Epilogue
Six months had passed. The sun shone bright with the morning light through the kitchen windows of The Vagabond. Veronica looked out at the surf while she prepared their ritualistic cups of coffee. From behind her, Logan slipped his arms around her waist and rested his chin on her shoulder.
"Good morning," Veronica said with a sleep-filled smile.
"Yes, it is," Logan agreed as he turned her in his arms for an appreciative kiss of greeting.
"Today's the day," she said as she handed him his cup of coffee.
"It is indeed," he replied as he took the cup and lifted it to his lips, sighing contentedly with his eyes closed as he inhaled the aroma and tasted the caffeinated beverage as if it were a gift from the gods.
Facing him and sipping her own steaming beverage, Veronica couldn't help but remark, "It's not even our wedding. Why am I so nervous?"
Smirking and leaning forward to kiss the tip of her nose, Logan said, "Because it may be ours next?" then he added with a challenge in his dark brown eyes, "If I can wear you down enough to agree to marry me."
Veronica laughed and rolled her eyes, saying, "I already told you that if I was ever going to marry, it would be to you. Isn't that enough?"
"For now," Logan responded slyly. Then he motioned toward the stove and said, "Come on, let's make breakfast. Can't have you starving for your best friends' big day."
After they ate, Veronica went to shower and dress for the wedding. Mac had allowed her to pick out her gown and she'd chosen a sleeveless cornflower blue velvet that floated down to pool around her ankles. Matched with some black strappy sandals, her diamond pendant from Lilly, and some matching diamond teardrop earrings, she was beautiful. Looking in the mirror, she swept her hair into a loose side ponytail and inspected herself critically.
Again, Logan came up behind her, this time placing his hands on her shoulders as he caught her eye in the mirror. "You look stunning," he murmured, kissing her temple.
She smiled at him as she turned to face him, "You're biased."
"So what if I am? Doesn't make it any less true," he declared.
She rolled her eyes and stood on tiptoe to kiss him softly before saying humbly, "Thank you."
"Anytime," he grinned, then stepped back to model his tux for her, "So what do you think? Suitable to be your escort?"
Inspecting him appreciatively, noticing clearly how the lines of the tux fit his every contour, Veronica smacked her lips and said, "Damn."
"I take it you approve?" Logan asked with a snicker.
Smoothing her hands up his chest, she looked him square in the eye with a near-predatory gleam in her own, "Most definitely."
"Good," he declared, "Because I thoroughly expect you to be ripping it off me as soon as we step foot back in the house. Will there be a problem with that?"
"None whatsoever," she grinned, holding his lapels and pulling him in for a kiss.
"Mmmm, you keep that up and we'll never make it to the wedding," Logan teased.
Sighing, Veronica pouted playfully, "Fine, but it better be a quick wedding! I have plans for you, mister!"
Grinning down at her, he said, "Plans, huh? See, if it were OUR wedding, it could be as quick as you wanted to make it and those plans would be called a honeymoon. Quite possibly on our own private island."
"A la Twilight, huh? So does that mean you're Edward Cullen now?" Veronica laughed at the ridiculous comparison.
"Never! I most assuredly do NOT have crystal balls!" Logan grinned wickedly.
Veronica nearly choked on her laughter and shook her head, pulling him in for another kiss before she said, "I love you, you crazy psychotic jackass."
"And I love you, my paranoid commitment-phobic beauty," Logan returned affectionately.
She rolled her eyes and said, "Come on. Let's get this over with. The sooner we get there, the sooner we can be back here and I can be doing unspeakable things to you."
"Works for me!" he agreed.
Several hours later, they were situated one at the front and one at the back of an aisle created in the sand. White chairs were set up on either side of the aisle and were filled with somewhere between fifty and seventy-five of Wallace and Mac's closest friends and family.
Alicia was escorted to the front of the groom's side by Darrell. Mrs. Mackenzie was escorted to the front of the bride's side by Mac's little brother. Then the prelude to the wedding march began. Logan, in his white tux, stood behind and to the side of Wallace, also in a white tux, as they waited for the bride and her lady in waiting.
A tent had been set up on one side of the aisle at the back. It was being used as a dressing room for the girls and to keep the bride's gown from being revealed before its due time.
When Veronica exited the tent holding a loose bouquet of calla lilies in front of her, the breeze blowing soft tendrils of her blonde waves across her face, Logan inhaled sharply. His eyes drank her in before completely before zeroing in on her eyes.
His intense gaze told her everything she needed to know and suddenly she felt as if she were the nervous but excited bride, anxiously anticipating her nuptials to the giddy and skittish groom. Logan didn't look skittish at all, though. In fact, it was as if everything between them were finally sliding completely into place.
Startling momentarily, her eyes grew large with something akin to shock and almost panic as she realized that she wanted this. Not just someday, but soon. With Logan. She wanted to be his bride and have fun making babies with him - ok, not babies, at least not at first, maybe baby to start or a puppy would be even better. But this. This happily ever after, no more neo-noir existence was what she wanted more than anything. With him. No matter what. She choked up as a small smile touched her lips and happy tears twinkled in her eyes. As she held his gaze, she saw that he felt it too. All of it. And somehow she just knew, she'd never be alone again.
Once she reached the front, she gave Wallace a brief hug and a kiss on the cheek, barely managing to rip her eyes from Logan's for even one second. Then the march itself began and she forced herself to look expectantly down the aisle where she knew she would see her closest girl friend.
When she stepped out of the tent and over to where her father was waiting for her, all eyes were on her and a collective gasp ran through the attendees. She looked beautiful and oh so very Mac in her strapless, sleeveless satin tea length dress made specifically for the petite brunette to wear at her beach wedding. The front came to just below her knees and the back stretched down a little further to her calves. A strip of white silk stretched right across her bustline with a matching strip about six inches from the trim below. Slightly ruffled pleats softly caressed her small but supple breasts while other others swished around her knees.
Grabbing her father's elbow and grinning into his eyes, she gave a slight nod as if to acknowledge she was ready to face this new adventure. Her dimples deepened as she approached Wallace. His excitement and certainty clear on his face as he fairly hummed with energy.
As soon as her father offered her hand to Wallace, he snatched it up as if someone else might steal it and they both laughed. For the rest of the ceremony, the bride and groom only had eyes for each other. Which was fine with their friends because they couldn't seem to focus on the ceremony themselves. Every word spoken, every speech made seemed as if it were meant for them.
When the newly married spouse was told that he could kiss his bride, it was all Logan could do to not swoop Veronica up and do the same. Her eyes twinkled at him knowingly as she caught the couple kissing out of the corner of her eye.
Once the reception was underway and the toasts had been made, Logan dragged Veronica onto the sandy dance floor. He held her close and kissed along her jaw as he murmured, "Maybe make it our turn next?"
"I don't know," Veronica answered saucily, "Don't I have to catch the bouquet first?"
Spinning her so he could look over the heads of those around them, he spotted Mac and called out, "Hey Mac! Toss me your bouquet."
WIthout pause, Mac did just that, giving the couple a knowing wink and a laugh. Logan reached out and caught it one handed, offering it to Veronica without breaking stride. "There. You've caught the bouquet. Now will you marry me?"
Still thinking he was joking, Veronica pulled the flowers appreciatively up to her nose and said teasingly, "It's under consideration."
Promptly, Logan stopped them where they were and dropped to one knee. He pulled a box from his pocket and opened it to show her a simple but elegant circular diamond set on a white gold band that was thin at the back and separated to hold the center diamond in place with nine tiny diamonds on each of the separated strands.
Veronica gasped as she looked down at its intricate beauty, one hand covering her mouth while the other nearly dropped the beautiful calla lilies. She looked questioningly into Logan's eyes, asking without words if he were really truly serious.
He grinned up at her, knowing they were now drawing a crowd, his look telling her everything she needed to know. In a teasing tone, he offered her the ring and asked, "How about now?" He stood and reached for the hand that was covering her mouth, took the ring from the box, and asked softly, "Veronica Mars, will you marry me?"
She squealed and bounced in delight as if he had just given her a pony and replied, "Yes! Yes! A thousand times, yes! I love you, Logan Echolls, and I want the world to know I plan on spending every day and every breath of the rest of our lives making you crazy."
Laughing, he took her in his arms and spun her around while the gathered audience applauded. When he set her down, he kissed her possessively before tilting his forehead to rest against hers. "I never want to lose you again. You're mine and I'm yours. No matter what. Deal?"
Grinning and nodding once she said with a certainty she'd never had with anyone else, "Deal." And she knew it was true because somewhere, a long time ago, a glossy-eyed boy had told a world-wary girl that their story was epic. With a smug little smile to herself, she thought, 'Ain't Epic LoVe Grand?'
THE END