DISCLAIMER: Characters of Veronica Mars, the canon events of their storylines, and recognizable dialogue belong to Rob Thomas.

A/N:

Apologies for the delay. I got a bit … distracted. An idea came to me last month and I followed it all the way down the rabbit hole. Long story short, I wrote three chapters of Part 4 and now have a complete rough draft of Part 5.

It took me a minute to get my head back here in Part 2.

This chapter contains bits of #2.3 "Cheatty Cheatty Bang Bang" and #2.4 "Green-Eyed Monster."

Chapter 7

My first several days at home, it seemed that all I did was rest and answer a revolving door of guests.

One day, Wallace came by to talk. He filled in the gaps that Dad had left in his version of the trip to Chi-town. A few sentences into his ramble, I understood why my dad hadn't told me more. The man who had recognized Alicia was Nathan Woods, her ex-husband – and Wallace's real father. His mom explained how messed up his father got, why she left him and changed her name. When she married Hank Fennel, he adopted Wallace. Nathan Woods had written letters to Wallace that Alicia never showed him. She admitted that she should have told him sooner, but considering the stuff his dad had gotten himself into, she thought she was protecting Wallace.

The way he told it, he and his mom had yelled quite a bit before they calmed down enough to talk it through. Then, there were hugs and tears.

He was still upset that she had waited so long to tell him, but he knew his mom loved him, which meant she had probably just done what she thought best at the time. He also knew Hank Fennell had loved him as if he were his own.

When I asked why she had told him now, he said mostly because she saw him in Chicago and got thinking about him again. But he also thought she was concerned that he would try to track her down.

After Wallace finished telling me about his family drama, he told me about the time he'd been spending with Jackie. Hanging out, making out. It seemed to be getting serious and I hadn't even met her yet. I tried to keep an open mind, but part of me was itching to do a background check.

Since Dad was working, I invited Wallace to stay for dinner. Right after I ordered the pizza, I went back into my bathroom and called Alicia to let her know that Wallace was going to be at my place for a while. She said that she figured that he had gone to see me and thanked me for calling so she could stop worrying.

After the pizza arrived, I settled in on the couch next to my BFF to watch tv. When there was a knock at the door, Wallace got up to answer it. Weevil was expecting to see me when the door opened.

Wallace moved to the side and pointed to the pizza. "Help yourself, man." Then, he walked back to the couch and snuggled in beside me again.

As Weevil was picking up a slice, he glanced over and saw the two of us cozied up on the couch. I saw the look in his eyes. I knew that he didn't have a problem with Wallace directly, but clearly did not like to share me with someone else.

When Weevil went to the fridge to get something to drink, I whispered to Wallace, "Can you move to the chair?"

"Why?"

With a head tilt toward the kitchen, I mouthed the word "please."

He nodded in understanding just before getting up to get another piece of pizza. While he was up, Weevil walked toward me with a question in his eyes.

I smiled and patted the cushion next to me. "Have a seat." I curled into his side, sighing as I said, "I'm so glad you're here." Kissing his cheek, I whispered, "I'll explain later. He had a rough day."

He set his plate down and turned to me. He took my face in his hands and began to kiss me.

Wallace groaned. "Seriously?! Like I'm not subjected to enough of this when our parents are together?"

Weevil growled his response. "If it bothers you, you are free to leave."

Smacking Weevil's arm, I said to Wallace, "You're welcome to stay … as long as you want. But don't be surprised when my possessive boyfriend kisses me."

Picking up his plate, Weevil put one arm around my shoulders and settled in beside me. "What she said."

For all the playful bickering, there was no tension in the room. I was thankful for that. We watched the rest of the movie in near silence. Dad came home just before the credits rolled.

"Sweetie, I don't mean to break up this wild party of yours, but it's getting late and you need to …"

"Get your rest," Weevil finished Dad's thought.

Wallace stood first and leaned over to give me a hug. As I walked him to the door, Dad said goodnight and excused himself, walking back to the bathroom. That gave Weevil and I a moment alone.

"I'm sorry. I know you probably came over expecting that we'd have the apartment to ourselves. But Wallace just found out some stuff. Stuff that was hard to swallow. It's not my place to tell you details. He just needed a friend."

"That why you two were all cuddly on the couch?"

I nodded.

"And there's really never been anything between you two?"

"No – not the way you mean. Do I love him? Yes. He's like the brother I never had." Then, I pressed my lips against his. "What I feel for you is definitely not sisterly."

His arms wrapped around me and he deepened the kiss. "I don't like sharing you. Not with your dad or Wallace." At that moment, Backup came up and pressed himself against our legs, trying to work his way between us. "Not even Backup."

"Yeah, I got that."

"But I am willing to put up with it. A small amount of it. I wouldn't normally, but …"

"But what?"

"You're worth it."

My eyes got misty and I sighed. "You say the sweetest things."

[

[

The next day, Weevil came over for a couple hours. Finally having some time alone, I assumed he would immediately get up close and personal. But apparently, he had been wanting to talk to me for days – just didn't want to get into this in front of other people.

Letty's new doctor was able to get to the root of the health problems she had been having. After exhausting all the options he could think of, he called a long-time colleague to talk it through and get a new perspective on her case. His old friend suggested running a test for heavy metals. Turns out, that friend is a genius, because her test came back with toxic levels of three metals. The highest level – and likely the cause of most of her symptoms – was lead.

The doctor had Weevil and the other kids in the house tested also. They had 'above normal' levels of lead, but not nearly as high as Letty's. He hypothesized that an underlying condition could have compromised her body's ability to flush the heavy metals from her system. Weevil mentioned to him that she drank more water than anyone else in the house. If it was coming from the pipes, that would mean that she was ingesting more than the others. They were going to have the water at the house tested later in the week.

Also, the research her doctor had done showed that some imported candy contained lead that leached into the candy from the ink in the wrapper. Turns out, her favorite candy from Mexico had one of the highest levels of lead.

At least, they now had some idea of how to treat her. For one thing, she would have to find a new favorite candy. The doctor would be starting chelation treatment at her next appointment, scheduled for a few days from now. Chelation would remove the metals from her system. He recommended that Weevil and the other kids go through a shorter treatment cycle and then do follow-up testing. The doctor was concerned about how the lead might be affecting their school performance.

If it turned out that the water at the house had toxic levels of lead, they would need to filter not only the water they drink, but also what they use to prepare food. The doctor even mentioned getting a filter for the showerhead. He strongly suggested that they talk to their landlord about the pipes and that they might need to move.

So … good news, bad news? They know what's wrong with Letty and it's treatable. But it would not get better overnight and there was the possibility of a move in their future.

When he was finished with the health update, he walked over to the kitchen and poured a glass of water from the filter pitcher we used.

Staring at the glass, he said, "They tell you to drink plenty of water … that it's good for your health. Then, you find out that depending on what neighborhood you live in … and how old the pipes are … the water can actually make you sick. One more thing that's not fair."

He settled in next to me, leaning against my shoulder. I hadn't seen him this exhausted in a while. Folding a section of the blanket on my lap to make a pillow, I told him lie down and put his head on my legs. He didn't even try to argue with me. The position he ended up in – on his side, but leaning a bit forward – allowed me to rub his back.

Not long after, he fell asleep. I sat there thinking about many things, including the fact that if I ever got married, this was the type of relationship I wanted to have with my husband – that we would take care of each other. Even when both of our lives seemed to be under attack. We would be on the same team. No. Matter. What.

With everything he had going on – his grandma's health and helping out at home, whatever Thumper was into, finishing high school when most people expected him to fail – he was still here for me through everything that had happened in the past several months. For nearly a year, he had been one of the few people I could count on.

Sitting here with him – being a safe place for him to talk and rest – it felt good to be able to do something for someone else for a change. It felt good to be alive and have the opportunity to do it. I would need to remind myself of that every time even a whisper of survivor's guilt crept into my mind. I might never know why I had lived and the others had died, but since I'm still here, it was my responsibility to do something with this life of mine.

[

[

About a week later, Letty showed up on our doorstep. I was in my bedroom, but I overheard most of what she said to my dad.

Letty began, "You are busy. Many things to do. But your precious daughter is home and that is most important. And a great joy." She paused. "This week, every time I cooked a meal, I doubled the recipe and froze the extra." A bag rattled. "For your freezer. Should be enough for two weeks of dinner. Less than that if Eli joins you."

As she finished talking, I wandered out from my bedroom. "Hello, Mrs. Navarro. It's nice to see you."

She took a few steps toward me about gently pulled me into a hug. "Veronica, it looks like you're feeling better."

"You must be feeling better too if you're doing all this extra cooking. Knowing I get to eat your cooking for days on end? That makes me feel better." I started to unload the bag of food and rearranged the freezer to get everything to fit. "Thank you for all of this."

My dad added, "Yes, Letty, thank you, but you really didn't have to do this."

"I disagree. You and Veronica are important to Eli. He's different – still changing, but so different than even a year ago. You both have done so much for him. What I have done for you is small compared to that." She patted the side of my face affectionately.

It was easy to see where Weevil got his protective tendencies. Also, his tender, loving side. In that moment, I wished that she was my grandma. For all the not-so-good things in Weevil's life, when it came to his grandma, he was blessed.

While my thoughts meandered, Dad acknowledged that he had seen the change in Weevil, too. "Since you're here, would you like to stay for a few minutes? I just made some coffee."

When I finished loading up the freezer, I excused myself and went back to my room, leaving them to talk. It was obvious that Letty was grateful to my dad for being a male role model for her grandson.

I didn't know if Weevil and I would be together long term. I mean, how many high school relationships go the distance? But right now, Weevil and I were together. By extension, I gained a grandma and he gained a father. For all the bad things that had happened in my life the past few years, it seemed like God might be on my side recently – surviving the bus crash and being surrounded by people who not only cared about me, but took care of me.

[

Mac dropped by later that same evening. She had texted me to tell me that she had gone over to the Sinclair house for dinner, but she wanted to give me the full update in person.

"It was strange. You know? I mean, I talked to Lauren alone in their library when we crashed Madison's birthday party. And I talked to Ellen, my bio mom, when I went back to get my purse. But the only time I had met Charles, my bio dad, was when both families got together."

She took a long pause, playing with the sleeve of her sweater. I just waited until she was ready to continue.

Finally, she said, "It was strange, but nice. Getting a taste of what it would have been like to be part of that family. It felt like coming home … and at the same time, I was so angry. Looking at the vacation photos they have around the house, seeing everywhere they had traveled … the museums alone could make me spit nails. No way did Madison appreciate what she had. And it wasn't even hers. Not really." She grabbed a pillow and started to pound out her frustration. Then, she hugged it to her chest. "I know they feel bad – not just because Madison is dead, obviously they're grieving – but when they all saw how naturally I fit in with them …" She sighed. "I think they realize that the choice they all made as parents was not the right choice for the kids. At least, not for this kid. I can tell that they feel guilty. But they also don't want to press too hard to get to know me. Like, it'll scare me off … or Sam and Natalie will put a stop to it."

"Are you going to see them again?"

"Yeah. They have a weekly family game night. They gave me an open invitation to show up if I don't have anything else on my calendar."

"That's cool." I said it almost like a question, because I couldn't tell if she was okay with it or not.

"Yeah. It is. But I have a feeling the more I get to know them, the more complicated my life is going to be. One family is hard enough to deal with. Balancing two sets of parents plus siblings? Add in the swapped at birth angle? Uber-complex."

"No argument here. But Mac? You excel at all things uber-complex." I wrapped my arms around her and told her that everything would be okay.

"Thanks. I was hoping you'd know what to say."

[

[

The next afternoon, Weevil came over after school. We were on the couch and he had pulled me into his lap, straddling his legs. Just as things were getting hot and heavy, I heard my phone ringing. I had left it on my desk, so I needed to get up to answer it.

After I picked it up and started talking, I sat down on my desk chair. When I ended the call, I looked up to see him leaning against the wall.

"V, what is it?"

Pointing at my phone, I said, "That? Nothing. Can you get me a glass of water?"

When he returned with the water, he knelt in front of me. "Are you okay?"

"Yes ... No ... Not sure."

"Talk to me, nena."

"I was just a little lightheaded. But there is something that I should probably …" I paused, considering where to begin. "Only if you promise not to get upset. And not to say anything to my dad. For right now, at least."

"Talk," he said in his gentle command tone of voice.

"I told my doctor about this, but not anyone else." I knew that I should tell him, but I was still hesitant. "There are times … when you or Dad … or even Mac and Wallace … are talking … reminiscing about things that have happened …"

When I didn't continue, he prompted me, "V?"

"Sometimes, I don't know what you're talking about." I could tell by his expression that he did not understand what I meant. "There are holes in my memory."

"What did the doctor say?"

"That he wasn't concerned … yet. Thought that once I got home – in a familiar environment – that things would come back to me."

"You talked to him when you were still in the hospital? And you're just telling me this now?"

"Yes. I didn't want you or Dad to worry. Any more than you already were … are."

"I'd ask what you don't remember … so that I could fill in the gaps for you … but that would be a silly question. How could you tell me what you can't remember?" He studied my eyes as if trying to search for my lost memories there. "Why bring this up now?"

"I need to ask you about something."

Still kneeling, he put his hands on my knees and inched closer to me, moving between my thighs. "Anything."

"My birthday. The surprise you planned for me. Were we in one of the state rooms?"

"You don't remember? Yes, we changed before going out on the deck to the jacuzzi. After that, we came back inside to shower and change clothes."

"I have a picture in my mind … a single image ... of us on the bed."

He nodded and waited for me to continue.

"Did we …" Unable to finish my question, I closed my eyes, took a deep breath, and tried again. "Did we … have sex that day?"

"No."

Opening my eyes, I asked, "Have we … ever …?"

"No."

"Earlier … when we were out on the couch … things started … getting …" I looked away. "It seemed like you … were expecting …"

"Carino, no. Not expecting. Wanting, yes. Expecting, no."

He held my face in his hands, his thumbs stroking my cheeks. His touch settled my nerves.

"Did we ever talk about … when we would?"

"No."

"But when we were out there … you were … um. It doesn't bother you that we stopped?"

"No. I'm just so damn happy you're alive—"

"But isn't it … I don't know … physically uncomfortable for you."

He shrugged. "So, I'll take a long shower when I get home."

"You mean … you …?"

"I think the word you're looking for is masturbate." He seemed amused by my reaction. "I'm a teenage guy, V."

Curiosity got the better of me and the question was out of my mouth before I could stop it. "What do you think about?"

"You. What else?" Brushing my hair away from my face, he said, "Trust me, I'm looking forward to when we finally sleep together. Those fantasies keep me plenty busy."

"Should we talk about … when?" Just as I got the question out, we heard my dad come in the door.

"Some other time."

We listened as Dad's footsteps came down the hallway and into my room.

"Eli." He did not seem happy to find us alone together in my room.

"Sheriff."

"What's going on?"

"Mac called. As I was getting off the phone with her, I got a little lightheaded. He just brought me some water and was making sure I was okay before I tried to stand up."

Dad's eyes went back and forth between our faces and the phone and glass of water on my desk. "But you're feeling better?"

"Yes."

"Because I need to go back out for a little while. Unless you need me to stay here."

"I can stay," Weevil said. "For a while anyway."

"I should only be an hour. Text me if you need to leave before I get back."

Weevil was still in front of me after Dad left. My eyes were drawn to a tattoo on his neck.

"Have I seen all your tattoos?"

He nodded. "That day on the boat."

"I don't remember. Can I see them now?"

He hesitated before taking off his shirt. "I need to tell you something. Something I told you that day." Taking my hands, his tone turned serious. "You remember about me and Lilly?"

"Yes. When she and Logan broke up. Letters. Spy pen retrieved from her bedroom."

"Okay. Good. Anyway … what I told you that day … about a year after she died, I got a tattoo."

"Show me."

He blinked in surprise and let out a small laugh as he said, "That's exactly what you said that day on the boat."

Standing up, he pulled his tshirt off over his head.

I stood and traced the ones on his chest and arms. "Where is it?"

He turned just enough for me to see it, while still being able to look over his shoulder to watch my face.

It was bigger than I expected. My hand moved involuntarily to touch the letters that spelled the name of my best friend, his former lover. Making eye contact with him, I placed my hands on the side of his torso, wordlessly asking him to turn more. Now able to see his whole back, my hands explored the skin before me. I felt him shiver under my touch. Suddenly, I had urges I couldn't quite explain.

I leaned against his back and wrapped my arms around his abdomen. With my cheek pressed into the back of his shoulder, I let out a happy sigh. As comfortable and natural as it felt being like this, I would have expected him to say that we had slept together.

His hand rubbed up and down my forearm. "You okay?"

"Yeah. I am."

He turned around and began to kiss me. I walked him over to the bed and nudged him until he sat down.

"What are you doing, V?"

"I was hoping you'd hold me while I rest for a while." My hormones wanted more than that, but for now, that would be enough.

"Hold you? Lying in your bed … after you got me half-naked?"

A giggle escaped my mouth and I could tell that I was blushing. "Yes."

"How about … I put the shirt back on … and we go out to the couch? That way if we fall asleep and your dad comes home …"

He was right, of course. My dad would not be happy to find us in my bed. In any state of dress.

Once we were curled up on the couch, I said with my cheek on his chest, "One of these days, we should talk about when."

"We will, querida."

Logan had appropriately named his party. Life is short. I knew that better than most people my age. And there were some things I wanted to experience before I died. The body of my hot biker boyfriend was one of those things. I'm told it's legendary.

While he held me on the couch, he asked a series of questions. I was thankful that my face was resting on his chest. If I had to look him in the eye for this discussion, it would have been more difficult.

He asked if I remembered Club Mojo. I told him that I remembered the name from the missing person case.

"But not going there?"

"I was there?"

"Once." He seemed surprised and concerned. "Do you remember doing surveillance from across the street?"

I told him that I remembered that we solved the case, but not much more than that.

"Do you remember the night Aaron Echolls was arrested?"

"I found the tapes in Lilly's room. We were on your bike. He ran us off the road. We went into the woods. He shot your ear."

"What about talking to your dad after he got there?"

"About us seeing each other? Yes."

There was a long pause. He must have been deciding what else he wanted to ask me.

"Helping me get my poker winnings back?"

"Mm-hmm."

"What about hanging out at Rest Stop 15? Do you remember that, Betty?"

"No."

"Really? Polly the parrot? Spending the day at Pan High? Nothing?"

I had no clue what he was talking about.

"What about the undercover agent who was here to find out who was behind the bomb threats?"

"Yes."

"Logan kissing you at the Camelot? Our conversation at the beach after that?"

Lifting my head to look into his eyes, I said, "Yes. And the bike ride before you brought me home."

"How much do you remember about the talks with Felix and I about the problems we're having with Thumper?"

Before answering, I put my head back down. "I called Felix after he made me uncomfortable a couple times. Then, the three of us talked. Here … and in the warehouse."

"Anything else?"

"I know that there's more to it, but you haven't told me much … to protect me." I traced the logo on his tshirt with my fingertip as I asked, "Does counsel have any other questions for this witness?"

"Yes. Where and when was our first public kiss?"

"Last spring. In the hallway at school. Surrounded by shocked faces." Changing my tone to playful and flirtatious, I added, "I also seem to recall some clandestine meetings in the shop. Not sure how many of those there were."

He laughed at that. "Yeah. There were a few of those. But we met in the bathroom more often."

After that, he went quiet for a while.

Finally, I spoke up. "That's a lot of questions. Gonna tell me what you think I ought to remember about being at the club?"

I'm not entirely sure that he would have answered my question right then, but he didn't get a chance to because Dad was at the door.

Quickly, he said, "Another time. Your dad knows some of it, but not all."

As Dad stepped into the apartment, he nodded and said, "Eli. How's our girl doing?"

It warmed my heart that he said "our" not "my girl."

Weevil shifted to sit up and then stand, leaving me to stretch out on the couch. "Seems to be fine, but she hasn't been up on her feet much since you left."

Looking over at me, my father said, "We need to be sure to tell your doctor about this at your next appointment."

I rolled my eyes as I said, "Yes, Dad." But I knew he was right to be concerned.

A/N:

I have written the rough draft of Chapter 8. It should be up within a few weeks.

The other day, I found something sitting in my "Ideas" folder ... posted today as a Weevil/Veronica one-shot titled Just One Night.

Thanks for reading! Until next time …

~Jen

16 March 2018