Second Chances (Veronica/Logan, Keith, Jeff Ratner) - PG-13
Title: Second Chances
Pairing/Character: Veronica/Logan, Keith, Jeff Ratner
Word Count: 2370
Rating: PG-13 for language
Summary: Logan and Veronica discover they do need each other. Begins when Veronica is lying in Logan's lap on the couch after the confrontation with Cassidy in "Not Pictured."
Spoilers: Through 2.22
Disclaimer: I don't own Veronica Mars. Veronica Mars owns me.
Author's Notes: This is my first attempt at fanfic. Not beta'd. I wrote it because I felt there was a huge gap in the last episode of season 2. This is my version of what we didn't see. Hope you like it. Feedback appreciated.
Veronica knew loss. Or so she thought she did before tonight. Tonight was by far the worst night of her life. Worse than the night she found out Lilly had been murdered. Worse than waking up without her underwear after Shelley Pomroy’s party. Even worse than the day her mother left. At least then, she had some hope that her mother would return. That she’d see her again. But that wouldn’t happen now. He was gone. Cassidy had blown up the plane he was on. Veronica’s heart ached with the realization that she would never see her father again.
As she lied, bruised and broken, in Logan’s lap on the couch, all the regrets started to fill her mind. She regretted every lie she ever told her father. Every angry word she ever said to him. She regretted telling him to go after Woody, believing him to be the one who cause the bus crash. Most of all, she regretted not being on the bus. If she had been, at least she wouldn’t be suffering like this now. All these regrets circled in her mind as she faded into the darkness.
Logan watched her sleep for hours, afraid to move her, awaken her back into the harsh reality. He knew sleep wouldn’t be an escape, but at least it would give her the energy she would need to get through tomorrow. Logan knew first hand the suffering that lied ahead for Veronica and he was determined not to let her go through it alone.
Once he was sure she was deep in sleep, he lifted her limp form and carried her towards her bedroom, angling her carefully in the hallway so her head or feet wouldn’t hit the narrow walls. He laid her on her bed then slowly slipped her shoes off and tucked her legs under the blanket. On the corner of the bed was a small stuffed teddy bear he had won for her on one of their outings to the pier, back when they were together. Back when things were good between them. He found himself smiling at the thought that she kept it all this time, on her bed, as a reminder of what they had. Logan looked down at her again. Her lips were parted and her eyelids fluttered slightly in a dreamlike state. It took every ounce of his willpower not to lean over and kiss her.
That night, Veronica dreamed of her dad. She was five years old and he was performing his version of Punch and Judy for her with two sock puppets. She giggled with childlike glee as her father popped his head out from behind the puppet stage and grinned, "Do you smell that, honey?"
"I smell bacon!" the little girl cried gleefully.
Veronica sat up with a start. She did smell bacon. Just like she always did when her dad cooked breakfast. A bolt of excitement rushed through her. It had been a nightmare. An awful nightmare. She flung her legs over the side of the bed and ran towards the kitchen.
"Dad?" she called as she rounded the corner at the end of the hallway.
She stopped cold in her tracks. Logan stood at the stove. He turned and peered at her as the bacon sizzled in the pan in front of him. Her heart sank again as the pain of her real nightmare returned. Logan wrapped his arms around her and she into tears again.
"I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I’m so sorry," was all Logan could say as he held her tightly. He knew there were no words that would make this better for her. No words would console her.
He was wrong.
"Is that breakfast I smell?" came the familiar, chipper voice from the hallway.
Veronica couldn’t believe her ears. She ripped herself from Logan’s grasp and jumped into the arms of her father. Keith smiled, bemused and befuddled by his daughter’s uncharacteristic glee this early in the morning.
"Dad! You’re alive!" Veronica cried as she hugged her father tighter than she had ever hugged him before.
"What’s the matter, honey," Keith inquired.
"I thought you were dead. Woody’s plane. Cassidy Casablancas blew it up," she explained.
"I wasn’t on the plane. Lamb had them take me off at the last minute because he didn’t want me arriving with Woody to meet the press. I rented a car and drove home," Keith explained.
Logan stood there, watching the exchange between Veronica and her dad. Suddenly, he felt very out of place. He didn’t belong in this scene. He had no part in their happy reunion. He moved towards the door, hoping to get away before they noticed his intrusion.
"I was a little surprised to find Logan on the couch. But it was better than finding him, you know, elsewhere," Keith joked.
The door slammed. Veronica watched Logan’s silhouette pass across the front window. She didn’t know whether to run after him or hold onto her dad and never let go. She turned back to Keith.
"Now what’s this about the Casablancas boy?" Keith asked.
Veronica sighed then proceeded to tell him everything. How Beaver masterminded the bus crash to keep Peter and Marco quiet about Woody molesting them. How he detonated the bomb from his cell phone in the limousine. How he killed Curly and wrote Veronica’s name on his hand to implicate Aaron Echolls. How he blackmailed Woody to kill incorporation. Finally, how he blew up Woody’s plane then jumped off the roof of the Grande.
"There’s something else," Veronica looked down, willing herself to say the words. "Cassidy… drugged and raped me. That’s how I got the VD. From him."
"Oh dear god. Veronica," Keith pulled his daughter into his arms and held her as she cried.
Veronica wiped the tears from her face, "If it hadn’t been for Logan, he probably would have killed me, too."
"Listen, I have to run over to the Sheriff’s department this morning. Why don’t you go check up on Logan," Keith said. Veronica was a little surprised by his suggestion. Her father had made it very clear that he did not like Logan Echolls anywhere near his daughter. "Since, you know, he did save your life and all."
Veronica took a shower, letting the water pour over her and wash away every sweat and tear she had shed the night before. She threw on her clothes, pulled her hair back and dashed out of the apartment.
As soon as Veronica turned onto the street leading to the Neptune Grande, she knew something major was happening. News vans lined the road, their satellite towers high in the air, as reporters relayed their information over the airwaves. Veronica wondered what was going on. Was this media frenzy for Cassidy? She parked along the street and approached the crowd that had gathered in front of the hotel. She stood on the bumper of a parked car, angling to get a better view over their heads. Veronica saw an ambulance parked in front of the hotel entrance, surrounded by a battalion of Sheriff’s deputies and their vehicles. Lamb was being interviewed by a pretty female reporter near his squad car. People began muttering and gawking as two medical personnel wheeled a gurney out to the awaiting ambulance. On the gurney was a body covered in a plain white sheet.
"I can’t believe Aaron Echolls is dead," a stranger’s voice quivered behind her.
Veronica stood there stunned as the words sank in. "Oh God. Logan," she whispered to herself. Veronica hopped off the car, grabbed her cell phone and scrolled to Logan’s number. His voicemail answered immediately, "This is Logan with today’s inspirational…" Veronica ended the call then frantically dialed again.
"Neptune Grande," the operator answered.
"Logan Echoll’s room please," Veronica requested.
"I’m sorry but Mr. Echolls is not accepting calls at this time," the operator informed, for what sounded like the zillionth time. Veronica sighed as she hung up again. Then she had a thought. She still had the keycard Duncan gave her when she had to sneak into his suite to get some of his things after he had "disappeared." She just needed to get to the room.
Veronica made her way to the service entrance of the hotel. No way she was going to get in through the front with all the police and security. She quickly found an apron, tucked a service tray under her arm then made her way to the service elevator. A young, uniformed waiter pushed a service cart in behind her. She inched over as he reached across her to press the floor number.
"Hi," the waiter smiled.
"Hey," Veronica returned, afraid to meet his eye and blow her cover.
"Can you believe this craziness? Aaron Echolls. I hear they found him buck naked with his brains all over the walls. I'd hate to be the one who has to clean that up," he commented. "I’m Jeff, by the way. I’m new."
"Veronica," she said as she watched the numbers of the floors slowly light up one by one. Finally, the elevator dinged. Veronica offered a quick nod to the waiter before exiting. She rushed down the hallway as she pulled the keycard from her bag. Her feet came to a sudden halt as she rounded the corner leading to Logan’s suite. At his door was a reporter with his cameraman. He pounded on Logan’s door.
"Just give me a few moments of your time and we’ll go away, Mr. Echolls," the reporter harassed.
Veronica quickly spun back around the corner to hide. She leaned back on the wall and pondered what to do. Her cell phone rang and she broke a record in phone answering speed.
"Hello?" she whispered.
"Veronica. Have you seen the news?" Keith queried. She could hear the concern in his voice.
"No. But I can pretty much guess what’s on it," she replied.
"How’s Logan?" he asked.
"I don’t know. He’s not answering his phone and there’s a camera crew camped outside his door," she informed.
Keith was quiet a moment then responded, "Give me ten minutes. I’ll see what I can do."
Five minutes later, Veronica heard the familiar sound of the elevator door open. She peeked around the corner to see two burly security guards in maroon coats march down the hallway. They quickly escorted the protesting reporter and his cameraman away. Veronica smiled and made a mental note to ask her dad how he managed that.
Once the coast was clear, she rounded the corner and rushed to Logan’s door before any more obstacles got in her way. She inserted the keycard and heaved a sigh of relief when the light turned green and the lock disengaged. She quickly slipped into the suite and closed the door behind her.
"Logan?" she called out tentaively. But there was no answer. She moved towards his room. As she neared his door, she could hear the sounds of guns firing and explosions emanating from the other side. She opened the door slowly to find Logan sitting on the edge of his bed, a game controller tightly in his hands as he eradicated a slew of terrorists with his grenade launcher.
"How’d you get past the circus?" he asked, his eyes glued to the game as bombs exploded and animated body parts flew across the screen.
"Service elevator. You okay?" she asked cautiously.
"Yep. Just call me Little Orphan Annie," he joked with a slight laugh.
"Logan…" she began.
"Look, Veronica. I’m fine. I don’t need a shoulder to cry on. I just need to be left alone," he insisted.
"No," she asserted as she crossed to the bed and sat beside him. "I’m not going to leave you alone. I’m going to stay right here with you. Just like you did with me last night."
Logan stopped playing the game and laughed ironically.
"Ironic. I stayed with you last night because I thought your dad had been killed. I didn’t want you to be alone. I kept thinking how unfair it was, you know, that a good man like your dad had to die while a piece of shit like mine got to live. Then I found out it was my dad who had died. Not yours."
"You couldn’t have known…" Veronica consoled.
"It doesn’t change anything. The man is still a son of a bitch. The world is better off without him," Logan seethed.
Veronica didn’t argue. She reached for Logan’s hand, halfway expecting him to pull away. But her didn’t. He gazed down at her eyes as his free hand reached up and cupped her cheek. Veronica’s heart stopped when he leaned in to kiss her. Her first impulse was to jump up and run out of the room as the memory of everything that had happened since they separated last summer hit her at once. Kendall. The stolen tapes. Hannah. When his lips met hers, all of it melted away. At that moment, it was just… them.
Logan’s kisses migrated to across her jawline and down her neck. Veronica closed her eyes. God, she’d forgotten how good his lips felt. He leaned her back onto the bed. Veronica scooted herself higher onto the mattress as Logan positioned himself over her. They gazed into each other’s eyes again, neither believing this was really happening. Logan leaned in and kissed her hard then moved down her neck and to her shoulder. His hands lifted the hem of her shirt and he kissed her just above her belly button, sending a charge through her spine.
BAM…BAM…BAM…
"It’s just another reporter. Ignor it," Logan said between kisses on her exposed abdomen.
"Logan," she swallowed, trying to breath.
Suddenly, they could hear the front door open and the sound of feet moving towards the bedroom. They jumped up. Veronica quickly lowered her shirt as Lamb appeared in the doorway with a shit-eating grin.
"Interrupting something?" he questioned with more than a little self-gratification.
"As a matter of fact…" Veronica retorted.
"Funny. You aren’t acting like someone who just lost his only surviving parent," Lamb observed.
"I was making out. I must be guilty," Logan stood. He knew the drill. This was the part where they cuffed him and took him to the station for questioning. "Take me away, Sheriff." Logan held out his wrists.
"Actually, I’ll need to question both you and your…" Lamb eyed Veronica contemptuously, "girlfriend."
Pairing/Character: Veronica/Logan, Keith, Jeff Ratner
Word Count: 2370
Rating: PG-13 for language
Summary: Logan and Veronica discover they do need each other. Begins when Veronica is lying in Logan's lap on the couch after the confrontation with Cassidy in "Not Pictured."
Spoilers: Through 2.22
Disclaimer: I don't own Veronica Mars. Veronica Mars owns me.
Author's Notes: This is my first attempt at fanfic. Not beta'd. I wrote it because I felt there was a huge gap in the last episode of season 2. This is my version of what we didn't see. Hope you like it. Feedback appreciated.
Veronica knew loss. Or so she thought she did before tonight. Tonight was by far the worst night of her life. Worse than the night she found out Lilly had been murdered. Worse than waking up without her underwear after Shelley Pomroy’s party. Even worse than the day her mother left. At least then, she had some hope that her mother would return. That she’d see her again. But that wouldn’t happen now. He was gone. Cassidy had blown up the plane he was on. Veronica’s heart ached with the realization that she would never see her father again.
As she lied, bruised and broken, in Logan’s lap on the couch, all the regrets started to fill her mind. She regretted every lie she ever told her father. Every angry word she ever said to him. She regretted telling him to go after Woody, believing him to be the one who cause the bus crash. Most of all, she regretted not being on the bus. If she had been, at least she wouldn’t be suffering like this now. All these regrets circled in her mind as she faded into the darkness.
Logan watched her sleep for hours, afraid to move her, awaken her back into the harsh reality. He knew sleep wouldn’t be an escape, but at least it would give her the energy she would need to get through tomorrow. Logan knew first hand the suffering that lied ahead for Veronica and he was determined not to let her go through it alone.
Once he was sure she was deep in sleep, he lifted her limp form and carried her towards her bedroom, angling her carefully in the hallway so her head or feet wouldn’t hit the narrow walls. He laid her on her bed then slowly slipped her shoes off and tucked her legs under the blanket. On the corner of the bed was a small stuffed teddy bear he had won for her on one of their outings to the pier, back when they were together. Back when things were good between them. He found himself smiling at the thought that she kept it all this time, on her bed, as a reminder of what they had. Logan looked down at her again. Her lips were parted and her eyelids fluttered slightly in a dreamlike state. It took every ounce of his willpower not to lean over and kiss her.
That night, Veronica dreamed of her dad. She was five years old and he was performing his version of Punch and Judy for her with two sock puppets. She giggled with childlike glee as her father popped his head out from behind the puppet stage and grinned, "Do you smell that, honey?"
"I smell bacon!" the little girl cried gleefully.
Veronica sat up with a start. She did smell bacon. Just like she always did when her dad cooked breakfast. A bolt of excitement rushed through her. It had been a nightmare. An awful nightmare. She flung her legs over the side of the bed and ran towards the kitchen.
"Dad?" she called as she rounded the corner at the end of the hallway.
She stopped cold in her tracks. Logan stood at the stove. He turned and peered at her as the bacon sizzled in the pan in front of him. Her heart sank again as the pain of her real nightmare returned. Logan wrapped his arms around her and she into tears again.
"I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I’m so sorry," was all Logan could say as he held her tightly. He knew there were no words that would make this better for her. No words would console her.
He was wrong.
"Is that breakfast I smell?" came the familiar, chipper voice from the hallway.
Veronica couldn’t believe her ears. She ripped herself from Logan’s grasp and jumped into the arms of her father. Keith smiled, bemused and befuddled by his daughter’s uncharacteristic glee this early in the morning.
"Dad! You’re alive!" Veronica cried as she hugged her father tighter than she had ever hugged him before.
"What’s the matter, honey," Keith inquired.
"I thought you were dead. Woody’s plane. Cassidy Casablancas blew it up," she explained.
"I wasn’t on the plane. Lamb had them take me off at the last minute because he didn’t want me arriving with Woody to meet the press. I rented a car and drove home," Keith explained.
Logan stood there, watching the exchange between Veronica and her dad. Suddenly, he felt very out of place. He didn’t belong in this scene. He had no part in their happy reunion. He moved towards the door, hoping to get away before they noticed his intrusion.
"I was a little surprised to find Logan on the couch. But it was better than finding him, you know, elsewhere," Keith joked.
The door slammed. Veronica watched Logan’s silhouette pass across the front window. She didn’t know whether to run after him or hold onto her dad and never let go. She turned back to Keith.
"Now what’s this about the Casablancas boy?" Keith asked.
Veronica sighed then proceeded to tell him everything. How Beaver masterminded the bus crash to keep Peter and Marco quiet about Woody molesting them. How he detonated the bomb from his cell phone in the limousine. How he killed Curly and wrote Veronica’s name on his hand to implicate Aaron Echolls. How he blackmailed Woody to kill incorporation. Finally, how he blew up Woody’s plane then jumped off the roof of the Grande.
"There’s something else," Veronica looked down, willing herself to say the words. "Cassidy… drugged and raped me. That’s how I got the VD. From him."
"Oh dear god. Veronica," Keith pulled his daughter into his arms and held her as she cried.
Veronica wiped the tears from her face, "If it hadn’t been for Logan, he probably would have killed me, too."
"Listen, I have to run over to the Sheriff’s department this morning. Why don’t you go check up on Logan," Keith said. Veronica was a little surprised by his suggestion. Her father had made it very clear that he did not like Logan Echolls anywhere near his daughter. "Since, you know, he did save your life and all."
Veronica took a shower, letting the water pour over her and wash away every sweat and tear she had shed the night before. She threw on her clothes, pulled her hair back and dashed out of the apartment.
As soon as Veronica turned onto the street leading to the Neptune Grande, she knew something major was happening. News vans lined the road, their satellite towers high in the air, as reporters relayed their information over the airwaves. Veronica wondered what was going on. Was this media frenzy for Cassidy? She parked along the street and approached the crowd that had gathered in front of the hotel. She stood on the bumper of a parked car, angling to get a better view over their heads. Veronica saw an ambulance parked in front of the hotel entrance, surrounded by a battalion of Sheriff’s deputies and their vehicles. Lamb was being interviewed by a pretty female reporter near his squad car. People began muttering and gawking as two medical personnel wheeled a gurney out to the awaiting ambulance. On the gurney was a body covered in a plain white sheet.
"I can’t believe Aaron Echolls is dead," a stranger’s voice quivered behind her.
Veronica stood there stunned as the words sank in. "Oh God. Logan," she whispered to herself. Veronica hopped off the car, grabbed her cell phone and scrolled to Logan’s number. His voicemail answered immediately, "This is Logan with today’s inspirational…" Veronica ended the call then frantically dialed again.
"Neptune Grande," the operator answered.
"Logan Echoll’s room please," Veronica requested.
"I’m sorry but Mr. Echolls is not accepting calls at this time," the operator informed, for what sounded like the zillionth time. Veronica sighed as she hung up again. Then she had a thought. She still had the keycard Duncan gave her when she had to sneak into his suite to get some of his things after he had "disappeared." She just needed to get to the room.
Veronica made her way to the service entrance of the hotel. No way she was going to get in through the front with all the police and security. She quickly found an apron, tucked a service tray under her arm then made her way to the service elevator. A young, uniformed waiter pushed a service cart in behind her. She inched over as he reached across her to press the floor number.
"Hi," the waiter smiled.
"Hey," Veronica returned, afraid to meet his eye and blow her cover.
"Can you believe this craziness? Aaron Echolls. I hear they found him buck naked with his brains all over the walls. I'd hate to be the one who has to clean that up," he commented. "I’m Jeff, by the way. I’m new."
"Veronica," she said as she watched the numbers of the floors slowly light up one by one. Finally, the elevator dinged. Veronica offered a quick nod to the waiter before exiting. She rushed down the hallway as she pulled the keycard from her bag. Her feet came to a sudden halt as she rounded the corner leading to Logan’s suite. At his door was a reporter with his cameraman. He pounded on Logan’s door.
"Just give me a few moments of your time and we’ll go away, Mr. Echolls," the reporter harassed.
Veronica quickly spun back around the corner to hide. She leaned back on the wall and pondered what to do. Her cell phone rang and she broke a record in phone answering speed.
"Hello?" she whispered.
"Veronica. Have you seen the news?" Keith queried. She could hear the concern in his voice.
"No. But I can pretty much guess what’s on it," she replied.
"How’s Logan?" he asked.
"I don’t know. He’s not answering his phone and there’s a camera crew camped outside his door," she informed.
Keith was quiet a moment then responded, "Give me ten minutes. I’ll see what I can do."
Five minutes later, Veronica heard the familiar sound of the elevator door open. She peeked around the corner to see two burly security guards in maroon coats march down the hallway. They quickly escorted the protesting reporter and his cameraman away. Veronica smiled and made a mental note to ask her dad how he managed that.
Once the coast was clear, she rounded the corner and rushed to Logan’s door before any more obstacles got in her way. She inserted the keycard and heaved a sigh of relief when the light turned green and the lock disengaged. She quickly slipped into the suite and closed the door behind her.
"Logan?" she called out tentaively. But there was no answer. She moved towards his room. As she neared his door, she could hear the sounds of guns firing and explosions emanating from the other side. She opened the door slowly to find Logan sitting on the edge of his bed, a game controller tightly in his hands as he eradicated a slew of terrorists with his grenade launcher.
"How’d you get past the circus?" he asked, his eyes glued to the game as bombs exploded and animated body parts flew across the screen.
"Service elevator. You okay?" she asked cautiously.
"Yep. Just call me Little Orphan Annie," he joked with a slight laugh.
"Logan…" she began.
"Look, Veronica. I’m fine. I don’t need a shoulder to cry on. I just need to be left alone," he insisted.
"No," she asserted as she crossed to the bed and sat beside him. "I’m not going to leave you alone. I’m going to stay right here with you. Just like you did with me last night."
Logan stopped playing the game and laughed ironically.
"Ironic. I stayed with you last night because I thought your dad had been killed. I didn’t want you to be alone. I kept thinking how unfair it was, you know, that a good man like your dad had to die while a piece of shit like mine got to live. Then I found out it was my dad who had died. Not yours."
"You couldn’t have known…" Veronica consoled.
"It doesn’t change anything. The man is still a son of a bitch. The world is better off without him," Logan seethed.
Veronica didn’t argue. She reached for Logan’s hand, halfway expecting him to pull away. But her didn’t. He gazed down at her eyes as his free hand reached up and cupped her cheek. Veronica’s heart stopped when he leaned in to kiss her. Her first impulse was to jump up and run out of the room as the memory of everything that had happened since they separated last summer hit her at once. Kendall. The stolen tapes. Hannah. When his lips met hers, all of it melted away. At that moment, it was just… them.
Logan’s kisses migrated to across her jawline and down her neck. Veronica closed her eyes. God, she’d forgotten how good his lips felt. He leaned her back onto the bed. Veronica scooted herself higher onto the mattress as Logan positioned himself over her. They gazed into each other’s eyes again, neither believing this was really happening. Logan leaned in and kissed her hard then moved down her neck and to her shoulder. His hands lifted the hem of her shirt and he kissed her just above her belly button, sending a charge through her spine.
BAM…BAM…BAM…
"It’s just another reporter. Ignor it," Logan said between kisses on her exposed abdomen.
"Logan," she swallowed, trying to breath.
Suddenly, they could hear the front door open and the sound of feet moving towards the bedroom. They jumped up. Veronica quickly lowered her shirt as Lamb appeared in the doorway with a shit-eating grin.
"Interrupting something?" he questioned with more than a little self-gratification.
"As a matter of fact…" Veronica retorted.
"Funny. You aren’t acting like someone who just lost his only surviving parent," Lamb observed.
"I was making out. I must be guilty," Logan stood. He knew the drill. This was the part where they cuffed him and took him to the station for questioning. "Take me away, Sheriff." Logan held out his wrists.
"Actually, I’ll need to question both you and your…" Lamb eyed Veronica contemptuously, "girlfriend."