Disclaimer: I do not own Veronica Mars. I have Rob Thomas to thank for my obsession.

Author's Note: After reading the reviews from last chapter, I definitely wanted to get another chapter out as soon as possible. This chapter is a little different, a lot more background information and less in Veronica's head (which I want to add more of next chapter) I appreciate all the reviews!

Dedication: To all the people who reviewed my story. You made me want to keep writing.

Veronica struggled up the stairs with her suitcases, wishing she would have been less stubborn and accepted Piz's offer to help.

Finally. she exhaled as she arrived at her door. After rummaging through her purse for a few seconds, Veronica found the key to the apartment. Slowly, she unlocked the door, hoping that maybe, just maybe, her Dad was too busy cleaning the house and making her a special welcome home lunch to notice she had landed over an hour ago. Instead, she opened the door to find Backup asleep on the couch and a note waiting for her on the counter.

"Veronica, I'm so sorry I couldn't meet you at the airport. Something important came up. I'll give you the money you used to pay for the cab fare when I get home. Lasagna in the fridge and a waffle sundae in the freezer for lunch, eat up. Love, Dad."

At least he left food. Veronica headed towards the fridge. Airplane food and Veronica Mars do not make a good combination.

After inhaling her first home cooked meal alone, Veronica moved her suitcases into room. Instead of unpacking, she flopped onto her bed and looked around. Everything was exactly where she had left it, not a surprise. She flopped onto her bed and noticed the four frames sitting on the shelf above her head.

Haven't seen these in a while. Veronica had chosen the pictures the summer before she started Hearst to remind her of the few good times she had in high school. The first picture was Logan, Lilly, Duncan and Veronica at the Kane house just before Lilly's last homecoming. The picture sat immortalized in a unicorn shaped frame that Lilly gave her as a joke about a week before she died.

God I miss them. It had been more than three years since Veronica had lost Lilly and almost a year since Duncan had to flee the country. Sometimes she had dreams of them but as much as she missed the old times, Veronica knew that she wouldn't be the person she was if she hadn't lost her best friend and first love.

Sitting directly next to the unicorn frame sat a picture that Keith had taken of Weevil, Mac, Veronica, Wallace and Logan right before graduation. Veronica missed her friends. She looked down at her phone.

It's been three hours since I landed. Come on people. You better have good excuses.

Veronica pulled down the last two frames from the shelf and laid them on her lap. The two photos that showed her and Logan happy had been taken during their summer. together before Hearst, before the break-ups, before the heartache. After the fight between Logan and Gory, her relationship had moved from practically non-existent to friends. They kept in touch over e-mail and the occasional web-cam chat. And although Veronica still had feelings for Logan, she kept the walls up around her heart, knowing he would have to do a lot more than update her on the happenings in Neptune to break them down.

Veronica finally got fed up with waiting and decided to unpack her suitcases. Just as she reached for the first of many bags, her phone began to ring.

"Hello?" Veronica answered.

"Hey Veronica! It's Parker! Are you home from your badass FBI internship yet?" Parker inquired excitedly. Although Parker had originally blamed Veronica for her break-up with Logan, she came around, e-mailing Veronica a lengthy apology which Veronica had happily accepted, knowing that good friends weren't easy to come by.

"Hi Parker! Yeah, I got back about.." She looked down at her watch. " four hours ago. I was supposed to meet my Dad, Wallace and Mac at the airport but they were all a no-show. Any idea where Mac could be?"

"Hmm. No clue. Sorry. But hey, instead of moping around on your first day at home, come get coffee with me!" Parker insisted. "I found this amazing place over the summer called Java.."

"…the Hut." Veronica interrupted. "Actually, I used to work there two summers ago."

"Really? Great! We can for sure get good service then. Well, I'm going to change and so I'll pick you up in..20 minutes?" Parker asked.

"Sure. I should probably change too. I've been lounging around in my pajamas ever since I got home." Veronica admitted.

"Okay well, wear something cute! Last time I was there, a group of totally hot guys was only a table away!" Parker encouraged. Veronica laughed at her friend.

"Darn! My widdle cute bunny suit is at the dry cleaner still," Veronica joked. "But I'll try to make due. Bye Parker. See you soon"

"Oh Veronica. Bye then!" Veronica hung up the phone and walked over to her closet. She pulled out an outfit that would be Parker approved, threw it on and headed to the kitchen. She picked up the note from her dad, flipped it over and wrote.

"Hey Dad. Sorry I missed you at the airport today. I got home at about 2 o'clock but Parker asked me to go out for coffee (It's 6:32 now) so I'll be back later. Thanks for the lasagna and sundae. Love, Veronica."

Exactly 20 minutes later, just as Parker said, there was a knock at the door. Veronica grabbed her purse and headed toward the door.

"VERONICA!" Parker yelped, grabbing her in a bear hug.

"Hey Parker!" Veronica embraced the hug. For the first time in the five hours since she landed, she finally felt at home.

"Ready to go?" Parker asked.

"Yes ma'am," Veronica said as she saluted Parker.

"Good, let's hit it!" Parker said excitedly as the two headed for the car.

Parker blasted Soulija Boy as she drove 90 miles an hour down Main Street toward Veronica's former place of employment. Lucky for Parker, Veronica was used to speedy drivers, named Logan and Mac, who didn't obey the laws of traffic. After a 20 minute ride filled with the tales of ex-boyfriends and slutty high school girls in Denver, Parker pulled into the surprisingly empty parking lot.

"The parking lot is really empty," Veronica noted as she got out of the car. "It's always crowded at the hut. But then again, quality hasn't been their strongest point since I left."

"Oh yes Veronica." Parker laughed, clicking the alarm as they walked toward the building. "You must have been the barista extraordinaire."

"Barista? Pshh." Veronica corrected. "I could do that in my sleep. Now hosting, that was my specialty. Table for two, you ask? No problem for Veronica Mars." Parker laughed. The two girls walked inside the building and headed down the stairs.

"Is it closed?" Veronica asked as she noticed the eeriness of a coffee house that was completely empty at 7 o'clock.

"I don't think so?" Parker looked around. "Hellooo?!" Just then, Veronica heard footsteps coming from around the corner.

"Anyone here?" Veronica said, looking over to Parker. "I think they're clo.."

All of a sudden, a loud roar came from the corner of the hut.

"SURPRISE!!" yelled several voices, throwing confetti in her face. Standing in front of Veronica was her Dad, Alicia, Wallace, Mac, Weevil, Dick, Piz and Logan. She tried to keep a stern, annoyed face but tears began to fall from her eyes.

She finally smiled and thought. You're a marshmallow Veronica Mars. A twinkie.

A/N, again: Next chapter I will give a lot more information about each of the individual characters and dialogue between them and Veronica. But I do have a question. Should I focus on the characters and their relationships or include a mystery? Please PM me with your thoughts :