Title: Twelve Days of Veronica (A Dirty Dozen): Two Cufflinks
Author: angel_grace
Rating: PG-13
Pairing: Veronica/Julian Sark
Spoilers: Through the series finale of VM; general spoilers for Alias.
Summary: She may not be Sydney Bristow, but she'd make a damn good spy. Veronica joins forces with the enigmatic Mr. Sark.
Disclaimer: Veronica Mars and its characters were created by Rob Thomas. I'm not him. Alias and its characters were created by JJ Abrams. Not him, either.
Author's Note: Written for my own personal 12 Days of Veronica Fic Challenge. The prompt, "two cufflinks," was supplied by halfway2home.

( Two cufflinks )

jcd1013 went a little crazy with the requests, but it's all in good fun!

Top Five Movie Kisses
5. Bridget/Mark, Bridget Jones's Diary: When they're standing in the snow, and she's in her underwear, and he wraps his overcoat around her? Oy. "Nice boys don't kiss like that." "Oh yes they fucking do." Hee!
4. Anne/Gilbert, Anne of Avonlea: "I don't want diamond sunbursts or marble halls. I just want you." What else is there, really?
3. Han/Leia, The Empire Strikes Back: Nothing like making out when the ship is broken. "I happen to like nice men." "I'm nice men." "No you're not, you're..." KISS! So. Awesome.
2. Kate/Doug, The Cutting Edge: Doug's speech before their final skate gets me every time, and the kiss is the perfect ending to the film. "Don't tell me we're not right for each other, 'cause the way I see it we might not be right for anyone else." "I love you." "Just remember who said it first." *sigh*
1. Keith/Watts, Some Kind of Wonderful: I fell in love with Eric Stoltz in this movie, and to this day, their "practice" kiss in the garage gives me chills, with his fingers clutching at her jeans...guh.

Top Five 'Ships
5. Rory/Tristan, Gilmore Girls: Admittedly, I don't actually care about this pairing anymore, but they were the 'ship that dragged me kicking and screaming into fandom, and for that they must make the list. Plus, they were so pretty!
4. Sydney/Will, Alias: TPTB pretty much killed this one dead, but it was my first love on this show. I'm actually kind of glad that Bradley Cooper got out when he did, because they were never going to do right by Will. At least he got to sleep with Syd once. :)
3. Veronica/Weevil, Veronica Mars: V/Lamb may have eaten my brain lately, but V/Weevil will always be the end game for me on that show. The sparks of chemistry have been flying since the pilot, and I'm just waiting for them to explode.
2. Mal/Kaylee, Firefly: I am rampantly UC when it comes to Firefly 'ships, but this is my favorite one. Kaylee and Mal are my favorite characters on the show, and I love their dynamic as it is. But I'd love it even more if they hooked up.
1. Pacey/Joey, Dawson's Creek: P/J for the win! Yes, I grew to hate the show, because it was lame. But in the end, all was right with the world, because Pacey and Joey ended up together. Season 3 was a beautiful piece of television history, and I will always love it.

Top Five Comfort Foods
5. Chocolate chip cookie dough
4. Butter pecan ice cream
3. White cheddar cheese popcorn
2. Chipotle steak burrito
1. Jay's barbecue potato chips

Top Five Things to do on a Saturday afternoon
5. Watch a movie
4. Read a book
3. Play miniature golf
2. Play with my godson and his brother
1. Watch the Cubs at Wrigley Field

Top Five Jobs you wish you had
5. Graphic designer
4. Walt Disney Imagineer
3. Photographer
2. Novelist
1. Mom

Top Five Jobs you did have
5. Baby-sitter
4. Games hostess, Six Flags
3. Games Training Lead, Six Flags
2. Engineering co-op
1. Engineer

As requested by leobrat and screaming_mimie, a few of my top 5s...

Top 5 Candies (in no particular order)
1. Three Musketeers
2. Bulls-eyes
3. Twizzlers
4. Green Apple Jolly Ranchers
5. Chocolate-covered cherries

5 Best TV Kisses
5. Bright/Hannah in "Where the Heart Is" (Everwood): Mostly because it's Bright, and I love him, and because Hannah is so very much like me. I just couldn't help loving these two.
4. Veronica/Logan in "Weapons of Class Destruction" (Veronica Mars): Sure, they annoy the crap out of me now, but in the halcyon days of S1, I adored L/V. That first kiss on the balcony had me squeeing and flailing.
3. Angel/Cordelia in "You're Welcome" (Angel): I had pretty much stopped watching the show by that point, but I tuned in for the return of Cordy. The end of this episode had me bawling. Pretty much the best goodbye kiss ever.
2. Ross/Rachel in "The One Where Ross Finds Out" (Friends): This would have been number 1 if I hadn't grown to hate the couple by the end. But I still remember watching this episode my freshman year of college. When they finally kissed in Central Perk, you could hear the whole (all-girl) dorm cheering.
1. Pacey/Joey in "Cinderella Story" (Dawson's Creek): This kiss had been building all through season 3, and I was on the edge of my seat waiting for it to happen. I loved Pacey's frustration and desperation, the way he pulled the car over, and the fact that he couldn't help himself--he just had to kiss her. *swoon*

5 Best TV Friendships
5. Sydney, Will, and Francie, Alias: These three were the glue of normalcy that held the show together, the bastion of reality in Syd's crazy world of wigs and Rambaldi. When the show lost the anchor of their friendship, things went downhill fast.
4. Gibbs and Abby, NCIS: Yes, Tony is hot, but I mostly watch the show for this odd pair. Their affection for one another is obvious, and I love that she's not intimidated by him.
3. Jack and Jen, Dawson's Creek: The show really sucked in the later seasons, but at least Jack and Jen were there for comic relief. Their farewell in the series finale was just beautiful, and I loved that they were soulmates in the best, non-Dawson/Joey sense of the word.
2. Harold and Andy, Everwood: Sure, they started out bickering over parking spots, but...well, actually, they kept bickering. But they were there for each other when it mattered most, and it was awesome.
1. Bright and Ephram, Everwood: This show did relationships--platonic, familial, and romantic--better than pretty much any other show. Sure, they started out beating the crap out of each other, but they reached a turning point when Colin attacked Ephram. Eventually, there was pudding, and it was awesome. Whether it was Bright giving hysterically funny yet usually spot-on advice, or Ephram forcing his friend to do the right thing, they were a joy to watch.

5 Best Love Songs
Okay, this one was really hard. I love music, but a lot of my favorite songs have lyrics that aren't necessarily romantic. So I did my best.
5. "Shameless," Billy Joel: Billy Joel was my first "real" concert, when I was 16 years old. I don't listen to him as much anymore, but I love the way he lays it all on the line in this song.
4. "Can't Help Falling In Love," Elvis Presley: Since he died the day I was born, I kind of have to include him. Plus, a cover of this song was used at the end of my favorite 80s movie, Some Kind of Wonderful. And it's just a great song.
3. "All I Want Is You," U2: I had to include something by my favorite band in the world, but they don't really do traditional love songs. This one comes close, and I love how plaintive it can be.
2. "Collide," Howie Day: Yes, it's been used in every movie and TV show under the sun, but I can't help it. I absolutely adore it.
1. "Have a Little Faith in Me," John Hiatt: Just...yeah. I love this song beyond reason. If you've never heard it, find it now. It's not just a great love song, it's a great song, period.

Why do I let myself get so invested in American Idol? Every year, it somehow manages to piss me off, but I just keep on watching. Of course, the same can be said for Alias...sort of. I think I've officially given up trying to watch Alias as a first-run show. I'm not home most Wednesday nights, and although I have been taping it, I don't find it compelling enough to watch on tape. I think I'm going to stop taping and just wait for the DVDs. I'm already four or five weeks behind anyway.

Anyway, AI. Although Nikko, the guy who got booted last night, isn't one of my favorites, I still didn't think it was his time to go. Anthony has been positively abysmal for far too long, and Scott is both creepy and not an especially good singer. The fact that Vonzell was also in the bottom three sucks.

Not too much has been going on this week. I've been busy working on a RL project, and I have two others lined up to jump into as soon as I complete this one. At least I'm not bored. My parents are closing on their new house tomorrow, although they don't actually take possession for another week and a half. It's going to be weird not having them live close by. I'm going to have to buy more of my own tools. :)

I'm going to my first baseball game of the season on Sunday, which I'm looking forward to a lot. I just hope that the weather is decent. Early April can be chancy in the Chicago area.

I'd really like to get back into some fic writing again, but I have had absolutely no time lately.

No real update on N, the Magical Mystery Boy, other than that he has officially been invited to another one of my group of friends' massive annual events. I hope he decides to come. That would rock.

Stolen from multiple people, but most recently trixalicious:

( four things meme )

Stolen from thepurpleswitch:

( 10 fandoms meme )

Watched Veronica Mars last night, and absolutely adored it, of course. Still have no idea who killed Lilly or raped Veronica, but I sure am loving the journey.

Today is my first day back at work after being out sick for two days. In all honesty, I probably could have come back yesterday, but I was exhausted and I desperately needed to clean my house, so I stayed home. Anyway, I still don't feel all that great, with a persistent cough and an overall feeling of fatigue, but I'll survive.

Watched House for the first time on Tuesday night, mostly because Veronica Mars wasn't on. I really enjoyed it, and I'm totally crushing on Dr. Chase (played by Jesse Spencer). Definitely a step up from that dippy movie with Brittany Murphy and Dakota Fanning. Remember when Brittany Murphy was in Clueless, and was both funny and non-skeletal? I miss that Brittany. Remember when Dakota Fanning wasn't unnaturally prepossessing for her age, and therefore non-creepy? No? Me either.

Anyway, House. Once VM returns to the schedule, I think I might have to start taping it. Which means my friends can tape their own episodes of One Tree Hill. (Since I tape Gilmore Girls anyway, I've just been taping both and loaning them the cassettes. I'm my friends' TV pimp, y'all.)

Didn't see American Idol last night, although I can't say I'm heartbroken over any of the 4 rejects. And as shameful as it is to admit it...I actually find Ryan Seacrest somewhat appealing. I mean, I know he's a tool and all, but the self-deprecating humor and gentle pokes at AI itself are rather endearing.

Yeah, I need help.

Haven't watched last night's Alias yet, but it has The Sark, so how bad can it be? (Seriously, how bad? Anyone?) *Note to self: Make a Sark icon*

Watched CSI: New York, and I'm loving Flack a little more each week. For one thing, Eddie Cahill has absolutely magnificent blue eyes. He did pretty much nothing for me when he was Tag on Friends, but then I saw him as Jim Craig in Miracle, and something changed. Incidentally, if you haven't seen that movie, rent it NOW. I don't care if you don't like hockey. It is awesome and inspirational and just flat-out rocks. *2nd note to self: Make a Miracle icon.*

This weekend was...interesting. Went to Chicago on Saturday to help my friends J & M paint their condo. There were a bunch of people there, so it made the work a lot more fun, albeit still exhausting. But there was also a plus that was kind of a minus. N was there, which I naturally was happy about. Because he's adorable and sweet and totally awesome. Unfortunately, K was also there...K being the girl who was living in Philly, and they were sort of dating, back when I asked J if N was single. Well, K has moved to Chicago. And I kind of got the impression that she moved here at least in part to be with N. At any rate, they are definitely dating.

And what's almost more irritating is that she's really, really nice. And we have a lot in common. And get along really well.

Why does this crap always happen to me?

Yesterday I spent quite a bit of time catching up on my taped TV shows. Watched the last two week's worth of Alias eps, and I enjoyed them a reasonable amount. Well, last week's more than the week before. "Nocturne" was really only worthwhile because I adore Michael Goorjian. It's kind of freaking me out that I'm liking Vaughn this season--in fact, I'm liking him a lot more than Sydney these days--and the Syd/Vaughn relationship isn't bothering me. I'm not rooting for it, but it doesn't make me want to claw my eyes out.

I absolutely adore Nadia, and she and Weiss are beyond cute together. Lurve their budding romance.

As for Sydney... Gah. Shut up, Syd. We get that Sloane is TheEvilBastardWhoRuinedYourLife. But you know what? That was, like, 4 1/2 fucking years ago. It's your choice to continue to work with the guy. And don't give me that bullshit line about keeping an eye on him. Jack, Dixon, Vaughn...they'll all be watching him too. So put up or shut up, 'kay? You're annoying.

As for this week's episode...can't wait! Two of the best recurring characters in the history of the show, all in one ep. Hope the writers don't fuck it up.

I also have to mention my continuing love of Numb3rs. When in the world did David Krumholtz get so hot? I mean, I've always thought him adorable, but he's downright sexy on that show. And Rob Morrow? Rowr. Loving the rolled shirtsleeves. The fact that Friday's ep featured the erstwhile Doogie Howser, M.D. was simply an added cuteness bonus.

Oh, Bright, how do I love thee? Let me count the ways.

1) Your snarky banter with Ephram, whether about boring filing jobs, your demented sister, or how much E missed you, is always priceless.

2) You always have the best bad ideas when it comes to "helping" Ephram with woman. Of course, if your sister wasn't such a raging bitch, the "face time" thing might have worked.

3) You're so adorably clueless around Hannah. She's giving you puppy eyes, and you're lusting after her sandwich. Eee!

Needless to say, I greatly enjoyed the return of Everwood, although a lot of people apparently felt it was a sub-par post-hiatus episode. I was thrilled to be back in the clutches of the "Damn you, Berlanti!" Kudos to Doc Abbott for continuing to remind Treat that his dalliance with Celestia is a really bad idea. And hurrah for the MEOW being a somewhat realistic bleeding ulcer, rather than the old TV standby, the heart attack. (I'm looking at you, Rex Van de Kamp.)

My love for Dr. Jake continues to grow by leaps and bounds. He is now a close second to Bright for my affections on the show. (Sorry, Ephram.) His perpetually sunny, somewhat California-kooky outlook on life is endearing, especially when watching him interact with the often dour folk of Everwood. Trying hug therapy with Edna and meditation with Andy? Too cute! Call me, Dimples!

Amy? You were growing on me, but then you started pulling the self-absorbed nutjob bullshit again. Honey, no one asked you to make all those sacrifices, and it's good that you realize that. But to throw it in Ephram's face for not recognizing your martyrdom? He's a teenage boy, for crying out loud! You're probably lucky he remembers to put on pants every day!

Edna and Irv...*sniffle* Please kiss and make up!

( More TV gushing for the shows of the past week )

Did anyone else watch Numb3rs last night? Aside from the cheesy affected spelling of the title, I really liked it. I've enjoyed David Krumholtz since he was Bernard the Head Elf in The Santa Claus. He has absolutely gorgeous eyes, and the fact that he's playing a genius definitely ups the sexy factor for me. And Rob Morrow is looking much hotter than he did in his Joel Fleischman days. Plus, I love Sabrina Lloyd. So, overall, thumbs up...

So, yesterday, the Chicago area tied a record high with 62 degree temps. Today? It is snowing. Again. Why do I live here?

It's looking increasingly like my parents are going to be moving away soon, due to my dad being laid off in December. The early front-runner in the job race is in Fond du Lac, WI, which I could handle, as it is only a few hours north of here. Much better than Florida, at least distance-wise.

Haven't had a chance to watch last night's Alias yet, but I have to say that my eagerness for season 4 faded somewhat when the luscious Mr. Sark wasn't in the season premiere. Seriously, can't we trade Vartan for David Anders? I'm so tired of the Giant Forehead Wrinkle.

I need a clever name for APO...'cause APO is just lame. mspooh used FakeD-6, and I mentally tossed around FauxD-6, but somehow, neither of those really grab me. Any suggestions?

Okay, I admit it: I'm excited about the upcoming season 4 premiere of Alias. I blame it all on the ( cut for the unspoiled/unpromo-ed ) Anyway, due to this unforeseen excitement, I caved and bought myself season 3 on DVD, primarily because I don't really know what the fuck happened. And can I just say that the fact that I now own seasons 1 & 3, but not 2, is making me twitch just a little. I'll have to rectify that, if only for my sanity, which doesn't deal well with incomplete sets and things done out of order.

Anyway, I spent the better part of this afternoon and evening marathoning the show. I made it through episode 10, otherwise known as The One With Bradley Cooper. Lord, that man's eyes are dangerously blue. And he is so cute! Squee! I'd wish for him to come back, but let's face it-- he deserves better. And he had before f-ing USA cancelled Touching Evil. Bastards.

I need to make pretty icons or something...

helsinkibaby asked me this last week, but I'm a bit slow in my responses... Anyway, yes, I was shocked and appalled by last week's American Idol bottom three. I sincerely believe that the voting system has to change. For the three most powerful, talented singers in the competition to simultaneously be in the bottom three was an abomination. John Stevens, without a doubt, no longer deserves to be in the competition. He knows it. We know it. And Jennifer paid the price for his continuation on the show. I suddenly feel bad that I don't actually vote...

ageofaquarius has gotten me so hooked on Touching Evil, it's not even funny. Friday's episode was definitely disturbing, but who cares when we get clad-only-in-briefs (boxer-briefs? couldn't tell) Creegan rolling out of bed? Rowr. Also, yum.

( Alias thoughts )

Stupid random musing of the day:

Can guys be supermodels? I mean, there are male models, and some are probably more successful than others, so would that make them SuperMaleModels?

To the surprise of absolutely no one (or at least me), ( OTH spoilers )

This Sunday’s Alias was really quite fantastic. I spent a large part of my day catching up on my taped episodes, which meant a total of 5 in one day. I must say, ( past episode spoiler ) really didn’t do it for me. I must admit, for a few minutes on Sunday night, I really believed that ( new episode spoilers )

Gilmore Girls may have been my first love on The WB (ack, no, that was DC), but Everwood is definitely my true love. Bright is still my favorite character, even though he didn’t have quite as prominent a part this week. I thought that the ( EW spoilers )

I admit it: I kind of like Barry Manilow. Not in the sense that I actually own any of his music or would ever dream of attending a concert, but in a nostalgic, my-parents-listened-to-him, I-think-I’ll-leave-the-radio-station-alone-when-“Copacabana”-comes-on kind of way. So, I got a kick out of Tuesday night’s American Idol. ( Spoilery evaluations )

Oh my goodness. I do believe that my love of Gilmore Girls is back in full force. I finally got around to watching last week’s episode, and, wow. Tears were streaming down my face during the final scenes with Rory/Dean and Luke/Lorelai. It might have been because I could totally relate to what Rory was going through. The first time I failed at something (or at least perceived myself as failing), I went into the same sort of meltdown. This is what I have been waiting all season to see…Rory dealing with the real difficulties of college, and learning that sometimes it’s not easy to live up to our own expectations. She had to deal with issues with her roommates and her classes—the two key challenges for any student.

And so help me God, I think I’m becoming a Narcoleptic. I’m loving the interactions between Rory and Dean. I’m fine with them just being friends—he is married, after all—but Jared Padalecki and Alexis Bledel are really nailing their scenes together.

With regards to the previews for the next episode of Alias ( … )

I may be the only person in the world who feels this way, but Sex and the City is over, and I just don’t care. I never watched an episode, even when we finally got HBO. There’s something about Sarah Jessica Parker’s face that scares me. Although, I loved her in Flight of the Navigator.

New Everwood tonight! Woo!

Ugh. Monday mornings are so not of the good.

I haven't actually watched last night's episode of Alias yet, but I have to say that, on the surface of things, Lauren being evil seems not only lame and predictable, but also sounds a lot like bowing down to the pressure of the S/Vers. And that is bad. I'm only going to put my faith in JJ a little longer.

So I was bored this weekend, and ended up watching far too much of the "100 Hottest Hotties" on VH1. I was mainly in it for the eye candy--can you blame me? Anyway, I almost lost my lunch when they declared Mischa Barton to be the breakout star of The O.C.. Um, no, that would be Adam Brody. There are a preponderance of O.C. fans who loathe both Mischa and her character. Mischa may well be a perfectly nice girl, but Marissa? Sucks. Ass. And I blame a lot of that on her portrayal. She definitely comes across as the weak link in the cast, IMO.

Have I mentioned that I hate Mondays? Because I so do.

I know it's a day early, but inspiration struck. It's a little Syd/Weiss ficlet, so don't read if you don't dig the pairing.

( Down the Rabbit Hole )