The Reunion

It's been 9 years since the show left off and the Neptune High 10 year reunion is right around the corner. Veronica has been traveling the world doing P.I. work and just came back from Australia and is in a cab heading to Neptune. In the cab ride she looks at her phone at pictures of herself with a guy she appeared to spend time with in Australia. A text pops up on her phone "I miss you already -Jordan," she smiles sweetly and closes her phone, not replying.

The cab pulls up to a small house and the driver takes out her luggage and she pays him as he leaves. She stands there just looking at the house smiling when a young boy comes running out of the house screaming "RONNNNNNNNI" and jumps into her arms.

"Patrick!" she hugs him tightly, "I missed you SO much!"

"You said you'd come back for Thanksgiving this year..." he pouts.

"I know, I'm sorry, I just had a really big case bubba," she kisses him on the forehead and puts him down.

"Hey...you look familiar?" said Keith coming out of the house with the biggest grin on the planet.

"I guess all the plastic surgery didn't have it's intended effect," she smirks and jumps into his arms.

"You were gone far too long this time, you know I worry about you."

"You do realize I'm 28 now and I don't have a curfew anymore," she stands back crossing her arms over her chest.

"Hey, are you the one my men talk about incessantly?" Alicia said coming over to hug Veronica, "I swear Patrick thinks you are a super hero."

"I'm not? Then what is with the cape in my suitcase?" Veronica takes Patrick's hand and they all head into the house.

"Are you going to be around for my birthday next week?" Patrick asks as Veronica plays blocks with him on the floor.

"Are you turning 45 this year or 46?" Veronica asks quizickly.

"Roni...I'm gonna be six years old!" he yells out with exitement.

"Oh wow! I'll have to see if I can fit that into my busy schedule," she smiles at him.

"Wallace should be here soon," Alicia mentions as she and Keith are cutting up vegetables for dinner.

"I can't wait to see my baby brother, I owe him so many noogies," Veronica quips.

"What's a noogie?" Patrick asks.

"Something only adults do," Keith remarks.

"I don't need to know what goes on in your bedroom," Veronica says.

Keith gets a message on his phone and checks it.

"So, how's the biggest baddest sheriff in Neptune?" she asks as she gets up off the floor and sits at the island in the kitchen.

"Way too busy keeping everyone in line."

"I'm so glad you finally won the last election, it was about time," she mentions.

"Oh yeah, thanks for rigging that for me," he tosses a mushroom into his mouth with a grin.

"Luckily I didn't have to, since I was in Beijing at the time."

Someone knocks at the door. Veronica runs excitedly to the door and open sit to a clean cut Wallace standing there in a suit and tie.

"Baby brother!" she screams and jumps into his arms.

"Hey hey, I'm only younger by a few months you know," he says hugging her back.

"If it means I can boss you around and mock you then big sister I am," she says pinching his cheek.

"You mean the way you've always treated me?" he laughs then hugs his mother and Keith. He goes over and hugs Patrick.

"You know I'm a powerful sports agent now, you can't treat me like this anymore," he said going to the refrigerator to get a beer.

"What? Is Shaqil O'Neil gonna rough me up for you?"

"I'm afraid you'd hurt him."

"So how was Australia?" Alicia asks.

"Oh you know, stealing from the rich and giving to the poor," she sighs.

"Did you solve the case about that mission ten million dollars?" Wallace asks.

"You have to ask Wally? Would she be here if she hadn't solved it?" Keith remarks.

"Stop calling me Wally," Wallace glares at him, "what happened with that guy you met in Australia?"

"It was just a little thing, he was nice."

"When was the last time you had an actual relationship?" he prodded.

"You should talk."

"Hey, I'm just waiting for Mrs. Right."

"Then maybe you should stop dating 22 year old waitresses..." Alicia adds.

"BURN!" Keith and Veronica say at the same time and then high five.

"You realized you married a complete dork right?" Wallace says to his mom.

"Oh, I know very well," she smiles and hugs Keith.

"Ok, enough with the chit chat, if someone doesn't feed me soon I'm going to start foaming at the mouth."

Veronica leaned down to kiss Patrick on the forehead as she tucked him in. His curls and mocha skin were so different than her pale skin and blond hair but he was so much like her. As she watched him sleep after she'd told him a story about pirates on the open sea she hoped he would grow up more trusting than her and less guarded.

She went to put on her pajamas and headed out to the back porch where her father was sitting by himself.

"Beer?" she asked as she handed him one and sat down next to him.

"Thanks. I can't believe you still have those My Little Pony pajamas," he noted taking a sip of the beer.

"You know how much I love ponies," she said bringing her knees up to her chest and wrapping her arms around them.

"I worry about you," he said still looking out at the night sky.

"No need to worry about me pops, I'm a badass international PI or haven't you heard?"

"Oh I've heard, I just worry that you'll never settle down and relax," he looked over at her and she shrugged.

"Love and relationships, I don't do that so well but taking down the bad guys, that...I do well."

"I'm afraid you've taken after me too much, keeping people at a distance and spending too much time on your career. Take it from me, the real moments are the ones you spend with those you love," he smiles to himself.

Veronica had nothing to say to this, she knew it was true but she couldn't deal. She'd had a few flings over the years but had never really invested in anyone. It was convenient to get caught up in a whirlwind love affair and then down the road head off into the sunset. Her life worked this way but something was missing from her life.

"I'm going to bed, I have to work tomorrow. I love you," he said kissing her forehead.

"Love you too dad."

Veronica woke up to the smell of pancakes and coffee, she walked out into the kitchen yawning to see Alicia, Wallace and Patrick sitting at the table having breakfast. She took the scene in for a moment, was this an actual family? When did this happen?

"I hope you didn't eat all the pancakes Patrick," said Veronica as she took a seat and poured a cup of coffee.

"No but Wallace did!" Patrick said loudly pointing at Wallace.

"Hey now, I saved you a few," Wallace said handing her the plate of pancakes.

"You ready for memory lane tonight?" she said taking a huge bite of pancakes and following that with a gulp of coffee.

"I guess, it will be nice to see the basketball team. You?"

"I'd like to see Mac and would love to see a balding/pudgy Dick," she said with a grin.

"Think Logan will be there?" he asks tentatively.

Veronica pauses in mid bite "no idea, haven't talked to him in a while."

"I think I heard he was living in Japan at one point, his company went international."

"I really need a shower, I stank something harsh," she says putting her plate in the sink and heading off to the bathroom.

Standing at the sink after her shower she was rifling through her makeup bag when she pulls out a diamond ring. She looks at it for a moment as her eyes tear up a little then puts it back in the bag.

"Am I crazy for going tonight?" she said looking in the mirror.

Veronica and Wallace are standing outside of the high school pausing for a moment before they go in. Wallace is wearing a dark grey suit with a pink tie. Veronica is wearing a dark blue/green fitted calf-length dress with her hair wavy swept up loosely.

"Really? A pink tie?" she mocks fixing his tie for him.

"Only real men can wear pink," he says straightening out his suit.

"Did P Diddy tell you that?"

She hooks her arm with his and they head into the gymnasium. As they walk into the room she's immediately filled with emotion. She couldn't help but remember the accidental slow dance she had with Logan here. That moment her heart was pounding so hard and she couldn't remember how to breath. How was it no matter what she and Logan went through somehow he always made her heart stop? Just thinking about him these days, which she did more than she'd ever admit out loud, made her palpitate.

Wallace notices his basketball team friends in the middle of the room and turns to Veronica.

"Do you mind?" he asks her not wanting to leave her alone.

"I'm a big girl, I stopped using training wheels last week you know," she says pushing him towards his friends.

Veronica walks over to the drink table to get some punch. It figured that a reunion at Neptune High wouldn't have any alcohol. She took a cup of punch when she heard behind her.

"You should know that's spiked, I don't want you completely losing control about me this time."

She turns around to see Dick Casablancas standing there looking a little older with shorter slightly thinning hair. He is wearing a sports jacket with a t-shirt underneith.

"You seem to always forget I was drugged at that party Dick," she says gritting her teeth but smiling.

"I remember, you were never so much fun as you were that night."

"I live to please you Dick," she said punching him in the shoulder.

"Oh, you have a funny way of showing it," he turns around standing next to her looking out to the dance floor.

"Please tell me you are doing something now other than living at the Neptune Grand and playing video games," she asks waiting for Dick to sip his drink before she takes a sip of hers.

"I'm an adult now Veronica, believe it or not. I own my own car dealership, I have 2 kids and I'm in the process of a divorce."

"Wow, sorry about that," she says honestly.

"I'm not, marriage isn't my thang you know?"

"Oh I believe it," she says walking across the room when she sees him. Logan just walked into the room and is looking around. His hair is shorter than it used to be. He's wearing a button down white shirt with no tie and the first couple buttons undone. He has a sports jacket on and looks so grown up but so much the same. Just then, he catches her eye and she can barely handle it. She turns around and bolts out of the gymnasium.

After she re-applies her lipstick and adjusts her dress she heads back out of the bathroom feeling like she's gotten her shit together to go back. She's been all over the world; she can handle this guy from her past. As the door closes behind her she hears behind her "if it isn't the International woman of mystery."

Logan is leaning against the wall waiting for her.