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It’s amazing how four people can come together like family. The Kane siblings along with Logan and Veronica spent a lot of time together so it seemed only natural to create a Friendsgiving tradition after they watched a Charlie Brown Thanksgiving one year. Their rendition of Friendsgiving took place in the Echolls pool house the Saturday after Thanksgiving. For Veronica, it marked the start of the holiday season.
Fab Four Friendsgiving consisted of an afternoon spent enjoying each other’s company and gorging on their own Charlie Brown meal. It was also the day they picked their Secret Santa gift exchanges. The first year Lilly brought up the idea of buying each other presents for Christmas, she had been boasting about already knowing what to get everyone. The idea appealed to Veronica but the thought of being able to afford gifts for all three of her friends weighed on her. She was still worrying about what to do when Logan suggested picking Secret Santas. Thankfully, Lilly loved the idea, quickly writing their names on folded blank cards and tucking them into envelopes.
Logan at first had picked his own name and had to choose again. In the end, Logan had picked her and bought her a charm bracelet. Veronica had picked Lilly and opted to buy her the blouse she’d been debating on buying. Lilly bought her brother the new video game he was yammering on about and Duncan bought Logan new ski goggles, replacing the last pair he lost when Duncan took him out on the mountain during their last trip to Aspen. This year, when Veronica left Logan’s with her envelope that concealed her pick, she wondered what she could possibly get someone who could buy whatever they wanted on a whim. She had been gathering intel on her three friends knowing this day would come but she still hadn’t secured a single idea.
Logan was disappointed in himself for being so careless. The Fab Four were supposed to get together at Veronica’s the evening before Christmas Eve to exchange gifts. The best part of Logan’s holiday was spending it with his friends and now he was stuck in his room missing out on truly celebrating the holiday. Christmas at the Echolls abode was more of a formal affair than one full of love and joy. Presents weren’t opened until his father deemed it was time. Brunch in the formal dining room followed the gift giving before they were to be dressed, pressed and ready to show their faces to the paparazzi awaiting their departure at the front gate. We must be sure to get those Christmas morning snapshots of the happy family off to spread holiday cheer at the local community center. If only Logan hadn’t embarrassed his dad at the annual Echolls’ party, he could have savored the memories of a real Christmas at the Mars’.
Veronica’s home beamed holiday cheer. She had a real tree decorated with mismatched ornaments, some of which she personally made. Her house smelled of apples and cinnamon and felt so warm and inviting as it did all year around. Mr. Mars always asked them how things were going, joining them in conversation on occasion. That’s why Logan couldn’t take the chance of Mr Mars noticing something and asking questions. So he called Duncan earlier, telling him he wouldn’t be coming, and asked him to stop by to pick up his gift. Typical for Duncan, he didn’t ask any questions.
The soft tapping on the door roused Logan from his thoughts. It creaked open and Mrs. Navarro stepped inside. “Mr. Logan, Miss Veronica is here to see you.”
“I’ll need a minute,” he tells her as she helps him sit up on the bed. “Could you ask her to wait in the media room please.”
“Sure,” she said, stepping away from him towards the door. “Do you need anything, some Tylenol or fresh bandages, perhaps?”
“No, thank you.” She gave him a nod and made her way downstairs to direct Veronica to the media room.
Logan walked to the bathroom, opened the medicine cabinet, and took out the bottle of Percocet. He popped one in his mouth, then took a drink of water. He checked the back of his shirt in the mirror before heading downstairs to meet Veronica.
She was sitting cross-legged on the oversized couch with a box wrapped in light blue paper with snowflakes all over it resting on her knees.
“Hey V, what are you doing here?” he asked, sitting at the other end of the couch facing her.
“Hi Logan.” He didn’t like to see that sullen look upon her face, especially when it was because of him. “You didn’t come to our party so I couldn’t give you your present,” she complained, handing the box over to him.
“You were my Secret Santa?” he asked, taking the box.
She bowed her head for a moment then looked up at him. “Yeah, I hope you like it. It’s not easy choosing a gift for someone who can just go and buy whatever he wants.”
Logan pulled his legs up on the couch, mimicking her position. He jiggled the lid off the box revealing heaps of white tissue paper. Logan looked up at her, raising an eyebrow and she gave him a toothy smile. Pulling sheet after sheet of tissue paper out of the box, he tossed them over his shoulder making Veronica giggle, briefly taking the worried look from her face. Once all the tissue paper was out of the box and scattered all over the room, Logan reached in and pulled out two wooden elephants. Holding them up, he smiled. “Billy and Wyatt?”
He saw her face relax and light up with joy, “You remembered!”
“Of course I remember! How could I forget one of the best days ever?”
Logan stood up, gathering the tissue paper to re-wrap the elephants and put them back in the box. As he did, he let the memory of the day Veronica insisted he join them for their annual summer zoo trip play in his head. When they had arrived at the elephant exhibit, two of the elephants were off by themselves playing. After watching them for some time, Logan had told Veronica they reminded him of the characters in Easy Rider, his favorite movie. As loners, they should be named Billy and Wyatt, since they traveled to the beat of their own drum.
Setting the box aside, he reached for Veronica and pulled her to stand in front of him and gently wrapped her in a hug. “Thank you, Ronnie, I love them!”
“I’m glad.” Veronica pulled away, looking up at him. “I’ll see you at the Kane’s tomorrow?”
“Ugh, I guess.” He saw the worried look reappear on her face. “Hey, don’t look at me like that, Ronnie. It’s just that it’s hard avoiding Lilly hanging all over me when there are all those people around.” He’s never sure what will set his father off and he’s still a mess from the last time.
Logan walked away from her, sitting back down on the couch before he continued. “I can’t be causing a scene, I don’t want to be grounded on Christmas.”
“You’re worried about Lilly? Please. Duncan feels the need to drag me around as he talks to people as if I’m his girlfriend.” She plopped down beside him.
“You don’t want to be his girlfriend?”
“He hasn’t even asked me to be.” Veronica turned to face him, pulling her leg up on the couch. “To be honest, I’m not even really sure I would say yes if he did.”
Veronica fell silent for a moment, then an excited look crossed her face and she smacked him on his arm, sending shooting pain through his back. “You know what we should do?”
Logan took a deep breath, breathing through the pain before he answered. “What?”
“We should stick together to keep the Kanes at bay.” She rubbed her hands together as if concocting a diabolical plan. It was so adorable he wanted to join in her fun.
“Like a reverse wingman?” Logan couldn’t help but laugh.
Veronica’s hands paused and she looked at him. “Yes, exactly! We stick together the whole night!”
“Yeah, okay.” Logan held up a fist in her direction. “I got your back, Mars.”
Veronica tapped his fist with hers. “I got yours, Echolls.”
It was the day of the Kane Christmas party. Veronica was curled up on Lilly’s bed hugging the oversized pink pillow. Lilly had been insisting she wear one of her dresses for the party.
“My little brother is going to love you in this dress,” Lilly said as she pulled out what looked to be red and strapless.
“Lilly, I don’t...” she began, but she was cut off by Lilly’s assertion.
“Stop, ‘Ronica, we are going to both get what we want tonight. You with Duncan, and then I can get with Logan. It’ll be perfect and then the four of us can do everything together..”
Veronica rolled her eyes. She was growing tired of this. If she could only get Lilly to stop seeing them as this fantasy Fab Four, but it was almost impossible. She needed a Christmas miracle. Hoping Logan was still willing to go along with her plan, she took the dress from Lilly and began to change. As Lilly readied herself into a beautiful gold sequin gown she wondered why Logan wouldn’t want Lilly hanging all over him tonight, but she’d made him a promise.
“You look amazing, Lilly.”
Lilly spun around, flaunting herself to Veronica and smiled as she took her hands. “So do you, Veronica, so do you.”
“Lilly, before we go out there — ” Veronica pulled Lilly to sit on the bed. “ — I need you to hear me.”
Lilly nodded and wiggled in her spot to show she was listening. “I need you to not get your hopes up about Duncan and I getting together. I’m not sure he is the one for me.”
Lilly let go of her hands and waved her off. “Oh, Vee, don’t be silly.” With that she was out the door, leaving Veronica to sit on the bed.
When she looked up, she saw Logan standing just outside the door staring at her. She gave him a soft smile and he returned it.
She stood and met him in the hallway. “Hey, Lo.”
“Hey.” She watched as his eyes scanned over her. “You look incredible.”
“Thanks.” She dropped her gaze, embarrassed by the compliment. When she looked back up at him, she deliberately changed the subject to tell him about Lilly. “I talked to Lilly, but I don’t think she listened. So do you still want to be my date?”
Logan gave her the warmest smile and put his arm around her shoulder. “Let’s do this!”, he said, and led her down the stairs to the party.
Making their way into the room, Logan removed his arm from around her and reached for two glasses of champagne. He handed one to Veronica, then reached to take her free hand in his. As their fingers entwined a tingling feeling ran through her. Veronica was so caught up in trying to understand what that meant that his whisper in her ear sent an unexpected shiver through her. “Cowboy up Mars.”
Shaking this new sensation off, she glanced up and followed his gaze to see Duncan heading towards them and Lilly glaring from the dessert table. She squeezed Logan’s hand and thankfully, he squeezed back.
“Veronica, what’s this?” Duncan stammered over his words as she peered at him. “I mean, you look beautiful.”
“Thank you, Duncan.” She smiled. “You look dapper.”
“Veronica Mars, is this what you meant to tell me upstairs?” Lilly asked, stepping in front of Duncan.
“LIlly, hi.” Veronica was sure she was cutting off the circulation to Logan’s hand, but she couldn’t let go. “I’m glad you were at least partially listening to me. I had thought you had tuned me out completely.”
“When did this happen?” Lilly asked.
“A few days ago, I was trying to tell you. I just wasn’t sure how.” Veronica hadn’t thought about how she would explain her and Logan, she had to wing it.
“That’s not how this is supposed to work, ‘Ronica. We’re the Fab Four,” she said, pointing to the four of them.
“We’re all still friends, Lils,” Veronica tried to reassure her, but she just stormed away.
For the first time, Logan spoke. “Hey, man,” he said to Duncan, who just glanced back and forth at the two of them before he too turned and walked away.
“Well, I think that went well,” Logan said to her, relaxing his grip on her hand. Veronica chugged the champagne and set the flute down on the table beside her.
“Did we do the right thing?” she asked.
She watched as Logan finished off his glass of champagne, setting his empty flute down beside hers. He released her hand and wrapped his arm around her shoulders, leading her to a far corner of the room. He removed his arm from around her to position himself in front of her.
“Veronica, it was going to take a grand gesture like that for Lilly to listen. I don’t regret it and neither should you,” Logan said, looking earnestly into her eyes as he ran his hands up and down her arms, warming her all the way through.
After a moment, he rested his hands on her shoulders, bending his knees slightly to meet her eyes. “Now that we’re free of the Kanes’ advances, let’s enjoy ourselves.” Logan reached up and tucked a stray strand of her hair behind her ear. “Okay?”
She couldn’t help but admit Logan is right. She’d tried several times to tell Lilly she didn’t think she and Duncan would work together. What she wasn’t sure about was why Logan was hurting his chances to be with Lilly, but it wasn’t the time for such a heavy conversation. It was a party and they were there to have fun. When she gave him a nod, he smiled and led her back to the center of the room.
Lilly leaned against the pillar nursing another glass of champagne. She didn’t even remember how many she’d had at that point. Every time the waiter walked by, she replaced her empty glass with a full one. Observing Logan and Veronica throughout the night, Lilly had to admit, they looked good together. Logan was attentive to her and she couldn’t deny the look of adoration on Veronica’s face. How did she not see this sooner? Who was she kidding, she knew the answer to that. It was because Lilly couldn’t fathom adding anyone else to their little bubble. It was always supposed to be just the four of them. Now as she thought back, she remembered movie nights where the two of them seemed to have their own little inside jokes or the times Logan would take care of Veronica, supplying her with snacks to feed the tapeworm. The intimate moments she walked up on by the pool. They’ve been crushing on each other for some time and Lilly had ignored it.
Stepping away from the pillar, Lilly made her way towards the two sitting on the couch, She knew she was about to interrupt another intimate moment, but this was for the greater good.
“Thanks for pretending to be my date tonight, Lo. It was sweet of you to help me,” Lilly heard Veronica say.
“It was nothing, V. That’s what friends are for.”
Lilly couldn’t believe what she was hearing. She was about to apologize and give them her blessing only to find out they were faking it. Lilly finally understood that these two idiots belonged together and they were denying their feelings for each other. This wouldn't do, but she needed to do a little recon first. When she saw Veronica make her way to the food table, she joined her.
“Ronica, I’ve barely seen you tonight. That boy of yours has been keeping you to himself.”
“Yeah, I guess he has,” Veronica said as she filled her plate.
“I’m sorry, V, I really should have seen this coming. All the signs were there, I just refused to see it. The two of you are so good together. It’s so obvious he loves you.”
“What? No Lilly — ” Lilly saw the shock in Veronica’s eyes, but she also saw the hope.
“How long have you felt this way about him, V? I can see it, now that I’m looking. All the times the two of you were snuggled up to each other in private conversations. All the inside jokes.”
Veronica blushed. “I don’t know Lilly, it just sort of happened. I’m sorry.”
“Nope, no need to apologize, ‘Ronica.” Lilly gave her a hug before letting her return to Logan.
Now that she knew for a fact Veronica wanted to be with Logan for real, it was time that Lilly Kane played Santa’s helper and made some holiday wishes come true.
Lilly headed off in search of her dad. Even though she was quite capable of climbing on a chair to take down the mistletoe, it was not something she was willing to do in this dress.
“Excuse me,” she interrupted his conversation with Mr. Echolls. “Daddy, I need your help with something.”
“Sure honey, what is it?” he asked as Lilly dragged him through the living room.
“I need you to get that down for me,” she explained, pointing to the mystically sappy holiday plant.
“The mistletoe?” he asked as he reached up and plucked it off the doorway, then handed it to her. “What do you want this for, honey?”
“Fulfilling a Christmas wish, Daddy,” she answered, planting a kiss on his cheek before heading back to the party. She needed to find Logan and Veronica.
Lilly wandered around the party as she looked for them. The only place left to look was outside by the pool. As she walked towards the back yard, her mouth dropped open at the view in front of her through the glass. Standing under the string of lights were Logan and Veronica, kissing. Lilly smiled, Merry Christmas you two .