Fic: Safe In Harbor (part two)
Title: Safe in Harbour
Author: monroeslittle
Genre: Veronica Mars (V/L)
Rating: PG
Summary: A few years after college, Veronica gets an unexpected visitor who has a case for her. Between an estranged lover, a dying friend, and visits from the majority of the VM cast, Veronica has her hands full. For the vmfic_gameon 's Back to School challenge, using the prompt "You're NOT the father" (which seems to be the most popular!)
"Hey! And how are we feeling today?"
"Well, personally I'm feeling a little down, actually," Veronica answered the nurse, rubbing her stomach thoughtfully. "Mac here just told me she's having a great day. But neither of us could begin to guess how you're feeling." She smiled brightly.
The nurse gave a tight smile. None of them liked Veronica. The feeling was mutual. "I'm okay," Mac told the woman, shaking her head at Veronica with a small smile playing on her lips.
"Your pain today?" asked the nurse, scribbling on her clipboard.
"Four," Mac answered.
"Well, that's excellent!" exclaimed the nurse, beaming. "You let me know if you start to feel bad, okay?" Mac nodded and to Veronica's relief, the blonde nurse with dancing elephants on her scrubs left as quickly as she had come.
"We really need to get you out of this place," Veronica told her friend.
"You're telling me," Mac replied. It was quiet. "I'm so sick of this room. You know the same people who design prisons, design hospitals? What does that tell you?"
"They also design schools, and we survived that," she replied. Mac didn't say anything. Her heart fluttering in her chest, Veronica reached forward and grabbed Mac's hands, stopping their incessant sheet twisting. "The surgery tomorrow? It's going to work. Dr. Bojarski is one of the best in the country and she has a really high success rate. This is going to work. It'll keep you strong until a transplant comes along, I promise."
Mac didn't meet her gaze. "I actually . . . I've decided not to have the surgery."
Veronica sat back in her chair. "What?"
"I can't keep doing this," Mac said, looking up at Veronica in desperation. For years, they've been cutting me open to keep me alive while we wait for a transplant and I'm just so . . . tired of it. All these surgeries . . . they're like putting band-aides on bullet wounds. Even if this surgery is successful, I'll be back in a month."
"Mac," Veronica murmured.
"I'm not doing this anymore. I'm gonna wait for the transplant and if I don't make it until then . . . I'm not going under the knife again. I can't. Not even with the promise of some transplant in the distant future."
"If I remember my Scrubs right, its a scalpel, not a knife," Veronica said, wishing desperately that there weren't tears clinging to her lashes.
"Veronica." Mac looked up at her. Veronica squeezed her hand.
"Please, Mac, don't just give up -"
"I've already made my decision. I talked to Dr. Bojarski and my parents and . . . the next surgery I'm doing is a transplant. That's it. And I'd . . . I'd really like your support in this. You've done so much for me, given up so much for me and you're the best friend I've ever had and I just really need you to understand." Her eyes were pleading. Veronica didn't say anything, but she reached forward and grabbed Mac's hand, giving it another squeeze.
It was quiet for a moment. "Tell me about something else," Mac blurted suddenly. She gave Veronica a weak smile. "I'm sick of talking about how . . . sick I am. What are you working on for the FBI now?"
Veronica gave a small grimace. "I can't really tell you. . . . But its nothing interesting, I swear! They have me do a lot of looking through old cases and paper work and all that."
"Okay," Mac said slowly, "What about Logan? When are you two going to get back together?" There was teasing gleam in her eyes now.
"Honestly?" Veronica sighed, slumping in her seat. "I don't think we are this time." Mac was watching her carefully, and Veronica knew what she was about to say, but she wasn't ready to hear it; she didn't want to talk about Logan and their failed relationship. "I do actually have a pretty interesting case," she said, perking up.
"Yeah?" Mac said. Veronica nodded.
"It involves Duncan Kane." She paused for dramatic effect. "He's back in town. He came to see me and told me that he wants me to find out who his daughter's biological father is."
"Wait, what?" Mac exclaimed. "As in . . . he's not her biological father?"
"Nope," Veronica confirmed. "DNA tests prove he's not."
"Do you have any idea who is?" Mac asked.
Veronica shook her head. "I'm basically at a dead end. Meg's little sister didn't know anything and neither did her ex-boyfriend or anyone else I talked to. I've been going through the yearbook, looking at potential boys she might have had a one-night stand with, but its not going very fast."
"God . . . that's crazy." Veronica could only nod, and before either said anymore, there was a knock on the open door, and they both glanced over to see Wallace. "Hey supa-fly!" Veronica greeted, standing up. Wallace was working in Washington D.C. these days, and she rarely saw him.
"Hey, girl," he replied, smiling as she approached him and giving her a hug. It was always good to see Wallace. He turned to Mac. "How are you holding up?"
"I'm still alive," Mac shrugged.
"Strangely enough, I see that," Wallace told her, and he and Veronica both sat down on either side of the bed.
"Instead of talking about me, because all I do is lay here day after after day why don't we talk about you? Tell me about the big world out there. Has it changed in my absence? Is the sky still blue?"
"It's gonna a little green lately, actually," Wallace told her.
"Interesting, interesting," Mac nodded her head. She smiled, and it was clear she was happy at having fresh company. "How's D.C.?"
"Ooh, yes," crooned Veronica, "How's life as a lobbyist?"
Wallace made a face at her. "See, when you say it like that -" he began.
"Say it like what?" asked Veronica innocently. "You are a lobbyist, aren't you?"
"What I am," he replied, puffing out his chest, "is a man working to make our government help children forced to fight."
"You tell her," Mac encouraged. Veronica only shook her head, smiling. She really was proud of all that Wallace had done and was doing. There was a good person, and then there was Wallace, at a level no one else could ever touch.
"I think you should give up the middleman game and put your name on the ballot," Veronica said matter-of-factly. "That's how you'll really change the world, Fennel. I'd vote for you!"
"Yeah," Wallace said, "you and three other people."
"Gotta start somewhere," Veronica countered.
Before he could reply, one of the numerous machines Mac had been hooked up to began to beep wildly and Veronica looked at Mac in alarm to see her friend slumped onto the pillow, convulsing. Wallace had no idea what was going on, but Veronica was on her feet in an instant, punching the blue button that would send nurses flying into the room.
The nurses wasted no time in arriving, and two minutes later, Dr. Bojarski had stopped the crisis. But Wallace couldn't even walk back in to the room he was so horrified. Veronica sighed. It would all be over soon. It had to be. They'd faced this for too long. Mac had faced this for too long.
But now Mac was saying. . . .
Focus on the case, Veronica told herself. Focus on the case.
"This warms my heart, you know," he told her, smirking. "My protégé, my FBI daughter, coming back to her old man for advice. The student does not surpass the master."
"Yuck it up," she replied. "But you better be able to help me after all this."
"Oh, rest assured, darling daughter of mine," he grinned, "I will be. So. . . ." He leaned back in his desk chair, putting his hands behind his head and stretching his legs, a smug look firmly in place on his face. "How can I help?"
"Here's what I know so far," Veronica said, handing him the file on information she had written and complied. Most of it was basics - copies of the DNA tests, a timeline showing that the baby had to have been conceived within certain dates; her own reports on Lizzie Manning and Meg's Aunt Kris knowing nothing and Cole not being the father. . . .
"I've made some calls to some of the 09er boys Meg didn't completely detest," she told him, "but none of them were any help. I honestly . . . don't know where to look next."
Serious now, her father flipped through the file thoughtfully, his brow creased. "And there's no chance the parents have any idea?"
"If Lizzie doesn't know, I don't know why they would. And asking them would -"
"Put Duncan at risk," he finished for her. "I know. Meg's close friends at the time - have you talked to any of them?"
"I wouldn't know where to start," she replied. She sighed. "Meg pulled away from everyone in the months leading up to the crash. And before that, I was probably one of her best friends. A lot of the girls she grew up calling friends turned out to be . . . not so great. If she was talking to someone, I honestly have no idea who."
"Did, ah, did she have any hangouts? Any bars, maybe, where she might have gotten drunk and . . . ?"
"I hate to think that Meg would do that," Veronica told him.
"Honey, honestly, it makes the most sense at this point."
She nodded sadly. "Yeah, but I wouldn't know where to start with that either. When I was close to her, she wasn't hanging out at bars and having one night stands."
"It looks like at this point you'll have to go door to door - in a manner of speaking," he said, handing her back the file. "Seek out old classmates - maybe people who did frequent bars and the like - and ask them if they can remember Meg Manning in a bar seven years ago. It's a long shot, but if her being there was really an abnormality, it might be something someone remembered."
Veronica was about to reply when her cell phone rang. She glanced at it and then back at him, apology gleaming in her eyes. "I've been playing phone tag with him for a while -"
"Logan?" Keith asked knowingly.
"Casey, actually. You remember him, right?"
"Cult boy, sure, sure," he nodded. "Are you two an item these days?"
"No, Dad, we're not an item. Just - I'm gonna go. Thanks for your help." She turned away before he could protest and answered her cell phone. "Hey," she greeted.
"You're welcome!" her dad called out.
"Hi, you've reached Logan with today's inspirational message: "A ship is safe in harbour, but that's not what ships are for." William Shedd. Leave a message."
"Hey, its me . . . again . . . this is getting kind of old. Could you please just . . . look, just, ah, give me a call when you get this." She snapped the phone shut. He could only ignore her for so long, right? She did not want to go another two months without talking to him.
"Is everything okay?" Casey asked as she slipped the phone back into her pocket. He sat back down at their restaurant table.
"Oh, yeah, of course," she assured. "I was just making a call while you were busy, that's all."
"Logan?" he said, giving a small, understanding smile.
"He's avoiding my calls," she answered, taking a forkful of salad.
"Would you mind me asking what, exactly, happened with that . . . ?" he questioned.
"The short version? He asked me to marry him."
"W-wow, and you . . . ?"
"Said no, obviously," she answered, stabbing a carrot and impaling it on her fork. "We're too young and we're both starting our careers and I never - I stopped imagining myself with that kind of life - you know, happy wife and smiling kids - a long time ago, and I . . . I didn't want to break up but he said now or never and since I couldn't choose now. . . ."
"He chose never," Casey said softly. She nodded. "He'll come around. The guy loves you. He has since junior year. That's not gonna change so easily." She met his gaze to see him giving an encouraging smile.
"Thanks, Casey," she said. "Things are just piling up so much lately. Things with Mac are worse than they've ever been and its not looking good and there's this case that's got me walking in circles and I'm just really, really tired." She sighed.
"Yeah, but you'd so be bored if things weren't piling up," he told her. "Don't lie." She glared at him but his grin only widened. "And Mac's going to be fine."
"God, I hope so," she murmured. It was quiet for a moment as they both ate, but eventually he broke it, clearing his throat.
"So - the case you're working on - what's it about? Anything interesting?"
"Sorry," Veronica shook her head, giving him an apologetic smile, "client confidentiality."
"Oh, no, its cool," he said. "I get it. Back in high school I was pretty glad you kept things confidential when I tried to drink the kool-aide." Watching him, it occurred to her suddenly that maybe Casey would know something. After all, he was a part of their crowd, and once a person got close to him, he was a hell of a lot sweeter than most of the 09er boys. What if he noticed a guy hanging around Meg or . . . ?
"Why are you looking at me like that?" he asked suspiciously.
"Okay, so I'm going to break a confidence," she said, shifting in her seat. He raised his eyebrows, amusement clear. "Duncan's back in town. Nobody knows but Logan, my dad, Mac, and me. And you can't tell anyone. He's back in town for a little while. He didn't bring his daughter, but he's here about her." She paused.
"Go on," he encouraged.
"He found out a couple of months ago that he wasn't the father."
Casey frowned. "I'm not sure I. . . ."
"Meg had a baby right before she died, remember?"
"And Kane ran off with it," Casey nodded. "Yeah, I remember. You're saying it wasn't actually his kid?" His disbelief was clear. Obviously he hadn't thought Meg was that sort of girl either.
"Not according to DNA tests," she confirmed. "He wants me to try and figure out who is the father. I'm a complete loss. I mean, I talked to her sister and her aunt, but neither of them knew anything and as far as I can tell she didn't have any really good friends she could have confided in -"
"Wait, you're sure the kid isn't Duncan's?" he pressed.
"Positive," Veronica said. "About the only thing I do know about the father is that he has type O blood, just like Meg and the baby."
He let out a strangled laugh. "That's crazy. Wouldn't Meg have told someone? It just - I mean, it doesn't sound like her, you know?"
"Oh, I know, believe me. Maybe she never got the chance," Veronica said. "Or maybe she honestly thought it was Duncan's baby. Sometimes you want to believe something so much that you actually start to."
"Wow," he said. "Wow. That's pretty crazy. Who knew, right?" He grabbed for his water.
"Yeah. So does this mean you don't remember ever seeing Meg with . . .?"
"No," he said quickly. She cursed inwardly. She was never going to figure this out.
"That's okay," she sighed. "I'll just keep looking, I guess."
"Actually," he said, wiping his mouth with his napkin. "I do remember . . . um, do you remember Caz - Caz Truman?" It took Veronica only a minute to recall the boy, the one who Meg said would flirt with anything that had boobs. "I remember seeing - one night, ah, it really stuck out in my mind - I saw her talking to him at the diner out on Main. It turns into a bar after ten, you know and. . . ."
Veronica tried to process that. "I can't believe that she would go for him, but I if she was really depressed. . . ." Her voice trailed off as she let the information click in her mind. It fit. Meg would probably be pretty drunk, things would progress quickly, and her memories would only be hazy the next morning. "But I guess it makes sense," she murmured. "Thanks."
"Yeah, sure," he dismissed. "Um, I actually have to go. I have - I forgot about this thing - and I . . I know we were supposed to go see that movie after dinner, but maybe a second rain check?"
"Okay," she agreed, only half-paying attention. It wouldn't be hard to find Caz, really.
He stood. "I'll call you. And here - this should cover it." He handed her a few twenty dollar bills.
"You don't need to," she protested.
"No, just - its no skin off my back. I'll call." He gave a tight smile and was gone before she could do more than nod.
Veronica glanced at the screen before she answered her cell. She was already out the door and walking to her car to go see Caz, but she couldn't ignore a call from Mac. "Hey," she greeted, opening her car door.
"Veronica? This is - this is Cindy's mother. I'm using her cell phone."
In the back of her head, alarm bells went off. "Ah . . . Hi, Mrs. Mackenzie. Is everything okay?" Veronica paused where she stood beside the car, her grip on the door handle tight.
"I . . . I know that you're Cindy's best friend. She always talks about how amazing you are and I know how much you did for her after your senior year at Neptune and then again when she got sick and I thought you should be here."
"Has something happened?" Veronica asked, gripping the steering wheel tightly. "Is Mac okay?"
"She is," Mrs. Mackenzie assured, "they . . . I thought you should know - they just took her into surgery. They found her a transplant." Veronica felt her heart seize at the words. Mrs. Mackenzie let out a tearful laugh. "After nearly three years on the National Donors List, she finally has her transplant. They just took her into surgery."
"That's amazing, Mrs. Mackenzie," Veronica said, leaning against the car as ripples of shock still ran through her.
"I know, but I was just thinking - if this doesn't work - if it doesn't -"
"It'll work," Veronica cut her off. "Mac's going to be fine, Mrs. Mackenzie," Veronica said, refusing even to think anything else. "And I'm on my way to the hospital right now. I'll be there as soon as I can."
The line was quiet for a moment. "I'm so glad Cindy was lucky enough to have you in her life," Mrs. Mackenzie whispered. "You're such a good friend."
"She's still lucky," Veronica answered firmly. "She's getting a transplant. This is it. This is what we've been waiting for."
"I - I know. I'll see you in a little bit, Veronica." The call ended and Veronica slowly lowered the phone from her ear. She climbed into the car, her hand shaking as she buckled her seat belt. But she only made it a few miles before she couldn't take it any more and had to swerve the car off the road.
She bent over, unable to stop the tears from welling in her eyes and spilling out over her cheeks as she pressed her forehead to the steering wheel. For years Mac had been fighting, for years Veronica had taken her to the hospital and gone to visit her and to wheel her out after a successful operation, and this is what they had been waiting for all along, and. . . .
It took her a while before she could coach herself into drying her tears and starting up the car again. She couldn't break down like that. She couldn't. Mac deserved better. Veronica had done everything she could to be a strength and comfort to Mac's family and to Mac, and she wouldn't abandon that job now, not when they were so close to the finish line.
When she finally made it to the hospital, it was to find Mrs. Mackenzie pacing and looking as if she were hanging by a thread. Veronica approached her quietly, ready to comfort, and before she knew what was happening, Mrs. Mackenzie had thrown her arms around Veronica, hugging her tightly.
Mrs. Mackenzie released her at long last. "How's she doing?" Veronica asked. Mrs. Mackenzie's face contorted, her bottom lip trembling, and Veronica immediately wished she hadn't asked. "I'm sure she's fine, isn't she?" she went on hastily, producing the best smile she could.
Mrs. Mackenzie nodded. "There hasn't be an - an update yet. But they should probably be done soon, right? I mean, how long do these sort of things usually take?"
Veronica shook her head. "I really don't know."
Mrs. Mackenzie gave a brave smile. "That's okay. They'll be done soon, I'm sure. Sam just took Ryan home. It's too hard for him to be here," she explained. "He's just a baby." The tears broke free. "She's just a baby, too. She's my baby, and there's nothing I can do for her."
"You've already done so much."
Mrs. Mackenzie and Veronica both spun around to see Mrs. Sinclair standing a few feet away, looking at them anxiously, as though she still didn't feel she was allowed to be there. After a long pause, Mrs. Mackenzie said softly, "Hi Anna."
Mrs. Sinclair took a step closer. "Natalie . . . I've only just gotten to know Mac these past few months and I still don't know her very well but I do know that she's an amazing girl, an absolutely amazing girl, and I know she must owe so much of that to you. You couldn't - you couldn't have done more."
Mrs. Mackenzie burst into tears, and this time she threw herself at Mrs. Sinclair, and the two older women clutched one another as they sobbed. Veronica could only watch in astonishment.
"Hey, how's she doing?" Veronica tore her eyes away from the women to face Logan. When she didn't answer, his concern deepened. "She okay?" Realising Veronica must be confused, he added in explanation, "Mrs. Mackenzie called Dick."
Veronica nodded even as Logan reached out and squeezed her shoulder reassuringly. "She's still in surgery. I don't really know anything, though."
She looked back at Mrs. Sinclair and Mrs. Mackenzie, and Logan followed her gaze. "That must be so strange," Veronica murmured to him. "Hugging the woman who raised your child. I can't imagine being either one of them. They've been through so much, survived so much, and now to have to face this . . . it's not fair."
"You know better than anyone that life's not fair," Logan replied. Veronica nodded. She smiled up at him.
"It was good of you to come."
"Of course," he said. "Mac's my friend, too." He paused. "Honestly, though, I came more for you. Always you." He stared at her in that burning way of his, that way that made it seem as though he could look straight into her soul. It took all her strength to drop her gaze. "Dick's parking the car," he said, breaking the tension. "He offered. I think he's probably gonna need a bit to get it together before he can come in. I swear, I can't get over how much he's changed."
"Me neither," Veronica agreed.
They were quiet for a few minutes as Mrs. Sinclair and Mrs. Mackenzie sat murmuring occasionally to one another in the chairs that lined the wall. Veronica glanced at the clock. Who knew how much longer they'd be there?
As if sensing her building distress, Logan caught her eyes and asked, "How's the case going?"
"Pretty good," she answered, glad for the distraction. "I actually have a new lead. I'm meeting Duncan tomorrow to tell him." Logan nodded. Before he could reply, however, Dr. Bojarski approached, and Veronica's heart caught in her chest. The small blonde woman nodded in acknowledgement at Veronica and Logan before addressing Mac's two mothers.
"How'd it go? How's my baby?" Mrs. Mackenzie asked immediately. "How's my Cindy?" Veronica's breath caught in her chest and she was grateful to feel Logan's hand on her back.
"The surgery went very well," Dr. Bojarski smiled. Veronica gasped and found herself in Logan's embrace. Mrs. Mackenzie let out a cry, clutching her mouth and looking skyward as if thanking God. There were tears in her eyes as Mrs. Sinclair wrapped an arm around her shoulder. "The transplant was a perfect match and your daughter's doing very well. She should be awake soon."
"Thank you," Mrs. Mackenzie said. "Thank you, thank you, thank you! Oh, I have to call Sam and tell him! Thank you!"
"She'll have to stay in the hospital under observation for a while longer yet, and you should be aware that complications can always arise after surgeries of this magnitude, but we'll be closely monitoring Cindy, and there's no reason to suspect she won't make a full recovery."
Even Veronica was crying now.
"I've got to call Sam," Mrs. Mackenzie murmured again, patting her pockets as if to find her cell phone but too ridiculously happy to make a real effort. She glanced back at Veronica, and for the first time in a long time, her teary smile reached her eyes. "Thank you," she told Dr. Bojarski again. "Thank you so much."
The doctor only smiled. "Congratulations, Mrs. Mackenzie. Your daughter has a brand new heart."
"Hey," Veronica said softly.
"Hey? That's it? That's all you've got? I undergo major surgery to have my heart replaced after waiting three years and when I wake up and they let you in to see me, all you have to say is Hey?" Mac asked, and she grinned so widely, Veronica knew that everything was uphill from there on out.
"I can say it with jazz hands if you'd like," Veronica offered, sitting in the chair by Mac's bed.
"You joke, but you should take advantage of this joyous mood I'm in. Before long I'll be back to my default setting," Mac warned.
"You know, I kind of like your default setting."
For a moment they only smiled at one another. Mac's parents and brother had all been in to see her when she first woke up an hour ago, and she had even talked with Mrs. Sinclair. Veronica had waited out with Logan the entire time, and now that she was finally in to see Mac, she couldn't really think of anything to say.
It didn't matter.
"Veronica, can I talk to you about something?" Mac asked, her fingers twisting in her sheets.
"Of course," Veronica encouraged, a little puzzled by Mac's soft, serious tone.
"Why did you say no to Logan?" Veronica could only stare, and Mac took her silence as reason to go on. "I know you love him. You've loved him for years. And you're both young, sure, but don't you think its less about age and more about experience? 'Cause you and Logan have experienced plenty together, more than most people do when they get married."
"Mac," Veronica murmured, "I do love him. It took me a while to admit that, I know, but I can say it now. But I don't think I'm ready for marriage. I don't know if I'll ever be ready, honestly."
"If you have the ability to get married and spend the rest of the life with the man you love, Veronica, then you should take it. Not everyone gets that chance. I came pretty close to missing it." Veronica looked down at her hands. "I'm not trying to make you feel bad," Mac continued, "but when they were prepping me for surgery, I kept thinking. . . ."
"But you're okay," Veronica said. "You're gonna leave this hospital and be okay and you can be with anyone you want - even Dick."
Mac gave a small smile. "I know," she nodded. "And I know how much you've done for me. You spent most of senior year taking care of me, and you even helped me start that site that found dirt on teenagers' parents so that I could pay my medical bills, and then you came back to Neptune despite how much you hated it. . . . But I think you're making a mistake, Veronica. I think you're scared. But if you don't take a chance now, you might lose all chances.
"Maybe you're not cut out for marriage with a happy, normal guy, 'cause you're not a happy, normal girl and you'd never be able to put up with a happy, normal marriage. But if Logan Echolls is a happy, normal guy, then I'm a bunny."
"A bunny, huh?' Veronica asked, desperately trying to keep the tears at bay.
"He's the guy for you," Mac said, her eyes wide with enthusiasm. "I don't really do this kind of thing - give this kind of advice, but I'm gonna use my status as a person that almost died to tell you wisely that he's the guy for you. Be scared if you want, but don't let him go."
Veronica didn't know what to say, but Mac didn't seem to require a response. "What about you?" Veronica finally asked. "What happens next?"
"Who knows," Mac shrugged. "Things are definitely gonna be different."
"In a good way," Veronica assured.
"Yeah," Mac smiled. "In a good way."
Veronica couldn't help herself. "Dick was mighty excited when Logan went and found him in the parking lot and told him the news.
"Don't you even start," Mac protested.
"It's okay, I'm totally immune to Dick these days. If you want to date him -"
"We are not having this conversation," she insisted. Veronica smirked. And Mac, glancing side to side as if about to reveal a secret, leaned towards Veronica and said, "I can safely say, however, that Dick is not eggplant."
They both laughed, remembering a time when things weren't literally life and death, a time that would return in the weeks and months and years to come. "Ooh, so tell me about the case!" Mac said when they'd both calmed down. "Have you found the daddy yet?"
"I've got a new lead, actually," Veronica replied. "Caz Truman."
Mac raised her eyebrows sceptically. "I'm not sure I remember exactly who he is, but if I'm remembering right -"
"I know," Veronica agreed, "but Meg was probably pretty drunk.
"Why do you think it's him? Have you talked to him?"
Veronica shook her head. "I'm about to. It was Casey who told me. I mentioned the case to him over lunch and he was really shocked - he basically freaked out - but then he suddenly remembered -" She stopped.
Mac frowned. "Veronica?"
"Oh my . . . " Veronica stared at the far wall, her mind spinning.
"Veronica?" Mac repeated. "What's the matter?"
Veronica shook her head in amazement. How come she hadn't picked up on that earlier? "I have to go," she told Mac, standing up. "I'm sorry. I'm sure Dick'll want to talk to you anyway. I'll come by later, okay?"
Mac shook her head in bewilderment, a puzzled smile on her face, but she gave Veronica her consent, and Veronica was out the door in an instant.
"You really should lock your door," Veronica said.
He shut the refrigerator door he had just opened, not taking anything out of it, and looked over at her in surprise. "Weren't you the one that was just lecturing Logan on breaking into people's homes?" he asked. He had only arrived a moment ago, but Veronica had been waiting for nearly an hour and she couldn't hold it in.
"It's you," she said.
"I don't -" he shook his head.
"You're the father," Veronica accused, standing up. Casey sighed, meeting her gaze but not denying it. "You and Meg ran into each other one night," she went on. "Your life wasn't great with those parents of yours and you got drunk at a bar, and Meg was there drinking, too, and things got out of hand, didn't they? And the next morning, when she barely remembered it, you decided to forget it, too." She let her words settle. "Am I close?"
"You're pretty much spot on," he answered softly.
Veronica's breath caught a little. Even though she had been positive as she ran from Mac's room with the new revelation, hearing his confirmation was still. . . .
"I'm sorry I mentioned Caz. I just . . . I needed a little bit to digest the bomb you'd just dropped." He ran a hand through his hair. "I never really knew Meg, okay? But when she saw me at the bar and started chattering away about Duncan dumping her and how terrible her parents were and . . . I knew, afterwards, that she wasn't that sort of girl and that she would be better off forgetting whatever hazy memories she might have. I left her alone. Never mentioned it. It was . . . it was one night, okay? One night."
"And it never occurred to you when you found out she was pregnant that it might be yours?"
"Honestly?" he replied. "No. It didn't." She couldn't deny the look of utter honestly on his face. "It was just one night," he said, and there was almost a plea in his voice. "What were the chances?"
"I'm guessing you're type O negative?" she asked.
He nodded. "So this means . . . I have a kid, right?"
"There's always a chance you weren't the only one that Meg . . .," Veronica told him. "But I don't think that's the case. Still, there'll be a DNA test."
He ran his hands over his face, slowly slipping into a seat across from her at the kitchen table. "I can't believe this. It doesn't - this sort of stuff - it doesn't happen in real life."
Veronica felt her sympathy for him rise. "Trust me, Casey, nothing in my life ever seems like real life. Welcome to the club."
"What happens after this?" he asked, swallowing thickly. "Duncan's been raising the kid, right? He probably . . . loves her and everything and - its a her, right?" Veronica nodded. "He's not gonna want to give her up and besides I don't know if I want him to. I mean, I am not ready to raise a kid. I'm still a kid myself!" he exclaimed. "And he's a fugitive and what, is she supposed to take a plane half way across the world every weekend so she can see us both?"
Veronica shook her head. "I really don't know. But at least now you know, right?"
He let out a breath of disbelief, giving a strangled laugh. "Yeah, at least now I know." His voice was sarcastic, and Veronica felt even worse for him. He didn't deserve this. Neither did Duncan. "What's her name?" he asked suddenly.
"Lilly," Veronica answered softly. He didn't say anything. "I haven't told Duncan yet. Do you want me to or do you . . . ?"
"Together?" he requested anxiously. She reached forward and grabbed his hand in hers. She nodded.
"Together."
Duncan opened the door without a word.
She knew he must have seen Casey through the peep hole when he'd checked to make sure it was her knocking on his hotel room door, and just how blank his face was revealed that fact. "Can we come in?" Veronica asked softly. His eyes flickered from her to Casey and back again, before he stepped back, opening the door wide and allowing them in.
"Hey Duncan," Casey greeted warily. "It's been a while."
"What are you doing here?" Duncan replied tonelessly. Veronica nearly flinched. She hated robo-Duncan.
"You know why I brought him, Duncan." Silence. "He's the father. He's Lilly's father."
Duncan didn't reply. He didn't give any reaction whatsoever. "I had no idea," Casey finally said, put off by Duncan's reaction. When Duncan still said nothing, he went on hastily, "It never even occurred to me when it went around the school that Meg was pregnant in her coma that the baby was anybody but yours -"
"You slept with my girlfriend?" Duncan asked, his voice dangerously calm.
Casey looked down at the ground, shaking his head softly, and then looked back at Duncan. "It wasn't like that," he said.
"It wasn't like that?" Duncan repeated.
"Duncan -" Veronica began, sensing the danger.
"YOU SLEPT WITH MY GIRLFRIEND!" Duncan roared, and he lunged at Casey.
Veronica was in between them in an instant, and she pressed her palms to Duncan's chest in an attempt to stop him. "Hold on," she demanded. "Just hold on. Look at me. Duncan. Duncan." He tore his eyes from where they were glaring death at Casey to gaze down at her, still fiery. "Casey didn't do anything wrong. Meg was miserable after you broke up with her, and she got drunk one night and she and Casey ended up in bed together."
"So you took advantage of her?" Duncan challenged.
"Hey, you're the one who dumped her," Casey threw back. Duncan started forward again and Veronica had to shove at his chest to keep him from trying to pummel Casey.
"Casey didn't do anything wrong," Veronica defended, forcing Duncan to meet her gaze as she spoke to him. "It was one night, and he knew she had done it with a broken heart, and he never pressed her about it or told anyone. That's why it was so hard to find him. No one ever even knew - he protected her reputation. And now he's fessed up." She paused. "He's done nothing wrong."
Slowly, Duncan drew away from Veronica, and he looked at the far wall, running a hand through his hair. Veronica glanced at Casey, who took a deep breath and spoke. She wondered what, exactly, he could possibly say that would make any of this better.
"I'm not going to try and take her away from you," he announced. Duncan's back stiffened, but he said nothing, and Casey went on. "She's your daughter, and I know you've already done so much for her. I wouldn't be a good Dad anyway. She's yours."
"Casey," Veronica murmured softly, but he only spared her a brief glance and a tight smile.
"I want - I want to meet her, though," he went on. Still, Duncan said nothing. "I'll come to wherever it is you're living now. You don't have to tell her who I am. I just want to meet her. And maybe . . . maybe a couple times a year I could visit. But she never has to know who I am unless you want to tell her." He said it with resolve, allowing no argument.
At long last, Duncan turned to face him. "That's all you want?"
"That's all, man," Casey said. Duncan stared at him and Casey didn't drop his gaze, and Veronica knew that whatever happened after this, it would be okay.
Her work was done.
"So, now, tell me, why is it you need a ride home from the some dingy motel right outside of town?" Logan asked as he strolled up to where she waited outside the motel. He was smirking.
"The jackass wouldn't pay for my taxi home," she replied.
"Shame," Logan replied, shaking his head sympathetically as she stood from her seat on a railing. He was clearly waiting for a real answer as they started towards his car.
"This is where Duncan is staying," she said. He stopped, glancing around as if he expected Duncan to pop out at any moment. "Do you want to - to see him?" she asked, realising he hadn't yet. He didn't answer right away.
"No," he finally murmured. "No." He turned and gave her a soft smile. "So what, did you jog here?"
"I got a ride from Casey." Logan nodded, probably assuming Casey had simply dropped her off, but Veronica knew there was no harm in adding the rest. "He's still in the room with Duncan, talking over logistics. I figured I didn't have to stay for that."
Logan gave her a puzzled frown, only for understanding slowly to seep across his face. "Casey's the father?" he asked.
"Casey's the father," she confirmed. He opened the car door for her and she climbed in. A few minutes later they were turning onto the road. It had been quiet all the while, but Veronica had to say her bit, even if it was too late. But Logan had come to pick her up as soon as she called, hadn't he? And he had been at the hospital for Mac's surgery, too.
She'd been thinking about it for a while now off and on, and her mind had been entirely consumed by it while she waited for Logan to pick her up. She had to say it. She had to try.
"It's amazing, what they're doing, Duncan and Casey. They both acted up when they first heard, but now . . . its gonna work, I think." He nodded. She looked down at her nails, wondering what Lilly would say about her cuticles. That happened sometimes - when she least expected it, she would have a random thought of her dead friend.
"You okay?" Logan asked, glancing away from the road to sheet her a quick glance of concern.
"What they're doing - their plan - its going to be so hard. But just because something is hard, that doesn't mean you should avoid it. Just because something is uncertain, doesn't mean . . . I don't want to die without having really lived, you know?"
His brow crinkled. "Were you planning on dying soon?"
"Its like Mac," Veronica went on. "Until she was sick, she - she wasn't. There was nothing wrong with her. And then one day, her heart became defective. What if she had died, Logan? What if all her life had consisted of was growing up in Neptune and - and everything that happened with Cassidy? That's not a life. That's barely even a beginning."
"Mac's fine," Logan assured softly. "She's fine. You don't have to worry." He grabbed her hand and lifted it to press a kiss to her knuckles.
"I'm not talking about Mac," Veronica told him. "I'm talking about me. About this," she said, lifting up her hand, still clutched in his. He released it, as if he took her words to be a reprimand. She went on hurriedly, before she lost her courage.
"I'm so scared of marriage, Logan. And I've always thought that every example I've seen of it has gone South, but that's not true - Mac's parents have stayed together and strong through so much and my dad and Alicia have gotten their act together, and I - I think its just about finding the right person."
He didn't see anything, but she saw his hands tighten on the steering wheel. "I'm not going to be a very good wife," she murmured, the words sticking a little in her throat. "But . . . are you okay with that?"
He didn't answer immediately, and before she knew what was happening, he was swerving the car off the road and onto the grass. She grabbed the inside of the door to keep from flying forward in her seat. "What are you doing?" she yelled. He slammed on the breaks, not answering.
He put the car in park and turned to face her completely. "Are you serious?" he asked.
Veronica swallowed. She was about to get in way over her head. But if Casey and Duncan could deal with their situation, then she could deal with hers. Weevil was wrong and Mac was right. She couldn't deny that any longer. "Ask me again," she said.
He ran a hand over his hair. "I asked if you're serious - if you really mean -?"
"No," she interrupted, unexplainably breathless. "Ask me again," she repeated, pounding home each word. He stared at her.
"Marry me?" he guessed, and his eyes were shining with disbelief.
Straightening up, Veronica nodded. "Okay," she replied. He stared.
"Okay?" he repeated. A smile swept across her face and she nodded again. "You couldn't even say yes? You had to say okay, like you were just trying to pacify me -?"
"Oh!" she exclaimed. "Are you seriously complaining?"
He only laughed, and it was a rare moment, then, when nothing whatsoever was amiss.
"Hi, you've reached Logan with today's inspirational message: "Okay." Veronica Mars. Leave a message."
Fin.
A/N: This story is pretty much all over the place and I managed to include cameos from nearly every character, but hopefully it all worked! Please review :)
Author: monroeslittle
Genre: Veronica Mars (V/L)
Rating: PG
Summary: A few years after college, Veronica gets an unexpected visitor who has a case for her. Between an estranged lover, a dying friend, and visits from the majority of the VM cast, Veronica has her hands full. For the vmfic_gameon 's Back to School challenge, using the prompt "You're NOT the father" (which seems to be the most popular!)
"Hey! And how are we feeling today?"
"Well, personally I'm feeling a little down, actually," Veronica answered the nurse, rubbing her stomach thoughtfully. "Mac here just told me she's having a great day. But neither of us could begin to guess how you're feeling." She smiled brightly.
The nurse gave a tight smile. None of them liked Veronica. The feeling was mutual. "I'm okay," Mac told the woman, shaking her head at Veronica with a small smile playing on her lips.
"Your pain today?" asked the nurse, scribbling on her clipboard.
"Four," Mac answered.
"Well, that's excellent!" exclaimed the nurse, beaming. "You let me know if you start to feel bad, okay?" Mac nodded and to Veronica's relief, the blonde nurse with dancing elephants on her scrubs left as quickly as she had come.
"We really need to get you out of this place," Veronica told her friend.
"You're telling me," Mac replied. It was quiet. "I'm so sick of this room. You know the same people who design prisons, design hospitals? What does that tell you?"
"They also design schools, and we survived that," she replied. Mac didn't say anything. Her heart fluttering in her chest, Veronica reached forward and grabbed Mac's hands, stopping their incessant sheet twisting. "The surgery tomorrow? It's going to work. Dr. Bojarski is one of the best in the country and she has a really high success rate. This is going to work. It'll keep you strong until a transplant comes along, I promise."
Mac didn't meet her gaze. "I actually . . . I've decided not to have the surgery."
Veronica sat back in her chair. "What?"
"I can't keep doing this," Mac said, looking up at Veronica in desperation. For years, they've been cutting me open to keep me alive while we wait for a transplant and I'm just so . . . tired of it. All these surgeries . . . they're like putting band-aides on bullet wounds. Even if this surgery is successful, I'll be back in a month."
"Mac," Veronica murmured.
"I'm not doing this anymore. I'm gonna wait for the transplant and if I don't make it until then . . . I'm not going under the knife again. I can't. Not even with the promise of some transplant in the distant future."
"If I remember my Scrubs right, its a scalpel, not a knife," Veronica said, wishing desperately that there weren't tears clinging to her lashes.
"Veronica." Mac looked up at her. Veronica squeezed her hand.
"Please, Mac, don't just give up -"
"I've already made my decision. I talked to Dr. Bojarski and my parents and . . . the next surgery I'm doing is a transplant. That's it. And I'd . . . I'd really like your support in this. You've done so much for me, given up so much for me and you're the best friend I've ever had and I just really need you to understand." Her eyes were pleading. Veronica didn't say anything, but she reached forward and grabbed Mac's hand, giving it another squeeze.
It was quiet for a moment. "Tell me about something else," Mac blurted suddenly. She gave Veronica a weak smile. "I'm sick of talking about how . . . sick I am. What are you working on for the FBI now?"
Veronica gave a small grimace. "I can't really tell you. . . . But its nothing interesting, I swear! They have me do a lot of looking through old cases and paper work and all that."
"Okay," Mac said slowly, "What about Logan? When are you two going to get back together?" There was teasing gleam in her eyes now.
"Honestly?" Veronica sighed, slumping in her seat. "I don't think we are this time." Mac was watching her carefully, and Veronica knew what she was about to say, but she wasn't ready to hear it; she didn't want to talk about Logan and their failed relationship. "I do actually have a pretty interesting case," she said, perking up.
"Yeah?" Mac said. Veronica nodded.
"It involves Duncan Kane." She paused for dramatic effect. "He's back in town. He came to see me and told me that he wants me to find out who his daughter's biological father is."
"Wait, what?" Mac exclaimed. "As in . . . he's not her biological father?"
"Nope," Veronica confirmed. "DNA tests prove he's not."
"Do you have any idea who is?" Mac asked.
Veronica shook her head. "I'm basically at a dead end. Meg's little sister didn't know anything and neither did her ex-boyfriend or anyone else I talked to. I've been going through the yearbook, looking at potential boys she might have had a one-night stand with, but its not going very fast."
"God . . . that's crazy." Veronica could only nod, and before either said anymore, there was a knock on the open door, and they both glanced over to see Wallace. "Hey supa-fly!" Veronica greeted, standing up. Wallace was working in Washington D.C. these days, and she rarely saw him.
"Hey, girl," he replied, smiling as she approached him and giving her a hug. It was always good to see Wallace. He turned to Mac. "How are you holding up?"
"I'm still alive," Mac shrugged.
"Strangely enough, I see that," Wallace told her, and he and Veronica both sat down on either side of the bed.
"Instead of talking about me, because all I do is lay here day after after day why don't we talk about you? Tell me about the big world out there. Has it changed in my absence? Is the sky still blue?"
"It's gonna a little green lately, actually," Wallace told her.
"Interesting, interesting," Mac nodded her head. She smiled, and it was clear she was happy at having fresh company. "How's D.C.?"
"Ooh, yes," crooned Veronica, "How's life as a lobbyist?"
Wallace made a face at her. "See, when you say it like that -" he began.
"Say it like what?" asked Veronica innocently. "You are a lobbyist, aren't you?"
"What I am," he replied, puffing out his chest, "is a man working to make our government help children forced to fight."
"You tell her," Mac encouraged. Veronica only shook her head, smiling. She really was proud of all that Wallace had done and was doing. There was a good person, and then there was Wallace, at a level no one else could ever touch.
"I think you should give up the middleman game and put your name on the ballot," Veronica said matter-of-factly. "That's how you'll really change the world, Fennel. I'd vote for you!"
"Yeah," Wallace said, "you and three other people."
"Gotta start somewhere," Veronica countered.
Before he could reply, one of the numerous machines Mac had been hooked up to began to beep wildly and Veronica looked at Mac in alarm to see her friend slumped onto the pillow, convulsing. Wallace had no idea what was going on, but Veronica was on her feet in an instant, punching the blue button that would send nurses flying into the room.
The nurses wasted no time in arriving, and two minutes later, Dr. Bojarski had stopped the crisis. But Wallace couldn't even walk back in to the room he was so horrified. Veronica sighed. It would all be over soon. It had to be. They'd faced this for too long. Mac had faced this for too long.
But now Mac was saying. . . .
Focus on the case, Veronica told herself. Focus on the case.
"This warms my heart, you know," he told her, smirking. "My protégé, my FBI daughter, coming back to her old man for advice. The student does not surpass the master."
"Yuck it up," she replied. "But you better be able to help me after all this."
"Oh, rest assured, darling daughter of mine," he grinned, "I will be. So. . . ." He leaned back in his desk chair, putting his hands behind his head and stretching his legs, a smug look firmly in place on his face. "How can I help?"
"Here's what I know so far," Veronica said, handing him the file on information she had written and complied. Most of it was basics - copies of the DNA tests, a timeline showing that the baby had to have been conceived within certain dates; her own reports on Lizzie Manning and Meg's Aunt Kris knowing nothing and Cole not being the father. . . .
"I've made some calls to some of the 09er boys Meg didn't completely detest," she told him, "but none of them were any help. I honestly . . . don't know where to look next."
Serious now, her father flipped through the file thoughtfully, his brow creased. "And there's no chance the parents have any idea?"
"If Lizzie doesn't know, I don't know why they would. And asking them would -"
"Put Duncan at risk," he finished for her. "I know. Meg's close friends at the time - have you talked to any of them?"
"I wouldn't know where to start," she replied. She sighed. "Meg pulled away from everyone in the months leading up to the crash. And before that, I was probably one of her best friends. A lot of the girls she grew up calling friends turned out to be . . . not so great. If she was talking to someone, I honestly have no idea who."
"Did, ah, did she have any hangouts? Any bars, maybe, where she might have gotten drunk and . . . ?"
"I hate to think that Meg would do that," Veronica told him.
"Honey, honestly, it makes the most sense at this point."
She nodded sadly. "Yeah, but I wouldn't know where to start with that either. When I was close to her, she wasn't hanging out at bars and having one night stands."
"It looks like at this point you'll have to go door to door - in a manner of speaking," he said, handing her back the file. "Seek out old classmates - maybe people who did frequent bars and the like - and ask them if they can remember Meg Manning in a bar seven years ago. It's a long shot, but if her being there was really an abnormality, it might be something someone remembered."
Veronica was about to reply when her cell phone rang. She glanced at it and then back at him, apology gleaming in her eyes. "I've been playing phone tag with him for a while -"
"Logan?" Keith asked knowingly.
"Casey, actually. You remember him, right?"
"Cult boy, sure, sure," he nodded. "Are you two an item these days?"
"No, Dad, we're not an item. Just - I'm gonna go. Thanks for your help." She turned away before he could protest and answered her cell phone. "Hey," she greeted.
"You're welcome!" her dad called out.
"Hi, you've reached Logan with today's inspirational message: "A ship is safe in harbour, but that's not what ships are for." William Shedd. Leave a message."
"Hey, its me . . . again . . . this is getting kind of old. Could you please just . . . look, just, ah, give me a call when you get this." She snapped the phone shut. He could only ignore her for so long, right? She did not want to go another two months without talking to him.
"Is everything okay?" Casey asked as she slipped the phone back into her pocket. He sat back down at their restaurant table.
"Oh, yeah, of course," she assured. "I was just making a call while you were busy, that's all."
"Logan?" he said, giving a small, understanding smile.
"He's avoiding my calls," she answered, taking a forkful of salad.
"Would you mind me asking what, exactly, happened with that . . . ?" he questioned.
"The short version? He asked me to marry him."
"W-wow, and you . . . ?"
"Said no, obviously," she answered, stabbing a carrot and impaling it on her fork. "We're too young and we're both starting our careers and I never - I stopped imagining myself with that kind of life - you know, happy wife and smiling kids - a long time ago, and I . . . I didn't want to break up but he said now or never and since I couldn't choose now. . . ."
"He chose never," Casey said softly. She nodded. "He'll come around. The guy loves you. He has since junior year. That's not gonna change so easily." She met his gaze to see him giving an encouraging smile.
"Thanks, Casey," she said. "Things are just piling up so much lately. Things with Mac are worse than they've ever been and its not looking good and there's this case that's got me walking in circles and I'm just really, really tired." She sighed.
"Yeah, but you'd so be bored if things weren't piling up," he told her. "Don't lie." She glared at him but his grin only widened. "And Mac's going to be fine."
"God, I hope so," she murmured. It was quiet for a moment as they both ate, but eventually he broke it, clearing his throat.
"So - the case you're working on - what's it about? Anything interesting?"
"Sorry," Veronica shook her head, giving him an apologetic smile, "client confidentiality."
"Oh, no, its cool," he said. "I get it. Back in high school I was pretty glad you kept things confidential when I tried to drink the kool-aide." Watching him, it occurred to her suddenly that maybe Casey would know something. After all, he was a part of their crowd, and once a person got close to him, he was a hell of a lot sweeter than most of the 09er boys. What if he noticed a guy hanging around Meg or . . . ?
"Why are you looking at me like that?" he asked suspiciously.
"Okay, so I'm going to break a confidence," she said, shifting in her seat. He raised his eyebrows, amusement clear. "Duncan's back in town. Nobody knows but Logan, my dad, Mac, and me. And you can't tell anyone. He's back in town for a little while. He didn't bring his daughter, but he's here about her." She paused.
"Go on," he encouraged.
"He found out a couple of months ago that he wasn't the father."
Casey frowned. "I'm not sure I. . . ."
"Meg had a baby right before she died, remember?"
"And Kane ran off with it," Casey nodded. "Yeah, I remember. You're saying it wasn't actually his kid?" His disbelief was clear. Obviously he hadn't thought Meg was that sort of girl either.
"Not according to DNA tests," she confirmed. "He wants me to try and figure out who is the father. I'm a complete loss. I mean, I talked to her sister and her aunt, but neither of them knew anything and as far as I can tell she didn't have any really good friends she could have confided in -"
"Wait, you're sure the kid isn't Duncan's?" he pressed.
"Positive," Veronica said. "About the only thing I do know about the father is that he has type O blood, just like Meg and the baby."
He let out a strangled laugh. "That's crazy. Wouldn't Meg have told someone? It just - I mean, it doesn't sound like her, you know?"
"Oh, I know, believe me. Maybe she never got the chance," Veronica said. "Or maybe she honestly thought it was Duncan's baby. Sometimes you want to believe something so much that you actually start to."
"Wow," he said. "Wow. That's pretty crazy. Who knew, right?" He grabbed for his water.
"Yeah. So does this mean you don't remember ever seeing Meg with . . .?"
"No," he said quickly. She cursed inwardly. She was never going to figure this out.
"That's okay," she sighed. "I'll just keep looking, I guess."
"Actually," he said, wiping his mouth with his napkin. "I do remember . . . um, do you remember Caz - Caz Truman?" It took Veronica only a minute to recall the boy, the one who Meg said would flirt with anything that had boobs. "I remember seeing - one night, ah, it really stuck out in my mind - I saw her talking to him at the diner out on Main. It turns into a bar after ten, you know and. . . ."
Veronica tried to process that. "I can't believe that she would go for him, but I if she was really depressed. . . ." Her voice trailed off as she let the information click in her mind. It fit. Meg would probably be pretty drunk, things would progress quickly, and her memories would only be hazy the next morning. "But I guess it makes sense," she murmured. "Thanks."
"Yeah, sure," he dismissed. "Um, I actually have to go. I have - I forgot about this thing - and I . . I know we were supposed to go see that movie after dinner, but maybe a second rain check?"
"Okay," she agreed, only half-paying attention. It wouldn't be hard to find Caz, really.
He stood. "I'll call you. And here - this should cover it." He handed her a few twenty dollar bills.
"You don't need to," she protested.
"No, just - its no skin off my back. I'll call." He gave a tight smile and was gone before she could do more than nod.
Veronica glanced at the screen before she answered her cell. She was already out the door and walking to her car to go see Caz, but she couldn't ignore a call from Mac. "Hey," she greeted, opening her car door.
"Veronica? This is - this is Cindy's mother. I'm using her cell phone."
In the back of her head, alarm bells went off. "Ah . . . Hi, Mrs. Mackenzie. Is everything okay?" Veronica paused where she stood beside the car, her grip on the door handle tight.
"I . . . I know that you're Cindy's best friend. She always talks about how amazing you are and I know how much you did for her after your senior year at Neptune and then again when she got sick and I thought you should be here."
"Has something happened?" Veronica asked, gripping the steering wheel tightly. "Is Mac okay?"
"She is," Mrs. Mackenzie assured, "they . . . I thought you should know - they just took her into surgery. They found her a transplant." Veronica felt her heart seize at the words. Mrs. Mackenzie let out a tearful laugh. "After nearly three years on the National Donors List, she finally has her transplant. They just took her into surgery."
"That's amazing, Mrs. Mackenzie," Veronica said, leaning against the car as ripples of shock still ran through her.
"I know, but I was just thinking - if this doesn't work - if it doesn't -"
"It'll work," Veronica cut her off. "Mac's going to be fine, Mrs. Mackenzie," Veronica said, refusing even to think anything else. "And I'm on my way to the hospital right now. I'll be there as soon as I can."
The line was quiet for a moment. "I'm so glad Cindy was lucky enough to have you in her life," Mrs. Mackenzie whispered. "You're such a good friend."
"She's still lucky," Veronica answered firmly. "She's getting a transplant. This is it. This is what we've been waiting for."
"I - I know. I'll see you in a little bit, Veronica." The call ended and Veronica slowly lowered the phone from her ear. She climbed into the car, her hand shaking as she buckled her seat belt. But she only made it a few miles before she couldn't take it any more and had to swerve the car off the road.
She bent over, unable to stop the tears from welling in her eyes and spilling out over her cheeks as she pressed her forehead to the steering wheel. For years Mac had been fighting, for years Veronica had taken her to the hospital and gone to visit her and to wheel her out after a successful operation, and this is what they had been waiting for all along, and. . . .
It took her a while before she could coach herself into drying her tears and starting up the car again. She couldn't break down like that. She couldn't. Mac deserved better. Veronica had done everything she could to be a strength and comfort to Mac's family and to Mac, and she wouldn't abandon that job now, not when they were so close to the finish line.
When she finally made it to the hospital, it was to find Mrs. Mackenzie pacing and looking as if she were hanging by a thread. Veronica approached her quietly, ready to comfort, and before she knew what was happening, Mrs. Mackenzie had thrown her arms around Veronica, hugging her tightly.
Mrs. Mackenzie released her at long last. "How's she doing?" Veronica asked. Mrs. Mackenzie's face contorted, her bottom lip trembling, and Veronica immediately wished she hadn't asked. "I'm sure she's fine, isn't she?" she went on hastily, producing the best smile she could.
Mrs. Mackenzie nodded. "There hasn't be an - an update yet. But they should probably be done soon, right? I mean, how long do these sort of things usually take?"
Veronica shook her head. "I really don't know."
Mrs. Mackenzie gave a brave smile. "That's okay. They'll be done soon, I'm sure. Sam just took Ryan home. It's too hard for him to be here," she explained. "He's just a baby." The tears broke free. "She's just a baby, too. She's my baby, and there's nothing I can do for her."
"You've already done so much."
Mrs. Mackenzie and Veronica both spun around to see Mrs. Sinclair standing a few feet away, looking at them anxiously, as though she still didn't feel she was allowed to be there. After a long pause, Mrs. Mackenzie said softly, "Hi Anna."
Mrs. Sinclair took a step closer. "Natalie . . . I've only just gotten to know Mac these past few months and I still don't know her very well but I do know that she's an amazing girl, an absolutely amazing girl, and I know she must owe so much of that to you. You couldn't - you couldn't have done more."
Mrs. Mackenzie burst into tears, and this time she threw herself at Mrs. Sinclair, and the two older women clutched one another as they sobbed. Veronica could only watch in astonishment.
"Hey, how's she doing?" Veronica tore her eyes away from the women to face Logan. When she didn't answer, his concern deepened. "She okay?" Realising Veronica must be confused, he added in explanation, "Mrs. Mackenzie called Dick."
Veronica nodded even as Logan reached out and squeezed her shoulder reassuringly. "She's still in surgery. I don't really know anything, though."
She looked back at Mrs. Sinclair and Mrs. Mackenzie, and Logan followed her gaze. "That must be so strange," Veronica murmured to him. "Hugging the woman who raised your child. I can't imagine being either one of them. They've been through so much, survived so much, and now to have to face this . . . it's not fair."
"You know better than anyone that life's not fair," Logan replied. Veronica nodded. She smiled up at him.
"It was good of you to come."
"Of course," he said. "Mac's my friend, too." He paused. "Honestly, though, I came more for you. Always you." He stared at her in that burning way of his, that way that made it seem as though he could look straight into her soul. It took all her strength to drop her gaze. "Dick's parking the car," he said, breaking the tension. "He offered. I think he's probably gonna need a bit to get it together before he can come in. I swear, I can't get over how much he's changed."
"Me neither," Veronica agreed.
They were quiet for a few minutes as Mrs. Sinclair and Mrs. Mackenzie sat murmuring occasionally to one another in the chairs that lined the wall. Veronica glanced at the clock. Who knew how much longer they'd be there?
As if sensing her building distress, Logan caught her eyes and asked, "How's the case going?"
"Pretty good," she answered, glad for the distraction. "I actually have a new lead. I'm meeting Duncan tomorrow to tell him." Logan nodded. Before he could reply, however, Dr. Bojarski approached, and Veronica's heart caught in her chest. The small blonde woman nodded in acknowledgement at Veronica and Logan before addressing Mac's two mothers.
"How'd it go? How's my baby?" Mrs. Mackenzie asked immediately. "How's my Cindy?" Veronica's breath caught in her chest and she was grateful to feel Logan's hand on her back.
"The surgery went very well," Dr. Bojarski smiled. Veronica gasped and found herself in Logan's embrace. Mrs. Mackenzie let out a cry, clutching her mouth and looking skyward as if thanking God. There were tears in her eyes as Mrs. Sinclair wrapped an arm around her shoulder. "The transplant was a perfect match and your daughter's doing very well. She should be awake soon."
"Thank you," Mrs. Mackenzie said. "Thank you, thank you, thank you! Oh, I have to call Sam and tell him! Thank you!"
"She'll have to stay in the hospital under observation for a while longer yet, and you should be aware that complications can always arise after surgeries of this magnitude, but we'll be closely monitoring Cindy, and there's no reason to suspect she won't make a full recovery."
Even Veronica was crying now.
"I've got to call Sam," Mrs. Mackenzie murmured again, patting her pockets as if to find her cell phone but too ridiculously happy to make a real effort. She glanced back at Veronica, and for the first time in a long time, her teary smile reached her eyes. "Thank you," she told Dr. Bojarski again. "Thank you so much."
The doctor only smiled. "Congratulations, Mrs. Mackenzie. Your daughter has a brand new heart."
"Hey," Veronica said softly.
"Hey? That's it? That's all you've got? I undergo major surgery to have my heart replaced after waiting three years and when I wake up and they let you in to see me, all you have to say is Hey?" Mac asked, and she grinned so widely, Veronica knew that everything was uphill from there on out.
"I can say it with jazz hands if you'd like," Veronica offered, sitting in the chair by Mac's bed.
"You joke, but you should take advantage of this joyous mood I'm in. Before long I'll be back to my default setting," Mac warned.
"You know, I kind of like your default setting."
For a moment they only smiled at one another. Mac's parents and brother had all been in to see her when she first woke up an hour ago, and she had even talked with Mrs. Sinclair. Veronica had waited out with Logan the entire time, and now that she was finally in to see Mac, she couldn't really think of anything to say.
It didn't matter.
"Veronica, can I talk to you about something?" Mac asked, her fingers twisting in her sheets.
"Of course," Veronica encouraged, a little puzzled by Mac's soft, serious tone.
"Why did you say no to Logan?" Veronica could only stare, and Mac took her silence as reason to go on. "I know you love him. You've loved him for years. And you're both young, sure, but don't you think its less about age and more about experience? 'Cause you and Logan have experienced plenty together, more than most people do when they get married."
"Mac," Veronica murmured, "I do love him. It took me a while to admit that, I know, but I can say it now. But I don't think I'm ready for marriage. I don't know if I'll ever be ready, honestly."
"If you have the ability to get married and spend the rest of the life with the man you love, Veronica, then you should take it. Not everyone gets that chance. I came pretty close to missing it." Veronica looked down at her hands. "I'm not trying to make you feel bad," Mac continued, "but when they were prepping me for surgery, I kept thinking. . . ."
"But you're okay," Veronica said. "You're gonna leave this hospital and be okay and you can be with anyone you want - even Dick."
Mac gave a small smile. "I know," she nodded. "And I know how much you've done for me. You spent most of senior year taking care of me, and you even helped me start that site that found dirt on teenagers' parents so that I could pay my medical bills, and then you came back to Neptune despite how much you hated it. . . . But I think you're making a mistake, Veronica. I think you're scared. But if you don't take a chance now, you might lose all chances.
"Maybe you're not cut out for marriage with a happy, normal guy, 'cause you're not a happy, normal girl and you'd never be able to put up with a happy, normal marriage. But if Logan Echolls is a happy, normal guy, then I'm a bunny."
"A bunny, huh?' Veronica asked, desperately trying to keep the tears at bay.
"He's the guy for you," Mac said, her eyes wide with enthusiasm. "I don't really do this kind of thing - give this kind of advice, but I'm gonna use my status as a person that almost died to tell you wisely that he's the guy for you. Be scared if you want, but don't let him go."
Veronica didn't know what to say, but Mac didn't seem to require a response. "What about you?" Veronica finally asked. "What happens next?"
"Who knows," Mac shrugged. "Things are definitely gonna be different."
"In a good way," Veronica assured.
"Yeah," Mac smiled. "In a good way."
Veronica couldn't help herself. "Dick was mighty excited when Logan went and found him in the parking lot and told him the news.
"Don't you even start," Mac protested.
"It's okay, I'm totally immune to Dick these days. If you want to date him -"
"We are not having this conversation," she insisted. Veronica smirked. And Mac, glancing side to side as if about to reveal a secret, leaned towards Veronica and said, "I can safely say, however, that Dick is not eggplant."
They both laughed, remembering a time when things weren't literally life and death, a time that would return in the weeks and months and years to come. "Ooh, so tell me about the case!" Mac said when they'd both calmed down. "Have you found the daddy yet?"
"I've got a new lead, actually," Veronica replied. "Caz Truman."
Mac raised her eyebrows sceptically. "I'm not sure I remember exactly who he is, but if I'm remembering right -"
"I know," Veronica agreed, "but Meg was probably pretty drunk.
"Why do you think it's him? Have you talked to him?"
Veronica shook her head. "I'm about to. It was Casey who told me. I mentioned the case to him over lunch and he was really shocked - he basically freaked out - but then he suddenly remembered -" She stopped.
Mac frowned. "Veronica?"
"Oh my . . . " Veronica stared at the far wall, her mind spinning.
"Veronica?" Mac repeated. "What's the matter?"
Veronica shook her head in amazement. How come she hadn't picked up on that earlier? "I have to go," she told Mac, standing up. "I'm sorry. I'm sure Dick'll want to talk to you anyway. I'll come by later, okay?"
Mac shook her head in bewilderment, a puzzled smile on her face, but she gave Veronica her consent, and Veronica was out the door in an instant.
"You really should lock your door," Veronica said.
He shut the refrigerator door he had just opened, not taking anything out of it, and looked over at her in surprise. "Weren't you the one that was just lecturing Logan on breaking into people's homes?" he asked. He had only arrived a moment ago, but Veronica had been waiting for nearly an hour and she couldn't hold it in.
"It's you," she said.
"I don't -" he shook his head.
"You're the father," Veronica accused, standing up. Casey sighed, meeting her gaze but not denying it. "You and Meg ran into each other one night," she went on. "Your life wasn't great with those parents of yours and you got drunk at a bar, and Meg was there drinking, too, and things got out of hand, didn't they? And the next morning, when she barely remembered it, you decided to forget it, too." She let her words settle. "Am I close?"
"You're pretty much spot on," he answered softly.
Veronica's breath caught a little. Even though she had been positive as she ran from Mac's room with the new revelation, hearing his confirmation was still. . . .
"I'm sorry I mentioned Caz. I just . . . I needed a little bit to digest the bomb you'd just dropped." He ran a hand through his hair. "I never really knew Meg, okay? But when she saw me at the bar and started chattering away about Duncan dumping her and how terrible her parents were and . . . I knew, afterwards, that she wasn't that sort of girl and that she would be better off forgetting whatever hazy memories she might have. I left her alone. Never mentioned it. It was . . . it was one night, okay? One night."
"And it never occurred to you when you found out she was pregnant that it might be yours?"
"Honestly?" he replied. "No. It didn't." She couldn't deny the look of utter honestly on his face. "It was just one night," he said, and there was almost a plea in his voice. "What were the chances?"
"I'm guessing you're type O negative?" she asked.
He nodded. "So this means . . . I have a kid, right?"
"There's always a chance you weren't the only one that Meg . . .," Veronica told him. "But I don't think that's the case. Still, there'll be a DNA test."
He ran his hands over his face, slowly slipping into a seat across from her at the kitchen table. "I can't believe this. It doesn't - this sort of stuff - it doesn't happen in real life."
Veronica felt her sympathy for him rise. "Trust me, Casey, nothing in my life ever seems like real life. Welcome to the club."
"What happens after this?" he asked, swallowing thickly. "Duncan's been raising the kid, right? He probably . . . loves her and everything and - its a her, right?" Veronica nodded. "He's not gonna want to give her up and besides I don't know if I want him to. I mean, I am not ready to raise a kid. I'm still a kid myself!" he exclaimed. "And he's a fugitive and what, is she supposed to take a plane half way across the world every weekend so she can see us both?"
Veronica shook her head. "I really don't know. But at least now you know, right?"
He let out a breath of disbelief, giving a strangled laugh. "Yeah, at least now I know." His voice was sarcastic, and Veronica felt even worse for him. He didn't deserve this. Neither did Duncan. "What's her name?" he asked suddenly.
"Lilly," Veronica answered softly. He didn't say anything. "I haven't told Duncan yet. Do you want me to or do you . . . ?"
"Together?" he requested anxiously. She reached forward and grabbed his hand in hers. She nodded.
"Together."
Duncan opened the door without a word.
She knew he must have seen Casey through the peep hole when he'd checked to make sure it was her knocking on his hotel room door, and just how blank his face was revealed that fact. "Can we come in?" Veronica asked softly. His eyes flickered from her to Casey and back again, before he stepped back, opening the door wide and allowing them in.
"Hey Duncan," Casey greeted warily. "It's been a while."
"What are you doing here?" Duncan replied tonelessly. Veronica nearly flinched. She hated robo-Duncan.
"You know why I brought him, Duncan." Silence. "He's the father. He's Lilly's father."
Duncan didn't reply. He didn't give any reaction whatsoever. "I had no idea," Casey finally said, put off by Duncan's reaction. When Duncan still said nothing, he went on hastily, "It never even occurred to me when it went around the school that Meg was pregnant in her coma that the baby was anybody but yours -"
"You slept with my girlfriend?" Duncan asked, his voice dangerously calm.
Casey looked down at the ground, shaking his head softly, and then looked back at Duncan. "It wasn't like that," he said.
"It wasn't like that?" Duncan repeated.
"Duncan -" Veronica began, sensing the danger.
"YOU SLEPT WITH MY GIRLFRIEND!" Duncan roared, and he lunged at Casey.
Veronica was in between them in an instant, and she pressed her palms to Duncan's chest in an attempt to stop him. "Hold on," she demanded. "Just hold on. Look at me. Duncan. Duncan." He tore his eyes from where they were glaring death at Casey to gaze down at her, still fiery. "Casey didn't do anything wrong. Meg was miserable after you broke up with her, and she got drunk one night and she and Casey ended up in bed together."
"So you took advantage of her?" Duncan challenged.
"Hey, you're the one who dumped her," Casey threw back. Duncan started forward again and Veronica had to shove at his chest to keep him from trying to pummel Casey.
"Casey didn't do anything wrong," Veronica defended, forcing Duncan to meet her gaze as she spoke to him. "It was one night, and he knew she had done it with a broken heart, and he never pressed her about it or told anyone. That's why it was so hard to find him. No one ever even knew - he protected her reputation. And now he's fessed up." She paused. "He's done nothing wrong."
Slowly, Duncan drew away from Veronica, and he looked at the far wall, running a hand through his hair. Veronica glanced at Casey, who took a deep breath and spoke. She wondered what, exactly, he could possibly say that would make any of this better.
"I'm not going to try and take her away from you," he announced. Duncan's back stiffened, but he said nothing, and Casey went on. "She's your daughter, and I know you've already done so much for her. I wouldn't be a good Dad anyway. She's yours."
"Casey," Veronica murmured softly, but he only spared her a brief glance and a tight smile.
"I want - I want to meet her, though," he went on. Still, Duncan said nothing. "I'll come to wherever it is you're living now. You don't have to tell her who I am. I just want to meet her. And maybe . . . maybe a couple times a year I could visit. But she never has to know who I am unless you want to tell her." He said it with resolve, allowing no argument.
At long last, Duncan turned to face him. "That's all you want?"
"That's all, man," Casey said. Duncan stared at him and Casey didn't drop his gaze, and Veronica knew that whatever happened after this, it would be okay.
Her work was done.
"So, now, tell me, why is it you need a ride home from the some dingy motel right outside of town?" Logan asked as he strolled up to where she waited outside the motel. He was smirking.
"The jackass wouldn't pay for my taxi home," she replied.
"Shame," Logan replied, shaking his head sympathetically as she stood from her seat on a railing. He was clearly waiting for a real answer as they started towards his car.
"This is where Duncan is staying," she said. He stopped, glancing around as if he expected Duncan to pop out at any moment. "Do you want to - to see him?" she asked, realising he hadn't yet. He didn't answer right away.
"No," he finally murmured. "No." He turned and gave her a soft smile. "So what, did you jog here?"
"I got a ride from Casey." Logan nodded, probably assuming Casey had simply dropped her off, but Veronica knew there was no harm in adding the rest. "He's still in the room with Duncan, talking over logistics. I figured I didn't have to stay for that."
Logan gave her a puzzled frown, only for understanding slowly to seep across his face. "Casey's the father?" he asked.
"Casey's the father," she confirmed. He opened the car door for her and she climbed in. A few minutes later they were turning onto the road. It had been quiet all the while, but Veronica had to say her bit, even if it was too late. But Logan had come to pick her up as soon as she called, hadn't he? And he had been at the hospital for Mac's surgery, too.
She'd been thinking about it for a while now off and on, and her mind had been entirely consumed by it while she waited for Logan to pick her up. She had to say it. She had to try.
"It's amazing, what they're doing, Duncan and Casey. They both acted up when they first heard, but now . . . its gonna work, I think." He nodded. She looked down at her nails, wondering what Lilly would say about her cuticles. That happened sometimes - when she least expected it, she would have a random thought of her dead friend.
"You okay?" Logan asked, glancing away from the road to sheet her a quick glance of concern.
"What they're doing - their plan - its going to be so hard. But just because something is hard, that doesn't mean you should avoid it. Just because something is uncertain, doesn't mean . . . I don't want to die without having really lived, you know?"
His brow crinkled. "Were you planning on dying soon?"
"Its like Mac," Veronica went on. "Until she was sick, she - she wasn't. There was nothing wrong with her. And then one day, her heart became defective. What if she had died, Logan? What if all her life had consisted of was growing up in Neptune and - and everything that happened with Cassidy? That's not a life. That's barely even a beginning."
"Mac's fine," Logan assured softly. "She's fine. You don't have to worry." He grabbed her hand and lifted it to press a kiss to her knuckles.
"I'm not talking about Mac," Veronica told him. "I'm talking about me. About this," she said, lifting up her hand, still clutched in his. He released it, as if he took her words to be a reprimand. She went on hurriedly, before she lost her courage.
"I'm so scared of marriage, Logan. And I've always thought that every example I've seen of it has gone South, but that's not true - Mac's parents have stayed together and strong through so much and my dad and Alicia have gotten their act together, and I - I think its just about finding the right person."
He didn't see anything, but she saw his hands tighten on the steering wheel. "I'm not going to be a very good wife," she murmured, the words sticking a little in her throat. "But . . . are you okay with that?"
He didn't answer immediately, and before she knew what was happening, he was swerving the car off the road and onto the grass. She grabbed the inside of the door to keep from flying forward in her seat. "What are you doing?" she yelled. He slammed on the breaks, not answering.
He put the car in park and turned to face her completely. "Are you serious?" he asked.
Veronica swallowed. She was about to get in way over her head. But if Casey and Duncan could deal with their situation, then she could deal with hers. Weevil was wrong and Mac was right. She couldn't deny that any longer. "Ask me again," she said.
He ran a hand over his hair. "I asked if you're serious - if you really mean -?"
"No," she interrupted, unexplainably breathless. "Ask me again," she repeated, pounding home each word. He stared at her.
"Marry me?" he guessed, and his eyes were shining with disbelief.
Straightening up, Veronica nodded. "Okay," she replied. He stared.
"Okay?" he repeated. A smile swept across her face and she nodded again. "You couldn't even say yes? You had to say okay, like you were just trying to pacify me -?"
"Oh!" she exclaimed. "Are you seriously complaining?"
He only laughed, and it was a rare moment, then, when nothing whatsoever was amiss.
"Hi, you've reached Logan with today's inspirational message: "Okay." Veronica Mars. Leave a message."
Fin.
A/N: This story is pretty much all over the place and I managed to include cameos from nearly every character, but hopefully it all worked! Please review :)