Fic: There and Back Again (LoVe/VD) PG-13 {8.5/?}
Title: There and Back Again
Word Count: 7,911 {chapter eight only}
Rating: PG-14 for language {May change in the future}
Warnings/Spoilers: If you know about the revolving door that is Logan and Veronica's relationship, Cassidy Casablancas' role in the second season, and Mac and Wallace both had roommates; you’re more than good to go.
Summary: On the first anniversary of Aaron Echolls death, Veronica and Logan decide to finally set their issues to rest, at the Echolls’ cabin, with six of their nearest and dearest friends.
Authors Note: This chapter goes out to Krazegirl from Fanfiction.Net. Without her {long as heck} review this chapter probably never would have been posted. I expect another one for this. And to my beta. If you’re still around I’ve got another chapter for you.
Official Disclaimer: All Veronica Mars characters and plots belong to Rob Thomas and the CW. I do not hold stock either the man or the company. Veronica Mars, Logan Echolls, and any other character featured are NOT mine
5:30 pm
Friday, June 15th, 2007
Dick wasn’t supposed to have fallen asleep.
He had been lying on the floor of the den watching Mac kick Piz’s butt at classic street fighter and he never expected to actually doze off. And when he did fall asleep he never expected to open his eye to the past.
He was now lying on his back on a lounger by the pool of his father’s home, a place that he could honestly say he hadn’t been for at least a year. Even with Dick Sr. back in town he hadn’t returned to his childhood home, preferring to meet his father anywhere where they hadn’t gone as a family. The white deck chairs were still by the pool, which meant that he was dreaming of a time before his brother took his swan dive. He’d taken a baseball bat to the pool furniture shortly after, trying to cleanse his brother’s spirit from the house. The new cabana hadn’t been put up either, which meant that Kendall hadn’t made it into the house yet.
“And I’m still alive.” His attention was pulled to the other side of the pool where, clad in a pastel pink Kenneth Cole halter bikini and pleated skirt bottom, Lilly Kane was waving at him. “I knew you dreamt about me.”
“Lillian Kane.” Dick sat up on the lounger and pulled his feet up closer to his body. “Of all the dead people I know - “
“You don’t have to insult me by pointing out this is the first time I’ve graced the dreams of the mighty Casablancas since my demise.” Lilly ran a hand over her body and began to move around the pool, grabbing one of the over stuffed terry cloth robes off of the side table by the back door as she moved. “Although that just means your smarter then you look. You knew that even dead you had no chance with me.”
Dick shifted and tugged at his shirt, thankful that he was at least dressed the damn way he was on the floor in the cabin. There were plenty of more creative scenarios that Lilly could have painted them in. “What do you want?”
“You’re more of a right-to-the-point kind of guy then I remembered.” She slid the robe around her shoulders and dropped down onto the steps, her feet in the water. “I can’t just visit an old friend?”
“Let me think.” Dick shifted in his seat and shook his head. “No.” He had over heard Duncan and Logan talking about Duncan’s dream of Lilly, and he had no idea that it would mean he would get a visit from Casper the slutty spirit as well. “What’s this trip inside my head for ‘Lil.”
Lilly kicked her feet and blinked. Of all the conversations she had had over the week, she never expected Dick’s to be anything but easy. Then again, she wasn’t there for Dick. “I’m just the opening act brain trust.” She spat, kicking water at him. She ran a hand through her hair and tugged the ends on the way down. “I’m the thing you want to remember you saw at the end of this.”
“Why you?” He dropped his feet off of either side of the lounger and leaned forward. “Kendall’s dead, so’s like a dozen of the kids from the bus.” It was his turn to run his hand over his hair. “Why do I get to see you?”
“Recurring theme.” Lilly said after a moment. “I’m the thing all the bad things fear.” When Dick’s eyebrows rose she tossed her hair to the side. “I was first.” She tried again. “Before the bus, before Aaron and the dean.” She drew in an unneeded breath and sighed. “Before Cassidy.”
I’m the opening act. Her voice rang in his head and he froze. There was only one person that he could think of that Lilly might be opening for. “He’s here?” He asked carefully.
Lilly nodded. “He will be.” She confirmed.
The back door opened and Lilly ran her hand through her hair again. “I’ll be here if you need me.” She said seriously, for the first time looking like she actually care about the elder Casablancas brother. “After…” She kicked her feet one more time.
But Dick was no longer paying attention. His eyes were glue on the back door and the silhouette of his brother standing under the awning. When he finally stepped into the light, Dick forgot what it meant to breathe.
He was wearing jeans, the same tan pair with the scuffs on the back of the cuffs that came from wearing them too long, that he had died in. Dick remembered with an odd fondness that he used to joke his little brother about the fact that you could tell which pairs were his favorite. He was in layers again, a style choice that he seemed to have copied from Logan that just fit with his personality. The more Dick looked at him, the more he realized that this was what he was wearing before he wasn’t there anymore.
“Dick.”
His brother’s voice cut through the air even though it seemed like the little boy in front of him never moved his lips. He tried to move his own. Honestly Dick could think of fifteen different things that he wanted to say to his brother but his mouth wouldn’t open. Sound wouldn’t come out.
“I know - “
Finally his voice reappeared, and Dick’s arms reached out to shove his brother before he could stop himself. “You don’t know anything!” He shouted, stepping forward to propel his baby brother backwards another step. “You’re not here.”
“I am.” Cassidy held up his hands and watched his brother freeze. After all the time he had thought about this, planned out what he was going to say and how, he never thought that seeing his brother again would be this way. This was the reaction he had reserved for the one he was too chicken to face. “I’m here.” He confirmed. “Dick, I don’t want to take a lot of time so I need you to listen to me.”
“What could you possibly have to say to me right now?” The taller of the two Casablancas boys turned away from his brother and took a few steps back to where he had started from. For half a second he could swear he could still see the imprint of where Lilly had been by the pool.
“I forgive you.” He said after a moment.
It took less then a second for Dick to flash to the conversation that he had with Mac the day before. “I know you do bro.” He said after a moment. Listening to Mac tell him the exact same thing in his mind. “That’s probably the one thing I’m sure of with you standing here in front of me.” He ran a hand over his head and laughed. “And I know you’re wasting your time.”
“I want to tell you why I did it.”
Cassidy took a step forward and Dick took another step back. “I don’t care.” Dick watched his brother falter, noticing that probably for the first time in a long time he was the brother who knew what he was doing. “You’re sorry, you love me, you wish you would have stopped and thought of all of this through.” He was talking too fast and he couldn’t keep what was in his head from coming out. He turned, moving further away from his brother and closer to where Lilly had been. “Just tell me one thing.”
Cassidy nodded.
“Why lock Mac in your the suite?” Dick didn’t know what possessed him to ask about the tech. Maybe it was the fact that he was getting the one chance she never would. “What were you punishing her for?”
“How many girls would you know would leave a hotel naked?” Cassidy posed the question even as he shrugged. “Cindy wouldn’t.” He answered, pulling his hands out of his pockets. “It was the only way I knew to keep her in there. To keep her safe.”
“That was probably the one good thing you did that night.” Dick turned to face his brother, still caught somewhere between anger, pain and confusion. His eyes scanned the back yard again and he shook his head. “I want to wake up now.”
“You get one chance to talk to your brother and that’s it?” Lilly appeared over his shoulder, and Dick had to resist the urge to vomit. “You ask him that and then you’re ready to leave?”
There wasn’t an answer that Dick could think of that didn’t sound like the idiot that he was thought to be. “He forgives me, I forgive him. I don’t want to know why he did it.” He looked from Lilly to Cassidy and back again. “Can I just wake up?”
“This is our only chance Dick.” Cassidy moved around his brother to stand in front of Lilly. “This could be the only time I have.”
“Then you picked the wrong one to explain it to, Beav.” Dick held his hand out and blinked. “I may not know what you were thinking, or how you were feeling, but I gave up asking all of my questions yesterday.” He wiped his eyes and tried to remember when he started crying. He was going to have to wake up soon. There wasn’t much more of this that he could take. “You’re my brother. I love you.” Cassidy mouthed the words back and Dick looked to Lilly. “I want to wake up now.”
Lilly nodded.
Before she could put a hand on his brother, Cassidy coughed. “I need you to do something for me!” He said quickly, watching his brother’s eyes widen. “I never begged you for anything, Dick. I need you to do something for me.”
Dick turned back to his brother and just stared.
“Look after Cindy.” He knew it was absurd to even think about asking the question. His brother and his former girlfriend had never run in the same circles until Veronica and Logan had merged theirs. Even as he was nodding, they both knew he was asking why. “Easy answer?” Again his brother nodded and Cassidy smiled. “Because I asked you too. And she got you to stop blaming yourself.”
“So I owe her?” Dick’s lips pulled back into an odd smile.
“No.” Cassidy touched his brothers shoulder and smiled. “I do. I love you big brother.”
When his eyes opened he was looking up into a pair of slate grey eyes. “Dick?”
The surfer couldn’t help the smile that came to his face. “Mac?” He asked off handedly, watching as she leaned back on her heels and nudged the controller away from her foot.
“You okay?”
Their eyes locked and he smiled again.
7:18 pm
Friday, June 15th, 2007
“One more game, and I think I just might have to lock you in the closet.” Logan dropped down onto the floor and laughed when Veronica scooted herself across the room on her rear to drop her legs into his lap.
“We’re getting to know each other.” Parker almost shouted, reaching across the bed to steal some popcorn out of Mac’s bowl. The tech popped her hand and shook her head.
Duncan laughed. “I’ve got to watch Dick get pantsed when we were in the third grade, and Logan and I have shared more then one toilet bowl bonding experience.” He informed the room with a grimace. Even Logan seemed a little ashamed of the fact that most of his pre-college partying ended with either he and Dick or Duncan curled up on the bathroom floor at the end of the night. “I think I know more than I need to about the people in this room.”
Parker frowned before turning to the other blonde female in the room. “It was Veronicas’ idea.” She threw out, watching everyone in the room turn to the tiny detective. In that moment she realized that no matter what they may say to disagree with her, they would all still cooperate.
“If we really want to get technical, it was Lilly’s idea.” Veronica sat up and grabbed the drink closest to her on the floor. When she took a swig, she noted the smirk that Duncan was giving her. Whether it was for the fact that her idea had come out of Lilly Kane’s ‘Let’s Get to Know Each Other’ handbook, or that Veronica had stolen Logan’s water, Duncan honestly couldn’t say. “She came up with the idea when we were in pep-“
“I remember those uniforms…” Logan allowed his back to drop all the way to the floor before Veronica had a chance to actually hit him in the head.
“We take turns saying a word.” Veronica rolled her eyes and completely ignores her ex or the fact that Logan was trying to pull himself off of the floor. “And then everyone else takes turns saying their definition of the word.” Dick wiggled his eyebrow. “Jackass.”
“Dick.” Logan said pointedly.
Again, Veronica ignored him. “I’ll go first.” She took a deep breath and looked around the room. There were plenty of words that Lilly had used that she could repeat. She was sure to get colorful answers no matter what she chose. “Okay.”
“You want the definition of the word ‘okay?’” Mac asked after a second, smiling when Veronica nodded. “Having the strong desire to draw a warm bath and slit my wrists.” She shoved a handful of popcorn into her mouth and blinked slowly.
Duncan nudged the tech’s leg with his foot and shook his head. Mac rolled her eyes and Duncan shrugged. “Are you okay?”
“Bite me Kane.”
“I’m curious Logan…” Wallace said quickly, knowing that when Mac and Duncan got started they would all be glad that they had laid Lilly down for the night. They may not be malicious, but there wasn’t a person in the room without a sarcastic streak a mile wide. “What’s your definition of a ‘random hook-up’?”
He couldn’t stop himself from laughing. He and Lily had gone over this numerous times, and the analogies had only seemed to get worse as they went. Looking down to Veronica he bumped his forehead to hers. “A random hook-up, my dear Wallace, is like a half eaten sandwich in the fridge.” Duncan’s face split into a grin as he recalled which drunken conversation this analogy had come from. “You don’t know who ate it last, but you know that it’s 2 am and you’re starving.”
The room erupted into laughter and even Dick had the sense to turn red at the fact that it was true for him as well. “They almost never agree with you either.” Dick pointed out. “Kinda like that sandwich.”
“What is love?”
Veronica turned her head to look at her ex-boyfriends. Duncan had posed the question, but Logan was the one that laughed. “We’re playing the abbreviated version here Ronnie.” He pulled her all the way into his lap using her hips as leverage and rested his head on hers. “It’s your turn to answer.”
“Love…” Veronica took another swig of her drink and chuckled. “Love is a perky elf dancing a merry little jig.” She pointed the mouth of her bottle at her two best friends and smirked. “Then suddenly he turns on you with a miniature machine gun.”
“Coincidently it’s also what you get when you take the first two letters of each of your first names.” Wallace looked over at Mac and smiled ironically. Of course they had come up with that one drunken night before finals, but both had agreed that it was something never to be shared with the former lovers.” Mac almost looked upset that Wallace had beat her to it
“Remind me why I hang out with these people?” Veronica shifted her weight to turn to look at Logan fully.
From his perch on the other side of the room, Duncan offered helpfully. “Junior year they were the only ones that would talk to you?”
She flipped him off long before she thought it would only encourage him. “Thank you.” She dropped her hands into her lap and sighed. “I’m okay now.”
It was Mac’s turn to flip Veronica off and the room laughed.
“Fuck Buddy.” The entire room turned to look at Parker and she smiled innocently as if she’d never spoken.
“You want to know the definition of what?” Wallace dropped his empty bottle of beer on the carpet and slid it across the room to Duncan to add to the trash bag.
Parker readjusted herself on the bed and rolled her eyes. “You heard me.”
“A fuck buddy,” Logan repeated loudly, “is a girl - “ When Mac growled he coughed. “Or guy you probably dated once or twice and it didn’t go anywhere. But the sex is so great you sort of… keep them on call.”
“Like a Dial-a-“
“Dick.” Mac cut the surfer off before they all got to hear just what he thought about women.
If Duncan laughed any longer he was scared he was going to pull something. “Lilly would have loved this.” He said at last, when he was able to find his breath.
“She probably would have preferred the fist fight this afternoon be about her though.” Mac shot out; grabbing a handful of popcorn from the bowl Parker was trying to steal.
Logan laughed and pulled the ottoman behind him. He turned it to face long ways against his back and leaned against it. “In absence of Lilly, a Veronica scandal was just as good.” He told the room sagely. “And anytime Duncan and I were on the outs Lilly was a happy girl.” He rolled his eyes ad Veronica shifted against him. “She was kind of sick like that.”
“Do either of you realize how close you are right now?” Parker used the hand full of popcorn to point to Logan and Veronica. The smaller of the two had curled into an odd pretzel in her exes lap and Logan’s arms were gently draped on her shoulders. It looked like the most normal thing in the world. “How do you do that?”
Veronica scooted out of Logan’s lap even as Duncan set his beer bottle on the floor. “It’s Ronnie’s thing.” He explained to the room. “She finds the person she’s most comfortable with in the room and she latches on.” When Veronica glared at him, he smirked. “I remember her and Lilly getting all cuddly during a movie night.”
“That was to keep Logan and Lilly from going at it during the movie.” She tried to rebuff, even as her leg slid back over Logan’s. “I’m not always like that!”
“You used to cuddle up to me during movie night, Superfly.” Wallace joined in. “And when you and homeboy were together, it was Duncan that you’d wrap yourself around.”
Logan patted her on the head and laughed. “I think they have your number Sugarpuss.”
“At least I don’t talk in my sleep.” She shot back at Logan.
“You’re really turning this into a thing?” Logan turned her around to face him using her hips and crossed his arms against his chest.
“No thing.” She insisted, mimicking her ex and leaning back against his bent leg. “It’s just a shame the great Logan Echolls isn’t more of a mystery-”
Before she could say more, Duncan shook his head. “We’re not starting that tonight.” He decided, crossing his arms and pointing at his two best friends on the floor. “If Logan and I can’t have our pissing contest, you don’t get to start one of your own.”
“Who’s pissing?” Veronica asked, tilting her head to the side only to have Logan physically straighten it. “I just happen to think that Logan’s the more transparent one in the room.”
Wallace leaned forward and plucked the beer bottle from her hand. “How much have you had to drink tonight?” He asked with a grin.
“I’m perfectly sober.” Veronica protested.
That was all Logan needed to start laughing. “I think Lilly’s not the only one who’s gonna call it an early night.” He decided, using the ottoman behind him to prop himself up as he stood, bending to pick up the tiny detective at his feet. “First one up wakes me up.” He all but demanded. “I can’t handle another cup of amateur coffee.’
Duncan was up as well, trying to hide his grin when Veronica protested for all of three seconds to being in Logan’s arms. “Say good night Veronica.”
“Bit me Kane.” She quoted from earlier, burying her head in Logan’s shoulder and pouting.
Logan didn’t even spare a glance at the rest of the room as he left, moving to take Veronica down the stairs. “Night.”
Mac slid off of the bed and between Wallace and Dick on the floor. “That was an interesting development.” She commented, stealing a Twizler from the pile next to Dick’s leg and throwing a grin up to Duncan. “If we’re in Logan’s room where is he going to sleep tonight?”
“I’m getting back in the pool.” Dick didn’t want to think about what could or couldn’t be taking place in Veronica’s room. He kicked his beer bottle over to the pile and helped Mac stand. “Who’s up for night swimming?”
“Five bucks says we don’t see either of them again tonight.” Parker slid her yoga shorts off to reveal her swim suit and tossed the pants in the direction of her and Mac’s room as she followed Dick to the stairs.
Duncan pulled his shirt over his head and dropped it onto Logan’s bed. He and Wallace exchanged glances and he blinked. “She wasn’t that drunk.” He reminded his ex’s best friend.
“I wonder if Logan knew that?”
I know this chapter seems to come from nowhere but I promise that the next chapter will be back on track.
Word Count: 7,911 {chapter eight only}
Rating: PG-14 for language {May change in the future}
Warnings/Spoilers: If you know about the revolving door that is Logan and Veronica's relationship, Cassidy Casablancas' role in the second season, and Mac and Wallace both had roommates; you’re more than good to go.
Summary: On the first anniversary of Aaron Echolls death, Veronica and Logan decide to finally set their issues to rest, at the Echolls’ cabin, with six of their nearest and dearest friends.
Authors Note: This chapter goes out to Krazegirl from Fanfiction.Net. Without her {long as heck} review this chapter probably never would have been posted. I expect another one for this. And to my beta. If you’re still around I’ve got another chapter for you.
Official Disclaimer: All Veronica Mars characters and plots belong to Rob Thomas and the CW. I do not hold stock either the man or the company. Veronica Mars, Logan Echolls, and any other character featured are NOT mine
5:30 pm
Friday, June 15th, 2007
Dick wasn’t supposed to have fallen asleep.
He had been lying on the floor of the den watching Mac kick Piz’s butt at classic street fighter and he never expected to actually doze off. And when he did fall asleep he never expected to open his eye to the past.
He was now lying on his back on a lounger by the pool of his father’s home, a place that he could honestly say he hadn’t been for at least a year. Even with Dick Sr. back in town he hadn’t returned to his childhood home, preferring to meet his father anywhere where they hadn’t gone as a family. The white deck chairs were still by the pool, which meant that he was dreaming of a time before his brother took his swan dive. He’d taken a baseball bat to the pool furniture shortly after, trying to cleanse his brother’s spirit from the house. The new cabana hadn’t been put up either, which meant that Kendall hadn’t made it into the house yet.
“And I’m still alive.” His attention was pulled to the other side of the pool where, clad in a pastel pink Kenneth Cole halter bikini and pleated skirt bottom, Lilly Kane was waving at him. “I knew you dreamt about me.”
“Lillian Kane.” Dick sat up on the lounger and pulled his feet up closer to his body. “Of all the dead people I know - “
“You don’t have to insult me by pointing out this is the first time I’ve graced the dreams of the mighty Casablancas since my demise.” Lilly ran a hand over her body and began to move around the pool, grabbing one of the over stuffed terry cloth robes off of the side table by the back door as she moved. “Although that just means your smarter then you look. You knew that even dead you had no chance with me.”
Dick shifted and tugged at his shirt, thankful that he was at least dressed the damn way he was on the floor in the cabin. There were plenty of more creative scenarios that Lilly could have painted them in. “What do you want?”
“You’re more of a right-to-the-point kind of guy then I remembered.” She slid the robe around her shoulders and dropped down onto the steps, her feet in the water. “I can’t just visit an old friend?”
“Let me think.” Dick shifted in his seat and shook his head. “No.” He had over heard Duncan and Logan talking about Duncan’s dream of Lilly, and he had no idea that it would mean he would get a visit from Casper the slutty spirit as well. “What’s this trip inside my head for ‘Lil.”
Lilly kicked her feet and blinked. Of all the conversations she had had over the week, she never expected Dick’s to be anything but easy. Then again, she wasn’t there for Dick. “I’m just the opening act brain trust.” She spat, kicking water at him. She ran a hand through her hair and tugged the ends on the way down. “I’m the thing you want to remember you saw at the end of this.”
“Why you?” He dropped his feet off of either side of the lounger and leaned forward. “Kendall’s dead, so’s like a dozen of the kids from the bus.” It was his turn to run his hand over his hair. “Why do I get to see you?”
“Recurring theme.” Lilly said after a moment. “I’m the thing all the bad things fear.” When Dick’s eyebrows rose she tossed her hair to the side. “I was first.” She tried again. “Before the bus, before Aaron and the dean.” She drew in an unneeded breath and sighed. “Before Cassidy.”
I’m the opening act. Her voice rang in his head and he froze. There was only one person that he could think of that Lilly might be opening for. “He’s here?” He asked carefully.
Lilly nodded. “He will be.” She confirmed.
The back door opened and Lilly ran her hand through her hair again. “I’ll be here if you need me.” She said seriously, for the first time looking like she actually care about the elder Casablancas brother. “After…” She kicked her feet one more time.
But Dick was no longer paying attention. His eyes were glue on the back door and the silhouette of his brother standing under the awning. When he finally stepped into the light, Dick forgot what it meant to breathe.
He was wearing jeans, the same tan pair with the scuffs on the back of the cuffs that came from wearing them too long, that he had died in. Dick remembered with an odd fondness that he used to joke his little brother about the fact that you could tell which pairs were his favorite. He was in layers again, a style choice that he seemed to have copied from Logan that just fit with his personality. The more Dick looked at him, the more he realized that this was what he was wearing before he wasn’t there anymore.
“Dick.”
His brother’s voice cut through the air even though it seemed like the little boy in front of him never moved his lips. He tried to move his own. Honestly Dick could think of fifteen different things that he wanted to say to his brother but his mouth wouldn’t open. Sound wouldn’t come out.
“I know - “
Finally his voice reappeared, and Dick’s arms reached out to shove his brother before he could stop himself. “You don’t know anything!” He shouted, stepping forward to propel his baby brother backwards another step. “You’re not here.”
“I am.” Cassidy held up his hands and watched his brother freeze. After all the time he had thought about this, planned out what he was going to say and how, he never thought that seeing his brother again would be this way. This was the reaction he had reserved for the one he was too chicken to face. “I’m here.” He confirmed. “Dick, I don’t want to take a lot of time so I need you to listen to me.”
“What could you possibly have to say to me right now?” The taller of the two Casablancas boys turned away from his brother and took a few steps back to where he had started from. For half a second he could swear he could still see the imprint of where Lilly had been by the pool.
“I forgive you.” He said after a moment.
It took less then a second for Dick to flash to the conversation that he had with Mac the day before. “I know you do bro.” He said after a moment. Listening to Mac tell him the exact same thing in his mind. “That’s probably the one thing I’m sure of with you standing here in front of me.” He ran a hand over his head and laughed. “And I know you’re wasting your time.”
“I want to tell you why I did it.”
Cassidy took a step forward and Dick took another step back. “I don’t care.” Dick watched his brother falter, noticing that probably for the first time in a long time he was the brother who knew what he was doing. “You’re sorry, you love me, you wish you would have stopped and thought of all of this through.” He was talking too fast and he couldn’t keep what was in his head from coming out. He turned, moving further away from his brother and closer to where Lilly had been. “Just tell me one thing.”
Cassidy nodded.
“Why lock Mac in your the suite?” Dick didn’t know what possessed him to ask about the tech. Maybe it was the fact that he was getting the one chance she never would. “What were you punishing her for?”
“How many girls would you know would leave a hotel naked?” Cassidy posed the question even as he shrugged. “Cindy wouldn’t.” He answered, pulling his hands out of his pockets. “It was the only way I knew to keep her in there. To keep her safe.”
“That was probably the one good thing you did that night.” Dick turned to face his brother, still caught somewhere between anger, pain and confusion. His eyes scanned the back yard again and he shook his head. “I want to wake up now.”
“You get one chance to talk to your brother and that’s it?” Lilly appeared over his shoulder, and Dick had to resist the urge to vomit. “You ask him that and then you’re ready to leave?”
There wasn’t an answer that Dick could think of that didn’t sound like the idiot that he was thought to be. “He forgives me, I forgive him. I don’t want to know why he did it.” He looked from Lilly to Cassidy and back again. “Can I just wake up?”
“This is our only chance Dick.” Cassidy moved around his brother to stand in front of Lilly. “This could be the only time I have.”
“Then you picked the wrong one to explain it to, Beav.” Dick held his hand out and blinked. “I may not know what you were thinking, or how you were feeling, but I gave up asking all of my questions yesterday.” He wiped his eyes and tried to remember when he started crying. He was going to have to wake up soon. There wasn’t much more of this that he could take. “You’re my brother. I love you.” Cassidy mouthed the words back and Dick looked to Lilly. “I want to wake up now.”
Lilly nodded.
Before she could put a hand on his brother, Cassidy coughed. “I need you to do something for me!” He said quickly, watching his brother’s eyes widen. “I never begged you for anything, Dick. I need you to do something for me.”
Dick turned back to his brother and just stared.
“Look after Cindy.” He knew it was absurd to even think about asking the question. His brother and his former girlfriend had never run in the same circles until Veronica and Logan had merged theirs. Even as he was nodding, they both knew he was asking why. “Easy answer?” Again his brother nodded and Cassidy smiled. “Because I asked you too. And she got you to stop blaming yourself.”
“So I owe her?” Dick’s lips pulled back into an odd smile.
“No.” Cassidy touched his brothers shoulder and smiled. “I do. I love you big brother.”
When his eyes opened he was looking up into a pair of slate grey eyes. “Dick?”
The surfer couldn’t help the smile that came to his face. “Mac?” He asked off handedly, watching as she leaned back on her heels and nudged the controller away from her foot.
“You okay?”
Their eyes locked and he smiled again.
7:18 pm
Friday, June 15th, 2007
“One more game, and I think I just might have to lock you in the closet.” Logan dropped down onto the floor and laughed when Veronica scooted herself across the room on her rear to drop her legs into his lap.
“We’re getting to know each other.” Parker almost shouted, reaching across the bed to steal some popcorn out of Mac’s bowl. The tech popped her hand and shook her head.
Duncan laughed. “I’ve got to watch Dick get pantsed when we were in the third grade, and Logan and I have shared more then one toilet bowl bonding experience.” He informed the room with a grimace. Even Logan seemed a little ashamed of the fact that most of his pre-college partying ended with either he and Dick or Duncan curled up on the bathroom floor at the end of the night. “I think I know more than I need to about the people in this room.”
Parker frowned before turning to the other blonde female in the room. “It was Veronicas’ idea.” She threw out, watching everyone in the room turn to the tiny detective. In that moment she realized that no matter what they may say to disagree with her, they would all still cooperate.
“If we really want to get technical, it was Lilly’s idea.” Veronica sat up and grabbed the drink closest to her on the floor. When she took a swig, she noted the smirk that Duncan was giving her. Whether it was for the fact that her idea had come out of Lilly Kane’s ‘Let’s Get to Know Each Other’ handbook, or that Veronica had stolen Logan’s water, Duncan honestly couldn’t say. “She came up with the idea when we were in pep-“
“I remember those uniforms…” Logan allowed his back to drop all the way to the floor before Veronica had a chance to actually hit him in the head.
“We take turns saying a word.” Veronica rolled her eyes and completely ignores her ex or the fact that Logan was trying to pull himself off of the floor. “And then everyone else takes turns saying their definition of the word.” Dick wiggled his eyebrow. “Jackass.”
“Dick.” Logan said pointedly.
Again, Veronica ignored him. “I’ll go first.” She took a deep breath and looked around the room. There were plenty of words that Lilly had used that she could repeat. She was sure to get colorful answers no matter what she chose. “Okay.”
“You want the definition of the word ‘okay?’” Mac asked after a second, smiling when Veronica nodded. “Having the strong desire to draw a warm bath and slit my wrists.” She shoved a handful of popcorn into her mouth and blinked slowly.
Duncan nudged the tech’s leg with his foot and shook his head. Mac rolled her eyes and Duncan shrugged. “Are you okay?”
“Bite me Kane.”
“I’m curious Logan…” Wallace said quickly, knowing that when Mac and Duncan got started they would all be glad that they had laid Lilly down for the night. They may not be malicious, but there wasn’t a person in the room without a sarcastic streak a mile wide. “What’s your definition of a ‘random hook-up’?”
He couldn’t stop himself from laughing. He and Lily had gone over this numerous times, and the analogies had only seemed to get worse as they went. Looking down to Veronica he bumped his forehead to hers. “A random hook-up, my dear Wallace, is like a half eaten sandwich in the fridge.” Duncan’s face split into a grin as he recalled which drunken conversation this analogy had come from. “You don’t know who ate it last, but you know that it’s 2 am and you’re starving.”
The room erupted into laughter and even Dick had the sense to turn red at the fact that it was true for him as well. “They almost never agree with you either.” Dick pointed out. “Kinda like that sandwich.”
“What is love?”
Veronica turned her head to look at her ex-boyfriends. Duncan had posed the question, but Logan was the one that laughed. “We’re playing the abbreviated version here Ronnie.” He pulled her all the way into his lap using her hips as leverage and rested his head on hers. “It’s your turn to answer.”
“Love…” Veronica took another swig of her drink and chuckled. “Love is a perky elf dancing a merry little jig.” She pointed the mouth of her bottle at her two best friends and smirked. “Then suddenly he turns on you with a miniature machine gun.”
“Coincidently it’s also what you get when you take the first two letters of each of your first names.” Wallace looked over at Mac and smiled ironically. Of course they had come up with that one drunken night before finals, but both had agreed that it was something never to be shared with the former lovers.” Mac almost looked upset that Wallace had beat her to it
“Remind me why I hang out with these people?” Veronica shifted her weight to turn to look at Logan fully.
From his perch on the other side of the room, Duncan offered helpfully. “Junior year they were the only ones that would talk to you?”
She flipped him off long before she thought it would only encourage him. “Thank you.” She dropped her hands into her lap and sighed. “I’m okay now.”
It was Mac’s turn to flip Veronica off and the room laughed.
“Fuck Buddy.” The entire room turned to look at Parker and she smiled innocently as if she’d never spoken.
“You want to know the definition of what?” Wallace dropped his empty bottle of beer on the carpet and slid it across the room to Duncan to add to the trash bag.
Parker readjusted herself on the bed and rolled her eyes. “You heard me.”
“A fuck buddy,” Logan repeated loudly, “is a girl - “ When Mac growled he coughed. “Or guy you probably dated once or twice and it didn’t go anywhere. But the sex is so great you sort of… keep them on call.”
“Like a Dial-a-“
“Dick.” Mac cut the surfer off before they all got to hear just what he thought about women.
If Duncan laughed any longer he was scared he was going to pull something. “Lilly would have loved this.” He said at last, when he was able to find his breath.
“She probably would have preferred the fist fight this afternoon be about her though.” Mac shot out; grabbing a handful of popcorn from the bowl Parker was trying to steal.
Logan laughed and pulled the ottoman behind him. He turned it to face long ways against his back and leaned against it. “In absence of Lilly, a Veronica scandal was just as good.” He told the room sagely. “And anytime Duncan and I were on the outs Lilly was a happy girl.” He rolled his eyes ad Veronica shifted against him. “She was kind of sick like that.”
“Do either of you realize how close you are right now?” Parker used the hand full of popcorn to point to Logan and Veronica. The smaller of the two had curled into an odd pretzel in her exes lap and Logan’s arms were gently draped on her shoulders. It looked like the most normal thing in the world. “How do you do that?”
Veronica scooted out of Logan’s lap even as Duncan set his beer bottle on the floor. “It’s Ronnie’s thing.” He explained to the room. “She finds the person she’s most comfortable with in the room and she latches on.” When Veronica glared at him, he smirked. “I remember her and Lilly getting all cuddly during a movie night.”
“That was to keep Logan and Lilly from going at it during the movie.” She tried to rebuff, even as her leg slid back over Logan’s. “I’m not always like that!”
“You used to cuddle up to me during movie night, Superfly.” Wallace joined in. “And when you and homeboy were together, it was Duncan that you’d wrap yourself around.”
Logan patted her on the head and laughed. “I think they have your number Sugarpuss.”
“At least I don’t talk in my sleep.” She shot back at Logan.
“You’re really turning this into a thing?” Logan turned her around to face him using her hips and crossed his arms against his chest.
“No thing.” She insisted, mimicking her ex and leaning back against his bent leg. “It’s just a shame the great Logan Echolls isn’t more of a mystery-”
Before she could say more, Duncan shook his head. “We’re not starting that tonight.” He decided, crossing his arms and pointing at his two best friends on the floor. “If Logan and I can’t have our pissing contest, you don’t get to start one of your own.”
“Who’s pissing?” Veronica asked, tilting her head to the side only to have Logan physically straighten it. “I just happen to think that Logan’s the more transparent one in the room.”
Wallace leaned forward and plucked the beer bottle from her hand. “How much have you had to drink tonight?” He asked with a grin.
“I’m perfectly sober.” Veronica protested.
That was all Logan needed to start laughing. “I think Lilly’s not the only one who’s gonna call it an early night.” He decided, using the ottoman behind him to prop himself up as he stood, bending to pick up the tiny detective at his feet. “First one up wakes me up.” He all but demanded. “I can’t handle another cup of amateur coffee.’
Duncan was up as well, trying to hide his grin when Veronica protested for all of three seconds to being in Logan’s arms. “Say good night Veronica.”
“Bit me Kane.” She quoted from earlier, burying her head in Logan’s shoulder and pouting.
Logan didn’t even spare a glance at the rest of the room as he left, moving to take Veronica down the stairs. “Night.”
Mac slid off of the bed and between Wallace and Dick on the floor. “That was an interesting development.” She commented, stealing a Twizler from the pile next to Dick’s leg and throwing a grin up to Duncan. “If we’re in Logan’s room where is he going to sleep tonight?”
“I’m getting back in the pool.” Dick didn’t want to think about what could or couldn’t be taking place in Veronica’s room. He kicked his beer bottle over to the pile and helped Mac stand. “Who’s up for night swimming?”
“Five bucks says we don’t see either of them again tonight.” Parker slid her yoga shorts off to reveal her swim suit and tossed the pants in the direction of her and Mac’s room as she followed Dick to the stairs.
Duncan pulled his shirt over his head and dropped it onto Logan’s bed. He and Wallace exchanged glances and he blinked. “She wasn’t that drunk.” He reminded his ex’s best friend.
“I wonder if Logan knew that?”
I know this chapter seems to come from nowhere but I promise that the next chapter will be back on track.