Oh hey, isn't this awkward? Remember me? Remember this story? Well I finally gave it an ending. Never really imagined it would take this long but my inspiration was waning and life kind of got in the way. Without further ado, the last installment…

Four months. That's all we got to be this Brady Bunch-esque family. There was Logan, Brittlynn and I and then there was Duncan, Melinda and Lilly. It was just like old times, hanging out with our group except it wasn't. But when Melinda called me on my cellphone to alert me to a particular reservation, I was unsure what was going to be my next step.

This most important thing in my life happened to be that Melinda and Duncan seemed to be working out. I don't know if it had been my talk with Duncan that got him interested in women other than me or if Melinda and Duncan were truly meant to be, I was both happy and proud of myself that I made that happen.

In the midst of my matchmaking, I had been running drills for the day that everything was righted again. But it was like in grade school when you practiced in case of an earthquake or fire. When it really came down to it, you were scared out of your mind and everything you'd learned went right out the window.

I made my way over to the hotel well before check-in hours. In the suite we had called home just a few months prior, I laid out the pants suit I had acquired for effect. It was dressier than anything I ever wore around the hotel but today, I wanted to look the part. I was Vaughn Lester, owner of the hottest new resort in Mollymook and I wanted anyone who checked in that day to know it.

Tapping into my old resources came as second nature. I knew exactly what credit cards to check and what websites to examine to time my descent downstairs perfectly. Too early and I knew Melinda's prying eyes would be itching the back of my head. Sure we had become close over the last four months but what was about to happen today, was something I couldn't share until the big moment happened. But I was out of touch with my sneaky sleuthing and I was sure I would cave into the girl's inquiries. Playing it safe was something I wasn't used to but it definitely racked my nerves more sitting in the hotel suite than busying myself with checking guests in.

The time came to head downstairs and I thought of the true weight of the situation. The life that Logan and I had built here in Australia would be no more. Instead, the life we once had was obtainable. But never in my life had I been this happy since Lilly died and Logan hadn't been this devoid of stress since he was born. Yet here we were going for it. The doors we thought had closed forever were miraculously opening up and we'd barely talked about what that really meant.

"Babe," I said, in the dark of our new master bedroom shortly after making the plans with my father, "You awake?"

"Mhmm," he groaned next to me, tightening his grip around my waist.

"What we've got here, it's good right?" I turned in the bed so that I was facing his profile. He peeked an eye open, as if he was making sure this conversation was really happening.

He pulled his arm out from underneath me so he could turn and prop himself up to face me. "You know how I feel about this place."

"I know." I sighed, "I just…with everything happening now…what I really wanted to know is, if –"

"When," he corrected.

"When everything is resolved, do you want to be Logan Echolls again?"

"I…" He rolled back over onto his back where he laid still, his gaze transfixed on the dark ceiling, "I never really thought about that."

"Because I've been thinking." I traced the lines between his abs.

"That's never a good thing." He reached up and laced his fingers with mine.

I used the leverage to pull myself in closer to his body, "I've been thinking about being Veronica Mars again."

"You've always been Veronica Mars." He freed his hand to brush stray tendrils from my face, "That's never going to change."

"I know that." I confessed, "It's just…"

"Come on, Ronnie, spit it out."

"If you wanted to be Logan Echolls again, it would just change things."

He propped himself up again, intrigued, "What would it change?"

"Everything." I turned away now, "Or nothing. I'm not sure yet."

"Bobcat, you never cease to confuse me."

I shook my head, shaking away the thoughts running through my head, "When the time comes and we have the choice, maybe I'll be able to explain it, but for now Mr. Lester, I just want you to take advantage of me."

But the day had come and the confusion resurfaced within me. Was this the day I became Veronica Mars again?

"Good afternoon, Vaughn," Melinda greeted me as I walked behind the lobby desk, "Aren't you looking pretty spiffy today."

"Mind you own…how do you say it?" I cocked an eyebrow at her.

"Bizzo."

"Right," I distracted myself with the computer, checking the reservation for the hundredth time.

I could feel her gaze on the back of my head as she professed, "I'll get it out of you sooner or later."

"How's Dane?" My movements were twitchy. So twitchy that I knocked the container full of pens, pencils and scissors over. I bent down to pick up the few that rolled on the floor when I heard.

"Ding, ding. We're here to check in. Penthouse suite. Pronto."

I had been preparing for this moment since I placed the call to my father, but now that it was here, the familiar feeling of panic crept up my throat. I wanted to be at our beach house, playing with Brittlynn on the floor as she began crawling.

"I'm sorry sir, that's impossible. Our penthouse suite is reserved for our owners." Melinda was quick to explain, "However, we have many other luxury suites, all with views of the ocean."

"Well, your owners sound a little bit selfish. I'd like to speak with them."

"Of course, sir," Melinda was always ever so polite, "Can I have the name that's on the reservation?"

"Casablancas. Dick Casablancas."

Melinda's gaze shifted from the man in front of her to me, her pathetic boss that was nearly curled into fetal position at her feet, "Just one moment, sir."

Her neck move broke me out of my catatonic state. She disappeared behind the desk, like someone miming riding an elevator.

"Uh, Vaughn," She whispered, "That guest you told me to inform you about would like to speak with you."

"Yeah, I got that."

"What would you like me to do?"

There was nothing left to do but pick myself off the ground and face one another blast from my past. I gave Melinda a sympathetic look because after this encounter, she was going to be thoroughly confused. And by exposing myself, that would mean exposing her boyfriend as the kidnapping fugitive that he really was. But really, this was the perfect test to prove if they were really meant to be.

It was now or never.

I popped up from my spot on the ground. "Good afternoon, Mr. Casablancas. I'm Vaughn Lester. What can I do for you?"

I took a deep breath, sure my calm and collected demeanor had waivered. I had prepared myself for this moment but seeing them all, my friends, standing in front of me for the first time in forever was like a blow to the stomach. All of the air seemed to be sucked out of the room as they gasped.

I couldn't help by notice Mac grab Dick's arm. Wallace became suddenly pale. Piz's eyes seemed to be locked on mine and Parker whispered harshly into his ear.

They were just as nervous as I was.

"Shut the f—" Mac pinched Dick's arm at the precise moment. He winced and glared at her, "Frak up."

The group seemed so normal, standing before me, together. "What's the matter? You look like you've seen a ghost."

Wallace shook his head, his braided hair swung lightly into his face. That's when I noticed the young lady next to her. "The plane crashed. We all died. Or we're in a coma. That's the only way this is possible."

Piz narrowed his eyes, his gaze never breaking from me, "Veronica…?"

That was the moment I lost it. Much like the encounter with my dad, the floodgates had been threatening all the while but this time, there was no worry about keeping up our identities. If they were here, that meant the Sorokins were dealt with. All I could do to answer Piz's simple question was nod. And cry. It was over.

A huge part of me wanted to leap across the counter, like the ending in all of the dramatic movies, but realistically, I wasn't agile and this was real life. I exited the front desk just as I did every other day and closed the gap between me and the people that had been the ones that were there for me before Veronica Mars and Logan Echolls died tragically on the PCH. They huddled around me and I hugged them and they hugged me and if felt so right.

I could see Melinda, out of the corner of my eye, standing in the same spot, obedient enough to know now was not the time to ask questions. But she did take direction extremely well.

"Melinda, call Loge—Lucas." I choked, "Call Lucas."

And she did.

And we stood there, like a bunch of blubbering idiots in the lobby of my resort until the revolving doors spun Logan into the bunch.

"V, what's the matter?" Leave it to Logan to be completely focused on me and my safety over the scene around him.

"Holy shit." Dick whispered and got away without any kind of physical torture from Mac.

She had been the first of the group to leap into his arms. She buried her face in his chest but he was more focused on what he should be doing with his hands than the girl in his arm. Parker and Wallace followed, opting for far less physical approaches to the ghost that stood before them. Even Piz awkwardly shook Logan's hand, all the while stunned at the revelation that the two of us were, in fact, alive.

"Mel, can you make some extra swipe keys for the suite?" I leaned a bit over the front desk and gave the girl's arm a reassuring squeeze. She had become my best friend here in Australia but I wasn't quite ready to spill the secrets of our past.

As soon as I had the swipe keys in my hand I turned to my friends and motioned towards the elevators, "Let's get you settled in upstairs. We've got a lot to talk about."

The group moved to the elevator bay and pushed the up button, revealing the standoff Dick and Logan seemed to be having.

"What's up, dude?" Logan broke the silence.

Dick held the intense stare for as long as he could before his demeanor crumbled. He threw his arms around Logan and pulled him tight against his body. Logan reacted the complete opposite than he had with Mac. He wrapped his arms around Dick just as tightly.

When they broke apart, I took Logan's hand into mine. Tugging slightly, I pulled him towards the elevator. His gaze lingered on Dick but he followed behind me. The eight of us piled into the elevator, all eyes were on Logan and I. We were all together yet no one spoke. I didn't blame them. I wouldn't know what to say either if Lilly just happened to pop up one day, in the flesh. I shuddered at the possibility. As soon as the elevator doors glided open, I eagerly made my way back to the suite I spent my morning preparing in.

Recounting our journey was easy. It was a chain of events Logan and I had thought a lot about. But the longer we were detached from all things Neptune, the less we obsessed with who we were. There were few questions along the way. I assumed they were shocked. I still didn't blame them. Instead of feeling like the tight knit group, though Wallace's girlfriend, Ayanna, seemed more than a little confused, I felt like an art exhibit. They were all watching some morbid performance.

Wallace was the first to stir from the trance-like state to interrupt my rambling, "Well shit, Supafly, this has got to be the most Sydney Bristow move you've ever pulled."

"It wasn't easy," I admitted.

"Bond, we always knew you had these super powers in you," Mac raked her fingers through her hair, "But let's talk about the real elephant in the room."

We all took turns looking at one another, searching for whatever Mac was talking about.

She clucked her tongue, "Where in the world is this spawn of Satan?"

Logan whispered, "Duncan…" from his spot on display for our friends.

Dick shot up, startling us all. His eyes locked on Logan before he pushed passed him, bumping his shoulder hard into Logan's on his way out the door. Logan looked stunned and made a move to follow after his blonde friend but I was faster.

"You call Duncan," I gnawed my bottom lip, "I'll talk to him."

He cocked a curious eyebrow but leaned down and kissed my forehead before letting me walk out of the suite door after Dick.

I rode the elevator down to the lobby in a nervous panic. I took a deep breath before going outside. Once outside, I looked both ways, trying to decide which way Dick would've headed in but quickly realized he didn't get too far. Instead he stopped at the fountain out front that housed the giant statue of a triton Logan commissioned. He had a collection of pebbles piled on the edge and tossed them in one-by-one.

"Dick," I reached out and touched his shoulder.

He shrugged me off.

"Come on, Dick," I hoisted myself up to sit on the ledge of the water, "Don't be a dick."

"Don't," He turned away from me, "Just don't."

"I'm sor—"

"Sorry? That's all you've got to say."

I was taken back by his confrontational attitude, "I don't know what else to say."

"There's nothing you can say," He body shook, "After all I've been through, everyone I've lost, you two were just hiding out, having the time of your life on a beach halfway across the world with Duncan fucking Kane."

"It wasn't like that."

"Then tell me, Veronica Mars or Vaughn Lester, whoever the fuck you are, tell me what it was like."

The vulnerability in his voice was not something I had heard since the afternoon we spent together visiting his father in prison. It was a side of Dick I had appreciated for what it was but hoped I never had to see again.

"We didn't even know he was here. And we were protecting you, all of you. We definitely wouldn't have been here right now if we didn't do what we had to do to survive."

He scoffed at my confession, "Enough with the dramatics."

"I'm sorry, Dick," I said through a tight jaw, fighting back the tears burning my eyes, "But I did what I had to do to keep my family alive."

"What about my family? Logan was all I had left. What about me?" Here I was, standing next to Dick Casablancas, watching him cry again.

I hopped off the wall and pulled him into a tight hug. He gripped me hard as if he was checking to see if this was all real. I didn't blame him. He had a point. After all he lost, I was surprised the kid was still standing. But he had survived, just as we had so in the end, that was all that mattered.

"Can you…" I bit my bottom lip, trying to think of a way to phrase my question, "Can you tell me how it all went down? With the Sorokins I mean."

He nodded as he wiped his tears away, "It was ugly. There was a gerbil or a mole or something. One of Sorokin's men ratted about a transaction. Police busted them on human trafficking."

I gasped. I knew they were a bad breed but I never expected it to be that bad. I'm glad I hadn't known at the time because if I had, I probably would've been mixed up in something deeper than I could even fathom.

"Apparently, the information came from someone high up. So Gory's father thought it was his brother and you know, vice versa. The uncle took out his father and FBI got the uncle."

"And Gory?"

Dick shrugged, "I know they took him into custody. Not really sure what happened to him after that. I am sure he's going away for a while, shooting a cop and all."

"A cop?" My ears burned. All I could think about was my father.

"Yeah…" Dick's voice trailed off, "He shot Leo."

I clamped a hand over my mouth. I knew there would be casualties but I didn't think it would be anyone on my side, anyone I knew.

"No, no, no," Dick took my shoulders between his hands and squared me to him, "He's fine."

I pushed him hard, "Don't you ever do that to me again."

He rubbed the spot on his chest I had hit him and glanced back at the hotel.

"Ready to head back in?" I asked.

He nodded but before we could make a move for the entrance I heard familiar babbling.

Duncan approached up juggling both Lilly and Brittlynn, "I came as soon as I could."

He stopped dead in his tracks upon seeing Dick. I could see his grip on Lilly's hand tighten.

I closed the gap between us, taking Brittlynn from his arms. She snuggled into my chest and I breathed in her scent.

"It's okay," I coaxed Duncan to loosen up, "Everything's okay now."

"How can you say that?" Duncan leaned into me, hissing through a clenched jaw, "Everything I've worked to build for Lilly and I is just…ruined."

I placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder, "Call Weidman if you don't believe me. It's all over."

Duncan bent over to pick up Lilly, holding her close to his chest.

"Come on," I motioned towards the lobby, "There's people who would love to see you."

I could tell Dick was reeling again. The longer he's been in Australia, the more ghosts were resurfacing. I could see the fear in his eye that around the next corner, Cassidy would turn up as well.

I shifted Brittlynn on my hip and gently steered both boys inside. Once in the lobby, Melinda caught my eye. A smile stretched across her face when she saw Duncan before it dissolved to something more of determination. She scurried out from behind the front desk, standing in our path to the elevator. With her hands on her hip, I knew my friend was no longer playing nice.

"Come on," I motioned for her to join us, "You might as well get the full story now too."

The color drained from Duncan's face. I guess I really didn't take into account all the ramifications this would have on their relationship but it needed to be done. Duncan needed to be free to live his life without fear. It was something that I made sure Weidman and Jake Kane leveraged with helping the FBI take down the Sorokins. And really, it was the best thank you I could ever give Jake after all he had done to help Logan and I escape. I gave him back the only family he had left.

When we reentered the suite there was an uproar. Dick and I had been the ones to retreat and now we had two babies, a known fugitive and his unknowing girlfriend in tow. Explaining was an understatement.

Mac scooped Brittlynn right out of my arms. She, Wallace and Piz fussed over the little blonde bundle. Parker and Ayanna occupied Lilly while Duncan took Melinda into one of the bedrooms to spill his guts to her. I took the opportunity to wrap my arms around Logan's waist while we took in the sight. Our friends were here and that mob-sized weight had been lifted off of our shoulders.

"So this is it," Logan rested his chin on top of my head.

I sighed, "Everything we've been waiting for."

"Now what?" He whispered into my hair.

"Did you think about it? Being Logan Echolls again?"

I could feel his jaw tighten against my temple, "I just…I just can't be him again."

I twisted in his arms so that I was facing him instead of our friends, "I understand."

"I don't ever want the Echolls name to be passed down. He doesn't deserve a legacy."

I reached up and stroked his face, "I know, babe."

He leaned into my touch, "But my mom does."

"If you're a Lester, I'm a Lester."

His somber demeanor cracked, "I think you meant bird."

"You're always ruining my moments."

He laughed and it sounded good, "Don't rip them off from sappy romance novels."

I was calculating my rebuttal when Brittlynn began fussing. Though she usually got attention because she was adorable, the crowd around her had to be intimidating. I started to cross the room when Piz took my baby girl into his arms. He rocked her, soothing her fussing. I continued across the room to relieve him of baby duty.

"You better be careful," I warned, gesturing over his shoulder at Parker, "She sees how good you are with babies and she going to want one."

Piz turned back towards me, a smile spread across my face, "How crazy is it to think that this could've been mine?"

"It seems like a lifetime ago," I admitted.

"Are you happy?" He asked as he passed Brittlynn back to me.

"I am," I smiled now, looking down at Brittlynn, "Are you?"

He nodded, "I think we all are now."

And now, individual reviews:

Nerdyesque: Well, it's safe to say everyone has you to thank for this chapter. You really kicked my butt into gear reaching out to me and it meant a lot that you cared enough to see a conclusion to this story. Your constant reviewing was nothing short of awesome. So thanks for all of your encouragement along the way and maybe down the line we'll stumble upon each other again!

Saranha de Angelo: Well I'm sorry you had to wait so long for chapter 31 after beasting through the first 30 chapters. I totally know what you mean about some pregnancy stories (I've written a few of those in the past) but I think as the older I get both my writing and understanding of life has changed past the mediated version of pregnancy. Thank you for noticing my dialogue as well! I spend way more time on that than my description so it means a lot that the effort I put in shows!

firecracker93: Though V in mommy and me yoga would have been priceless (and way fun to write) I've gone with a different route here. Hope it paid off for you. Thank you so much for sticking with me through this story and reviewing.

Didine34790: Veronica has been a fun character to write because of her characteristics created by Rob Thomas and Co. I thoroughly enjoyed trying to both capture her hard-boiled nature as well as her softer side as I imagined it. Glad you've enjoyed her and the story!

Distinctlyforbidden: As much as this story is my own, I've tried to keep with who Veronica Mars really is, even though I took license to have her grow up. I'm glad the real VM still shines through from time to time, keeping me grounded and connected with the whole story. Wanted to thank you for always reviewing and keeping up with my story. It's nice to see familiar faces come through for me time and time again!

Crowandfog: Thank you for commenting both on my story and my writing style. As an aspiring writer and current MFA student, it means a lot that my style can shine through no matter what I'm working on. Hope you find the conclusion of this story satisfying!

Alexis Castle: That flub of mine. I've been meaning to fix it but I didn't want to fake any readers out on an update. But now that the story is complete, I guess it's safe (and better) to finally fix that. Hope you liked the finale here!

Newby: If only every ending was happy. But really, what more could I put the gang through. I hope this ending was happy enough for you and I thank you for checking out my story. Sorry for the long wait for the end!

Kat2242: It is sad to be finished with this story. It has been such a challenge for me to get to this ending point with everything going on with school and whatnot that I'm happy it's finally finished. But if I could, I'd keep writing VM forever just to keep her character alive. Glad you found the story and hopefully the wait was worth it.

love10134: Glad those emotions and dynamics came across for someone other than me. It's easy for me as the writer to think I'm explaining things enough when I know what I want to happen and where I want the story to go. Chapter 31 was definitely filled with some heavy emotions so I hope it lived up to the rest of the story. Thank you, also, for reaching out to me in PM. They helped me write this chapter little by little.

Frost Merry Darkness Luver: It kind of makes me feel bad that you did all these things for my story and I couldn't keep up with my updating. Thank you for taking the time to both catch up with the whole thing and review. It really means a lot to a writer to hear you don't do those things often. (And I completely agree with the season 3 part). Hope this was worth the wait.

DLillith21: So, I hope all your curiosities were quenched with this ending. Even more so, I hope they're to your liking. Reading 30 chapters in an afternoon is no easy feat and it means a lot that you did that with my story!

unwritten010778: Hope you weren't holding your breath for this chapter. Thank you for reviewing. Everyone helped me search for that inspiration that went missing!

: Thanks for finding my story so buried under all the more recently and regularly updated ones. Hope the ending worked for you in terms of LoVe and some Piz action!