And the world came crashing down (Logan/Veronica) PG-13
Title: And the World Came Crashing Down
Author: ladydisdain225
Characters: Veronica, Logan, Keith
Word count: 735
Rating: PG-13
Summary: So, I did a thing. This little ficlet is a reaction/AU scene for of nevertothethird's amazing fic I Know That Face. Which you should go read immediately, because it is awesome. Also because this will make absolutely NO sense without it. Upon reading her latest chapter, I had a strong reaction (as is my wont) and decided I needed to deal with a certain character. This was SUPPOSED to be light, fyi. That did not work
It takes an age and her dad’s help, but they finally get Logan off the floor and settled in her room. She reflects, briefly, hysterically, on the fact that her dad just helped her get Logan Echolls into bed, but she’s not even sure Logan noticed the change in scenery and she has to remind herself to keep standing.
His sobs have quieted and she finds she misses the wrenching staccato hiccoughs because at least she knew he was in there. He’s so still. It’s frightening. Logan’s never still. She’d thought he was physically incapable of it.
Her first trip back from UCLA, she’d been so homesick for him, homesick for them, she’d actually gone back and swiped his permanent file. It was all there, the mediocre grades and amazing test scores, and every single classroom disruption. Because he never could keep still. It was something every teacher from kindergarten on up had noted. Along with his numerous absences and absolutely no speculation about those absences and she wished she’d copied his permanent file when she had a chance because she wants someone to pay, and it’s not like the perpetrators themselves are available.
She reminds herself that vengeance can wait, and instead curls next to Logan on the bed trying to surround him, protect him. He releases a gasp of a breath as she presses her face against his shoulder blades, hugging him to her.
A cough from the doorway reminds her that they aren’t alone. The thought physically hurts, and she bites her lip to focus on a more immediate pain. She looks up, glare already fixed in place, because if her dad seriously thinks she’s not staying right here and helping Logan through this in whatever way she can then he has another thing coming.
One look at her dad’s face and the words die in her throat. There’s more. Some part of the story he didn’t get to, and she briefly considers flinging herself in front of Logan as though the truth was a bullet you could take for someone else.
“Dad, no.”
Because he can’t take this. He can’t.
Even if there is more, he can’t. It’ll kill him which will kill her.
“Honey-“
He’s going to tell. Of course he’s going to. Telling the truth is what he does, the Keith Mars legacy, and in that moment she hates her dad.
She jumps from the bed and pulls him into the living room, her mind racing with explanations for why this can wait, it has to wait.
“It’s about Skyler.”
She's vaguely aware of her mouth gaping open. She’d been trying to think of what Keith could possibly say that would hurt Logan worse. She hadn’t thought to protect herself. For that one moment she’d forgotten the other thing he’d been looking into. She looks wildly round the room for another manilla envelope, and she cannot take this right now. She cannot take learning that Skyler is her stalker without Logan.
“Dad, no...” please, no. please.
He has his serious face on, and she wants to put her hand over his mouth to stop him from talking.
“He was killed last night.”
He’s still talking. She thinks he’s still talking. But it’s like someone hit the mute button. She shakes her head, and tries to ignore the fact that her immediate reaction is relief. Skyler’s gone. If there was a god, then maybe he was her stalker too, and some idiot texting on their cell phone just took care of both problems at once.
Then she makes the mistake of catching her dad’s eye and her stomach heaves as she realizes something. “When you say killed...”
“Honey,” and now he looks sick. Like he doesn’t want to keep talking, and she knows. She knows it’s bad. “They found this at the crime scene.”
She wonders how he got it. Who he knows at the Chicago PD. Or maybe San Diego. San Diego makes sense. Maybe he was home for the holidays.
She’s looking at a cell phone picture of herself. The sketch is from yet another photo, one she recognizes. It’s a close up of her face, but the one it was from - it was a wide shot. Yellow balloons and other couples in the background. And she was looking up at Logan like she’d never look away.
Her dad is crushing her to him, and all she can think is that she needs Logan.
Author: ladydisdain225
Characters: Veronica, Logan, Keith
Word count: 735
Rating: PG-13
Summary: So, I did a thing. This little ficlet is a reaction/AU scene for of nevertothethird's amazing fic I Know That Face. Which you should go read immediately, because it is awesome. Also because this will make absolutely NO sense without it. Upon reading her latest chapter, I had a strong reaction (as is my wont) and decided I needed to deal with a certain character. This was SUPPOSED to be light, fyi. That did not work
It takes an age and her dad’s help, but they finally get Logan off the floor and settled in her room. She reflects, briefly, hysterically, on the fact that her dad just helped her get Logan Echolls into bed, but she’s not even sure Logan noticed the change in scenery and she has to remind herself to keep standing.
His sobs have quieted and she finds she misses the wrenching staccato hiccoughs because at least she knew he was in there. He’s so still. It’s frightening. Logan’s never still. She’d thought he was physically incapable of it.
Her first trip back from UCLA, she’d been so homesick for him, homesick for them, she’d actually gone back and swiped his permanent file. It was all there, the mediocre grades and amazing test scores, and every single classroom disruption. Because he never could keep still. It was something every teacher from kindergarten on up had noted. Along with his numerous absences and absolutely no speculation about those absences and she wished she’d copied his permanent file when she had a chance because she wants someone to pay, and it’s not like the perpetrators themselves are available.
She reminds herself that vengeance can wait, and instead curls next to Logan on the bed trying to surround him, protect him. He releases a gasp of a breath as she presses her face against his shoulder blades, hugging him to her.
A cough from the doorway reminds her that they aren’t alone. The thought physically hurts, and she bites her lip to focus on a more immediate pain. She looks up, glare already fixed in place, because if her dad seriously thinks she’s not staying right here and helping Logan through this in whatever way she can then he has another thing coming.
One look at her dad’s face and the words die in her throat. There’s more. Some part of the story he didn’t get to, and she briefly considers flinging herself in front of Logan as though the truth was a bullet you could take for someone else.
“Dad, no.”
Because he can’t take this. He can’t.
Even if there is more, he can’t. It’ll kill him which will kill her.
“Honey-“
He’s going to tell. Of course he’s going to. Telling the truth is what he does, the Keith Mars legacy, and in that moment she hates her dad.
She jumps from the bed and pulls him into the living room, her mind racing with explanations for why this can wait, it has to wait.
“It’s about Skyler.”
She's vaguely aware of her mouth gaping open. She’d been trying to think of what Keith could possibly say that would hurt Logan worse. She hadn’t thought to protect herself. For that one moment she’d forgotten the other thing he’d been looking into. She looks wildly round the room for another manilla envelope, and she cannot take this right now. She cannot take learning that Skyler is her stalker without Logan.
“Dad, no...” please, no. please.
He has his serious face on, and she wants to put her hand over his mouth to stop him from talking.
“He was killed last night.”
He’s still talking. She thinks he’s still talking. But it’s like someone hit the mute button. She shakes her head, and tries to ignore the fact that her immediate reaction is relief. Skyler’s gone. If there was a god, then maybe he was her stalker too, and some idiot texting on their cell phone just took care of both problems at once.
Then she makes the mistake of catching her dad’s eye and her stomach heaves as she realizes something. “When you say killed...”
“Honey,” and now he looks sick. Like he doesn’t want to keep talking, and she knows. She knows it’s bad. “They found this at the crime scene.”
She wonders how he got it. Who he knows at the Chicago PD. Or maybe San Diego. San Diego makes sense. Maybe he was home for the holidays.
She’s looking at a cell phone picture of herself. The sketch is from yet another photo, one she recognizes. It’s a close up of her face, but the one it was from - it was a wide shot. Yellow balloons and other couples in the background. And she was looking up at Logan like she’d never look away.
Her dad is crushing her to him, and all she can think is that she needs Logan.