Title: A Kiss Before Dying (10/10)
Rating: R for language
Summary: 15 year old Veronica has never been kissed and Lamb makes her a promise.

Characters/Pairing: Veronica/Lamb, Keith, Sacks
Spoilers: will eventually be through entire series but AU from 3X14
Word Count: 4750
Disclaimer: I don't own Veronica Mars or the phrase 'A Kiss Before Dying.'
A/N: This is the final chapter of the story, this chapter is overly fluffy in parts. you've been forewarned.

thanks to everyone who has reviewed, alerted and/or favorited this fic!

It's like they were on repeat in my brain. All the most important moments.

("You can't do that to me. You can't die on me. You're not allowed to die on me."

"You either."

"I won't."

"Promise?"

"Of course.")

("Veronica, I promise you that someday someone will kiss you. And if they do or don't, I promise that I will kiss you before you die.")

("I love you, Veronica Mars."

. "You too, deputy.")

("Everything I do is about you, just remember that.")

("What if I said that I wanted you?")

("Whether it be 1 minute, 1 hour, 1 day or week or month or year I'll take it Mars. I will take anything you are willing to give me.")

( "I don't break my promises Mars; you should know that by now. And I don't intend to start anytime soon. This definitely won't be the last time I kiss you and I f I have anything to say about it. We are gonna have this, you and me, a lot more and for a very long time. You're mine Mars, you better get used to it."

("Come over tonight? We can talk then?"

"Ok, I'll be there waiting for you."

"I knew I hadn't left that door unlocked."

"Be careful."

"I will."

"Hey, I love you."

"You too Deputy.")

For the longest time it was just on a loop. But soon there were new ones, ones I didn't remember.

"You can't leave me."

"Please come back to me."

"You promised you wouldn't die."

"You don't break your promises Deputy."

I think it's what brought me back.

No, I don't think. I know.

It was her, her voice, her body, her love.

She brought me back.

When I opened my eyes I felt hazy and groggy, my vision was blurry and I almost felt dizzy. I went to speak but there was something in my throat, it felt scratchy and uncomfortable. It was a long tube. When my vision cleared I looked around. Machines, white walls, antiseptic smell. Hospital. How long had I been here? Why was I here? What the fuck was going on? What… oh my god.

Veronica!

I shot straight up in bed and I must have knocked something loose because suddenly there were doctors and nurses in my room swarming me, poking me, running tests, all talking to me at once and answering only a few of my questions. And then suddenly they left me alone. It was by far one of the weirdest experiences of my life.

I laid back trying to understand it all. I'd been in a coma, they didn't say how long, but they did say why. Fucking Botando.

And they told me that despite the injury, it looked like I might make a full recovery, I might have some cognitive issues and maybe muscles seizures and tremors but that was it. To be honest I felt pretty damn good for having been hit in the back of the head by a baseball bat. A little sore and stiff but that was about it.

Of course that might have had something to do with the fact that all I could think about was Veronica. Did she know? Was she waiting for me at my house still? No, probably not, I was sure someone had told her. Of course I didn't even know how long I'd been in the coma, so for all I knew she'd given up on me completely. She wasn't there, no one was.

Fuck.

At least they took the fucking tube out. I tried to grab for the phone on the table to call her but my hand was shaking and I couldn't reach it. I pushed the blankets off of my legs and was about to try and move them so I could get out of the bed when a nurse walked in and smiled at me. "Oh honey, I wouldn't suggest that."

I stopped and stared a little, she seemed….friendly. Probably mid 40's, brown hair showing a little bit of gray, skinny but not too skinny, but over all she had a warm feel, a typical nurse, like I said friendly. I wasn't so sure how in the mood I was for friendly unless it came in the form of a 5'1", 100 pound, pixie blonde and even then, 'friendly' wasn't the term I would have used for my interest. "Why not?"

She walked over to me and threw the blankets back over my legs. "Well, you haven't moved them in awhile and you probably won't have a lot of control over your muscles for a few days, maybe more, you might even need physical therapy. Best not to move too fast."

I sat back begrudgingly and just watched her as she checked machines and just chatted away. She was already starting to get on my nerves and I was about to ask her to shut up and hand me the phone when something caught my eye. The white board on the wall with the nurse's name, Jeanie, yeah she looked like a Jeanie, doctor's name, paging numbers and the date. The date which in no possible way could be correct.

June 2nd 2007. What. The. Fuck.

I was pretty sure that the last time I was awake it was March 16th. Two and a half months. "I was asleep for two and a half months." I didn't realize I'd said it out loud until she looked up at me again.

"Yes, that's right. We were beginning to think that you'd never wake up. But that girlfriend of yours… she refused to let us think it. They tried to take you off life support twice and she raised hell, got court orders, hired lawyers, she knows some powerful people that girl. She's gonna be so upset she wasn't here when you woke up. She's always here."

Huh? She must have the wrong person. "Girlfriend?"

"Yeah, tiny little blonde thing. Spunky, real mouth on her, but pretty as they come. Could be on the cover of a magazine that one. Vanessa, Victoria. Valerie?"

"Veronica?"

She smiled again and nodded. "Yeah, that's it. She's a keeper, you hold on to her."

Oh my god, I'm dead. Veronica's my girlfriend, she visits me all the time and she wouldn't let them unplug me. This must be heaven. Yep, I was dead. And fuck she was gonna kill me, I promised her I wouldn't die. And I know that didn't make much sense but she's my Veronica Mars, even if I was already dead she'd find a way to do it again. "You said she's here all the time?"

Jeanie laughed a little. "Everyday, all day and night usually. Hardly leaves your side. Sits there." She pointed to a table with 4 chairs. "Does her homework, reads, visits with your friends, her dad's here a lot too. They've all been so worried about you. Nothing like her, but still pretty worried."

Ok, maybe I'm not dead. Maybe I've just slipped into an alternate universe. "Who's they?"

"I think I've heard the names Wallace and Parker a few times and a computer girl."

"Mac?"

"Yeah, that's it and then of course there's the Deputy and Aaron Echolls' son."

Pretty sure my jaw hit the floor on that one. Echolls, visiting me? There was definitely something weird going on. Was I being Punk'd? I was definitely not in the mood for that.

I didn't realize she was still talking until she said Veronica's name. "…only leaves to go to class, though that's over for the year now I think. Showers here and everything. That dresser over there." She pointed again. "Full of clothes for both of you. She even sleeps here most of the time, just crawls right in bed with you. It's probably a good thing you woke up. That's gonna be hard for her soon. Couldn't be too comfortable now anyways."

Veronica has been sleeping in bed with me for two plus months and Keith hasn't unplugged me himself. Holy shit, that just lended to my alternate universe theory. I felt a hand on my arm all of a sudden and realized that Jeanie was taking blood. "So if she's always here, where is she now?"

She smiled again but this time it seemed almost sneaky. "She had a doctor's appointment this morning."

"What kind of doctor's appointment?"

She shrugged and I could tell she was lying when she said. "Not sure, she didn't say." Interesting. "But like I said, she's gonna be so upset when she gets here and you woke up while she was gone. She's been reading to you, talking to you and begging you to come back to her like crazy. I'm not even sure they thought to call her. She should be back soon though."

I just sat there in shock as she kept talking. Maybe I wasn't dreaming. She'd said she wanted to talk to me before the, um accident. Maybe she wanted to tell me she wanted to be with me. It sure felt like that was what she wanted. She'd been so receptive to me and so excited to see me and things had definitely been moving in that direction.

I was completely lost in thought until I heard Jeanie talk to someone else. "Oh, there you are honey."

I raised my eyes to the doorway and there she was. The most beautiful person to ever walk the earth. She was wearing a pair of worn jeans, a plain black tee and converses, but to me, she looked like a god damn supermodel. We made eye contact and kept it and I knew the smile on my face was probably the size of Texas. She was smiling too, but I could see tears in her eyes. She just stood there and I just sat there, not like I could do much else, and finally Jeanie realized it was time to scram. She walked up to Veronica, put her hand on her shoulder and smiled. "Well I'm gonna go, you two have a lot to talk about I'm sure. I'll close the door behind me. You won't have to worry about being bothered for a good couple of hours."

She breezed past her closing the door on her way out and winking at me while she did it.

Once she was gone I focused on Veronica again. She was breathing hard and looked like she might pass out any minute so I started small. "Hi."

She smiled. "Hi." She took a step towards me and her voice was strained when she spoke again. "You woke up. They didn't call me. When did you wake up?" She looked devastated, like she'd failed me or something. God, I just wanted to hold her so fucking bad.

"Um, three hours ago?"

I saw a tear fall. "I wasn't here. I'm always here. And I wasn't when you woke up. I wanted to be here when you woke up. I didn't want you to think that I wasn't here for you."

I smiled and laughed a little hoping that it would make her feel better. "Oh you have nothing to worry about Mars. Jeanie filled me in, said you've hardly left my side since I got here. "

She seemed to relax a little and I wanted to reach for her, but I held back. "Yeah, she's a talker that one, drove me crazy for the first month. She tried to kick me out of your bed every morning until Logan finally called in a few favors."

"So it's true that Logan and your friends have been here often?"

"Yep, my dad too. They've, we've all been so worried. They kept telling us you were gone, that you weren't coming back but I wouldn't listen. Couldn't listen. I knew you'd come back to me. You promised me."

I sighed and leaned back. "I did, didn't I?"

She took another step. "Yes, and you don't break your promises."

I couldn't take it anymore I needed to touch her, feel her. I reached my shaky right hand towards her. "C'mere."

She didn't hesitate. She rushed to the bed and grabbed my hand. I helped her get on as best I could but Jeanie had been right about my muscles, they definitely were not in good shape. But when she was finally lying next to me I pulled her into my arms and moved onto my side so we were lying face to face and I smiled before leaning in and kissing her. "God I've missed you. Does that even make sense? To miss someone while you are in a coma?"

She started crying and nodded. "Yes, it makes total sense. I've missed you too. Having you here in body just wasn't enough. I really thought you'd left me for awhile." I pulled her closer and kissed her again.

"No, I'm here and I'm not going anywhere."

She smiled and cuddled closer. "When you didn't come home I was so worried, I just sat there and waited. And then my dad showed up."

I moved some hair from her face and kissed her temple. "How'd he know you were there?"

She laughed. "He had your phone and keys, when you weren't home by midnight I texted you and he read it. He showed up around 3AM, told me what happened and held me as I cried for hours."

"So he knew?"

She nodded. "Yeah, said he had for years. Prayed we'd wait till I was 18 at least. He felt terrible that he'd kept us apart. He was so upset and worried, he cares about you a lot. Said he knew you'd always loved me and he hated that he took me from you. When I told him I loved you too I think I actually heard his heart break. He stayed at your place with me that night and brought me here the next day. I was a basket case for weeks. Couldn't sleep, could barely eat, I was scared to death. They had you on a day to day basis, said you could go at anytime. I almost withdrew from school but no one would let me, said they'd help me if I needed it. When you didn't wake up and you were on life support your insurance company tried to pull the plug on you twice. I freaked out, refused to let them do it, threatened to sue, but none of it worked. In the end Logan paid for a whole team of lawyers and got an injunction. I refused to give up faith that you'd wake up. No matter what."

I kissed her again not just a peck this time, a real kiss and her hand went to the back of my neck pulling me closer. As the kiss ended something came to me and I just blurted it out. "What had you wanted to talk to me that night?"

She blushed a little and I smiled again. God I loved it when she blushed. I ran my hand along her hip and she moved back a little. "Maybe we shouldn't push it, I'm sure that you've got a lot to adjust to as it is."

I laughed and shook my head. "Ok, but I'm not letting you off the hook Mars."

She closed her eyes when I said her name and sighed. "God, I've missed hearing that Deputy."

I moved a little and rested my head in the crook of her neck. "I've missed saying it. God, I love you. You know that, right? Do you know how much I love you?"

He face lit up and the tears came back. "Yeah, I really think I do and I love you too Deputy."

I kissed her long and slow this time sliding my hand up her side and grazing the side of her breast making her breath hitch. But when I moved my hand lower I felt her freeze a little and I remembered what the nurse said, doctor's appointment. She didn't say what kind. Was it something big? Was there something wrong with Veronica? Or was it one of 'those' doctor's appointments, if it was I could understand her reaction, she probably wasn't too keen on being touched. "Veronica?"

She looked up into my eyes. "Yeah?"

"The nurse said you had a doctor's appointment and that's why you weren't here. Is everything ok?"

She lay back onto her back and groaned. "God damn nosy nurse. Well there goes the waiting on the talk from that night. I wanted to wait a little while but since she knows and probably told everyone on the floor I might as well…"

I'd stopped listening when she'd laid on her back. It wouldn't be noticeable to many, only someone with intimate knowledge of her body would be able to tell and I was sure her size had something to do with it, being so small she was probably showing more that most would but it was there. A slight bump in her abdomen. Just a slight raise in her normally taut belly. She was still talking, but I was just staring and then before I could stop myself my hand was on her and rubbing the tiny mound. She stopped talking then. I could feel the tears welling up in my eyes and when I looked up at her she was crying. "It's yours."

I nodded. "I know." It never even crossed my mind that it might not be. I smiled and leaned in to kiss her and then down to her stomach to kiss our baby too.

I moved down a little on the bed so I could rest my head against her belly and just kept running my hand over it, mesmerized by the fact that it was my child in there. Our child. I had made a fucking baby with my Veronica Mars. Seriously the greatest day ever She laid there as I stroked her stomach and she ran her hands through my hair, I could tell she was being really careful of the permanent indentation I had at the back of my head and I looked up at her and smiled. "How far along are you?" I was pretty sure I knew. There was no way she was 5+ months pregnant so it had to be Valentine's Day but I wanted her to be able to tell me. It was a big thing and I knew that.

Her face lit up again and she wiped some tears from her eyes. "Three and a half months. I got pregnant on Valentine's Day."

I laughed. "Wow. That's crazy."

"Yeah, crazy is definitely what happens when you have sex 4 times without a condom."

I grinned at her and slid back up so that I was lying next to her again face to face, but I left my hand on her bump. "Is everything good? No problems or anything?"

She shook her head. "Everything's fine. The morning sickness sucks and I've started having crazy cravings already, my dad's not even getting annoyed with the late night trips to the store, and of course everyone else has been helping out too. But it's been hard without you. Not being able to share this with you. Luckily you haven't missed anything big. No ultrasounds or anything. Not for another 2 weeks so you woke up just in time."

I kissed her softly and pulled her close again. "So you found out that day huh?"

Veronica looked a little guilty. "No, um, a few days before. I think I spent two full days just crying. And another two angry as hell before I realized how happy I was. I was so excited to tell you when I realized how I actually felt that I couldn't wait anymore so I came to tell you."

I looked down a little. "Were you afraid of what I would say at all?"

"No." She was completely serious. "I was pretty positive you'd be thrilled. So I wasn't worried. I didn't get worried at all until I found out what happened and then it was more of the 'can I do this alone?' type of worry. I wouldn't have been alone of course but you know what I mean. I didn't want to do this without you."

I nodded. "Did you think about….?" I couldn't finish the question.

"Not once. I couldn't give up a part of you. If I lost you, this baby would have been all I had left and I wasn't willing to part with you in any way what so ever. And even before you got hurt it never crossed my mind."

I sighed a little in relief, she was happy and she really wanted to have this baby with me, this was good, this was really good. And then I started to laugh, she looked surprised for a second and then curious. "What?"

"You're telling me that we conceived our baby in a jail cell?"

She laughed out loud throwing her head back and I about died at the sight. My Veronica Mars was so fucking beautiful. "Yep, that would be correct."

"Typical."

"For us, yeah."

"It's definitely fitting. How did your dad take the news? Did you tell him his grandchild was made while you were in the clink?"

She laughed again. "Oh god no. I told him the day after you got hurt, I'd forgotten about it until then and he handled it really well, held me as I cried and he's gone to a lot of my appointments with me, he's already planning its Padres pitching career. He's convinced it's a boy."

I smiled. "Boy or girl I don't care, I made a baby with the woman I love, that's what matters."

And then the tears came again. "Fuck, I'm sorry, all these damn hormones."

"It's ok." I wiped a few of her tears away

"Well, so anyways, he totally figured out when it happened so I told him you got me pregnant in your office, on the desk."

I laughed again. "That is fucking amazing! The desk that was his and is probably his again? Let me guess, he ordered a new one the minute he got to the station."

Veronica laughed again. "Fuck, before, I'm pretty sure he was on the phone with staples while I was talking to your doctor that first day."

I laughed again and I cupped her cheek, when my hand started to shake she placed her own on top of it and the shaking stopped. I stared down at her belly, completely mesmorized by the fact that there was a tiny person in there and suddenly the only thing I could think about was getting her home and into bed and then something occurred to me. It had been over two months. What exactly was my living situation? And would it include her? God, I hoped so. "So what happens when I get out of here?"

She nuzzled against me trying to get closer and I held her tight. "Well, I've been staying here. We kept your apartment, but it's not big enough for all of us so I've had Mac and Wallace looking and they've found a few small houses. Logan has pretty much told me we don't have a choice and that he is buying us a house." I was shocked and I think she realized it. "Oh, god, I'm sorry this is all happening so fast. Am I rushing you? I don't mean to, it's just that I've had to make a lot of plans on my own and…"

"You want to live with me? You and our baby and me?"

"Yeah...if you'll have me."

"Fuck, you're never gonna get rid of me now Mars. Don't even bother trying."

She smiled and kissed me again. "Oh, I won't be trying at all."

"Good, so find us a house then and as soon as I'm out of here its domestic city for us baby." I ran my hand up her side, grazing the side of her breast again, but this time instead of shying away from my touch she shuddered and moaned and moved closer to me. I couldn't hide the smile on my face. "Feel good?"

She practically moaned her words. "You have no idea; I have been so fucking horny. Thank god you woke up now, I've been reading and apparently my sex drive is gonna be through the roof as I get further along."

I licked my lips and kissed her hard. All I could think about was 5 months of continual, no barriers, mind blowing sex with the goddess in my arms. "God, I can't wait till we get home."

She giggled a little. "Who says we have to wait till we get home."

Seriously the greatest sentence ever. I was about to slide my hand under her shirt when she sat up and moved. "Where do you think you are going?"

She turned back to me and smiled. "I am locking that door. They'll have to break it down to get to you because for the next few hours you are all mine."

And then she was off the bed locking the door and dropping clothes the whole way.

By the time she got back to the bed she was stark naked and I couldn't take my eyes off of her.

I laid back, let her undress me and thanked god or whatever deity there may be up there when she straddled me in the hospital bed and sunk herself down onto me, both of us letting out a couple of the most pleasured moans I'd ever heard.

I brought my arms around her and kissed her as she rocked her hips. "I love you Veronica Mars."

"You too Deputy."

I met her when she was 10 and I spent 7 years, 10 months, 24 days, 6 hours, 16 minutes and 2 seconds waiting to turn 18. And another, year, 9 months, 16 days, 11 hours, 45 minutes and 36 seconds waiting for her to be mine. 9 years, 8 months, 10 days, 18 hours, 1 minute and 38 seconds total, and I'd do it all over again if it meant I got to have Veronica Mars.

Thanks for reading! Comment please!

A/N: ok, so this is the end of this fic, but I've become so attached to these two in this universe that I've decided to continue their story. I have a follow up fic already written called 'Everything About Her' it's a series of one-shot that follow Lamb's POV during the months of Veronica's pregnancy. And then I will be continuing with one-shots. So look for the follow up fic next week! And I'm also working on an all new DoVe fic! Thanks again to everyone who commented on this fic!