A/N: Well, here we are. Last chapter. Thank you SO much for all the wonderful feedback so many of you have left over the past 11 months! Wow, it's been quite the ride, huh? And it's not necessarily over yet. A final review when you're done with this last chapter would be lovely, of course, but if you could also let me any 'deleted scenes' you'd like to see on the poll at my Profile Page, that would be cool too - thanx! Now, here comes the flashforward - concentrate! ;)

(For disclaimer, etc. - see chapter 1)

Chapter 35

In all her years, Veronica Mars never imagined herself here doing this kind of thing. Right now she was standing at the back of a large dining room, with a table set up for more people than she could count on both hands and then some. Sure, she had dated Duncan, Logan, and Troy, all rich boys that could have landed her in the lap of luxury one day. Despite that, she never had herself down for the little housewife role and still wouldn't entirely want that to be all that her life entailed. Thankfully, she got to be a kickass P.I., a loving mother, and a celebrity's girlfriend all rolled into one. It was a heck of a lot for one woman, but Veronica had always known she was destined for life with a full plate.

"Wow," said Logan as he appeared in the doorway opposite.

"Looks pretty good, huh?" said his girlfriend as she crossed the room to meet him.

"There aren't words," he promised her, though his eyes were for her alone and nowhere near the exquisitely decorated room and table.

She smiled as she went easily into his arms and they shared a kiss. It was like living a dream in this moment, the two of them here alone on such a great day. Thanksgiving was for looking at what you had and smiling no matter how long or short the list turned out to be. Veronica had never felt so blessed as she was on this particular occasion. She thought she could spend all day long listing every bright spot of her life, and still have more left to say.

"We all set for our wonderful guests?" asked Logan then, his arms holding onto her still.

"Pretty much," Veronica nodded. "I think I finally got the place cards in some kind of order where everyone will be happy," she sighed as she surveyed the table one last time.

"I'm not next to Weevil, right?" he asked worriedly, and honestly, she wasn't quite sure if he was joking.

"You are at the head of the table, where the head of the house should be," she told him, sliding out of his arms so she could gesture to places at the table. "We have you, Mac and Dick, Sam and Connor," she explained as she made her way down the right side. "Amy and Leo, Mrs Harper, and my Dad, with me this end," she continued, before coming back up the left of the table. "Then we have little Toby, Diane, Wallace, and baby Chenisse, Antonio and T.J., Weevil and Lena... and then we're back to you," she smiled as she stepped over into his arms a second time in as many minutes.

"Well then, I get the best view of anyone," he grinned, leaning in to kiss her lips.

They hadn't quite made contact when a voice called to them from the door.

"Eeeew!" T.J. over-did the dramatics on purpose as she covered her eyes with one hand, peeking through her fingers at her parents. "Could you two please not give me nightmares?" she smirked, a worthy portrait of both Veronica and Logan combined as she came further into the room.

"Did we really create this monster, hon?" asked Veronica with a look.

"Afraid so, sugarpuss," Logan replied with a grin, not even caring that T.J. was rolling her eyes at their antics.

"How am I not scarred for life?" she sighed, though her own smile broke through in a moment.

It was still weird knowing she had a father she hadn't met until she turned sixteen, and of course that he was a movie star, but she was adjusting. Honestly, it was kind of okay being a minor celebrity sometimes, and it was very cool to see her Mom so happy. Leo was a good guy and her parents had been happy enough when T.J. was growing up, but Veronica and Logan, they were just... epic.

"So, Uncle Weevil called," she said, shaking herself out of a minor daydream. "He said to warn you, Lena is bringing a pumpkin pie. He tried to tell her you said not to bring anything, but she refuses to show up empty handed."

"Well, that's very sweet of her, and I'm sure it'll be delicious," Veronica smiled, even as Logan's expression shifted to something less than impressed.

"Huh," said T.J. as she stared at her father a moment. "You're right, Mom. You can totally tell when he's trying not to make the lemon-sucking face."

With that she grinned a super-wide grin, and then practically ran from the room before Logan had a chance to say a word. In truth, he had nothing to say, he just laughed at her gall and at how very much like her mother she could be some times.

"Shows what she knows," he said after a moment. "This is actually my I'd rather be spelunking face," he smirked at Veronica and loved how hard she laughed.

"Thief," she told him, leaning in to kiss his cheek, spinning away a second before he had a chance to reach for her. "That was my line!" she reminded him of what he already knew as she left the room.

"Hey, where are you going now?" he called after her. "I thought all the prep was taken care of and the guests won't be here for at least an hour!"

"Yes, but I have to change clothes for dinner," said Veronica stopping by the door and peering back over her shoulder at him with a playful look in her eyes. "You wanna come help me with that?"

Logan did not need asking twice.

It was a joyful noise as everyone sat around the dining table, happily chatting and laughing, as they all enjoyed the food and the company. To anyone outside of their circle of family and friends, they probably looked like an odd bunch, but that didn't matter. Everybody had manners enough, especially on Thanksgiving, that nobody complained about baby Chenisse spitting up during the starter, Logan and Weevil managed not to drag up the past, race, or money, and neither the parents nor the kids present made any comments about each others canoodling, for want of a better term. Nobody even brought up the fact that when they arrived at Logan's place, Veronica looked flushed and her boyfriend's shirt was buttoned wrong. It was just better not to ask!

The happy bunch were contemplating how much more dessert they could handle when Keith clinked a fork against his wine glass and got everyone's attention.

"So, er... I know nobody wants to hear a speech, and it's not actually my house to make one in anyway," he apologised. "Thing is my family have a tradition, that no matter whether it's been a good or bad year, we all sit around the table like this and we say what we're thankful for," he explained to the assembled group. "If Logan doesn't mind, I'd like to continue that tradition."

"Be my guest," the head of the table gestured with his glass. "In fact, I think you should start, sir," he said politely, making Veronica smile.

"Well, okay," Keith nodded. "I would like to say that I am thankful for my daughter and for my granddaughter," he said, putting his hand over Veronica's own on the table and looking down the table at T.J. "The two of them, they've been through so much in their lives, a lot of ups and downs, but they always come through it with a smile and their good hearts intact. I am so proud of both Veronica and Teresa Jane," he said, almost welling up as he did so.

"Oh, that was beautiful," said Mrs Harper, a hand flapping in front of her face as if that would help quell her own tears. "Well, I have to say I am thankful for my daughter, Samantha," she smiled down the table at the embarrassed teen, before continuing. "And honestly, as shocking as this is going to sound, I'm thankful my husband got stuck in Europe for Thanksgiving, because my God, I am at a table with Logan Echolls!"

That one got a laugh from everyone, more so when the poor woman blushed scarlet at her own admission. The giving of thanks then passed to the left, with Leo expressing thanks for finally getting a thanksgiving off duty, and Amy saying she was glad for a day off herself and for her boyfriend. Connor borrowed from Mrs Harper, admitting he was glad that snow prevented him from flying home this year, and Sam claimed to be most thankful for T.J. being her BFF... and for her new Prada backpack, if she was being honest. Dick was thankful for Mac, and Mac was thankful for her new business that was taking off so well. Logan claimed not to need to say a word, because if the whole world didn't know what he was thankful for at this point they never would; his eyes remained on Veronica for a long moment and then on Teresa Jane maybe even a beat longer.

Then came the turn of the guests on the other side of the table. Lena was thankful for getting a chance to make a family with Eli and Antonio, whilst Weevil was grateful for a second chance, that was in reality more like his seventh or similar. Then it was T.J.'s turn.

"Um, okay," she faltered.

Clearing her throat three times, she still didn't feel ready to speak. Antonio's hand slid around hers under the table, and that helped more than he would ever know. She had so much to say, she just wasn't sure how to get it all out right now. Somehow facing the general public was easier than talking so honestly in front of all the people she loved most in the world.

"Okay, so I am thankful for every single person at this table," she admitted eventually. "You all mean so much to me, each one of you in a different but equally as important way," she smiled as she looked at each of them. "I only hope that this time next year we'll all be here again and just as happy as we are now... and I'm done being corny," she laughed at herself, though nobody else found her corny in the least.

"How do I follow that?" asked Antonio nervously. "Well, I'm thankful for my Mom being so happy with Weevil," he admitted. "And I'm really, really thankful that I got a chance to meet and get to know T.J., 'cause she's like the most amazing girl I ever knew," he told her seriously, eyes boring into her own, the two of them seemingly forgetting their parents, relations, and friends were all present for a moment.

"And how am I supposed to follow that?" asked Wallace too seriously, breaking the odd moment of tension.

He and his wife were both obviously thankful for each other and their adorable children. On top of that, they were entirely glad to be back in California where both their families and so many friends lived. It was a real stroke of luck that just around the time of Chenisse's birth, Wallace was offered the chance to head up a new division back home, where both he and Diane came from. It was like a dream come true for the whole Fennell family and everyone who loved them.

"Guess that just leaves me," Veronica smiled as she looked down the table at the faces of every single person she held dear. "Where do I start?" she shook her head, sure she was never going to get through any kind of big speech without crying like a baby. "As my daughter put it so beautifully, I am also very thankful for every person at this table," she admitted. "I don't... I can't ever deserve all the love and warmth I get from this wonderful extended family I have here, but I swear, I am thankful for you all, every single day," she cried then, unable to hold it in any longer.

Keith leaned over to hug his daughter, and in a few moments she had gained a little composure. There was nothing anybody else could say after such a speech. The truth was that Veronica had a point in what she said, because she knew better than anyone the wrong she had done. Thankfully, she had found a way to move past all the pain, and everyone around her had done the same. It was time now to look to a bright future, and everyone seemed prepared for that with a smile on their face.

"A toast," said Logan, raising his glass and encouraging everyone else to do the same. "To family" he said, looking down the table at each person sitting there. "By blood or otherwise," he offered.

"To family," Weevil agreed, going so far as to make the effort to lean over and clink glasses with the rich white boy he never could stand. "Hell, it's Thanksgiving, right?"

"To family," everyone else dutifully intoned, clinking glasses with the person next to or even opposite them.

Teresa Jane looked around at all the smiling faces and realised she herself was wearing the biggest grin of anyone. It wasn't always easy being a teenage girl in Neptune with a mixed up family, three parents, and a boyfriend from the supposed wrongs side of the tracks, but it was her life, and right now, she wouldn't change it for the world.

The End