Fic: Full Circle, part 12/? - gertinator
Title: Full Circle, part 12/?
Author: gertinator
Pairing/Character: Logan/Veronica
Word Count: 6251
Rating: NC-17
Summary: Epic. V and Logan find their way back to each other and solve a mystery, too.
Spoilers/Warnings: a little AU but mostly intact including 2.22. The mystery is about a serial killer and some parts may be graphic.
A/N: This was written for the loveathons Epic Challenge. I should get a special award for my bizarre use of a prompt... snow globe.
part 1 | part 2 | part 3 | part 4 | part 5 | part 6 | part 7 | part 8 | part 9 | part 10 | part 11
Part 12
Veronica was all over Logan, kissing him, rubbing against him. His body was thrumming with sensation and most of his blood had gone to the throbbing pulse at his groin. He pushed her away for a moment, gulping in air and trying to find some equilibrium.
Logan ran his hand through his hair as he struggled to steady his breathing. "Argh. I need to tie you to a chair so I can talk without you distracting me."
"Tie me to a chair so you can talk to me? Now that's not the Logan I remember..." Veronica put her lips to his neck and did something wicked with her tongue that made Logan's heart rate double. His brain started to go blank, but he clung to his train of thought.
"Minx." He growled, pulling her onto his lap and trapping her in his arms. He buried his face in her hair and took a moment to breathe deeply. "You always try to avoid serious talks by getting me turned on."
"Maybe I just like it when you're turned on. Let's face it, it's not that hard - " Her hand closed on the part of him that was in fact very hard and she smirked, "or, um, shall we say 'difficult'?"
Logan moaned, a deep sound that resonated through his chest. He shook his head and grabbed her hand, threading his fingers through hers. He looked her directly in the eye and she was riveted by the intensity of his gaze. "You know I want you every minute of the day. But Veronica, this is about more than sex. Please - "
Veronica felt her stomach flip and her breath catch. Logan's look held so many things that she wasn't sure she was ready to face. He was right, she did try to avoid these talks. It was so much easier to just let their bodies communicate. "I know, Logan. It's more for me, too. When I saw your car after the accident - " Veronica made a sound something like a hiccup as she tried to hold back the emotion.
"And then you in that hospital bed..." Her eyes felt wide and hot and she suspected tears would be coming soon if this conversation continued. She hated tears, and she had already cried in front of Logan far too much for her comfort. It was one of the reasons she avoided the deep, heartfelt talks.
"I'm sorry," Logan whispered. "I'm sorry that I did that to you, and I'm sorry that I did that to me." He stroked her back gently, possessively.
Veronica turned to straddle his lap, putting her hands on either side of his face. "You won't ever do anything like that again, " she said, somewhere between a command and a prophecy. "You are safe now and you belong to me."
"Veronica," Logan said seriously, tracing her cheek with his finger, then tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. He paused to gather his courage, his voice soft when the words finally came. "There is something we never say to each other. I think it's time. I know I've felt it for years and I think you have, too." He took a deep breath.
"I love you, " he said, his voice cracking just a little. Then as if a flood was released, he continued, "God, I have loved you for so long. Even when I was too drunk to know what I was doing with myself, I always knew I loved you. And then the years of trying to get my shit together, you were always still there in my head. I just wanted to be someone worthy of your love, someone you could love as much as I loved you."
Veronica was overcome with emotion, with the heat burning in Logan's eyes, and she finally had to look away. He steered her face back to his with a finger and placed gentle kisses on her lips, her eyelids, her nose. "It's okay if you're not ready to say it. I know you feel it. I just had to tell you... like this... not...not during sex... Because, Ronnie, I love to have sex with you, but this is so much more than that. It's about wanting to hold you forever, hear your stories, laugh with you, touch you... wake up with you." He smirked. "Fight with you. Get those verbal beatings only you can hand out, and then make up afterwards." He tickled her, made her squirm on his lap. "I need you to put me in my place."
"It's what I do best," Veronica said, chuckling, choking on her vulnerability and fear. She felt the tears slide down her cheeks as she gently kissed Logan and then pulled him into a hug that tightened into a fierce grip. "Me, too," she whispered in his ear. "I love you, too. Even when I didn't want to, I always did. Let's not let anything get between us this time, okay?"
Logan held her as if his life depended on it, and maybe it did. "Okay," he mumbled into her hair. "Okay."
********
"What's this? Do you ever stop working, Mars?" Logan surveyed the piles of papers strewn about the room. The wireless printer on Shannon's desk was chugging away like the Little Engine That Could atop a mountain of printouts.
He held up the takeout boxes. "Sometimes, I wonder if you'd even invite me over if I didn't always bring food."
Veronica kissed his cheek and grabbed a box out of his hands, too hungry to bother with a plate. "Well, I do admit that the food makes you more enticing... but it also gives me the stamina to appreciate your other gifts." She winked, but maneuvered out of his arms to flop on the couch with the box of sweet and sour chicken.
"Hmmm," she moaned. "Dave's Chinese. Nobody does it like Dave."
"Logan does it better than Dave, I promise. And you'd better stop moaning like that or I won't let you finish dinner." Logan leered suggestively at Veronica, but she just stuck her tongue out and continued eating. He moved a bundle of papers to make room next to her, glancing at the top sheet as he placed it on the table.
"Why are you reading about hair bobbing in the '30s? And ...'trichotillomania'? What the hell is that?" He leaned over to take the bite of chicken off her chopsticks before it could make it to her mouth then laughed at her outraged look.
"It's a disorder where people compulsively pull their hair out." Veronica shoved a new pair of chopsticks at him threateningly. "Now stay away from my food. Get your own."
"I guess I should know better than to get between you and your dinner," Logan teased. "So you're researching everything you can find on hair...?" He had to admit, he was a little intrigued. He had gotten the basics of the Killer Barber case when Troy was over. Veronica had even given him an abbreviated version of her presentation. To be honest, he had been more excited at seeing her in full sleuth mode than at the actual details of the case... but still, the workings of a sociopath's mind? Interesting.
Veronica had opened another container and began explaining around a mouth of egg roll. "I wanted to get some other perspectives. There is so much symbolism to hair. I mean, think of the myths. Medusa, Samson, Rapunzel. Look at the consequences for each when their hair got cut. Medusa lost her powers, Samson lost his strength, Rapunzel lost her freedom." Veronica began to warm to her topic and she slowed, but did not stop, her food consumption.
"It's symbolic of gender, virility, ideas... youth. Power - hair is a vital part of curses and spells. Some religions require women to cover their hair because it is too much of a temptation for men. African American women had to file lawsuits to be able to wear braids to work because it was considered unprofessional. In the '30s, when hair bobbing became the fad, women actually fainted during the haircuts. Schools paid bonuses to teachers who kept their hair long because it was considered a strong show of morality. And did you know Victorians used to braid the hair of loved ones into jewelry?"
Logan crinkled up his nose in disgust. "That sounds gross. Why not just wear diamonds like civilized people?"
"Spoken like a true citizen of Neptune." Veronica laughed. "They'd keep it as a lover's memento, or to remember a dead person. It's wild, really. I never really thought about it before, but I mean, look at me. When I wanted to change myself, the first thing I did was chop my hair."
Logan settled back, munching and enjoying the show. Veronica's cheeks were flushed with excitement as she tried to draw links between the history of hair and the meaning behind the Killer Barber's haircuts. She looked amazing, so filled with life and bursting with energy. So ready to go out and solve the world's mysteries.
For the first time in a long time, Rita Ares drifted into his thoughts. At some point, he stopped listening to Veronica's words and focused instead on the musical lilt of her voice... all the while trying to turn up the whisper from Rita in the back of his mind. Rita and Veronica, two sides of the same detective. He grinned. And they both belonged to him. He was a lucky man indeed.
********
Veronica was sitting at the lunch table at Neptune High, all alone. She didn't recognize any of the faces at the other tables as they laughed and carried on with their lives. She was alone against the school. She remembered the feeling well.
"Veronica. Verrrrrronica," said a voice. It was so familiar, it tickled her brain, but it seemed wrong somehow. She wanted desperately to turn her head and look, but she was frozen facing forward. She stared down at her mystery meat and stabbed at it with a spork. The anxiety started to crawl up her spine. She knew that tone, that inflection...
"Are you ignoring me, Veronica? I really hate that, you know. I thought I showed you that you couldn't ignore me. I didn't stay in Logan and Dick's shadow forever..." The hair on the back of her neck prickled as something inside her recognized the voice. But it was impossible, totally impossible... He was dead, she had seen it with her own eyes. She tried to look over her shoulder, to find out if it was really him, but she was completely paralyzed. Her heart was beating wildly and she wanted to scream for help but her throat didn't work. Her voice wouldn't come out. At the tables around her, no one seemed to notice. No one seemed to care.
He was so close that she could feel his breath on her neck. "I showed everyone that I had power, didn't I? The most popular guys in school wanted you, but I was first..."
Suddenly, the paralysis was gone and Veronica swung around to see him, to see if it could really be him. There was no one. No one at all. She got up and looked around. The entire courtyard was suddenly empty. She clutched at herself. Her arms wrapped around to her shoulders trying to chase away the chill. Her pulse was frantic, fear choking her. He was there. It was inconceivable, but he was there somewhere. She could feel him.
"Looking for me, Veronica? So slow. It took you forever to figure it out..." The dread in her stomach made her want to run, but her curiosity, her need to know forced her to turn and face him.
"Beaver?" she asked, hesitantly. He was sitting at the lunch table, casually. He looked exactly the same as he had in high school. The same curly brown hair, pouting mouth. He was wearing a striped polo shirt and khaki pants. He looked harmless but she knew the truth.
"My name is Cassidy, Veronica. When will you ever learn?" He had a gleam in his eye, the look she had seen on the roof of the Neptune Grand. The look that made her realize that she had never actually seen him before. In his hand he held a snow globe. He followed her gaze with a smirk and held it out for her inspection. "Look what I found." He shook it to stir up the snow.
Veronica leaned in to look, the dread hardening into a lead block that held her feet to the ground. She wanted to turn away, to run, but as always, there was the desire to understand. She focused on the globe, then recoiled in horror. Inside the tiny ball was a miniature Veronica pounding on the glass, desperate to get out. A Veronica in a white dress, with long blonde hair, sad, dripping make-up and a frantic face. The Veronica she had left behind at Shelley Pomeroy's party. The tiny Veronica was fighting to keep her footing in the swirling snow as Cassidy jiggled the globe, laughing.
"It can't - how - " she stuttered, staring at him with utter loathing and disgust.
"You're mine, Veronica. You'll always belong to me." Cassidy smirked, chuckling.
Cassidy's laugh got bigger, louder, deeper and suddenly she was the Veronica in the globe, trapped under the glass. She was in her room with her scissors, cutting off all of the long blonde hair, trying to get rid of the remnants of the soft girl she had been. Trying to cut out the hole in her memories, the ugly assumptions that filled those blank hours. Trying to get away from the clear memories she did have, of waking up with no underwear to cruel jokes and accusations.
As she cut and cut, becoming more and more frenzied in her desire to just get rid of it all, she realized it was not snow swirling around her feet, but hair. She was trapped under the glass and the hair was churning and rolling around her and she couldn't breathe. The room was filled with blonde clippings and she was choking on it, suffocating on her own hair. A voice was calling her name, but she couldn't get out. The hair clogged her throat, gagging her, and she couldn't answer.
"Veronica!" She came awake with a start, twisting and trapped, as Logan tried to hold her still long enough to untangle her. "Veronica, you're having a nightmare. I'm trying to help you. You're caught up in the blankets. Wake up!" Logan finally freed her from the knotted mess and pulled her into his arms, smoothing the sweaty curls back from her forehead.
The anxiety was still so overwhelming, so real. It didn't feel like a dream. Her chest was tight and constricted and she gasped for air. Logan whispered comforting words and stroked her back.
"Just a dream, baby. I'm here. You're safe. I love you, Ronnie. I'll keep you safe, I promise," he murmured into her hair.
"Cassidy - " she finally squeezed out. She felt Logan tense for a minute then continue the gentle caresses and mumblings.
"He's gone, Veronica. It was just a dream. He can't hurt you anymore," Logan's voice held his own hope that the words were true. Veronica looked up to see the love and fear in his eyes.
She put a hand to either side of his face and pulled him in for a kiss. "Make me forget, Logan. Make me forget that there has ever been anyone but you," she begged desperately. His mouth slanted across hers with a passion and possessiveness that promised exactly what she hoped for. What she needed.
"Only you for me and only me for you," he swore hoarsely, pulling her tight to him and rolling them over. "That's how it will be forever." He began to claim her inch by inch, with his lips, his tongue and his hands. "I love you, Veronica. Always."
********
"So what do you think, Felicia? Is Thor really the father of Madeleine's baby?" asked Logan with a smirk, rubbing her head.
Felicia burrowed her nose into his armpit in response. Logan sighed, flicking off the television. "Yeah, that's about how much I care, too." He glanced around the apartment while continuing to stroke Felicia's head. He had been so intent on moving down to be with Veronica that he had left most of himself behind in New York. That didn't seem to matter when he was with her... but when he wasn't, he felt the absence.
The apartment was very classy and neutral in a dark wood and antique sort of way. It didn't feel anything like his huge open loft. Felicia had left her mark on the couch after one of his many nights spent at Veronica's and there were tufts of stuffing escaping long splits in the soft brown leather. He knew that he would have to replace it before he moved out but it almost felt like a relief that there was something to indicate their impact on the place. Something to destroy that old money, political influence kind of feeling that he associated with people like the Kanes. Like Celeste Kane.
Maybe it had been a mistake to move so quickly. He hadn't really thought about it at the time. After all, he had spent years living in hotels. What was one more temporary residence? He hadn't realized how much of a home he had made in New York until he left it behind.
The furry weight on his chest let out a high pitched snore and cuddled deeper into him and he was grateful for her presence. The little furball absolutely depended on him - whether she wanted to admit it or not - and that was a good feeling. Logan had never been allowed pets as a child, and he wondered if maybe he would have been less of an insufferable ass in high school if he had actually had to be responsible for another, weaker, life. Probably not, he thought with a sigh. But no point in regretting what he had been.
He continued to stroke Felicia and tried to figure out how to deal with the restless, dissatisfied feeling that had enveloped him lately. Veronica was at work and he needed to find something to do with himself. He thought about Rita occasionally, but he didn't feel inspired to write. He didn't have the tools to paint...
Felicia was content to sleep, but he had napped way too much lately. He stretched an arm out to the table and managed to snag his cell phone without disturbing the snoring bundle on his chest. He pushed number eight on his speed dial - he had bumped Trina from number one when Veronica came back into his life, and she ended up at the next available number. Funny, but it felt good to have eight people who were important enough to be on speed dial. For a long time, there hadn't been any.
"Let me guess, you're bored again. Am I right?" Trina's voice was sarcastic but warm when she answered.
"Not even a hello, Trina?" Logan smirked. "I thought I was your favorite relative."
"You are my only relative worth a shit and you know it. Of course, you are also practically my only living relative. You're lucky I have even less of a life than you do or you might have to make some friends." Trina's voice held affection even as she cut him down. "So what's up? Bribed any government officials lately?"
"No. Do you know any that need bribing? 'Cause I really need a hobby." Logan sighed and ran his hand through his hair. Felicia let out a muffled mewl of complaint at the small earthquake, and he quickly consoled her with a soft stroke to her back. "How about you? Any trust fund left, or have you spent it all? And did you get the role of Dead Hooker #2 on CSI?" Logan returned with a grin, feeling himself relax. Ahhh, family bonding at its best.
"Actually, I'm gonna be Live Hooker #1 in a movie of the week. I'm moving up in the world." Trina chuckled a moment. "You should come to Hollywood. We could work together - you'd make an awesome Dirty Bum #2."
"Awww. If I don't get to be an addict, what's the point? You know that's the role I'm best at." Logan settled in for a bit of soothing snark with Trina. A safe way to take off the edge he was feeling while waiting for Veronica to have some free time. He knew it wasn't right for him to be living only for her free moments, but he couldn't quite help himself. Addict, indeed.
********
Veronica studied the map covered in blue, red and yellow pins. The blue indicated rapes at least 80% consistent with the Killer Barber's signature and methods. There were sixteen of them on the East Coast and five in Neptune. The yellow pins were possible rape links, without enough evidence to know for sure. There were seven of them. The three red pins stood for the murder victims. Veronica sighed. The one display board had become three. The two files had become two boxes of files. And yet, they were no closer to identifying the UNSUB.
Not for a lack of trying. Tish and Roberts had put their souls into the work, maybe because they were excited to be on a case. Maybe because Veronica's own passion was contagious. Whatever the reason, Veronica was glad to have them. They stayed late with her, working extra hours and compiling tons of data. It wasn't much use yet, but someday... someday, she would have that final piece to the puzzle and she would catch this asshole.
She had only one more month before Tish and Roberts went back to their respective schools and Veronica doubted that Anderson would give her new interns. Tilden had been right, Anderson was giving her this to play with. She thought maybe it was a test, or a right of passage. Whatever. She felt an internal clock ticking. If she couldn't crack this soon, she would be on her own again.
Veronica looked at her watch, noticing with dismay that it was almost seven. She hadn't called Logan, and they had plans for dinner. "I'll be right back, guys," she said. Tish nodded. Roberts didn't even look away from his computer screen. Veronica pulled out her cell and stepped into the hall.
********
The phone trilled Veronica's ring tone, the Pink Panther theme, and Logan grabbed for it so quickly he upset Felicia. She gave an annoyed sniff and jumped off his lap. Logan sat up, clicking the answer button. Veronica was late calling... probably working late again. He tried not to be anxious.
"You're not calling to cancel our dinner plans, are you?" Logan faked a casual sound but his stomach tightened at the thought. Veronica was over the initial high of coming back together and now she was starting to demand time for herself. He hated it.
"No, no... but we are running late. I was wondering - " she hesitated, lowered her voice. "Can I invite them along? The interns?"
"You want me to take two hungry college kids to dinner?" Logan tried to sound gruff, but he was filled with relief. He wanted Veronica to include him in her life, not shut him out. He wanted to get to know her coworkers. It made him feel significant.
"Yeah. I mean, I'll pay for them... but do you mind? They've been working really hard for me..." Veronica sounded apologetic.
"As long as you know you can't keep them," teased Logan. "I know how you are with strays."
"But they are so cute, with their big eyes and trusting, gullible ways..." joked Veronica, sounding pleased that Logan had agreed. "I'm sure they won't eat much and I promise to clean up after them."
"Just make sure they are housebroken. I don't want a mess on my leather seats. Are we all going to fit in the Jag? The back seat is awfully tiny..." Logan's voice lowered, hinting at debauchery, reminding Veronica of the "test drive" they had taken in the back of the Jag.
She refused to take the bait, keeping her voice businesslike and crisp. "We'll fit. I have to go. Call me when you're close and we'll meet you out front." She paused. "Love you," she said, with only a hint of awkwardness.
"I love you, too," answered Logan with a wide grin.
********
Logan pulled up in the Jaguar, top down. His hair was totally windblown, making Veronica want to run her hands through it. She admired the view and thought how his movie star roots really showed. He looked gorgeous and carefree, and damn! He knew how to make an entrance.
"Hop in, folks." He pushed down his shades to watch Judith Tish and Matt Roberts pile into the back. "Hope you guys fit. I know it's a bit of a squeeze back there." He leered at Veronica and flicked the fuzzy dice hanging from the windshield suggestively. She narrowed her eyes at him but couldn't hold back the blush. He grinned, popped his sunglasses back in place and leaned over to give her a less than chaste hello kiss.
Roberts was stroking the Jag appreciatively. "Nice wheels, man. I really like the color." Tish seemed sort of stunned by the expensive car. And maybe the sight of Logan. Veronica could relate.
"Yeah, it's not too bad," said Logan, surveying the deep wine gloss. "I prefer yellow, but Veronica convinced me it wasn't worth a special order. And it goes with the dice." He spun the dice again, just to torment Veronica. She punched his shoulder playfully.
"Thank god I got you out of the jackass yellow!! This is much more maaaature." She snorted, then teased, "I am actually sort of surprised that it suits you so well." Logan had met the interns before, but just in case, she did a quick intro. "Logan, you remember Tish and Roberts?" Veronica waved towards the back seat. Logan raised an eyebrow and she shrugged. It seemed weird to call them by their first names, but Logan preferred it. "I mean Matt and Judy. You guys, this is my boyfriend, Logan."
Logan nodded to the interns, then turned to Veronica. "I found a great taqueria for us to go to. Nothing like Weevil's grandma's cooking, but not so bad for the East Coast. We just have to make sure we're home by ten - Trina's on Law and Order: SVU tonight and I promised I'd watch."
"Let me guess, she's reprising her role as Dead Hooker #4?" asked Veronica, dryly.
"No, I forgot to tell you. She's moved up to playing live hookers now. She's even - " Logan faked a gasp of excitement, "Got two lines in a Lifetime movie that starts filming next month."
"Wow. Talking hookers. She is moving up in the world." Veronica laughed. She hadn't quite gotten used to his new, easier relationship with Trina. It would be interesting to meet her again and see if she had really changed. Logan had changed so much, anything seemed possible. He credited Trina with standing by him and helping him through, so Veronica was not going to hold a grudge. But that didn't mean she wasn't going to rip on Trina's 'career.'
"It's the Echoll's talent, I tell you," he joked, pulling away from the curb.
Tish gasped and let out a little shriek. "Ohmygod!! I just realized - you're Logan Echolls." Her eyes were wide and excited.
"The one and only," said Logan with a sigh. He deadpanned to Veronica. "Oh, goody. A fan."
"Be nice, Logan," said Veronica in a low warning tone. She turned her head to look at Tish. Judy had a pink blush in her cheeks and she was bouncing up and down like a fangirl. Good god, how did Logan do this to people? Middle aged housewives and solid kick-ass future FBI agents were not supposed to squeal. Veronica narrowed her eyes at Logan, pleading with him to be civil.
"I'm always nice," he smirked. "What's that look supposed to mean? You don't think I'm nice?" Veronica just shook her head, bemused.
Roberts looks back and forth between Tish and Logan with confusion. "What am I missing? Should I know that name?"
"It's to your credit that you don't," answered Veronica drolly.
"Ouch. You wound me." Logan faked a painful wince as Veronica made a face.
"His parents are famous movie stars..." whispered Tish in awe. "He used to be in magazines all the time. He's Aaron Echolls' son."
"Well, actually, my mom really liked the milkman and I've always hoped - but, no. Come to think of it, the delivery man from the liquor store is much more likely," snarked Logan. Funny how quickly the old armor covered him and the defensive barbs rolled off his tongue. It was both comforting and disturbing.
"Logan!" Veronica hissed, trying desperately to think of a new topic. This was losing its playfulness very rapidly.
"Aaron Echolls?" questioned Matt. "I don't remember the name."
"You must have had your head in a hole. He was a huge action star, tons of movies, an Oscar... He killed - " Tish's mouth hung open in horror and she didn't complete the sentence. Hollywood gossip clashed with flesh and she was suddenly aware of exactly who the people in the car were to Aaron's victim. But she couldn't seemed to stop making the connections. "And you - didn't you have a near fatal car crash -"
"Rumors of my death were greatly exaggerated," joked Logan, pasting on the fake cheerfulness that had gotten him through years of similar comments.
"Though I'm still not sure about the brain damage," quipped Veronica, sticking out her tongue. Trying desperately to lighten the mood. She knew she should change the topic, but she was morbidly curious to watch Logan's reactions. There was some of the old Logan edge to his voice, but also a new easiness and ...comfort with himself. It intrigued her.
"Very funny, Mars." Logan stuck his tongue out in response.
Roberts shook his head, baffled. "I'm totally missing something important, aren't I?"
"You should read more People magazine, man," suggested Logan dryly.
Roberts shuddered. "Not if you paid me. I can feel brain cells dying at just the thought of it." He paused. Judy seemed afraid to say any more. "So your dad was an actor?"
"And a killer. Don't forget that part. Though I'm still not sure which is worse. He did make some really big shit pile movies." Logan chuckled bitterly.
"Who'd he kill?" Roberts asked in a tone of open curiosity, as if he didn't really care much about the answer. But was sick of feeling left out. Veronica watched Logan carefully, wondering if she should stop the conversation.
"My first girlfriend," Logan answered, working his jaw and wishing for a drink. That was the real way he had made it through these kinds of conversations, by keeping a drink in his hand. He rarely thought about Lilly anymore, but when he did, there was always the flash of betrayal and loss. His hand tightened on the gear shift and Veronica covered it with hers. He glanced over at her and the moment of understanding that passed between them seemed to ease his tension.
Roberts stared at Logan's reflection in the rearview. The sunglasses covered his eyes, and the rest of his face gave no emotion away. Matt hesitated for a second, but had to ask. "Why?"
"He was sleeping with her." Logan was not sure why he was telling Matt Roberts this. Veronica was stunned, unused to Logan voluntarily offering any info on those years.
There was something appealing in Matt's indifference, though. It gave Logan a new kind of perspective. People usual had a morbid fascination, a kind of greedy horror mixed with voyeurism. The young intern seemed only vaguely intrigued, more curious about the current events that he had missed than in exposing Logan's dark secrets. Logan felt he could change the subject to the various cars he had owned and similarly hold Matt's interest. It was liberating.
"Man, that sucks!" Matt's outcry was both vehement and naive.
"Yeah." Understatement of the year, thought Logan. He looked at the two in back. Judy Tish had become speechless and intent, clearly absorbed in hearing all the details from Logan's own mouth. They looked so young, so inexperienced and unworldly. Logan wondered briefly how long it had been since either he or Veronica was that innocent. If they ever were. Well, Veronica, maybe - before Lilly's death.
For some reason, Logan couldn't resist poking the scab a little. "Then Veronica figured it out, and he tried to kill her too." It was a little of the old "pity me" line, but Logan found he wasn't fishing for anything. It just felt good to be honest and not have to hide his history. "Dear old Dad was always thorough."
"Your dad tried to kill Agent Mars??" Roberts swung on Veronica in disbelief. She confirmed the story with a nod.
"Yeah," Logan chuckled without humor and nodded towards Veronica. "He was the first, but not the last. My Ronnie likes to get herself in trouble. That's why she decided to join the FBI."
"Don't call me, Ronnie," said Veronica automatically, sounding resigned to the story telling, even if she didn't want to participate. They had moved into the part that still gave her nightmares.
"So where is he now? In prison?" Matt clearly still had an idealistic faith in the law. Veronica sighed. Give him a few years at the FBI and he'd become cynical enough.
"No, they found him not guilty." Logan glanced at Veronica, tense in her seat, eyes closed. "Then someone had him killed."
"You mean... like an assassin?? No shit?" Matt was agog. It was just like a movie.
"No shit. I always figured it was the Kanes, Lilly's parents. Celeste is a cold blooded bitch." Logan's voice hardened in bitterness. He was grateful that someone had taken the bastard out, but it didn't make him like the Kanes.
Veronica opened her eyes at that, looking startled. "You think they paid Clarence to do it?" She had never thought about it, oddly enough. Aaron's death was the one murder she didn't care to solve, unless it was to send flowers and a thank you to the killer.
"Makes sense, doesn't it? He was their clean-up man." Logan shrugged. After all these years, he didn't really care.
Judy Tish watched Veronica with admiration. Veronica was just so cool. She knew movie stars and talked about contract killers like they were... friends. She had brought killers to justice, faced death. Judy felt lucky to be working with her, lucky to be on the Killer Barber case. She just knew Veronica would solve it. Her faith shone in her eyes. Veronica saw the look in the rearview and it made her feel tired, old. She didn't want devoted fans any more than Logan did.
"You mean, like Kane software?" Roberts whistled. "Wow. I've met Jake Kane. My mom was one of the first 50 employees at Google, so I've met some really world famous nerds. But man, no movie stars. Who's the hottest movie star you've ever met? Have you seen any of them naked?" Matt asked eagerly.
Logan laughed as Matt's curiosity veered along a typical teenage male vector. Murder and scandal paled in comparison to the idea of naked movie stars. Logan shook his head. "I don't know, man. A few, I guess."
Roberts stared, something close to worship in his eyes. "Wow. That many, huh? Like you don't even bother to count any more. Like Angelina Jolie? And Scarlett Johannsen?"
"They all pale in comparison to Veronica." Logan grabbed Veronica's hand and kissed the knuckles. She rolled her eyes.
"Come on, you're just saying that 'cause she's your girlfriend and she's in the car. Seriously, I'm getting you alone later and I want all the details." Matt closed his eyes, clearly imagining the frolics of many naked movie stars.
Logan pulled into a parking spot. "Ah, perfect timing. The inquisition must end, as it is time for tamales!"
Veronica sighed in relief. She glanced at Tish and Roberts, shaking her head. It promised to be an interesting meal.
Author: gertinator
Pairing/Character: Logan/Veronica
Word Count: 6251
Rating: NC-17
Summary: Epic. V and Logan find their way back to each other and solve a mystery, too.
Spoilers/Warnings: a little AU but mostly intact including 2.22. The mystery is about a serial killer and some parts may be graphic.
A/N: This was written for the loveathons Epic Challenge. I should get a special award for my bizarre use of a prompt... snow globe.
part 1 | part 2 | part 3 | part 4 | part 5 | part 6 | part 7 | part 8 | part 9 | part 10 | part 11
Part 12
Veronica was all over Logan, kissing him, rubbing against him. His body was thrumming with sensation and most of his blood had gone to the throbbing pulse at his groin. He pushed her away for a moment, gulping in air and trying to find some equilibrium.
Logan ran his hand through his hair as he struggled to steady his breathing. "Argh. I need to tie you to a chair so I can talk without you distracting me."
"Tie me to a chair so you can talk to me? Now that's not the Logan I remember..." Veronica put her lips to his neck and did something wicked with her tongue that made Logan's heart rate double. His brain started to go blank, but he clung to his train of thought.
"Minx." He growled, pulling her onto his lap and trapping her in his arms. He buried his face in her hair and took a moment to breathe deeply. "You always try to avoid serious talks by getting me turned on."
"Maybe I just like it when you're turned on. Let's face it, it's not that hard - " Her hand closed on the part of him that was in fact very hard and she smirked, "or, um, shall we say 'difficult'?"
Logan moaned, a deep sound that resonated through his chest. He shook his head and grabbed her hand, threading his fingers through hers. He looked her directly in the eye and she was riveted by the intensity of his gaze. "You know I want you every minute of the day. But Veronica, this is about more than sex. Please - "
Veronica felt her stomach flip and her breath catch. Logan's look held so many things that she wasn't sure she was ready to face. He was right, she did try to avoid these talks. It was so much easier to just let their bodies communicate. "I know, Logan. It's more for me, too. When I saw your car after the accident - " Veronica made a sound something like a hiccup as she tried to hold back the emotion.
"And then you in that hospital bed..." Her eyes felt wide and hot and she suspected tears would be coming soon if this conversation continued. She hated tears, and she had already cried in front of Logan far too much for her comfort. It was one of the reasons she avoided the deep, heartfelt talks.
"I'm sorry," Logan whispered. "I'm sorry that I did that to you, and I'm sorry that I did that to me." He stroked her back gently, possessively.
Veronica turned to straddle his lap, putting her hands on either side of his face. "You won't ever do anything like that again, " she said, somewhere between a command and a prophecy. "You are safe now and you belong to me."
"Veronica," Logan said seriously, tracing her cheek with his finger, then tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. He paused to gather his courage, his voice soft when the words finally came. "There is something we never say to each other. I think it's time. I know I've felt it for years and I think you have, too." He took a deep breath.
"I love you, " he said, his voice cracking just a little. Then as if a flood was released, he continued, "God, I have loved you for so long. Even when I was too drunk to know what I was doing with myself, I always knew I loved you. And then the years of trying to get my shit together, you were always still there in my head. I just wanted to be someone worthy of your love, someone you could love as much as I loved you."
Veronica was overcome with emotion, with the heat burning in Logan's eyes, and she finally had to look away. He steered her face back to his with a finger and placed gentle kisses on her lips, her eyelids, her nose. "It's okay if you're not ready to say it. I know you feel it. I just had to tell you... like this... not...not during sex... Because, Ronnie, I love to have sex with you, but this is so much more than that. It's about wanting to hold you forever, hear your stories, laugh with you, touch you... wake up with you." He smirked. "Fight with you. Get those verbal beatings only you can hand out, and then make up afterwards." He tickled her, made her squirm on his lap. "I need you to put me in my place."
"It's what I do best," Veronica said, chuckling, choking on her vulnerability and fear. She felt the tears slide down her cheeks as she gently kissed Logan and then pulled him into a hug that tightened into a fierce grip. "Me, too," she whispered in his ear. "I love you, too. Even when I didn't want to, I always did. Let's not let anything get between us this time, okay?"
Logan held her as if his life depended on it, and maybe it did. "Okay," he mumbled into her hair. "Okay."
********
"What's this? Do you ever stop working, Mars?" Logan surveyed the piles of papers strewn about the room. The wireless printer on Shannon's desk was chugging away like the Little Engine That Could atop a mountain of printouts.
He held up the takeout boxes. "Sometimes, I wonder if you'd even invite me over if I didn't always bring food."
Veronica kissed his cheek and grabbed a box out of his hands, too hungry to bother with a plate. "Well, I do admit that the food makes you more enticing... but it also gives me the stamina to appreciate your other gifts." She winked, but maneuvered out of his arms to flop on the couch with the box of sweet and sour chicken.
"Hmmm," she moaned. "Dave's Chinese. Nobody does it like Dave."
"Logan does it better than Dave, I promise. And you'd better stop moaning like that or I won't let you finish dinner." Logan leered suggestively at Veronica, but she just stuck her tongue out and continued eating. He moved a bundle of papers to make room next to her, glancing at the top sheet as he placed it on the table.
"Why are you reading about hair bobbing in the '30s? And ...'trichotillomania'? What the hell is that?" He leaned over to take the bite of chicken off her chopsticks before it could make it to her mouth then laughed at her outraged look.
"It's a disorder where people compulsively pull their hair out." Veronica shoved a new pair of chopsticks at him threateningly. "Now stay away from my food. Get your own."
"I guess I should know better than to get between you and your dinner," Logan teased. "So you're researching everything you can find on hair...?" He had to admit, he was a little intrigued. He had gotten the basics of the Killer Barber case when Troy was over. Veronica had even given him an abbreviated version of her presentation. To be honest, he had been more excited at seeing her in full sleuth mode than at the actual details of the case... but still, the workings of a sociopath's mind? Interesting.
Veronica had opened another container and began explaining around a mouth of egg roll. "I wanted to get some other perspectives. There is so much symbolism to hair. I mean, think of the myths. Medusa, Samson, Rapunzel. Look at the consequences for each when their hair got cut. Medusa lost her powers, Samson lost his strength, Rapunzel lost her freedom." Veronica began to warm to her topic and she slowed, but did not stop, her food consumption.
"It's symbolic of gender, virility, ideas... youth. Power - hair is a vital part of curses and spells. Some religions require women to cover their hair because it is too much of a temptation for men. African American women had to file lawsuits to be able to wear braids to work because it was considered unprofessional. In the '30s, when hair bobbing became the fad, women actually fainted during the haircuts. Schools paid bonuses to teachers who kept their hair long because it was considered a strong show of morality. And did you know Victorians used to braid the hair of loved ones into jewelry?"
Logan crinkled up his nose in disgust. "That sounds gross. Why not just wear diamonds like civilized people?"
"Spoken like a true citizen of Neptune." Veronica laughed. "They'd keep it as a lover's memento, or to remember a dead person. It's wild, really. I never really thought about it before, but I mean, look at me. When I wanted to change myself, the first thing I did was chop my hair."
Logan settled back, munching and enjoying the show. Veronica's cheeks were flushed with excitement as she tried to draw links between the history of hair and the meaning behind the Killer Barber's haircuts. She looked amazing, so filled with life and bursting with energy. So ready to go out and solve the world's mysteries.
For the first time in a long time, Rita Ares drifted into his thoughts. At some point, he stopped listening to Veronica's words and focused instead on the musical lilt of her voice... all the while trying to turn up the whisper from Rita in the back of his mind. Rita and Veronica, two sides of the same detective. He grinned. And they both belonged to him. He was a lucky man indeed.
********
Veronica was sitting at the lunch table at Neptune High, all alone. She didn't recognize any of the faces at the other tables as they laughed and carried on with their lives. She was alone against the school. She remembered the feeling well.
"Veronica. Verrrrrronica," said a voice. It was so familiar, it tickled her brain, but it seemed wrong somehow. She wanted desperately to turn her head and look, but she was frozen facing forward. She stared down at her mystery meat and stabbed at it with a spork. The anxiety started to crawl up her spine. She knew that tone, that inflection...
"Are you ignoring me, Veronica? I really hate that, you know. I thought I showed you that you couldn't ignore me. I didn't stay in Logan and Dick's shadow forever..." The hair on the back of her neck prickled as something inside her recognized the voice. But it was impossible, totally impossible... He was dead, she had seen it with her own eyes. She tried to look over her shoulder, to find out if it was really him, but she was completely paralyzed. Her heart was beating wildly and she wanted to scream for help but her throat didn't work. Her voice wouldn't come out. At the tables around her, no one seemed to notice. No one seemed to care.
He was so close that she could feel his breath on her neck. "I showed everyone that I had power, didn't I? The most popular guys in school wanted you, but I was first..."
Suddenly, the paralysis was gone and Veronica swung around to see him, to see if it could really be him. There was no one. No one at all. She got up and looked around. The entire courtyard was suddenly empty. She clutched at herself. Her arms wrapped around to her shoulders trying to chase away the chill. Her pulse was frantic, fear choking her. He was there. It was inconceivable, but he was there somewhere. She could feel him.
"Looking for me, Veronica? So slow. It took you forever to figure it out..." The dread in her stomach made her want to run, but her curiosity, her need to know forced her to turn and face him.
"Beaver?" she asked, hesitantly. He was sitting at the lunch table, casually. He looked exactly the same as he had in high school. The same curly brown hair, pouting mouth. He was wearing a striped polo shirt and khaki pants. He looked harmless but she knew the truth.
"My name is Cassidy, Veronica. When will you ever learn?" He had a gleam in his eye, the look she had seen on the roof of the Neptune Grand. The look that made her realize that she had never actually seen him before. In his hand he held a snow globe. He followed her gaze with a smirk and held it out for her inspection. "Look what I found." He shook it to stir up the snow.
Veronica leaned in to look, the dread hardening into a lead block that held her feet to the ground. She wanted to turn away, to run, but as always, there was the desire to understand. She focused on the globe, then recoiled in horror. Inside the tiny ball was a miniature Veronica pounding on the glass, desperate to get out. A Veronica in a white dress, with long blonde hair, sad, dripping make-up and a frantic face. The Veronica she had left behind at Shelley Pomeroy's party. The tiny Veronica was fighting to keep her footing in the swirling snow as Cassidy jiggled the globe, laughing.
"It can't - how - " she stuttered, staring at him with utter loathing and disgust.
"You're mine, Veronica. You'll always belong to me." Cassidy smirked, chuckling.
Cassidy's laugh got bigger, louder, deeper and suddenly she was the Veronica in the globe, trapped under the glass. She was in her room with her scissors, cutting off all of the long blonde hair, trying to get rid of the remnants of the soft girl she had been. Trying to cut out the hole in her memories, the ugly assumptions that filled those blank hours. Trying to get away from the clear memories she did have, of waking up with no underwear to cruel jokes and accusations.
As she cut and cut, becoming more and more frenzied in her desire to just get rid of it all, she realized it was not snow swirling around her feet, but hair. She was trapped under the glass and the hair was churning and rolling around her and she couldn't breathe. The room was filled with blonde clippings and she was choking on it, suffocating on her own hair. A voice was calling her name, but she couldn't get out. The hair clogged her throat, gagging her, and she couldn't answer.
"Veronica!" She came awake with a start, twisting and trapped, as Logan tried to hold her still long enough to untangle her. "Veronica, you're having a nightmare. I'm trying to help you. You're caught up in the blankets. Wake up!" Logan finally freed her from the knotted mess and pulled her into his arms, smoothing the sweaty curls back from her forehead.
The anxiety was still so overwhelming, so real. It didn't feel like a dream. Her chest was tight and constricted and she gasped for air. Logan whispered comforting words and stroked her back.
"Just a dream, baby. I'm here. You're safe. I love you, Ronnie. I'll keep you safe, I promise," he murmured into her hair.
"Cassidy - " she finally squeezed out. She felt Logan tense for a minute then continue the gentle caresses and mumblings.
"He's gone, Veronica. It was just a dream. He can't hurt you anymore," Logan's voice held his own hope that the words were true. Veronica looked up to see the love and fear in his eyes.
She put a hand to either side of his face and pulled him in for a kiss. "Make me forget, Logan. Make me forget that there has ever been anyone but you," she begged desperately. His mouth slanted across hers with a passion and possessiveness that promised exactly what she hoped for. What she needed.
"Only you for me and only me for you," he swore hoarsely, pulling her tight to him and rolling them over. "That's how it will be forever." He began to claim her inch by inch, with his lips, his tongue and his hands. "I love you, Veronica. Always."
********
"So what do you think, Felicia? Is Thor really the father of Madeleine's baby?" asked Logan with a smirk, rubbing her head.
Felicia burrowed her nose into his armpit in response. Logan sighed, flicking off the television. "Yeah, that's about how much I care, too." He glanced around the apartment while continuing to stroke Felicia's head. He had been so intent on moving down to be with Veronica that he had left most of himself behind in New York. That didn't seem to matter when he was with her... but when he wasn't, he felt the absence.
The apartment was very classy and neutral in a dark wood and antique sort of way. It didn't feel anything like his huge open loft. Felicia had left her mark on the couch after one of his many nights spent at Veronica's and there were tufts of stuffing escaping long splits in the soft brown leather. He knew that he would have to replace it before he moved out but it almost felt like a relief that there was something to indicate their impact on the place. Something to destroy that old money, political influence kind of feeling that he associated with people like the Kanes. Like Celeste Kane.
Maybe it had been a mistake to move so quickly. He hadn't really thought about it at the time. After all, he had spent years living in hotels. What was one more temporary residence? He hadn't realized how much of a home he had made in New York until he left it behind.
The furry weight on his chest let out a high pitched snore and cuddled deeper into him and he was grateful for her presence. The little furball absolutely depended on him - whether she wanted to admit it or not - and that was a good feeling. Logan had never been allowed pets as a child, and he wondered if maybe he would have been less of an insufferable ass in high school if he had actually had to be responsible for another, weaker, life. Probably not, he thought with a sigh. But no point in regretting what he had been.
He continued to stroke Felicia and tried to figure out how to deal with the restless, dissatisfied feeling that had enveloped him lately. Veronica was at work and he needed to find something to do with himself. He thought about Rita occasionally, but he didn't feel inspired to write. He didn't have the tools to paint...
Felicia was content to sleep, but he had napped way too much lately. He stretched an arm out to the table and managed to snag his cell phone without disturbing the snoring bundle on his chest. He pushed number eight on his speed dial - he had bumped Trina from number one when Veronica came back into his life, and she ended up at the next available number. Funny, but it felt good to have eight people who were important enough to be on speed dial. For a long time, there hadn't been any.
"Let me guess, you're bored again. Am I right?" Trina's voice was sarcastic but warm when she answered.
"Not even a hello, Trina?" Logan smirked. "I thought I was your favorite relative."
"You are my only relative worth a shit and you know it. Of course, you are also practically my only living relative. You're lucky I have even less of a life than you do or you might have to make some friends." Trina's voice held affection even as she cut him down. "So what's up? Bribed any government officials lately?"
"No. Do you know any that need bribing? 'Cause I really need a hobby." Logan sighed and ran his hand through his hair. Felicia let out a muffled mewl of complaint at the small earthquake, and he quickly consoled her with a soft stroke to her back. "How about you? Any trust fund left, or have you spent it all? And did you get the role of Dead Hooker #2 on CSI?" Logan returned with a grin, feeling himself relax. Ahhh, family bonding at its best.
"Actually, I'm gonna be Live Hooker #1 in a movie of the week. I'm moving up in the world." Trina chuckled a moment. "You should come to Hollywood. We could work together - you'd make an awesome Dirty Bum #2."
"Awww. If I don't get to be an addict, what's the point? You know that's the role I'm best at." Logan settled in for a bit of soothing snark with Trina. A safe way to take off the edge he was feeling while waiting for Veronica to have some free time. He knew it wasn't right for him to be living only for her free moments, but he couldn't quite help himself. Addict, indeed.
********
Veronica studied the map covered in blue, red and yellow pins. The blue indicated rapes at least 80% consistent with the Killer Barber's signature and methods. There were sixteen of them on the East Coast and five in Neptune. The yellow pins were possible rape links, without enough evidence to know for sure. There were seven of them. The three red pins stood for the murder victims. Veronica sighed. The one display board had become three. The two files had become two boxes of files. And yet, they were no closer to identifying the UNSUB.
Not for a lack of trying. Tish and Roberts had put their souls into the work, maybe because they were excited to be on a case. Maybe because Veronica's own passion was contagious. Whatever the reason, Veronica was glad to have them. They stayed late with her, working extra hours and compiling tons of data. It wasn't much use yet, but someday... someday, she would have that final piece to the puzzle and she would catch this asshole.
She had only one more month before Tish and Roberts went back to their respective schools and Veronica doubted that Anderson would give her new interns. Tilden had been right, Anderson was giving her this to play with. She thought maybe it was a test, or a right of passage. Whatever. She felt an internal clock ticking. If she couldn't crack this soon, she would be on her own again.
Veronica looked at her watch, noticing with dismay that it was almost seven. She hadn't called Logan, and they had plans for dinner. "I'll be right back, guys," she said. Tish nodded. Roberts didn't even look away from his computer screen. Veronica pulled out her cell and stepped into the hall.
********
The phone trilled Veronica's ring tone, the Pink Panther theme, and Logan grabbed for it so quickly he upset Felicia. She gave an annoyed sniff and jumped off his lap. Logan sat up, clicking the answer button. Veronica was late calling... probably working late again. He tried not to be anxious.
"You're not calling to cancel our dinner plans, are you?" Logan faked a casual sound but his stomach tightened at the thought. Veronica was over the initial high of coming back together and now she was starting to demand time for herself. He hated it.
"No, no... but we are running late. I was wondering - " she hesitated, lowered her voice. "Can I invite them along? The interns?"
"You want me to take two hungry college kids to dinner?" Logan tried to sound gruff, but he was filled with relief. He wanted Veronica to include him in her life, not shut him out. He wanted to get to know her coworkers. It made him feel significant.
"Yeah. I mean, I'll pay for them... but do you mind? They've been working really hard for me..." Veronica sounded apologetic.
"As long as you know you can't keep them," teased Logan. "I know how you are with strays."
"But they are so cute, with their big eyes and trusting, gullible ways..." joked Veronica, sounding pleased that Logan had agreed. "I'm sure they won't eat much and I promise to clean up after them."
"Just make sure they are housebroken. I don't want a mess on my leather seats. Are we all going to fit in the Jag? The back seat is awfully tiny..." Logan's voice lowered, hinting at debauchery, reminding Veronica of the "test drive" they had taken in the back of the Jag.
She refused to take the bait, keeping her voice businesslike and crisp. "We'll fit. I have to go. Call me when you're close and we'll meet you out front." She paused. "Love you," she said, with only a hint of awkwardness.
"I love you, too," answered Logan with a wide grin.
********
Logan pulled up in the Jaguar, top down. His hair was totally windblown, making Veronica want to run her hands through it. She admired the view and thought how his movie star roots really showed. He looked gorgeous and carefree, and damn! He knew how to make an entrance.
"Hop in, folks." He pushed down his shades to watch Judith Tish and Matt Roberts pile into the back. "Hope you guys fit. I know it's a bit of a squeeze back there." He leered at Veronica and flicked the fuzzy dice hanging from the windshield suggestively. She narrowed her eyes at him but couldn't hold back the blush. He grinned, popped his sunglasses back in place and leaned over to give her a less than chaste hello kiss.
Roberts was stroking the Jag appreciatively. "Nice wheels, man. I really like the color." Tish seemed sort of stunned by the expensive car. And maybe the sight of Logan. Veronica could relate.
"Yeah, it's not too bad," said Logan, surveying the deep wine gloss. "I prefer yellow, but Veronica convinced me it wasn't worth a special order. And it goes with the dice." He spun the dice again, just to torment Veronica. She punched his shoulder playfully.
"Thank god I got you out of the jackass yellow!! This is much more maaaature." She snorted, then teased, "I am actually sort of surprised that it suits you so well." Logan had met the interns before, but just in case, she did a quick intro. "Logan, you remember Tish and Roberts?" Veronica waved towards the back seat. Logan raised an eyebrow and she shrugged. It seemed weird to call them by their first names, but Logan preferred it. "I mean Matt and Judy. You guys, this is my boyfriend, Logan."
Logan nodded to the interns, then turned to Veronica. "I found a great taqueria for us to go to. Nothing like Weevil's grandma's cooking, but not so bad for the East Coast. We just have to make sure we're home by ten - Trina's on Law and Order: SVU tonight and I promised I'd watch."
"Let me guess, she's reprising her role as Dead Hooker #4?" asked Veronica, dryly.
"No, I forgot to tell you. She's moved up to playing live hookers now. She's even - " Logan faked a gasp of excitement, "Got two lines in a Lifetime movie that starts filming next month."
"Wow. Talking hookers. She is moving up in the world." Veronica laughed. She hadn't quite gotten used to his new, easier relationship with Trina. It would be interesting to meet her again and see if she had really changed. Logan had changed so much, anything seemed possible. He credited Trina with standing by him and helping him through, so Veronica was not going to hold a grudge. But that didn't mean she wasn't going to rip on Trina's 'career.'
"It's the Echoll's talent, I tell you," he joked, pulling away from the curb.
Tish gasped and let out a little shriek. "Ohmygod!! I just realized - you're Logan Echolls." Her eyes were wide and excited.
"The one and only," said Logan with a sigh. He deadpanned to Veronica. "Oh, goody. A fan."
"Be nice, Logan," said Veronica in a low warning tone. She turned her head to look at Tish. Judy had a pink blush in her cheeks and she was bouncing up and down like a fangirl. Good god, how did Logan do this to people? Middle aged housewives and solid kick-ass future FBI agents were not supposed to squeal. Veronica narrowed her eyes at Logan, pleading with him to be civil.
"I'm always nice," he smirked. "What's that look supposed to mean? You don't think I'm nice?" Veronica just shook her head, bemused.
Roberts looks back and forth between Tish and Logan with confusion. "What am I missing? Should I know that name?"
"It's to your credit that you don't," answered Veronica drolly.
"Ouch. You wound me." Logan faked a painful wince as Veronica made a face.
"His parents are famous movie stars..." whispered Tish in awe. "He used to be in magazines all the time. He's Aaron Echolls' son."
"Well, actually, my mom really liked the milkman and I've always hoped - but, no. Come to think of it, the delivery man from the liquor store is much more likely," snarked Logan. Funny how quickly the old armor covered him and the defensive barbs rolled off his tongue. It was both comforting and disturbing.
"Logan!" Veronica hissed, trying desperately to think of a new topic. This was losing its playfulness very rapidly.
"Aaron Echolls?" questioned Matt. "I don't remember the name."
"You must have had your head in a hole. He was a huge action star, tons of movies, an Oscar... He killed - " Tish's mouth hung open in horror and she didn't complete the sentence. Hollywood gossip clashed with flesh and she was suddenly aware of exactly who the people in the car were to Aaron's victim. But she couldn't seemed to stop making the connections. "And you - didn't you have a near fatal car crash -"
"Rumors of my death were greatly exaggerated," joked Logan, pasting on the fake cheerfulness that had gotten him through years of similar comments.
"Though I'm still not sure about the brain damage," quipped Veronica, sticking out her tongue. Trying desperately to lighten the mood. She knew she should change the topic, but she was morbidly curious to watch Logan's reactions. There was some of the old Logan edge to his voice, but also a new easiness and ...comfort with himself. It intrigued her.
"Very funny, Mars." Logan stuck his tongue out in response.
Roberts shook his head, baffled. "I'm totally missing something important, aren't I?"
"You should read more People magazine, man," suggested Logan dryly.
Roberts shuddered. "Not if you paid me. I can feel brain cells dying at just the thought of it." He paused. Judy seemed afraid to say any more. "So your dad was an actor?"
"And a killer. Don't forget that part. Though I'm still not sure which is worse. He did make some really big shit pile movies." Logan chuckled bitterly.
"Who'd he kill?" Roberts asked in a tone of open curiosity, as if he didn't really care much about the answer. But was sick of feeling left out. Veronica watched Logan carefully, wondering if she should stop the conversation.
"My first girlfriend," Logan answered, working his jaw and wishing for a drink. That was the real way he had made it through these kinds of conversations, by keeping a drink in his hand. He rarely thought about Lilly anymore, but when he did, there was always the flash of betrayal and loss. His hand tightened on the gear shift and Veronica covered it with hers. He glanced over at her and the moment of understanding that passed between them seemed to ease his tension.
Roberts stared at Logan's reflection in the rearview. The sunglasses covered his eyes, and the rest of his face gave no emotion away. Matt hesitated for a second, but had to ask. "Why?"
"He was sleeping with her." Logan was not sure why he was telling Matt Roberts this. Veronica was stunned, unused to Logan voluntarily offering any info on those years.
There was something appealing in Matt's indifference, though. It gave Logan a new kind of perspective. People usual had a morbid fascination, a kind of greedy horror mixed with voyeurism. The young intern seemed only vaguely intrigued, more curious about the current events that he had missed than in exposing Logan's dark secrets. Logan felt he could change the subject to the various cars he had owned and similarly hold Matt's interest. It was liberating.
"Man, that sucks!" Matt's outcry was both vehement and naive.
"Yeah." Understatement of the year, thought Logan. He looked at the two in back. Judy Tish had become speechless and intent, clearly absorbed in hearing all the details from Logan's own mouth. They looked so young, so inexperienced and unworldly. Logan wondered briefly how long it had been since either he or Veronica was that innocent. If they ever were. Well, Veronica, maybe - before Lilly's death.
For some reason, Logan couldn't resist poking the scab a little. "Then Veronica figured it out, and he tried to kill her too." It was a little of the old "pity me" line, but Logan found he wasn't fishing for anything. It just felt good to be honest and not have to hide his history. "Dear old Dad was always thorough."
"Your dad tried to kill Agent Mars??" Roberts swung on Veronica in disbelief. She confirmed the story with a nod.
"Yeah," Logan chuckled without humor and nodded towards Veronica. "He was the first, but not the last. My Ronnie likes to get herself in trouble. That's why she decided to join the FBI."
"Don't call me, Ronnie," said Veronica automatically, sounding resigned to the story telling, even if she didn't want to participate. They had moved into the part that still gave her nightmares.
"So where is he now? In prison?" Matt clearly still had an idealistic faith in the law. Veronica sighed. Give him a few years at the FBI and he'd become cynical enough.
"No, they found him not guilty." Logan glanced at Veronica, tense in her seat, eyes closed. "Then someone had him killed."
"You mean... like an assassin?? No shit?" Matt was agog. It was just like a movie.
"No shit. I always figured it was the Kanes, Lilly's parents. Celeste is a cold blooded bitch." Logan's voice hardened in bitterness. He was grateful that someone had taken the bastard out, but it didn't make him like the Kanes.
Veronica opened her eyes at that, looking startled. "You think they paid Clarence to do it?" She had never thought about it, oddly enough. Aaron's death was the one murder she didn't care to solve, unless it was to send flowers and a thank you to the killer.
"Makes sense, doesn't it? He was their clean-up man." Logan shrugged. After all these years, he didn't really care.
Judy Tish watched Veronica with admiration. Veronica was just so cool. She knew movie stars and talked about contract killers like they were... friends. She had brought killers to justice, faced death. Judy felt lucky to be working with her, lucky to be on the Killer Barber case. She just knew Veronica would solve it. Her faith shone in her eyes. Veronica saw the look in the rearview and it made her feel tired, old. She didn't want devoted fans any more than Logan did.
"You mean, like Kane software?" Roberts whistled. "Wow. I've met Jake Kane. My mom was one of the first 50 employees at Google, so I've met some really world famous nerds. But man, no movie stars. Who's the hottest movie star you've ever met? Have you seen any of them naked?" Matt asked eagerly.
Logan laughed as Matt's curiosity veered along a typical teenage male vector. Murder and scandal paled in comparison to the idea of naked movie stars. Logan shook his head. "I don't know, man. A few, I guess."
Roberts stared, something close to worship in his eyes. "Wow. That many, huh? Like you don't even bother to count any more. Like Angelina Jolie? And Scarlett Johannsen?"
"They all pale in comparison to Veronica." Logan grabbed Veronica's hand and kissed the knuckles. She rolled her eyes.
"Come on, you're just saying that 'cause she's your girlfriend and she's in the car. Seriously, I'm getting you alone later and I want all the details." Matt closed his eyes, clearly imagining the frolics of many naked movie stars.
Logan pulled into a parking spot. "Ah, perfect timing. The inquisition must end, as it is time for tamales!"
Veronica sighed in relief. She glanced at Tish and Roberts, shaking her head. It promised to be an interesting meal.