Part 7

The reunion


The next morning, Veronica and Oliver called John, telling him to take the day off if he wanted. They knew that he wanted to go to the beach and surf a little and since they wanted to spend some time just the two of them, they gave him the opportunity he was looking for. John happily agreed and told them that he'd be back in time for the reunion that evening, knowing that it'd would look more impressive if Veronica came not only accompanied by Oliver Queen but if their bodyguard stayed by the door as well. Plus he had heard and read so much about Veronica's past time in Neptune that John was afraid someone would try to pick a fight and he couldn't have Oliver exposing his real fighting skills in public.

Oliver and Veronica took their time getting ready. They still hadn't made love yet but they spent a lot of time making out that morning and when they finally came out of their room, they made their way in town. They used the time to just act like any normal couple, walk around and talk. They told each other things they hadn't told anybody else and Veronica knew that Oliver really trusted her when he told her absolutely everything that he had gone through during his 5 years on the Island and not only the main stuff he had told John. She was surprised to learn that Sara Lance was probably still alive and that she hadn't tried to make it home or at least to warn her family.

They found a nice place to eat around lunch and visited a few more places Veronica wanted to show him before went back to their room around 5 so they could get ready.

"Before we go down and face Lucifer and his demons, I don't have to warn you not to get into a fight, right?" Veronica asked Oliver who was amused by her comparisons.

"Why would I get into a fight?"

"In this town, you never know. An opportunity to fight always comes up." She shook her head.

"Well, I can promise you that I'll try not to get into a fight. And if I do end up getting into a fight, I promise to win it." he smiled.

"You can't win it by fighting Vigilante style or you'll end up attracting too much attention to yourself." She explained worriedly while she straightened his tie.

"Don't worry Veronica, even if I end up having a reason to fight someone, John's coming with us. Oliver Queen, normal guy, will probably leave the fighting to his bodyguard while he wraps his arms tightly around his lovely girlfriend's waist." he reassured her, taking her in his arms and kissing her softly before looking at her with a smile.

"Good." She smiled back at him.

"So, how many ex boyfriends will I run into tonight?" he asked her.

"Well, Duncan won't be here or he'd risk getting arrested and having Lilly taken from him. Troy didn't stay in Neptune high long enough to be invited to this thing and Piz didn't come to high school with us so I guess that just leaves Logan."

"What about this Weevil I heard so much about?"

"Weevil and I were just friends, sometimes not even that. I did favors for him and he did favors for me when I needed to solve a case and couldn't do it on my own. We were favor friends. Never dated. Lilly's the one he dated." She shook her head.

"Okay then, are you ready to head down and face everyone?" He asked her.

"No but I don't think we have a choice. If we don't come down, Wallace and Mac will come up here to get us." Veronica smiled.

"Let's go then." He nodded, guiding her outside while making sure to keep his arm reassuringly around her waist.

.

As soon as Veronica and Oliver came in the room, everyone stared at them. While John stayed at the door, Veronica led her boyfriend to the welcoming table to get her name tag, making a point to ignore everyone who was watching her and frowning when she realized who was at the table.

"I'm shocked you even had the guts to show your face here tonight." Madison snarled at Veronica while her two friend eyed Oliver with envy.

Veronica knew that, somehow, Madison would find a way to blame the fact that Logan had cheated on her with Bonnie on her, even though she hadn't spoken to Logan since she had caught the two of them together while he was supposed to be too sick to go out with her. She wasn't surprised by her hostility but she did enjoy watching Madison's face morph from anger to jealousy and envy.

"Well, I knew you'd be here. Tell me honestly Madison, you've been standing here since graduation, haven't you?" Veronica replied, making Oliver chuckle before he kissed the side of her head, bringing Madison's attention to him only.

"Is that... Are you... How... I can't..." Madison was about to say more when Veronica smiled, satisfied with her boyfriend's impression on her old enemy and cut her off:

"Let's go Honey, there are some good people I want you to meet."

"Can't wait. Lead the way, my Love." he smiled as Madison glared daggers at Veronica.

"You know that if looks could kill she'd have killed you ten times since we left her table, right?" Oliver whispered in Veronica's ear, making her laugh.

"Oh, I do and I'm enjoying the fact that, for once, I'm making her suffer and not the other way around. It's well time she learned that karma is a bitch."

They walked and greeted Mac and Wallace before Wallace left to flirt with an ex cheerleader who had promised him a date if she was still single 10 years after graduation, leaving Mac alone with the couple.

"I still can't believe that you took a job for Jake Kane." Veronica told her friend, shaking her head.

"I know, believe me, I know that I've sold my soul to the devil... But the pay is so good!" Mac replied.

"You know, if you wanted to leave town, I could get you a job at Queen consolidated. In Starling City or anywhere in the world. I know how talented you are with a computer and we could use more people like you at Queen Consolidated." Oliver suggested, knowing that Mac was very talented as well with a computer.

"Thanks, I appreciate it but I'm kind of used to this town now. I don't know if I'd be able to leave." Mac replied.

"Well, the offer stands. You know where to find me if you change your mind. Any friend of Veronica is a friend of mine." Oliver smiled, making Veronica proud of him.

(AN: remember that in this story, Veronica is just as good as Mac is with a computer.)

"It would definitely be better than working for Jake Kane." Veronica agreed.

"I'll think about it. So, I know I'm changing the subject but Logan isn't here yet." Mac mentioned.

"He might not come if everyone thinks he killed that woman." Oliver commented.

"Oh, he'll show up. He probably just wants to make an entrance to make sure everyone sees him come in. Though I won't be surprised if he shows up drunk." Veronica replied without interest.

"He'll probably wait until Madison is busy with the video presentation before coming in. I don't think he'll have the guts to confront her yet." Mac added before shifting the discussion to other people and how much they had changed, or not.

Mac left them then to greet someone else and Veronica spotted Weevil and Dick, each on a side of the room. Without hesitation, she guided Oliver toward Weevil and the woman who was probably his wife. They talked for a few minutes, even making plans to meet one evening during their stay so Veronica could meet Valentina, Weevil's daughter, before Weevil had to go and see someone else.

It surprised Veronica to see how much Weevil had changed and she was truly happy for him. He had a beautiful wife, a charming daughter, a job he loved and a nice, normal life, far from what it was back when she left town about 9 years ago. He even got along well with Oliver and Veronica made a note in her head to invite Weevil and his family to visit her in Starling City later.

Wallace joined the couple again for a few minutes before Dick came and offered them some of the alcohol from his flask-belt, figuring that that would earn him some point in Oliver's eyes since he owned a club and was rumored to be a party boy as well. Veronica decided to be the better person and they talked with him for a few minutes, but refused the alcohol, before he walked off to see Gia.

"So, that was the infamous Dick... Interesting... I get the feeling that he's stuck in his teens." Oliver commented once he left.

"Yes he's kind of weird but not a bad person. Just the kind of person I'd like to avoid for the rest of my life." Veronica replied with a chuckle.

Veronica was introducing Oliver to Corny and catching up with her old friend when Logan entered the room, bringing everyone to stare at him. Veronica only glanced up to see who everyone was looking at before she went back to her conversation with Oliver. Corny left them and Wallace and Mac joined them again.

"Veronica, long time no see." Logan said from behind her.

"We'll be over there." Mac told them, pointing to the side.

She didn't want to be caught in the crossfire between Veronica and Logan if they started arguing or fighting.

"Not long enough." Veronica shook her head, leaning closer to Oliver.

"I'm surprised you came. I thought you'd stay in Starling city." Logan commented.

"The only surprise when it comes to you is that you're here sober. Or at least not as drunk as I thought you'd be." Veronica shook her head.

"You must be Oliver Queen, I heard that you came here with Ronny but I thought it was just gossip or something." Logan told Oliver, offering him his hand to shake.

Veronica cringe when he called her Ronny. It was a nickname she used to love but now hated. She didn't want to be reminded of that girl. Ronnie was Lilly's best friend and Duncan's girlfriend. Ronnie died when she was raped and when all of her friend abandoned her. She had told Logan how much she hated that nickname back when they were dating so either he hadn't cared enough to remember or he was saying it just to annoy her. Maybe he was trying to get her angry, to get a rise out of her.

"Why wouldn't I come with my girlfriend to her high school reunion?" Oliver replied as he accepted Logan's hand and shook it, tightening as much as he could to show Logan who really was the strongest male around.

"I'm Logan Echolls." Logan declared arrogantly, well aware that an Alpha male contest had just broken between the two of them.

"I know who you are." Oliver nodded uninterestingly.

"What do you want Logan, we're kind of busy here?" Veronica asked him, wanting him to leave her alone.

She wasn't really hurting anymore, she definitely didn't have any feelings left for him but she couldn't stand him, she just knew that if she spent too much time with him, he'd end up screwing up her life like he always seemed to do.

"I need your help Veronica. I didn't kill Bonnie, I need you to prove it to the sheriff. I know that you're still a PI, I know that you solve cases in Starling city and that you're even better at it now than you were back then, I've red the articles. I need your help." Logan pleaded.

Of course, over the time she had been in Starling city, Veronica had solved a few important and big cases that had put her name in the newspaper. A rich girl kidnapped, a famous star robbed... These kind of cases had gotten her a couple of headlines and the local newspapers spoke of her every few weeks. She was surprised that Logan cared enough to know about these but she tried not to show it.

"I'm not exactly here to stay Logan. I only came for the reunion because Wallace and Mac asked me to come. I have a job to get back to in Starling city." She argued.

"I can pay you for your work here, you know that." He argued.

"Money is not a problem for her." Oliver stepped in.

"Please Veronica, I really need your help, everyone else thinks I did it just because the sheriff wants me to be guilty." Logan pleaded again, trying very hard to ignore Oliver's presence but unable to keep his eyes away from the billionaire's hands around Veronica's waist.

"I don't even know where I would start, Logan. Oliver needs to be back in Starling City in a few days for an important meeting and I won't have enough time to look into this until then."

"Why don't you stay here without him? It's not like you need a man with you and if you feel like you do, I'm here." Logan chuckled while Oliver glared at him.

"Because we're together and I simply don't want to stay here on my own. Especially not to help you. I don't owe you anything Logan and I have a life waiting for me in Starling City." Veronica shook her head.

"I can pay you a lot of money Veronica, please. Please help me prove that I'm innocent." Logan tried at this moment to touch Veronica's arm but Oliver stopped him.

"You're far from innocent Logan. I heard why you're the main suspect, you were seeing Bonnie behind Madison's back. Kind of your pattern, right? Cheating on your girlfriend has always been your MO. You did it to Lilly, you did it to me and apparently you also did it to Madison. I'll see what I can find while we're in town when I don't have anything special planned but I can't promise anything. I have a lot planned in my short time here and I'm not sacrificing anything for you." Veronica replied coldly before she led Oliver further way to see the presentation on the screen.

"Do you think I was wrong to tell him that I'd look into it?" She asked Oliver.

"I know you enough to know that you want to know who did it. Not specially to clear Logan's name but because you want justice and you want to know the truth. Plus, you're not alone. John and I will help you, you know that." Oliver replied with a smile before he guided her to where Wallace and Mac waited.

"But you don't like him, right?" She asked him with a smile.

"You know me well." He smiled back before he kissed her and looked at the screen with her, by Mac and Wallace's side.

Weevil and his wife had joined them.

"What did we miss?" Veronica asked her friends, mentioning the video presentation.

"So far not much, they've shown pictures of the ones who are dead like Susan, Carrie and Felix, and they're starting to give out trophies." Wallace replied.

"Anyone we care about won something?" Veronica asked again.

"Not yet." Mac shook her head.

A few minutes later, Weevil proudly received a 'Most changed' trophy, which should have been the end of the presentation. Except it wasn't and by the look on Madison's face, Veronica knew that it wasn't an accident. On the screen, in front of everyone, was the video of Piz and her, not having sex but close enough, that had been done near the end of her freshman year at Hearst when she went after Jake Kane's secret society.

"You've got to be kidding me..." Veronica shook her head, not embarrassed but annoyed.

Oliver knew about the video, she had told him about it and, curious, he had looked for it.

"Hey! Shut this down now!" Wallace yelled before he ran for the back room where the video had to be playing to shut it down.

Already John was coming their way, ready to help any way he could while Madison's date, someone Veronica had never seen before or at least didn't recognize, tried to stop Wallace from going to the back room but Weevil pushed him away, always ready to help Veronica, especially after everything she had done for him. Another guy went in to help his friend and Logan jumped in the fight, surprisingly defending Veronica's honor.

Suddenly, it was becoming a big fight and John was trying to stop anyone from stopping Wallace.

"Looks like you were right about the fight. Don't worry, I'll be careful but I have to defend your honor, right?" Oliver smirked before he went by Weevil's side to fight those who were on Madison's side.

"This won't end well." Veronica muttered before she took a lighter from her purse and used it to set the sprinklers off.

"This is all your fault Veronica, I'm sure you're proud of yourself, aren't you? Even when you're not here you manage to create trouble and to ruin everything for everyone that's better than you. You always ruin everything!" Madison snapped at Veronica angrily.

"Don't start with me Madison. I don't see how any of this is my fault, whether you're speaking about this fight or about Logan cheating on you. You knew him, you knew he cheated on Lilly and on me and you still got with him. It's not on me, it's on you. Now move before I make you move." Veronica tried to tell her calmly.

She really wanted to go to Oliver and make sure that he was fine and hadn't exposed himself.

"Or what? You're going to taser me? Isn't that a little old school?" Madison smirked as water kept on falling on the room.

Smirking back confidently, Veronica punched Madison as hard as she could, knowing it would leave a mark.

"How's that Madison? Original enough for you?" Veronica asked her nemesis before noticing that the fight, and the video, had stopped and that Wallace, Oliver and John were back by her side.

"Nice punch, Love." Oliver complimented.

"Been a long time coming." She justified before checking if any of them were hurt.

Thankfully, none of them were injured and Oliver had managed to keep his fighting to a minimum, only preventing people from injuring Weevil or Wallace.

"Maybe we should leave, sir." John suggested.

"I totally agree. I've been here long enough, seen everyone I wanted to see and too many people I didn't want to see." Veronica nodded.

"But it's still early, we don't see you that often Veronica. Come on, don't call it a night!" Mac argued.

"Who said anything about calling it a night? I'm sure the 5 of us can find somewhere else to go tonight." Veronica smiled.

"There's the 09er, a new club. We could go there." Wallace suggested.

"Unless you want to go to the after party that Gia is throwing." Mac suggested.

"She did invite you and said that she wanted us to come." Oliver reminded her.

"Okay then, let's go to Gia's party, we can always leave it and go to the club if it's too boring." Veronica nodded.

All in all, the rest of the night went fine. John and Mac got along well and danced together a while, making Veronica wonder if her friend would end up coming to work in Starling city after all. Mac would be a great addition to their team.


Another part over and it keeps growing since I have planned a 9th part that will be all about creating Veronica's vigilante character. Her name, her costume, her weapons... You have an idea or a suggestion? Don't hesitate! I might change my plans to include your suggestions if they're good. The name she'l use actually came to me while writing this chapter.

Don't forget to tell me what you think in a review!

Love you all!

Lorelei Candice Black