane and then lifted his pant leg revealing a sleek titanium prosthetic, "I'm told they used this type of metal in supersonic military aircraft."

"Wallace?"

"The explosion took most of my leg. This prosthetic goes right above my knee. It was a bitch to figure out because I had to figure out how the hydraulic knee and shocks worked with the rest of me. This is why I didn't call you right away. I spent two months at Brooke Army Medical Center relearning to walk. I did it as much for you as for myself. I had to be able to meet you again like this…eye to eye. I had to be able to kiss you without seeing pity it your eyes."

"You are too much apart of me for me to see anything beyond what we have right here."

They stood together locked in an embrace they didn't want to release. She looked up as he looked down. The Yale newsroom dissolved away. At that very moment no one else existed. They were back on that California beach again with soft sand at there feet, a gentle orange glow of the setting sun and waves crashing all around them. At that very moment nothing else existed beyond Wallace Fennel and Veronica Mars.