Disclaimer: I do not own Veronica Mars, Relient K's Be My Escape, or any of the previous quotes. I don't even own a fish anymore. I do however own a lifetime supply of Starbucks Frappacinos, apparently.
A/N: Wow. I'm amazed at all the reviews and the feedback for this story. The fact I have over a 100 reviews is like some type of mile marker in my life...really. This is it... well, almost. I have an Epilogue that is ready but won't get posted till this weekend because of my life. The Epilogue as many have wanted is full of LoVe and the best line in history. Noted in this chapter, I am a complete sap. I like happy endings- so sue me. I like my strings tied, unless I plan for a sequel. No loose ends. Be warned there is sweetness abundant in this chapter. Brush well, afterwards.
Enjoy and remain sweet,
Ella
Grant House
Foyer/Living Room
"And the beauty of grace is that it makes life unfair. And I've been housing all these doubts and insecurities and I've been locked inside that house- all the while you hold the key and I've been dying to get out but it might be death of me. And even though there's no way of knowing where to go, Promise I'm going. Because I've got to get out of here. I'm stuck inside this rut I fell into by mistake. I'm begging you to be my escape."
-Be My Escape by Relient K
"Judge Grant. Mrs. Grant." Keith Mars replied cordially- extending his hand to the frazzled couple. He knew their looks. He'd been in their shoes more than once. Of all things January had inherited from parents- their ability to find trouble was one of them.
Judge Grant's handshake was firm and deliberate. Mrs. Grant's was soft and frightened. They had no idea what to do. Raising your daughter is one thing; letting your daughter at 16 years old meet her birth parents- no handbook on that. But there was reality facing them in the form of Keith Mars- not only their daughter's lifelong hero but her maternal grandfather as well… how do you work that out? How do you stop your daughter from meeting people she'd already met? You don't, do you?
Keith spoke again. "Listen, I want to assure you I know the hell you've been through the past few weeks. I know but I promise you everything is in your court. The balls, the rackets, heck- the tennis pro too." He glibbed, trying to lighten the mood. "If you want to stop this at any time, please just say it."
The Judge looked to his wife and then to Mr. Mars. "Keith, my wife and I both agreed this wasn't our decision to make but January's. She was born 30, I think. We have full faith in her ability to make a rational decision…the past several weeks exempted. She knows what she's doing- she has for a very long time. We…we trust that you and your family only have her best interest at heart, too. I think we all want the best for her. If that's the only thing we have in common, then it will be enough."
Keith gave the man credit. For a father of 16 year old daughter, he was pretty wise and fair. Then you had to be when you raised daughters like they had. There was little room for anything else.
January stepped down the stairs with the aide of a cane. She hadn't wanted to use it and she didn't really need it but her legs had been really sore once she came off the pain medicine. Her doctor assured her that the pain would subside in several days; once the swelling had gone down and the bruising healed. She gave a moment's pause to look at the scene in the living room. Her parents' and Keith…her grandfather was standing talking to them. Was she really ready for this? She had agreed to let Keith take her out for the day and eventually meet with…with…her "other" family. She gulped and continued down the stairs to the foyer.
"I'm ready." She replied with false bravado.
Her mother stepped to the closet and returned with January's bag. "Here Sweetie…you might need this. It has your meds, in case you need them. I packed a snack, too because you can't take this medicine on an empty stomach. Your cell phone and your PDA are also in there. Oh, your wallet too." She handed January her bag with a similar fake bravery. Without any urging or begrudging, January gave her Mom a hug and kiss on the cheek.
"I'll be fine Mom." She tried to reassure them both.
January's Dad walked up to her and wrapped his arms tightly around her. This was his little girl. He didn't want her to forget that- ever. She returned the spontaneous hug and gave him a kiss on the cheek too. "Love you." She whispered and with that Keith Mars escorted her out of the house and what might be out of their lives.
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Keith's Car
I've ridden with Keith Mars before. This isn't a first. Doubtful it will be the last time, too. I just have no clue what to say to him. When he was my hero, I could think of a million questions to ask him but in this moment, I was stumped. Lucky for me, Keith felt very chatty.
"Okay January, let's get something absolutely clear right off the bat… if you ever pull a stunt like you did last time not only will you have to worry about immediate death but if you live you will worry about me. Are we clear?!? Going off with a guy you barely know and have a good idea to be a serial killer is a STUPID STUPID move and totally inexcusable! If you want to be a big time crime reporter and investigator then you better be smart enough to call in real back-up or stay away completely. YOU COULD HAVE DIED?!? You are so lucky… Whether you are working for me or not, you are my granddaughter and you will NEVER do something like that again! Are we clear?"
A smile spread across my lips. I mean I know Keith was being a 100 serious but I couldn't help it. The last thing I expected was a "grand-parental" tirade. It was what I needed though- I knew tirades. I was use to them. We are good friends.
Keith gave me a stare down and I let the smile vanish, if only on the outside. My face became solemn and I merely retorted, "Yes sir." I threw my gaze back to the front. I caught a quick glance of Keith as smile spread across his face as he returned his gaze to the road.
"Can I ask where we are going?"
He hedged. Uh oh, why was he hedging? Hedging wasn't good.
"Duncan Kane's house."
"You're kidding?"
"No. It was the only house where we could get total privacy and we all thought that would be best under these circumstances."
"Oh."
"If you want, we'll change it though." He answered quickly.
"Um…no, that's okay. Just bad memories at the house. Well, I mean memories of me making a complete ass of myself in front of Duncan and Cindy and…" I couldn't say it. In another life I would have said Logan Echolls. In this one, the guy I reamed at that house was my biological father and guy who rescued me and Alex.
"I get it." Keith interrupted, not making me finish to my relief.
"Duncan's house is fine. New beginning, eh?"
"Listen January, before we get there I have something else I need to say to you. A lot of what has happened was my fault. I was a concerned father who'd seen his only child get into too much trouble and get hurt too often. I couldn't… I just couldn't see her go through that again. I love Veronica and I wanted her to get the life she deserved. I love you too and I guess, I thought the life you deserved would be with two parents. I saw what my divorce did to my daughter; I didn't want that for you or anyone. The grave, the whole total anonymity thing, was my ideal. I wanted them to pay and I just wanted to believe I didn't just push my daughter into what I had pushed her into."
"No offense Keith but from everything I know of Veronica; she doesn't exactly get pushed around."
"No she doesn't unless she's at her lowest and she's weak. She was and I knew it."
We continued the drive. We obviously weren't going to Duncan's first. I sat in silence for a few moments. "Keith, I don't blame you. I don't blame Veronica or Logan. I don't blame anybody. I have a good life. I have a set of wonderful parents. I have two slightly-sadistic yet at times charming little brothers. I have this huge family that loves me. But most importantly, I know who I am. I didn't think I did. I thought if I only knew who my real parents were I would but I know now and that hasn't changed anything about me. I'm still the same girl who walked into your office months ago and only time and experiences will change that…you know?"
"Yeah kid, I know." He gently patted my hand and drove forward, no longer avoiding what we couldn't avoid. "I know."
Kane House
I feel like a vet. Not the animal kind; the war fighting kind- like maybe I went through Nam or something… Standing in front of this house and I am struck with Post-Traumatic Stress Syndrome or maybe just a generalized panic attack. I am locked in fear. I have faced a sociopath serial killer and yet little brave girl is scared of a big nasty mansion.
What can I say?
What am I going to say?
Oh God, are they going to expect me to give some type of speech? Is this like winning the Academy Award? Who do I thank? What if I forget someone?
Oh God.
Keith takes my icy cold hand, leaving my other free to hold my cane. He gently pulls me forward…I limp along. He doesn't bother with the bell or knocking but walks right in.
Help.
We move past the foyer into the lavish living room where I brilliantly eviscerated Logan Echolls…my biological father. Oh crap- the whole frak'n town of Neptune is here. Okay, slight exaggeration. It's just Eli, Wallace, Wallace's wife Jackie, Duncan, Nichole, Cindy, Dick, Logan and Veronica…oh, and Keith. I mean just them. They glance at each other- side to side and then to me.
Do they want me to talk?!? Seriously?!?
Keith gives a little cough and let go of my hand and helps me to a large overstuffed chair- front and center. Isn't this how interrogations take place? All that's missing is the bright light… Keith turns and smiles at me and sits next to Veronica on the couch. He begins speaking; thank God. "First off, what you need to know is that right now in this room, no matter what else happens, you will not find more people who have loved you for so long and will continue to love you. No matter what is said today. We mean it."
There are several nods of agreement. Wallace is the next to speak. He has a hand placed on his wife's shoulder lovingly. He's the patient one- the friendly one- and still the coolest VP I know. "January, I want to say this… you are an amazing girl. You have tackled a lot in this short time and as your Vice Principal and what I hope to-be-unofficial-uncle, I am proud of you. However, if you ever go after a serial killer again I will not be above suspending your white ass till forever. I hope we're clear on that matter. And just to set the record straight, I hide the key to all the files under my stapler and the password to my computer is…"
"Behind the picture of your wife…" I finish for him, sheepishly. C'mon I'm not a saint, I think as I shrug.
He smirks. "Just as long as I get a thank-you every now and then and you don't tape a picture of me in your locker…we're cool J."
I smirk back. I have no clue what he's talking about but the fact that the VP is okay with me snooping in his office-pretty much rocks, right?
"You will not mess with a case that might get you murdered or otherwise hurt. You will not scare the crap out of your family again. You will not make any more references to my former delinquent days, no matter how funny you find it. You will spend at least one day every week in that office helping me out on any case you choose. Got it, Grant?" Weevil spoke with an air of toughness and tenderness I had come to expect from the big scary-lovable guy.
"Got it."
"I am going to get you the best and fastest computer possible and show you how to hack into a mainframe and how to tell who hacked into yours but they won't be able to because I will have firewalled the crap out of it because I totally rock when it comes to security on the systems and if you're really nice I will show you embarrassing videos of your mother during high school and college and then I'll let you mock her mercilessly." Cindy rambled all in good nature and extreme excitement. "Oh and from now on- it's Mac."
I had no idea what to make of the rambling other than I was getting a new computer that would be way cool and I would get to laugh at old videos of my bio-parents during high school and college. Yeah, and I could call Mrs. Casablancas Mac.
Mac elbowed Dick pretty hard, who had been staring into space. I'm thinking his thought process in all of this is far more limited. He rubbed his shoulder and realized it was his cue to talk. "OH…yeah, I don't care if you skip my class anymore. Like anyone really needs health or gym…"
"Uh…thanks?" I still would've skipped gym even if he hadn't said it was okay. Just going to be a little easier in the future, I supposed.
Duncan shook his head at Dick and stifled a shared laugh with Logan and Veronica. He sat a little straighter when speaking to me. I could only imagine what he would have to say. "January I have to say we didn't get off on the right foot- hell, we both have two left feet in this." I laughed softly at his laid back approach. "But it doesn't matter anymore. I owe more than words to Logan, as he has been my best friend, even if his dad killed my sister and he stole my ex-girlfriend."
Who knew Duncan Kane could be this funny or light-hearted or glib even?
"I owe more than my life to Veronica. She saved me, my daughter, and found the truth about my sister Lilly. She is a good person. Both your parents are good people who are loyal, sacrificial, and love to the extreme. This is what I can offer you… I can offer to be there for you like they were for me when it mattered. You need it- ask. May not seem like a whole lot but it will…in time."
I pushed tears back at Duncan's words. I gave a moment to think about his sister. The very nature of loss was ingrained in him and I think he wasn't going to go overboard or be fake. He was offering me a chance that he never offered Logan or Veronica and that is the world to someone like Duncan Kane.
"I…I…" Logan began but was choking back all the emotion I had discovered within him over the past few days. I had witnessed the guy Duncan was talking about in the cemetery that day. Duncan wasn't mincing words when he said Logan loved to the extreme. It was all he knew when he hadn't had love at all as a kid. "I love you. I don't think you'll believe me. I don't think you'll understand. You are our kid. Love never comes without complications. But I love you because you are who you are and nothing less. You are my daughter and when you want to be that, when you want to take on that role, I. Will. Be. Here. I am not going to leave you again. I love you January."
There was no denying I was Logan Echolls daughter. Our first encounter had proved thus and every encounter since then only solidified the logical conclusion. I just wasn't sure if I was ready to love back. He knew that though and that terrifies me. He knows me so well when I have no idea who I am. I turn my eyes down because looking at him and Veronica is too hard for this coward.
"Your name was going to be Maggie. I loved the name Maggie. I also loved kittens but…" Veronica smiled broadly through tears streaming down her face. "I am not going to ask for your forgiveness. You are January Grant because you have had two wonderful parents and a supportive family and a good life- except for the whole trouble following you wherever you go… That's genetic. You don't need me to say I'm sorry. I love you. You are a beautiful young woman who is going to go places- who will save the world. And I will be standing right here, proud and scared, just like my Dad did. That's what parents do- they stay. They don't leave. January Grant, you are amazing and alive and will have more people to love you harder than you have ever been loved before."
Damn tears. I am full out sobbing. I mean dry-heave-uncontrollable-Nora-Ephron-Chick-Flick sobbing. Oh, what would Meg Ryan do?
I clutch my cane and I take it slowly and walk towards Veronica and Logan. They stand immediately as I make my way to them and for the second time, this time a little more lucid, I collapse in their arms. I hug them fiercely. This hug comes with no promises or guarantees just the feeling that I'm loved and loved so far and wide it overwhelms everything I am. I feel their arms tighten around me, holding me up and their gentle kisses on my head and face. There is complete silence in the room.
Eventually, I pull away and lean on my cane and use my free hand to wipe the waterworks from my face. I gather myself. It's my turn- no more putting off what I need to say.
"I have spent my lifetime thinking what I had in life wasn't enough. I was wrong and it almost cost me my life- which I swear will never happen again- at least not this month…" I glib, I always glib when I'm nervous. "I want to be able to tell you all that I am fine with this new facet of my life but I can't…not yet. I am going to need a little time. This is a lot for me…for my Mom and Dad and I imagine for all of you. Just give me my time and my chance to do this on my own and I'm sure it'll be alright."
"Alright is just fine." Keith replied before wrapping a hug around me of his own.