Marshmallows and Snickerdoodles

Fic: Under Control (Wallace, Veronica) PG-13

2007-01-01T23:19:59Z

Title: Under Control
Characters: Wallace, Veronica, Keith, Logan, Piz
Word Count: 2,126
Rating: PG-13 for a couple of minor curses
Summary: Veronica thinks she's got everything under control. Wallace doesn't agree. Spoilers up to 3.08 "Lord of the Pis."
Disclaimer: Veronica Mars belongs to Rob Thomas.
Author's Notes: This is my vm_santa gift for sugarpromises, who wanted a Veronica/Wallace BFF fic dealing with the events that happened at the end of "Of Vice and Men."

“Hey, you’ve reached Veronica. Leave a message after the beep.”

Wallace shook his head as he heard the beep and then hung up the phone. He’d already left her a message and she hadn’t called back yet. He tossed his cell phone back onto his bed and went back to his engineering book. After a couple of minutes, he slammed the book shut. All the numbers and equations were starting to swim together in his head. After spending the past couple of days cramming all of it in for his final, he was so tired of mechanical engineering. He really wanted to just grab some pizza with his friends. But for once, Piz was nowhere to be found, and Veronica wasn’t answering her phone.

He hadn’t seen her since before he’d left for his cramming session at the motel, when she’d asked to crash in his room while he was gone. He figured she’d probably hightailed it out of there as soon as Piz came back.

He decided to go to the Mars apartment and see what she might be up to. He knew she’d probably yell at him for not warning her that Piz was coming back, or she’d want to drone on and on about her father and Logan and all the girly-girl drama she had going on with them. He wouldn’t mind hearing it, though. He’d been so caught up in mechanical engineering the past few weeks he hadn’t had a lot of time to spend with his best friend.

“Hey, Mr. Mars,” he said when Veronica’s father answered the door. “Veronica here?”

“Hey, Wallace,” Keith replied, smiling at him. “She’s in the back, resting. I just finally got Logan to leave, but you can go on back. I know she’ll want to see you.”

Wallace frowned as he stepped inside. Veronica, resting? During the day?

“What’s wrong with her?” he asked wondering what she could have gotten herself into in just these past few days.

Keith glanced back toward Veronica’s room, then lowered his voice. “Someone drugged her drink yesterday in the cafeteria and tried to attack her in the parking garage. If Logan hadn’t gotten to her in time…” His voice trailed off.

Wallace shook his head as he headed back to Veronica’s room. He didn’t know why he was surprised. He should be used to things like this happening to her by now. But no, he could never get used to the idea that his best friend was always getting herself in dangerous situations.

She was lying on her bed with her eyes closed when he entered. Music drifted out from her CD player. “Hey,” she said, her eyes still closed.

“Hey,” he replied sitting on her bed. “What happened to you?”

“It’s no big deal,” she said, sitting up.

Wallace nodded, even though he knew it was definitely a big deal. He also knew the last thing she would want was him fussing over her and making it into an even bigger deal, so he decided he’d just let it go. He knew she would tell him when she got ready.

“What is this you’re listening to?” he asked, going to her CD player. “It sounds like something you’d hear at a funeral. You need to be listening to one of the CDs I gave you.”

“Oh, yes, because songs like ‘Back that Ass Up’ and ‘Blingin’ for Life’ are so what I need to hear right now.”

He grinned at her as he slipped in a Nelly CD, one of the few rappers she tolerated. They didn’t say anything for awhile as he sat at her desk and started playing a computer game on her laptop.

“It’s really not that big a deal,” she said finally.

“Of course not,” he replied, not looking up from the computer screen. “You getting drugged and attacked in a parking lot isn’t a big deal at all. I’m sure it happens all the time.”

“It was my own fault,” she said in a joking tone. “You’d think by now I would know not to leave my drink unattended.”

“And you think that’s funny?” he asked starting to get annoyed at her nonchalant routine. “Why would someone just decide to drug you? Have you called the police?”

She shot him a look and he remembered that the police meant Lamb, which meant she was better off not calling them.

“Seriously, Veronica, what happened?”

She told him about how one moment she’d been eating her dinner and then the next thing she remembered was walking to her car.

“I can’t believe you’re not more worried about this,” he said.

“I don’t believe in sitting around worrying,” she told him. “I believe in going out and finding who did this to me and those other girls and making them pay.”

“What other girls?” Suddenly he realized what she was talking about. “You think the campus rapist did this? Because of the drugging?”

She shrugged. “Yeah.”

“Veronica…”

“Okay, okay.” She got up and closed the door a bit, and lowered her voice. “You have to promise not to tell my dad.” She lifted up her hair and then turned around. His stomach dropped when he saw the bald patch at the back where it looked as though her hair had been ripped right out.

“I can’t believe you’re saying this is no big deal! It looks like he ripped your hair out!”

She shrugged again as she got back into the bed. “Like I said, I’ll find out who did this.”

“But aren’t you scared? I mean, this person obviously knows who you are. Don’t you think you should at least tell your father?”

“No! I don’t want him finding out about this because he’ll just worry. And I don’t need him or anyone else worrying about me. I’ll be fine.”

He stared at her. “I think you’re just doped up on medicine right now. That’s the only way to explain your craziness.”

“Don’t worry about me,” she said, smiling at him. “I’ve got everything under control.”
* * * *
Over the next few days, Wallace tried to spend as much time with Veronica as he could. She might have thought she had everything under control, but he didn’t believe so. He couldn’t believe that she was acting so nonchalantly about almost being shaved bald and raped.

So he made sure to eat with her in the food court, study with her while she was working her shift in the library, and meet her after class so he could walk her to her car. She was too preoccupied with writing a paper for her criminology class and working on her latest case, something involving an egg and Chip Diller’s ass, to notice her now-hovering BFF.

Wallace was surprised when Logan approached him at the end of their sociology class. “Have you seen Veronica today?” he asked earnestly. “I’ve been calling her, but she hasn’t called me back yet.”

“Yeah, I saw her earlier at lunch,” Wallace replied. “She’s got a lot going on right now.”

“Yeah, I bet. It only takes a second to return a call.”

Wallace didn’t say anything, determined not to get into the middle of their ongoing relationship drama.

“I’m just worried about her, you know?” Logan went on.

Wallace chuckled, shaking his head. “Tell me about it,” he said. “That girl needs a 24 hour bodyguard.”

“That’s not such a bad idea.”

“Yeah, right. Good luck getting her to agree to that.”
* * * *
As the guy’s fist connected with his face and he went down, Wallace wondered again why his first instinct when it came to pretty girls was to try to be a hero and protect them. Last time he’d done this, he’d gotten a gun pulled on him by that crazy ass janitor back at Neptune. Now he was lying in a mess of hamburgers and French fries in the food court.

He stood up shakily as some security guards came forward to take away the guys who had started the fight. One of the cafeteria workers came up to him and told him he should go to the infirmary.

“Nah, I’m alright,” he replied, looking around. Veronica, whom he had just been sitting with a few moments before, was nowhere to be seen, although her bag still lay on the ground. He bent down to pick it up, wondering what had happened to her.

“I can’t believe this!” he heard her say. He looked up and saw her coming toward him, anger radiating off her. She started rambling on about Logan hiring bodyguards and how he had no right, and that’s when Wallace put two and two together. He’d only been joking but Logan had taken him seriously.

“He had no right,” she repeated, calming down a bit. He could tell she was still pissed as she took some ice out of her cup, wrapped it in a napkin, then handed it to him.

“Maybe he did,” he replied quietly, putting the ice over his eye.

“What?” She looked at him, eyes flashing.

“Maybe he did. You’re the one walking around here like you weren’t almost raped a week ago. You don’t even care that you’ve got people who are worried about you.”

“I don’t need anyone to worry about me,” she replied. “I can take care of myself, you know. I’ve…”

“Got everything under control,” he finished. “But sometimes, you don’t Veronica. You do need people to help you sometimes. Maybe one day you’ll learn that before all the people who do care about you aren’t there anymore.”

He walked away, leaving Veronica staring incredulously at his back.
* * * *
He didn’t see or hear from her again until late the next day. She stopped by his dorm room just as Piz was leaving for his radio show.

“Hey, Veronica,” Piz said as he opened the door. “Did you hear my radio show yesterday about the …”

“Sorry, I missed it,” she replied, cutting him off.

Piz babbled on about it for a bit until he noticed that she wasn’t listening and that Wallace hadn’t bothered to greet his friend yet, or even look up from his studying.

“Is it just me or did the temperature just drop to like, ten degrees?” he said jokingly, trying to lighten the mood.

“Well, I guess I’ll talk to you later,” he added after Veronica shot him a look that could cut through the ice in the room. “You should try to catch the show tonight, I’ll be talking ab…”

“Yeah, thanks, Piz!” Veronica cut him off again, a sunny smile on her face. It disappeared as Piz left and she went and sat on Wallace’s bed.

They didn’t say anything for a moment, as he concentrated on his book.

“Okay, maybe you’re right,” she said finally.

“And?”

“And I was wrong.”

Wallace tossed down his pencil. “Wait, what was that? Veronica Mars, admitting she was wrong? I must be hearing things.”

Veronica smiled slightly, relieved that he didn’t seem to be too angry with her. “I’d give you my ‘I need to work on trusting people better’ speech, but I know you’ve already heard it.”

“Yeah,” he said. “But maybe you need to hear it again. So you can actually start working on it.”

“I trust you. I just don’t want you to worry about me.”

“With all the things that happen to you, how could I not? And you know, you don’t have to do everything all by yourself. You don’t have to pretend like everything is fine and that you’ve got everything under control.”

“Yeah, yeah, I get that. I’m still trying to work on that, too.”

“Well, I’ll be here to make sure you do. Bad shit always seems to happen to you whenever I’m not around.”

“Hmm, you’re right. I guess that means I have you to blame for everything.” He grinned as she picked up a pillow from his bed and hit him with it.

“But seriously, though,” he said, clearing his throat a bit. He hated when he had to get all sappy. “You know I’ll always be here for you and that I’m always going to worry about you. In case you didn’t know, you’re never allowed to die, either.”

As she continued to smile at him, he could see tears start to swim in her eyes, and he knew it was time to end this before it became anymore girly-girl than it already was. “Okay, and that ends the sappy portion of our program.”

“Nope,” she replied. “We have to hug it out. Have you learned nothing from those Full House reruns?”

And before he could protest, she pulled him in for a long hug.

Fic: "Boogie Tonight" Troy, Veronica. PG

2006-12-31T21:44:00Z

Title: Boogie Tonight
Characters: Veronica, Troy
Rating: PG
Word Count: 1,166
Spoilers: Through 3.09 "Spit & Eggs"
Summary: Veronica runs into Troy at a New Year's party.
Disclaimer: Veronica Mars belongs to Rob Thomas. I am not Rob Thomas.
Author's Note: written for the fantastically awesome dawnieangel, who said she wanted a fic for her birthday, which is today, and since she likes Troy/Veronica and her current favorite song is "Boogie 2Night" by Booty Luv, I tried to put those all in a fic together. The lyrics are from that song. I hope you enjoy it, Dawn, and anyone else who might read it. Happy new year!

Veronica sighed as the music continued to pound louder and louder in her ears. She could’ve sworn it was getting louder by the minute. It was giving her a headache.

She didn’t even know why she’d allowed herself to be dragged to this silly campus party anyway. After the last one where she’d been drugged and almost raped by Mercer and his minion Moe, she’d had her fill of campus parties for awhile. But no. Wallace, Parker, and Piz had insisted she and Mac accompany them to this New Year’s Eve party so they could all ring in the new year together. Veronica would have much rather been home with her father watching the ball drop, but one of her New Year’s resolutions was to try and be a better friend, so she was getting a start on that tonight.

But she decided that she was all partied out for the night. She hadn’t even seen any of her friends for the past half hour. She figured Wallace, Parker, and Piz were out on the dance floor while Mac was off to the side somewhere, casting an evil eye at any guy who dared to bat an eye in her direction.

Veronica hitched her bag up higher on her shoulder as she began walking away, hoping to spot one of her friends so she could tell them she was leaving, with or without them. Suddenly she felt a tap on her shoulder and whipped her head around, thinking it was one of them.

Instead of seeing one of her friend’s faces looking back at her, she found herself looking into the smiling face of Troy Vandegraff.

“Troy Vandegraff,” she said. “Fancy seeing you here.”

“Hey, Veronica,” he replied. “How are you doing?”

She shrugged. “Same ol’ Veronica, I suppose.” She looked around, trying to appear disinterested. The DJ was switching CDs so there was a pause between songs. Great, she thought. A minute ago she would’ve done anything for a break in the head-pounding music, but now she was forced to try and make small talk with Troy. Finally, her nosiness got the best of her. “What are you doing here?”

He continued smiling at her. “I guess you haven’t heard, huh? I’m transferring here to Hearst for the spring semester. You know I always wanted to go here, but my parents didn’t think it was a good idea with the whole rape thing going on. And I hear I have you to thank for clearing all that up.”

She flashed him a brief smile. “Just doing what I do best.”

The music started up again, seemingly even louder than before.

“Wanna dance?” he shouted at her.

“No!” she replied.

He shook his head. “Yeah, same ol’ Veronica, I see.” Then to her surprise, he took her elbow and led her over to a corner of the club, where it was a little quieter.

“Excuse me?” she asked, pulling her elbow away.

“I just wanted to catch up with an old friend for a minute. I’m digging the bangs, by the way. Very sexy.”

“Well, thank you, Troy, I guess I can die happy now.”

He smirked at her. “We really need to work on loosening you up a little, you know? It’s a good thing I’ll be going here now.”

“Loosening me up? I’m plenty loose enough as it is.”

She paused for a moment and they both laughed a little at her words. “Okay, I did not mean that in that way,” she said.

“See, I got you loosening up already. A less uptight Veronica Mars is a much hotter Veronica Mars.”

She rolled her eyes. “Whatever, Troy. Well, it was nice catching up with you, but…”

“But?”

“I’m getting ready to leave. I guess I’ll see you around campus.”

“It’s only eleven, the ball hasn’t even dropped yet! You’re going to make me ring in the new year all by myself?” He poked out his lower lip in an exaggerated pout.

“Has it even occurred to you that maybe I already have someone to ring in the new year with?”

He laughed again. “Good try, Veronica. But I heard from a reliable source that you’re flying solo at the moment. Just like me, what a coincidence.”

She didn’t reply, thinking that his “reliable source” was also known as Wallace Fennel, and that it was a shame she’d have to start off the new year by ringing her best friend’s neck. He was almost as bad as a girl when it came to the gossiping.

“Besides, we haven’t even danced yet!” he went on. “I was hoping we could, you know, boogie tonight.” He did some sort of dance in front of her that she couldn’t help but laugh at.

“Thanks, but I’ll pass on the boogeying,” she replied.

He shook his head. “That’s your problem, Mars, you’re too uptight. I can’t let you ring in the new year without having a little fun. Wait here.”

Veronica watched him walk away, wondering if he was stupid enough to try and score some drugs for her to use with him. No matter how much he insisted he had changed, she’d never forget about his past as a drug dealer. She saw him whisper something in the DJ’s ear. The DJ nodded and then they bumped fist in that way guys always did that she hated.

As Troy made his way back over to her, the music changed and he started doing that dance in front of her again.

“This is one of my favorite songs,” he said. “You’re not going to let me dance all by myself, are you?” Then he started singing along with the song.

Stand if you want to
Stare if you want to
but i got to party
i needs me to party
i came here to get ya
but i can't wait
to grab me a partner
and cut a rug up tonight

Veronica couldn’t help but laugh as she glanced away, contemplating whether or not she should just walk away and leave Troy to his dancing or stay and attempt to humor him. She finally caught sight of Parker and Piz, in the middle of the dance floor, doing some sort of dancing that looked even weirder than what Troy was currently doing. Mac and Wallace stood nearby, laughing and looking embarrassed by them at the same time. She saw Logan and Dick over in the corner with Chip and some of the other Pi Sigs, laughing and drinking, and making what she knew to be inappropriate comments at the girls dancing nearby.

“So what do you say, Veronica?” Troy asked, looking at her expectantly.

Closing her eyes for a brief second, she decided that maybe he was right. She did need to loosen up a bit, at least for one night. And Troy, as evil as he could be, was still good for a fun time. Taking his hand, she let him whirl her around on the floor.

Ficlet: Going Through Hoops (Wallace, Piz)

2006-12-23T06:41:41Z

Title: Going Through Hoops
Characters: Wallace, Piz (it's all about Veronica, though, so it still should count.)
Prompt: Circle
Word Count: 407
Rating: PG
Summary: Piz asks Wallace about Veronica.
Disclaimer: It's all Rob's.
Author's Notes: I haven't forgotten about my table! I've just been kind of uninspired in the fic department. I wrote this all the way back after 3.01 Welcome Wagon aired and I realized I absolutely adore Piz.

“So…is Veronica, like, your girlfriend?”

Wallace looked away from the football game on his tiny TV and over at his roommate Piz. Piz was tossing Wallace’s small rubber basketball towards the hoop on the back of their dorm room door. The ball hadn’t made it through the hoop yet.

“My girlfriend?” Wallace repeated. “Nah, we’re just friends. She calls us BFFs.” He rolled his eyes.

“Oh, okay. How’d you guys meet?”

Wallace paused, then decided to skip over the whole thing about her cutting him down from the flagpole, since he didn’t come off too well in that version. “In high school. We had some classes together.”

“Cool.” There was another pause as Piz missed the hoop again and went to pick up the ball. “So…does she have a boyfriend?”

Wallace chuckled as he realized where this conversation was going. “Why, do you like her or something?”

“No, no,” Piz said hurriedly, this time dropping the ball completely out of his hands. “I was just wondering. She seems kind of mysterious, you know?”

Wallace shrugged. “Not once you get to know her.” He turned the volume up a bit on the TV, hoping his roommate would get the hint.

But he didn’t. Instead he came and sat on the edge of Wallace’s bed. “I mean, what’s up with the whole detective thing? Did she read a Nancy Drew book and decide she wanted to become her?”

Wallace resisted the urge to roll his eyes again. “Her dad is a private eye and she works for him. She’s solved a lot of mysteries.”

“Finding people’s stuff?” Piz asked skeptically.

“And other things,” Wallace said a little defensively. He’d seen Veronica’s PI skills firsthand many times, and he knew they were nothing to scoff at. “She was the one who figured out who murdered her best friend.”

“Someone killed her best friend?”

“Yeah, it was in all the papers. And Veronica solved it. That’s what got her into the whole PI thing, finding out who killed Lilly. She also figured out who crashed a bus full of students from our high school.”

“Wow,” Piz said. He tossed the ball into the air again and tried to catch it. It fell to the ground and Wallace grabbed it before he could pick it up.

“She seems pretty kickass,” Piz added.

Wallace nodded as he shot the ball toward the hoop on the door. It went smoothly through. “That she is.”

Ficlet: You're a Persistent One. Troy/Veronica. PG

2006-10-14T17:57:35Z

Title: You're A Persistent One
Author: cinaminsweet
Rating: PG
Pairings/Ships: Troy/Veronica
Spoilers: only mild ones up through 1.02 "Credit Where Credit's Due."
Warnings: none at all
Word Count: 582
Notes: This is written for the Worst Case Scenario challenge at vmshipchallenge and takes place somewhere in the vicinity of "Credit..." and "Meet John Smith." My prompt was "Two characters are forced to work on a class project together." I know that the deadline was last night, but I was without computer access then, so I hope it's still okay to post after the fact. I totally understand if I won't be able to be inlcuded in the poll. I mainly just want there to be more Troy/Veronica fics out there :)

“Veronica, I have a new assignment for you.”

Veronica shifted her eyes away from the computer screen and looked up at Ms. Dent. “Sure, what is it?” she asked, picking up her notebook.

“One of our new students informed me that he’s just moved here from the east coast, and I thought it would be a good idea to share his experiences there with our school. You know, give them a little glimpse at what happens at other schools.”

Veronica nodded, even though she thought it sounded like it would be a boring article. “Who’s the student?”

Ms. Dent stepped aside, revealing the smiling young man who had been standing behind her. “He’s right here,” she said. “Veronica, this is…”

“Troy Vandegraff,” Veronica cut in, with a slight smile.

“Oh, you two have already met, wonderful!” Ms. Dent said. “Well, I’ll let you two get to work. Hopefully we can include it in our next issue.”

“So, was that smooth enough for you, Miss Mars?” Troy asked as he slid into the seat next to hers.

“Not so much smooth, as sneaky,” she replied.

His mouth dropped open as he feigned shocked. “Sneaky? No! Really, I just wanted to share my experiences with the wonderful students here at Neptune High. And I heard you were the best writer on the newspaper staff, so I just kind of put a little bug in Ms. Dent’s ear.”

“The best writer? I mostly just take pictures.”

“That can be arranged, you know. I’m excellent at voguing. You just have to make sure you get my best side.”

She couldn’t help but smile back. “Okay, what’s this really about?”

“I’m still trying to figure out what I’ve got to do to get you to go out with me. Now, if it includes me stripping down and you snapping some pictures of me on your cell phone, I’m willing to make that sacrifice.”

She shook her head and turned back to the computer screen. “I’m sure there are a dozen girls who’d kill to go out with you. Maybe you should try one of them.”

“Ouch!” he cried, clutching his chest. “You sure aren’t very subtle with the turn downs are you?”

She didn’t reply, but he could still see the hints of a smile around her mouth.

“Look, you’re right,” he said. “There are dozens of girls who want to go out with me.”

She chuckled. “And I see you aren’t too subtle with the modesty, are you.”

“But you don’t see me asking all of those girls, do you? I’m only asking you.”

She glanced over at him, trying to decide if he was serious or not. He had been pursuing her ever since she met him, but not in an overbearing kind of way. She hadn’t seen him talking to any other girls.

“You know, if you’re just looking to score…” she began.

“I could pick any of the hundreds of other sluts in this school,” he cut in and she smiled.

“You’re a persistent one, aren’t you.”

“Yeah, I’ve already decided to have that put on my gravestone.”

She grinned and picked up her notebook. “Okay, so what else do you want the student body to know? After all, that is what this whole interview’s about, right?”

This time it was his turn to chuckle. “You’re not going to give me an answer about going out with me?”

“Hey, I’m doing the interviewing here,” she replied. “You’ll just have to wait and see.”

Fic: Happily Ever After (Veronica, Keith) PG

2006-08-04T07:37:12Z

Title: Happily Ever After
Characters: Veronica and Keith with brief appearances by Wallace, Duncan, Troy, Leo, Logan, Weevil, and Dick
Rating: PG for the briefest, tiniest bit of sexual innuendo
Word Count: 1,431
Spoilers: None really
Disclaimer: The awesome Rob Thomas owns all that is Veronica Mars.
Summary: Veronica tells her daughter a bedtime story.
Author’s Notes: This is written for the vm_have_a_day challenge. My prompt is in another author's note at the end of the fic, though I'm sure you'll figure it out before then. Many, many thanks to dawnieangel who gave me the idea for this. She deserves many naked Logans and naked Troys just for being a great friend. :)

True love does not come by finding the perfect person, but by learning to see an imperfect person perfectly. - Jason Jordan

“Mommy, can you tell me a bedtime story?”

Veronica looked down at her daughter, whom she had just tucked tightly into bed. “Alright,” she said. “But just one.” She walked over to the bookshelf in her daughter’s room. “What story do you want to hear?”

The little girl shook her head. “No, not one of those. I want you to tell me one.”

Veronica turned around. “Honey, I don’t know any stories.”

Her daughter poked out her bottom lip. “Ms. Roundtree always tells us stories,” she said, mentioning her preschool teacher.

“Okay, okay,” Veronica said, as she settled onto the bed next to her. She thought for a moment, then got an idea. “Okay, I’ll tell you a story about a princess.”

“Yay!” The girl smiled brightly, then snuggled closer to her mother to listen to the story.

“Once upon a time in a faraway kingdom there lived a beautiful princess…”
* * * *
The people in the kingdom rose as the jester blew his trumpet. “Hear ye, hear ye!” he cried. “Now presenting King Mars and Princess Veronica for the Courting Ceremony!”

King Mars and his daughter, the beautiful Princess Veronica, took their seats on the throne as their kingdom bowed before them.

King Mars nodded to Jester Wallace. “Jester, do you have some entertainment for us before we start the ceremony?”

“Yes,” the jester replied, standing before them in his multi-colored tights and headpiece. He proceeded to do a complicated juggling routine, which earned him thunderous applause from the kingdom.

“Thank you, thank you,” he said, bowing. “Now, in light of the Princess’ upcoming courting with one of these fine suitors, I have a joke about marriage: A happy marriage is a matter of giving and taking; the husband gives and the wife takes.” This time the kingdom erupted with thunderous groans. Princess Veronica giggled. Jester Wallace was a great friend, but he told the lamest jokes.

“Alright,” the king said. “The Courting Ceremony shall begin. Who is the first gentleman who would like my daughter’s hand?”

“Uh, me, sir,” a voice said. Princess Veronica watched as Lord Duncan from the House of Kane stepped forward and bowed before them. She liked Lord Duncan and they had been friends for many years, thanks to his sister Lady Lilly.

“Lord Duncan,” King Mars said. “Tell us why my daughter should choose you.”

“Well, sir, I think your daughter’s really cool. I love her and I think we will be together forever, because I believe that true love stories never have endings.”

The kingdom erupted in applause again. Lord Duncan was quite popular throughout the kingdom.

“I think that was a great answer,” King Mars whispered to his daughter.

“I don’t know,” she replied. “I like Lord Duncan, but he’s a little boring. Plus, you know his mother, Duchess Celeste, is a real witch.”

“Alright, thank you,” King Mars said to Lord Duncan. “You may step aside until the other suitors are done. Next!”

Next up was Lord Troy of the Vandegraff House. The princess hadn’t known him very long, but he usually kept her amused whenever they did speak.

“Hey, King Mars, Princess Veronica. I just want to let you know that the princess is a beautiful woman and that I will do nothing but treat her with the utmost respect.” He winked at Princess Veronica and she couldn’t help but smile back.

“I don’t like that guy,” King Mars whispered to the princess. “He’s a slick talker. He looks like he’s got something to hide.” He motioned for Lord Troy to stand next to Lord Duncan. “Next!”

A townsman named Leo was the next to step forward. The princess didn’t know him very well, but from the few times she had spoken with him, she could tell that he was very sweet and helpful.

“Which house are you from?” King Mars asked.

“I’m not from a house, your majesty,” Leo replied. “I’m in knight school right now. I know I don’t have any riches, but I would still be able to make sure your daughter has the best of things. I will love her dearly.”

“I don’t think I want you marrying a commoner,” King Mars said to his daughter. “Plus he doesn’t speak like a real man should. He sounds like he has a mouth full of marbles.”

“Well, he’s really nice,” the princess told him. “And he’s kinda cute. He doesn’t seem all that interesting, though.”

Lord Logan of the Echolls House stepped forward next. Princess Veronica had known him for many years, though they hadn’t gotten along all the time. They were always pulling pranks on each other and he seemed to be a bit of a troublemaker. But she had to admit that his being a bad boy excited her a bit. Plus he was a great kisser and always got her heart fluttering.

With a smirk on his face, he said, “Life is one fool thing after another, whereas love is two fool things after each other. Oscar Wilde.”

“What does that even mean?” the king asked.

“What it means, dude, is that I love the princess and I think we belong together. We’re epic, you know?”

“No, I don’t know. And don’t call me dude.” He leaned over to whisper to the princess. “I don’t know about Lord Logan. I’ve heard from some of the young ladies in the kingdom that he’s nothing but a playboy.”

“He’s not so bad,” Princess Veronica replied. “I think he’s just misunderstood.”

Eli was the next suitor to step forward. He was just a commoner also. He and the princess weren’t exactly friends, but they got along well enough. Plus he was very handsome also, and had the cutest eyelashes.

“King,” he said, nodding to King Mars.

“Eli. Why should my daughter choose you?”

“Because I’ll love her a long time. She’ll always have fun with me. And I’ll make sure her body gets the treatment it deserves.”

King Mars banged his scepter on the ground. “Are you disrespecting my daughter right in front of my face and in my own kingdom?”

“Not at all, sir. I was talking about her horse carriage. You know I fix those down at my shop.”

“Next!”

Princess Veronica rolled her eyes when the next suitor stepped in front of the throne. It was Lord Richard of the Casablancas House. She wasn’t really fond of Lord Richard or ‘Lord Dick’, as he preferred to be called. He was a jokester and never took anything seriously. He was good friends with some of the other lords, though, so she tolerated him.

“Okay, so normally I don’t go for girls like the princess here,” he began. “She’s a little too uppity for my taste. I usually like girls who are a little more…free and willing, if you know what I’m saying. But I decided that I wouldn’t mind having the princess around for a while. She’s hot, you know?”

King Mars stared at him for a moment. Then he called the jester.

Wallace popped up, the bells on his cap jingling. He whistled and a second later, Backup, the royal family dog, came rushing in. He growled at Lord Richard and ran straight toward him. Lord Richard yelped and ran out of the room, with Backup snarling, hot on his heels.

“I don’t really like any of these suitors,” the king whispered to his daughter. “None of them are good enough for you.”

“You’ll never think a guy is good enough for me,” Princess Veronica replied.

“That’s true. But I want you to have the perfect husband.”

“I don’t need him to be perfect, I just need him to be perfect for me. The one that, even though he has flaws, will still be able to make me happy. And I know which one of these guys can do it.”

“Well? Which one do you choose?”
* * * *
“Mommy?” Veronica’s daughter asked when her mother stopped talking. “Which one did the princess choose?”

“Yeah, mommy,” said a voice from the doorway, and Veronica looked up and saw her husband standing there. She could tell by the smile on his face that he’d been listening for a while. “Which one did the princess choose?”

Veronica smiled as he came into the room and kissed both her and their daughter. “Let’s just say that the princess made the right choice.”

“Was the princess happy? Did they all live happily ever after?” their daughter asked, and then yawned.

“Yes,” Veronica replied. “The princess was very happy and they all lived happily ever after.”

Author's Note the 2nd: My prompt was . I didn't say who Veronica's husband is at the end because I figured you can choose whoever you want it to be, sort of like those Choose-Your-Own-Adventure books we read as kids. :)

Ficlet: Back to School (Wallace, Troy) PG

2006-08-02T22:56:17Z

Title: Back to School
Rating: PG
Pairing/Character: Wallace, Troy (brief appearances by Veronica and Weevil)
Word Count: 544 (I apologize for it being 44 words over limit. If it's a problem, we can count it as two separate ficlets that are both well under 500)
Summary: Troy and Wallace have very different reactions to the first day at Neptune High.
Spoilers: only through 1.02 "Credit Where Credit's Due".
Disclaimer: The awesome Rob Thomas owns all that is Veronica Mars.
Author's Notes: This is written for the "Beginnings" prompt at vm500. I'm a teacher and I'm in full back to school mode now, which is where I got the idea for this. Plus, I adore Wallace and Troy and I always like writing about them! :)

Wallace pulled into a parking space outside of Neptune High. Grabbing his bookbag and paper lunch bag, he started walking slowly toward the school.

He remembered his mother’s words when she’d told him they were moving here. “It’ll be a new start, a new beginning,” she’d said.

Wallace had been willing to take her word for it, until the other night when those bikers had come into the Sac-n-Pac. He was still kicking himself for pushing the button to call the cops. He should’ve just looked the other way and pretended he hadn’t seen anything.

He decided to just put it behind him. It was his first day at this school and he wanted to get off on the right foot. He’d heard good things about the school and his mother had said he would have a great year. He wasn’t going to worry about those bikers anymore.

That plan lasted all of five seconds, when he saw a group of the bikers standing not too far in front of him.

“’Sup, snitch,” one of them said, while walking towards him. He stood in front of him, looking him up and down. “That was real cool what you did down at the store the other night. My boys and I just wanted to show our appreciation, ya know?”

Wallace gulped when the biker pulled out a roll of duct tape and held it in front of his face.

Maybe Neptune High wouldn’t be as great as he thought.
* * * *
Troy tapped his fingers impatiently on the desk as he waited for the counselor to call him into her office.

He already knew he wouldn’t like Neptune High. He remembered what his parents had said when they first told him they’d be staying in Neptune instead of going back east. “Maybe now you’ll be able to get yourself together,” his father had said. His mother had smiled brightly at him. “It’s a new start, a new beginning,” she had said.

He didn’t really care because he knew he wouldn’t be there long. He knew he’d come up with a way to get him out of here, so he could get back to Shauna. He thought about the party his friend Duncan had taken him to the other night. He had checked out a couple of girls there before the cops had come and broke it up, and none of them had impressed him. They all seemed way too superficial and full of themselves.

He glanced up, and when he saw the cute blonde come in and stand at the desk, he turned around to get a good look at her. He looked at her blonde hair pulled into pigtails, tucked under a cap, and then down to the short, army-print skirt that covered a pair of legs he knew he wouldn’t mind being wrapped up in someday.

His eyes went back up to her face, where she glanced at him briefly, before looking away.

“Give us a smile, luv,” he said, using the British accent Shauna had told him was cute.

Just then the counselor called his name. He glanced back at the girl as he walked toward the office. She smiled slightly.

Maybe Neptune High wouldn’t be so bad after all.

Fic: Puppy Love (Logan/Veronica, Keith) PG

2006-07-01T03:14:41Z

Title: Puppy Love
Pairing/Characters: Logan/Veronica, Keith
Rating/Warning: PG/minor character death
Word Count: about 1,200
Spoilers: This takes place after 2.22 "Not Pictured" but there are seriously no real spoilers.
Summary: Veronica loses someone close to her and Logan's there to help pick up the pieces. That sounds really angsty, but this is actually pure fluff.
Disclaimer: The wonderful Rob Thomas owns all that is Veronica Mars.
Author Notes: written for vmlyricfic. My lyric was "how to love" and the item is broken kitchenware.

“Veronica…I have some bad news.”

Veronica glanced up from the papers she’d been sorting and looked at her father, who had just come through the door of the office. She saw the tired, haggard look on his face and took a deep breath.

She was not in the mood for bad news. She figured she’d had more than her share of bad news to last a lifetime.

“Well, I admit I was a little bummed when I heard that Kevin was leaving the Backstreet Boys, but I really don’t think it’s quite that upsetting,” she joked, trying to ease the tension and wipe the tortured look off her father’s face.

But instead it remained and he motioned for her to come sit next to him on the couch.

“Okay,” she said as she sat next to him. “What is it? You’re really starting to scare me.”

This time it was Keith who took a deep breath. “Veronica…it’s Backup. He got hit by a car.”

Veronica’s breath caught in her throat. “But…but he’s okay, right?” she asked. “I mean…”

Keith shook his head. “I took him into the emergency room and they said there was nothing they could do.”

Veronica closed her eyes as they filled with tears and her father pulled her into a hug. She held on tightly, thinking about how Backup had been with them since he was a puppy and she was just a little girl. She couldn’t believe that he was gone.
* * * *
Keith and Veronica held a funeral for Backup a couple days later. They both said a few words, then Veronica placed one of Backup’s favorite chew toys on the small headstone they had gotten for him.

Keith put his arm around her shoulder and pulled her close. “I’m going into the office for a while to catch up on some work. I’d give you a ride home, but…,” he trailed off as he nodded over to the street. “…I’m sure you can find a suitable alternative. Though I’m not sure if I’d call that yellow monstrosity suitable.”

She smiled as she followed his gaze and saw Logan’s car parked on the side of the road.

“You’ll be alright?” her father asked her.

She nodded. “Sure. Have fun catching the bad guys.”

She watched him walk off towards his car, then she headed over to Logan’s.

“You could have joined us for the ceremony, you know,” she said to him as he pulled her into his arms and placed a soft kiss on the top of her head.

“I think I’ve been to enough funerals to last me awhile,” he said. “You’ve been to one, you’ve been to them all. Plus, you know, your dad was here and…,” his voice trailed off.

She laughed and looked up at him. “My dad’s…okay with us now. And it’s a funeral. It’s not like he was going to pin you up against the wall and throw you out.”

He took her hand. “You ready to go?”

She glanced once more back at Backup’s headstone and after saying one last silent goodbye to him, she said, “Yeah, I’m ready to go.”
* * * *
Later that week, Veronica heard a knock at her apartment door. She’d been lying on the couch in the living room watching one bad soap opera after another. She got up and went to the door, wondering who it could be. Her father was at work, Wallace was at basketball camp, and Logan had been mysteriously busy the last couple of days.

She opened the door and was surprised to see Logan standing there, holding a small puppy.

“What’s this?” she asked, as he came inside.

“Veronica, I thought you were smart. This is called a puppy.”

“Ha ha,” she replied. “I mean, what’s he doing here?” She looked down at the little brown furball that had jumped out of Logan’s arms and was now scurrying around her apartment.

“I just thought he might help cheer you up. I know nothing will replace Backup, but this little guy might grow on you.”

“I doubt it,” she replied, watching the puppy frisk around. All she could think about was how excited Backup used to get when he was about to be taken out. “I wouldn’t even know how to love another dog besides Backup.”

Just then the puppy bumped into the coffee table and knocked off the coffee mug that had been sitting on it. They watched as the mug shattered into pieces as it fell to the floor.

Veronica went over and picked up one of the pieces. The mug had been her father’s favorite. She had made it for him back in third grade and it was painted in an assortment of colors. “I ♥ my daddy” was scrawled on one side in her childish handwriting.

“Great,” she said. “My dog dies and then this impostor comes in and breaks Dad’s favorite mug. You’re not winning any points here, buddy,” she added, glancing over at the puppy, which Logan had picked up to keep away from the shards of the mug.

“Here, I’ll get it up,” Logan said, as he passed the puppy over to her. “I’ll let you two bond.”

Veronica rolled her eyes at him as the puppy squirmed in her arms. “Be careful,” she said. “Some of those pieces are really…”

“Ow!” he cried as he cut his finger on a piece of the mug. He held it up and Veronica saw a thin line of bright red blood drip down it.

“I told you to be careful,” she said to him. “There’re band-aids in the bathroom cabinet.”

While he was gone, she carefully picked up the rest of the pieces, which was difficult with the puppy still bouncing around in her arms.

“Sorry, little fella,” she said to him. “But I don’t want you to get cut, too.” The puppy replied by nuzzling his wet nose against her cheek and she couldn't help but laugh.

Logan came back from the bathroom and held up his finger, this time covered in a colorful band-aid. “Scooby Doo?” he questioned.

“Hey, don’t judge me by my Scooby Doo band-aids,” she replied as she put the puppy back down.

“Hmm, it still hurts quite a bit,” he said as he came closer to her. “I think a kiss might make it all better.”

She smiled up at him, then placed a soft kissed on his bandaged finger. “Happy now?”

“Nope.” He leaned down and placed his mouth on hers. She wrapped her arms around his neck as he deepened the kiss and spun them in a circle.

“I’ve got something else that’s starting to throb now,” he murmured as he placed light kisses down the smooth column of her neck. “You think you can kiss that and make it better, too?”

“Nice try,” she said, pulling away and grinning up at him. “Plus I think your buddy here has other plans.” She looked down at the puppy, which was now wounding himself excitedly around their legs.

“We should probably take him out for a walk before he ruins anymore of the precious Mars china,” she went on. “We can think of a name for him, too.”

“So does that mean you’re going to keep him?” Logan asked as he pulled a leash out of his pocket and leaned down to fasten it around the frisky puppy’s neck.

“Well, I’ll have to see what my dad says, but I know he’ll go along with whatever I want.” She looked down at the puppy, who was frantically licking Logan’s face as he fastened on the leash.

She smiled. “Yeah. I think I’ll keep him.”

Ficlet: Just a Little Favor (Veronica, Wallace) G

2006-06-27T07:02:18Z

Title: Just a Little Favor
Characters: Veronica, Wallace
Rating: G
Word Count: 560
Summary: Veronica asks Wallace to do her a favor.
Disclaimer: The awesome Rob Thomas owns all that is Veronica Mars.
Author's Note: written for 15minuteficlets. Word is at the end of the fic. Also using for the "Too Much" prompt for fanfic100 and the "Forgiveness" prompt for 30_friends.

“C’mon, Wallace, it’s just one teeny-tiny little favor.”

“Nope, not gonna do it.”

Veronica sighed heavily and looked over at her best friend. They had been sitting in her living room, supposedly studying for their history exam when she’d asked him for the favor. She couldn’t believe he was turning her down. He’d always done what she’d asked before.

“Look, it’s really not that bad. All you have to do is break into the principal’s office and…”

“Why can’t you do it?” he broke in.

“Because you’re the one who’s an office aide, so it’s not going to look suspicious if you’re in there. Plus you know if Clemmons sees me, he’s going to think I’m up to no good.”

“That’s because you are up to no good. You don’t need to break into Morehead’s office to steal some kid’s record.”

“Ahh, but I do,” she said. “It’s the only way I can prove the kid’s not as perfect as he says he is. So please can you do this one little favor for me?”

Wallace shook his head. “No. If I get caught, I get suspended, simple as that.”

“But you won’t get caught.”

“You don’t know that.”

“I do. C’mon, Wallace, like I said, this is just a little favor. It’s cake.”

“I’m tired of doing you favors,” he said. “You’ll have to find someone else to do your dirty work for you.”

Her mouth dropped open. “It’s not like I’m always asking you to do favors for me.”

“Yes, you do. That’s our whole friendship right there, you asking me for favors, and me doing them. Well, not anymore.”

She sat silently for a minute. “You never said anything before.”

“Maybe because it didn’t bother me so much before. But now it does.” He stood up and started gathering his books together. “If you just want somebody to do your little favors for you, you’ll have to find a new ‘friend’. I quit.” He walked out the door.

Veronica sat in stunned silence, wondering where all that had come from. She didn’t think she’d asked him for that many favors since they’d become friends. She didn’t know what his problem was, but she knew one thing for sure: she didn’t want to lose him as a friend. Even if he couldn’t do favors for her anymore, she still wanted him as her friend.

She jumped up and ran out the door, where she could see him heading to the parking lot behind her building.

“Hey,” she said after she’d run to catch up to him. “You’re right. I have been taking advantage of our friendship and I’m sorry.”

“Really?” he asked, looking at her skeptically.

“Really,” she repeated. “And you don’t have to worry about me asking you for favors anymore. But I do still want us to be friends, though. If you still want to.”

He smiled. “Yeah, I do. And I don’t mind doing favors for you, I just don’t like doing them all the time.”

She grinned back at him. “I’ll keep that in mind. So are you going to come back in or what? The Yankees game is coming on in a couple minutes and I need a friend to help me cheer them on.”

“Yeah, I think I can help you do that,” he said, and they headed back into her apartment.

15minuteficlets word is fight.

100_Situations Table

2006-06-14T20:09:17Z

Here is my table for 100_situations. I claimed Veronica Mars, general series. I am clearly insane.

001.	Tired	002.	Back Alley	003.	Sunrise	004.	Late	005.	Son
006.	Hot	007.	Friend	008.	Floor	009.	Cheat	010.	Think.
011.	Disgust	012.	Shelter	013.	Borrow	014.	Chair	015.	Alter
016.	Peace	017.	Beach	018.	True	019.	Crazy	020.	Love
021.	New	022.	Beggar	023.	False	024.	Happy	025.	Cancer
026.	Pickpocket	027.	Reverse	028.	Deliver	029.	Arrival	030.	Fall
031.	Knife	032.	Torn	033.	Danger	034.	Neutral	035.	Mate
036.	Fly	037.	Loud	038.	Touch	039.	Seek	040.	Argue
041.	Work	042.	Sink	043.	Nut	044.	Stuck	045.	Animal
046.	Pray	047.	Kill	048.	Light	049.	Cold	050.	Affair
051.	Restaurant	052.	Movie	053.	Wait	054.	Patient	055.	Crime
056.	Choke	057.	Fever	058.	Summer	059.	Eat	060.	Thirst
061.	Chance	062.	Appear	063.	Whisper	064.	Day	065.	Scream
066.	Fail	067.	Confused	068.	Smile	069.	Come	070.	Alone
071.	Fast	072.	Slow	073.	Return	074.	Fire	075.	Positive
076.	Baby	077.	Upset	078.	Kitchen	079.	Winter	080.	Ignorant
081.	Fool	082.	Afraid	083.	Prison	084.	Sex	085.	Hate
086.	Alarm	087.	Genius	088.	Negative	089.	Flood	090.	Bomb
091.	Hospital	092.	Trap	093.	Celebrate	094.	Old	095.	Disappear
096.	Writer‘s Choice.	097.	Writer‘s Choice.	098.	Writer‘s Choice.	099.	Writer‘s Choice.	100.	Writer‘s Choice.

Fic: Make My Troubles Disappear (Troy/Veronica) PG

2006-06-10T03:54:01Z

Title: Make My Troubles Disappear
Characters/Pairings: Troy/Veronica
Rating: PG
Word Count: 2,162
Spoilers: only spoilers for 1.05 "You Think You Know Somebody" and 2.16 "The Rapes of Graff."
Summary: Veronica and Troy end up trapped in a closet.
Disclaimer: The awesome Rob Thomas owns all that is Veronica Mars.
Author's Note: written for dragonsinger's Variations of a Plot challenge. The plot was: Two characters who are attracted to each other but are in denial are confined in close quarters and this is my variation of that. Thanks to dawnieangel for looking it over.

“Do me a favor.”

Veronica paused in the crowded hallway of Bentley Hall when she heard the words she had uttered numerous times before herself. She turned around and saw Troy Vandegraff standing behind her.

“What do you want, Troy?” she asked, hitching her messenger bag up higher on her shoulder.

“I need you to do me a favor.”

“Sorry,” she replied, pasting a sunny smile on her face. “I’m fresh out of favors today. Try again later, say in a couple years or so.”

She turned and started walking away, and he hurried to catch up with her.

“I’m serious,” he said. “I…kinda got into some trouble and I need your help with something.”

“Isn’t that the story of your life, you getting in trouble and needing someone to bail you out?”

“Can you just stop for a minute?” he asked, grabbing her elbow, forcing her to stop walking.

She sighed and looked up at him. “I really don’t have the time right now to fix your boo-boos and make them all better. You’ll have to find someone else. Or, you know, stop screwing up.”

“Look, Veronica, it’s not like that.” He glanced around, taking in the groups of people streaming by them. “Can we go somewhere and talk about this?”

“No.” She stood firmly in place, crossing her arms over her chest.

“Veronica…” he said, almost pleading.

She looked up at him, wishing she had slipped out of her psychology class a few minutes earlier, so she wouldn’t have had to stand here and try to resist Troy Vandegraff and his pleading, puppy dog eyes. She had gotten sucked in by those eyes before, and not just his. She thought of the times Logan and Weevil had flashed similar looks at her and she’d been powerless to resist them. Just like she was now.

She motioned for him to follow her to a secluded spot near the rear of Bentley Hall. “Talk,” she demanded.

He glanced around again to make sure no one was nearby. “Uh, well, I’m not supposed to be telling anyone this, but I’m pledging the Pi Sigs.”

“Good for you. I’m sure you’ll fit right in with them.”

“The thing is,” he went on, ignoring her sarcastic tone, “one of my pledge tasks was to steal Dean Harlow’s record book. You know, that one she carries all around with all these notes about the students here?”

“I’m not helping you steal it.”

“I already did it. I had to take it, make a photocopy, and then return it to her desk drawer. So I did the first two, and now I just need help getting it back into her office.”

“So you want me to help you break into the Dean’s office just so you can join some frat? Uh uh, try again.”

“Come on, Veronica, I really need your help. If I don’t return it, I won’t get into the Pi Sigs. And if I get caught, they’re not even going to have my back, they’re going to act like they had nothing to do with it. I could get kicked out of school.”

“And what makes you think I can break into her office?”

“You’re some kind of PI, right, you can do those things. And Mac told me how you broke into the principal’s office to get something of hers back.”

Veronica didn’t say anything for a moment. She knew she should tell Troy to get lost, that he’d gotten himself into this mess and that he’d have to find his way out of it. She remembered how humiliated she had felt the time she’d found out he’d been lying to her and that their relationship was mostly just a joke. He was the first person she’d let get close to her following Lilly’s death and she had vowed that she would never let herself get tricked like that again.

That’s why she had been reluctant to help clear him of the rape charges during the “Get to Know Hearst” weekend and why she hadn’t been all that eager to become friendly with him when she realized they’d both be going to Hearst, especially after he and Wallace had become such good friends. Wallace was always telling her that Troy wasn’t all that bad of a guy and that she should at least try to be nice to him. Veronica decided she should just try to keep her ex-boyfriends far away from Wallace in the future. They always ended up becoming friendly and she had to hear the “he’s not that bad” speech from her best friend. He’d done the same thing with Logan, and now he was doing it with Troy. She knew she’d probably never hear the end of it if Wallace found out she hadn’t helped Troy.

She took a deep breath, knowing she would probably regret her decision. “Fine,” she said. “I’ll help you. Meet me outside the dean’s office tonight at ten. That’s right when the night classes are ending, so the building shouldn’t be locked then.”

He grinned at her. “Thanks, Veronica. You’re a lifesaver.”

She shrugged and prepared to walk away.

“Hey, you want to go get some lunch or something?” He paused, noting the look on her face. “I guess not. See you tonight, all right?” He grinned at her and walked off.
* * * *
“You’re late,” she snapped as he walked up to her outside Bentley Hall.

“Jeez, only like a couple minutes late. I was working on a paper.”

“I bet,” she said, rolling her eyes. “Let’s go.”

They started walking into the building. There were just a few students milling around, having just gotten out of their night classes.

“I’m serious,” Troy said. “I’ve got this ten-page paper about Freud due tomorrow and I’ve only got like half a page done.”

“Aww, poor Troy, so many troubles, so little time.”

He grinned at her as they rounded the corner to Dean Harlow’s office. “Give me a kiss, make all my troubles disappear?”

She whipped her head around to give him a snappy reply, but the grin on his face caused her to smile slightly. “You need to find a new line,” she said.

They stopped outside the dean’s office door, after checking to make sure there was no one around. She pressed her ear up against the door and decided that there wasn’t anyone inside. She took out her lock-picking kit and got to work.

“Impressive,” he said when she had the door open in less than a minute.

She shrugged. “Dump the book on her desk and let’s go,” she replied.

He glanced around quickly one more time, then disappeared into the office. “It’s locked,” she heard him say a moment later.

“What are you talking about?” she asked, stepping into the room.

“I’m supposed to put it back in her desk drawer, but it’s locked.”

“Just leave it on her desk.”

“But I’m not supposed to! It’s supposed to go back in her drawer.”

Veronica stared at him for a moment, wondering whether she should take out her taser and buzz some sense into him, or simply just walk out and let him figure his mess out on his own.

“Look, Troy,” she said, walking towards him. “I’m not about to…”

“Shh,” he said and paused. “Do you hear that?”

She stood still and listened carefully. She could hear heels clicking and a female voice getting closer to the door.

“It’s Dean Harlow!” she said.

Troy glanced around. “What do we do?”

She grabbed his arm and pulled him into a closet, shutting the door firmly behind them. It was extremely cramped and they were surrounded by coats and boxes on the floor.

They listened as Dean Harlow entered the office, and they could hear a male’s voice with her.

“Who’s that?” Troy asked and Veronica quietly shushed him as she tried to listen more carefully.

“I think it’s Professor Brown,” she whispered.

They then heard the office door close, followed by some giggling and the smacking sound of kissing lips.

“Are they, like, making out?” Troy whispered.

Veronica stifled a laugh. “I think they’re doing a lot more than making out,” she replied as they heard a loud smack followed by a giggle.

“I cannot believe that’s Dean Harlow,” she added.

“Hey, even older chicks need a little slap and tickle every now and then,” Troy told her. “Makes them less uptight. You should try it sometime.”

“Are you saying I’m uptight?” Without waiting for an answer, she started rummaging through her messenger bag, her movements limited due to their cramped space.

“What are you doing?” he asked her.

“Looking for my taser.”

This time he did laugh quietly and she could feel his chest vibrating against hers. She realized then just how close they were standing, with her pressed up against him. She could smell the spicy scent of his cologne. She glanced up and saw him staring down at her. She quickly glanced away, wishing she could also put some space between them. She did not like the way being this close to him was making her feel.

“Hey, Veronica,” Troy said, his voice a bit huskier than before. “Do you think that we could…you know, if maybe I were to ask you out…?”

“Not a chance,” she replied, praying for Dean Harlow and Professor Brown to hurry up, but it seemed like they were still going at it.

“You know, we had some good times when we dated before.”

“You mean the time when you were lying to me and had another girlfriend, not to mention the fact that you were dealing drugs?”

“I’ve changed a lot since then,” he told her. “Honestly. I told you I’ve been in counseling and all that.”

Veronica didn’t say anything for a moment. He had told her that numerous times before. Ever since the beginning of the school year, when he’d started eating lunch with her, Mac, and Wallace in the campus cafeteria. And then when he’d started walking to class with them, joining their study groups, and sitting with her and Mac in the bleachers while they’d watch Wallace’s basketball games. He seemed sincere enough, but she still didn’t know if she was ready to trust him.

At first, he would ask her out and she would always turn him down. After her on-again, off-again relationship with Logan during the summer, they were “off-again” at the beginning of the semester. After her amicable break up with him, she had decided to put off dating for awhile. Especially dating bad boys. She’d had enough of them.

She looked up at him again and found him still staring intensely down at her. He then leaned down and kissed her, his lips moving lightly against hers. She started to pull away, until she remembered what a good kisser he was. Not quite as skilled with his tongue as Logan, but better than Duncan or Leo. Her eyes instinctively closed and she let herself melt into the kiss. They kissed until she heard a door slam and she pulled away. She and Troy were silent for a few moments as their heavy breathing filled the air.

“I think they left,” he said.

She nodded. “We should still wait here a couple more minutes just to make sure,” she replied.

“Yeah, that’s what I was thinking, too.” He moved back in to kiss her again, but she turned her head.

“What’s wrong?” he asked.

She shook her head. “Not gonna happen, Troy.”

“You seemed to be into it a minute ago.”

“A rare, weak moment.”

They waited in silence for a few minutes, then left the closet. Troy dropped the book onto the desk, then they left the office, Veronica locking the door back behind them.

They started walking out of the building towards the parking lot.

“Thanks,” Troy said, once they’d stopped by her car. “Like I said, you’re a lifesaver.”

“Don’t mention it,” she replied. “And I mean that. Don’t ever mention it again because I don’t ever plan on doing something like it again.”

He grinned at her and she couldn’t help but smile back. “That offer still stands, you know. If you ever want to go get something to eat together…”

“We eat together all the time. Me, you, Mac, and Wallace.”

He nodded begrudgingly. “Right. So I guess I’ll see you at lunch tomorrow.” He held out his hand and she reluctantly shook it, much like she had after their very first date. He started walking away.

She unlocked her car door, then paused for a moment before getting in. Taking a deep breath, she called his name.

He stopped walking and turned around. “Yeah?”

“If you were to ask me again…you know, about us getting something to eat together…I might say yes. Maybe.”

He flashed her that grin again. “I’ll keep that in mind.” He winked at her and walked away.

Ficlet: The Money Shot (Veronica, Wallace) G

2006-06-05T02:20:33Z

Title: The Money Shot
Characters: Veronica, Wallace
Word Count: 382
Rating: G
Summary: Veronica and Wallace go on a stakeout.
Disclaimer: The wonderful Rob Thomas owns all that is Veronica Mars.
Author's Notes: Originally written for 15minuteficlets. The word is under the cut. Also, written for the fanfic100 prompt "Hours". There are no spoilers.

“Are stakeouts always this boring?” Wallace asked. He and Veronica were sitting in her car.

“Most of the time,” she replied. “Are you sure you want to stay here? I mean, we’ve been here for hours and if nothing’s happened yet…”

“Yeah,” he said. “I know this guy is cheating on my moms. I just need the proof to show her.”

They were sitting outside his mother’s new boyfriend’s house. Wallace was convinced the guy was hooking up with someone other than his mother, and he’d gotten Veronica to go along with him to get what she called “the money shot.”

They sat in silence for a little while longer, with Wallace tapping his fingers impatiently on the door handle.

“You know, that’s really annoying,” Veronica said after awhile. “Why don’t you pop in a Nelly CD or something?”

“I didn’t bring one. And I’m pretty sure you don’t have one.”

“See, that’s rule number one of stakeouts. Always be prepared.”

“I think that’s rule number one for the Boy Scouts.”

She shrugged. “Okay, so it’s like a universal rule.”

Just then they saw a car pull into the driveway of the house. The guy got out of the car, then went around to the passenger side to open up the door for his lady friend…who turned out to not be Wallace’s mom. They watched as the guy and the woman kissed for a few moments before disappearing into the house.

Wallace got out of the car, slamming the door behind him.

“Where do you think you’re going?” Veronica asked, following behind him, camera in tow.

“I’m about to murk this guy. He can’t be messing around on my moms like that.”

“Relax. We didn’t come here to beat him up, we came to get the money shot. Which is what I’m going to do.”

They crept up to the side windows, where the curtains were open. They could see the couple inside, sitting on the sofa kissing.

Veronica smiled. “See? The money shot.”

She snapped a few pictures. “That’s all we need,” she said. “Now you can show these to your mom and she can come murk the guy herself.”

“I can’t just murk him a little bit?”

“No. Now let’s go before they notice us here and we get murked.”

15minuteficlets word is impatience.

Ficlet: The Story of His Life (Thumper, Hannah/Logan) PG-13

2006-05-29T22:35:37Z

Title: The Story of His Life
Author: cinaminsweet
Pairing/Character: Thumper, Hannah/Logan
Word Count: 854
Rating/Warnings: PG-13 for mild language
Summary: The second some rich white boy comes along, he gets dropped without another thought.
Spoilers: up to 2.13 "Ain't No Magic Mountain High Enough."
Disclaimer: The wonderfully awesome Rob Thomas owns all that is Veronica Mars.
Author's Note: written for the 09erdom Mix and Match Ficathon, and it's massively late, so thanks to halfway2home for being so cool about it. The two characters I got were Hannah and Thumper. This is set sometime during the Winter Carnival in the Magic Mountain episode. Cross-posted a couple different places.

“’Sup, ma.”

The girl turned around, brushing her long, blonde hair out of her eyes and squinted at him. “Excuse me?”

He came up behind her, looking her up and down. “I been noticing you around school and I wanted to talk to you. My name is Thumper.”

She smiled at him, surprising him. Usually when he approached girls in this matter, they rolled their eyes, laughed, or didn’t even bother responding at all. He couldn’t stand how these snobby, stuck-up rich girls thought they were better than him. What he couldn’t stand most of all, was that Weevil, Chardo, and Felix had all managed to hook up with one. Yeah Weevil’s girl had ended up murdered, Chardo had gotten his ass kicked by a pack of white boys for messing with one of “their kind”, and Felix had been taught a life-ending message for messing with the Fitzpatrick girl, but that still didn’t change the fact that they’d all managed to hook up with a pretty blonde girl. Thumper was ready to try his hand and see which one he could hook up with. He’d seen this girl plenty of times at school, and he thought she was pretty cute.

“Thumper?” she replied. “Awww. Like the bunny rabbit?” She giggled. It was a breathy, light, carefree sound that made him feel warm inside, though he didn’t know why. He knew he wouldn’t mind hearing it a lot.

“Nah,” he told her. “It’s ‘cause I like to thump heads together. What’s your name?”

“I’m Hannah,” she said, giggling again. He stepped closer to her. He thought she might try to move back, but she stayed put. “What you doing out here all by yourself?”

“I’m just waiting for my friend. He went to the Slushie booth to get us some Slushies.”

“Boyfriend?” he asked. He knew she had to have a boyfriend. All these pretty, rich girls did. They all had some tight-assed, spoiled white boy.

She shook her head, still looking up at him, her blue eyes sparkling. “No, not my boyfriend. Just a guy I just met.”

“I bet he just some 09er, pretty rich boy,” he told her. “You don’t need some clown like that, you need to get with a guy like me.”

She looked up at him from under her lashes. “No, I think you’re too much of a bad boy for me.”

“I bet you like bad boys,” he told her and she smiled sweetly at him.

“I bet under all that tough guy act, there’s a sweet little boy underneath,” she said. “Nobody can be named after that cute little bunny and not be a total sweetheart.”

He grinned at her. Then he decided to just go for it. He reached out and took her hand. Looking down at their joined hands, he noticed his rough, callused brown skin against her smooth, pale white skin. Despite the way it looked, it felt perfect to him.

“Why don’t you find out?” he asked, and she dipped her head and blushed. “Why don’t you come with me?”

“I can’t,” she replied, glancing around. “I just met this guy and I really like him.”

“What, I ain’t good enough for you?” he demanded, raising his voice slightly. She immediately dropped his hand. “Just ‘cause I ain’t some rich, 09er surfer dude, you think I’m not good enough? That I--”

“Is this punk bothering you?” a voice asked. Thumper turned around and saw that Echolls’ kid approaching with two Slushies in his hands.

Hannah did that giggle again and stepped even further away from Thumper. “No, we were just talking,” she said, gazing adoringly into the guy’s eyes.

Thumper felt himself get even angrier. Just a few minutes ago, she’d been staring at him like that. The second some rich white boy comes along, he gets dropped without another thought. That was the story of his life.

“Let’s go,” Logan said, not even bothering to look in Thumper’s direction. “I wouldn’t want you to be tainted by the local riff raff.”

Thumper’s fingers curled into a fist, ready to smash it into Logan’s face. “Well, this riff raff is about to kick your ass,” he said as he advanced toward Logan.

Hannah moved protectively in front of Logan. “Let’s just go,” she said, looking up at him. She slid her hand into his as they started to walk away.

She tossed a sad look over her shoulder at Thumper, but he was too busy looking at the smug smirk on Logan’s. Thumper turned away angrily, slamming his fist into the palm of his other hand, wishing it was Logan’s head. He couldn’t stand how these ugly-sweater wearing white surfer pretty boys just had everything handed to them on a silver platter like they were God’s gift or something.

He walked away and a thought came to him, making him smile. He knew Logan would soon get what was coming to him. Thumper knew that smug grin would be wiped off Logan’s face once he was convicted for killing Felix and would have to spend a lifetime rotting away behind bars.

30 More Fics!

2006-05-26T02:42:45Z

Okay, like I don't already have enough fics to write. I saw the 30_friends community today and decided to sign up for it. I claimed (who else?) Veronica and Wallace. That community didn't have a cute table, so I just borrowed the one from fanfic100 and added the prompts from this new community. Here is the table:

001.	Platonic Love.	002.	Gifts.	003.	Late Night Conversation.	004.	Walk Beside Me.	005.	Hidden Treasures.
006.	Promise.	007.	An Ugly Shirt.	008.	Secrets and Lies.	009.	The Third Wheel.	010.	A Night Out.
011.	A Night In.	012.	Argument.	013.	Long Distance.	014.	Fair Weather Friend, Rainy Day Friend.	015.	Comfortable Silence.
016.	Party!	017.	Jealousy.	018.	Some Advice.	019.	Lunchtime.	020.	Making Mischief.
021.	Common Ground.	022.	A Favor.	023.	Fair Trade.	024.	True Friends Stab You in the Front.	025.	Forgiveness.
026.	Passing Notes.	027.	Practice.	028.	Golden Thread.	029.	Silver Lining.	030.	Friends Forever.

Fic: Take My Hand (Keith/Alicia, Veronica, Wallace)

2006-05-01T02:04:52Z

Title: Take My Hand
Author: cinaminsweet
Pairing/Character: Keith/Alicia, Veronica, Wallace, and even an appearance by little Darrell!
Word Count: 1,409
Rating: G
Summary: Veronica and Wallace try to get their parents back together.
Spoilers/Warnings: spoilers up to 2.05 "Blast from the Past."
Author's Note: All that is Veronica Mars is owned by the wonderful Rob Thomas, not me. This is written for the cheesy_love song challenge. My song was "Will You Still Love Me" by Chicago. Also written for my Veronica and Wallace BFF table at fanfic100 for the "Parents" prompt. I chose to write Keith/Alicia because I don't like that the Fennel family seems to have fallen off the face of the earth on the show.

“I don’t know why I let you talk me into things like this.”

Veronica smiled over at Wallace. “Because you’re the greatest best friend ever and you really want that top bunk?”

Wallace shook his head. “I can’t believe you want to get our parents back together. I thought PIs were better at breaking people up than getting them together.”

“It’s just that my dad’s been feeling kind of down lately, what with this thing with Terrence Cook. And you were just saying how your mom’s been going on all these dates with one loser after another. I’m not saying they have to fall deeply in love again. They just need to start talking to each other again. Think about how happy they were together.”

Wallace had to admit that she was right. His mother wasn’t crying over Keith Mars, but she had been really happy when the two of them were together.

“Okay, Cupid. How do we do this?”

Veronica smiled. She knew Wallace would go along with her plan. “Your mom’s going to the game tomorrow night, right?”

“You think she’d miss her first born schooling those Pan High losers in the championship game?”

“Great,” Veronica replied, and she went on to describe her plan to him.

“I don’t know,” Wallace said when she was done.

“What’s the worst that could happen?”

“Well, they could get into a big fight and my mom could kill him.”

Veronica rolled her eyes. “Have a little faith, Fennel. This plan is foolproof. Trust me, it’s gonna work.”
* * * *
“Was the giant foam finger really necessary?” Keith asked as he and Veronica walked into the noisy, crowded gym.

“Hey, I’m just making sure everyone knows who our MVP is,” she replied, looking at the foam finger that she had decorated with lots of glitter to say Fennel #1. It was actually less about everyone knowing who she was rooting for, and more about the priceless, mortified look she would see on his face when he saw it.

“Look, there’s Wallace,” she said, pointing. He was in the bleachers, still in his warm up outfit, chatting with his mother and little brother Darrell. “Come on, let’s wish him luck before the game.”

Keith followed reluctantly behind his daughter, noting the cheerful, animated look on Alicia’s face as she talked to her sons. He had a feeling that look wouldn’t last once she saw him.

Her smile faltered a bit when they approached, but she still greeted them pleasantly, and even inquired about how he was doing.

As the gym continued to fill up, Wallace left to go warm up with his teammates.

“We should be finding our seats,” Keith told Veronica. “The game’s going to start in a couple of minutes.”

She looked around. “There doesn’t seem to be any empty seats. Except here,” she added innocently.

Keith glanced at his daughter. He knew she was up to something.

“That’s fine,” Alicia said, offering a little smile.
* * * *
When the buzzer sounded at half time, Veronica stood up and stretched, pleased with herself. Not only did Neptune have a 10-point lead thanks to Wallace’s twelve points and six assists, but her father and Alicia had been chatting happily during the game.

“I want a Slushie!” Darrell cried as he saw some other people walking by, slurping on theirs.

“I’ll take him,” Veronica volunteered quickly, and took his hand, leading him toward the snack stand.

“Well, thanks for asking if we want anything,” Keith said, and Alicia laughed.

“Do you get the feeling we’re being played?” she asked.

“They’re not even doing a good job of hiding it. I thought I taught Veronica better than that.”

She smiled. “Imagine that, them trying to get us back together.”

They both glanced at each other, and when their eyes met, they glanced away and turned their attention back to the court.
* * * *
After the game, Wallace stood with his mother, little brother, and the Marses as they congratulated him on being the Player of the Game and leading his team to victory.

“So, what’s up, V?” he asked. “You coming to the after party or not?”

“I’m there,” she replied, and Keith gasped in feigned shock.

“What, you socializing with your classmates at a party?” he asked. “Now I know you’re up to something.”

She smiled innocently as Wallace told them they’d be taking his car.

“And how are your brother and I supposed to get home?” Alicia asked.

“Well,” Veronica said, “your house is on the way to ours. Dad, you don’t mind dropping them off, do you?”

Keith smiled. “Funny how that worked out.”

Veronica shrugged. “No idea what you’re talking about.”

She gave him a little wink as she and Wallace walked off.
* * * *
The ride was mostly silent, aside from the light snoring of Darrell, who had drifted off in the backseat.

When they arrived at the Fennels, Keith carried Darrell inside and put him to bed as Alicia made coffee. When Keith walked back into the kitchen, the soft sounds of a jazz song floated out from the radio.

He smiled as he took a seat at the counter. “Remember this song?” he asked.

She nodded as she said softly, “Yes, it was the first song we danced to.”

“Those were some good times, weren’t they?”

She took a deep breath. “Keith…”

“I miss you,” he cut in, looking into her eyes. “I know things weren’t perfect between us, but maybe we can try again. We’ll take it slow.”

She took another deep breath and closed her eyes. “I…I don’t know,” she stammered.

He moved closer to her and held out his hand. “We could at least try,” he said. “Take things slow and see how it goes.”

She looked down at his outstretched hand. Then she slowly reached out and put hers in his.
* * * *
Over the next couple of weeks, Veronica probed her father for information about that night, but he never told her anything. She figured that the evening hadn’t gone well, and it would be best if she didn’t mention it again.

“That’s what I plan to do,” Wallace told her after she told him that. They were at his house, supposedly studying for their final exams, though they were both more interested in the baseball game on TV. “I plan to forget it ever happened.”

Just then the doorbell rang. “Can you get that for me, honey?” Wallace’s mother called from her bedroom. “It’s my date.”

Wallace rolled his eyes as he walked to the door, wondering which loser his mother had hooked up with now. He opened the door and Keith Mars’ smiling face stared back at him.

“Hello, Wallace,” he said. “Is your mother here?”

“Right here,” Alicia sang, as she came into the living room, looking beautiful in a purple dress.

Veronica’s mouth dropped open as she noticed her father stepping into the room, looking snazzy in a new suit. He and Alicia embraced and then shared a brief peck on the lips.

“We’re going out to eat and then to a jazz club,” Alicia said. “Darrell’s in his room watching cartoons, make sure he goes to bed on time.”

“Don’t wait up,” Keith added, smiling, as they went out the door, hand in hand.

“Okay, what just happened?” Wallace asked, after the door closed.

“Um, I think our parents just went out on a date. And not for the first time it seems.”

Wallace grinned. “I thought Mom had been acting differently lately.”

Veronica smiled back at him. “I told you it would work. Oh, and I change my mind. I totally get the top bunk.”
* * * *
Keith and Alicia were still laughing about it later that evening while they spun around on the dance floor.

“I told you it would be better to wait and see the look on their faces,” Keith told her.

She giggled as he pulled her closer and leaned down to plant a soft kiss on her mouth. As they pulled away, they gazed into each other’s eyes for a moment, before she closed hers and laid her head on his chest.

Keith closed his also as he held her tightly. He knew they had a long road ahead of them, but as long as they were together at the end of that road, he didn’t mind.

Fic: Someone, Somehow, is Getting Screwed (Lilly, Ensemble)

2006-04-30T03:27:39Z

Title: Someone, Somehow, is Getting Screwed
Author: cinaminsweet
Characters/Pairings: Lilly, Logan, Wallace, Duncan, Veronica, Weevil
Rating: PG-13 (includes some brother/sister kissing just to let you know, if you're not into that)
Word Count: 1,380
Spoilers: all of season 1, I suppose, to be safe
Summary: 5 people Lilly would've eventually screwed over
Notes: All that is Veronica Mars is owned by the wonderful Rob Thomas, not me. This is written for the 5thingsthat Lilly Kane challenge. The title comes from a VMVO in 2.03 Cheatty Cheatty Bang bang.

Lilly and Logan

Lilly stormed into her bedroom, seething with anger. She had never been more humiliated before in her life. All day long, people had been staring at her and whispering behind their hands when she walked by. Then she had overheard those gossip whores Carrie Bishop and Susan Knight talking about her in the bathroom, saying that Logan had been seen kissing Caitlin Ford.

Of all the people Logan could have cheated on her with, he had to pick the queen skank, Caitlin Ford? Oh, no, she was not going to stand for this. She was too fabulous to be humiliated by a silly slut like Caitlin Ford. She was tired of Logan and his high school, little boy antics. And she knew just how to let him know that she did not like dealing with little boys.

She picked up her cell phone and dialed his number. “Hey, lover,” she breathed sweetly into the phone. “Wanna come over? I got a surprise for you. A good one.”

A little while later, Logan walked into her bedroom, just as she knew he would. After all, all she had to do was snap her fingers, and there he was. He found her lounging back in the middle of her bed, munching on some popcorn. He glanced over at the TV where he heard soft moans coming from. His heart twisted in his chest. There, onscreen, was Lilly, his Lilly, wearing only a sheet and writhing on top of his father.

She smiled brightly up at him. “Enjoying the show?”

Lilly and Wallace

Lilly’s eyes scanned the outdoor eatery at Neptune High. They narrowed when they fell on her best friend sitting with that new kid, Wallace. Ever since Veronica had met him in the school office, they’d been hanging out together. Lilly didn’t understand why she would want to waste time with that dork. Veronica was seriously losing points with the 09er crowd, and Lilly couldn’t have that.

Her eyes fell on the table where the PCHers were sitting, and she smiled, getting an idea. It was petty, but she knew she’d get a kick out of it anyway. She sauntered over to their table and sat down next to Weevil.

“I need a favor.”

The next morning, Lilly arrived at school and saw a crowd gathered around the flagpole, just as she had imagined. She walked through the crowd and saw a naked, scrawny Wallace duct taped to it. He looked down at her as she flashed him a bright smile and walked away.

Lilly and Duncan

Duncan’s eyes widened as his sister planted a soft kiss on his lips.

“What’s wrong, Donut?” she whispered softly, staring up at him through her lowered lashes. “Didn’t you like that?”

Duncan stared down at her, gazing into her big, hypnotic eyes and down to her pink, slightly wet, full lips. Without thinking, he leaned down and put his mouth on hers, slipping his tongue inside. She tasted of cherries, just as he always thought she would.

Lilly let him kiss her for a moment, before pushing him off. “Ew, what is wrong with you?”

Duncan stepped back, confused, still feeling her soft lips on his.

“I thought you’d gotten over that whole ‘I’m-so-in-love-with-my-sister’ thing after we found out Veronica wasn’t our sister. But you? Totally in love with me. God, Donut, could you be any creepier?”

“But…but…you kissed me first!” he stammered and she laughed.

“I just wanted to see if you’d do it. I didn’t really think you’d want to make out with your own sister, but I guess you did. That’s sick, Donut, you really need help.”

Tossing her hair back, she walked out, leaving him standing there, still craving the taste of cherries.

Lilly and Veronica

“This party is so boring,” Veronica said to Lilly. “I’m ready to go.”

Lilly rolled her eyes. She didn’t know when Veronica had become so lame. She never wanted to hang out and have fun at parties anymore. And Lilly was in no hurry to leave. She and Logan were off again, and she’d decided that it was time for Caz Truman to take his place. He had come to Shelly Pomroy’s party without his witchy, know-it-all girlfriend Sabrina, and Lilly was prepared to flirt with him in front of Logan all night. But, no, here was Veronica, trying to screw up her plans.

Lilly looked around, to see if she could find the Donut and get him to take Veronica home, when her eyes fell on Dick Casablancas, who was trying unsuccessfully to surreptitiously slip something into the drink in his hand. She watched him then offer it to his girlfriend Madison, who scoffed at it, then stomped away.

Just then an idea popped into her head. She knew just what would loosen Veronica up. The girl needed to have some fun, and she knew Dick would be just the one to do it. She personally couldn’t stand the guy, but she knew he was nothing more than a harmless idiot. She figured that the little bit of alcohol Dick had probably spiked that drink with would be just what Veronica would need to have some fun.

“Hey,” she said, sidling up next to him. “Whatcha gon’ do with that drink?”

“Getting ready to party,” he replied, grinning stupidly at her. “You wanna party with me?”

She resisted the urge to laugh. “No, but I have a friend who’s looking to party. She just needs to loosen up a bit.”

“Well, all right! Send her on over here to Big Daddy and I’ll make sure she parties right.”

Lilly smiled, taking the drink, and then brought it over to Veronica, who had plopped down on a lawn chair. After assuring her they’d leave right after Lilly went and said goodbye to some friends, Lilly walked away and watched as Veronica downed the drink.

Later, as she was slipping out the party to leave with Caz, she caught sight of a limp Veronica being helped off the lawn chair by a still stupidly grinning Dick. She smiled as she watched him lead her inside. It was about time Veronica loosened up and partied like the hot girl she was meant to be.

Lilly and Weevil

“I need to find a date for prom,” Lilly told Veronica one day at lunch.

“What?” Veronica replied. “I thought you and Logan were going together. Or is this another off again week?”

Lilly rolled her eyes. “I am so sick of him and his jealousy. I just can’t stand it. I mean, I know I’m awesome and all, but it’s like, can he let me breathe? I’m not about to spend my senior prom listening to his whining.”

Just then she caught sight of Weevil walking by and she got an idea. She knew just how to make Logan really mad. Jumping up, she ran over to him.

“Hey, lover,” she breathed into his ear. “Guess what. You’re taking me to prom.”

Weevil had been skeptical at first, wondering why she would want to go to prom with him, instead of with that rich, pretty boy Echolls. Lilly had always acted as if she were ashamed to be seen with him in public, so he couldn’t imagine why all of a sudden, she’d decided he was prom material. But she had assured him that she and Logan were through and that there was no one she wanted to go to prom with more than Weevil.

When Grandma Letti found out he was taking a girl-a pretty senior at that- to the prom, she was elated. She didn’t even mind that it was with a snobby white girl. She rushed out and rented him a tux. On the day of the prom, he skipped school to get his head freshly shaved, and took one of his uncle’s detailed cars in to be washed. His grandmother had also talked him into buying a corsage. As he walked out of the flower shop, his cell phone beeped, indicating a text message. He pulled it out and looked at it.

Sorry, lover, changed my mind. Logan and I made up and are going to prom together. Sorry. *Kisses*

Ficlet: Moving On (Veronica, Duncan) G

2006-04-24T03:56:14Z

Title: Moving On
Fandom: Veronica Mars
Characters: Veronica, Duncan
Rating: G
Word Count: 944
Summary: Veronica reflects on her relationship with Duncan.
Prompt:13: "But love is blind, and lovers cannot see the pretty follies that themselves commit." from The Merchant of Venice
Author's Notes: The wonderful Rob Thomas owns all. Spoilers up to 2.11 Donut Run. Written for the Shakespearian Quote Challenge.

Veronica received the first letter from Duncan a couple months after he’d first gone to Mexico. Vinnie VanLowe had come into the office one day and dropped it on her desk, then headed in to talk to her father without saying a word. She had waited until she got home to read it.

Dear Veronica,
I hope you’re doing well. I know you said we shouldn’t have any contact with each other, but I couldn’t resist. I just wanted to let you know that Lilly and I are doing fine. She’s a beautiful, happy baby. I hope you’re doing well, also. I miss you.

Love,
Duncan

Veronica smiled. She was glad to know that Duncan and his baby were doing well. She did miss him, although not as much as she thought she would. She had come to realize that, while she did love Duncan, she was not in love with him. As hard as she had tried to return to normal and the feelings she had had for him when they had gone out the first time, they hadn’t returned. She had stayed with Duncan, trying desperately to return to the girl she had been before—the one who’s only worry was whether or not her boyfriend would ask her to the homecoming dance.

She hadn’t counted on her ex-boyfriend and his murder charges constantly popping back into her life or buses that she was supposed to be on crashing. As hard as he tried to stay away and not get sucked back into the PI business, she couldn’t. That was who she was, who she had become. She had changed and her relationship with Duncan had changed. But neither of them wanted to realize that.

She glanced over at her mirror where the fortune cookie message he had given her for her birthday hung. “True love stories never have endings.” When she first read it, she was elated and ran straight into his arms. She had wanted to believe that she and Duncan would have true love and that it would never end. Now it hung on her mirror, reminding her of what could have been.

Folding his letter up into a tiny square, she stuck it into the box she had kept of all her Duncan stuff, and then shoved it deep into her closet.
* * * *
She received another letter a week after graduation. She had been surprised when Vinnie showed up at the graduation party her dad had thrown for her and slipped a graduation card into her hand. He gave her a wink and she knew she should wait and open it later.

Dear Veronica,
Happy graduation! I’m sure you won that Kane scholarship and are probably off to Stanford now. I’m so happy for you. Lilly and I are doing great. I wish I could talk to you and hear your voice again. I miss you and I love you.

Love,
Duncan

She ran her finger over the words “I miss you and I love you.” She had wondered if Duncan had loved her. He had told her he did right before he left for Mexico, but she couldn’t help but wonder if he loved her as much as he had loved Meg.

She shook her head. That didn’t matter much now. She shouldn’t be wondering about how much he loved her, when she knew that she herself wasn’t even in love with him. She reached deep into her closet and pulled out her box of Duncan stuff. After folding the letter up, she stuffed it in the box.
* * * *
Vinnie dropped another letter onto her desk at the office later that summer. She slipped it into her pocket to read in her bedroom, away from her father’s prying eyes.

She waited until she was at home, in her nearly empty bedroom. She had been packing up since she would be leaving for Hearst in a few days and her floor was covered with boxes. Sitting down on her bed, she looked at the letter.

Dear Veronica,
How are things going with you? Lilly’s doing great, she’s crawling all around now. I hope you’re doing well. I think about you all the time. I miss you and I hope we can be together again someday.

Love,
Duncan

The words “I hope we can be together again someday” echoed through her head. There was a time when that was all she wanted, too. To be with Duncan. But that’s not what she wanted now. She loved him, she always would, but she would never be in love with him. She thought she was once, but she wasn’t that girl anymore. It was time for her to move on, and she hoped Duncan would be able to do the same.

She walked over to her mirror, where the fortune cookie message was. She took it down, running her fingers over the words. Then she folded it and the letter up, and put them into her box of Duncan stuff. She had pulled the box out to be loaded into her car, so it could go into the closet in her dorm room at Hearst. But she knew that taking the box with her would only be hanging onto that part of her life, and she was ready to move on. She put the box back into the corner of her empty closet and shut the door tightly. Sometimes true love stories did have endings. Especially when it was never true love to begin with.

Shakespeare Fic (Untitled)

2006-04-24T03:47:55Z

Fandom: Veronica Mars
Characters: Veronica/Logan
Rating: R
Word Count: 1,072
Summary: Veronica and Logan take their boat trip to Catalina.
Warnings: character death
Prompt: 7: "I like this place and willingly could waste my time in it" from As You Like It.
Author's Notes: The wonderful Rob Tomas owns all. This goes AU at the end of 1.20 MAD, and has spoilers up to 1.22 Leave it to Beaver. Originally written for the 5thingsthat challenge.

Veronica’s alarm clock went off and she reached out a hand and slapped the button to stop its’ incessant beeping. She turned over onto her back and stared up at the ceiling. She wondered what she should wear for their “date”. It was times like these she missed Lilly the most. But then again, if Lilly were still alive, Veronica would hardly be lying in bed, thinking about what to wear for her date with Logan Echolls.

She glanced over at her alarm clock. She really needed to be getting up so that she could get to school early and turn in her English report, but she figured it could wait until Monday. She’d have to come up with a really good excuse to give Ms. Murphy, but she knew she’d think of something.

She closed her eyes and thought about Logan. She didn’t want to admit it, but she was extremely excited about spending the day with him on his father’s boat. She thought about the few moments they had already had together—their first kiss at the Camelot, their makeout in the bathroom a few days ago, and then the brief moments at his house before his father had interrupted them. She couldn’t believe it, but being with Logan was making her happy, happier than she had been since Lilly had died. She popped out of bed and headed to the bathroom, preparing for her date.

*************

“Wow,” Veronica said a little while later, as she looked around Mr. Echoll’s boat. “This place looks great.”

“Yeah, well, those fifty million dollar crap piles my father makes do turn out to be good for some things and this is one of them,” Logan replied, coming up behind her. His arms slid around her waist and she turned around in his arms. “I take it you approve?” he asked as he lowered his head and lightly kissed her.

She giggled as she returned the kiss. “I do,” she replied. “In fact, I like this place and willingly could waste my time in it.”

They kissed again, longer this time, then he led her over to a small table he had set up. She sat down as he poured them both glasses of champagne.

“Let’s make a toast,” he said.

“Okay,” she replied. “What are we toasting to?”

He paused, appearing to be deep in thought. Then he smiled. “Let’s toast to a beautiful young woman named Lilly Kane.”

Veronica’s smile faltered a bit. She didn’t really need to be reminded that she was here making out with her dead best friend’s boyfriend. But she clinked her glass with Logan’s and took a sip.

“The beautiful Lilly Kane,” Logan continued. He glanced over at her. “You really loved her, didn’t you?”

“Yes,” she said slowly. “She was my best friend.” She looked up at Logan, who was standing over her with his glass of champagne. His voice was starting to sound different.

“I loved her, too,” he replied. “It’s too bad she didn’t feel the same way about me.”

“What are you talking about? Lilly loved you.”

He smiled again, but this time it wasn’t the warm, tender smile from before. This one was cold. “Do you like secrets, Veronica?”

She didn’t reply, her heart starting to beat faster in her chest.

“Lilly liked secrets and she had a big one. Did you know that she’d been banging my father?”

Veronica’s mouth dropped open. “What? That’s not true.”

“Oh, but it is, Veronica. You know the day she died? Well, she decided to go out with a bang. I followed her when she left the car wash. I thought she was going to her house, but instead she went to mine. I thought she was going to see me. But, no, she was going to see my father. I figured this out when I walked in on them. They were in the pool house, she was on top of him…”

“But I thought you were in…” her voice trailed off.

“In Mexico, right?” He started pacing in front of her. “But I came home early. Silly me, I wanted to talk to Lilly, see if we could work things out. She was working things out, all right. On top of my father.”

Veronica swallowed hard. She glanced around, looking for her bag. It was on the other side of the boat. She tried to remember if she had left her taser in it.

“Wh-what did you do after you saw them?” she stammered.

“I watched the show, of course. You know that Lilly, always putting on a show. She gave a great performance. Funny, she never performed quite that well for me, though.” He stopped pacing. “They never even noticed I was there. When they were done, I followed her back to her house. I tried to talk to her. I told her that I saw her with my dad. You know what she did?”

Veronica shook her head.

“She laughed. She wasn’t even sorry. She laughed right in my face, saying that I had no right to be mad since I was going around kissing other girls. Thank you again for that, by the way,” he added. “If it wasn’t for her loyal friend Veronica, she might have never started sleeping with my father.”

Veronica closed her eyes briefly. “What happened next?”

“Well, the next part is kind of a blur,” he said, scrunching his face up as if he were thinking hard. She used to think that face was cute. Now, not so much. “She was standing there, laughing at me. I decided I would have the last laugh.”

“It was you,” Veronica whispered. “You killed her.”

“It was actually an accident. I didn’t mean to bash her head in, but it just happened, you know?” He walked over and picked up an ash tray that had been sitting on the table. “This time won’t be an accident.”

Her eyes filled with tears as she looked around. There was no where for her to go.

“Why?” she asked. “I thought…”

The rest of her words were cut off as he swung the ash tray at her head. She fell, hitting her head against the side of the boat.

Logan knelt down over top of her, watching the red blood darken her blonde hair. The same way it had done to Lilly’s hair.

“Looks like you’ll be wasting lots of time here.”

Fic: Reflections of Pride (Jackie) PG

2006-03-29T04:03:32Z

Title: Reflections of Pride
Author: cinaminsweet
Characters/Pairings: Jackie
Rating: PG
Word Count: 1, 733
Spoilers: up to 2.14 "Versatile Toppings"
Summary: Jackie reflects on her pride.
Author's Notes: As a disclaimer, the wonderful Rob Thomas owns all. This is written for the 7sins_7virtues challenge. My word is pride. Cross-posted at veronicamarsfic.

On top of the world.

Loyalty

2006-03-27T05:38:13Z

Title: Loyalty
Author: cinaminsweet
Pairing/Character: Wallace, Veronica
Rating: G
Word Count: 106
Authors Notes: written for the first Sunday drabble challenge at vm_topbunk. The amazing Rob Thomas owns all.
Warnings: none

Wallace saw Veronica tilt her head and he knew the next words out of her mouth would be “Do me a favor?” He knew she was about to ask him to do something that could possibly get him expelled or, even worse, grounded for life if his mother found out. Most of her favors turned out unfavorably for him. Like the time he got labeled a jock sniffer after she asked him to look through Caz Truman’s gym bag. He didn’t really care, though. She was his best friend and he would keep doing favors for her because he knew she’d do the same for him.

Fic: 5 Things That Never Happened to Veronica Mars (Ensemble) PG-13

2006-03-11T03:53:32Z

Title: 5 Things That Never Happened to Veronica Mars
Author: cinaminsweet
Characters/Pairings: Veronica, Wallace, Meg, Duncan, Lianne, Logan
Rating: PG-13 (there is a character death)
Word Count: 3, 142
Spoilers: up to 2.09 My Mother, the Fiend
Summary: 5 totally unrelated things that never happened to Veronica Mars.
Notes: The wonderful Rob Thomas owns all that is Veronica Mars. This was written for the 5thingsthat challenge. And since I like to combine challenges, #1 was also written for the Spade prompt at fanfic100 where I claimed the BFF pairing of Veronica and Wallace. #5 was written for the Shakespearian Quote Challenge and will be cross-posted at words_fly_up. The quote is "I like this place and could willingly waste my time in it," from the play As You Like It. Also cross-posted to veronicamarsfic.

5 Things That Never Happened to Veronica Mars

Ficlet: Can't Stay Away (L/V) PG

2006-02-21T01:09:53Z

Title: Can't Stay Away
Author: shellabelle81
Pairing/Character: Logan/Veronica, Keith, Backup
Word Count: 1,000
Rating: PG
Summary: Veronica gets a visitor when she takes Backup for a walk.
Spoilers/Warnings: Rob Thomas and co. rock and they own all that is Veronica Mars. Spoilers up through 2.08 Ahoy Mateys. This was written for larinzia's Happiest Things Challenge where my theme was dog walking. This is my first time attempting to write L/V.

Veronica stormed into the Mars Investigations office, praying that her father wouldn’t be there. The last thing she wanted was for him to see her in her current state: shaking all over with tears running down her face. Thankfully he was in his office with the door closed, and from the muffled voices coming from inside, she could tell he was probably with a client.

Sitting down at her desk, she laid her head down on top of it and quietly sobbed. She reached up and wiped tears, her hand massaging the cheek that just moments ago was about to be marred forever by a tattoo needle. She hated to think what would have happened if Logan hadn’t come in at that moment.

Logan. Ugh, she didn’t even want to think about him. She couldn’t believe that he was walking around, carrying a gun. She didn’t understand what was wrong with him. Some part of her had hoped that after she had broken up with him for setting the community pool on fire that he would stop with all these crazy, dangerous stunts and just be…normal. But, no, he was still running around, banging the wives of important, potentially dangerous businessmen, and carrying guns. She would never be able to figure him out.

Suddenly she felt something nudge her leg and she looked down and saw Backup beside her. She stroked the top of his head as he kneeled up and started licking the tears off her face.

“Hey, boy,” she said as the tears on her face were quickly replaced with dog slobber. “Looks like you missed me, huh?”

The door to her father’s office opened and a man walked out. “Thank you for your time, Mr. Mars,” he said as Keith appeared in the doorway. “I’ll be in touch.”

“New client?” Veronica asked, as the man walked out the door.

“Mr. Elliott,” Keith replied. “He suspects his daughter’s fiancé is cheating on her and of course he wants it proven before the guy breaks his little princess’s heart. Speaking of little princesses, how are you doing?”

She smiled brightly at him, hoping he wouldn’t be able to see that she’d been crying. “Me, a little princess? I don’t think so. But I’m fine, of course.”

He looked at her carefully. He could tell she wasn’t exactly fine. She must’ve forgotten that he probably knew her better than she knew herself. He could tell she’d been crying.

“Is it Duncan?” he asked. “Do I need to go give him my break-my-daughter’s-heart-and -I’ll-break-your-arm speech?”

“No, really, it’s nothing,” she told him. “I just had a long day at school.”

Keith noticed Backup still squirming excitedly around Veronica. “He probably needs to be taken out,” he told her. “He’s been cooped up in here all day. You both look like you could use the fresh air.”

Veronica thought for a moment. Taking Backup for a walk always did seem to clear her head.

“Good idea,” she said, snapping on his leash and herding him outside.

She unsnapped Backup’s leash and let him run ahead of her. She smiled as she watched him growl at squirrels in his path and leap after butterflies. She wished her life was as carefree as Backup’s. But, no, she had a boyfriend who was getting weirder by the minute and harder to figure out everyday, an ex-boyfriend with a death wish, and a best friend who’d run off halfway across the country and wouldn’t return her calls or emails.

Yeah, she thought bitterly. Life is good.

She ended up at the beach, tossing sticks for Backup to catch as he ran through the sand.

“Alright, boy,” she said after awhile, clipping his leash back on his collar. “Let’s go. On top of everything else I have to deal with, I’ve got a ton of physics homework tonight.”

“If it helps, I’m rather proficient with Newton’s second law,” a voice said behind her.

She whirled around and saw Logan looking down at her.

“What, are you following me now?” she asked. “What are you doing here?”

“Oh, is it against the law for people to go to the beach now? Do I need to ask your permission first? Maybe I just came here to enjoy the crisp, clean air. I might not get many more chances to do this, seeing as how I’m sure to get killed any day now.”

She smirked at the sarcastic tone in his voice. “That’s just great, Logan, make jokes about it. What if Danny Boyd had had a gun of his own? What would you have done then? Shot him? You’re already accused of one murder, might as well make it two, right?”

“Actually,” he said quietly. “I was looking for you. I wanted to make sure you were alright.”

“I’m fine, thank you,” she shot back.

“Ahh, there’s that thank you I was waiting for. You know, for saving your life and all?”

“So what do you want, a prize or something?” Holding tightly to Backup’s leash, she turned to walk away.

“What is your problem?” he asked, grabbing her arm. “Why are you acting like this? You act like I shot your dog or something.”

“My problem is you!” she shouted and, to her horror, tears came to her eyes again. “Why do you keep doing these things? Carrying guns, sleeping with married women…what is wrong with you? Do you have some kind of death wish?”

“What does it matter to you? The way you act it seems as if you can’t wait to be rid of me. The way I see it I’m just doing you a favor. You don’t care anything about me.”

She looked up at him with tears streaming down her cheeks. “That’s just it, Logan. I can’t stop caring about you. And that’s what scares me most of all.”

Pulling on the leash, she walked away, Backup trotting ahead of her. She never looked back to see Logan still standing there, staring after her.

Fanfic 100 Prompt Table

2005-12-27T02:51:56Z

Here is my prompt table for fanfic100. I claimed Veronica Mars and Wallace Fennel.

made by frankdbunny

001.	Beginnings.	002.	Middles.	003.	Ends.	004.	Insides.	005.	Outsides.
006.	Hours.	007.	Days.	008.	Weeks.	009.	Months.	010.	Years.
011.	Red.	012.	Orange.	013.	Yellow.	014.	Green.	015.	Blue.
016.	Purple.	017.	Brown.	018.	Black.	019.	White.	020.	Colourless.
021.	Friends.	022.	Enemies.	023.	Lovers.	024.	Family.	025.	Strangers.
026.	Teammates.	027.	Parents.	028.	Children.	029.	Birth.	030.	Death.
031.	Sunrise.	032.	Sunset.	033.	Too Much.	034.	Not Enough.	035.	Sixth Sense.
036.	Smell.	037.	Sound.	038.	Touch.	039.	Taste.	040.	Sight.
041.	Shapes.	042.	Triangle.	043.	Square.	044.	Circle.	045.	Moon.
046.	Star.	047.	Heart.	048.	Diamond.	049.	Club.	050.	Spade.
051.	Water.	052.	Fire.	053.	Earth.	054.	Air.	055.	Spirit.
056.	Breakfast.	057.	Lunch.	058.	Dinner.	059.	Food.	060.	Drink.
061.	Winter.	062.	Spring.	063.	Summer.	064.	Fall.	065.	Passing.
066.	Rain.	067.	Snow.	068.	Lightening.	069.	Thunder.	070.	Storm.
071.	Broken.	072.	Fixed.	073.	Light.	074.	Dark.	075.	Shade.
076.	Who?	077.	What?	078.	Where?	079.	When?	080.	Why?
081.	How?	082.	If.	083.	And.	084.	He.	085.	She.
086.	Choices.	087.	Life.	088.	School.	089.	Work.	090.	Home.
091.	Birthday.	092.	Christmas.	093.	Thanksgiving.	094.	Independence.	095.	New Year.
096.	Writer‘s Choice.	097.	Writer‘s Choice.	098.	Writer‘s Choice.	099.	Writer‘s Choice.	100.	Writer‘s Choice.