Part 8

The cemetery


The day after the reunion, John drove Oliver and Veronica to have lunch with Keith where they learned that Weevil had gotten in some trouble the night before. When her father told them what had happened, Veronica felt like rolling her eyes. Neptune hadn't changed, it had even gotten worst. The rich like Celeste Kane still controlled everything and didn't care whose feet they stepped on to get out on top.

"I'll take care of it. He'll be fine." Veronica immediately told her father in a very confident tone when he mentioned that Cliff had asked him to look into it.

"Veronica..." Keith started to say but she cut him off:

"I can get Celeste to tell the truth after only one talk with her. Trust me dad, I know exactly what to tell her." Veronica assured him.

"Fine, I'll give you until tomorrow afternoon. If by then you haven't fixed it, I'll handle it. I don't want you to start getting involved with what's going on in town here. It's too dangerous." Keith warned her and she nodded quickly, already knowing that Celeste would have no choice but to do what she said once she knew what Veronica knew and could do.

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After lunch, Keith went back to his office and John drove Veronica and Oliver to the cemetery where Veronica went alone to Lilly's grave.

"Hi Lilly. I know that it's been a while since I've come to see you. I'm sorry. I just couldn't come back here, I was afraid I'd get stuck in all the lies and the pain that comes with this town and wouldn't be able to leave again. It's weird being back. The town has changed so much and so little at the same time..." Veronica started to say, looking around as she said the last part.

"You know, I used to be able to see you, your ghost or your spirit, I don't know what but some part of you. I used to see you when I was about to walk into danger, as a warning, or when I was headed in the wrong direction. I stopped seeing you when I left town and I figured that it was because I was on the right track... But I miss you. I miss you so much Lilly..." Veronica took a breath and smiled.

"I know that somehow you're the one who put me in Thea's way, who guided me to her and I thank you for that. I don't know if you did it because she needed me or because you wanted me to meet Oliver but I thank you. We do make a great team together, don't we? Since meeting him and working with him, I finally feel like I'm reaching my full potential, like I'm the person I was always meant to be. About Oliver, will it work out? Do you know something? I wish there was a way for you to send me a sign to tell me that he's the one, that my instinct is right to believe in him and that I have nothing to be afraid of."

At this moment, a little gush of wind blew around Veronica, for a very short time but long enough to send a small flower flying behind her, pointing in the direction of the parked rental car where John and Oliver were waiting.

"Thank you, Lilly. I don't understand how you can do this but Oliver told me that he's seen some mystical things during his time on the Island, so I know it's really you. I'm taking this as a sign that I should trust my instinct and stay by Oliver's side, give us a chance. I know you'll find a way to warn me if I'm wrong or making a mistake." Veronica chuckled.

"I hope you're in peace, wherever you are and if you ever have the opportunity to drop by for a chat, please do. You'll always be my best friend Lilly, no matter who comes into my life and who leaves it, you'll always be number 1. I'll try to come back sooner. Nine years is a much too long time to be away, I know and I'm sorry." Veronica sighted.

"On to another, more cheerful, note, I thought you'd like to know that your niece and Duncan are fine. They're safe and leading a nice life. I found them a few years ago and let's just say that they're both okay. I don't keep in touch too much, just once or twice a year to have news but they're not alone, they're with people who'll make sure they're both fine." Veronica added.

"I have to go now, I need to talk to your mother and get her to say the truth about what happened last night to clear Weevil's name. If you still like to see her lose, you should watch because I just know she'll be putty in my hands once I've talked to her." She smiled at her dead best friend's grave.

"I love you Lilly. I miss you. I'll come back to see you before I have to go back home. And I promise to come back to see you again before 9 more years pass by." Veronica concluded before she said her goodbye and went back to the car.

Veronica was walking to the car when Lilly's ghost, or spirit, appeared to her, unchanged since the last time she saw her and still in the same outfit, and ran, laughing, to the left side of the cemetery giggling:

"Come on Veronica, you don't want to miss this."

Veronica decided to trust her friend and she followed the direction Lilly had shown her. She walked only a minute before she spotted Gia dropping flowers on two graves. Susan Knight and Carrie Bishop's. Sensing someone behind her, Gia turned around, stood up when she recognized who was there and went to meet Veronica.

"Hey Veronica, how are you doing?"

"I'm fine, I was here to see Lilly. Where you close to them?" She asked back, pointing to the two graves.

"Yes, we were good friends. The best." Gia nodded.

"I heard that Susan died during a boating accident, is that true?"

"Yes, we were all there that night, partying. She was drunk and upset, talking about the baby she had to give up for adoption. I guess it was too much for her." Gia replied nervously.

"What about Carrie, I mean Bonnie, do you really think that Logan did it, that he killed her?" Veronica asked her.

"Why? You're going to look into it? Take on the case?" Gia asked her, obviously hoping for a negative reply.

"I'm thinking about it." Veronica nodded.

"I thought you'd have rushed back to Starling city with your billionaire boyfriend and his bodyguard by now. Seems like everything is working well for you, aren't you afraid it will all come crashing down if you stay here and help Logan? What will Oliver say?" Gia asked her.

"Oliver knows me well enough to know that I need to know what really happened. Until I know it, I won't be able to concentrate on anything else and you know me, I know the truth when I hear it. I believe that Logan didn't kill her and I just know that something not right with this case. Logan has many faults but he's not a killer." As Veronica spoke, she could see Gia growing more nervous and she knew that she was hiding something and afraid of it being discovered by Veronica.

"Ss, So you're... hum, you're staying here for a while, then?" Gia asked her, paler and looking close to cracking.

"Until I know that justice has been served." Veronica nodded before she added:

"Why are you so nervous Gia? What are you hiding? Do you know what happened?" Veronica asked Gia, using her most popular scary face.

She looked determined and had a hand in her purse. Of course there was only her cell phone on record there but she knew that Gia would be expecting her taser. Gia tried to resist a few minutes but veronica insisted and Gia ended up cracking, telling Veronica everything that truly happened to Carrie and to Susan. She told Veronica who the real brain was and how scared she was of what he'd do to her.

"You know you have to tell the truth, right? You won't get in trouble, you'll just have to insist on the fact that he scared you and forced you to do his bidding, that he forced you to have sex with him, that he was blackmailing you. With a good lawyer, you won't even have to do time in jail at all." Veronica told Gia when she was done.

"I'm too scared." Gia argued.

"Listen, I have your entire conversation recorded on my phone and a copy has been sent to me by mail so I could always send this to the cops but I really think that if you go and tell the truth on your own, it'll look better and you'll have less chance of getting in trouble. I can drive you there myself right now if you want." Veronica insisted and, with a few more arguments, she managed to convince Gia to come with her.

Once they arrived in the car, Veronica didn't tell everything to Oliver immediately but asked John to drive them to the sheriff's station where she went in with Gia and stayed by her side until she had told the entire truth and until her lawyer arrived. Then, Veronica went back to her boyfriend and explained what she had found out.

"Less than a day and you managed to solve a case their entire department has been failing, that's impressive." Oliver commented.

"And it's not going to make me any more popular with the new sheriff, I guess it's a good thing that I don't live in this town anymore." Veronica smirked.

"I can't believe she spoke this easily." John shook his head.

"She was scared of what I'd do. She thought I had my taser with me. I told you, people here are as scared of me as the villains of Starling City are scared of the Vigilante." Veronica smiled.

"Where to now?" Oliver asked her with a proud smile.

"I should get this over with and go speak with Celeste Kane now." She replied.

"Yeah, show everyone in this town what they're missing when you're not here. I mean, you've been gone 9 years, you come back for a party and solve two big cases in one day. That's got to get people talking." John chuckled as he started the car.

"I don't think they ever stopped talking about me. Everyone I've spoken to so far seems to know a lot about my life in Starling city. It's like they have a weekly 'what is Veronica Mars up to' column in the newspaper or something..." Veronica replied.

"Well, I for one am glad you decided to move to Starling." Oliver added before he kissed the side of her head lovingly.

"Me too." Veronica nodded, leaning in to his side to enjoy the comfort he gave her before she had to face Celeste Kane.

.

Veronica rang the doorbell while John and Oliver waited for her once more except this time they didn't wait in the car but leaned against it to enjoy the sun while they could.

"Veronica Mars, what do you want?" Celeste said with a frown once the maid showed Veronica to the living room.

"I want you to tell everyone the truth about what happened to you last night. I know that Weevil is telling the truth and that he was framed. I want you to tell everyone the complete truth." Veronica replied with confidence.

"You've got to be kidding me!" Celeste laughed before she added:

"Why would I do that?"

"Because if you do I can get you something you want." Veronica smirked.

"There's nothing I want that you can give me." Celeste shook her head.

"Not even your son and your granddaughter?" Veronica asked her, knowing that she had won.

"Even you can't bring them back to me, Veronica Mars." Celeste snorted.

"Bring them back to you? No, you're right, I can't do that. But I can show you a picture of them right now and arrange for them to call you for a few minutes, maybe even an hour, on a secure internet connection before the end of the week. That would give you the opportunity to convince Duncan to let you meet the two of them for a little vacation somewhere safe." Veronica replied calmly, knowing that she would get what she wanted.

"I don't believe you." Celeste shook her head.

"Which is why I'm going to show you the picture now. Then, you have to clear Weevil's name and pay for all of his medical bills. Once he's free of all charges, I'm sure you'll be able to lawyer up and make sure you don't get in trouble, and I'll get Duncan to contact you." Veronica replied as she opened her purse, took her wallet out and after removing a few things, took a small picture out.

The picture had been taken 2 years ago. Duncan was holding Lilly and, in the background, you could only see a grey wall. Veronica knew exactly where this picture had been taken of course, in the headquarters of ARGUS, but to Celeste, it would look like any grey wall.

"This picture was taken 2 years ago, I don't have the most recent one with me. I talk to them twice a year." Veronica replied before she added:

"You can keep this one if you want."

"How?" Celeste asked in a small voice.

"I'm only a PI but that's by choice. I had a lot of other options when I graduated College. One of these options put me in Duncan's way and, wanting him and Lilly to be safe, I made sure he'd get the job I was offered. It's a top secret government agency that even you, Clarence Wiedman or your husband don't have any connections in. They take care of their own and even though he can't come home, he has everything he needs. Lilly has a private tutor and is doing well with other kids of the people that work with her father." Veronica replied.

"What's the name of this agency?" Celeste asked her.

"I can't tell you that. Maybe Duncan will answer you if you ask him." Veronica shook her head.

"Why hasn't he contacted me or his father if he is able to do it?" The rich divorcee asked.

"It's not that easy to do and it's the kind of things he can't do that often. After you tried to help get his daughter back to his other, abusive, grandparents, do you honestly think you'd be the first person he'd call? I know that he contacted Clarence Wiedman a few months after he left and that he's the one who asked your hit man to kill Aaron Echolls to protect me and Logan. He's still angry with you but I can get him to call you, to talk to you and to let you talk with Lilly. Once Weevil's name is cleared." Veronica replied, insisting on the last part.

"You must be enjoying this, right? Me, in a position where I have to do what you ask in order to get what I want." Celeste snarled.

"Actually yes, I am. Now, I'm going to go and enjoy my time left here with my friends. Tomorrow I'm going to pick up Weevil from the hospital and drive him back to his wife and daughter. He should be discharged around 9 am. That's your time limit. If by that time you haven't cleared Weevil, then not speaking to your son for the rest of your life will be the least of your worries because I'll make it my mission to ruin your life. I think that you know me enough to know that I don't have to be in Neptune to do it and that I can do it from Starling city. Plus, with your husband's secret society and everything I know on them, he won't help you against me. You're move Misses Kane. Make the right decision, for once." Veronica explained before she left the house, a winning grin on her face.

"I... I'll do it." Celeste called after Veronica before she got her phone out and contacted her lawyer so he could meet her at the sheriff's station with a reporter, knowing that it would go better and quicker if it was public.

"It feels so good to be right!" Veronica exclaimed as she sat down in the rental car.

"She'll do it?" Oliver asked her.

"Yep." She grinned.

"I'm curious, what is it that you told her to convince her?" Oliver asked her.

"I told her that I'd be able to get her son to contact her for a little chat."

"How are you going to arrange that?" John asked her as he drove the car to a little coffee shop.

"Have you ever heard of Argus?" Veronica asked them.

"My ex wife works for them." John nodded.

"I've crossed them during my time away." Oliver replied.

"They tried to recruit me when I left College. Actually they tried before I was done with College. I went with them on a mission and found Duncan and his daughter. He was about to move away again. He'd been on the run ever since he left Neptune, never staying in one place long enough to make any friends... Long story short, he ended up helping me and Argus with the mission while an Argus babysitter watched over Lilly. At the end of the mission, I decided to go back to College and see what I'd decide later and they recruited Duncan instead. He doesn't have my skills but he had learned some things over his time on the run and they knew he wouldn't run away since he was wanted home." Veronica explained.

"And you've seen him since that mission?" Oliver asked her.

"Only through webcam, on a secure line. I helped Argus a few times, knowing that if I need help they'll be here. Two years ago I left town to go on vacation away. I met with Duncan and watched over Lilly while he went on a mission where he couldn't take her. I'll just call Amanda Waller and ask her to get Duncan to call his mother as a favor for me. He'll do it." Veronica explained.

She remembered how shocked she had been when she saw Duncan again for the first time since she had helped him disappear. She had been on a mission to help Argus with locating a criminal they wanted to add to their suicide squad and she had literally run into Duncan. He knew how to find the person she was looking for and so he helped her, getting himself noticed by Amanda Waller who ended up recruiting him when Veronica declined the job they offered her. They knew that this way, Veronica would stay in touch with them, that they'd get a chance to get her to work with them, especially if they put Duncan on these difficult missions.

Duncan had accepted without hesitating, they provided him and his daughter with a safe place to stay, where they didn't have to run away all the time. He didn't have to look over his shoulder and Lilly could go to school with the other Argus's children. He could work and make some friends without having to say goodbye every few months. It wasn't the safest job ever but it was challenging and it provided him with a safe place for his daughter. He had filed, with Amanda Waller, the necessary paperwork so that, if anything happened to him, Veronica would be the one who took care of his daughter.

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The next morning, when she went to pick up Weevil from he hospital, they learned that his hospital bills had been paid completely and Veronica was about to show him the newspaper article that showed Celeste Kane telling the truth.

"I thought you didn't have any get out of jail free cards left?" He asked her with a smile.

"I found this one a while back, kept it for a rainy day." She replied, amused.

"Thank you, really. So, where is that rich boyfriend of yours?" he asked her.

"With Wallace and John. I think they're surfing or something." She replied.

"I like him, you know. He might be rich but he's different than Logan and his crew."

"I know. He used to be like them though, before the... 5 years away."

"Maybe we should drop Logan and Dick off on that island then." Weevil joked, making Veronica chuckle.

"Seriously though, thank you for clearing things up and for believing in me enough to help. I really appreciate it." Weevil told her.

"You're welcome. Now let's hurry, I think you're late for a tea party with a charming little princess." Veronica smiled.

"Will you be attending as well?"

"I've been invited, it would be rude not to come." Veronica nodded.

.

"Veronica isn't with you?" Keith asked Oliver as he let him in his house.

"She'll be a little late, she's attending a tea party with Weevil and his daughter." Oliver explained with a smile.

"Good, that gives me the opportunity to speak with you privately." Keith declared, making Oliver nervous.

"Something's wrong?"

"I'm going to ask you a question and I want you to answer me truthfully, is that clear, son?"

"Crystal, sir." Oliver nodded, feeling like he was 15 again.

"Are you the Starling city Vigilante that my daughter has been working with?"

"What? Why?" Oliver asked, surprised and was about to say more when Keith added:

"Please don't do me the offence of lying. I've been working long enough to know when someone is lying, even someone as good as you or my daughter."

"I... yes, I am." Oliver nodded.

He saw no point in lying to the man. He was Veronica's father, he could be trusted.

"Good. Can I trust you to watch out for Veronica?" Keith asked him.

"Of course. I've been looking out for her ever since I met her. At first because I felt like I owed her after everything she did for my sister and because she intrigued me. John and I have her back. Always." Oliver replied in a low voice.

"I trust you because I know you love her. I can see it. I want you to promise me that you'll help her find a way to conceal her identity when she's out there doing vigilante work. I know nobody can stop her if she sets her mind to it so I want you to promise me that she'll be safe. That she won't get in trouble and that you'll make sure she's trained." Keith asked Oliver with a very serious face.

"I promise, sir. We haven't had much time to work on it lately but it's planned." Oliver nodded.

"Good, then I guess you can call me Keith again. Now, I promise I won't tell anyone about you're nightly hobby as long as Veronica is safe." Keith smiled.

"Thank you, sir. I trust you." Oliver nodded just when John's rental car was parked in front of the house, revealing Veronica and John.

.

Before they left town, Veronica kept her promise to go and see Lilly one last time. This time, she took Oliver with her, feeling like she needed to introduce him to Lilly, even if it was through a grave. After that, she spent some more time with Wallace and Mac, saw Jake Kane from across the street but didn't try to speak with him. He saw her as well and though he didn't speak to her, he smiled and nodded. Celeste had probably told him about Duncan, maybe he was even there when their son had called his mother.

On the plane ride back home, John was napping, happy with all the surfing he had been able to do. Oliver and Veronica were sitting face to face.

"So, the end of the trial period you insisted on is here. I... Honestly Veronica, I don't want it to stop. I like this, us. I know we can work in the long run. Maybe we'll argue or fight but it's the way things are, we'll be able to make our way through it. We're strong enough Veronica, strong enough to make it." Oliver told her, holding her hands tightly in his.

"I agree. The two of us together, it's so easy... From the moment we decided to give it an honest try, we just clicked, as though we had been doing it for years. It's weird and... nice, I guess. I love us being together, I don't want it to stop." She replied with a bright smile before she added:

"Us together, it makes me happy."

"Good, because it makes me happy too." Oliver nodded before he kissed her.

"Me too guys, but not as happy as Thea will be when she learns the truth." John declared from his seat, his eyes still closed.

"We should probably tell her before we get there so we don't have to endure all the jumping and the 'I told you so'." Oliver chuckled.

"How much do you want to bet that she'll have a party ready to celebrate the fact that we're together and that she was right all along?" Veronica nodded with a smile.

They decided to wait until the private jet had landed. As soon as they were out of the plane, they texted Thea that they were on their way back and that they were now together, dating. Thea only replied with several happy emoticons but when they arrived at Queen's mansion, where Veronica had left her car, Laurel, Tommy, Thea, Walter and Moira were waiting for them with a small party that Thea had just put together.


Here we are with Chapter 8, I have planned until chapter 14 for now.

What do you think? Longest chapter yet.

Love? Hate? Don't forget to review please!

I love you guys for reading and reviewing!

Lorelei Candice Black