Author's Note 1: Buckle your seatbelt, this would be long A/N. Let me remind you that this is a LoVe story, but yes I need to get DoVe story moving fast in order to get there. I'd like to thank you everyone who subs/reviewed/favorited this fic. I really appreciate it. I always appreciate any kind of review as long it contains constructive feedback. I love having discussion w/ everyone, and I can get any suggestion to improve the story. Massive thanks to layoung13 who beta-ed my fic, without her I couldn't write this story. Kudos to steenbeans who guessed correctly that the last chapter was 'Le Femme Nikita' homage. I'd like to say to Kou Shun'u (I don't know how to reach you. Your PM is disabled) who wrote many extensive reviews about the story. I am glad you enjoyed the story so far. But because I couldn't discuss your questions w/ you, I will address some of it in the forum. Please everyone, check out the forum. As for flashforward, I understand the problem. Some people like it, some people hate it. 50/50 of you have their own opinion about Flashforward - so I'm going to leave it to you guys. Please VOTE on my profile about 'Flashforward'. Vote, vote, vote, please. Just FYI, just because its flashforward and we'll see a glimpse of the future, it doesn't mean it will be about LoVe or even a happy one. Who knows? I can't undo what is already done and posted. My suggestion is to move on if you don't like it.

Author's Note 2: Thanks again for reading and reviewing this fic. I REALLY appreciate it! Please don't hesitate with reviews and suggestions. I do read your feedbacks. But please, no bashing though (a.k.a 'You suck! Die!' - that's just personal). How would I get better without the constructive feedbacks? On with the story...

Flashback,

Don and Veronica Apartment, March 2011

Don loved Veronica, but even he had some limits for dealing with his wife. His wife preferred to investigate crimes rather than doing her photography. It seemed she had a hard time adjusting to married life and her new profession as a photographer.

Don didn't want Veronica to risk her life chasing after bad guys. After the whole thing with Mercer – when Veronica was trying to kill him in front of the courthouse-Don was pretty protective over her.

Veronica didn't want Don to forbid her investigating cases.

"I am what I am. You knew that when you married me."

That was her defense in her action, every time they were arguing. It frustrated Don so much; he didn't know what to do with her. Some nights, they were arguing so loudly that the neighbors called the cops. Veronica was embarrassed whenever deputies who were on duty answered the call and visited the former sheriff and the current sheriff's daughter's home.

One time, their fighting escalated so bad until Veronica threw a vase to the wall, then Don yelled so loud, that when the neighbors called the cops again, the sheriff himself actually answered the call and went to their house.

Veronica and Don didn't expect Keith to be the one who answered the domestic dispute call.

Keith didn't yelled at them, but he merely told both his daughter and son-in-law to sit down while he sternly told them to solve this problem.

"Both of you love each other. Don't do this." He pleaded.

They were sleeping with their backs facing each other. Sometimes Don could hear Veronica crying silently, and his heart clenched. He would turn around and carefully hug and spoon her from behind. Veronica would melt and she would lean back on him. He would nuzzle her head and whisper, "I love you." And everything would be alright again while it last.

Don was taking over the Mars Investigation after Keith won the sheriff election, and Veronica quit the detective gig. Surprisingly enough, Don was actually a better detective than a Sheriff. Sometimes Veronica helped him with some cases, because no matter, she was smarter than he was.

For their ups and down, they did love each other. But even a blind person could see that they wouldn't last forever. They held too much baggage and ache in their lives.

Veronica didn't remember the first time she realized that she loved Don Lamb. Maybe after he kissed her and thwarted her plan to kill Mercer… she didn't know.

Their marriage shocked everyone, including Keith who didn't expect them to get married. Sure, their relationship was fine. Keith didn't hate Lamb anymore… until he married his daughter. It took him a while to warm to the idea that his daughter was married to his former nemesis. It was something he never would expect.

But Veronica was so stubborn; even when she quit being a private investigator and decided to become a photographer – she still chased clues and helped others who needed her expertise. Don told her to stop, but she wouldn't listen.

It put strains on their marriage, life, and relationship.

Don started to come home late or sometimes didn't come at all. Even when he told his wife that he had some cases and had to go out of town, he wouldn't tell what happened.

They fought a lot.

Veronica just got back home from work when she walked into their apartment and noticed there were candle lit on the table. Don had set the mood for a romantic dinner and he welcomed his wife with a smile.

"I made dinner." He grimaced shyly. "I hope you'd like it."

Veronica looked at him. She couldn't say anything, until she croaked. "You… made dinner?"

"Yeah… I mean, it's not much. Just your favorite; lasagna – Keith gave me the recipe." He shrugged. "I just… want to spend a good night with you."

Veronica looked at the setting; dinner plates, lit candles and a bottle of wine. Don uncorked the bottle of wine and poured it in the glasses. Veronica sat on the chair and looked at everything with sadness. Don didn't see his wife's sad expression. It was when he sat down and started to dig in; he saw the expression clouded over her. He blinked but didn't say anything. His heart suddenly clenched to see her sad face. He wanted to ask what was wrong, but it seemed he would start another argument, so he cleared his throat and started to eat.

Veronica also ate the food but she still had the odd expression. Finally, she put her fork down and looked at her husband. Don looked at her too in confusion but wary.

"Don…"

"What's the matter? You don't like it? I followed the recipe to a tee."

"The lasagna is great. I love it." She said, giving him a smile.

Don looked at her, "So what is it?"

Please, no more fight… Please…

She looked down and bit her upper lip. When she looked up, she was teary. Don couldn't stand her crying like this but he waited until she said something.

The next words coming out from her mouth almost knocked him out of his chair. "Are you having an affair with Lizzie Manning?"

Don stared at her with a shocked expression. Veronica didn't know whether the shocked expression was because he got caught or he didn't expect her to ask that question. When he finally said something, he whispered. "What did you say?"

Veronica said a little bit coldly this time. "You heard me."

"I can't believe you're asking me this."

"I just did." She looked at his dark blue eyes. "And you haven't answered."

Don pushed his plate away and ran his hand warily to his face. "What gives you the idea?"

"Just answer the question, Don."

"One thing I know about you is you always seems to know the answer before you even ask the question." Don said bitterly.

Veronica was trying so hard not to cry. She was feeling betrayed. But she was adamant not to cry in front of him. Never show any weakness, that was her motto. "So it's true, then?"

"How could you ask me this Veronica...?" He shook his head and stood up. He paced around the room. Veronica saw Don's face, and he looked… betrayed. He spun around and looked at his wife sadly. "I just wanted a nice night with you…" He gestured the dinner setting. "Apparently I was asking too much."

Veronica started to get teary again. "Please… just answer the question. It's a yes and no question." Don looked at her from the kitchen counter. He was teary too.

"No." Veronica choked a sob. Don knew that she didn't believe him. He closed his eyes and breathed hard. "I am not having an affair."

Veronica stood up abruptly and grabbed her purse. She pulled out few photographs and slammed them on the kitchen counter. "Then what is this?"

Don saw few photographs of him and Lizzie in a motel. There was a picture of him hugging Lizzie in front of the motel room. He looked at them sadly. "You were following me?" He whispered.

"Few days ago, when you told me that you were gonna be late. I followed you from the office and straight to that motel." She explained. Tears were flowing but she wiped them roughly.

"I cannot believe that you did this."

Veronica looked at him in disbelief. "YOU cannot believe that I did this?"

"I'm not cheating, Veronica!"

"Are you going to deny this?"

"There's nothing to deny, because I am not having an affair with anyone."

"I know what I saw!"

"NO, you don't know what you saw. As usual, you always jump to conclusions. This has got to stop, Veronica."

"Now I know why you want me to quit investigating cases: because you don't want me to find out about THIS!" She swiped the counter clear, and the photographs fell to the ground.

"Veronica…" Don was trying to console his wife, but she recoiled. It reminded him when he rescued Veronica, and she was like a cat that shrunk whenever someone was trying touch it. "Honey…"

"Oh my God… I can't believe it." She cried angrily. "How could I be so stupid?"

"Veronica! I am NOT cheating!"

"I SAW YOU!" She cried harder. She put her hands to her face and tried to stop herself from sobbing. Don breathed hard and trying hard not to cry too. Why it was so hard to be in this relationship? You'd think it was enough to love somebody. "Just confess and leave."

"You want me to leave." His heart couldn't take it anymore. His own wife wanted him to go.

"I can't even look at you…" She turned around, gasping and crying. Don looked at his wife's back and he sniffled.

"I would never cheat on you, Veronica… I thought you know me better than this."

"You are still denying this?" She spun around and she was a wreck. She pushed him and hit him weakly. Don grabbed her hands. "Let go!"

"Listen to me! I never slept with Lizzie. There's a reason that I met her in that motel, but it's not what you think. Why can't you trust me on this!" He tried to calm Veronica who was trying to get away from him.

"Why don't you go see the Wizard; ask for a little heart?" She spat.

The second the words were coming out from her mouth, she regretted it as she pulled away from her husband and she put her hands on her mouth. She saw how Don was visibly stricken, like he was being stabbed in the gut.

Suddenly their memory went back to that day…

Veronica was only sixteen years old, with her white dress and long blonde hair. She was crying in front of him, and he was laughing at her.

Look at this! She cries! I'll tell you what, Veronica Mars — why don't you go see the Wizard. Ask for a little backbone.

They didn't say anything forever.

They didn't know how long they were standing like that in the kitchen, but it felt like time had stopped. Don stared at his wife who was looking away. He lowered his head and saw the scattered photographs. He picked one of them and looked at it. He saw a picture of himself hugging Lizzie outside her motel room. He looked at the picture sadly.

"Okay…" He whispered. Veronica looked at him. Okay what? "Okay… I will leave. If that's what you want." He said quietly and looked up to her. She wanted to say that she didn't mean what she said. But it was too late and too hurtful to take back what she said, so she didn't say anything. He sighed heavily and leaned back to the kitchen counter. He was still holding the picture of him and Lizzie.

"Just tell me the truth, Don…" She whispered back.

He wiped a tear from his cheek. He was so tired. "It's obvious that you won't believe me, but this is the truth." He looked at her blue eyes. "I never cheated on you with anyone. And that's the truth." Veronica exhaled exasperatedly but Don continued, "I was taking a case. Lizzie was asking for my help." He looked at her disbelief expression. "Lizzie was kicked out by her parents when she turned 18. After Meg's death, and Duncan Kane took baby Faith – I mean, baby Lily – they've been… hard on Gracie. Apparently, my subtle intimidation against them didn't work."

Veronica frowned. "What intimidation?"

"When I let you and that Kane boy go few years ago for breaking and entering, I went back to the Manning's house and parked outside the house." Veronica's eyes widened. "I did that for several days, just to make my point that I KNEW what they're doing to Gracie." He nodded. "That's why they never pressed charges against you and Duncan."

"Why didn't you report them?"

Don smiled. "Veronica… They're 09ers. Do you know what happened to a sheriff in this town if you come up against the rich?" He shrugged. "Ask your dad."

"But still…"

"I couldn't do anything, Veronica. You know who I was… I was an ass." He looked at her. "And it's obvious that you never forgave me for what I did to you."

"Don…"

"It's true. I think when I fell in love with you…" Veronica's breath hitched. "…was the moment when I tried to make everything right." He looked at her. His face was sad. "I just want to make you happy." He nodded. "It's apparent that I failed." Don put his hand to his chest. "I swear to you, Veronica… I'm not having an affair."

She sniffled. "What about Lizzie?"

Don sighed. "Lizzie was kicked out from the house and she wants to build a case against her family for child abuse – so she hired me. I told her to go to your dad, but she insisted that I take the case first so she can have evidence against her parents about Gracie, and then report this to Keith. I told your dad about this…" Veronica blinked. "Yes, I discussed this with your dad. He couldn't do anything based on Lizzie's testimony because let's face it; she isn't a reliable witness nor a person with reputable behavior." Don looked at his wife whose face was stony. "Lizzie planted a camera inside the house when she visited Gracie. Lizzie said that her father is dangerous, so she has to be careful. When she planted the camera, I was outside their house just in case something happened."

"You… planted a camera?"

He nodded. "Two weeks ago." Veronica sat on the stool of the kitchen counter. "You know how it is. Your dad… surprisingly supportive."

"If it's illegally…"

"We were thinking that we could tell a judge that it was some sort of nanny cam that Lizzie put before she was kicked out from the house." He shrugged. "Let's just say we have a reason for probable cause."

"Where did you put the camera?"

"I gave Lizzie a teddy bear with a camera in it so she could put it in Gracie's room."

"Did it work?"

"We don't know. We need to get back to that house and grab the teddy bear. Lizzie has been living in that shady motel for a while. I usually have meetings with her in that motel." Veronica looked at him while biting her lip. "I guess you caught us hugging when we were saying goodbye."

Veronica exhaled loudly, as if she was relieved. But she was still shaken as she ran both her hands to her face. "Why did you never tell me about this…? Why… Why all the secrecy? I mean, you told my dad!"

Don looked at her sadly. "I didn't want to tell you."

"Why?"

"Because you will get involved. And I don't want that."

"Why not?" She asked angrily.

Don approached her slowly and put his hands on both of her arms. He looked at her in the eyes. "Because I love you too much to let you have some kind of revenge of what they do to Gracie."

"Don…"

"I can't let you do what you were about to do to Mercer."

"That was not your decision!" She yelled and pushed him away. "You took away my chance to kill him!" She cried. "You… You…" She sobbed hard. "How could you!" Don tried to hug his wife, but she avoided him and paced around the kitchen. "Why did you stop me?"

"Because once you do it, you can't ever go back… And I can't follow you to this… deep dark rabbit hole." Don cried also. "God, I love you so much Veronica. Did you ever think about the consequences? Please listen to me, Veronica. I couldn't let you kill Mercer… And if I let you in this case, you would do something you might regret." He then reminded her about Duncan and baby Lilly. "You got away from sending Duncan and his child out of the country, even the FBI wasn't able to find them. But not this time!" He remembered how he found out that Duncan was actually hiding in his car trunk. He didn't know how they managed to smuggle the baby out though; Veronica never said anything when they got married.

Don learned to let it go… until now.

"Mercer kidnapped and raped me!" Veronica screamed. "The Mannings are abusing Gracie!" Don bit his knuckle so he wouldn't scream too. "It's the same thing, and I want them to suffer!"

"VERONICA!" Don hugged Veronica very tightly and both of them cried. "Oh, God – will you listen to yourself? Please, baby… don't be like this. I love you so much… Your dad loves you so much… What will we do if they put you in prison?" Don held Veronica on both sides of her face. "It's gonna kill us." He peppered her with desperate kisses. "This is not the way."

"You said it yourself- the rich will never be punished." She cried as she struggled from his embrace. "First Aaron… then Beaver… and then Mercer… and now the Mannings… When is it gonna end, Don? Tell me!"

Don didn't answer. He hugged his crying wife very tightly. He was crying too, "God, Veronica. This is why I didn't tell you about the case."

"You can't do this to me…" She was sobbing.

Don touched both her cheeks and wiped the tears with his thumbs. "I have to, Veronica…" He croaked. "I love you."

Veronica never said 'I love you' back. That was in her nature. And Don had to accept this with a heavy heart that she would never say it back. But the next words shattered his heart completely.

"I hate you."

Don let Veronica go slowly. She was shaking when she said it and she couldn't look at him in the eyes. He took several steps back while he was looking at her. He was breathing hard and he was clutching his chest, like he was in pain. "Don't say that… You don't mean it."

"I hate you. I hate you. I HATE YOU!" She screamed and then she cried loudly. Don watched his wife slowly go down on her knees, crying like she never cried before.

Don tried so hard to compose himself. But it was hard when the love of your life just said that she hated you and was crying on the floor. "Veronica… I am sorry. I am sorry that I hurt you in the past… and hurt you now… I am so sorry… I just want to… Veronica… I just want you to be happy. But you have to let this go…"

"That's not me at all, and you know that. If you can't accept that…" She said between sobs.

"Veronica... I can't stand here and watch you get hurt." Don stood in front of Veronica, defeated.

"Then leave!"

"Veronica…"

"Can't you see I'm in pain?" She cried. "I just want the pain to go away."

"Not like this."

"You don't know how it feels! You don't know how it feels to be locked up in a fridge while it was being set on fire or locked in a closet for days because you didn't do what you were told." She looked up from the floor. "The Mannings are doing a similar thing to Gracie. They need to be punished."

"Not like this." Don shook his head over and over again. "I can't let you do this."

"There's the door, Lamb." She pointed the door. Don felt like the air just sucked out from his lungs when Veronica called him 'Lamb' instead of Don.

He whispered, "Don't…"

"I want the pain to go away…" She said, crying.

"Then let me help you…"

"There's nothing you can do about this…"

"What are you going to do about Gracie?"

"I'm gonna save her." She stood up and challenged him with a look, daring him to say 'no'. "I will plan something, and then I will rescue her."

"Veronica…"

"Leave, Lamb. It's obvious that you won't help me."

"We are trying to help her!" He yelled. "But not like this. I won't let you harm the Mannings."

"Just like when you wouldn't let me kill Mercer."

"It's a wrong thing to do, and you know it."

"Who died and made you a saint?" She sneered. "Or maybe you forgot about the shitty things you've done in the past? You hurt me and my dad! You weren't exactly good, you know that!"

"This is not you, Veronica. This is not who you are. This isn't the real you."

"The real me DIED in that cabin."

Don was silenced by this. He looked at his wife, who was crying but angry at the same time; she was saying things like wanted to hurt the Mannings. Her heart was hardened by vengeance. And she looked at him like she loathed him.

He hung his head, and sniffled. "I can't… I can't do this. I can't stand here and watch you like this…"

"Feel free to leave."

Don nodded. "I will leave, Veronica. But I will be back. I can't give up on you." He slowly approached his wife again and touched her face carefully. He held her cheek, and she leaned on his touch while she had her eyes closed. "I love you… even when you hate me." He kissed her forehead softly and the kiss lingered for a while. "I'm sorry for everything…" He whispered.

He let her go and grabbed his keys and jacket, and walked out from their apartment. He slammed the door. Veronica didn't expect her husband to actually leave the apartment. Her mouth quivered and she was shaking.

Veronica came home from work to an empty apartment. She looked around and felt a pang in her heart. Don hadn't been home for 2 days and she felt lonely. She called him on his cell phone, and he never picked up. She thought she deserved it, being stubborn as usual. Right now Don was giving her some space… and probably for his sake too.

But she didn't want a space. She wanted Don to come home.

She had been busy with her work and working on Gracie's case. She was planning to bust out Gracie out from that house – with or without Don's help. She was thinking about getting Weevil's help. If one person could do breaking and entering, it was Weevil. She couldn't use the same plan when she made Duncan and his child disappear; she needed a new plan. She was thinking about asking for Vinnie van Lowe's help, but it was too risky. And she didn't have any money. Vinnie would refuse working without any payment.

She could borrow Dick or Troy's money. But she didn't know how to pay them back and she would never ever borrow any money from her friends. She could scrape some money from her photography gig… But asking Vinnie for help? Again, with the same case? Veronica wouldn't take that chance.

And there was a problem with her involvement with the Mannings. The FBI wouldn't forget that she had something to do with their grandchild's disappearance with Duncan. If she rescued Gracie, it didn't mean that she was off the hook from Duncan's case.

She was stomped.

Veronica remembered her father was so disappointed with her. "I could never trust you again, Veronica…" Or something along the line, Veronica didn't remember. But coming from him, it hurt. She knew she was doing what was right at the time. Lily would have the same fate as Gracie if the Mannings won the custody… The last choice was Duncan himself. He wasn't fit as a parent, maybe… and he had his demons in his past. He wasn't exactly a model citizen- sleeping with an unconscious partner, binge drinking, his mental health, anger management, and many more… but he loves his daughter. And maybe, in some way, he did love Meg. Veronica did what she had to do to save Lily.

Would she take the chance to save Gracie as she did with Lily?

And then she remembered Gorya Sorokin.

The thought of him made her pause. What if she seeks him for help? It wasn't the first time… Back then, Veronica called and asked him for a gun. Gorya didn't ask what the gun was for; but he helped her no questions asked. Gorya delivered the gun himself – it was a .38 special revolver – very light and handy. He didn't even charge her. He told her it was free. Veronica thought she owed him or something, but he just said that he wanted to help.

Veronica was suspicious of him; after all, he came from a mobster family. His family was pretty well-known on campus back then. He was already a junior when she was a freshman. Veronica asked him if he even knew what she was doing. Gorya only looked at her and said he understood… and then he left, just like that. So she was a bit flabbergasted when Gorya gave her a gun and did not any favor in return.

Would it be more trouble if she asked for his help again? She hadn't seen him since they graduated from college. Who knows, he might be in prison.

"Shit… I really need to stop asking for help from criminals…" She muttered to herself.

Veronica then went to the kitchen to prepare dinner. She might as well cook for both her and Don, just in case he gets home. Maybe she would bake something. Budget is tight, but she wanted to do something special for her husband.

She smiled to herself. Her husband…. They had been married for a while, and she still need to get used to with the title. Who knew that they would get married? Back then, she vowed she would never get married. And then Mercer happened…. She sighed remembering that. Don really turned into someone she could count on. Someone she could trust. Someone she could love…

But was it enough?

She looked at her wedding ring. It was a simple wedding band. Don said that he would buy her another ring if he had enough money. But Veronica didn't need another ring. She loved this ring. But being married with someone with the baggage they had wasn't an ideal way of marriage. They fought a lot. They argued almost all the time.

After she closed the oven and wiped some flour to her apron, she picked up the phone and called Don. Veronica waited and waited but he didn't pick up the phone. She listened to his voice messages and closed her eyes. His voice soothed her. After the beep, she was hesitant to leave a message but she wanted him to come home.

"Don… it's me. I… I'm…" She cleared her throat. "I… don't know what to say… But I want you to come home." She sighed. "I am sorry for what I said before… I regret it." She sat on the kitchen stool and looked at the recipe book on the kitchen counter. "I didn't mean it… I understand what you and dad were trying to do… Maybe we should talk about this. I promise I'll listen." She wiped a tear that escaped from her eye. "I lo…" She cleared her throat again. "I don't hate you."

She hung up and exhaled.

Don didn't come home again. Veronica was sitting by herself at the dinner table. She already set the table with lots of his favorite foods. She baked Don's favorite bread rolls. When Don didn't call or come home, Veronica was sad. She checked her text messages and voice messages, but there were none from her husband. Veronica went to bed, crying.

It was around 3 AM when she heard someone knocked on the apartment door. Veronica rubbed her eyes and pocketed her pepper spray. In a time like this, how she wished Backup lived with her instead of with her dad. It couldn't be Don, because he had his keys.

Veronica waited and said, "Who is it?"

"Veronica… it's me, dad."

Veronica exhaled loudly and opened the door. Her father was standing there, obscured by shadows so she couldn't see his face.

"Dad! Something wrong? Why are you here in the middle of the night?" She asked worriedly as she ushered her dad inside. "Are Alicia and Darrell okay?"

"They are fine, honey." Keith said quietly. He walked slowly to the apartment. "I have to see you."

"What's wrong? Are you okay?" She turned the lights on and gasped. Her father's Sheriff's Uniform was soaked in blood. "Oh my God! You're hurt!" She saw blood on his face and panicked. "You need to go to the hospital! What happened?" She ran to the bathroom and grabbed first aid kit. "Dad, say something!"

"Honey, I'm fine. I'm not hurt…" Keith said blankly. "This is not my blood." Veronica didn't listen; she tended her father and wiped his face with a towel. She unbuttoned her father's uniform and pulled it away. She dropped the uniform to the floor, and her father was wearing his t-shirt. She checked his father's chest and sides for some wounds but didn't find any. "Veronica…" Keith gently grabbed her hands. "I'm not hurt."

"So why are you soaked in blood?" She looked at her father questioningly.

Keith looked at his daughter. His mouth opened but there was no sound coming out. He closed his mouth and then opened it again, but still no sound. He gently took his daughter's hand, pulled her to the living room, and sat down with her on the couch. They were facing each other and Veronica felt like her chest was being stabbed.

Please… Don't say it… Please…

"Veronica…" Keith swallowed bitter bile. This was only a dream, right? Veronica had a happy life; she went to the prom and graduated from high school without any bloody event. She went to Stanford University, graduated, and became a valedictorian. She became a famous photographer. She was now married happily with two children. She had a dog after Backup. She was…

"Dad…." She whispered. "Whose blood...?"

Keith blinked and his short daydream was cut off. "Sweetheart… there was a disturbance at The Mannings' house last night…" He breathed hard. Veronica bit her lip and shook her head. No… No… "The police were called and I was there… There was a hostage situation… no, please listen to me honey…" Veronica was about to leave, but Keith held her hands firmly. He watched as his daughter shook her head violently. "There was a shoot out… Stewart and Rose Manning were taking both Lizzie and Grace as hostages in their house… Apparently, Lizzie was caught smuggling a camera out and as she was about to leave, her father took her…. They were about to kill their own children for murder-suicide because… I don't know, for some twisted logic that they would rather have their children pure than being impure by society…"

Veronica listened to her father telling what happened. She couldn't take it. "Please… daddy. Don't say it… Please…" She cried.

Keith choked, "Sweetie… Don was there and about to save them… He went to the house… There were some struggles…" Veronica's heart dropped a million miles, and she started to hyperventilate. "Honey… I am so sorry." Veronica put her hands on her face and sobbed hard. "Don was shot… Paramedic couldn't save him… He… died on the way to the hospital. There was nothing we could do… I wanted to call you… But…" Keith hugged his daughter and cried. "I held him in my arms… He told me…"

"Don't say it." Veronica stopped crying and sniffled. She whispered on her father's shoulder as she hugged him tightly. "I don't want to know."

"Veronica?"

"I don't want to know… Please don't tell me."

"I have to tell you what he said… His last words…"

Veronica tightened her embrace. "No… Please. There are no last words… He didn't say anything." She sobbed quietly in his neck. "Daddy… He didn't say anything."

Keith stoked her hair and closed his eyes. "When you're ready, honey." She shook her head again but not crying. She ran out her tears for a lifetime.

Sheriff Department (Morgue Bureau)

Veronica felt like she walked under water. Everything sounded muffled. Remember that cartoon Charlie Brown when the adults talked and all everyone could hear was just 'wah wah wah'? That was how she heard everyone talking around her. And her vision seemed blurry as she was focused on the path she was taking towards the morgue. She missed the look from the deputies when they watched her with sad eyes. She didn't see how Deputy Leo was watching her in sympathy. She didn't see Deputy Sacks sitting in one of the lounge chairs, being consoled by his colleagues – his uniform had blood on it.

She did see a tall blonde girl standing next to Lizzie. Veronica thought it was Meg, but then realized that it was Gracie. She was probably around 15 or 16 years old. Lizzie was drinking coffee and talking to one of the detectives. She was a mess. And her clothes had blood on it. She was crying. Their father died – Deputy Sacks shot him. Their mother put a gun under her chin and shot herself. Neptune claimed its victims again.

Keith was holding her hand. He remembered the first time he took Veronica to the Sheriff Department; she was only five years old. He was showing off his daughter to his colleagues, while Veronica was hiding behind him shyly. Everyone made a fuss over her; like how beautiful she was, and how she looked just like Leanne. Veronica was sitting on his lap drawing pictures on his desk while he was taking calls. He remembered that Veronica exclaimed, "Daddy, I want to be a Sheriff one day!" Keith only laughed and kissed her head.

And now he looked at his daughter, all grown up, and suffering. He thought that it was his fault. No parents wanted to see their child in misery.

He held her hand firmly and walked together to the morgue, which was on the same building as the department. He already changed his clothes. But Veronica was still wearing her pajamas and Keith's jacket uniform. But she still looked beautiful.

"Sheriff, we're done. You can come in." One of the coroners told Keith.

"Okay." He turned to Veronica. "Are you ready, sweetheart?" He asked Veronica softly. Veronica didn't answer, but she nodded shortly.

The coroner brought them towards a slab where Don Lamb lay on it.

Veronica looked at her late husband. He looked very pale. The coroner tried to cover Don's chest with a sheet, but she could see that there was autopsy incision and stitches that looked like the letter V. There was also a bullet hole on his chest. Despite all of that, Don looked... peaceful.

Keith stood behind Veronica and held her shoulders. He also looked at Don's body on the slab and shook his head slowly. It was unbelievable that he held Don's hand just mere few hours ago. He wanted to tell Veronica what Don had said to him before he died. But it seemed she was not ready to hear it.

"Can you give me some time alone with him, please?" Veronica asked quietly. Keith looked at the coroners, and they nodded. The three of them walked out after Keith kissed her head softly. She watched them warily and pulled a chair nearby. When they closed the door, Veronica sat in front of the slab and looked at her late husband. She saw his ring finger, and there was no ring. She looked around and saw a metal plate and his ring along with his other belongings were on it; like his watch, wallet, and cell phone. She also saw two bodies in the corner covered with sheets and thought it must be Stewart and Rose Mannings.

She touched his hand, and gasped when she felt cold.

There was no warmth, only icy coldness. She was surprised that a dead body could be this cold. There was no heat produced from the body anymore. Don's body was just a body now… a shell from a previous life. She held his hand… the same hand that used to hold her. She traced his chest, to his neck, to his mouth – the same mouth who mocked her cruelly when she was raped years ago – to his lips – the same lips that kissed her softly and told her everything would be alright – to his nose, to his closed eyes, and to his forehead – which she kissed softly.

"I don't hate you…" She whispered. Veronica put her cheek to his cheek and felt cold. "Are you cold?" She looked around the gloomy room where they put dead bodies. "Do you need a blanket?" She croaked. "I'm sorry." Veronica took off her jacket and tried to cover him so he wouldn't get cold. She rubbed his hand to produce heat, but it was a fail attempt. "I'm sorry…" She kept saying. She put his cold hand onto her cheek. "Can you feel it? Can you feel my hand? It's me…" Veronica looked at her late husband's face, wishing that he would open his eyes. "Say something, Don. Yell at me, mock me, say cruel things about me… Say that I will go to see a wizard…" She chocked a sob. "Tell me that you love me…" Veronica bit her lip to avoid crying. She couldn't cry anymore. She didn't want to cry anymore. "Can you hear me? Please say something." Veronica touched his face, touched both side of his cheeks. She smiled sadly watching her late husband. She touched the contour of his face and felt the coldness on her fingertips.

Fifteen minutes passed, and Keith walked in quietly to the room. He saw his daughter was sitting in front of the slab, holding her late husband's hand. He walked behind her and put his hand on her shoulder. She didn't react from his touch.

"Veronica… it's time to go." He said softly. Veronica didn't say anything. She was still staring at Don's face and rubbing her hand to his hand slowly. "Come on, honey… We need to go home. You need to get some rest."

"Why is everyone leaving us, daddy? Why do these things happen to us? Mom left… Lilly is dead… Duncan is gone… Logan left…" She whispered. "Don is…"

"I don't know sweetie." Keith answered. He squeezed her shoulder. "I don't know."

"I'm sorry, daddy…"

Keith blinked and looked at the back of his daughter's head. "For what, honey?"

"For being such a disappointment. For being a stubborn girl. For…"

"No, Veronica. Don't say those things." He crouched beside her and looked up to his daughter. "Honey, look at me." Veronica looked down to her father. Her eyes seemed blank. "You are strong, brave, and loving person. Never ever forget that. We love you so much." Keith wanted to cry when he said the next words. "I love you, my daughter. You are my everything. Please don't blame yourself."

"It's my entire fault that they're gone… Mom wouldn't leave if I didn't kick her out. Duncan wouldn't leave if I didn't stick my nose. Lilly wouldn't die if I didn't rat out Logan. Logan wouldn't leave if I didn't break up with him. And Don wouldn't… he wouldn't…" Veronica breathed hard. "If we didn't argue and he left home."

"Listen to me." Keith held her face. He was sad to see his daughter in pain like this. "Don't ever blame yourself. You hear me? Please…"

"Daddy… Please don't ever leave me. I don't know what I would do without you…" Veronica hugged her father tightly.

Keith hugged her back and sobbed. "You will always have me, my sweet baby girl." Veronica closed her eyes and felt like she was going to lose everything she held dear.

Mars Residence

The funeral of Don Lamb went well. Although not many people came, there were many associates from the Sheriff Department and people from his hometown came to pay their respect. Don's parents were long passed away, but his brother and sister came. They weren't close to Don, but they managed to say few words about their brother during the wake. Veronica saw Madison Sinclair and her fiancée at the funeral. She was trying not to be seen, but Veronica saw her shed some tears in the back.

Veronica didn't have any energy to even say anything. The whole day was a blur, and Wallace was by her side all the time. He held her hand throughout the funeral. Dick, Mac, Weevil, Troy, Piz, Parker, and many of her friends were there to support her. Lizzie and Gracie were at their parents' funeral – in the same cemetery park, but she didn't know where. She heard that everyone was going to the Mannings' funerals to support Lizzie and Gracie.

When they arrived at the Mars' home, Veronica went straight to the guest room and lay on the bed with Backup on her side. She curled up beside Backup, who sometimes whined and licked her hand. Wallace knocked on the door and opened it. He brought some supper for her and put it on the bedside table.

"I brought food. You should eat something." Wallace said to her. Backup whined and tried to get away from Veronica who hugged him. Wallace curled his lips and then gently took Backup's collar and guided him to the door. "Backup needs to go outside, Veronica."

"Sorry… I'm just afraid he will leave me…" Veronica sat on the bed and watched Backup scatter outside. Her hair was messy, and Wallace sat next to her and stroked her hair.

"Well, either that or he will crap all over the floor." Both of them chuckled.

"Yeah… I'm being unreasonable. Backup would never leave me." Veronica said.

Wallace wanted to say something, but at a time like this, he didn't have a heart to mention that he would be going to Africa. He was supposed to go to Africa after his freshmen year of college and join the Invisible Children Organization. After Veronica was kidnapped, and now her husband was killed, it seemed it was the wrong thing to do to leave her like this.

"You will never be alone, Veronica." Wallace said quietly. Veronica leaned to his body. "Everyone loves you." He kissed her head. "You'll get through this." He patted her hand and then left her alone to rest. Veronica watched him closed the door. As she started to put her head on the pillow, she could hear a murmured conversation outside her room. She frowned and tiptoed to the door. She peeked from the door and saw Wallace talking to Mac.

"Did you tell her?" Mac asked quietly.

Wallace shook his head. "No… I can't."

"I understand." She nodded. "But you have been postponing this for years."

"I know. Maybe I will tell her slowly."

"She will be okay. We will be there for her." Mac assured him.

"I mean, it's not like I leave for good. It would be few times a year." He shrugged. "She will be alright, right? She always bounced back. She's a tough cookie."

Mac smiled and pulled him to the gathering. "You'll make us proud. You'll be great in Africa."

Veronica shut the door quietly and pressed her back to the door. She lowered her head and her head was pounding. Suddenly she needed to get out from the house. Wallace was going to leave… Wallace was going to leave her for Africa. He would be great in that continent. He would make everyone proud, including her. She didn't know that he had been postponing his dream of going to Africa for years because of her.

She sniffled a bit and then walked towards the window. She opened it, and climbed out to the backyard. She needed to be somewhere else.

Don and Veronica's Apartment

Veronica walked into the apartment and felt cold. The apartment had been empty for a week and the heater was off. She turned the lights on. Everything was in place except the bloody uniform. She remembered that she put the uniform in the hamper. Maybe Alicia went to the apartment and fetched the uniform to be cleaned. She stood in the middle of the apartment and looked around the furniture. Veronica touched the surface of the coffee table and then the framed picture of Don and her. Veronica smiled to see the picture; they were on a beach with Backup that day. It was a day when they weren't arguing at all.

Suddenly she felt empty.

Veronica shook her head, went to their room, and opened the closet. She grabbed all of his clothes from the hangers and racks, and put them carelessly on the bed. She then opened a few suitcases and put all the clothes inside. She decided that she would donate his clothes to Salvation Army. At first, she wanted to give some of the clothes to Wallace or Darrell, but they didn't have the same body size. Besides, it would give some comfort to her that her late husband's clothes would be useful to those who need it.

When she was about to grab the last clothes from the hanger, she paused.

It was Don's Sheriff Uniform.

Veronica touched the uniform and felt overwhelmed for a while. She took the uniform from the hanger and held it to her chest. She inhaled the scent from the uniform; Don's distinguishing scent from the uniform. She sighed and sat on the edge of the bed looking at the uniform. Should she give this uniform away? Or should she keep this for safekeeping?

She absentmindedly checked the front pocket, and when she found something, she paused. She pulled out folded money. She opened the folded money, and she wanted to cry. It was a $50 bill with a handwritten note:

VERONICA MARS IS SMARTER THAN ME

Veronica couldn't believe that Don kept the money after all these years. It was the Triton case where she managed to prove her innocence after that student named Rick framed her. After all that bickering, arguing, and rivalry, Don actually kept the money. Veronica held the money, and suddenly she felt angry. Don kept the money. Why? She ripped the money into little pieces. She was so upset that Don kept the money.

She was angry and upset because Don never told her about the money. She didn't know why she was angry. Maybe because he died and she said some horrible things before he died and everything didn't seem to make sense.

Veronica walked to the kitchen and turned on the gas from the stove. Her vision was blurry from all the tears. She wiped the tears roughly. She didn't want to cry anymore.

She left the kitchen and went back to the bedroom. Veronica laid herself to the bed, while clutching Don's uniform. She then closed her eyes and went to sleep. She was so tired. She needed sleep so bad. Maybe she would see her beloved people like Lilly, Duncan, Logan, Meg, and Don in her dreams. Maybe even her mother. Who knows?

Veronica didn't realize that gas filled the whole apartment after several hours. She was unconscious at the time, so she didn't know that Wallace and Dick along with Weevil broke into the apartment. They were frantically looking for her when she went missing and decided to look in her apartment. When they smelled gas, they had to break in. Wallace and Dick tried to wake her up but with no avail. Weevil turned off the stove, opened all windows, and then called 911 and Keith Mars. Dick carried unconscious Veronica out of the apartment along with Wallace and Weevil.

Veronica still didn't realize that she was brought to the hospital.

Even when she was conscious, she didn't realize her surroundings.

She didn't realize that everyone was trying to talk to her.

She didn't realize that her friends and family were crying and saying goodbye to her when she was brought into a mental institution.

She never fully realized it.

Thalassa Sanitarium (Psychiatric Facility)

Veronica looked out the window from her room. She was wearing a bathrobe and seemed calm. She stared at the scenery outside. It was a beautiful day as the sun was shining, the sky was blue, and the air was clear. Someone knocked on the door, and a man with a white coat walked in. "Good morning, Veronica." He greeted the young woman.

Veronica smiled and looked at the doctor. "Good morning Doctor Rosenberg."

"How are you feeling today?" A nurse was handing him a chart. He read the chart and smiled to Veronica.

"Great! I feel super." She then sat and bounced on her bed.

"Why is that?" He asked.

"It's my birthday!" She exclaimed.

Doctor Rosenberg smiled, but his smile didn't reach his eyes. "That's great. Happy birthday, Veronica. How old are you?"

"Sixteen." She shrugged but still bouncing happily. "Mom and dad are going to visit, right? I hope everyone will come too."

"Who is everyone, Veronica?"

"My friends, Lilly and Logan." She lowered her head shyly. "And Duncan." Veronica then clapped her hands. "Oooh, I hope they bring presents!" Doctor Rosenberg didn't answer, but merely smiled and wrote something down in the chart. Veronica tilted her head to the side watching him, "Do you think I could have a party here?"