Fic: The Sweet Life, L/V, WIP, 4/?
Title: The Sweet Life, WIP 4/?
Author:gertinator
Pairing/Character: Logan/Veronica, ensemble
Word Count: 5530
Rating: PG 13 with a little heavier swearing than TV
Summary: The au of Veronica's graduation dream... Lilly is alive. How did Veronica end up with Logan?
Spoilers/Warnings: I played fast and loose with canon and used some things but changed the context (Season 1 so far). I am god!!!! Or um, not. Yeah, really, that's Rob Thomas and the gang. *sighs* But a girl can dream.
A/N: Okay, I meant to just add a little to what I had already written and then post, but you know me. It just keeps growing... So it took a little longer to post, but you get more fic for your money. Hey wait, is there any money involved?! That would get me in trouble with RT, wouldn't it?
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3
Part 4
"Hi, Logan. Uh. How's it going?" Logan winced at the sympathetic tone to Veronica's voice. He needed to learn to let the calls go to voice mail sometimes, really.
"Your dad told you." It wasn't even a question, and he was too emotionally exhausted to keep the annoyance out of his voice.
There was a long pause and Logan wondered if she was regretting calling. Maybe she'd just hang up and leave him to sulk in peace. He was planning on hitting the liquor cabinet as soon as his Dad left for his cooking class.
"Um. No. He's good about that confidential stuff... but you know me. Sometimes I hear things I'm not supposed to. I'm so small they forget I'm around." Logan didn't even attempt a short joke at her expense, and Veronica knew he was in bad shape.
"Yeah, well. The whole school will know by tomorrow. Logan Echolls screwed over by another cheating blonde. I guess I can cancel the hotel for Homecoming," he added bitterly.
"I'm so sorry, Logan. I won't pretend that I ever liked her, but she was your girlfriend." It was at least a little comfort that Caitlyn would become a social pariah when word got out; she wasn't nearly as charming as Lilly and the credit card fraud angle was not going to be easily forgiven among the Black AmEx set. Veronica did her favorite Godfather imitation. "You want I should beat her up? Make her hurt a little?"
Logan laughed. "I think I would pay to see that. But no, don't worry about it, Ronnie, it's all good."
"You don't sound like it's all good," Veronica said seriously.
"Yeah, well." Logan really, really didn't want to talk about it. Especially to Veronica. "On the bright side, Mrs. Navarro is so glad my mom didn't fire her that we have all sorts of fabulous food overflowing out of the cupboards."
Veronica tried to hide the sharp intake of breath. "Her tamales?" she asked, her mouth already watering. Logan usually didn't want to hang at his house, but when they did, they always begged for Mrs. Navarro's tamales. They were less than half a step away from true Nirvana.
"Yep. And The Cookies." Logan's humor improved considerably as he taunted her with the goodies. At least he had something someone wanted. Veronica actually whimpered at the mention of the cookies. "I've been eating them all day and I haven't even made a dent in the pile." Logan heard the distant echo of Veronica's stomach rumbling and he laughed. It was the first time he had laughed since he had found out his girlfriend had cheated on him and her other boyfriend had been spending Logan's parents' money on her. It felt good.
"The double chocolate ones? With the cinnamon?" Veronica moaned in a way that made Logan kind of hard. That girl had a weird thing with food, but it was cute. No picking at salads and counting calories for Veronica Mars. Maybe having her over would be a better idea than drowning his sorrows in booze. Just watching her eat twice her weight in tamales and then consume another hundred cookies would be more entertaining than anything else he could think of. And those little moany noises? And the way she licked the hot sauce off her fingers? So totally in the rotation. Oh, man, he was a sick, sick boy.
"You are so obvious, Mars. You wanna come over and pig out and watch movies with me?" Logan grinned and felt the weight lift off of him. His Dad would be out most of the evening and they could just relax and pretend that life in Neptune didn't usually suck.
There was a pause and then she questioned suspiciously, "Who picks the movie?" Logan smirked. Usually he was a tyrant when it came to picking movies. He just knew too many of the faces and there were times when he insisted on only watching his favorites. He also always had veto power. Too many movie related childhood traumas.
"We can negotiate. No chick flicks, and nothing with either of my parents or Conner Larkin." It was a big concession on his part. Usually there were a lot more rules.
"Like I wanna watch your dad make out with girls a few years older than us and then blow things up. How about Terminator? It's chick flick and action film all rolled into one. And we can fondly remember our governor's better days. Plus we've both seen it so many times that we won't interrupt our feast trying to figure out the plot."
"You are a woman after my own heart, Mars. Get your ass over here, before all the cookies are gone." He was suddenly anxious to see her, to not be alone anymore.
"Ten minutes and those cookies are mine," she promised. Veronica tucked her phone into her purse and grabbed a sweater. She kissed her father on the cheek and said good bye on her way out the door.
"Where are you off to on this school night?" Keith put down his paper and examined his daughter.
"I heard they were filming a Girls Gone Wild video over at Hearst and I thought I'd get a jump on the college experience," she teased.
"Remember you look best from your left side, honey. And I hear you get extra points for the bounce." Bantering with his daughter was one of Keith's favorite parts of the day.
"Been working on the bounce and giggle, I almost have it down. I think I'm just about ready to add the pony tail flip." She smiled at her Dad. "I'm going to Logan's to watch movies. I'll be home by curfew."
"His parents home?" Keith wasn't really worried, but the questions were a routine.
"Not sure," she said with a shrug. "I didn't ask. It's just Logan. He's pretty bummed about the whole Caitlyn thing and I thought I would go cheer him up."
Keith raised an eyebrow. "Been bugging my office again, eh?"
"Nope, just listening at doors." She put on her most wide eyed and innocent face, speaking with a hint of a lisp, "A sweet young girl like me doesn't understand when all you Sherifffy types talk business anyway."
"Uh-huh. And now you are trying to distract me from the fact that you are going over to Logan's house and his parents may not be home. A boy with a certain... reputation, I might add." Keith had her pinned with his look. She wasn't squirming at all, so he knew she hadn't purposely left information out. She was so easy to read sometimes.
"I have a boyfriend, Dad. Logan knows that. He's just a friend. A really over protective friend, actually." She paused thoughtfully. "I've been meaning to ask you, you're not paying him off to be my bodyguard, are you?"
"If I was going to go that far, I wouldn't invest in a skinny rich boy. Your new best friend would weigh 300 lbs and answer to the name of Bubba." Keith was only half joking at that. Sometimes he missed the sweet little 10 year old that had followed him around. And thought boys had cooties. Ah, if only he could bring the cooties days back.
"Logan's a little less conspicuous at Neptune High." Veronica said with a head tilt and a grin.
"But Bubba would have his priorities clear. I'm not so sure about Logan." Keith had to admit, since the night Logan had brought Veronica home despite his date, Keith had been changing his opinion of the boy. Logan had a wild streak a mile wide and was one to be watched, but he would back his friends come hell or high water. Veronica was lucky to be in the friend category. "I will be calling at random intervals to check on you, so make sure your phone is handy."
"Okay, but if you ruin the movie, I will get revenge. I won't bring you any of Mrs. Navarro's cookies." Veronica stuck her tongue out for emphasis.
"Ahhh. Now I understand why you want to go over there." Keith nodded his head. No wonder she hadn't inquired about the parents. She had entered a cookie induced hypnotic state.
"He's a friend in need," she said defensively. But she was grinning.
"With a lot of cookies," he added wryly.
"Exactly." She rubbed her stomach and wiggled her eyebrows for emphasis. "But not for long."
"Okay." Keith chuckled. "Have fun. And if you need your stomach pumped at the end of the night, Logan's taking you to the ER."
**********
"I came across time for you, Sarah..." Logan mimicked in a sappy breathless voice, fluttering his eyelashes at Veronica.
"Hush," she said, waving her hand at him. "This is the best part." She clutched a pillow tightly as the scene unfolded, snuggled into a little nest she had made on the floor. She had eaten so much, Logan had told her he didn't think the couch could hold her anyway. He observed her with amusement. She had watched that scene with Lilly, probably hundreds of times, and she was mouthing the words. And yet, she was as excited as if she had never seen it before.
He wasn't going to go all soft and buy into the romance of it, but he thought it was cute that she did. Even after Duncan had broken her heart.
Real life romance certainly didn't work that way, at least not in his experience. Not that he had years and years of it, but he saw how his father and mother were. He was pretty sure his father was cheating regularly, and his mom had her own love affair with the gin bottle. His parents' friends seemed to be the same way, and the parents of his classmates. Dick's dad had just traded his mom in for an ex-Laker girl. It wasn't the sort of love you'd give your life for. It was the sort that came with a pre-nup.
Keith and Lianne seemed to be an exception to the rule. Veronica found their affection embarrassing, but Logan thought it was refreshing. It was nice to know that it was a possibility for people to actually really like each other. He wouldn't admit how desperately he wished for a little of that kind of wholesome honesty in his life. For a minute he remembered the events of the day, thought about the rumors that would be flying around school soon.
It wasn't that he had been in love with Caitlyn. Hell, he hadn't even liked her that much. And clearly, she hadn't been particularly stuck on him. But it still hurt. In some ways, it hurt worse than the mess with Lilly. It hurt his pride. Weevil was at least a worthy adversary. Or he had seemed like it when they faced down over the whole Chardo thing. It was a relief, really, that Weevil was going gang justice on Chardo and leaving Logan out of it.
And wasn't that funny, Logan thought. He was willing to beat up one of his best friends for indirectly hurting the blonde stretched out and watching TV on the carpet in front of him, but he didn't have it in him to take down some dumb ass spic biker who was macking on the blonde he had publicly claimed as his girl friend. Love was a funny thing all right.
**********
"Hey, pretty lady." Veronica turned around at the sound of the familiar voice.
"Logan, you came." She threw her arms around him and gave him a hug.
"And I'll come again, if you keep rubbing against me dressed like that," he murmured in her ear.
"You. Are so bad." She pulled away, blushing, and punched his shoulder in her usual "I'm just one of the guys manner." It was what she always did when he made lewd comments. "Who's your date?"
"DK and I decided to come stag... a couple of Lone Wolves on the prowl." Logan did a little hand flip and pointed Duncan out. "We hitched a ride in the limo with Dick and Madison, figured we'd club it in LA while they shack up."
"Duncan doesn't have a date?" Veronica was surprised.
"Seems the lovely lady he set his sights on already has a beau." At Veronica's startled look, Logan added,"Don't worry, for once, it's not you he's pining for."
"Logan," she said, rolling her eyes. "He's the one who broke up with me, remember?"
"But not because he didn't want you." Logan smirked. "He's the Lion, I'm the Tinman."
"Funny, I always though you were more Scarecrow," mused Veronica.
"Ha ha. And I'd love to see you try to stuff Back-up in a picnic basket, Dorothy." He scanned her outfit, the tight fitted long red satin gown and red pumps, and let out a low whistle. "Though I must say I approve of the change in wardrobe. Why leave the ruby to the slippers?"
"You don't think it's too much?" Veronica had been a little nervous about the boldness of the color and cut, but Lilly had insisted it was perfect. Veronica smoothed the satin over her hips, trying to regain the confidence the dress seemed to project. It made her feel strong and sexy, but was she really? Standing next to Logan, she almost felt like it was true.
"You look amazingly beautiful, Veronica," Logan said seriously, touching her cheek. "I hope Mr. Vandergraff appreciates it. Where is he, anyway?" Logan was a little surprised that the dumbass had left Veronica standing alone, especially when she looked so absolutely edible. If he were Veronica's date - he cut himself off right at that thought. Not going there. Nope. Not at all.
"Honestly?" She chuckled a little, sounding embarrassed. "I think he is off somewhere swigging from a flask and trying to recover from his encounter with my father."
"That bad, huh?" Logan smirked and sent Keith a silent high five.
"He reserved a hotel room... and he was dumb enough to do it in his own name." Veronica was a little embarrassed actually. She had never agreed to anything like that, Troy hadn't even told her. Her dad had found out on his own and about blown a gasket.
"OOOooh. Bad move, Vandergraff. Never ever use your real name." Logan chuckled. He and Lilly had gotten pretty clever at eluding Keith's surveillance techniques, but no way was he giving tips to Vandergraff.
"Yep." Veronica smiled. "I'm afraid this relationship may not last long... I'm not particularly into necrophilia."
Logan laughed. "Speak of the devil. Dumb Boy's headed back this way." Logan lifted her hand and kissed the back of it, trying to ignore the lightening bolt of electricity that went straight to his groin. "Save me a dance, will you? For your sad and lonely bachelor of a friend?"
"Um, sure," Veronica said, wide eyed. Did he plan to dance a slow song with her? Or was he just kidding? She felt a little shiver down her spine at the thought of slow dancing with Logan. In a tux. Man, he looked good in a tux. She shook her head a little and tried to focus on her date. Troy. She was here with Troy. She gave Logan a little wave and grabbed Troy's hand to pull him out to the dance floor.
Logan wandered over to a group of girls sans dates and did a bit of recreational flirting. He was just wasting time until Dick and Madison okayed the escape. Coming to the dance had been Duncan's idea so he could scope out what the most recent candidate for girl of his dreams was doing. Logan was pretty sure it was Meg Manning that DK was going all mumbly and blushing over, but he let Duncan think it was a big secret.
Logan took a covert swig from his flask and slipped it back in his pocket. Damn Veronica for wearing a red dress. She stood out like a beacon and it was hard to keep his eyes off of her. Vandergraff was pawing her to some sickening slow song and it made Logan want to puke. He should not have come tonight. He was going to get out of here, find some nice nameless, faceless, anything-other-than-blond girl and fuck her like there was no tomorrow. He sighed.
But first he was going to ask Veronica to dance. The DJ had put on a classic from the Cherry Poppin' Daddies and that was his cue. He couldn't get away with a Boyfriend Hold dance, and just the average boogie wasn't going to do it for him, but he could pull out the old swing dance moves to Zoot Suit Riot. All those torturous dance lessons his mom had made him take would finally come in handy.
He snuck up behind her and tapped her shoulder. "I believe this dance belongs to me?" Vandergraff was giving him the evil eye. Like he gave a shit what the weasel thought. Veronica smiled at him and took his hand and that was all he needed.
It was actually a lot of fun to spin her around. She was so tiny, he could throw her into the air and swing her in circles. The girl had rhythm, too. As far as he knew, she hadn't had any lessons, but she followed his moves like a pro. The song was too short, though, and he had to return her to the neanderthal she was calling a date. She was flushed and laughing and he hated like hell to let her go, but those were the breaks.
"Have fun. I'd tell you not to do anything I wouldn't do... but there are a whole lot of things I'd do, that you shouldn't be doing." He winked and pinched her cheek like she was a child, then turned to look for Duncan. There was a bottle of whiskey with his name on it in the limo and a whole lot of booty waiting in LA. But most of all, he needed to get the hell out of Neptune for the night.
**********
"Hey, Logan, it's Lilly."
"Yeah, I got that from the caller ID. I haven't completely deleted you from my life, you know." Logan was a little amused at the tentative sound of her voice. Lilly Kane was always 100% confident. It gave him an ego boost to think he might finally have the power to shake her, even just a little.
"That's good to know. I don't want it to be like that, really." Some of her bravado was coming back. "I know that I am too fabulous to hold a grudge, and you are, too."
"So what's up? I'm guessing you need a favor..." Because why else would she call him? He smirked.
"Am I that obvious?" She sighed. "Of course I am. Did you hear what happened with Troy?"
"No." Logan tried to be civil to the little creep, but it took a lot of effort. "Please tell me he got in some kind of disfiguring accident."
Lilly laughed. "Even better. His dad sent him off to some military academy or something. Hmmm. Maybe it was a Catholic school. Anyway, one of those places bad boys go to get reformed. You know."
"You do more shopping for bad boys than I do, Lilly. And so far no one's tried to reform me. I can't say I'm sorry to see him go. What'd he do?" Logan had never trusted the asshole and he felt vindicated that Vandergraff had apparently turned criminal.
"He went to Tijuana with Luke and the Donut and then managed to get his Dad's car stolen. I guess he wasn't supposed to even be driving it, much less taking it to Mexico. Veronica had to go down and get their sorry asses." Lilly laughed. "I woulda made 'em walk."
"That was bad enough to get him sent away? Shit, I'm glad my parent have a bit more laissez-faire attitude or the priests would have had their hands on me long ago." Logan was a little disappointed. Borrowing a car wasn't much of a crime in his world. He was hoping Vandergraff had done something... unforgivable.
"And I bet they would have loved a pretty boy like you. Lots of intimate whippings..." Lilly smirked. "Troy apparently gets caught a lot more than you do. He's got a deep dark history. Who knew?"
"So what do you want from me, Lilly? Other than throwing a party that he is gone, I can't see where I fit in here." Logan had never been the picture of patience, and Lilly's favors usually weren't much fun. He just wanted her to get to the point.
"I think you should go over to Veronica's and take her out for ice cream," stated Lilly calmly.
"I don't think she's quite as much in the mood for celebrating as I am." What the hell was Lilly thinking? This was clearly girlie territory, and he had way too much testosterone to be a part of it.
"She needs a sympathetic ear," Lilly wheedled.
"And wouldn't that be you as the BFF?" Logan grumbled.
"Come on, Logan, you know me. I don't do sympathetic." Lilly chuckled. Understatement Of The Year.
"And what makes you think I do?" He could tell he was going to get talked into this. His balls were shrinking by the minute. Next thing he knew, he'd have pink nail polish and strappy sandals.
"I know you want to. I know you want her." Another matter of fact statement.
A rush of panic strangled Logan for a minute. Lilly did not just say that. There was a long pause as Logan got himself under control.
"Don't be ridiculous, Lilly." Had his voice cracked? Dear God, he hoped his voice hadn't cracked. No way was he giving Lilly Fucking Kane that kind of ammunition against him.
"Okay, so you are not ready to admit it and neither is she, but I know things, Echolls and it's gonna happen someday." He could feel Lilly smirking through the phone.
Another long pause. The idea tied him up in knots and made him sweat. Usually he just found five hundred reasons why it was impossible and pushed the desire back down again. But here was Lilly, convinced that it would happen. Was it really possible? Finally, he found his voice. "And if it did? Would you be okay with it?"
"She's my BFF and you are one of the greatest guys I know. Of course I'd be okay with it." Lilly seemed surprisingly at ease. "This is high school. Come on."
"She'd never go out with me." Logan couldn't believe he had said that out loud, and to Lilly of all people. He tried to keep up the cool player image, but Veronica Mars shattered all that. He couldn't imagine ever being good enough for her.
"Just be her friend, Logan... you'll be surprised at how far that will get you." Lilly sounded amazingly... kind. It shocked Logan just a little. And made him suspicious.
"Why are you doing this, Lilly?" His apprehension was apparent in his voice. Lilly just was not the philanthropic type.
"Let's just say I feel like I screwed up pushing her at Troy and I want to make amends." Lilly's voice was quiet, serious. "She is my best friend, Logan. Nobody else would ever put up with the shit I pull and love me like she does. I want her to be happy."
"For some reason, I have a hard time believing it's that simple." And yet, it could be. He and Lilly were alike in a lot of ways, and wasn't that just the appeal he found in Veronica Mars? She let him be himself, and seemed to enjoy all his craziness, but she also was firmly on the ground herself.
"I swear it is, lover. I want her to be happy... and you, too. Now go have some ice cream."
After Lilly hung up, Logan stared at the phone for a minute. He could be Veronica's friend. He might be too fucked up to manage anything more, but friendship he could handle. God knows, he didn't have enough good friends. Not the really tight, get your back kind. His friends were mostly the, "Your parents aren't home, let's drink all the booze and trash the place," kind. He scrolled down to her number and took a deep breath before pushing the call button.
"I am in desperate need of some B & J, Ronnie. Do you think you can help me out?" When Logan's question was greeted by silence, he had to review what he had said. And then he smirked. It was a likely misunderstanding coming from him, but he wasn't going to let Veronica get off that easily. "I wanna moan and have my eyes roll back, you know?" It was hard not to laugh as he imaging the blush creeping over her pale cheeks. Though the tightness in his pants made him glad she wasn't there to see his reaction. In his dreams he'd be calling her for that.
"I, uh - you do know who you are talking to, right?" Veronica stuttered.
"Of course I do, Ronnie. I said your name, didn't I?" He paused to let her squirm just a little more, and then he added. "Besides, I don't know anyone with a bigger... Ben & Jerry's addiction." He tried to muffle his laughter so she wouldn't hear.
"Logan!" Yep, he could just picture her flaming red cheeks and flashing eyes. "You did that on purpose!"
"What?" he asked innocently. "I don't know what you are talking about... wait, you didn't think - ?" He outright chuckled at the grumpy snort that came over the phone line. He put on his fake southern belle accent. "Why Miss Veronica Mars, I am shocked and appalled! Get your mind out of the gutter."
"Pick me up in twenty minutes, and you're paying," she grumbled and then hung up. But he knew he had made her smile. Maybe Lilly was right and he was the man for this job.
********
Logan stared at Veronica in fascination as her delicate pink tongue methodically wore away at scoop number three on her cone. His single scoop was long since finished, and he was more than satiated. It was amazing that such a little thing could consume so much.
"It's like the sword swallowers at the circus," he said in awe. "I see it go down with my own eyes, but where does it go?"
Veronica punched his shoulder with one hand while firmly gripping the cone in the other and barely losing rhythm in her steady licking. "It just takes practice, Echolls. Mmmm." Her eyes closed in ecstasy for a moment as she enjoyed the double fudge chunk.
Logan shifted on the bench, trying to relieve some of the pressure in his pants. It really wasn't healthy for him to be watching this. Too much of the rotation already consisted of Veronica doing various things. Her relationship with food... well, it really made him wonder what it would be like to... Oh, god. He was not even going there. He hadn't had a girlfriend for a month and he was just not going there. At least not while he was still with her, and in public. He stood up abruptly, trying to covertly adjust himself.
"Come on, let's walk for a while." The ice cream was keeping Veronica busy and unable to talk about Troy. Which was both a good thing and bad thing. Logan was supposed to be comforting her, right? But he really didn't want to talk about Troy. Ever again. He fished around in his brain for things to talk about. It wasn't like he was interested in school, and they didn't currently have any classes together. Then he thought of something.
"Hey, you know, student elections are coming up. What do you think of Duncan as our class prez?" Logan had been toying with the idea of nominating his friend for a while.
"I think his Dad would love it, but he'll never do it. Why, are you hoping to be his campaign manager? Trying to set him up as the dummy figurehead?" teased Veronica, now happily munching away at her cone.
"That's where the real power is," Logan gloated. "I'll bet I could get my Dad to make some dorky political endorsement spot. Be way over the top."
"Why do you want him in?" Veronica asked, eyeing Logan curiously as she popped the last piece of cone in her mouth. "You know he'll hate it."
"But he'll be good at it. And whasername Wanda Sykes is planning on abolishing Pirate Points. We can't let her win. Can you imagine if we had to eat cafeteria food?" Logan shuddered. "Besides, we should have an 09er in office."
"Her name is Wanda Varner. Wanda Sykes is a comedienne."
Logan snorted. "As if I care what her name is. We can't let her win."
"Why don't you run?" Veronica was licking the ice cream off her fingers in a way that made Logan stare, even though he knew he should look away for his own sanity's sake. "I bet you'd win."
"I'd suck at it, Ronnie," Logan smirked. "I'm like the big evil corporations that pay the politicians off. I just want to make sure my interests are protected. I don't care about the rest of the crap. You know Duncan. He really cares."
Veronica nodded. Duncan would never enter it willingly, but he'd do a really great job once he was elected. "So what is your dastardly plan?"
"You wanna help write a smarmy political spot with me? My Dad will never say no if you are with me when I ask..." Logan's eye lit up as he began plotting Duncan's rise to power. "We'll have him sit on the porch, with an American flag flying behind him."
"Yeah, okay." Veronica shrugged, then laughed. "Why do I feel like I just sold my soul?"
"Because you find me devilishly irresistible?" Logan asked with a wink.
Veronica suddenly felt odd, remembering Troy's comments about borrowing the devil's moves. She had always thought she like nice boys, but maybe that wasn't the case after all. Troy hadn't been worth the effort, but Logan? Logan was very intriguing. Devilishly irresistible indeed.
"You have an ego the size of Montana, don't you?" Veronica joked, punching his arm.
"Um, more like the Alaskan territories... But you know, it is well deserved." Logan smirked. "Trust me, you'll never miss that silly little soul." His voice was almost a purr and it made Veronica's stomach flip flop.
"Do I have to sign in blood?" she asked. "And what else do I get in the bargain?"
"I'll just take your word for it now, and collect on the total later." Logan picked up her hand and kissed the palm. "Now let's go hypnotize the masses and bend them to our will." He turned towards the parking lot, heart still racing over what he had just done. He had kissed Ronnie. Just her hand, and just as a joke, but it had still left him completely flustered. Good bye cool playah. Hello nerdy freshman of love.
Veronica stood stunned, rooted to the spot as she watched Logan's back move away from her. There was an erratic pounding in her chest and she felt light headed. Logan always did this to her, lulled her into comfort with the brotherly banter and then suddenly hit her from the side with his incredible sexiness. He probably didn't even know he did it.
Veronica shook her head, trying to regain some of her hold on reality. Must. Not. Fantasize. About. Logan. Logan turned around and waved.
"You didn't turn to salt back there, did you? The car's this way."
Veronica blinked, nodded, and ran to catch up.
Author:gertinator
Pairing/Character: Logan/Veronica, ensemble
Word Count: 5530
Rating: PG 13 with a little heavier swearing than TV
Summary: The au of Veronica's graduation dream... Lilly is alive. How did Veronica end up with Logan?
Spoilers/Warnings: I played fast and loose with canon and used some things but changed the context (Season 1 so far). I am god!!!! Or um, not. Yeah, really, that's Rob Thomas and the gang. *sighs* But a girl can dream.
A/N: Okay, I meant to just add a little to what I had already written and then post, but you know me. It just keeps growing... So it took a little longer to post, but you get more fic for your money. Hey wait, is there any money involved?! That would get me in trouble with RT, wouldn't it?
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3
Part 4
"Hi, Logan. Uh. How's it going?" Logan winced at the sympathetic tone to Veronica's voice. He needed to learn to let the calls go to voice mail sometimes, really.
"Your dad told you." It wasn't even a question, and he was too emotionally exhausted to keep the annoyance out of his voice.
There was a long pause and Logan wondered if she was regretting calling. Maybe she'd just hang up and leave him to sulk in peace. He was planning on hitting the liquor cabinet as soon as his Dad left for his cooking class.
"Um. No. He's good about that confidential stuff... but you know me. Sometimes I hear things I'm not supposed to. I'm so small they forget I'm around." Logan didn't even attempt a short joke at her expense, and Veronica knew he was in bad shape.
"Yeah, well. The whole school will know by tomorrow. Logan Echolls screwed over by another cheating blonde. I guess I can cancel the hotel for Homecoming," he added bitterly.
"I'm so sorry, Logan. I won't pretend that I ever liked her, but she was your girlfriend." It was at least a little comfort that Caitlyn would become a social pariah when word got out; she wasn't nearly as charming as Lilly and the credit card fraud angle was not going to be easily forgiven among the Black AmEx set. Veronica did her favorite Godfather imitation. "You want I should beat her up? Make her hurt a little?"
Logan laughed. "I think I would pay to see that. But no, don't worry about it, Ronnie, it's all good."
"You don't sound like it's all good," Veronica said seriously.
"Yeah, well." Logan really, really didn't want to talk about it. Especially to Veronica. "On the bright side, Mrs. Navarro is so glad my mom didn't fire her that we have all sorts of fabulous food overflowing out of the cupboards."
Veronica tried to hide the sharp intake of breath. "Her tamales?" she asked, her mouth already watering. Logan usually didn't want to hang at his house, but when they did, they always begged for Mrs. Navarro's tamales. They were less than half a step away from true Nirvana.
"Yep. And The Cookies." Logan's humor improved considerably as he taunted her with the goodies. At least he had something someone wanted. Veronica actually whimpered at the mention of the cookies. "I've been eating them all day and I haven't even made a dent in the pile." Logan heard the distant echo of Veronica's stomach rumbling and he laughed. It was the first time he had laughed since he had found out his girlfriend had cheated on him and her other boyfriend had been spending Logan's parents' money on her. It felt good.
"The double chocolate ones? With the cinnamon?" Veronica moaned in a way that made Logan kind of hard. That girl had a weird thing with food, but it was cute. No picking at salads and counting calories for Veronica Mars. Maybe having her over would be a better idea than drowning his sorrows in booze. Just watching her eat twice her weight in tamales and then consume another hundred cookies would be more entertaining than anything else he could think of. And those little moany noises? And the way she licked the hot sauce off her fingers? So totally in the rotation. Oh, man, he was a sick, sick boy.
"You are so obvious, Mars. You wanna come over and pig out and watch movies with me?" Logan grinned and felt the weight lift off of him. His Dad would be out most of the evening and they could just relax and pretend that life in Neptune didn't usually suck.
There was a pause and then she questioned suspiciously, "Who picks the movie?" Logan smirked. Usually he was a tyrant when it came to picking movies. He just knew too many of the faces and there were times when he insisted on only watching his favorites. He also always had veto power. Too many movie related childhood traumas.
"We can negotiate. No chick flicks, and nothing with either of my parents or Conner Larkin." It was a big concession on his part. Usually there were a lot more rules.
"Like I wanna watch your dad make out with girls a few years older than us and then blow things up. How about Terminator? It's chick flick and action film all rolled into one. And we can fondly remember our governor's better days. Plus we've both seen it so many times that we won't interrupt our feast trying to figure out the plot."
"You are a woman after my own heart, Mars. Get your ass over here, before all the cookies are gone." He was suddenly anxious to see her, to not be alone anymore.
"Ten minutes and those cookies are mine," she promised. Veronica tucked her phone into her purse and grabbed a sweater. She kissed her father on the cheek and said good bye on her way out the door.
"Where are you off to on this school night?" Keith put down his paper and examined his daughter.
"I heard they were filming a Girls Gone Wild video over at Hearst and I thought I'd get a jump on the college experience," she teased.
"Remember you look best from your left side, honey. And I hear you get extra points for the bounce." Bantering with his daughter was one of Keith's favorite parts of the day.
"Been working on the bounce and giggle, I almost have it down. I think I'm just about ready to add the pony tail flip." She smiled at her Dad. "I'm going to Logan's to watch movies. I'll be home by curfew."
"His parents home?" Keith wasn't really worried, but the questions were a routine.
"Not sure," she said with a shrug. "I didn't ask. It's just Logan. He's pretty bummed about the whole Caitlyn thing and I thought I would go cheer him up."
Keith raised an eyebrow. "Been bugging my office again, eh?"
"Nope, just listening at doors." She put on her most wide eyed and innocent face, speaking with a hint of a lisp, "A sweet young girl like me doesn't understand when all you Sherifffy types talk business anyway."
"Uh-huh. And now you are trying to distract me from the fact that you are going over to Logan's house and his parents may not be home. A boy with a certain... reputation, I might add." Keith had her pinned with his look. She wasn't squirming at all, so he knew she hadn't purposely left information out. She was so easy to read sometimes.
"I have a boyfriend, Dad. Logan knows that. He's just a friend. A really over protective friend, actually." She paused thoughtfully. "I've been meaning to ask you, you're not paying him off to be my bodyguard, are you?"
"If I was going to go that far, I wouldn't invest in a skinny rich boy. Your new best friend would weigh 300 lbs and answer to the name of Bubba." Keith was only half joking at that. Sometimes he missed the sweet little 10 year old that had followed him around. And thought boys had cooties. Ah, if only he could bring the cooties days back.
"Logan's a little less conspicuous at Neptune High." Veronica said with a head tilt and a grin.
"But Bubba would have his priorities clear. I'm not so sure about Logan." Keith had to admit, since the night Logan had brought Veronica home despite his date, Keith had been changing his opinion of the boy. Logan had a wild streak a mile wide and was one to be watched, but he would back his friends come hell or high water. Veronica was lucky to be in the friend category. "I will be calling at random intervals to check on you, so make sure your phone is handy."
"Okay, but if you ruin the movie, I will get revenge. I won't bring you any of Mrs. Navarro's cookies." Veronica stuck her tongue out for emphasis.
"Ahhh. Now I understand why you want to go over there." Keith nodded his head. No wonder she hadn't inquired about the parents. She had entered a cookie induced hypnotic state.
"He's a friend in need," she said defensively. But she was grinning.
"With a lot of cookies," he added wryly.
"Exactly." She rubbed her stomach and wiggled her eyebrows for emphasis. "But not for long."
"Okay." Keith chuckled. "Have fun. And if you need your stomach pumped at the end of the night, Logan's taking you to the ER."
**********
"I came across time for you, Sarah..." Logan mimicked in a sappy breathless voice, fluttering his eyelashes at Veronica.
"Hush," she said, waving her hand at him. "This is the best part." She clutched a pillow tightly as the scene unfolded, snuggled into a little nest she had made on the floor. She had eaten so much, Logan had told her he didn't think the couch could hold her anyway. He observed her with amusement. She had watched that scene with Lilly, probably hundreds of times, and she was mouthing the words. And yet, she was as excited as if she had never seen it before.
He wasn't going to go all soft and buy into the romance of it, but he thought it was cute that she did. Even after Duncan had broken her heart.
Real life romance certainly didn't work that way, at least not in his experience. Not that he had years and years of it, but he saw how his father and mother were. He was pretty sure his father was cheating regularly, and his mom had her own love affair with the gin bottle. His parents' friends seemed to be the same way, and the parents of his classmates. Dick's dad had just traded his mom in for an ex-Laker girl. It wasn't the sort of love you'd give your life for. It was the sort that came with a pre-nup.
Keith and Lianne seemed to be an exception to the rule. Veronica found their affection embarrassing, but Logan thought it was refreshing. It was nice to know that it was a possibility for people to actually really like each other. He wouldn't admit how desperately he wished for a little of that kind of wholesome honesty in his life. For a minute he remembered the events of the day, thought about the rumors that would be flying around school soon.
It wasn't that he had been in love with Caitlyn. Hell, he hadn't even liked her that much. And clearly, she hadn't been particularly stuck on him. But it still hurt. In some ways, it hurt worse than the mess with Lilly. It hurt his pride. Weevil was at least a worthy adversary. Or he had seemed like it when they faced down over the whole Chardo thing. It was a relief, really, that Weevil was going gang justice on Chardo and leaving Logan out of it.
And wasn't that funny, Logan thought. He was willing to beat up one of his best friends for indirectly hurting the blonde stretched out and watching TV on the carpet in front of him, but he didn't have it in him to take down some dumb ass spic biker who was macking on the blonde he had publicly claimed as his girl friend. Love was a funny thing all right.
**********
"Hey, pretty lady." Veronica turned around at the sound of the familiar voice.
"Logan, you came." She threw her arms around him and gave him a hug.
"And I'll come again, if you keep rubbing against me dressed like that," he murmured in her ear.
"You. Are so bad." She pulled away, blushing, and punched his shoulder in her usual "I'm just one of the guys manner." It was what she always did when he made lewd comments. "Who's your date?"
"DK and I decided to come stag... a couple of Lone Wolves on the prowl." Logan did a little hand flip and pointed Duncan out. "We hitched a ride in the limo with Dick and Madison, figured we'd club it in LA while they shack up."
"Duncan doesn't have a date?" Veronica was surprised.
"Seems the lovely lady he set his sights on already has a beau." At Veronica's startled look, Logan added,"Don't worry, for once, it's not you he's pining for."
"Logan," she said, rolling her eyes. "He's the one who broke up with me, remember?"
"But not because he didn't want you." Logan smirked. "He's the Lion, I'm the Tinman."
"Funny, I always though you were more Scarecrow," mused Veronica.
"Ha ha. And I'd love to see you try to stuff Back-up in a picnic basket, Dorothy." He scanned her outfit, the tight fitted long red satin gown and red pumps, and let out a low whistle. "Though I must say I approve of the change in wardrobe. Why leave the ruby to the slippers?"
"You don't think it's too much?" Veronica had been a little nervous about the boldness of the color and cut, but Lilly had insisted it was perfect. Veronica smoothed the satin over her hips, trying to regain the confidence the dress seemed to project. It made her feel strong and sexy, but was she really? Standing next to Logan, she almost felt like it was true.
"You look amazingly beautiful, Veronica," Logan said seriously, touching her cheek. "I hope Mr. Vandergraff appreciates it. Where is he, anyway?" Logan was a little surprised that the dumbass had left Veronica standing alone, especially when she looked so absolutely edible. If he were Veronica's date - he cut himself off right at that thought. Not going there. Nope. Not at all.
"Honestly?" She chuckled a little, sounding embarrassed. "I think he is off somewhere swigging from a flask and trying to recover from his encounter with my father."
"That bad, huh?" Logan smirked and sent Keith a silent high five.
"He reserved a hotel room... and he was dumb enough to do it in his own name." Veronica was a little embarrassed actually. She had never agreed to anything like that, Troy hadn't even told her. Her dad had found out on his own and about blown a gasket.
"OOOooh. Bad move, Vandergraff. Never ever use your real name." Logan chuckled. He and Lilly had gotten pretty clever at eluding Keith's surveillance techniques, but no way was he giving tips to Vandergraff.
"Yep." Veronica smiled. "I'm afraid this relationship may not last long... I'm not particularly into necrophilia."
Logan laughed. "Speak of the devil. Dumb Boy's headed back this way." Logan lifted her hand and kissed the back of it, trying to ignore the lightening bolt of electricity that went straight to his groin. "Save me a dance, will you? For your sad and lonely bachelor of a friend?"
"Um, sure," Veronica said, wide eyed. Did he plan to dance a slow song with her? Or was he just kidding? She felt a little shiver down her spine at the thought of slow dancing with Logan. In a tux. Man, he looked good in a tux. She shook her head a little and tried to focus on her date. Troy. She was here with Troy. She gave Logan a little wave and grabbed Troy's hand to pull him out to the dance floor.
Logan wandered over to a group of girls sans dates and did a bit of recreational flirting. He was just wasting time until Dick and Madison okayed the escape. Coming to the dance had been Duncan's idea so he could scope out what the most recent candidate for girl of his dreams was doing. Logan was pretty sure it was Meg Manning that DK was going all mumbly and blushing over, but he let Duncan think it was a big secret.
Logan took a covert swig from his flask and slipped it back in his pocket. Damn Veronica for wearing a red dress. She stood out like a beacon and it was hard to keep his eyes off of her. Vandergraff was pawing her to some sickening slow song and it made Logan want to puke. He should not have come tonight. He was going to get out of here, find some nice nameless, faceless, anything-other-than-blond girl and fuck her like there was no tomorrow. He sighed.
But first he was going to ask Veronica to dance. The DJ had put on a classic from the Cherry Poppin' Daddies and that was his cue. He couldn't get away with a Boyfriend Hold dance, and just the average boogie wasn't going to do it for him, but he could pull out the old swing dance moves to Zoot Suit Riot. All those torturous dance lessons his mom had made him take would finally come in handy.
He snuck up behind her and tapped her shoulder. "I believe this dance belongs to me?" Vandergraff was giving him the evil eye. Like he gave a shit what the weasel thought. Veronica smiled at him and took his hand and that was all he needed.
It was actually a lot of fun to spin her around. She was so tiny, he could throw her into the air and swing her in circles. The girl had rhythm, too. As far as he knew, she hadn't had any lessons, but she followed his moves like a pro. The song was too short, though, and he had to return her to the neanderthal she was calling a date. She was flushed and laughing and he hated like hell to let her go, but those were the breaks.
"Have fun. I'd tell you not to do anything I wouldn't do... but there are a whole lot of things I'd do, that you shouldn't be doing." He winked and pinched her cheek like she was a child, then turned to look for Duncan. There was a bottle of whiskey with his name on it in the limo and a whole lot of booty waiting in LA. But most of all, he needed to get the hell out of Neptune for the night.
**********
"Hey, Logan, it's Lilly."
"Yeah, I got that from the caller ID. I haven't completely deleted you from my life, you know." Logan was a little amused at the tentative sound of her voice. Lilly Kane was always 100% confident. It gave him an ego boost to think he might finally have the power to shake her, even just a little.
"That's good to know. I don't want it to be like that, really." Some of her bravado was coming back. "I know that I am too fabulous to hold a grudge, and you are, too."
"So what's up? I'm guessing you need a favor..." Because why else would she call him? He smirked.
"Am I that obvious?" She sighed. "Of course I am. Did you hear what happened with Troy?"
"No." Logan tried to be civil to the little creep, but it took a lot of effort. "Please tell me he got in some kind of disfiguring accident."
Lilly laughed. "Even better. His dad sent him off to some military academy or something. Hmmm. Maybe it was a Catholic school. Anyway, one of those places bad boys go to get reformed. You know."
"You do more shopping for bad boys than I do, Lilly. And so far no one's tried to reform me. I can't say I'm sorry to see him go. What'd he do?" Logan had never trusted the asshole and he felt vindicated that Vandergraff had apparently turned criminal.
"He went to Tijuana with Luke and the Donut and then managed to get his Dad's car stolen. I guess he wasn't supposed to even be driving it, much less taking it to Mexico. Veronica had to go down and get their sorry asses." Lilly laughed. "I woulda made 'em walk."
"That was bad enough to get him sent away? Shit, I'm glad my parent have a bit more laissez-faire attitude or the priests would have had their hands on me long ago." Logan was a little disappointed. Borrowing a car wasn't much of a crime in his world. He was hoping Vandergraff had done something... unforgivable.
"And I bet they would have loved a pretty boy like you. Lots of intimate whippings..." Lilly smirked. "Troy apparently gets caught a lot more than you do. He's got a deep dark history. Who knew?"
"So what do you want from me, Lilly? Other than throwing a party that he is gone, I can't see where I fit in here." Logan had never been the picture of patience, and Lilly's favors usually weren't much fun. He just wanted her to get to the point.
"I think you should go over to Veronica's and take her out for ice cream," stated Lilly calmly.
"I don't think she's quite as much in the mood for celebrating as I am." What the hell was Lilly thinking? This was clearly girlie territory, and he had way too much testosterone to be a part of it.
"She needs a sympathetic ear," Lilly wheedled.
"And wouldn't that be you as the BFF?" Logan grumbled.
"Come on, Logan, you know me. I don't do sympathetic." Lilly chuckled. Understatement Of The Year.
"And what makes you think I do?" He could tell he was going to get talked into this. His balls were shrinking by the minute. Next thing he knew, he'd have pink nail polish and strappy sandals.
"I know you want to. I know you want her." Another matter of fact statement.
A rush of panic strangled Logan for a minute. Lilly did not just say that. There was a long pause as Logan got himself under control.
"Don't be ridiculous, Lilly." Had his voice cracked? Dear God, he hoped his voice hadn't cracked. No way was he giving Lilly Fucking Kane that kind of ammunition against him.
"Okay, so you are not ready to admit it and neither is she, but I know things, Echolls and it's gonna happen someday." He could feel Lilly smirking through the phone.
Another long pause. The idea tied him up in knots and made him sweat. Usually he just found five hundred reasons why it was impossible and pushed the desire back down again. But here was Lilly, convinced that it would happen. Was it really possible? Finally, he found his voice. "And if it did? Would you be okay with it?"
"She's my BFF and you are one of the greatest guys I know. Of course I'd be okay with it." Lilly seemed surprisingly at ease. "This is high school. Come on."
"She'd never go out with me." Logan couldn't believe he had said that out loud, and to Lilly of all people. He tried to keep up the cool player image, but Veronica Mars shattered all that. He couldn't imagine ever being good enough for her.
"Just be her friend, Logan... you'll be surprised at how far that will get you." Lilly sounded amazingly... kind. It shocked Logan just a little. And made him suspicious.
"Why are you doing this, Lilly?" His apprehension was apparent in his voice. Lilly just was not the philanthropic type.
"Let's just say I feel like I screwed up pushing her at Troy and I want to make amends." Lilly's voice was quiet, serious. "She is my best friend, Logan. Nobody else would ever put up with the shit I pull and love me like she does. I want her to be happy."
"For some reason, I have a hard time believing it's that simple." And yet, it could be. He and Lilly were alike in a lot of ways, and wasn't that just the appeal he found in Veronica Mars? She let him be himself, and seemed to enjoy all his craziness, but she also was firmly on the ground herself.
"I swear it is, lover. I want her to be happy... and you, too. Now go have some ice cream."
After Lilly hung up, Logan stared at the phone for a minute. He could be Veronica's friend. He might be too fucked up to manage anything more, but friendship he could handle. God knows, he didn't have enough good friends. Not the really tight, get your back kind. His friends were mostly the, "Your parents aren't home, let's drink all the booze and trash the place," kind. He scrolled down to her number and took a deep breath before pushing the call button.
"I am in desperate need of some B & J, Ronnie. Do you think you can help me out?" When Logan's question was greeted by silence, he had to review what he had said. And then he smirked. It was a likely misunderstanding coming from him, but he wasn't going to let Veronica get off that easily. "I wanna moan and have my eyes roll back, you know?" It was hard not to laugh as he imaging the blush creeping over her pale cheeks. Though the tightness in his pants made him glad she wasn't there to see his reaction. In his dreams he'd be calling her for that.
"I, uh - you do know who you are talking to, right?" Veronica stuttered.
"Of course I do, Ronnie. I said your name, didn't I?" He paused to let her squirm just a little more, and then he added. "Besides, I don't know anyone with a bigger... Ben & Jerry's addiction." He tried to muffle his laughter so she wouldn't hear.
"Logan!" Yep, he could just picture her flaming red cheeks and flashing eyes. "You did that on purpose!"
"What?" he asked innocently. "I don't know what you are talking about... wait, you didn't think - ?" He outright chuckled at the grumpy snort that came over the phone line. He put on his fake southern belle accent. "Why Miss Veronica Mars, I am shocked and appalled! Get your mind out of the gutter."
"Pick me up in twenty minutes, and you're paying," she grumbled and then hung up. But he knew he had made her smile. Maybe Lilly was right and he was the man for this job.
********
Logan stared at Veronica in fascination as her delicate pink tongue methodically wore away at scoop number three on her cone. His single scoop was long since finished, and he was more than satiated. It was amazing that such a little thing could consume so much.
"It's like the sword swallowers at the circus," he said in awe. "I see it go down with my own eyes, but where does it go?"
Veronica punched his shoulder with one hand while firmly gripping the cone in the other and barely losing rhythm in her steady licking. "It just takes practice, Echolls. Mmmm." Her eyes closed in ecstasy for a moment as she enjoyed the double fudge chunk.
Logan shifted on the bench, trying to relieve some of the pressure in his pants. It really wasn't healthy for him to be watching this. Too much of the rotation already consisted of Veronica doing various things. Her relationship with food... well, it really made him wonder what it would be like to... Oh, god. He was not even going there. He hadn't had a girlfriend for a month and he was just not going there. At least not while he was still with her, and in public. He stood up abruptly, trying to covertly adjust himself.
"Come on, let's walk for a while." The ice cream was keeping Veronica busy and unable to talk about Troy. Which was both a good thing and bad thing. Logan was supposed to be comforting her, right? But he really didn't want to talk about Troy. Ever again. He fished around in his brain for things to talk about. It wasn't like he was interested in school, and they didn't currently have any classes together. Then he thought of something.
"Hey, you know, student elections are coming up. What do you think of Duncan as our class prez?" Logan had been toying with the idea of nominating his friend for a while.
"I think his Dad would love it, but he'll never do it. Why, are you hoping to be his campaign manager? Trying to set him up as the dummy figurehead?" teased Veronica, now happily munching away at her cone.
"That's where the real power is," Logan gloated. "I'll bet I could get my Dad to make some dorky political endorsement spot. Be way over the top."
"Why do you want him in?" Veronica asked, eyeing Logan curiously as she popped the last piece of cone in her mouth. "You know he'll hate it."
"But he'll be good at it. And whasername Wanda Sykes is planning on abolishing Pirate Points. We can't let her win. Can you imagine if we had to eat cafeteria food?" Logan shuddered. "Besides, we should have an 09er in office."
"Her name is Wanda Varner. Wanda Sykes is a comedienne."
Logan snorted. "As if I care what her name is. We can't let her win."
"Why don't you run?" Veronica was licking the ice cream off her fingers in a way that made Logan stare, even though he knew he should look away for his own sanity's sake. "I bet you'd win."
"I'd suck at it, Ronnie," Logan smirked. "I'm like the big evil corporations that pay the politicians off. I just want to make sure my interests are protected. I don't care about the rest of the crap. You know Duncan. He really cares."
Veronica nodded. Duncan would never enter it willingly, but he'd do a really great job once he was elected. "So what is your dastardly plan?"
"You wanna help write a smarmy political spot with me? My Dad will never say no if you are with me when I ask..." Logan's eye lit up as he began plotting Duncan's rise to power. "We'll have him sit on the porch, with an American flag flying behind him."
"Yeah, okay." Veronica shrugged, then laughed. "Why do I feel like I just sold my soul?"
"Because you find me devilishly irresistible?" Logan asked with a wink.
Veronica suddenly felt odd, remembering Troy's comments about borrowing the devil's moves. She had always thought she like nice boys, but maybe that wasn't the case after all. Troy hadn't been worth the effort, but Logan? Logan was very intriguing. Devilishly irresistible indeed.
"You have an ego the size of Montana, don't you?" Veronica joked, punching his arm.
"Um, more like the Alaskan territories... But you know, it is well deserved." Logan smirked. "Trust me, you'll never miss that silly little soul." His voice was almost a purr and it made Veronica's stomach flip flop.
"Do I have to sign in blood?" she asked. "And what else do I get in the bargain?"
"I'll just take your word for it now, and collect on the total later." Logan picked up her hand and kissed the palm. "Now let's go hypnotize the masses and bend them to our will." He turned towards the parking lot, heart still racing over what he had just done. He had kissed Ronnie. Just her hand, and just as a joke, but it had still left him completely flustered. Good bye cool playah. Hello nerdy freshman of love.
Veronica stood stunned, rooted to the spot as she watched Logan's back move away from her. There was an erratic pounding in her chest and she felt light headed. Logan always did this to her, lulled her into comfort with the brotherly banter and then suddenly hit her from the side with his incredible sexiness. He probably didn't even know he did it.
Veronica shook her head, trying to regain some of her hold on reality. Must. Not. Fantasize. About. Logan. Logan turned around and waved.
"You didn't turn to salt back there, did you? The car's this way."
Veronica blinked, nodded, and ran to catch up.