Work Text:
Veronica walks into the living room after placing the last batch of snickerdoodles in the oven. Logan is dozing in his favorite chair, the baby asleep on his chest. The twins are mesmerized by the animated movie on the television. The lyrics of the song currently playing catch her attention.
It's the Circle of Life and it moves us all
Through despair and hope; Through faith and love
Till we find our place, On the path unwinding
In the Circle, The Circle of Life
Tears fill her eyes. She can’t help but think of all the despair and hope and faith and love she has gone through to get to where she is in her life.
She lost two years of her life to despair after Lilly was killed. Two years of searching for answers, betraying friends and missing her old life every day. And finding the truth didn’t magically make things better. She had to deal with the aftermath of Aaron’s attack on her, her father’s near death experience, Logan’s trial and the mysterious bus crash that killed a number of classmates.
After it was discovered that the bus crash didn’t have anything to do with Veronica, she was able to move past despair to hope. She finally figured out that she wanted and needed to be with Logan. For his part, he finally figured out that his living on the edge lifestyle wasn’t working, stopped hanging out with Dick and begged Veronica for a second chance. She was all too happy to grant it, and despite a few rough patches, they’ve been happy together.
Faith and love got them through those rough patches, including a health scare with Keith, Aaron almost being released on parole, and Duncan’s suicide attempt when he finally accepted that he and Veronica would never be together again.
“Hey,” Logan says groggily when he sees his wife standing next to him with tears in her eyes. “What’s wrong?”
She offers him a watery smile. “Nothing, just standing here thinking about how happy I am.”
His expression shows that he doesn’t believe her. “If you’re so happy, why the tears?” he asks gently, shifting the baby to one side so he can pull her down on the arm of the chair.
“Tears of joy, Logan,” she says, cuddling with him and their son.
“Mommy, whatcha’ doin’?” a small voice asks. She smiles at her twins. Lilly was the one that asked the question, of course. She was the more vocal of the girls; always determined to get answers. She was certainly named right.
“Cuddling with Daddy and LJ,” she says. “Would you and Lynnie like to join us?”
Both girls climb onto the chair in response.
“Be careful,” Logan warns his daughters. “You don’t want to hurt your brother.” He checks to ensure his namesake is still sleeping.
As the smell of baking cookies fills the room, Veronica takes a moment to appreciate her place in the circle of life.