Logan looked at the long shopping list before him. His eyes were wide with disbelief.
"You can't possibly need ALL of this for tonight, can you?" He looked up at his sister, her arms crossed against her chest. "I mean, this is… this is A LOT of food."
He looked down at it again, unrolling it to see it all. He looked back up to see her still staring at him in that scary, obsessive, look that she gets when she's really serious about something. He nodded, understanding her look.
"Ok, well, let me get dressed and ready. I shouldn't be too long."
"Great. Take Dick and Wallace with you."
"Huh? Umm… I didn't volunteer." She turned sharply to look over at Dick and his eyes widened in terror. Wallace stood up taking the hint. Logan could only shake his head and laugh at how much power Trina held in one look.
"Veronica, Mac and I will be here setting up for dinner tonight. And it has to be perfect, because it's Christmas Eve. You know how I get when things aren't perfect on Christmas!" The three men stood in a straight line and nodded their heads quickly in agreement.
"Let's get the hell out of here before she turns into a demon child and kills us all." Dick whispered as they ran up the stairs to hang out in Logan's room until they were ready to go. They could hear her yelling up the stairs.
"I heard that!" They ran into the room and closed the door behind them with a laugh. They sat on the bed as Logan started pulling out some clothes.
"I almost forgot what Trina was like during this time of year." Wallace shook his head and laughed, visualizing the few minutes they just had downstairs.
"Well, she's like Scrooge in search for the perfect holiday and making everyone miserable until she finds it." Logan laughed, and nodded in agreement, knowing that Trina has been like this forever. Dick picked up the remote control and started flipping through the channels.
"You know, why can't we have a night like last night? Just order in some pizza, tell old stories and just… hang out, you know? What's with the whole perfect Christmas crap?"
"This is a big event Dick. Roonie is opening up the B&B tomorrow and Trina really wants it to be great. Other than her whole obsession with Christmas, she really wants to make this special now that we're all together for the first time again."
"Yea, whatever… I say pizza with everything on it and some good movies. We stay up until midnight, give the stupid gifts and then sleep in on Christmas morning. Who's with me?" They all laughed at Dick as Logan grabbed his towel and headed toward the bathroom.
"Oh well… it doesn't matter how crazy she acts. I'm just glad to be here, to see everyone again." They all nodded in agreement as Logan closed the door behind him.
***
Veronica looked through cookbook as she tried deciding what deserts they were going to be having that evening.
"What I was thinking is we can take those long tables you have in the back and lay them against the wall. Mac, you still have those silk table cloths?"
"Yup, in the box in my room; I brought them to decorate, but we didn't need them."
"Great. We'll throw them upon the tables and set up the candle holders and the candelabra I brought. We'll put one of Veronica's centerpieces in front of the candelabra, that'll look really beautiful. Now, the menu." Trina looked over at Mac, who held a list beside her on the table, in front of the stack of cookbooks.
"Green bean casserole, stuffed turkey, lasagna, garlic bread, rolls and butter, and mashed potatoes with gravy."
"Deserts." Veronica looked up, as if being summoned and held up the recipes in her hand.
"Apple pie, pumpkin pie, gingerbread cookies, strawberry shortcakes, and peppermint ice cream."
"Ohhh, sounds good." Trina smiled and turned back to look toward the wall, trying to get a mental picture of the setup. "We'll set all the food up buffet style on the long tables, and for drinks, other than soda and hot chocolate. I say we have some hot cider and cappuccinos, with the little dollop of French Vanilla Cool Whip."
The three girls nodded their head in unison as Mac added French Vanilla Cool Whip to the grocery list. Logan was going to have a fit. She laughed and then looked down at her own agenda. She had some magical plans of her own.
"Now, as for the entertainment…." Mac started off when the phone rang. Veronica excused herself and stood up, heading to the wall to answer it.
"Northern Bungalow, Veronica Mars speaking. Can I help you?" She smiled, loving the sound of her words. Yes, Northern Bungalow was perfect.
"Veronica?"
"Hello?"
"Hey, Roonica it's Duncan!"
"Duncan! Where are you?" She looked up at the clock above the kitchen, realizing it read 10AM. He was supposed to have arrived early this morning, in order to get settled for tonight.
"Listen, we're in Rhode Island already, but we're kind of stuck at the airport."
"Is everything ok?" She looked over at the concerned faces sitting at the table.
"Umm… well, yea. Just a little hold up."
"Do you need us to come get you?"
"Well, we have to pay a few damage fees and we'll be right out of here."
"Damage fees?" She pulled the phone away from her ear for a moment, to make sure she was hearing right and brought it back up with a puzzled expression on her face. What did Duncan get himself into this time?
"Yea. My girlfriend and I were being silly in the bathroom… you know, trying to join the mile high club. Then there was some turbulence so the fasten seatbelt sign came on and... Well, let's just say that her heel dug into sink cabinet. I dropped a roll of toilet paper in the toilet, and it clogged sending that nasty blue water everywhere. We lost our footing, hit the door and went flying onto the floor half dressed." She could hear the smirk in his voice and she couldn't help but laugh.
"Well, good to hear that you're alright and that you're not still the same Duncan Kane from high school." She could hear him laughing on the other line. She shook her head, not being able to avoid her own smirk.
"Ahh, come on Veronica! I did not changed! I was gonna use a condom!"
"Ooookkkk. Goodbye Duncan. Call me if you need me." She hung up the phone and laughed as Mac and Trina watched interested. "Don't ask. I'm sure it'll be a story told over dinner." She headed back to the table just as the men came from upstairs. They lined up behind each other, as if appointing Logan as rebel leader against the women.
"Ok. We're going. Do you have the list?" Mac reached her hand out and Trina took it and placed it in Logan's.
"Don't forget. I need it all by at least noon so that we'll have enough time to start dinner."
"And after that we're free?" Dick asked from the back, his head poking out from behind Logan.
"Yup. The rest of the afternoon will then belong to you." They nodded and turned as they began to walk away. "Wallace!"
He turned around, walking back toward the kitchen doorway to meet her.
"Do you mind hanging this on that hook for me?" She asked and he looked down at her bare feet, realizing that she couldn't reach. He smiled, and nodded as he placed the object on the hook in the doorway. As soon as his hand came down she leaned in and kissed him, a soft, passionate kiss that left Veronica and Mac with open jaws at the table.
"Merry Christmas." She pointed up toward the object and he smiled.
"Mistletoe."
"Now go, the guys are dying to get out of here." She laughed as she turned around and he ran out, letting the door slam behind him.
"Ok, spill." Mac stood up with her arms crossed around her chest.
"What? I figured I'd simply extend the Christmas spirit."
"You better not have made it your job to be a gold digger Trina Echolls because if you hurt Wallace Fennel I will personally kick your as…."
"Ladies! Please! Let's just… let's enjoy the day." Veronica stood up and laughed, as she headed to the living room to put some more logs in the fire.
Mac walked in after her and Trina followed suit, as they all sat on the couch enjoying the sparks that emerged from the fireplace before them. They all had a little while before the guys would be back, and even Trina could use a rest after all the planning they'd been through all morning.
"Now, as I was saying. I brought entertainment." Mac smiled as she pulled out a few of her favorite Christmas CDs. She passed them down as the girls looked through them and sorted out their favorites.
"And… since Veronica is our host… I figured she should be the one most in the holiday spirit." She stood and headed toward the stairs where a black bag sat on the floor. She walked back over to the two women on the couch and pulled out a red velvet dress with white fur trim.
"WHAT is THAT?" She saw Veronica's horrified expression and laughed.
"It's your hostess outfit."
"THAT? No… NO! That's… I don't know what that is." Mac then proceeded to pull out a red and white Santa hat.
"It's a Santa costume."
"A HOOKER Santa costume! Wasn't there a Mrs. Claus outfit? Or even a regular Santa outfit? I'd wear that!"
"Oh come on, that's boring. I got this for you from Frederick's of Hollywood and it comes with matching red stilettos. The guys will love it." Veronica looked over at Trina terrified and huffed angrily as she saw the smirk on her face.
"You don't think this completely insults everything about Christmas?"
"Actually, I think it's hilarious. And to be honest, we could get a bunch of matching Santa hats and you can give it to everyone to wear after dinner. And we can all take a picture together. It'd be adorable."
"ARGH! I can't believe this!" Veronica stood up, furious, and walked toward the kitchen, away from a laughing Mac and Trina.
"HEY! Wait…." Veronica turned around and Mac smiled widely as she pulled up a second black bag.
"Oh God…." Veronica whispered as Mac began to pull out more red dresses. She handed one toward Trina as her smile began to fade.
"We're performing."
"PERFORMING?" Veronica took two steps back into the living room and stood, her hands at her side, her feet firmly planted on the ground, and her eyes and mouth wide open in shock.
"I'm doing dinner." Trina stood up quickly, as if pretending the words had never been spoken.
"After dinner." Mac smiled again, shaking the garment in her hand, demanding that Trina take it from her.
"And what are we going to be performing? I'm assuming nothing of a holy nature in these outfits?" Veronica asked as she walked closer to the awful red velvet lying sprawled on the wooden coffee table.
"Santa Baby."
"This just gets better and better, doesn't it?" Trina crossed her arms across her chest in frustration.
"Hey, that crap doesn't work on me Trin, so don't even try it. Now come on! Lighten up! Let's have some Christmas spirit!"
"This is not what Christmas is about!"
"Oh?" Mac rolled her eyes and waited patiently for Trina's long speech.
"It's a holy celebration in which we are supposed to help those less fortunate and…"
There was a long silence and then her loud sigh.
"Give me the damn costume." Mac laughed and jumped up and down in excitement.
***
"Christmas. What a joke. It's the commercial man's way of getting the public to spend thousands of dollars on silly traditions. Do you know it's one the most expensive holidays of the year?" Logan shook his head amused at Dick's blabbering. Maybe he and Mac were more perfect for each other than they knew.
He turned the corner with the shopping cart as Wallace walked up to them with a bag of apples and a can of cherry filling. As they headed down the next shopping aisle, Logan wondered how ridiculous they must look.
"Ok, we're almost done. Geez, you'd think we were feeding a nation." Wallace looked down the aisle and headed closer to the canned of mushroom soup, and also grabbed a box of lasagna pasta. Logan looked down into the cart at the plethora of food. Frozen turkey, flour, sugar, stuffing, potatoes, apples, and every other imaginable food from every food group. It was making him nauseous just thinking about it.
"And you know what else? Women! They have this whole thing about demanding gifts! What if the guy is Jewish! Then he's forced to give her eight whole days of gifts!"
"Actually, Dick, Hanukkah is a very religious holiday."
"Yea, ok. Again, another reason to buy gifts. It's all about the money making machine people. Why don't you both see that?" Wallace and Logan looked at each other, and shrugged as they continued to the end of the aisle.
"We're done!"
"Time?" Logan asked excitedly.
Dick looked down at his watch and smiled. "It's half past eleven."
"WOOHOO! Half hour early! Oh baby!" Wallace did a little dance as they raced toward the check out lines.
They proceeded to put the items slowly on the conveyor belt and Dick picked up a Cosmopolitan magazine.
"What are you doing?" Logan looked up suspiciously at Dick as he continued emptying the cart.
"This thing is like the female Bible man. It tells you everything you need to know about women, from women…."
"To women." Wallace said with a smirk.
"Yea, that's what they want you to think. But why would they put sexy pictures of women on the cover of women's magazines?"
"Because it's statistically known that women are self conscious and look toward other women to determine their own beauty?" Wallace said again as he looked at Logan with his eyebrows furrowed in confusion.
"No. Because it's calling up men's attention, so that we can figure out all of the secrets of women."
"You know what? He's much more philosophical than I remember." Wallace said to Logan as they both laughed.
"Whatever. Believe what you guys want. I get the women."
"All except the one you really want." Logan said with a smirk. "I saw the way you looked at Mac, as if you would devour her right then and there."
"Well, she looks hot. I mean, she didn't have breasts like that when I knew her."
"She did, she's just spending more money on better bras." Wallace said with a laugh as Logan and Dick turned to face him in shock. "What? You're friends with chicks you get privileged information."
"What about you and Veronica?" Dick asked as Wallace froze and turned to look at Logan.
"What about me and Roonie?"
"Did you come all the way out here to get your itch scratched or are you actually planning on telling her how you feel?" Wallace stood and watched the interaction between the two men.
"It's more than that with Veronica and you know it."
"What about Christine?" Wallace interjected as Logan looked at him curiously.
"How do you know about Christine?"
"Again, privileged information."
"I broke up with her the day before yesterday."
"YOU WHAT?" Wallace and Dick stood staring at Logan in total disbelief.
"I thought you were engaged?" Logan reached into his pocket and pulled out a small black box and both men held their breaths before him.
"Yea… that's uh… that seems to be the misconception. I kind of lost my head. What I meant to say was that I had fallen in love with someone and instead, I panicked and screwed it all up."
"So… you and Christine are over?"
"Yes. I just… I haven't been able to bring myself to tell Veronica yet."
"She's throwing you a frickin' engagement party tonight dude, you have to say something." Dick passed the accumulated money to the cashier as they rolled the cart out into the cold.
"Does she think Christine is coming?"
"I don't know what she thinks." Logan stood in silence and stuffed the box back in his coat pocket. "But… I'm going to tell her everything tonight."