Title: Christmas Wishes
Rating: PG-13
Summary: Written for VM_Redux on LJ. Christmas is supposed to be a time of forgiveness. Who better in need to learn how to do just that then Neptune's own Scrooge and Grinch?
Spoilers: 1x10
Word Count: 3824
Disclaimer: Veronica Mars is not owned by me, but by Rob Thomas. I'm simply borrowing these characters for non-profit entertainment.
A/N: Also references "A Christmas Story," "Frosty the Snowman," "Heat Miser" and "Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer" - I don't own them either.

"The downside to being an only child? You know all the scary, handmade ornaments are yours," Veronica stated as she looked over the ornaments from the better part of the last fifteen years.

It still took some getting used to, decorating the tree with just her father. She tried not to think about it as she continued to decorate, but some memories still come back.

"You know some people believe that Christmas is about the birth of Christ and not baseball," she told Keith another minute later when he informed her where one of the sports ornaments was supposed to go.

When they heard an all too familiar song coming from the TV Veronica was actually relieved. Mr. Christmas and Mr. Snow were far more preferable than one of the ornaments she had just seen hanging on the tree.

Had Keith forgotten? Had she been the one to put it on without realizing what it was or who it had come from? Ornaments her mother had picked out hadn't been so hard to look at. There wasn't really anything special about them beyond that. To anyone else they looked as ordinary as any other. But this one? She couldn't stop staring at it. Like some twisted Christmas version of 'which of these doesn't belong'.

"Hey, why the long face? I thought we were having fun," she heard her father's voice call through the onslaught of memories.

"We are," she beamed, her brave face right back on as though it had never left. Of course she managed to almost subtly to take off the ornament she really wanted to forget even existed. But of course there she was staring at it once more as she laid awake in bed later that night.

Only three months into his time as Keith's deputy, Don Lamb had become a Sunday fixture at the Mars home. He would come over, watch a game with Keith, sometimes throw the ball around with Veronica and was always invited to stay for dinner. Enjoying feeling like he had a family for once (his abusive father and the brothers he never heard from not withstanding)) he never turned the offer down.

Until the all too vivid line had been drawn between the Marses and the rest of Neptune, Lamb had even been invited to spend the holidays with them. That was what Veronica had to thank for this restless night and the Christmas ornament responsible in her hands. She couldn't remember who had gotten it, she guessed her dad. But instead all she could think of now was how her younger self had just wanted him under her tree. Forget any other presents, Deputy Don was all she wanted.

Of course now the idea made her shudder for an entirely different reason, but that still didn't change the fact the memories refused to leave her be tonight.

So what was Veronica to do when she couldn't sleep? When she couldn't stop thinking about things and people she shouldn't be thinking of at all? Plan her revenge. It sounded so simple. So simple in fact she was surprised she hadn't thought of it yet. No she wouldn't through the baseball ornament through his window or windshield. She just needed to get the thing out of her room, out of her apartment. Just away from her.

**

"Sheriff?" Sacks called when Lamb came in the next morning.

"Yeah?" he asked as he looked over his shoulder."

"This was left for you."

Lamb took the brightly wrapped, square box from his deputy. "Who's it from?"

"Not sure. They left it last night and didn't leave their name."

Lamb looked at it, then listened. There wasn't any ticking so he guessed it wasn't from his favorite adversary. With a sigh he ripped the paper and opened the box.

Then he saw it. Surrounded by bright tissue paper. And there was a note just behind it.

Figured you'd want this back. Doesn't seem like we need it anymore, the note read.

Why it felt like a kick in the gut, Lamb didn't know. Alright, he did know but he wouldn't admit that he missed feeling like he was part of the Mars family.

"What is it?" Sacks asked finally, unable to tell why his employer looked sick.

"Nothing. Don't you have some paperwork you need to finish up or something?"

"Sure thing, Sheriff," the deputy nodded.

"Close the door on your way out." He needed to be alone. It was official. He was on his own again. He almost wished he wasn't so used to it.

But like Veronica he refused to lose sleep over it. So that night after he had cut out and changed into some civvies he decided to pay his favorite amateur PI a visit. What better way to get back at her then keeping her from being able to avoid him? She had left that ornament when he wasn't there. Obviously hadn't even had the guts to face him. Well he had the guts to face her and he was ready to prove it.

Halfway through Jack Frost and Veronica had been so lost in it she almost jumped at the sharp knock on her door. Only two people she knew had that knock down and she guessed her father hadn't forgotten his keys when he went on his ice cream run.

Yeah, ice cream in December; at least he knew not to deny her chocolate when she needed it. So far getting the ornament out of the apartment hadn't helped after all. In fact it had only made it worse. She had made it official and she hadn't even been able to take joy in it.

"Deputy," Veronica sardonically grinned at the sight of him in her doorway. Why wasn't she surprised?

"So I heard you were at the station this morning. I'll take your dropping that present off when you knew I wasn't there as a sign that you're slipping."

"Slipping?"

"Gotta say I'm surprised, Veronica. I would've thought for sure you'd have more fun throwing that thing in my face literally. But today? Last night, whatever. Taking the coward's way? I'm not sure what to think about that."

"Well, when you care enough to send the very best," she told him, her grin growing slightly.

"Why didn't you just throw it out? Why give it back?"

Veronica really didn't know. She could have thrown it away. Hell, why hadn't they thrown it away the year before? "Figured you'd want it. Just a reminder that you wouldn't have to worry about coming over here again."

"I've gotten the hint I'm not welcome, Mars. Thanks."

"And yet here you are. Why?"

That time Lamb was at a loss. He had wanted to see her, to piss her off. But now he was the one who was hurting. It was Christmas and he was alone as usual, he had lost the closest thing he had to family and here the girl mostly responsible was smiling as she reminded him once more of all of that.

"Flagpole got your tongue, Deputy?" she smirked.

"Just wanted you to know I got the message." What that he only clenched his jaw and headed back to his car.

Veronica watched until he disappeared in the driver's seat, shutting the door after himself.

Forget about decking the halls, I wish I had a river I could skate away on, Veronica thought to herself as she all but fell against the door now that she had closed it. She still had good memories of those three Christmases she and her parents had shared with him, but then she always instantly remembered how he had told her to go see the wizard. He had never even known the strength it had taken for her to go to him after everything. She knew she would always hate him for that. But then there was still that young Veronica inside of her who had never stopped caring about him. It was ironic how it was Lamb of all people who could leave her feeling this conflicted.

Now there's something I could ask Santa for. A nice lobotomy, Veronica sighed as she moved to the sofa. She wanted to lose herself in the TV specials, not that they would do her any good.

Christmas was supposed to be a time of togetherness and forgiveness. Instead Veronica and Lamb seemed they would spend this one still embittered and trying to avoid one another.

**

After Aaron's stabbing Veronica was more certain than ever that there was no Santa. Not that she really still believed in the jolly red and white suited man, but she had wanted to believe in the magic and wonder, to have some part of her innocence left in tact. So much for that, she decided.

It had only been two days since Aaron Echolls' stabbing and for once it had been a pretty open and shut case for the Sheriff's Department. Not even Lamb could have screwed it up given all the evidence and witnesses and later confession from Aaron's attacker.

Most of Neptune seemed to be back to normal just in time for the department's annual Christmas party at the Neptune Grand. Why her father was insisting on going Veronica didn't have a clue. Why he wanted her there she was even more confused by.

"You do know it's just going to be the same boring party it always is? Sacks dressed as Santa for the kiddies, everyone pretending that Neptune is Mayberry, letting the calls come in that night pile up given they'll only have two or three deputies on duty and our own personal Grinch attempting to drink the night away in his office? Remind me why you want to go to this thing?"

"It's tradition, Veronica. And we're both invited."

"So Lamb's already been sampling the eggnog he always claims someone else added the extra 'nog' to?"

"It's Christmas, Veronica. It's a time for forgiveness and peace and even Lamb seems to be willing to put some things aside for the night. You can drag your feet all you want but you know you can't resist your love of Christmas traditions."

It was all her father's fault. That was all Veronica could think as she walked up the steps to the ballroom of the hotel the next night. She could have been sitting at home, watching "A Christmas Story" or "Frosty the Snowman" or some other typical holiday movie that they just had to show every year to fill people with fleeting hopes of this time of year being magical. Really it was just an excuse to hawk overpriced jewelry, gaming systems and cars with big red bows on them that only those in the 09'er zip would see.

Call her a Scrooge, but she just wasn't in the mood for holiday cheer. Two nights ago she had seen a man, the father of one her would-be friends, stabbed by a woman he had been having an affair with just after she had confronted her own possible father, Jake Kane. Forgive her if she couldn't get her head in a celebratory mood.

Still, here she was walking into the already half-packed ballroom with her father, invited to the gathering for once. All of the officers were out of uniform, in suits or dresses, most standing around and talking with the others who had been invited. Most of the other civilians also being former, retired, Neptune cops and their spouses or children.

Speaking of children, it seemed a few had already spotted the jolly, red-suited man in the back of the overly decorated room.

Poor Sacks, Veronica thought to herself, he really does always get himself roped into this. It'd be nice if he could at least say it was because he had to do it for his own kids, but alas, no. Everyone else had voted him off Santa's Elves Island because they knew no one would be able to shake the image of Lamb directly aiming his reindeer at some grandmother just to live out his love of that song.

Okay, that image did make her smile. Not because she had a hate-on for grandmothers but just because she could really see it. Lamb, drunk, behind the reigns, the whiskey-stained beard hanging around his neck, choosing the supposed holiest of holidays to act out his own aggressions.

She finally looked around the room again. She was right. So far she was bored out of her mind. A few people were already coming up to say hi to her, others oh so casually avoiding her and Keith. But she did see her father talking to a small group of men a moment later.

Wait. That was weird. One of them was an out of uniform Deputy Sacks.

She looked back to the Santa who now only had one child with him. Or her, she guessed, it was impossible to tell from that far away. Had they finally managed to get a rookie for this gig? They had to have. That was the only thing that made sense.

Never one to turn down a good mystery, Veronica soon found herself making her way over to them. She had to admit it was a nice set-up, the sparkling plush floor covering that mimicked the appearance of a blanket of snow, a red and white candy cane-looking pole to her right with a sign reading 'North Pole', the plastic, overly decorated Christmas tree to her right, the plastic reindeer and snowman to her left. They always went all out for this and she couldn't deny that part of her did still enjoy the look of it all. It was almost enough to warm her inner Scrooge.

Well, at least until she heard the little boy on Santa's lap rattling off what all he wanted for Christmas. She had seen no less than ten commercials a day on TV for everything he had mentioned, including the one toy that every kid just had to have this year. She couldn't help but give a slight sympathetic smile to the man in red and white.

"How about you send me your list for the rest? I believe it's this young lady's turn," he spoke in a voice deeper than Veronica recognized.

"But, Santa!"

"You don't want to be put on the naughty list for your greed, do you?"

Veronica smiled. She had to give this Santa some credit. He was good. Challenging a bratty kid in a way that only Santa could?

"Smooth, Santa," she smiled as she stepped closer to him.

"It's Christmas, a time to give what you get," he smiled, though he knew she couldn't see it from behind the beard.

She could see it though in his shimmering blue eyes. Wow, I'm trying to check out Santa. Okay, Veronica, you've officially OD'd on the holiday spirit tonight. And the worst part is without Lamb here the eggnog won't help you. "So should I assume the position or should I just tell you what I want from here?"

"You're small enough," he smirked as he patted his knee for her.

Veronica laughed and left her purse on the floor as she moved to sit on the man's lap. She still wanted to know who it was. She didn't recognize that voice and being this close to him, she was convinced she would know those hypnotically blue eyes. It had to be a rookie, she knew everyone else there for the most part.

Curling an arm around her, 'Santa' asked, "What do you want for Christmas, Veronica Mars?"

There was a sigh there that Veronica caught. Could this man know her? Knowing her name wasn't surprising, but the way he had said it. She knew that sigh that followed. But the eyes alone were enough to shut her brain down. Complete Ralphie moment, just wait - in two minutes you'll be saying you want a football. That voice was seriously throwing her off… Mentally she began to picture every deputy she had seen the last time she was at the station. Though of course if it was someone Lamb had hired in the last month it wouldn't be that big of a help.

"Same old, same old, Santa," she told him, unable to stop herself from bringing an arm around his neck. Just to stabilize herself, she told herself. The chair was high, she was short and obviously this man wasn't given that his booted feet were touching the floor and hers, despite her heels, weren't.

He wasn't going to ask her if she had been a good girl this year. He already knew the answer to that and wasn't about to bust her on it now.

"What's that?"

"For more to be deserving of the forgiveness that some supposedly earned. Maybe the ability to forgive again and maybe forget the last two years."

"I'm only Santa, not Superman," the man answered, still in that deep voice he had adopted to keep her from recognizing him so easily. "But maybe I can help with both."

"Oh yeah?" She already knew the officer under the beard couldn't be Sacks. No tell tale moustache for one thing and he had already said more to her in the last two minutes than Sacks seemed to say in a day. Plus she had already seen him talking to her dad. It had to be a rookie. No way any of the 'real' cops would be caught dead in that get-up. Still, how could any of the officers here be able to help her with a thing like that? Knock her out? Let her get hold of that lovely spiked eggnog that everyone but Lamb typically avoided?

"Merry Christmas, Veronica," he stated, finally in his own whispered voice, as he brought up a gloved hand up to cup her jaw and moved in to kiss her.

"Whoa. Do I look like Mrs. Claus?" she asked with a nervous laugh when she had to stop 'Santa' from kissing her.

Not that she could see it, but he smiled. "Only in my dreams."

Maybe because his reflexes were faster than hers, maybe because he was dressed like Santa (and part of her was convinced she knew him), she didn't protest that time. Maybe because he was proving himself to be an amazing kisser in mere seconds, she didn't want to. The beard was ridiculously itchy and in the way though, so much so she began to pull it down.

Lamb had been desperate to get out of that thing all night, not once had he thought he would be getting out of it this way but he was thrilled nonetheless.

Of course the fact she was making out with Santa of all people really began to dawn on Veronica what had to be minutes later. It was really when her lungs were screaming for air that she finally let herself pull away from this Santa that already had visions of being his scantily-clad 'little helper' dancing through her muddled brain.

Her lids still half-hooded, her forehead to his, she couldn't help but quip, "I really hope Mrs. Claus doesn't put me on the naughty list for that."

"You could be my Mrs. Claus any day, Veronica," he panted, his lips brushing against hers as he spoke.

Only it was then Veronica finally realized why she had recognized that sigh when he had said her name. It was the same as those that fell from his incredible mouth now. And now his voice sounded familiar.

Oh God no. Tell me I didn't. Not Lamb. Anyone but my own personal Grinch!

The way he had said her name should have been a dead giveaway, she knew. The fact he had tasted like peppermint had been another thing to confuse her though. Lamb's gum of choice was typically cinnamon, spearmint maybe, not peppermint. Clearly he had been sampling the candy canes tonight. And now she could still taste their remnants on her own lips and tongue.

At least if he had tasted like eggnog she would have known he had kissed her because he was drunk. But no. He was sober. And that only made it worse.

"That did not happen," Veronica finally told him when her eyes met his. Oh frak, it really was him, she mentally panicked at the sight of his whole face.

He smiled, his hand that had been at her jaw then moving around to cradle the base of her skull. "It did and it will again, several more times if I have anything to say about it. Merry Christmas, Veronica Mars," he replied before pulling her into another kiss that was far too heated for a room full of his co-workers, her father and a few children who were left wandering.

"How are you gonna give Daddy Mars the good news?" he panted when they broke for air again another several minutes later.

"What good news is that?" she smirked as she fought not to sound as breathless as she was.

He smirked in reply as he spoke, "That I'm back on the Mars family Christmas guest list."

"What makes you think you are?"

"Because you miss me."

She scoffed.

"Because you still kissed me back when you knew it was me. And maybe because you couldn't even face me when you gave back the last thing of mine that was at your place."

"You make it sound like we were dating."

That time he laughed. "Better late then never, huh?"

It was then she brought her other arm around his neck and scooted higher on his lap so she could drape her legs across his. "So you want to be back on the Mars family Christmas guest list? It'd just be Dad and me and the Christmas Story marathon."

"Sounds like a perfect Christmas to me," he smiled. A second later Veronica was initiating their next kiss and Lamb knew he had already gotten what he wanted for Christmas. Hell, she was still on his lap - he couldn't really complain about that. Or how the suit had paid off tonight.

**

Veronica left the party that night with three things. 1) A handful of candy canes, because there was no other way she was getting to sleep tonight. 2) The knowledge that she had not only kissed but made out with Lamb in front of witnesses and 3) The wish that he would be right this time. That it would happen several more times.

Yes, Veronica, there is a Santa Claus after all. And all you want for Christmas is him, she heard her inner voice state as she climbed into her bed that night. Now she would sleep, now visions of sugar plum fairies would dance in her head. And maybe if she was really lucky some mistletoe might make an appearance for her and a certain sheriff Santa.

The End

Author's Note 2: Christmas cookies all around for those who were hearing Lamb's "That's gonna mess up your TiVo" voice. That's what I was going for ;)