Disclaimer: Only borrowing these wonderful characters from Rob Thomas. I sadly own nothing, but wish I did.

So this is the last chapter for this story. I had finished it several weeks ago on A03 as I started publishing it over here, which is why I was able to post a chapter each day. I wanted to thank everyone who read my story here and a special thanks to everyone who left reviews too. I hope you all enjoyed it. I'll be publishing a second story very soon and hope you all will continue to read the next installment. When I start publishing that one the updates will probably be more like weekly rather than daily though. Thanks again!

Chapter 35 – BBQ

Veronica stood in the middle of the kitchen staring at the cake she'd made for her dad's birthday. Logan had been outside getting the grill ready when she started frosting it, and he'd come back in to see the completed product. He smirked and raised an eyebrow at her. She scowled back at him and shook her head.

"It's not that bad," she said in a resigned tone.

"I didn't say it was, Bobcat." He gave her a quick kiss on the forehead and continued on to the fridge to get the steaks out that they'd bought on their grocery shopping trip. When she said she wanted to bake her dad a cake for his birthday, which was the next day, he'd suggested they just get one of the already finished ones from the bakery. Of course she protested and said it had to be one she made herself and so he didn't argue. And he certainly wasn't going to say 'I told you so' either. Alicia had planned a big party for Keith the following Saturday, and Logan wondered if Veronica was going to insist on baking the cake for that one too, but also thought it wise not to ask at the moment.

"He loves my crooked leaning cakes. It's a Mars' tradition." She declared, mostly trying to convincing herself, as she stood there looking at it. She turned her head to the side to estimate just how crooked it really was.

"I'm sure it will be delicious," he said as he stopped next to her for a moment and cocked his head in the same direction. "It's definitely one of a kind." She elbowed him slightly, to which he grunted. "What?" he said in confusion with a faux pout on his face. She shook her head and rolled her eyes before she patted him gently where she'd elbowed him.

He went back over to the other counter where he'd set the steaks and started getting seasonings out to make a rub for them. He turned to look at her as he reached for a bowl to mix the seasonings in and saw her staring at him again. He raised his eyebrow in a questioning glance. "You're doing that again," he said in a neutral tone as he found a bowl and went back to where he'd set the seasonings.

"Mmm hmmmm," she replied as she leaned against the counter. He turned his head slightly toward her and gave her a quizzical look. She smiled and shrugged, "Well you know what you said about me surfing…."

He chuckled and shook his head. "So if I want to get lucky, all I have to do is come in the kitchen and make you some food?" He raised an eyebrow as he opened a drawer and grabbed a spoon to mix the seasoning with.

"Well you know me and food," she said in a playful tone. "But watching you prepare it is definitely a bigger turn on."

He walked toward her with the spoon in his hand and pinned her between him and the counter. He set the spoon down and then ran his hands down her sides, resting on her hips. He leaned down to kiss her, then laughed softly and picked her up and sat her on the counter instead. "Much easier than leaning down," he said with a smirk. He pressed his lips to hers as he stepped between her knees and pulled her closer. They were in the middle of a very passionate kiss when the door bell rang. He groaned a bit in frustration. "This is going to be a really long evening," he mumbled softly as he rested his head against her shoulder. She laughed and kissed him quickly on the top of the head and then shoved him away by pushing on his chest and hopped down to go answer the door.

Logan returned to preparing the rub and a few minutes later Veronica appeared in the kitchen again with Wallace and Cora. "I hope we're not too early, but Cora thought we should drop by and see if we could help get things ready." Wallace said apologetically.

Logan smiled warmly and shook his head, "No worries man. Thanks. I'm just getting the steaks ready for the grill. I already put the baked potatoes in a few minutes ago, but I think there were a few salads Veronica was planning to make, so I'm sure she could use a hand with those. I'm going to run down to the wine cellar to get a couple of bottles of wine for dinner. I could use a hand with that if you want to join me Wallace."

Veronica shot him a curious look. "There's a wine cellar?"

Wallace chuckled, "Maybe Veronica should help you, so she doesn't get lost later in the depths of your house."

Logan laughed softly and looked at her to see if she wanted to join him. She smiled and looked at Cora and Wallace and shrugged. "If you two don't mind?" They both smiled and nodded at her and so she followed Logan down the hall that led to the garage. They'd been coming and going through the front door, and he'd been the one to put the cars in the garage at night and take them out in the morning, so she hadn't actually even ventured into that part of the house yet.

He gestured at a closed door. "I guess I left off some parts of our tour the other day. That's where the laundry room is." She laughed softly and nodded. He opened the door across from it, which led down into a basement area. He'd turned on a light switch at the top of the stairs, and at the bottom there was a short hallway with 3 doors. Before he opened any of the doors, he smiled mischievously at her and moved toward her, pinning her against the wall. "Can't miss an opportunity of having you all to my self," he said lustfully as he pressed his mouth against hers and she sighed into him as she kissed him back. He moaned softly, then took a step back and released his hold on her. He turned toward the door on the right side of the small hall and opened it revealing an impressive wine cellar. There was a lot of empty space in it, but he had a decent sized collection for someone who rarely drank anymore. She was impressed with how state of the art it was. She also couldn't help but notice how many bottles seemed to have the same label, Calloway Winery. Logan handed her a bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon and then he grabbed a couple of other bottles himself and headed back to the hall.

She paused outside the door and looked at him curiously.

"What?" He replied when he saw her looking at him.

"What's behind door number 2 and 3?" She answered, starting to wonder if he was intentionally being evasive.

"Oh, right." He looked toward the door at the end of the hall. "That door just leads to unfinished space under the house. There aren't any lights in there though, so it would just be a dark hole without a flashlight."

She nodded and stared at the door that was on the opposite side of the hall from the Wine Cellar. "And that one?"

He hesitated a moment before he looked at the door and answered. "It was set up as a dark room before."

She wasn't expecting that answer at all. She gave him a puzzled look and then opened the door to look inside. She found the light switch and flipped it on. The room had definitely been used as a dark room at some point. He leaned against the door frame and watched her walk around the room. "Seems sort of obsolete in the age of digital photography though now," he commented as he continued to watch her.

She nodded and circled a giant work table in the center of the room. She noticed a board on one wall still had tacks in it. "Did the prior owners have it set up like this when you bought the house then?"

He looked down at the floor for a minute then back up at her and shook his head. "No." His face took on a slightly concerned look and then he sighed as he rested his head against the door frame.

She gave him an understanding smile and nodded, "Ah, Alexis free day right?" He nodded back at her and gave her an almost apologetic look. "So she's the one that set it up and used it?" He nodded and continued to watch her carefully. She walked back around to where she was standing right in front of him. "You're right, with digital, not many people still use film for photos anymore. With how rare it is, I think it's become somewhat of an expensive hobby these days anyway." He shrugged and nodded. "We'd better get back up stairs to our guests," she said as she gazed up into his eyes.

She reached over and turned off the light switch. Logan was still frozen in the door way, and with the light off in the room, all she could really see was his silhouette from the light in the hallway. "Do we need to talk more about this?" he asked in a low concerned tone.

She knew he could see her with the light flooding in behind him, illuminating her face. She smiled lovingly at him and shook her head. She sat her bottle of wine down on the counter by the door and reached up and cupped both sides of his face with her hands. "I love you Logan, past and all, okay?" He slowly nodded his head, and tipped his forehead down to rest against hers.

"I love you too, Veronica." He placed a soft kiss on her lips and let out a deep breath. She leaned up and kissed him a bit more passionately for a few moments.

"We'd better head back up stairs before they send a search party for us," she replied in a playful tone. He nodded and kissed her one more time before heading up the stairs to rejoin Wallace and Cora in the kitchen.

Wallace and Cora had been cutting up the vegetables that were laying out for a salad. Logan opened one of the bottles of wine and offered to pour some for everyone. Wallace asked for a beer instead, and Cora and Veronica each took a glass of wine from Logan.

"Nice cake," Wallace said grinning at Veronica. "Was Logan too cheap to buy a nice one from the bakery for you?" She glared at him and then tossed a chunk of cucumber at him, while Logan just shook his head. He knew better than to jump into that mine field.

As they chatted and worked on the rest of the meal in the kitchen, Logan noticed Veronica kept looking at the clock, and seemed to be getting more nervous the closer it got to 4pm. She practically jumped when the door bell rang at 3:45. Logan put a soothing hand on her shoulder and then walked to the door, with her following behind him.

Mac and Dick were the ones at the door, and after quickly greeting them and walking with them to the kitchen, Logan asked if Veronica could help him with something on the patio, and left the others inside talking.

Once the door was closed behind them, he pulled her over to the side of the house next to the door. She gave him a puzzled look as he brushed some hair out of her face and stared intently at her.

"What?" She asked, pretending she didn't know she was acting strangely.

He gave her a 'seriously' look and shook his head slightly at her. "Can we quickly talk about what's going on with you? What's wrong?"

She sighed and shook her head, looking down at his chest instead of his face. He tipped her chin up again so she had to look at him. He smiled and looked at her quizzically. "I know the drill, no talk of milky thighs," he said in a teasing tone.

She sighed and smiled slightly. "That's not it," after a pause though she added with a slightly stern look, "though those rules do still apply."

He nodded and smiled. "Then what's bothering you?"

She exhaled a deep breath, "I'm just not sure my dad is going to be thrilled with all the decisions I've made this week."

Logan gave her an understanding smile, "You know he's going to be thrilled to have you back in Neptune." She nodded in agreement. "I'm sure he'd also rather hear you're going to take a job with the DA's office, but he loves you and eventually you'll convince him you made the right decision for you."

She smiled lovingly at him. "And staying here with you?" She asked with her eyebrows raised slightly.

He chuckled softly, "Yeah, you're on your own with that one." She made a slightly angry face at him and he laughed softly and leaned in and kissed her. "But my preference would be that you lead with the job decision so his blind rage over that might spare me later."

She scrunched up her face and poked him in the stomach. "Glad to see you're looking out for your self there buddy."

He smiled lovingly at her. His eyes traveling from her eyes down to her lips then back up her face, landing on her eyes again. "It's going to be fine, Veronica." She sighed and reached up to wrap her hands behind his head and pulled his face down closer to her. His eyes had traveled back down to watch as she licked her lips a bit nervously and then he pressed his lips to hers in a deeper kiss than before.

They didn't hear the door to the patio open and were startled by someone clearing their throat.

"Daddy," Veronica said sweetly, as she dropped her hands from Logan's neck and saw Keith standing there. Logan blushed slightly and stood up straighter and tried to hide his look of embarrassment.

Keith gave them a slightly unhappy look as Alicia came out the door as well. She'd missed seeing them kissing, but given the expressions on everyone's faces and Veronica and Logan's positions, it was easy to tell what had happened.

"Hey kiddo," Keith said with a softer look on his face as he focused on just her, "it's so good to see you." Veronica walked over and gave him a hug, leaving Logan standing near the side of the house.

After Veronica stepped away from Keith, his expression turned serious again and he looked back toward Logan. "Logan." He said rather curtly with a slight nod of his head.

Veronica had given Alicia a quick hug after her dad, and then turned back to look at the two men. Logan nodded back, surprised a bit at Keith's tone, so he replied somewhat seriously as well. "Mr. Mars."

Alicia shook her head. "Seriously?" she asked looking between the two men with an exasperated tone. "Like you didn't expect this to happen," she said to Keith as she walked over toward Logan and gave him a big hug. "It's good to see you Logan. Thanks so much for inviting us over for dinner." She wrapped her arm around Logan's waist and gave Keith a hard stare for a moment. "Do you need any help in the kitchen with anything?" she asked Logan sweetly as the two of them walked back toward the house.

Logan glanced over his shoulder at Veronica and could tell she looked a bit worried about being left alone out there with Keith. "Let's give them some time to catch up," Alicia said loud enough for them all to hear her and kept Logan moving back in side.

Veronica smiled a bit uncomfortably at Keith, and then laughed. "Welcome home pops!" she said in a cheery voice. He laughed back and his expression softened again. She gestured toward the ocean. "Do you want to walk out to the beach?" He nodded and put his arm around her shoulders and they headed down the path toward the beach and the gazebo.

"Did you enjoy the cruise?" Veronica asked as they started walking down the path. He said he did and filled her in on a few of his favorite ports that they stopped at as they headed toward the beach. When they reached the Gazebo they took a seat side by side on one of the large lounges, looking out toward the ocean.

"Thanks for all the help at the office while I was gone," Keith said with a warm smile on his face. "I stopped by for a couple hours earlier this afternoon and was amazed at how much you did while I was away." She nodded and smiled back. His expression became a bit more serious as he continued, "Are you ready to tell me what happened in Massachusetts now?" His brow was furrowed in a concerned look as he watched her face intently.

She shrugged, and then sighed slightly. "I sort of got into a bit of trouble at work and was suspended when I first came out here." His look became a bit more worried at her confession. She smiled a bit and continued, "I found out this week that they unsuspended me though, but I also decided I don't want to go back."

His expression stayed serious, "Is that because of Logan?"

She immediately shook her head. "No," but then she paused a moment, "that's not the only reason at least. I just wasn't really that happy out there, with work or my life…"

He softened his expression a bit more, "I thought you were happy though, with your job and Dillon?"

She laughed bitterly, "Let's just say Dillon wasn't as happy with me as I thought and that our relationship was over before I even flew back to Neptune." He nodded in understanding, sensing that he wasn't going to get any more from her on that topic, and that he probably was better off not knowing more by the tone she took.

"So," he said more softly, "what are you planning to do now?"

"Logan tried to talk me into joining the DA's office here in Neptune and I talked with Roger, but I'm just not sure being a lawyer is what really makes me the happiest." She sighed and looked at him with a bit of concern in her expression. "I like investigating more than just following all the procedures involved with processing law cases." She hesitated for another moment before she continued, "Leo actually offered me a full time consulting position with the Sheriff's department."

She saw a wave of concern flash over his face. "Veronica," he said in a soft pleading tone, "are you really sure that's the best thing for you?"

She shrugged and looked out at the ocean for a moment. "I think so, but I'm sure I'd have other options if it turns out I'm wrong. I'd have to take the California Bar to practice out here anyway, so if working for the Sheriff's office doesn't really make me happy, I could always pursue that option again too."

"Maybe you should take some more time to think about it," He said in a more supportive tone. "How long do you have to make your decision?"

She looked firmly at him, "I've already decided." She sighed softly and then continued, "I called Pete this morning and let him know I'm not coming back so he can start working on hiring a replacement."

His expression became a bit grim and he nodded in understanding. He smiled softly at her and put his arm around her shoulder, "I'm excited to have you back in Neptune, you know?" She nodded. "I'd just rather have you working on less dangerous things."

She sighed and shook her head, "I went through the same thing with Logan. I'd be working closely with the Sheriff's department, and not going out on my own after dangerous criminals."

He looked at her skeptically. "I know you Veronica, and I also know you have a bad habit of going after a lead when you come across one, and I'm not sure I believe you'd always wait for official backup."

She grinned a bit sheepishly at him, "Well, I'll try my hardest to follow the rules at least."

He laughed and shook his head. "And you and Logan?" he asked as a concerned expression settled on his face again.

She shrugged and looked out the ocean again before turning back toward him, with a much sadder look on her face. "Why didn't you tell me he came to my law school graduation?"

He sighed and his expression softened as well. "Whenever I would mention running into Logan to you, you would immediately tell me you didn't want to hear about it. That you didn't want to worry about what was going on with him in Neptune while you were trying to finish school and start your career out there. I figured it was better to follow your wishes than to push it on you." He watched her carefully, "Sounds like the two of you did a lot of catching up the past two weeks."

She nodded and looked down at her lap, biting a bit on her lower lip. "It's been really good. We've both changed a lot compared to who we were 8 years ago." Keith nodded in understanding. "Are you going to be able to accept me being with him now?"

Keith made a serious face, "Well he is the Mayor of Neptune, talk about a bad influence on my daughter. Maybe we could find you a nice guy at one of the bars by the tracks on the bad side of town instead." She laughed and elbowed him lightly in the side causing him to abandon the serious face and laugh along with her.

"I know Logan's not the same messed up teenager that you dated before you left Veronica." He looked at her lovingly, "I want you to be happy and if you want to give it another try with him, I can accept that."

She bit her lip again and looked at him a bit nervously. "I've also decided I'm going to stay here with him for now."

She saw a look of disapproval cross his face. "Veronica..."

She cut him off before he could continue. "I'm an adult now and I have the right to decide where to live even if you don't agree." She stared at him with a stubborn look on her face.

Keith took a deep unsteady breath. "Fine, but I'm going to pretend you're living in one of his guest rooms as a consideration to your newly remarried dad, rather than it being anything else."

She cringed a bit at the thought of her dad being anything close to a newlywed and why he'd want privacy. Then she laughed and nodded. "Works for me." She leaned over and kissed his cheek. "I'm really happy to be home dad."

"I'm really happy you're home too," he said as he squeezed her shoulder and kissed her lovingly on the top of her head. They sat there together watching the ocean for a few more minutes before they headed back up to the house.

Logan was out at the grill cooking the steaks, and everyone else had also headed out to the patio area. Darryl and Dick had changed into swim trunks and were taking turns diving and cannon-balling into the pool. Logan gave her a curious look as they came up the beach path. She gave him a warm smile in return so he knew everything was okay.

Keith walked over and stood next to Logan, placing his arm across Logan's shoulder. "Need any help with the steaks? You know I like mine medium rare."

Logan smiled and nodded, pointing his tongs at one of the steaks. "That one right there has your name on it." Keith laughed and patted him on the shoulder.

"I'm going to grab a beer. Do you need anything?" Keith asked, seeing Logan had the grilling under control.

Logan shook his head, "I'm good, but thanks Keith." Keith nodded and headed into the house.

Veronica had been watching their little interaction and went over behind Logan and put her arms around his waist, peeking around him at the steaks. He leaned down and kissed the top of her head. "Everything go okay out there?" She nodded and smiled at him. "I told you it would," he said with a little mischievous wink.

Veronica gave him one more squeeze, and then wandered over to see what Alicia and the other women were talking about. Alicia was admiring Mac's engagement ring, which Veronica also had not seen yet. It of course looked to be quite expensive with a large diamond surrounded by smaller diamonds set in a platinum band.

"So have you picked a date yet?" Alicia asked curiously.

"We're thinking maybe in December actually, maybe even New Years or between Christmas and New Years." Mac replied with a large smile on her face.

Cora gave her a surprised look. "I thought you'd originally said you really wanted to have a summer wedding?"

Mac shrugged, "We thought we might do it sooner rather than later, so we've been talking about December now."

Veronica gave her a suspicious look as well, "Any special reason you're in such a rush? Didn't you just get engaged less than a month ago?"

Mac smiled and shook her head, "No special reason, we just decided we didn't want to wait until the summer."

Alicia noticed Keith coming back out with his beer and excused herself from the other women. Cora said she was going to run in for some more wine and asked if she could get some for Mac or Veronica. Veronica said she'd love another glass and Mac declined.

Veronica shot Mac another suspicious glance after Cora had left to go into the house. "Are you sure there isn't a small special reason you're getting married so soon?" Veronica asked, emphasizing the word 'small'. Mac shook her head, but that didn't stop Veronica from speculating that there was something else going on, but if her friend wasn't ready to admit it, then she wasn't going to push.

"Hey, I meant to ask you, but haven't gotten around to it yet, if you would be one of my bridesmaids. Lauren is going to be my maid of honor, and Cora is going to be one of my bridesmaids too and I'd love it if you were one as well." She smiled hopefully at Veronica before adding, "Of course Logan is Dick's best man too."

Veronica smiled and then replied happily that of course she'd love to be one of the bridesmaids, "Just promise me I won't have to wear some ridiculous frilly dress though?"

Mac laughed at that and shook her head. "We'll find something suitable, I promise. And it's going to be a fairly small ceremony, with just close friends and family."

Veronica noticed that Logan was starting to take some of the steaks off the grill, so Mac and Veronica also headed back toward the kitchen to help bring the rest of the food out for dinner.

Most of the dinner conversation consisted of Alicia and Keith telling them all about their cruise and sharing some of the pictures they had already had printed out. Soon they were all finishing up their meal and Alicia and Veronica had brought out the birthday cake for her dad. She'd bought a pack of candles at the grocery store and put a few in for her dad to blow out. Logan caught Dick tipping his head and looking curiously at the cake. Dick was sitting across from him and Logan kicked his foot under the table and gave him a warning look and shook his head. Dick grinned back and chuckled lightly.

Mac and Cora helped with clean up when they were all done eating, insisting that Alicia relax with the guys. Logan wandered in after the women, also carrying some of the dirty dishes. He pulled out a trash can and made quick work of cleaning off the plates and putting them in the sink to rinse. Veronica stood there a bit surprised for a moment watching him, but Mac and Cora just kept chatting and handing the dishes to him.

Mac noticed her expression, "What, you didn't know he's sort of particular about how the dishes get done?" Cora laughed and nodded and headed back out to the patio to get more of the dirty plates to bring inside.

Logan rolled his eyes and went back to rinsing plates and started putting them in the dishwasher. Veronica laughed and shook her head.

"I'm just better at spatial relations than you are," he said to Mac, obviously referring to a previous failed attempt at doing his dishes. Mac shrugged and went out to help Cora.

Logan glanced at Veronica, "Don't say it, I know…" She just giggled and moved closer so she could give him a kiss on the cheek.

"No commentary here." She smiled mischievously and continued to just watch him work.

A short while later everyone had said their goodbyes, leaving Logan and Veronica alone again. She gave him a curious look.

"What are you thinking, Miss Mars?" He asked suspiciously.

She shrugged and then looked at him a bit seductively. "When I was down at the gazebo earlier, I remembered we never made it back out there at night yet to watch the ocean."

He smiled lovingly back at her and reached out his hand for her. There was still a half-full bottle of wine left, so he grabbed that and two glasses, while Veronica grinned slyly and grabbed a container of brownies that Mac had brought. Logan gave her a loving smile and then led her out the back door toward the beach path. There was a switch near the outdoor shower that he pressed and it turned on little lights that illuminated the pathway to the beach. Veronica smiled in delight seeing how romantic and perfect it looked.

Once they got to the gazebo, he flipped another switch, which turned the path lights off, so they wouldn't distract from the stars and the moon illuminating the ocean. He turned another light on momentarily to unlock the cabinet that held the towels and blankets. He pulled out a couple of blankets and pillows, and placed them on one of the large lounge chairs as Veronica placed the brownies and wine on the table next to it. He turned the lights off again, so they could enjoy the view from the darkened gazebo. They got comfortable on the chair and Logan poured two glasses of wine, while Veronica opened the brownie container and handed him one. They sat snuggled together under the blankets listening to the waves crash along the sand. After Veronica finished her brownie, she put her wine glass down too and turned to see if he was done as well. He smiled lovingly at her and set his glass down too, running his hands along her body under the blankets.

"Guess what I want to do now?" Veronica purred as she turned to straddle his lap, and placed soft kisses up his neck.

"Mmmm…" Logan moaned back. "Surf?" he replied in a teasing tone.

She shook her head and smiled, then replied in a sultry voice. "I want to ride something besides waves tonight."

He chuckled in amusement at her, and then looked more seriously at her. "I love you so much, Veronica."

She smiled lovingly back at him and kissed him passionately on the lips. "And I love you too."

She knew they'd probably still have more challenges to work through, but she was more than happy with how everything was going so far. She was so relieved that her dad didn't really object to any of her plans and that he and Logan really did seem to get along well now. She was also excited about the idea of starting to work on cases for the Sheriff's department.

Logan had started moving his mouth over her neck, and she reached down to remove her shirt for him. He paused to admire her in the moonlight once her shirt was off. He ran his hand up into her hair and placed kisses along her collar bone as she kissed the top of his head and ran her fingers through his hair as well. Making love with Logan by the ocean under the stars was something she didn't think she'd ever get tired of. As long as they had each other, she really believed there wasn't any challenge they couldn't face together.