She's Walking to the End of the Line (1/2)
Title: She's Walking to the End of the Line
Author(s): kerrykhat
Artist: karahalliwell
Crossover: Veronica Mars/Supernatural
Disclaimer: "Veronica Mars" and all related characters are property of Rob Thomas and the CW. "Supernatural" and all related characters are property of Erik Kripke and the CW. No infringement intended.
Type: Gen
Word Count: ~16,300
Characters/Pairings: Veronica Mars, Jessica Moore/Sam Winchester, Keith Mars, Logan Echolls
Warnings: Character death
Spoilers: Season 3 for Veronica Mars, the pilot episode for Supernatural.
Summary: Hoping to escape the ghosts of her high school, Veronica Mars escapes to Stanford University, becoming friends with Jessica Moore, and in turn, Sam Winchester. All is normal until one fateful night in early November when everything falls apart.
Author’s Notes: I wrote this story before Supernatural 5.20, so I'm completely ignoring it. Thank you so much to akat for being an awesome beta and burningqueen for putting up with me and helping me with this story!
Link to Art Master Post: Awesome art by karahalliwell here!
It is complete now, the two ends of time are neatly tied
A one-way street, she's walking to the end of the line
And there she meets the faces she keeps in her heart and mind
They say "good-bye." Tomorrow, Wendy, is going to die,
They say "good-bye." Tomorrow, Wendy, is going to die.
Tomorrow, Wendy by Concrete Blonde
September, 2006
Veronica stood in the middle of her room and surveyed the damage. Boxes were crammed into her small room, most of them in various states of being packed. She had less than one week to get fully packed and ready to go to Stanford, not to mention spending what brief time she still had in Neptune with Wallace, Mac, and Logan. Their semester at Hearst had already started, so they were trying to find times that would work with their various schedules. She also wanted to check in with Weevil and see how his parole was going, but to do that, she would need to find some free time that wasn't filled with work or packing.
Veronica frowned at the thought of Logan. They had never really discussed what would happen with them when she left for Palo Alto in the fall. She didn't know if they were going to try and make the whole long-distance thing work, or if there would be a break-up involved at some point in the near future. She hoped it was the former option, just to see if they could make it work. This summer with Logan had been wonderful, what with no murder investigation or angy PCHers to interrupt their time together. Her dad would still give Logan odd looks when he came over, but for the most part, their summer had been a peaceful one, with the lone exception of the investigation into Aaron Echolls' death the night of Cassidy's suicide.
Speaking of Dad... Checking the clock, she grabbed her bag and headed out the door. She was supposed to meet him at the office for lunch before she finished organizing a bunch of old case files, and if she didn't leave now, she was going to be late. She didn't want to think about how her dad was going to deal without her manning the front desk and helping him with some of the more tedious leg work. They didn't have the money to hire a new assistant--even with the financial aid Stanford was giving her, finances were going to be tight for the next four years--and business was starting to grow at a fairly steady rate. She just hoped that he would be able to manage until she returned for winter break to help him with all the odds and ends of running Mars Investigations. He still hadn't explained to her what had held him up back at the beginning of the summer, when she had been forced to go to New York City by herself and wait for him to arrive. She had tried pressing him, but he wouldn't give her a straight answer. Finally, she had given up in frustration. If it was really all that important that he kept it a secret, she would let it be. For now.
"There you are, sweetie," Keith Mars greeted her as she walked into the office, about ten minutes later. "I was wondering if I needed to call Backup to see if you had left the apartment."
"There was a fender bender on the way over," Veronica answered, putting her bag on her desk. "I wasn't involved," she added hastily, seeing her dad's worried look. "It was some tourist and one of the 09ers who was driving the car daddy bought bought her for graduation a little to fast."
"Just as long as it wasn't you," Keith said, closing and locking his office door. "Now, what do you say we go grab some lunch before hitting the cases?" Veronica smiled and followed her father out the door.
~*~*~
The day passed quickly, and Veronica was just starting to put folders away when the door opened and Logan walked inside. " Neptune's own junior private eye hard at work," he stated, standing in the entryway, a small smile on his face.
"What else am I supposed to do with all my free time?" Veronica asked. "I ran out of nail polish last week, and I just haven't had time to buy a new supply." Logan's mouth quirked at this and he walked over to give Veronica a hug and a kiss. They managed to keep it relatively chaste, given that there was a very good chance that Keith would walk in at the most inopportune moment possible and make things a whole lot more awkward.
"Come with me to my place," Logan whispered to her after he had pulled away. "I have a surprise for you there."
"Oh, a surprise!" Veronica said, a gleeful look on her face. "I love surprises!" Just then, Keith walked out of his office and shot Logan a warning look.
"Just remember that the normal parental warnings I normally insert all apply here," he said, locking his office door behind him. Veronica rolled her eyes at her father's remarks.
"Dad, I'm eighteen," she reminded him, grabbing her bag and walking to the door.
“Don’t worry, Sheriff, she’ll get back to you safe and sound, like she has this entire summer,” Logan said, his voice devoid of most of his normal sarcasm. Keith nodded but only lowered the intensity of his glare slightly. Even though they had been dating for a few months now, Keith still didn’t like Logan all that much, although he was at least civil for Veronica's sake. Logan nodded as well and walked out without one of his signature parting shots. Veronica secretly wondered if it was because he respected her father, or if Keith was one of the few people who intimidated Logan. It could be a combination of both, she reasoned as she gave her father a peck on the cheek and followed Logan outside to her car.
“So, are you going to give me any hint as to what this surprise could be?” Veronica asked, leaning against her LeBron with a wide smile on her face.
“Now why would I do that?” Logan replied, sending a glance up to the window of Mars Investigations to see if Keith was watching through the blinds. “It would ruin it for you, after all.” Veronica sighed dramatically but got in her car. “I’ll meet you in the lobby,” Logan said, giving her one last kiss before he went to his yellow XTerra.
It was a relatively fast drive over to the Neptune Grand, and Veronica soon found herself standing in front of the elevator with Logan.
“Close your eyes, he instructed, taking her hands in his. Wondering what he was up to, Veronica did what he asked, letting him lead her into the elevator and taking it up to the penthouse. Even though Logan was going to Hearst College, he still was living in the penthouse, claiming that he had no desire to give that up for on-campus housing. Veronica had teased him and called him a snob, which he shrugged off.
Walking out of the elevator, they stopped momentarily and she could hear him fumbling with the card key before it opened. They were inside with the door closed before Logan finally said, “OK, you can open your eyes now, Veronica.” She did and immediately gasped in surprise.
Wallace and Mac were standing underneath a sign that read “Good Luck Veronica,” with Wallace holding a bouquet of balloons.
“Guys,” Veronica choked out, turning to Logan trying not to cry. “You didn’t need to do this for me.” Logan squeezed her hand as Wallace and Mac came closer.
“Of course we did, Veronica,” Mac said. “It’s what friends do.” Veronica smiled at that and gave the other girl a hug. Mac was looking better than she had a few weeks ago, which made Veronica happy for her. Mac had not taken the news of Cassidy’s crimes and suicide well, spending most of the summer hiding from the rest of Neptune. Since starting Hearst, however, Mac had slowly been coming back out of her shell, finding others with whom she shared interests with.
“You know our lives are going to be a lot less exciting without you bringing trouble into them,” Wallace added, giving her his own hug, which she returned. Veronica didn’t know what she was going to do at Stanford without Mac and Wallace. They had been her anchors at Neptune High, and it scared her a bit that they would not be coming with her to Stanford.
“Besides, we wanted to send you out into the big, bad world with a bang,” Logan added, wrapping his arm around Veronica’s waist. “What do you say we celebrate? I even bought cake.” Veronica laughed and settled down on to a sofa, getting ready for a long night of spending time with the three people closest to her beside her father.
~*~*~
Pulling into the car wash, Veronica waited until she spotted the person she was looking for.
"Well, if it isn't blondie, checking in on the convict," Weevil commented, shoving his hands into the pockets of his coveralls. "What brings you to the wrong side of the tracks? I thought you would be too busy leaving this place in the dust to think about your old pal Weevil."
"Forget this lovely face? Never," Veronica dismissed with a wave of her hand.
"Glad to hear that," he replied, glancing around to make sure his boss wasn't watching. "So, any particular reason you're here?"
"Just wanted to see how the parole-life was treating you, that's all," Veronica answered.
"Well, aside from the boss being a bigger asshole than Lamb, not too bad," Weevil said. "I'll make do, like I always do."
"Well, if you ever need anything--advice, a new job, blackmail material--let me know," she began to say before Weevil interrupted her.
"I don't want your charity, Veronica," Weevil snapped, wiping the sweat off of his face. "I can get by on my own."
"Think of it as repayment for all those favors you've done for me in the past," Veronica shot back. "Just think about it," she added, seeing that Weevil still had a stubborn look on his face. "My cell phone number will be the same. Or, you could risk life and limb and swing by my dad's office. Your choice." She turned around and was about to get back into the car when Weevil called out:
"You take care of yourself, blondie. I don't want to hear any stories of you pulling some stupid shit out in EPA, or something like that."
Veronica spun around to face him, a big smile on her face. "You do care!" she exclaimed, putting her hand over her heart.
Weevil rolled his eyes and gestured for her to leave. Shaking her head, Veronica climbed back into her LeBaron and drove away, hoping that Weevil would take her up on her offer--at least the blackmail portion of it, anyway. She had heard about his boss' partnership with Lamb regarding parolees, and she didn't want to see Weevil get caught up in the revolving door. Plus, anything that annoyed or hindered Lamb was a good thing in her book. Smiling at the thought of Lamb's face if she did manage to get some good blackmail material, she turned on the radio to accompany her on her drive home.
~*~*~
“Come on, kiddo, it’s time to get up,” Keith’s voice said above Veronica’s head. She groaned, and resisted the urge to move further beneath her blankets. It was too early for any sane individual to sound that cheery and awake.
“One more minute,” she pleaded, cracking open her eyes.
“You said that five minutes ago,” Keith said with a smile. “We need to get you to rise and shine so that we can hit the road and make it to Palo Alto by tomorrow.”
“Fine,” Veronica sighed, hoping she could get some sleep in the car. She did have an almost eight hour drive ahead of her, although part of it was going to be dedicated to finishing up the required freshman reading that she had been putting off for about a month now. “I’ll get out of bed.”
Keith exited the room, and Veronica quickly dressed in the clothes she had laid out the night before. Then, she took one last look around the now barren room. All her boxes--plus the used bike she had bought for transportation purposes at Stanford--had been moved to the small U-Haul trailer the night before, and now all that was left were the things she was leaving behind.
“Veronica? Are you coming?” Keith asked from the other side of the door. “We can get food while we’re on the road.” Veronica stood still for another moment, before opening the door and leaving. It was time to leave Neptune behind and look at the path ahead of her at Stanford.
“Let’s hit the road, Dad,” she said, giving Backup one last hug. “Don’t forget about me, OK, boy?” she asked him, kissing him on the forehead. “I’ll be back before you know it.” Backup whined a little and licked Veronica’s face. “Be good for Dad, OK?” she added quietly before getting back to her feet. Keith was standing at the front door, holding it open for Veronica.
“We’ll take care of each other,” he said as they walked to the car. “Just us two bachelors, living out our days in my newly empty bachelor pad, living the life.”
“Which may or may not include watching Bogart marathons on AMC,” Veronica chimed in, buckling herself up and putting a sweatshirt against the window to lean her head against. “I’m getting the feeling you won’t be reliving your swinging single days as much as you want me to believe that.”
Keith shook his head and started the car.
“Wave goodbye to Neptune,” he said as they navigated through the quiet, early morning streets of Neptune, only stopping briefly at a Starbucks to get coffee and muffins. “You’re not going to see it again until Thanksgiving.”
"Thank God for small miracles," Veronica commented dryly. "I'm surprised Lamb's not out there on the county line to wave me a fond farewell."
~*~*~
They drove in silence for the first hour or so, Veronica using the time to catch up on some sleep. She had spent most of her evening with Logan, savoring each moment they had together. They had agreed that they would do their best to maintain their relationship with her at Stanford and him at Hearst. As Logan put it, there was a reason why they had invented cell phones and the Internet, after all. Veronica hadn’t been able to stay over as long as she would have liked, given her early departure time, but at least her last memories of Logan would be pleasant ones.
“Do you think you made the right choice?” Keith asked, breaking through her thoughts. “I know you’ve always dreamed of going there, but there’s a difference between dreaming and actually going there.”
Veronica didn't answer right away, studying the early morning traffic they were currently stuck in right outside of Los Angeles. “I think I did,” she finally replied. “I needed to get out of Neptune, especially after what happened around graduation with Aaron Echolls and Cassidy. I mean, I do have some good memories of Neptune, but I also have so many bad ones that I need to put some distance between them and me. I guess I’m hoping that Stanford is going to be a fresh start. Nobody is going to know who I am, or what happened with Lily, and maybe I can actually get involved in some extracurriculars other than the newspaper. I can join the Dollies!” she added in an overly exuberant voice.
“College is going to be a whole new world, sweetheart,” Keith said as they managed to make some progress-a whole six feet. “I just want to know that you’ll be happy. I know that you can take care of yourself, but it doesn’t make this old man any less worried about how you’re going to do out in Palo Alto.”
“I’ll be fine, Dad,” Veronica reassured him. “I mean, what trouble can I really get into up there? I won’t even go looking for it, I promise!”
“And yet, the trouble always seems to find you,” Keith replied dryly. “I want you to promise me that you won’t do anything dangerous. I won’t be there to back you up if you get in over your head.”
“I promise, Dad,” Veronica said, hoping that she would be able to keep her promise. She knew, however, that if her luck in college didn’t change from her high school days, it wasn’t very likely. She hoped the fact that nobody at Stanford knew her father was a private eye would help matters and keep her from being involved in too many things. She had never uninstalled the software from her computer, however, so that if something did ever come up, she would be ready.
They spent the rest of the first day of traveling trying to find ways of distracting themselves along Interstate Five. Veronica had heard horror stories before of how boring this highway was, but she had never really believed them. She knew better now, however. After leaving the Grapevine behind, the only thing to behold was mile upon endless mile of parched farmland, the only splashes of color coming from the green leaves on trees and the cars on the road beside them. Add in the excruciating heat, even in September, and the smell of cow manure. Veronica couldn’t imagine living in the middle of all of this. Give her beaches and ocean breezes any day over this.
“Aren’t you glad you didn’t apply to Fresno State right now?” Keith asked during one particularly dull stretch. “To think that you would be seeing this day after day. It would either force you to study or take up drinking.”
“Instead, I get to see a bunch of houses that try to rival those 09ers,” Veronica replied dryly, remembering how Palo Alto was used as a comparison for the Neptune incorporation vote.
“Well, at least some things aren’t changing that much,” Keith answered with a grin, which Veronica returned. Hopefully, living next to obscenely rich people would be the only thing that didn't change once she moved to Palo Alto. She was more than willing to leave some of her high school tendencies behind her.
~*~*~
Veronica stared at the blocky, adobe colored structure. Donner House in Stern Hall was going to be her home for the next year, and she wasn't exactly sure what to make of it. The design was totally out of place with the rest of the Mission-style architecture, but she guessed that was the luck of the draw. Adjusting the box she was carrying, she pressed her key tab against the reader and entered the building, followed by her dad. The hallway was slightly ordered chaos, with boxes and suitcases sitting in the halls, accompanied by the bustle of parents trying to get their sons or daughters settled.
"What room are you in again?" Keith asked.
"135," Veronica answered, scanning the numbers to make sure they were going in the right direction. After a few more steps, they were standing in front of the slightly ajar door. There were sounds of movement inside, which could only mean one thing.
"You must be Veronica," a tall girl with curly brown hair pulled back into a ponytail said, bouncing off of the bed and towards the other girl. "I'm Miriam Burns. Pleased to meet you. I hope you don't mind, but I've been here for a while for soccer, so I already took the right side of the room, but we can switch if you want that side, and I can go to the other side."
"Nice to meet you, Miriam," Veronica cut in while her new roommate drew a breath. She really hoped that Miriam wouldn't be like this all the time, although she seemed nice so far. "I'm fine with the left side of the room," she continued, putting her stuff down on the bed, followed by her father. "It looks good to me."
"Good, because I wasn't sure about that, and I didn't want to seem too forward about that," Miriam said, looking in no way like she was about to slow down any time soon. "Do you need help carrying anything in? I have nothing else to do, since practice isn't until 4, and I can help show you around campus a little before the main orientation starts if you want, before the main orientation starts. What orientation group are you in?"
"I think we can handle everything," Keith said, looking slightly amused by the whole situation. "We didn't bring that much stuff with us from Neptune, and I need to seize what few remaining father/daughter moments I can get."
Veronica shot her father a grateful look at his intervention. She had a feeling that life with Miriam would be... interesting, to say the least. She also had a feeling her and the library were going to be very, very close when it came time to do work in silence.
After several more trips back to the car to finish moving boxes and suitcases, Veronica finally had all of her stuff in her room, ready to unpack. Turning to look at her dad, she felt tears begin to prick her eyes. She knew that this moment was going to come eventually and had been mentally preparing for it the entire drive to Stanford. Now that it was here, however, she realized that part of her wasn't ready to say goodbye just yet. Looking at her dad, she realized he was going through the same thing.
"Take care of yourself, sweetie," he said, pulling her into a tight hug. "Try not to get into too much trouble. Backup's not here to help you out."
"Same goes for you too, Dad," she choked out, returning his hug. "Drive safe, OK? I'll see you at Thanksgiving." Veronica pulled away and followed her dad back outside to the car, giving him one last hug before he drove away. She watched him go, determined not to cry. She was an adult now, and that meant she needed to leave the nest at some point, although it didn't necessarily mean that she was ready for it.
"Do you want to go get lunch with me?" Miriam asked Veronica when she returned to the room. "The dining hall should be open, if you want to grab some food."
"Lead the way," Veronica said, motioning for Miriam to leave the room, hoping eating might stem the constant flow of words from Miriam's mouth. Fortunately, Donner wasn't that far away from the nearest dining hall and they were soon grabbing their respective lunches.
"I'm sorry if I'm a little chatty," Miriam apologized as they sat down with their food. "I'm just a bit of a motormouth, you know, and sometimes I can't help myself."
"Couldn't pick up on that at all," Veronica said in a mock-serious voice, examining the salad in front of her. She wasn't all that into exercising, but if she wanted to avoid the Freshman Fifteen, she might want to start getting in that habit. Her youthful metabolism couldn't last forever, unfortunately. "So what are you planning on studying?" Veronica asked, trying to start a friendly conversation. Her track record with making friends might not be so great, but college was all about starting over, right?
"Well, right now I'm thinking urban planning, but I'm also interested in archeology," Miriam answered between bites of her sandwich. "I'm kinda like a Jane of all trades when it comes to what I like, and Mom always said that I would change my mind, like, a dozen times before I settled on a major. What about you? Anything sound interesting to you?"
"Not too sure about that just yet," Veronica answered. "I think I'm going to wait and see what happens after I pick out my courses for this quarter, and I have to wait until next year anyways to officially declare my major."
They finished their lunch soon thereafter and returned to their room, Veronica still needing to unpack and set up her side of the room. She had a few hours before meeting with her orientation group, which should be plenty of time to get the essentials of her room out of their boxes and in their rightful places. Miriam kept talking, which Veronica took care of by pointedly taking out her iPod and listening to her music as loud as she could. Miriam stopped talking and soon left the room, leaving Veronica in blissful silence.
~*~*~
"Excuse me, but can you tell me where the Oval is?" Veronica asked a tall, blonde woman who looked like she knew where she was going. Veronica was running late, and she didn't want to risk getting lost and making herself even tardier than she already was.
"Follow me," the woman said, a bright smile on her face. "I'm heading over there myself. Are you looking for one of the orientation groups that's meeting there?" Veronica nodded, trying to keep up with the woman's longer strides. There really was a disadvantage to being short sometimes, and this certainly was one of them. "Cool. You might be in my group. I'm Jessica Moore," the woman said, introducing herself.
"Veronica Mars," she answered. "Nice to meet you. So I'm going in the right direction then?"
"Yep," Jessica answered, pointing to Hoover Tower. "The Oval is just past where we house all the resident fascists." Veronica's mouth quirked up at this.
"Here I was thinking I left all the fascists back home at high school, and it looks like they followed me here to Stanford," she sighed. "What does it take for a girl to catch a break?"
"They aren't too bad," Jessica laughed as they approached the tower. "They rarely stir from their little sanctuary. They're too scared of the students to go outside to see the changing world around them. The only one who I think ventured outside didn't even make it out of the shadow before retreating back to safety."
"They sound like such pleasant people," Veronica commented. "I hope I don't have the pleasure of meeting them any time soon." Jessica smiled at this and they continued their walk to the Oval poking fun at the residents of Hoover Tower. Soon, they heard the sounds of a large number of people talking among themselves.
"Look, even if I'm not helping with your group, hopefully I'll see you around," Jessica said as they reached the edge of the mass of freshmen. "I like your sense of humor, Veronica. Don't let this place suck it out of you." Veronica smiled and waved at the other woman before going to find her orientation group.
~*~*~
"Oh, magic course catalogue, spill your secrets, fill me in on your mysterious ways," Veronica muttered as she sat at a table outdoors, sipping a Diet Coke. The Stanford course catalogue lay out in front of her, along with a pad of paper with notes scribbled on it. She chewed on the end of her pen as she flipped through the pages, stopping every now and then to note a potentially interesting course down. She was meeting with her advisor in about half-an-hour, and she needed to have a few potential schedules outlined in case some courses weren't available. It was a little more intensive than she had originally anticipated, mainly because many of the classes she wanted to take were reserved for higher level students.
"Well, fancy seeing you here," came a familiar voice from behind her. Twisting around, Veronica flashed Jess an aggrieved smile. "I'm glad I got that done last quarter," Jess continued, sitting down next to Veronica and putting her bag on the table. "It's even more of a pain than housing draw, if that's supposed to be believed."
"After staring at this thing for about an hour, I think I'd have to agree with you," Veronica answered with a sigh. "Any dirty secrets you'd be willing to share as to what classes to take?"
"Well, if you want me to talk your ear off about the environmental science department, I'm your girl. Any other department, you're going to be on your own, although if you ask me next quarter, I might be able to give you some decent information on the intro to art history class," Jess replied with a self-deprecating laughing. "The only reason I'm taking it is because they're basically forcing me to in order to get the distribution credits."
"I'll keep that in mind," Veronica said. "Not really a science type of girl, although a little bird told me that a class about oil drilling was an easy A."
"Criminology?" Jess asked, looking down at the paper in front of Veronica and reading the notes jotted down on it. "Have fun with that. It's a pretty new department, but I've heard some good things about Professor Hannighan."
"And with that remark, we are out of time," Veronica said regretfully, glancing at her watch and putting the sheet of paper in the course catalogue before grabbing her belongings. "I have to go, but if I see you around, I'll let you know how it goes."
"Wait, quick question before you go: do you have a facebook?" Jess asked, getting up as well. "Because if you don't, you should totally get one. It's a great way to keep track of people."
"Not yet, but I'll be sure to add you if or when I get one," Veronica answered. She had heard about facebook from a few other students, but it wasn't big like myspace. Not yet, anyway. Still, part of her brain was already calculating the various potential uses for facebook that weren't just for keeping tabs on her oh-so-lovely Neptune High classmates
"Good luck!" Jess called out as Veronica walked away. Raising her hand in acknowledgement, Veronica felt a smile cross her face. Yeah, Jess might be older than her and Veronica really didn't know her all that well yet, but it was nice to have somebody who was willing to look out for her. Lily had done that to a certain extent with her but no one else had. Jess at the moment was definitely a different personality type than Lily, but Veronica wasn't going to look this gift horse in the mouth.
Locating building 420, Veronica took a deep breath and walked in. She had faced down Aaron Echolls, Don Lamb, and a hungry Backup. There's no way her advisor could be nearly that bad.
~*~*~
Veronica listened with half an ear to her fellow food service workers gossip about the latest development in the Aaron Echolls murder investigation about a week into the start of the quarter. So far, there were no significant leads, although Veronica had her suspicions as to who might have wanted the elder Echolls dead--not that she was particularly inclined to share them. After the trial and what he had put her through, Aaron deserved whatever hell he was in. She was just glad that she and Logan had witnesses to their respective whereabouts, given that Lamb probably had them at the top of the suspect list. So far, nobody had connected her to the Veronica Mars of the Echolls trial, and she wanted to keep it that way.
"...and it's been gone for two days, and I have no idea where it could be!" she heard one of her fellow employees of the non-student variety, Lisa, whisper to a fellow worker. "And if I don't find it, I'm afraid my husband will think that I pawned the ring, and things are tense enough as it is between us that I don't want another issue to come up."
"Where do you think it could be?" the man--who if Veronica remembered correctly was named Carl--asked.
"I don't know," the woman answered despondently.
Veronica watched the exchange out of the corner of her eye, feeling bad for Lisa. She had gone out of her way to be kind to all of the student workers and would occasionally save some extra food for them if there was a particularly popular dish that night.
"Excuse me, Lisa, right?" she asked before what little common sense kicked in and asked what the hell she was doing. "My name's Veronica," she continued when the startled woman nodded. "I have some experience finding lost things, and I just might be able to help you."
And there was the common sense chiming in at the back of her mind, trying to remind her that Veronica had promised herself not to get involved with any more cases while at college. You can take the girl out of the PI's office, but you can't take the PI out of the girl, Veronica thought sardonically. As much as taking cases for other students had been partly out of a need for money, she genuinely enjoyed the detective work and getting some much needed practice.
"Veronica, that's sweet of you, but I don't have anything to pay you with," Lisa said apologetically, rubbing her gloved hands together. "I'm sure I can find it on my own."
"You'll just find it faster with me around, and as for the payment... next time we have German chocolate cake on the menu, just save me a few extra slices," Veronica answered with a conspiratorial wink. Lisa looked indesicive for a moment before giving a hesitant nod. "Great! Why don't you fill me in while we take care of these dishes."
Veronica's shift ended about an hour later, and by then, she had a better idea of Lisa's situation. She and her husband were currently in a rough patch in their relationship, and Lisa had lost her engagement ring. She had lied to her husband and said that it was getting cleaned when he noticed that it was missing, but she knew she wouldn't be able to keep it up for much longer. The last time that Lisa had seen it was after taking it off and placing it in her purse before work. Lisa promised to give Veronica the list of workers who were on that shift the next day, in between thanking Veronica profusely for her help.
Shaking her hair l0ose of the hairnet, Veronica grabbed her bag and headed over to the education library. Jess had told her about it, saying that it was probably the quietest place on campus, mainly because nobody ever went in there. Given that the moment Veronica entered her room she was assaulted by her roommate's incessant chatter, having a quiet place to do work was a definite necessity.
"You look like you've got a lot in that head of yours," Jess commented as Veronica sat down at the table across from her. A thick looking book was open in front of her, and she was alternating between taking notes in the margin and typing on her laptop.
"Well, mah fathah said I did too much thinking for mah own good," Veronica said in a fake accent. "Said I'd nevah catch a husband that way."
"Cute," Jess replied, shaking her head. "Does that mean you aren't going to tell me?"
"Just some stuff involving a person from work," Veronica explained, grabbing her intro to criminology book. She hadn't told Jess too much about her life in Neptune, just the bare bones. She didn't want to scare away what was looking to be her first real friend at Stanford, even if she wasn't entirely sure how it happened. Jess had friended her on facebook, and they kept running into each other around campus. Even though Jess was a junior, she never let on that she found Veronica annoying or beneath her.
"Why did I ever decide to take this stupid art history class?" Jess groaned about an hour later, sending a death glare at her book. "All I'm doing is memorizing these damn paintings. I'm not learning anything worthwhile."
"I could be a bad person and say that it's your fault for signing up for the class in the first place, but I'm trying to be a kinder, gentler Veronica Mars," Veronica said, not looking up from her book. Aside from criminology, she was in a first year class about Californian literature--which somehow, miraculously, managed to avoid the Steinbeck cliché--, an introductory sociology class, as well as elementary Russian--hey, you never knew when a girl might need to get out of a tough spot with the Russian mob.
"You're so not helpful," Jess shot back, closing her eyes and miming banging her head on the table. "I think I'm going to call it quits for now and grab a late night snack. You want to come with?"
"I think I'll stay here for now, but thanks for offering," Veronica answered with a rueful smile. "This criminology book won't read itself, you know." Jess grinned back at Veronica before exiting the library, leaving Veronica alone. Listening to her iPod, Veronica soon lost track of the time, absorbed by her homework. It wasn't until public safety arrived that she realized it was almost midnight. Gathering her scattered belongings, Veronica walked to the bike rack, wondering where the time had gone.
Veronica was almost back to her dorm and about to cross a street when a sudden flash of headlights blinded her and she quickly stopped her bike. Blinking the spots out of her eyes and ignoring the whiplash sensation that braking so suddenly had caused, she heard the distinctive rumble of an older car engine as a sleek black shape sped by her. Veronica tried to make out some identifying details, but the car was out of her sight before she could properly focus.
"Stupid car, probably driven by the Palo Alto equivalent of an '09er," Veronica muttered under her breath as she carefully looked around to make sure there weren't any other insane drivers about to mow her down. "Daddy probably has the police department on his payroll or something like that." She continued to complain under her breath the rest of the way back to her room, although she stopped before actually entering. Miriam was a nice girl, but Veronica had no interest in staying up half the night listening to her ramble on about how drivers should be more careful of bikers and things like that.
~*~*~
A few weeks later, Jess found Veronica standing by the pool, camera in hand, watching the women's water polo team practice. Veronica had joined the staff of the Stanford Daily Cardinal as a photographer, mainly as a way to have something to do aside from school work. She had found Lisa's ring only a day after getting the commission (let's just say that Janie had to find another way to get her work study hours done and leave it at that), but contrary to popular belief, she actually wanted to have a life other than solving cases and hitting the books.
"I'm surprised that more horny males don't show up to watch their games," Veronica commented to Jess as the other woman sat down beside her. Veronica had most of the shots that she needed but was waiting around just in case. "Girls, swimsuits, fighting, water--what more could any college boy ask for?"
"I have absolutely no idea," Jess answered with a straight face, watching one of the girls score a goal. "You think they would be flocking to these games." They sat in silence for a few moments, before Veronica grabbed her camera and took a few more shots of the practice.
"So, is there any reason you decided to show up at my assignment?" Veronica asked as she sat back down, making sure that water didn't spray on to her camera from the pool. "Not that I don't mind the company and all."
"I need some advice," Jess confessed, watching Veronica pack up her camera and swing the bag over her shoulder.
"That's going to cost you, since the doctor has to come off an extended lunch break," Veronica answered with a smile, imagining herself with the psychologist's booth from the Peanuts comic strip.
"Very funny, Lucy," Jess shot back, immediately getting her reference. "No, I just figured since you're probably the most rational of my friends, you might be able to give me some rational advice."
"Rational advice on what, exactly?" Veronica asked, feeling a little like she was being ambushed. "Because I can't be held accountable for any advice I give in a field that I'm not familiar with."
"Well, there's this guy in my art history class," Jess began, her hands jammed in her pockets.
"Oh, this is a good start," Veronica cut in, only half-joking. The last time she had tried to play matchmaker (not counting Mac and Butters, because, well, that just deserved to be forgotten), it had ended with Meg and Duncan together and she knew how that ended.
"Quiet, froshling," Jess commanded, a slightly annoyed look on her face. "Don't interrupt your elders." Veronica rolled her eyes, but remained quiet. "So, again, there's this guy in my art history class--and yes, Veronica, before you ask, I do think he's cute--, but he's also really smart and funny; but I don't know if he's noticed me at all. It's such a large class, and there's so many other girls--and you better wipe that smirk off your face!"
"OK, Jess, I'll wipe the smirk off my face, but only after I tell you to stop acting like a freshman in high school mooning after the senior quarterback," Veronica said, the smirk never wavering. "Also, just for future knowledge, I don't really do the whole girl talk thing, and I am hands down the last person you should be asking about relationship advice. I tell no lies when I say that my history in the dating department is dubious at best."
"But you're managing to make your long-distance relationship with Logan work," Jess logically pointed out.
"I'm pleading extenuating circumstances on that one, counselor," Veronica answered, stopping in front of the Memorial Chapel where they had somehow ended up. "Try talking to him?" she suggested with a shrug. "Or maybe try to set up a study group or something like that, since I seem to recall you complaining about all the memorization you've had to do for this class."
"That could work," Jess said after a moment of thought. "I know some of the other students were thinking about starting one up."
"I'll leave you to your plotting. I need to swing by the press room and get these photos to the editor," Veronica said, giving Jess a wave goodbye, which the other woman returned. Walking away, Veronica turned Jess' problem over in her head. She knew Jess had other friends that she could ask for advice, and yet, she came to the "froshling." Veronica didn't know what was it was that made everyone seemed to turn to her for help; she was pretty sure she didn't have a big neon sign pointing at her, flashing "solver of problems here."
Hearing her phone ring, she pulled it out of her bag and smiled when she saw who was calling her.
"Hey," she answered, continuing to walk towards the press room. "Any particular reason you're calling me in the middle of the day, Logan, or is it just because you miss the melodious sound of my voice?" Logan's easy laugh rolled through the earpiece, causing her to smile to widen. When Logan laughed like that, it meant that he was in a good mood, which she always appreciated. There had been so many rough patches in their complicated relationship that anything that made him laugh like that was much appreciated.
"Can't I ever just call my girlfriend without being interrogated like the criminal element that I so clearly am?" he asked an a good-natured voice.
"Wait, I'm dating a criminal?" Veronica asked in a mock-shocked tone. "What ever will my father say?" They continued to talk about inconsequential things until Veronica had to hang up to go to her next class, but she had a nice, warm feeling inside. Things were going well for her so far, which was a nice change of pace. Sitting down at an empty seat, she surreptitiously knocked on the processed wood for some good luck. She didn't want to curse herself when everything was looking bright for her and have it all fall down around her.
~*~*~
"You're Veronica, right?" an unfamiliar voice asked as Veronica was filling in a worksheet for her Russian class.
Looking up--and then up a little more, because the owner was of the freakishly tall order of humanity--she met a pair of hazel eyes peeking out from a fringe of floppy brown hair. He looked familiar for some reason, but she couldn't exactly place it.
"Possibly," she answered, a little annoyed at being interrupted. "Depends on who you are, what you want, and how much are you going to pay me."
"Oh, my name is Sam. Sam Winchester," he replied, looking unsure of himself. "I'm, um, well, I'm in a class with one of your friends, and I was hoping you could give me some advice."
"Well, that narrows it down by a lot," Veronica answered, only slightly joking. She still didn't have too many close friends--Jess and two of her dormmates, Lizzie and Tanya came to mind fairly quickly--but the only one who had mentioned a guy she was interested in was Jess. "So, let me guess, you're hoping that I might be able to do a little matchmaking between you and said friend. Am I correct in this assumption?" Sam nodded hesitantly, still not looking entirely comfortable. Veronica sighed and gestured to the chair across from her. "Can you please sit? My neck is starting to hurt from looking up at you."
"Sure," Sam replied with a small smile, somehow folding his large frame into the chair. "And I was actually wondering if you could help me a little with just getting to know her."
"Well, if I'm thinking of the friend you're probably not thinking of, she likes long walks on the beach, sunsets, and kittens," Veronica answered, somewhat snarkily, wondering when she became the go-to relationship girl in Jess' life. "And if we're talking about Jess, she likes dark chocolate, horror movies, going to environmental rallies, and for some reason that escapes me but probably stems from her growing up in Seattle, walking in the rain. That help you at all?"
Seriously, what was wrong with going up to a person and talking to them. Going through intermediaries was so middle school. Or was that elementary school? She'd worry about that later. For now, she was content to pin Sam with a pointed look.
Sam didn't answer for a moment, absorbing the information that Veronica had just thrown out at him. "So, let's say I ask her to go into town with me to see 'The Grudge 2,' she might say yes?" he asked with a hopeful look on his face. He reminded her of a puppy for some reason, although it could have been a combination of the hair and the expression on his face rather than Veronica's overactive imagination.
"She just might," Veronica replied. "Now, if that's all, the relationship doctor is closed," she added, drumming her pencil pointedly against the table. Sam seemed to get the hint, and he stood up.
"Thanks for the advice, Veronica," he said earnestly, a smile on his face. "I really appreciate it."
"See if it works and thank me then," Veronica mumbled as Sam turned to walk away. Suddenly a thought hit her. "Has anybody every told you that you look like that guy from "House of Wax"?
Sam groaned and shot her an aggrieved look. "Unfortunately, yes," he answered. "My brother, after he saw that movie for some reason that escapes me, would ask me how Paris Hilton was doing." Something flashed across his face, but it was too fast for Veronica to make it out. "Look, thanks again." With that, he walked away, leaving a confused, yet amused Veronica.
Seriously, when did I become the love doctor? she wondered silently, blankly looking at the Cyrillic letters on the page. People had come to her for advice back in Neptune, but then it was advice she felt like she was more qualified to give--like how to blackmail somebody to prevent an embarrassing photo from being released, how to get surveillance in a church confessional, or things along that line.
About an hour later, Veronica was biking back to her dorm when her phone rang. Pulling over, she saw Jess' name flash on the screen.
"Hello?" she answered, almost positive she knew the reason why Jess was calling.
"He asked me out!" came the excited squeal over the phone. Veronica winced and held it away from her ear while Jess basically shouted over the phone. "I mean, it's just a movie, but he asked me out, Veronica!"
"I'm glad to hear that," Veronica replied gravely, wondering how long exactly Jess' excited streak could last. She didn't think her ears could continue to take the high pitched tone of Jess' voice for much longer. "I couldn't tell that you were even a little excited about this."
"Did you know?" Jess inquired, her voice dropping considerably, and Veronica could almost imagine her expression of innocent confusion.
"I may or may not have known, depending on the outcome of the date in question," Veronica answered, leaning on the handlebars of her bike. "I like having the option of plausible deniability, should the occasion arrive." I've spent way too much time around Cliff if I'm starting to talk like that on a regular basis, Veronica thought wryly. "So, when's the big day?"
"This Saturday," Jess bubbled excitedly. "We're going to see that new horror film. It's been so long since I've been on a date, I'm really looking forward to it."
"Well, let me know how it goes," Veronica said, shivering slightly as the wind hit her. It was mid-October now, and the weather was starting to get a bit nippy, especially for somebody born and raised in Southern California. "I'll talk to you later, OK?"
"OK, Veronica. And, if you do claim responsibility for this later, thank you so much!" With that, Jess hung up the phone, leaving Veronica smirking in amusement. She was glad that Jess was excited about her date with Sam. If anybody deserved a happily ever after, in Veronica's opinion, it was Jess. She reminded Veronica of how Meg was back in her junior year, before Duncan had entered the mix and thrown things into a loop.
At the reminder of that failed relationship and how difficult relationships were, even if the person was as nice as Jess, Veronica frowned slightly."Good luck, Jess," Veronica muttered as she sat back on her bike and began pedaling. She just hoped that Jess wouldn't need it.
Part Two
Author(s): kerrykhat
Artist: karahalliwell
Crossover: Veronica Mars/Supernatural
Disclaimer: "Veronica Mars" and all related characters are property of Rob Thomas and the CW. "Supernatural" and all related characters are property of Erik Kripke and the CW. No infringement intended.
Type: Gen
Word Count: ~16,300
Characters/Pairings: Veronica Mars, Jessica Moore/Sam Winchester, Keith Mars, Logan Echolls
Warnings: Character death
Spoilers: Season 3 for Veronica Mars, the pilot episode for Supernatural.
Summary: Hoping to escape the ghosts of her high school, Veronica Mars escapes to Stanford University, becoming friends with Jessica Moore, and in turn, Sam Winchester. All is normal until one fateful night in early November when everything falls apart.
Author’s Notes: I wrote this story before Supernatural 5.20, so I'm completely ignoring it. Thank you so much to akat for being an awesome beta and burningqueen for putting up with me and helping me with this story!
Link to Art Master Post: Awesome art by karahalliwell here!
It is complete now, the two ends of time are neatly tied
A one-way street, she's walking to the end of the line
And there she meets the faces she keeps in her heart and mind
They say "good-bye." Tomorrow, Wendy, is going to die,
They say "good-bye." Tomorrow, Wendy, is going to die.
Tomorrow, Wendy by Concrete Blonde
September, 2006
Veronica stood in the middle of her room and surveyed the damage. Boxes were crammed into her small room, most of them in various states of being packed. She had less than one week to get fully packed and ready to go to Stanford, not to mention spending what brief time she still had in Neptune with Wallace, Mac, and Logan. Their semester at Hearst had already started, so they were trying to find times that would work with their various schedules. She also wanted to check in with Weevil and see how his parole was going, but to do that, she would need to find some free time that wasn't filled with work or packing.
Veronica frowned at the thought of Logan. They had never really discussed what would happen with them when she left for Palo Alto in the fall. She didn't know if they were going to try and make the whole long-distance thing work, or if there would be a break-up involved at some point in the near future. She hoped it was the former option, just to see if they could make it work. This summer with Logan had been wonderful, what with no murder investigation or angy PCHers to interrupt their time together. Her dad would still give Logan odd looks when he came over, but for the most part, their summer had been a peaceful one, with the lone exception of the investigation into Aaron Echolls' death the night of Cassidy's suicide.
Speaking of Dad... Checking the clock, she grabbed her bag and headed out the door. She was supposed to meet him at the office for lunch before she finished organizing a bunch of old case files, and if she didn't leave now, she was going to be late. She didn't want to think about how her dad was going to deal without her manning the front desk and helping him with some of the more tedious leg work. They didn't have the money to hire a new assistant--even with the financial aid Stanford was giving her, finances were going to be tight for the next four years--and business was starting to grow at a fairly steady rate. She just hoped that he would be able to manage until she returned for winter break to help him with all the odds and ends of running Mars Investigations. He still hadn't explained to her what had held him up back at the beginning of the summer, when she had been forced to go to New York City by herself and wait for him to arrive. She had tried pressing him, but he wouldn't give her a straight answer. Finally, she had given up in frustration. If it was really all that important that he kept it a secret, she would let it be. For now.
"There you are, sweetie," Keith Mars greeted her as she walked into the office, about ten minutes later. "I was wondering if I needed to call Backup to see if you had left the apartment."
"There was a fender bender on the way over," Veronica answered, putting her bag on her desk. "I wasn't involved," she added hastily, seeing her dad's worried look. "It was some tourist and one of the 09ers who was driving the car daddy bought bought her for graduation a little to fast."
"Just as long as it wasn't you," Keith said, closing and locking his office door. "Now, what do you say we go grab some lunch before hitting the cases?" Veronica smiled and followed her father out the door.
~*~*~
The day passed quickly, and Veronica was just starting to put folders away when the door opened and Logan walked inside. " Neptune's own junior private eye hard at work," he stated, standing in the entryway, a small smile on his face.
"What else am I supposed to do with all my free time?" Veronica asked. "I ran out of nail polish last week, and I just haven't had time to buy a new supply." Logan's mouth quirked at this and he walked over to give Veronica a hug and a kiss. They managed to keep it relatively chaste, given that there was a very good chance that Keith would walk in at the most inopportune moment possible and make things a whole lot more awkward.
"Come with me to my place," Logan whispered to her after he had pulled away. "I have a surprise for you there."
"Oh, a surprise!" Veronica said, a gleeful look on her face. "I love surprises!" Just then, Keith walked out of his office and shot Logan a warning look.
"Just remember that the normal parental warnings I normally insert all apply here," he said, locking his office door behind him. Veronica rolled her eyes at her father's remarks.
"Dad, I'm eighteen," she reminded him, grabbing her bag and walking to the door.
“Don’t worry, Sheriff, she’ll get back to you safe and sound, like she has this entire summer,” Logan said, his voice devoid of most of his normal sarcasm. Keith nodded but only lowered the intensity of his glare slightly. Even though they had been dating for a few months now, Keith still didn’t like Logan all that much, although he was at least civil for Veronica's sake. Logan nodded as well and walked out without one of his signature parting shots. Veronica secretly wondered if it was because he respected her father, or if Keith was one of the few people who intimidated Logan. It could be a combination of both, she reasoned as she gave her father a peck on the cheek and followed Logan outside to her car.
“So, are you going to give me any hint as to what this surprise could be?” Veronica asked, leaning against her LeBron with a wide smile on her face.
“Now why would I do that?” Logan replied, sending a glance up to the window of Mars Investigations to see if Keith was watching through the blinds. “It would ruin it for you, after all.” Veronica sighed dramatically but got in her car. “I’ll meet you in the lobby,” Logan said, giving her one last kiss before he went to his yellow XTerra.
It was a relatively fast drive over to the Neptune Grand, and Veronica soon found herself standing in front of the elevator with Logan.
“Close your eyes, he instructed, taking her hands in his. Wondering what he was up to, Veronica did what he asked, letting him lead her into the elevator and taking it up to the penthouse. Even though Logan was going to Hearst College, he still was living in the penthouse, claiming that he had no desire to give that up for on-campus housing. Veronica had teased him and called him a snob, which he shrugged off.
Walking out of the elevator, they stopped momentarily and she could hear him fumbling with the card key before it opened. They were inside with the door closed before Logan finally said, “OK, you can open your eyes now, Veronica.” She did and immediately gasped in surprise.
Wallace and Mac were standing underneath a sign that read “Good Luck Veronica,” with Wallace holding a bouquet of balloons.
“Guys,” Veronica choked out, turning to Logan trying not to cry. “You didn’t need to do this for me.” Logan squeezed her hand as Wallace and Mac came closer.
“Of course we did, Veronica,” Mac said. “It’s what friends do.” Veronica smiled at that and gave the other girl a hug. Mac was looking better than she had a few weeks ago, which made Veronica happy for her. Mac had not taken the news of Cassidy’s crimes and suicide well, spending most of the summer hiding from the rest of Neptune. Since starting Hearst, however, Mac had slowly been coming back out of her shell, finding others with whom she shared interests with.
“You know our lives are going to be a lot less exciting without you bringing trouble into them,” Wallace added, giving her his own hug, which she returned. Veronica didn’t know what she was going to do at Stanford without Mac and Wallace. They had been her anchors at Neptune High, and it scared her a bit that they would not be coming with her to Stanford.
“Besides, we wanted to send you out into the big, bad world with a bang,” Logan added, wrapping his arm around Veronica’s waist. “What do you say we celebrate? I even bought cake.” Veronica laughed and settled down on to a sofa, getting ready for a long night of spending time with the three people closest to her beside her father.
~*~*~
Pulling into the car wash, Veronica waited until she spotted the person she was looking for.
"Well, if it isn't blondie, checking in on the convict," Weevil commented, shoving his hands into the pockets of his coveralls. "What brings you to the wrong side of the tracks? I thought you would be too busy leaving this place in the dust to think about your old pal Weevil."
"Forget this lovely face? Never," Veronica dismissed with a wave of her hand.
"Glad to hear that," he replied, glancing around to make sure his boss wasn't watching. "So, any particular reason you're here?"
"Just wanted to see how the parole-life was treating you, that's all," Veronica answered.
"Well, aside from the boss being a bigger asshole than Lamb, not too bad," Weevil said. "I'll make do, like I always do."
"Well, if you ever need anything--advice, a new job, blackmail material--let me know," she began to say before Weevil interrupted her.
"I don't want your charity, Veronica," Weevil snapped, wiping the sweat off of his face. "I can get by on my own."
"Think of it as repayment for all those favors you've done for me in the past," Veronica shot back. "Just think about it," she added, seeing that Weevil still had a stubborn look on his face. "My cell phone number will be the same. Or, you could risk life and limb and swing by my dad's office. Your choice." She turned around and was about to get back into the car when Weevil called out:
"You take care of yourself, blondie. I don't want to hear any stories of you pulling some stupid shit out in EPA, or something like that."
Veronica spun around to face him, a big smile on her face. "You do care!" she exclaimed, putting her hand over her heart.
Weevil rolled his eyes and gestured for her to leave. Shaking her head, Veronica climbed back into her LeBaron and drove away, hoping that Weevil would take her up on her offer--at least the blackmail portion of it, anyway. She had heard about his boss' partnership with Lamb regarding parolees, and she didn't want to see Weevil get caught up in the revolving door. Plus, anything that annoyed or hindered Lamb was a good thing in her book. Smiling at the thought of Lamb's face if she did manage to get some good blackmail material, she turned on the radio to accompany her on her drive home.
~*~*~
“Come on, kiddo, it’s time to get up,” Keith’s voice said above Veronica’s head. She groaned, and resisted the urge to move further beneath her blankets. It was too early for any sane individual to sound that cheery and awake.
“One more minute,” she pleaded, cracking open her eyes.
“You said that five minutes ago,” Keith said with a smile. “We need to get you to rise and shine so that we can hit the road and make it to Palo Alto by tomorrow.”
“Fine,” Veronica sighed, hoping she could get some sleep in the car. She did have an almost eight hour drive ahead of her, although part of it was going to be dedicated to finishing up the required freshman reading that she had been putting off for about a month now. “I’ll get out of bed.”
Keith exited the room, and Veronica quickly dressed in the clothes she had laid out the night before. Then, she took one last look around the now barren room. All her boxes--plus the used bike she had bought for transportation purposes at Stanford--had been moved to the small U-Haul trailer the night before, and now all that was left were the things she was leaving behind.
“Veronica? Are you coming?” Keith asked from the other side of the door. “We can get food while we’re on the road.” Veronica stood still for another moment, before opening the door and leaving. It was time to leave Neptune behind and look at the path ahead of her at Stanford.
“Let’s hit the road, Dad,” she said, giving Backup one last hug. “Don’t forget about me, OK, boy?” she asked him, kissing him on the forehead. “I’ll be back before you know it.” Backup whined a little and licked Veronica’s face. “Be good for Dad, OK?” she added quietly before getting back to her feet. Keith was standing at the front door, holding it open for Veronica.
“We’ll take care of each other,” he said as they walked to the car. “Just us two bachelors, living out our days in my newly empty bachelor pad, living the life.”
“Which may or may not include watching Bogart marathons on AMC,” Veronica chimed in, buckling herself up and putting a sweatshirt against the window to lean her head against. “I’m getting the feeling you won’t be reliving your swinging single days as much as you want me to believe that.”
Keith shook his head and started the car.
“Wave goodbye to Neptune,” he said as they navigated through the quiet, early morning streets of Neptune, only stopping briefly at a Starbucks to get coffee and muffins. “You’re not going to see it again until Thanksgiving.”
"Thank God for small miracles," Veronica commented dryly. "I'm surprised Lamb's not out there on the county line to wave me a fond farewell."
~*~*~
They drove in silence for the first hour or so, Veronica using the time to catch up on some sleep. She had spent most of her evening with Logan, savoring each moment they had together. They had agreed that they would do their best to maintain their relationship with her at Stanford and him at Hearst. As Logan put it, there was a reason why they had invented cell phones and the Internet, after all. Veronica hadn’t been able to stay over as long as she would have liked, given her early departure time, but at least her last memories of Logan would be pleasant ones.
“Do you think you made the right choice?” Keith asked, breaking through her thoughts. “I know you’ve always dreamed of going there, but there’s a difference between dreaming and actually going there.”
Veronica didn't answer right away, studying the early morning traffic they were currently stuck in right outside of Los Angeles. “I think I did,” she finally replied. “I needed to get out of Neptune, especially after what happened around graduation with Aaron Echolls and Cassidy. I mean, I do have some good memories of Neptune, but I also have so many bad ones that I need to put some distance between them and me. I guess I’m hoping that Stanford is going to be a fresh start. Nobody is going to know who I am, or what happened with Lily, and maybe I can actually get involved in some extracurriculars other than the newspaper. I can join the Dollies!” she added in an overly exuberant voice.
“College is going to be a whole new world, sweetheart,” Keith said as they managed to make some progress-a whole six feet. “I just want to know that you’ll be happy. I know that you can take care of yourself, but it doesn’t make this old man any less worried about how you’re going to do out in Palo Alto.”
“I’ll be fine, Dad,” Veronica reassured him. “I mean, what trouble can I really get into up there? I won’t even go looking for it, I promise!”
“And yet, the trouble always seems to find you,” Keith replied dryly. “I want you to promise me that you won’t do anything dangerous. I won’t be there to back you up if you get in over your head.”
“I promise, Dad,” Veronica said, hoping that she would be able to keep her promise. She knew, however, that if her luck in college didn’t change from her high school days, it wasn’t very likely. She hoped the fact that nobody at Stanford knew her father was a private eye would help matters and keep her from being involved in too many things. She had never uninstalled the software from her computer, however, so that if something did ever come up, she would be ready.
They spent the rest of the first day of traveling trying to find ways of distracting themselves along Interstate Five. Veronica had heard horror stories before of how boring this highway was, but she had never really believed them. She knew better now, however. After leaving the Grapevine behind, the only thing to behold was mile upon endless mile of parched farmland, the only splashes of color coming from the green leaves on trees and the cars on the road beside them. Add in the excruciating heat, even in September, and the smell of cow manure. Veronica couldn’t imagine living in the middle of all of this. Give her beaches and ocean breezes any day over this.
“Aren’t you glad you didn’t apply to Fresno State right now?” Keith asked during one particularly dull stretch. “To think that you would be seeing this day after day. It would either force you to study or take up drinking.”
“Instead, I get to see a bunch of houses that try to rival those 09ers,” Veronica replied dryly, remembering how Palo Alto was used as a comparison for the Neptune incorporation vote.
“Well, at least some things aren’t changing that much,” Keith answered with a grin, which Veronica returned. Hopefully, living next to obscenely rich people would be the only thing that didn't change once she moved to Palo Alto. She was more than willing to leave some of her high school tendencies behind her.
~*~*~
Veronica stared at the blocky, adobe colored structure. Donner House in Stern Hall was going to be her home for the next year, and she wasn't exactly sure what to make of it. The design was totally out of place with the rest of the Mission-style architecture, but she guessed that was the luck of the draw. Adjusting the box she was carrying, she pressed her key tab against the reader and entered the building, followed by her dad. The hallway was slightly ordered chaos, with boxes and suitcases sitting in the halls, accompanied by the bustle of parents trying to get their sons or daughters settled.
"What room are you in again?" Keith asked.
"135," Veronica answered, scanning the numbers to make sure they were going in the right direction. After a few more steps, they were standing in front of the slightly ajar door. There were sounds of movement inside, which could only mean one thing.
"You must be Veronica," a tall girl with curly brown hair pulled back into a ponytail said, bouncing off of the bed and towards the other girl. "I'm Miriam Burns. Pleased to meet you. I hope you don't mind, but I've been here for a while for soccer, so I already took the right side of the room, but we can switch if you want that side, and I can go to the other side."
"Nice to meet you, Miriam," Veronica cut in while her new roommate drew a breath. She really hoped that Miriam wouldn't be like this all the time, although she seemed nice so far. "I'm fine with the left side of the room," she continued, putting her stuff down on the bed, followed by her father. "It looks good to me."
"Good, because I wasn't sure about that, and I didn't want to seem too forward about that," Miriam said, looking in no way like she was about to slow down any time soon. "Do you need help carrying anything in? I have nothing else to do, since practice isn't until 4, and I can help show you around campus a little before the main orientation starts if you want, before the main orientation starts. What orientation group are you in?"
"I think we can handle everything," Keith said, looking slightly amused by the whole situation. "We didn't bring that much stuff with us from Neptune, and I need to seize what few remaining father/daughter moments I can get."
Veronica shot her father a grateful look at his intervention. She had a feeling that life with Miriam would be... interesting, to say the least. She also had a feeling her and the library were going to be very, very close when it came time to do work in silence.
After several more trips back to the car to finish moving boxes and suitcases, Veronica finally had all of her stuff in her room, ready to unpack. Turning to look at her dad, she felt tears begin to prick her eyes. She knew that this moment was going to come eventually and had been mentally preparing for it the entire drive to Stanford. Now that it was here, however, she realized that part of her wasn't ready to say goodbye just yet. Looking at her dad, she realized he was going through the same thing.
"Take care of yourself, sweetie," he said, pulling her into a tight hug. "Try not to get into too much trouble. Backup's not here to help you out."
"Same goes for you too, Dad," she choked out, returning his hug. "Drive safe, OK? I'll see you at Thanksgiving." Veronica pulled away and followed her dad back outside to the car, giving him one last hug before he drove away. She watched him go, determined not to cry. She was an adult now, and that meant she needed to leave the nest at some point, although it didn't necessarily mean that she was ready for it.
"Do you want to go get lunch with me?" Miriam asked Veronica when she returned to the room. "The dining hall should be open, if you want to grab some food."
"Lead the way," Veronica said, motioning for Miriam to leave the room, hoping eating might stem the constant flow of words from Miriam's mouth. Fortunately, Donner wasn't that far away from the nearest dining hall and they were soon grabbing their respective lunches.
"I'm sorry if I'm a little chatty," Miriam apologized as they sat down with their food. "I'm just a bit of a motormouth, you know, and sometimes I can't help myself."
"Couldn't pick up on that at all," Veronica said in a mock-serious voice, examining the salad in front of her. She wasn't all that into exercising, but if she wanted to avoid the Freshman Fifteen, she might want to start getting in that habit. Her youthful metabolism couldn't last forever, unfortunately. "So what are you planning on studying?" Veronica asked, trying to start a friendly conversation. Her track record with making friends might not be so great, but college was all about starting over, right?
"Well, right now I'm thinking urban planning, but I'm also interested in archeology," Miriam answered between bites of her sandwich. "I'm kinda like a Jane of all trades when it comes to what I like, and Mom always said that I would change my mind, like, a dozen times before I settled on a major. What about you? Anything sound interesting to you?"
"Not too sure about that just yet," Veronica answered. "I think I'm going to wait and see what happens after I pick out my courses for this quarter, and I have to wait until next year anyways to officially declare my major."
They finished their lunch soon thereafter and returned to their room, Veronica still needing to unpack and set up her side of the room. She had a few hours before meeting with her orientation group, which should be plenty of time to get the essentials of her room out of their boxes and in their rightful places. Miriam kept talking, which Veronica took care of by pointedly taking out her iPod and listening to her music as loud as she could. Miriam stopped talking and soon left the room, leaving Veronica in blissful silence.
~*~*~
"Excuse me, but can you tell me where the Oval is?" Veronica asked a tall, blonde woman who looked like she knew where she was going. Veronica was running late, and she didn't want to risk getting lost and making herself even tardier than she already was.
"Follow me," the woman said, a bright smile on her face. "I'm heading over there myself. Are you looking for one of the orientation groups that's meeting there?" Veronica nodded, trying to keep up with the woman's longer strides. There really was a disadvantage to being short sometimes, and this certainly was one of them. "Cool. You might be in my group. I'm Jessica Moore," the woman said, introducing herself.
"Veronica Mars," she answered. "Nice to meet you. So I'm going in the right direction then?"
"Yep," Jessica answered, pointing to Hoover Tower. "The Oval is just past where we house all the resident fascists." Veronica's mouth quirked up at this.
"Here I was thinking I left all the fascists back home at high school, and it looks like they followed me here to Stanford," she sighed. "What does it take for a girl to catch a break?"
"They aren't too bad," Jessica laughed as they approached the tower. "They rarely stir from their little sanctuary. They're too scared of the students to go outside to see the changing world around them. The only one who I think ventured outside didn't even make it out of the shadow before retreating back to safety."
"They sound like such pleasant people," Veronica commented. "I hope I don't have the pleasure of meeting them any time soon." Jessica smiled at this and they continued their walk to the Oval poking fun at the residents of Hoover Tower. Soon, they heard the sounds of a large number of people talking among themselves.
"Look, even if I'm not helping with your group, hopefully I'll see you around," Jessica said as they reached the edge of the mass of freshmen. "I like your sense of humor, Veronica. Don't let this place suck it out of you." Veronica smiled and waved at the other woman before going to find her orientation group.
~*~*~
"Oh, magic course catalogue, spill your secrets, fill me in on your mysterious ways," Veronica muttered as she sat at a table outdoors, sipping a Diet Coke. The Stanford course catalogue lay out in front of her, along with a pad of paper with notes scribbled on it. She chewed on the end of her pen as she flipped through the pages, stopping every now and then to note a potentially interesting course down. She was meeting with her advisor in about half-an-hour, and she needed to have a few potential schedules outlined in case some courses weren't available. It was a little more intensive than she had originally anticipated, mainly because many of the classes she wanted to take were reserved for higher level students.
"Well, fancy seeing you here," came a familiar voice from behind her. Twisting around, Veronica flashed Jess an aggrieved smile. "I'm glad I got that done last quarter," Jess continued, sitting down next to Veronica and putting her bag on the table. "It's even more of a pain than housing draw, if that's supposed to be believed."
"After staring at this thing for about an hour, I think I'd have to agree with you," Veronica answered with a sigh. "Any dirty secrets you'd be willing to share as to what classes to take?"
"Well, if you want me to talk your ear off about the environmental science department, I'm your girl. Any other department, you're going to be on your own, although if you ask me next quarter, I might be able to give you some decent information on the intro to art history class," Jess replied with a self-deprecating laughing. "The only reason I'm taking it is because they're basically forcing me to in order to get the distribution credits."
"I'll keep that in mind," Veronica said. "Not really a science type of girl, although a little bird told me that a class about oil drilling was an easy A."
"Criminology?" Jess asked, looking down at the paper in front of Veronica and reading the notes jotted down on it. "Have fun with that. It's a pretty new department, but I've heard some good things about Professor Hannighan."
"And with that remark, we are out of time," Veronica said regretfully, glancing at her watch and putting the sheet of paper in the course catalogue before grabbing her belongings. "I have to go, but if I see you around, I'll let you know how it goes."
"Wait, quick question before you go: do you have a facebook?" Jess asked, getting up as well. "Because if you don't, you should totally get one. It's a great way to keep track of people."
"Not yet, but I'll be sure to add you if or when I get one," Veronica answered. She had heard about facebook from a few other students, but it wasn't big like myspace. Not yet, anyway. Still, part of her brain was already calculating the various potential uses for facebook that weren't just for keeping tabs on her oh-so-lovely Neptune High classmates
"Good luck!" Jess called out as Veronica walked away. Raising her hand in acknowledgement, Veronica felt a smile cross her face. Yeah, Jess might be older than her and Veronica really didn't know her all that well yet, but it was nice to have somebody who was willing to look out for her. Lily had done that to a certain extent with her but no one else had. Jess at the moment was definitely a different personality type than Lily, but Veronica wasn't going to look this gift horse in the mouth.
Locating building 420, Veronica took a deep breath and walked in. She had faced down Aaron Echolls, Don Lamb, and a hungry Backup. There's no way her advisor could be nearly that bad.
~*~*~
Veronica listened with half an ear to her fellow food service workers gossip about the latest development in the Aaron Echolls murder investigation about a week into the start of the quarter. So far, there were no significant leads, although Veronica had her suspicions as to who might have wanted the elder Echolls dead--not that she was particularly inclined to share them. After the trial and what he had put her through, Aaron deserved whatever hell he was in. She was just glad that she and Logan had witnesses to their respective whereabouts, given that Lamb probably had them at the top of the suspect list. So far, nobody had connected her to the Veronica Mars of the Echolls trial, and she wanted to keep it that way.
"...and it's been gone for two days, and I have no idea where it could be!" she heard one of her fellow employees of the non-student variety, Lisa, whisper to a fellow worker. "And if I don't find it, I'm afraid my husband will think that I pawned the ring, and things are tense enough as it is between us that I don't want another issue to come up."
"Where do you think it could be?" the man--who if Veronica remembered correctly was named Carl--asked.
"I don't know," the woman answered despondently.
Veronica watched the exchange out of the corner of her eye, feeling bad for Lisa. She had gone out of her way to be kind to all of the student workers and would occasionally save some extra food for them if there was a particularly popular dish that night.
"Excuse me, Lisa, right?" she asked before what little common sense kicked in and asked what the hell she was doing. "My name's Veronica," she continued when the startled woman nodded. "I have some experience finding lost things, and I just might be able to help you."
And there was the common sense chiming in at the back of her mind, trying to remind her that Veronica had promised herself not to get involved with any more cases while at college. You can take the girl out of the PI's office, but you can't take the PI out of the girl, Veronica thought sardonically. As much as taking cases for other students had been partly out of a need for money, she genuinely enjoyed the detective work and getting some much needed practice.
"Veronica, that's sweet of you, but I don't have anything to pay you with," Lisa said apologetically, rubbing her gloved hands together. "I'm sure I can find it on my own."
"You'll just find it faster with me around, and as for the payment... next time we have German chocolate cake on the menu, just save me a few extra slices," Veronica answered with a conspiratorial wink. Lisa looked indesicive for a moment before giving a hesitant nod. "Great! Why don't you fill me in while we take care of these dishes."
Veronica's shift ended about an hour later, and by then, she had a better idea of Lisa's situation. She and her husband were currently in a rough patch in their relationship, and Lisa had lost her engagement ring. She had lied to her husband and said that it was getting cleaned when he noticed that it was missing, but she knew she wouldn't be able to keep it up for much longer. The last time that Lisa had seen it was after taking it off and placing it in her purse before work. Lisa promised to give Veronica the list of workers who were on that shift the next day, in between thanking Veronica profusely for her help.
Shaking her hair l0ose of the hairnet, Veronica grabbed her bag and headed over to the education library. Jess had told her about it, saying that it was probably the quietest place on campus, mainly because nobody ever went in there. Given that the moment Veronica entered her room she was assaulted by her roommate's incessant chatter, having a quiet place to do work was a definite necessity.
"You look like you've got a lot in that head of yours," Jess commented as Veronica sat down at the table across from her. A thick looking book was open in front of her, and she was alternating between taking notes in the margin and typing on her laptop.
"Well, mah fathah said I did too much thinking for mah own good," Veronica said in a fake accent. "Said I'd nevah catch a husband that way."
"Cute," Jess replied, shaking her head. "Does that mean you aren't going to tell me?"
"Just some stuff involving a person from work," Veronica explained, grabbing her intro to criminology book. She hadn't told Jess too much about her life in Neptune, just the bare bones. She didn't want to scare away what was looking to be her first real friend at Stanford, even if she wasn't entirely sure how it happened. Jess had friended her on facebook, and they kept running into each other around campus. Even though Jess was a junior, she never let on that she found Veronica annoying or beneath her.
"Why did I ever decide to take this stupid art history class?" Jess groaned about an hour later, sending a death glare at her book. "All I'm doing is memorizing these damn paintings. I'm not learning anything worthwhile."
"I could be a bad person and say that it's your fault for signing up for the class in the first place, but I'm trying to be a kinder, gentler Veronica Mars," Veronica said, not looking up from her book. Aside from criminology, she was in a first year class about Californian literature--which somehow, miraculously, managed to avoid the Steinbeck cliché--, an introductory sociology class, as well as elementary Russian--hey, you never knew when a girl might need to get out of a tough spot with the Russian mob.
"You're so not helpful," Jess shot back, closing her eyes and miming banging her head on the table. "I think I'm going to call it quits for now and grab a late night snack. You want to come with?"
"I think I'll stay here for now, but thanks for offering," Veronica answered with a rueful smile. "This criminology book won't read itself, you know." Jess grinned back at Veronica before exiting the library, leaving Veronica alone. Listening to her iPod, Veronica soon lost track of the time, absorbed by her homework. It wasn't until public safety arrived that she realized it was almost midnight. Gathering her scattered belongings, Veronica walked to the bike rack, wondering where the time had gone.
Veronica was almost back to her dorm and about to cross a street when a sudden flash of headlights blinded her and she quickly stopped her bike. Blinking the spots out of her eyes and ignoring the whiplash sensation that braking so suddenly had caused, she heard the distinctive rumble of an older car engine as a sleek black shape sped by her. Veronica tried to make out some identifying details, but the car was out of her sight before she could properly focus.
"Stupid car, probably driven by the Palo Alto equivalent of an '09er," Veronica muttered under her breath as she carefully looked around to make sure there weren't any other insane drivers about to mow her down. "Daddy probably has the police department on his payroll or something like that." She continued to complain under her breath the rest of the way back to her room, although she stopped before actually entering. Miriam was a nice girl, but Veronica had no interest in staying up half the night listening to her ramble on about how drivers should be more careful of bikers and things like that.
~*~*~
A few weeks later, Jess found Veronica standing by the pool, camera in hand, watching the women's water polo team practice. Veronica had joined the staff of the Stanford Daily Cardinal as a photographer, mainly as a way to have something to do aside from school work. She had found Lisa's ring only a day after getting the commission (let's just say that Janie had to find another way to get her work study hours done and leave it at that), but contrary to popular belief, she actually wanted to have a life other than solving cases and hitting the books.
"I'm surprised that more horny males don't show up to watch their games," Veronica commented to Jess as the other woman sat down beside her. Veronica had most of the shots that she needed but was waiting around just in case. "Girls, swimsuits, fighting, water--what more could any college boy ask for?"
"I have absolutely no idea," Jess answered with a straight face, watching one of the girls score a goal. "You think they would be flocking to these games." They sat in silence for a few moments, before Veronica grabbed her camera and took a few more shots of the practice.
"So, is there any reason you decided to show up at my assignment?" Veronica asked as she sat back down, making sure that water didn't spray on to her camera from the pool. "Not that I don't mind the company and all."
"I need some advice," Jess confessed, watching Veronica pack up her camera and swing the bag over her shoulder.
"That's going to cost you, since the doctor has to come off an extended lunch break," Veronica answered with a smile, imagining herself with the psychologist's booth from the Peanuts comic strip.
"Very funny, Lucy," Jess shot back, immediately getting her reference. "No, I just figured since you're probably the most rational of my friends, you might be able to give me some rational advice."
"Rational advice on what, exactly?" Veronica asked, feeling a little like she was being ambushed. "Because I can't be held accountable for any advice I give in a field that I'm not familiar with."
"Well, there's this guy in my art history class," Jess began, her hands jammed in her pockets.
"Oh, this is a good start," Veronica cut in, only half-joking. The last time she had tried to play matchmaker (not counting Mac and Butters, because, well, that just deserved to be forgotten), it had ended with Meg and Duncan together and she knew how that ended.
"Quiet, froshling," Jess commanded, a slightly annoyed look on her face. "Don't interrupt your elders." Veronica rolled her eyes, but remained quiet. "So, again, there's this guy in my art history class--and yes, Veronica, before you ask, I do think he's cute--, but he's also really smart and funny; but I don't know if he's noticed me at all. It's such a large class, and there's so many other girls--and you better wipe that smirk off your face!"
"OK, Jess, I'll wipe the smirk off my face, but only after I tell you to stop acting like a freshman in high school mooning after the senior quarterback," Veronica said, the smirk never wavering. "Also, just for future knowledge, I don't really do the whole girl talk thing, and I am hands down the last person you should be asking about relationship advice. I tell no lies when I say that my history in the dating department is dubious at best."
"But you're managing to make your long-distance relationship with Logan work," Jess logically pointed out.
"I'm pleading extenuating circumstances on that one, counselor," Veronica answered, stopping in front of the Memorial Chapel where they had somehow ended up. "Try talking to him?" she suggested with a shrug. "Or maybe try to set up a study group or something like that, since I seem to recall you complaining about all the memorization you've had to do for this class."
"That could work," Jess said after a moment of thought. "I know some of the other students were thinking about starting one up."
"I'll leave you to your plotting. I need to swing by the press room and get these photos to the editor," Veronica said, giving Jess a wave goodbye, which the other woman returned. Walking away, Veronica turned Jess' problem over in her head. She knew Jess had other friends that she could ask for advice, and yet, she came to the "froshling." Veronica didn't know what was it was that made everyone seemed to turn to her for help; she was pretty sure she didn't have a big neon sign pointing at her, flashing "solver of problems here."
Hearing her phone ring, she pulled it out of her bag and smiled when she saw who was calling her.
"Hey," she answered, continuing to walk towards the press room. "Any particular reason you're calling me in the middle of the day, Logan, or is it just because you miss the melodious sound of my voice?" Logan's easy laugh rolled through the earpiece, causing her to smile to widen. When Logan laughed like that, it meant that he was in a good mood, which she always appreciated. There had been so many rough patches in their complicated relationship that anything that made him laugh like that was much appreciated.
"Can't I ever just call my girlfriend without being interrogated like the criminal element that I so clearly am?" he asked an a good-natured voice.
"Wait, I'm dating a criminal?" Veronica asked in a mock-shocked tone. "What ever will my father say?" They continued to talk about inconsequential things until Veronica had to hang up to go to her next class, but she had a nice, warm feeling inside. Things were going well for her so far, which was a nice change of pace. Sitting down at an empty seat, she surreptitiously knocked on the processed wood for some good luck. She didn't want to curse herself when everything was looking bright for her and have it all fall down around her.
~*~*~
"You're Veronica, right?" an unfamiliar voice asked as Veronica was filling in a worksheet for her Russian class.
Looking up--and then up a little more, because the owner was of the freakishly tall order of humanity--she met a pair of hazel eyes peeking out from a fringe of floppy brown hair. He looked familiar for some reason, but she couldn't exactly place it.
"Possibly," she answered, a little annoyed at being interrupted. "Depends on who you are, what you want, and how much are you going to pay me."
"Oh, my name is Sam. Sam Winchester," he replied, looking unsure of himself. "I'm, um, well, I'm in a class with one of your friends, and I was hoping you could give me some advice."
"Well, that narrows it down by a lot," Veronica answered, only slightly joking. She still didn't have too many close friends--Jess and two of her dormmates, Lizzie and Tanya came to mind fairly quickly--but the only one who had mentioned a guy she was interested in was Jess. "So, let me guess, you're hoping that I might be able to do a little matchmaking between you and said friend. Am I correct in this assumption?" Sam nodded hesitantly, still not looking entirely comfortable. Veronica sighed and gestured to the chair across from her. "Can you please sit? My neck is starting to hurt from looking up at you."
"Sure," Sam replied with a small smile, somehow folding his large frame into the chair. "And I was actually wondering if you could help me a little with just getting to know her."
"Well, if I'm thinking of the friend you're probably not thinking of, she likes long walks on the beach, sunsets, and kittens," Veronica answered, somewhat snarkily, wondering when she became the go-to relationship girl in Jess' life. "And if we're talking about Jess, she likes dark chocolate, horror movies, going to environmental rallies, and for some reason that escapes me but probably stems from her growing up in Seattle, walking in the rain. That help you at all?"
Seriously, what was wrong with going up to a person and talking to them. Going through intermediaries was so middle school. Or was that elementary school? She'd worry about that later. For now, she was content to pin Sam with a pointed look.
Sam didn't answer for a moment, absorbing the information that Veronica had just thrown out at him. "So, let's say I ask her to go into town with me to see 'The Grudge 2,' she might say yes?" he asked with a hopeful look on his face. He reminded her of a puppy for some reason, although it could have been a combination of the hair and the expression on his face rather than Veronica's overactive imagination.
"She just might," Veronica replied. "Now, if that's all, the relationship doctor is closed," she added, drumming her pencil pointedly against the table. Sam seemed to get the hint, and he stood up.
"Thanks for the advice, Veronica," he said earnestly, a smile on his face. "I really appreciate it."
"See if it works and thank me then," Veronica mumbled as Sam turned to walk away. Suddenly a thought hit her. "Has anybody every told you that you look like that guy from "House of Wax"?
Sam groaned and shot her an aggrieved look. "Unfortunately, yes," he answered. "My brother, after he saw that movie for some reason that escapes me, would ask me how Paris Hilton was doing." Something flashed across his face, but it was too fast for Veronica to make it out. "Look, thanks again." With that, he walked away, leaving a confused, yet amused Veronica.
Seriously, when did I become the love doctor? she wondered silently, blankly looking at the Cyrillic letters on the page. People had come to her for advice back in Neptune, but then it was advice she felt like she was more qualified to give--like how to blackmail somebody to prevent an embarrassing photo from being released, how to get surveillance in a church confessional, or things along that line.
About an hour later, Veronica was biking back to her dorm when her phone rang. Pulling over, she saw Jess' name flash on the screen.
"Hello?" she answered, almost positive she knew the reason why Jess was calling.
"He asked me out!" came the excited squeal over the phone. Veronica winced and held it away from her ear while Jess basically shouted over the phone. "I mean, it's just a movie, but he asked me out, Veronica!"
"I'm glad to hear that," Veronica replied gravely, wondering how long exactly Jess' excited streak could last. She didn't think her ears could continue to take the high pitched tone of Jess' voice for much longer. "I couldn't tell that you were even a little excited about this."
"Did you know?" Jess inquired, her voice dropping considerably, and Veronica could almost imagine her expression of innocent confusion.
"I may or may not have known, depending on the outcome of the date in question," Veronica answered, leaning on the handlebars of her bike. "I like having the option of plausible deniability, should the occasion arrive." I've spent way too much time around Cliff if I'm starting to talk like that on a regular basis, Veronica thought wryly. "So, when's the big day?"
"This Saturday," Jess bubbled excitedly. "We're going to see that new horror film. It's been so long since I've been on a date, I'm really looking forward to it."
"Well, let me know how it goes," Veronica said, shivering slightly as the wind hit her. It was mid-October now, and the weather was starting to get a bit nippy, especially for somebody born and raised in Southern California. "I'll talk to you later, OK?"
"OK, Veronica. And, if you do claim responsibility for this later, thank you so much!" With that, Jess hung up the phone, leaving Veronica smirking in amusement. She was glad that Jess was excited about her date with Sam. If anybody deserved a happily ever after, in Veronica's opinion, it was Jess. She reminded Veronica of how Meg was back in her junior year, before Duncan had entered the mix and thrown things into a loop.
At the reminder of that failed relationship and how difficult relationships were, even if the person was as nice as Jess, Veronica frowned slightly."Good luck, Jess," Veronica muttered as she sat back on her bike and began pedaling. She just hoped that Jess wouldn't need it.
Part Two