Hey guys! This is my first fanfiction that I have posted on here! This also happens to be my first Veronica Mars fanfic! I used to write fanfiction for Smallville, but it's been years since I've been in the game! I would appreciate all critiques and reviews! Let me know what you all think! Thank you! (PS: This is going to be more of a narrative of Veronica and where she went after season three. I am following the storyline of the series , including the movie. I am personally a LoVe fan myself, but I have to give Piz credit where credit is due. So for fellow LoVe fans, don't be dismayed, I will get our dear Logan in there, even some LoVe in here as well. Bear with me!)

Thanks Marshmallows,

Brittany

Chapter 1

"This is Gervais and Associates, how may I direct your call?" Veronica sat, listening to the receptionist continually answering the ringing phone. She watched as the female smiled and nodded as if the person on the other line could see her.

"Veronica Mars?" a male voice said from behind the couch that she sat at. She tried not to seem too eager as she jumped up at the sound of her name. She had been waiting for over an hour for an interview at Gervais and Associates, one of the smaller consulting agencies in New York City. She was in her second year of law school, and the job was only going to be an internship, but she needed the cash- as little as it was paying- and she knew it would be a good place to get her foot in the door for bigger and better things.

Veronica followed the young man through a hallway to a conference room. There was a large table in the center of the room where a gentleman in his early thirties and a female (who Veronica guessed was in her fifties) sat. She knew that the man was Philip Gervais. He was the son of the owner, and was the company's head attorney. The older woman was a mystery. Veronica decided she was probably head of HR or something.

"Veronica," Philip stood, "it is so nice to finally meet you. Bobby has told us a lot about you." Bobby worked in the admissions office of her school. She had done him a favor in uncovering his cheating wife, and so he continued to return the favor by setting up interviews for her. She didn't necessarily like the fact that she was making progress due to Bobby's cheating wife, but what the hell.

"Thank you, it's a pleasure to be here," she responded by taking Philip's outstretched hand.

"Sit! Sit, let's begin."

An hour and a half later, Veronica headed out of the building into the crisp New York day. The interview had gone well, and she was fully confident that Gervais would undoubtedly scoop up the perky blonde who had the drive and confidence they were looking for.

Her phone rang and she answered. It was Keith.

"Hey pops," she smiled.

"'Ey is this Ronnie? I'm lookin' for someone who goes by dat name," he responded in his best New Yorker accent.

"Well, you'll never find someone going by that name with this number. But if you're looking for Veronica who just had the best interview of her life at Gervais, then you've found her."

"Ah! No way, sweetie! I'm proud of you."

"Thanks, dad. I mean, I don't wanna jump the gun, but I'm fairly certain that I swept those bastards off their feet."

"I'm sure you did. Let me know when you hear something."

"Of course," Veronica responded. Her heart began to ache. She missed home. New York was every aspiring lawyer's dream, but Veronica always preferred sunny California. She hadn't been home in over six months, and the inevitable pull of Neptune had slowly taken its toll.

As much as I hated that place, it sucks me in. Every damn time. But Logan isn't there anymore. He's down in Hollywood with his girlfriend. It's safe to go home now.

Oh, Logan. She liked to make herself believe that she didn't think about him as much as she actually did. Of course if his face wasn't splashed across People magazine every week, it would be easier to forget his jackass charm.

She shook him from her thoughts and returned back to her conversation with her dad.

"I miss you," she said at almost a whisper. Her eyes stung, and she was unsure how much of it was the cold air hitting her face or the tears she was holding back.

"I miss you too, sweetheart. But I'll be seeing you soon. You're still coming home for Thanksgiving, right?"

"I mean, it all depends on the job, but yeah. That's still the plan." She heard Keith release his breath. She knew that he was worried she wouldn't make it home. She only hoped that she wouldn't disappoint him again this year.

vvVvv

Stosh "Piz" Piznarski sat at a small table at Rosie's Pizzeria. It was one o'clock so he had missed the lunch hour rush. He stared at the restaurant's window as he watched for Veronica. His palms were sweating and his stomach was in knots.

He and Veronica had broken up after she transferred to Stanford their sophomore year of college, which came as no surprise to anyone. They had been through too much. She had changed after the whole Logan beating his face to a pulp incident, and even more so when her dad lost the election to Vinnie Van Lowe. He couldn't really blame her for breaking up with him. He knew what he was signing up for when he started dating the stone wall named Veronica Mars. Wallace had tried warning him, with no success.

But then what seemed like fate hit them like a truck when they ran into each other at a grocery store almost a week earlier. They stood in the cereal aisle for almost an hour as they caught up. He casually asked her if she would want to grab lunch sometime, and to his surprise she agreed. It had been four years since they had seen each other, and he was hoping the time spent apart would be enough for them to rekindle what they once had.

He suddenly spotted Veronica walking towards the door. She was dressed in a cream button up shirt and dress pants. Her hair had grown longer and it was curled. She was glowing.

"Piznarski!" she called as she walked through the door. She hurried towards him. Piz stood and embraced her. A wave of nostalgia hit as he smelled her. She was exactly as he remembered.

"Ronnie, you look happy. Did you go to that interview you were talking about?"

They both sat. She smiled at him, eyes bright.

"I did, indeed. And not to toot my own horn or anything but… I made them my bitch."

"Oh hell yeah!" he responded as they high fived. She laughed and looked at him with her beautiful eyes. His face began to flush so he looked down at the menu that sat in front of him. "Since you have not been to Rosie's yet, I'm ordering for us. Their flatbread pizza is killer." She stayed silent, but nodded her head looking down at her menu. He glanced at her hoping to catch those eyes again, but she was avoiding his stare.

"I'm sorry," she blurted suddenly. He looked at her bewildered. She must have sensed his confusion, because she continued, "…for everything. You were- are- such an amazing guy. I was fucked up when you met me. I didn't treat you…"

"Veronica, don't," Piz cut her off. He didn't want her to feel bad for anything that happened in the past. She hadn't done anything wrong. She only did what she thought was best for her, and he finally understood that now.

Don't let her off the hook that easy, he thought suddenly. She really screwed me over. I was the nice one. The one she was supposed to choose. I did everything right, but no matter how hard I tried she never saw anything but a little boy with a crush. He hated her for that. He hated that she let him fall so hard for her, only to rip that away from him.

"No, let me get this out," she argued. He kept his mouth shut and let her finish. "I'm not saying that I have everything figured out now, but… Damn, I thought this would be easier."

"What? Veronica Mars is having a hard time expressing herself?" he teased. She looked up at him and smiled.

"Shut up," she laughed.

He wanted to tell her that he still loved her. After all of these years, she was still the one that got away. He wanted to tell her that she was safe with him. He wanted to tell her that if she would have him, he wanted to try again, but just as he began to pick up courage, the waitress walked up to their table. Timing was never their forte.

vvVvv

As the afternoon rolled on, Veronica found herself in that same place she found herself freshman year when she realized how amazing Piz was. He was older and had matured well. His hair was slicked back, and he wore a plaid dress shirt with the sleeves rolled up and dark jeans. She couldn't help but to admire his physical attractiveness.

From what he had shared, he was working for WBEZ, for a show called This American Life. She always knew his contagious personality would land him in a position of high radio standing.

"So a couple of coworkers and I are going out for drinks tonight if you wanna swing by?" his voice interrupted her thoughts.

Veronica looked at him and realized she had a decision to make. She had no intentions of dating anyone for a very long time. She wanted to be finished with school and settled into a high paying law firm before she even thought about committing to someone. But she also knew how she and Piz worked. They were really good at being friends, until he couldn't hide his feelings any longer and his good boy persona swept her off of her normally grounded feet.

If she agreed to continue these "friend dates" they would most likely end up in one of the following situations: 1) they would sleep together and everything would get confusing and they would awkwardly stop talking, 2) they would sleep together and continue down that path of "friends with benefits" that inevitably ends up with one person falling madly in love for the other, 3) they would not sleep together, but one of them would still fall madly in love with the other, and their friendship would be ruined. She didn't have time for messes at this point in her life. She had to decide. She could either end things here and now, and they could part ways as friends. They would send Christmas cards to each other every year. Or she could go out for drinks, and hope to God that none of the situations would play out and they could just be good friends again.

Just let go for once in your life Mars. Just let things happen.

"Drinks, huh? Yeah. Yeah, why not? Just hit me up with the details, and I'll be there." She had done it. It was easy to walk away, and Veronica had never liked the easy route.

vvVvv

Later that night Veronica hailed a cab and headed towards a bar called O'Leary's. She had spent the evening mentally preparing herself for the night out. She wasn't sure what to wear so she settled on a short black dress. It had long flowy sleeves and a low V neck, but not so low that she seemed like she was asking for sexual favors. She stepped into black heels and had put her hair in a messy bun.

This is not a date, Veronica. Don't sex yourself up too much…

The cab finally stopped in front of a crowded sidewalk outside of the bar. She handed the driver cash and stepped into the night. It took her a few minutes of final deliberation before she walked into the crowded O'Leary's. She found Piz and a few other people at a circular table. They had already made a large pile of empty mugs and glasses in the center of the table. Piz had his arm around a drunk brunette. When he saw Veronica approaching he jumped out of his seat.

"There you are!" he yelled over the loud music, "Guys! Guys! This is Veronica Mars," he said turning to the table. There were four girls and two other guys. All acknowledged her with friendly smiles and waves. Piz put his hand on her back and led her to an empty seat next to his.

"You look beautiful," he whispered in her ear as they sat. She turned to face him. He smiled drunkenly, and turned back to the brunette. She laughed at something he said and placed her hand on his knee. A shot of jealously ran through Veronica's body unexpectedly. She realized she needed to catch up to them in order for this night to be remotely bearable so she stood and headed to the bar.

vvVvv

Slow your roll, Veronica. She had already downed four…maybe five drinks and she knew she was starting to get pretty drunk. Piz had taken the brunette, who she now knew was Amber, to the dance floor and they hadn't returned. She sat alone at the table. Two of the girls had gone to dance with the guys, and one of the girls had already gone home.

So he really meant it when he said 'let's be friends,' she thought angrily. She understood that he was a single, attractive man, but she was irritated that she had gotten ready and come to a bar only to sit by herself at a sticky, empty table.

She spotted Piz on the dance floor and decided to let him know she was going home. "Hey! Ladies' man, I'm gonna head home! It's getting late, and clearly I am not needed here!" Before she could leave, he grabbed her hand.

"Dance with me!" he insisted. She shook her head. Everything was so loud.

"I don't dance, Piznarski. You know that."

"I don't believe you," he laughed. He pulled her closer. She closed her eyes and let go. He wanted her to dance? She would dance.