Disclaimer: I do not own Veronica Mars. I have Rob Thomas to thank for my obsession.
Author's Note: I really like dialogue and if that hasn't already become apperant in my last two chapters, it really shows in this one. I decided to put off on adding a mystery until I'm done with character development. Thank you to all those who reviewed the last chapter. Please continue reviewing. It not only motivates me to write but also allows me to improve on my writing.
Veronica quickly wiped her eyes and headed straight for her Dad, still in his sheriff uniform, who was standing with open arms.
"I missed you so much, Veronica." Keith said, embracing her in a bear hug. "I feel so bad for not being able to pick you up at the airport. I was still going to come meet you but there was a lead in a case we've been working on for the last month. I was just leaving when Piz called, told me he saw you at the airport waiting so I just told him to drop you off at home."
Veronica looked toward Piz who was giving her his usual goofy smile. She mouthed thank you to him.
"I wasn't even able to go home and change out of my uniform and into my party shirt!" Keith exclaimed.
Thank god. Veronica thought. After the evidence tampering scandal, Keith lost the sheriff race to Vinnie by a measly 2. Like always, Keith handed the office over to another incompetent sheriff and went back to work at Mars Investigation. In mid-June, he got a surprising visit from the County Commissioner who wanted him to conduct an investigation of the Sheriff's Department participating in illegal drug trafficking. After three weeks of investigation, Keith found that the new sheriff was working closely with the infamous Fitzpatrick family in trafficking drugs from Tijuana. Vinnie was taken out of office immediately and arrested but was released shortly after for providing the names of several Fitzpatrick family members, including Liam and Danny Boyd, who were finally able to be convicted and sent to Chino. The commissioner reassigned Keith as temporary sheriff and there was another special election where he ran unopposed. On July 12, Keith Mars was finally officially reinstated as the Sheriff of Balboa County.
"Oh Dad, didn't I tell you? I burnt the party shirt after Christmas. I told you there would be consequences to not buying me a pony."
"Ha ha. Very funny Veronica. You're joking right?" Keith said worried.
"Of course." Veronica joked. "How do you deal with him?" Veronica asked Alicia, who was standing close to Keith.
"It's not easy but I manage." Alicia smiled at Keith. "Somehow." Veronica laughed. Shortly after Keith had lost the sheriff race, Alicia had called to let Keith know that he had her vote and they got to talking. The two had been dating again ever since.
"It's good to see you two back together. i only want the best for my dad." Veronica said as she reached in for another hug. "I missed you Pop."
"I know but enough already! You have a lot of other people here who missed you too. Go mingle." Keith said. Veronica looked at her friends, who had already begun to talk amongst themselves while waiting for her to finish the hellos with her Dad, except for one. Logan was standing in the corner, drink in hand, looking at Veronica in his usual protector sort of way. For the first time in three months, Veronica and Logan's eyes met and she felt her heart melt.
Damn those eyes of his.
Wallace was the first to see Veronica finish talking to her dad and swooped right across the room to grab her in a hug.
"Woah. I haven't had a BFF hug in a long time," Veronica said as she embraced her best friend. "They're not as good as I remember."
"What superfly?" Wallace said, surprised. "My hugs rock your world."
"Tru that!" Veronica said in a gangster voice. Wallace laughed.
"So because of that, I'm going to spend the rest of this party pretending I don't know you. So I guess nows the first I'll give you what I brought you back from Africa."
"PRESENT?!" Veronica jumped excitedly. Wallace reached into his pocket and handed her a small piece of wood with several words carved into it.
"It means BFF in Ganda, which is what they spoke where we stayed" Wallace explained. "I thought you'd like that better than the bowl I brought back for my mom."
"Wallace, I love it. But, Ha! Who's the marshmallow now? Huh?" Wallace put his arm around Veronica. "This definitely makes up for your lack of information about this party."
"And spoil all the hard work your dad and my mom put into it? Naw." Wallace smiled as the two looked over at their parents. Whether they'd ever admit it or not, Veronica and Wallace wouldn't mind if their parents ever decided to get married. Veronica Mars and Wallace Fennell, siblings? The world could only hope that Keith and Alicia would put it off, who knows what kind of trouble they'd get in to.
After a short recap of his summer, Wallace's gaze slowly moved from Veronica to the table of food on the other side of the room. "You hungry? Need something to drink?"
"No but you go." Veronica said. "You must be hungry from all your surprise hiding and sentiment today."
"Mhmm, the fried chicken my mom made is calling my name!" Wallace said rubbing his stomach. "Find you later?"
Veronica nodded. "I'll be here. I heard it's bad taste to leave your own surprise party."
"Bad taste is right." Veronica heard a familiar voice behind her. "Almost as bad as using paint to photoshop pictures."
"Is that the girl-formally known as Mac, whom I last saw attached at the lips to a boy named Max?" Veronica turned around and grabbed Mac in a hug.
"Ex-boy named Max."
"Ex? Why didn't this end up in any of nineteen thousand emails you sent me this summer."
"Yeah well there are more important things to bog down the servers than the male species," Mac explained. "Especially a member of the male species who chose a life of TA-bribing and fast cash over a quality education at Hearst."
"And?" Veronica nudged.
"And there's a new prospect." Mac smiled.
"Thatta girl." Veronica laughed.
Mac quickly interrupted. "But it's still in the development stages, too early for wide release, way too early."
"Fine, I'll just have to pry for my information." Mac looked uneasily at Veronica. "Or maybe I'll just be a good friend and wait until it's been Mac approved. But you better promise that I get insider information as soon as it's available."
"Promise." Mac laughed. "So, no weirdness between you and Piz or you and Parker? Oh and you and Logan?"
"Way to point out that over half the people here didn't like me three months ago. But no, no weirdness with me and Piz. He's back to being his old self before all the yeah."
Mac nodded. "The yeah. Yeah."
Veronica continued. "Parker is Parker. Happy and bubbly to the point of annoyance but completely loveable."
"Good because we're living together again. I couldn't risk getting stuck with someone as happy and bubbly as Parker without the whole loveable quality." Mac paused. "And that leaves Logan." .
"Oh yes. Logan. Well besides the emails and web chats we had this summer," And the fact that I still have feelings for him. "everything's about the same. We're trying to be friends."
"Uh huh. Friends? Right." Mac said as she looked over at Logan keeping a watchful eye on Veronica. "At least your coy about it."
"Funny Mac, very funny." Veronica laughed.
"What's so funny?!" Dick said as he leaned on Veronica's shoulder.
"Dick Casablancas? Is that really you? I can't believe you had time between all the surfing, public drunkenness and babe chasing to make an appearance at my party!!" Veronica said sarcastically.
"Anything for you Ronnie. I even brought the party pig but your daddio made me dump out all the beer. I was like DUDE! There's no party without the party pig!"
"DUDE! At least he let the real party pig stay," Veronica joked as she looked at Mac who was laughing uncomfortably.
"Haha. I don't get it but whatever. At least tu papa didn't find my flask. Irish coffee anyone?" Dick said rather loudly as he raised the flask in the air. Keith walked behind him, grabbing the flask out of his hand.
"Come on dude!" Dick said as he chased after Keith, who was heading to the bathroom to dump out the contents of the flask.
"Keith Mars, two. Dick Casablancas, zero. And some things never change." Veronica joked.
"I should stop him while he's ahead." Mac said, "We'll catch up more ASAP."
"Like for sure! I'll bring the cookie dough and the mall madness!" Veronica said, in her best Valley girl voice. Mac laughed and gave her a thumbs up as she headed toward Dick, who was still arguing with Keith.
As Mac walked away, Veronica felt her stomach rumble. She headed over toward the table of food which was currently being raided by ex-con, former motorcycle gang leader, all around badass friend, Weevil.
"Mind saving some for the one the party is being thrown for?" Veronica asked.
"For you V, anything." Weevil put down his plate and gave Veronica a hug. "How was that thing you did this summer?"
"My highly competitive, prestigious internship at the FBI? Eh, it was alright." Veronica began to load up her plate with food "What'd you do this summer? Knock off a few liquor stores? Tap some hot babes ?"
"Right, because that's exactly how an ex-con who is still on parole spends his summer. No, didn't your dad tell you?" Weevil asked.
"Tell me what?" Veronica questioned as she headed toward a table. Weevil followed and sat down across from her.
"Your dad rehired me as a receptionist for Mars Investigation. He let me take head on small cases, you know, old guy gets it on with a stripper, I take a picture and the wife gets millions. I've been putting the big stuff aside." Weevil explained.
"Aside for what? Dad's sheriff now. I don't think he has time to be running around chasing bail jumpers." Veronica said.
"For you. Mars Investigation is now run by Veronica Mars, Private Investigator. With help from Eli Navarro."
"Wow. It's just like old times except now I guess I'm expected to pay you for your services in cash instead of covert sexual encounters on the PCH." Veronica joked.
"Come on, V. Do you want to get me fired?!" Weevil whispered.
"By who? Since I technically run Mars Investigations now, I'm the only one who can fire you." Veronica smiled as she took a bite of salad. "And you're a-okay in my book."
"Job security, that's a new one for me." Weevil said as he finished eating his sandwich. "V, would you mind if I take off? I've gotten my time with you and as much as I enjoy listening to Pez go on and on about some white chick actress he met in New York City, I'd much rather be sitting in the car waiting for some high-powered '09er perv to show his face."
"Weevil! I'm touched by the fact that your excuse is work related." Veronica said as she continued eating. "I guess I'll see you in the office tomorrow morning."
"Alright boss." Weevil said as he walked toward the door.
Boss, I like the sound of that.
Just as Weevil walked away, Piz and Parker made their way toward the table. At first, Veronica didn't see them. She was staring across the room at Logan, who had stirred up a rather heated conversation with Mac and Dick, which she could only assume was about some sort of video game.
"Earth to Mars!" Piz snickered as Parker tapped her on the shoulder.
"Mind if we sit?" Parker asked. Veronica snapped out of her Logan triggered daze.
"Of course not." Veronica pulled out her best damsel in distress voice. "Join me, please. I was getting ever so lonely with only my salad, chicken and mashed potatoes to keep me company." The two laughed as they sat down.
"So, were you surprised?" Piz asked.
"Definitely." Veronica said. "I'm glad it was a surprise party though. Sure beats the 'my friends and family forgot I existed in a matter of three months' theory."
"No one could forget you!" Parker sighed as she looked over at Logan, who still had one eye on Veronica.
I wish he would stop doing that.
Veronica spend the rest of the party hanging out and enjoying her friends singing bad karaoke, including the rather unforgettable rendition of Ice, Ice Baby by Dick, and avoiding Logan. After finishing her third coffee, so I had an inclination for Java the Hut coffee, sue me, Veronica got up to get a refill. Just as she began to fill her cup with the carafe labeled 'Mocha', she felt someone's arm wrap around her waste and pull her toward the empty room used as VIP during the karaoke nights at the Hut.
"I thought I'd never get a minute with you." the voice said.
Logan, can't you read the signs. I'm not ready to deal with you in person yet. Let's just save this conversation for next century when I get over you. From now until then, let's communicate via email. We've gotten good at that.
Veronica sat down on the oversized red couch, counting down the minutes until someone would notice she was missing and that Logan was too.
"Everyone else approached me. Come on Logan, don't you know that the party princess doesn't come to her guests, her guests come to her." Veronica joked.
"Princess? Eh? So I guess you didn't lose of your sarcastic charm in Virginia." Logan said, sitting down next to her.
"Nope, the only thing I possibly lost was my mind. But other than that, I'm still the same Veronica Mars, you decide if that's a good thing." Veronica said.
Logan smiled. "It is."
Stop it Veronica. He slept with Madison Sinclair. I mean you were broken up at the time but he knew how much you hated her. And he beat up your boyfriend and a member of the Russian mafia. You should hate him, cringe in his presence.
Logan reached over to hug Veronica. "I missed you Veronica." She let out a sigh as he wrapped his arms around her.
Damn you Logan Echolls. She thought as another one of the well-constructed walls built around her heart began to crumble. Damn you.