Fic: An Ideal Boyfriend (Logan/Veronica) R
Title: An Ideal Boyfriend
Author: Roz
afrocurl
Characters/Pairings: Logan/Veronica. Dick, Harvey, Keith, Mac and Wallace mentions
Word Count: 4,739
Rating: R for language and some adult content
Spoilers: Through the S2 Finale
Summary: Logan and Veronica, as a couple, go to New York for a week after the earlier failed trip.
Disclaimer: I am not Rob Thomas, so none of these characters belong to me.
Note, the first: This exists in the same universe of Live Through This and Don't Look Back. You don't need to have read them in order to get this fic at all, as I've put in tons of references (much to the dismay of my beta.) Speaking of my beta,
sarah_p deserves tons of Naked Logans for getting this done. She's been a busy bee lately. Lots of love also go to
herowlness for running this challenge, and the weirdness that she created in my head. It's a good think this turned out less crackified than I thought it might at the beginning. It would have been a truly scary work had I not altered my headspace. My lyric and item are in a post-fic note. The title of this fic is shameless stolen from Oscar Wilde, whom I adore.
Feedback is love, of course!
~*~*~
Logan Echolls was happy at the moment. He had a girlfriend, he didn’t have a family, and he had more money than he knew what to do with. Well, he can actually think of things to do with money that involve the tiny blonde that was sitting next to him in his solar yellow XTerra, but those thoughts were only going to distract him on the drive back from Palm Springs. The last thing Logan needed was to call Keith Mars to inform him that Veronica had been injured due to Logan’s own stupidity-that would be a bad way to be reintroduced as her boyfriend. Instead, Logan concentrated on thinking of the other good things in his life - a life that was now without Aaron Echolls. He stopped that thought, too, and instead focused his attention on the week ahead of him. He and Veronica needed to out themselves as a couple again to all of the important people in their lives: Dick, Keith, Mac, and Wallace. He only hoped Veronica had the same idea.
The rest of his vacation with Veronica had been wonderful, Logan mused. After their talk, and subsequent activities, the couple had settled into a quiet routine for the rest of the week. Logan cooked something new for breakfast each day, and the couple would proceed to spend the majority of the morning lying in each other’s arms and thinking about their new relationship. This was usually followed by a light lunch, some time by the pool, and dinner at an expensive restaurant in town. Their days ended with more quality time spent together. Separate beds were no longer necessary, as the couple continued to explore each other without anyone in Neptune knowing anything about it-at least, not yet.
Logan snapped out of his thoughts of their vacation, looking over at Veronica, who was trying to curl up into a small ball on the passenger seat.
“Cold?”
“A little. I’m just really tired, sorry.”
“I’m not sorry. We had a good time last night. Thanks,” he said with a smirk.
“How did I know you’d turn this into a conversation about our sex life? ”
“Because you know how my sick and twisted mind works, and you were thinking the same thing.”
“Was not!”
“You can’t lie to me, Veronica. I’ve seen you lie too many times to not know when you’re doing it”
“Yeah, right,” she snorted.
“Then how do you explain how I beat you at poker at the Christmas party?”
“Dumb luck.”
“Thanks. It’s nice to know that you have so much faith in my intelligence.”
“I do, honey.” She patted his hand condescendingly, putting as much faked sweetness as she could work up into her voice. “Just not when it comes to poker. That day was all luck for you.”
“Then I guess my luck has returned,” he said with a smile, as he moved his hand off of the steering wheel and placed it over hers.
“I would say so,” she replied, rolling her eyes. “Who’s first on our list of people to tell?”
“We’re telling people about us today?” The shock on his face must have been noticeable. “If you want me to live past the end of today, I would say your dad. I don’t need to piss him off again.” Sure, he’d thought about telling Keith about them, but he hadn’t expected Veronica to be thinking the same thing.
“Right. Then can we tell Wallace? I can’t leave my BFF out of the loop.”
“Sure. That means that Dick is next.”
“Do we really have to tell him? You know that he still thinks I’m rich boy kryptonite.”
“Yeah, but…I think Dick’s trying to change. After…” Logan hesitated to finish the sentence.
“Oh, right,” she said sheepishly. “I guess I haven’t been around him much since…that.”
“He hasn’t seen much of anyone, from what I know. He’s pretty much locked himself in his house with his Xbox.”
“Sounds like he’s pulling a Mac. I guess we need to tell her, too.”
“And then can we tell The Weekly World News? I think inquiring minds want to know about my love life. I am an Echolls, after all.” He hoped that his tone implied his desire to remain out of the press.
“No, I think those four are good enough. I do want to keep you out of trouble. Or at least…try to.”
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
The first night back in Neptune had been awkward for Logan and Veronica, to say the least. Keith took the news of their relationship as best as they could expect, especially given his previous encounters with Logan. Keith did notice something different about the two of them this time around, though, and decided that he didn’t want to upset Veronica by trying to figure out why she and Logan seemed to be so comfortable with each other. Keith listened as Veronica and Logan talked about their trip in vague terms, only mentioning the restaurants that they ate at and a few varied details about the house. Suspicion rose in his mind, but Keith needed to trust them, so he pushed the thought aside.
After Logan and Veronica finished telling him about Palm Springs, Keith walked into his room and thought about Veronica. It seemed that recently, he had lost the special connection he shared with Veronica, especially after their botched trip to New York. He knew that something had to change, but forcing her to spend copious amounts of time with him wasn’t the answer.
Standing her up at the airport had hurt Keith, but Kendall was insistent that her issue had to be dealt with immediately. He acquiesced, and ultimately, was disappointed in the end result-a wild goose chase orchestrated to track down Cassidy’s mother so that Kendall could try to secure Cassidy’s life insurance policy. Somehow she didn’t understand that Cassidy’s policy was rendered worthless in the case of a suicide. Still, Keith had to follow all the steps to prove her wrong. For his time, and patience, Kendall had offered him $1 million for his time, and his word to never mention the chase to anyone, ever.
Even though Keith knew that Veronica had just come back from a vacation, he still wanted her to have her promised trip to New York. It was her graduation present, after all, and she had earned it. He assumed that he wasn’t Veronica’s favorite person at the moment, despite her initial relief at seeing him alive the morning following Cassidy’s meltdown, so he resolved to talk to Logan about planning another excursion. Keith walked back into the living room, intending to speak to Logan.
“It was great to see you again, Logan.”
“You too, Mr. Mars.” Logan’s tone reminded Keith of their interactions before Lilly’s death.
“Can you meet me at my office tomorrow morning? I need to discuss some things with you.”
“Sure. What time should I stop by?”
“Around ten?”
“Whaaaat?” Veronica spat out as she saw the two most important men in her life talking, civilly, to each other.
“I’ll see you then.”
Keith nodded and walked back into his room. As he closed his door, he heard Logan leave the apartment. Keith breathed heavily. Tomorrow was going to be a difficult day, he could already tell.
Veronica went to her room after Logan left, and called Wallace and Mac to tell them what had happened, for the most part, in Palm Springs. Wallace, after a few minutes of protest, seemed to warm to the idea of Logan and Veronica, but only after Veronica told him, more specifically, about the night on the roof of the Neptune Grand and what Logan had done for her. Ever the escapist, Veronica had previously only mentioned that Logan had been on the roof when Cassidy jumped, but left out the minor details of he had actually done. It pained Wallace to realize that he hadn’t been around when his friend had needed him, but his flight from New York had been detoured after the explosion of Woody’s plane.
Mac wasn’t surprised at the turn of events, and was happy for her friend. At least someone deserved something good as a result of that night. Veronica realized that she had only briefly seen Mac since everything happened at the Grand, so she invited Mac out for coffee the next day, and Mac agreed.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Logan drove to the Casablancas home once he left Veronica’s. He opened the large doors and found Dick sitting on the couch with an Xbox controller in hand, playing a video game.
“Dude, did you do anything other than play Grand Theft Auto all day?”
“No. Why would I? It’s not like anyone wants to hang out with me.”
“Bullshit, Dick. You know that Enbom would come over-you just have to call him. It’s just…no one’s sure how to act around you right now.”
“Right, dude, because I’m the one whose brother killed himself.” Dick seemed to only state the obvious these days, much to Logan’s dismay.
“That, and you haven’t left the house since Beav-Cassidy’s funeral.”
“What-the-fuck-ever.”
“Well, I’m not going to be around here as much. Veronica and I got back together.”
“Good luck with that, man,” Dick scoffed, returning his attention to the screen. Logan looked over at him and decided not to push the conversation further.
“Night, Dick.”
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
The next morning, Logan walked into Mars Investigations with a large cup of coffee and enough nervous energy to light the Mars’ apartment for a month. Logan had never had a great relationship with Keith, and any conversation that the older gentleman required was not something to look forward to, Logan mused.
“Good morning,” he said as he walked through the front hall and towards the back office.
“Come on in, Logan. I’m just finishing up some background work on one of my new cases.”
“Sure thing. Is it okay if I sit here?” Logan asked as he pointed to one of the chairs in front of Keith’s desk.
“No, Logan. I expect you to stand the entire time we’re talking,” Keith laughed, as he cleared his desk and sat back down.
Sarcastic comments coming from Keith’s mouth scared Logan slightly, but he didn’t want the older man to see that. On reflex, Logan began to play with the cozie of his coffee cup before sipping the beverage nervously.
Ever the observer of body language, Keith noted Logan’s discomfort. This conversation would be awkward, sure, but it didn’t need to be painful.
“I actually want your advice on something, Logan.”
“Oh. Uh, okay. What can I help you with?”
“I know that Veronica is still mad at me about missing our trip to New York, and I wanted to make it up to her. I’m way too busy to go with her now, so I was wondering if you wanted to go to with her. She’s still dying to see Soho and all of the museums, and I…I’d feel better if she wasn’t alone. Alicia isn’t too keen on Wallace leaving town again, and Mac’s parents want to watch her more. Plus, I’m sure that she’d love to spend more time with you, seeing as you two are back together now.”
Logan stopped fiddling with his coffee cup and took a moment to process what he just heard Keith say-he was allowing Logan the opportunity to take another vacation with Veronica. It was unreal. Things were definitely looking up for him and Veronica this time around-no one seemed upset or annoyed at their relationship.
“I know that Veronica still wants to go to New York, and I’d be happy to go with her. I haven’t been there in a few years, but I think I can show her a good time.” He paused, realizing what he just said. “I mean…I can show her the sights. So she’ll have fun. You know.” He smiled nervously.
Keith laughed. “I got it, Logan. I figured you’d know the city well enough to act as tour guide. I already called the airline to get new tickets, and transferred my ticket to you. Unfortunately, our hotel reservations were unexchangable, so there’s still the issue of finding you two a place to stay.”
“Don’t worry about it! I’ll talk to some of my parents’ friends, or Harvey, and find a place.”
“Are you sure it’s not a problem?”
“Nope. I’m sure there are plenty of people in the showbiz industry who want to help me out now that I’m an orphan. I should be able to get something really nice for the two of us. When did you want to schedule this for?”
“I was thinking in a week or so, to give Veronica and I some time together. I didn’t have time to look into a hotel and won’t be able to do that this week, but I think you can handle that, right?”
“Yes…sounds like a plan. I’ll ask around and get back to you in a few days to let you know that things are fine.”
“Thanks for the help, Logan.”
“Not a problem, Mr. Mars.”
Keith glanced down at his watch and groaned. “I’m sorry to rush you out of here, but I’ve got to get back to work, Logan.” With that, Keith got up, went over to the pile of papers he had moved earlier and began looking through them again. Logan got up from his seat, and walked out of the office.
Once he was outside the building, Logan exhaled a huge sigh of relief. He had just met with Keith, and…no awkward conversation at all.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Veronica’s coffee date with Mac was surprisingly comfortable, which amazed the blonde. Mac was still grieving, despite all of her attempts to move on. She had found a temporary job at Kane Software for the summer, and was busy working on some small part of a new product Jake Kane was designing.
Veronica was really happy for her friend, and told her as much. At least things between them hadn’t been destroyed by the situation with Cassidy, though Veronica still hadn’t been able to reveal the true extent of Cassidy’s crimes…and she probably never would.
Mac mentioned that she needed to get back home, since her mom had become concerned about her leaving the house for extended periods of time. Veronica understood, sadly, and said goodbye.
~*~*~*~*~*~*
When Veronica arrived home, there was a message from her dad saying that she and Logan were going to New York the following week, to make up for her previous trip, and that he wanted to spend some time with her before she left.
Veronica smiled and thought about what she and Logan could do in the city.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Logan spent time the rest of the week talking to various business acquaintances of his parents about getting hotel reservations. After finding out that he could get a suite at the Waldorf=Astoria, thanks to Harvey and his close friend, The Donald, Logan assured Keith that the cost was covered. In exchange for the room, Logan agreed to appear at some various charity functions for Harvey, though the idea of him in front of cameras made him cringe. Apparently, the Echolls name was still worth something, even if it wasn’t Aaron’s face that would be all over this week’s In Touch or People. Had Harvey not arranged the entire stay in Palm Springs, Logan wouldn’t have even considered it, but he was still trying to find ways to thanks the agent. After all, the trip had gotten him Veronica back, and there was no end to Logan’s gratitude.
Keith, true to his word, spent more time with Veronica in the week before the trip. Logan knew that they had needed time to work out their issues, which gave him plenty of time to look for a new place to live. He still didn’t feel comfortable staying at the Neptune Grand, and the presidential suite at the Hilton in town just didn’t measure up after one night. Logan went back to the Neptune Grand, but had a smaller suite away from Aaron’s, but still spent time at the newest Casa de Killer when Dick was particularly drunk or in need of human contant.
Logan called Cliff, looking for some advice about buying a home, and then set out to talk with local realtors about available houses. Despite all of the money he inherited from Aaron, Logan had no use for a huge house in the 90909 zip code any more, and instead settled on a spacious, though not gigantic beach house. He was proud of his decision, and was sure that Veronica would love the space as much as he did when she saw it.
After he had settled the paperwork with the realtor, he made a few stops in San Diego looking for furniture and décor. He settled on only the absolute necessities (yes, he needed a plasma TV right away) for the moment, and planned on having Veronica help him furnish the rest of the home when they returned. Following his shopping binge, he called Enbom’s mother, as he couldn’t think of anyone else, to find out if she might know of someone who would be able to help him keep the house clean a few days a week.
Once he had the house in order, Logan was left with just enough time to get ready to fly to New York. He needed time to pick up some last-minute New York-appropriate things before he and Veronica left, although the thought of having to spend time with Veronica while he looked for a new wardrobe was very tempting. Of course, if given the choice, he’d much rather see Veronica try on new clothes. Logan Echolls was a generous boyfriend after all-he was giving back to Veronica (and himself) with his proposed offer to buy her anything she wanted while they were in New York.
Thoughts of Veronica naked and trying on skimpy lingerie were too distracting, so he pushed them from his mind, instead focusing on the task at hand.
Soon, Logan realized that he didn’t have anything clean to wear-the staff at the Grand hadn’t been as attentive to making his stay memorable after he vacated the presidential suite. Being the capable teenage boy that he was, he decided to try and wash his own clothes. It couldn’t be that difficult, he mused, as he looked at the collection of boxers, shirts, and pants wadded in a pile the floor. He took his pile of clothes to Dick’s knowing that he could wash his clothes there.
Years of watching television had taught Logan that he needed to do something with all of his clothes after they were in one pile, but it was escaping him. He hurriedly threw about half of the clothes into the washer, found some detergent, and started the machine.
Twenty minutes later, the washer started to make a loud noise, which prompted Logan to turn it off. He opened the lid and discovered that all of his clothes were still very wet, but he had no idea what to do, aside from trying to dry them. He picked up the congealed mass of fabric-which he noticed looked a bit splotchy in places-and moved them to the dryer. Miraculously, he found a dryer sheet and turned the machine on. Feeling proud, he left the laundry room and went to bed in one of Dick’s spare rooms, eagerly awaiting Veronica’s arrival the next morning.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Veronica arrived far too early for Dick’s taste, but he put on a brave face as the petite blonde entered his house and went in search of her boyfriend.
“Do you know if he packed last night, Dick?”
“No clue, Ronnie. I’m not Logan’s keeper.”
“Right. I’ll just go check on him, then.”
“Go right ahead. The guest room is near Beav-it’s upstairs and on the right.”
“Thanks!” she chirped and bounded up the stairs.
“Morning, sunshine,” she sang as she entered the large room.
“The sun is shining, yes, but this pile of shit is a disaster,” Logan huffed as he looked at the clothes in front of him.
“You tried to do your own laundry?”
“Yeah. I figured since I hadn’t fucked up cooking, I could wash my clothes.”
“Obviously you figured wrong.” She picked up something that seemed to be made out of wool and checked the tag. “You weren’t supposed to put your sweaters in the dryer. It looks about…” She held it up to her body, “…three sizes smaller now.”
“Is this your way of telling me I messed up?”
“Yes, it is,” she said with a huge smile on her face.
“Thanks. Now I guess the picture I had of me buying new clothes in New York will have to be a reality.”
“Guess so,” she said, winking at him. “Now let’s get going so we don’t miss our flight.”
“Whatever you say, Veronica. But just so you know, I have all the power once we get to the hotel.” Cutting off Veronica before she could interject, he shook his head. “The hotel, which will remain a secret until we arrive.”
“You’re no fun. I should at least get to know where I’m staying for the week.”
“It’s a surprise, but I know you’ll love it. Don’t worry.”
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
“You got us a car service?”
“Yes, Veronica, I did. I’m not going to try and hail cabs all around the city for a week. It’ll make things so much easier for us in the long run.”
“But what about the subway?”
“It’s dirty, and I don’t care what Guiliani or Bloomberg say, it’s not safe. Besides, I have the money. Why not go all out?”
“Let me get this straight. You’ll let me sit on the back of Weevil’s motorcycle, but I can’t take the A Train?”
“I never let you ride Weevil’s bike, and no, you won’t be taking the A Train, no matter how much that song makes you want to.”
“Party pooper.”
“Not really. I’d just rather spend my time doting on my girlfriend while we paint the town red, not running around to find the nearest subway station.”
“Does that mean I’m getting a pony out of this vacation? This is already the best. Trip. Ever!”
He rolled his eyes. “No pony, Veronica. How would you get it on the plane? No, I can only promise expensive jewelry and some clothes. Or lingerie. You get to choose.”
“Really? Lingerie? What happened to the fear of Keith Mars knowing that you want to see me scantly clad?”
“Hey. What happens in New York stays in New York.”
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Ever the dutiful boyfriend, Logan let Veronica have her run of all the places she wanted to go in the city. He happily went to the Met, MoMA, the Whitney, and the Guggenheim with her, and was even happier with their trip to SoHo. He didn’t have to worry about running around the city naked any more (although Veronica had been a fan of that option), and he even managed to get Veronica a few new things from some trendy bohemian stores. He even convinced her that going into Toys in Babeland wouldn’t be an entirely horrible idea, and the couple even left the store with a few new toys.
“Since we’ve spent so much time in art museums today, why don’t we test out the fabulous New York nightlife I’ve heard so much about? Harvey told me of this party in the meat packing district tonight that sounds like fun.”
“You’ve been talking to Harvey?” she asked curiously as she carried some of her bags towards their rented car.
“Yes, I’ve been talking to Harvey. I still owe him for Palm Springs, and this way, we get that fantastic room at the Waldorf=Astoria.”
“Oh, right. The party sounds great.” Her voice was less-than-convincing. “Is there a theme, or I can I just wear anything?”
“Harvey only told me that there was water involved, so I have no idea.”
“Great. Because I really need to show off my body in a wet t-shirt to all of Manhattan.”
“Well, we could just stay in all night, so I can have that image all to myself.”
Snorting, Veronica slapped Logan playfully. “Let’s just get back to the hotel so we have time to change.”
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
The party was so much worse than Veronica had imagined. Logan’s pitiful excuse of a party description hadn’t prepared her at all. Not only was water involved, but there was foam, and lots of it. In addition to the foam that dropped from the ceiling around midnight, there were twenty or so kiddie pools filled with gorgeous women splashing around, putting on a show for guys who had nothing better to do than ogle them.
Veronica and Logan were separated almost immediately after entering the large space so she had no one to turn to when some guy, who looked like he belonged in a zoo, managed to get Veronica into a kiddie pool, rendering her completely soaked.
Shooting him a death glare, she exited the small pool and tried to not get thrown into another.
She looked around the party again in search of her boyfriend. In the process, her ass was grabbed by at least three different men, one of whom briefly introduced himself as Heidi Fleiss’s nephew. Okay? Was she supposed to be impressed by that less-than-stellar credential? She suddenly saw Logan standing in a corner covered in a soapy mass of foam and water.
Veronica quickly walked over to Logan and dragged him outside, fuming. She huffed as they exited the old building, and she stood with her arms crossed against her chest.
“I take it you had fun, my love?” He asked, grinning at her anger. He started to rub his thumb and index fingers together.
“Shut up. Just because your body looks better after a few hours covered in foam, doesn’t mean that I had a good time.”
“That makes no sense, Veronica. You know I’m a social butterfly.” He stopped rubbing his fingers, figuring he’d played the smallest violin long enough.
“You’re playing on my heart strings now, Logan. Can’t you see that I’m wet and that I’ve been groped by gross New York guys for the last three hours?”
“I thought that was a nephew of Heidi Fleiss’s. That’s something to be proud of. I heard he’s a real winner.” He started to walk over to his girlfriend to comfort her, hoping that she wouldn’t want to maim him for bringing her here.
“Yeah. He’s a regular prince…who just wanted to get into my pants. He only introduced himself after grabbing my ass and making a play for my boobs.”
“I would have kicked his ass if he tired to grab your ass a second time, by the way. And who could blame him for wanting to grab your ass?”
“Me. It just so happens that I already have someone to get into my pants, thank you very much.”
“Is that right?” Logan arched an eyebrow upwards and put his arm around Veronica’s waist as they waited for the car to take them back to the hotel.
“It is.”
“Then I’m glad I brought you to this party.”
Veronica moved to slap her boyfriend, but at the last minute, decided to give him a kiss on the cheek. After the kiss, she moved her mouth closer to his ear and whispered, “You’ll be even more glad in a few minutes.”
Logan looked down at his tiny blonde and smiled widely. “I’m counting on it.”
The ride back to the hotel was filled with sexual anxiety. As soon as Logan opened the door of their suite, he encased his girlfriend in a large hug and gave her a deep kiss.
“Now, what was it that was going to make me happy, again?”
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Logan and Veronica sat in first class on their flight back to Neptune. Their most recent adventure marked another great week in their relationship, despite the foam disaster. Veronica had finally had a chance to see the city, she got to spend time with Logan, and would have plenty to tell Keith when he asked about the trip.
Of course, she and Logan had decided that some details were better left to themselves. Veronica did appreciate dating someone who was breathing, after all.
~*~*~
Note, the second: my item was a kiddie pool and my lyric was "On your heart strings" from Good Old Fashioned Lover Boy.
Author: Roz
afrocurl
Characters/Pairings: Logan/Veronica. Dick, Harvey, Keith, Mac and Wallace mentions
Word Count: 4,739
Rating: R for language and some adult content
Spoilers: Through the S2 Finale
Summary: Logan and Veronica, as a couple, go to New York for a week after the earlier failed trip.
Disclaimer: I am not Rob Thomas, so none of these characters belong to me.
Note, the first: This exists in the same universe of Live Through This and Don't Look Back. You don't need to have read them in order to get this fic at all, as I've put in tons of references (much to the dismay of my beta.) Speaking of my beta,
sarah_p deserves tons of Naked Logans for getting this done. She's been a busy bee lately. Lots of love also go to
herowlness for running this challenge, and the weirdness that she created in my head. It's a good think this turned out less crackified than I thought it might at the beginning. It would have been a truly scary work had I not altered my headspace. My lyric and item are in a post-fic note. The title of this fic is shameless stolen from Oscar Wilde, whom I adore.
Feedback is love, of course!
~*~*~
Logan Echolls was happy at the moment. He had a girlfriend, he didn’t have a family, and he had more money than he knew what to do with. Well, he can actually think of things to do with money that involve the tiny blonde that was sitting next to him in his solar yellow XTerra, but those thoughts were only going to distract him on the drive back from Palm Springs. The last thing Logan needed was to call Keith Mars to inform him that Veronica had been injured due to Logan’s own stupidity-that would be a bad way to be reintroduced as her boyfriend. Instead, Logan concentrated on thinking of the other good things in his life - a life that was now without Aaron Echolls. He stopped that thought, too, and instead focused his attention on the week ahead of him. He and Veronica needed to out themselves as a couple again to all of the important people in their lives: Dick, Keith, Mac, and Wallace. He only hoped Veronica had the same idea.
The rest of his vacation with Veronica had been wonderful, Logan mused. After their talk, and subsequent activities, the couple had settled into a quiet routine for the rest of the week. Logan cooked something new for breakfast each day, and the couple would proceed to spend the majority of the morning lying in each other’s arms and thinking about their new relationship. This was usually followed by a light lunch, some time by the pool, and dinner at an expensive restaurant in town. Their days ended with more quality time spent together. Separate beds were no longer necessary, as the couple continued to explore each other without anyone in Neptune knowing anything about it-at least, not yet.
Logan snapped out of his thoughts of their vacation, looking over at Veronica, who was trying to curl up into a small ball on the passenger seat.
“Cold?”
“A little. I’m just really tired, sorry.”
“I’m not sorry. We had a good time last night. Thanks,” he said with a smirk.
“How did I know you’d turn this into a conversation about our sex life? ”
“Because you know how my sick and twisted mind works, and you were thinking the same thing.”
“Was not!”
“You can’t lie to me, Veronica. I’ve seen you lie too many times to not know when you’re doing it”
“Yeah, right,” she snorted.
“Then how do you explain how I beat you at poker at the Christmas party?”
“Dumb luck.”
“Thanks. It’s nice to know that you have so much faith in my intelligence.”
“I do, honey.” She patted his hand condescendingly, putting as much faked sweetness as she could work up into her voice. “Just not when it comes to poker. That day was all luck for you.”
“Then I guess my luck has returned,” he said with a smile, as he moved his hand off of the steering wheel and placed it over hers.
“I would say so,” she replied, rolling her eyes. “Who’s first on our list of people to tell?”
“We’re telling people about us today?” The shock on his face must have been noticeable. “If you want me to live past the end of today, I would say your dad. I don’t need to piss him off again.” Sure, he’d thought about telling Keith about them, but he hadn’t expected Veronica to be thinking the same thing.
“Right. Then can we tell Wallace? I can’t leave my BFF out of the loop.”
“Sure. That means that Dick is next.”
“Do we really have to tell him? You know that he still thinks I’m rich boy kryptonite.”
“Yeah, but…I think Dick’s trying to change. After…” Logan hesitated to finish the sentence.
“Oh, right,” she said sheepishly. “I guess I haven’t been around him much since…that.”
“He hasn’t seen much of anyone, from what I know. He’s pretty much locked himself in his house with his Xbox.”
“Sounds like he’s pulling a Mac. I guess we need to tell her, too.”
“And then can we tell The Weekly World News? I think inquiring minds want to know about my love life. I am an Echolls, after all.” He hoped that his tone implied his desire to remain out of the press.
“No, I think those four are good enough. I do want to keep you out of trouble. Or at least…try to.”
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
The first night back in Neptune had been awkward for Logan and Veronica, to say the least. Keith took the news of their relationship as best as they could expect, especially given his previous encounters with Logan. Keith did notice something different about the two of them this time around, though, and decided that he didn’t want to upset Veronica by trying to figure out why she and Logan seemed to be so comfortable with each other. Keith listened as Veronica and Logan talked about their trip in vague terms, only mentioning the restaurants that they ate at and a few varied details about the house. Suspicion rose in his mind, but Keith needed to trust them, so he pushed the thought aside.
After Logan and Veronica finished telling him about Palm Springs, Keith walked into his room and thought about Veronica. It seemed that recently, he had lost the special connection he shared with Veronica, especially after their botched trip to New York. He knew that something had to change, but forcing her to spend copious amounts of time with him wasn’t the answer.
Standing her up at the airport had hurt Keith, but Kendall was insistent that her issue had to be dealt with immediately. He acquiesced, and ultimately, was disappointed in the end result-a wild goose chase orchestrated to track down Cassidy’s mother so that Kendall could try to secure Cassidy’s life insurance policy. Somehow she didn’t understand that Cassidy’s policy was rendered worthless in the case of a suicide. Still, Keith had to follow all the steps to prove her wrong. For his time, and patience, Kendall had offered him $1 million for his time, and his word to never mention the chase to anyone, ever.
Even though Keith knew that Veronica had just come back from a vacation, he still wanted her to have her promised trip to New York. It was her graduation present, after all, and she had earned it. He assumed that he wasn’t Veronica’s favorite person at the moment, despite her initial relief at seeing him alive the morning following Cassidy’s meltdown, so he resolved to talk to Logan about planning another excursion. Keith walked back into the living room, intending to speak to Logan.
“It was great to see you again, Logan.”
“You too, Mr. Mars.” Logan’s tone reminded Keith of their interactions before Lilly’s death.
“Can you meet me at my office tomorrow morning? I need to discuss some things with you.”
“Sure. What time should I stop by?”
“Around ten?”
“Whaaaat?” Veronica spat out as she saw the two most important men in her life talking, civilly, to each other.
“I’ll see you then.”
Keith nodded and walked back into his room. As he closed his door, he heard Logan leave the apartment. Keith breathed heavily. Tomorrow was going to be a difficult day, he could already tell.
Veronica went to her room after Logan left, and called Wallace and Mac to tell them what had happened, for the most part, in Palm Springs. Wallace, after a few minutes of protest, seemed to warm to the idea of Logan and Veronica, but only after Veronica told him, more specifically, about the night on the roof of the Neptune Grand and what Logan had done for her. Ever the escapist, Veronica had previously only mentioned that Logan had been on the roof when Cassidy jumped, but left out the minor details of he had actually done. It pained Wallace to realize that he hadn’t been around when his friend had needed him, but his flight from New York had been detoured after the explosion of Woody’s plane.
Mac wasn’t surprised at the turn of events, and was happy for her friend. At least someone deserved something good as a result of that night. Veronica realized that she had only briefly seen Mac since everything happened at the Grand, so she invited Mac out for coffee the next day, and Mac agreed.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Logan drove to the Casablancas home once he left Veronica’s. He opened the large doors and found Dick sitting on the couch with an Xbox controller in hand, playing a video game.
“Dude, did you do anything other than play Grand Theft Auto all day?”
“No. Why would I? It’s not like anyone wants to hang out with me.”
“Bullshit, Dick. You know that Enbom would come over-you just have to call him. It’s just…no one’s sure how to act around you right now.”
“Right, dude, because I’m the one whose brother killed himself.” Dick seemed to only state the obvious these days, much to Logan’s dismay.
“That, and you haven’t left the house since Beav-Cassidy’s funeral.”
“What-the-fuck-ever.”
“Well, I’m not going to be around here as much. Veronica and I got back together.”
“Good luck with that, man,” Dick scoffed, returning his attention to the screen. Logan looked over at him and decided not to push the conversation further.
“Night, Dick.”
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
The next morning, Logan walked into Mars Investigations with a large cup of coffee and enough nervous energy to light the Mars’ apartment for a month. Logan had never had a great relationship with Keith, and any conversation that the older gentleman required was not something to look forward to, Logan mused.
“Good morning,” he said as he walked through the front hall and towards the back office.
“Come on in, Logan. I’m just finishing up some background work on one of my new cases.”
“Sure thing. Is it okay if I sit here?” Logan asked as he pointed to one of the chairs in front of Keith’s desk.
“No, Logan. I expect you to stand the entire time we’re talking,” Keith laughed, as he cleared his desk and sat back down.
Sarcastic comments coming from Keith’s mouth scared Logan slightly, but he didn’t want the older man to see that. On reflex, Logan began to play with the cozie of his coffee cup before sipping the beverage nervously.
Ever the observer of body language, Keith noted Logan’s discomfort. This conversation would be awkward, sure, but it didn’t need to be painful.
“I actually want your advice on something, Logan.”
“Oh. Uh, okay. What can I help you with?”
“I know that Veronica is still mad at me about missing our trip to New York, and I wanted to make it up to her. I’m way too busy to go with her now, so I was wondering if you wanted to go to with her. She’s still dying to see Soho and all of the museums, and I…I’d feel better if she wasn’t alone. Alicia isn’t too keen on Wallace leaving town again, and Mac’s parents want to watch her more. Plus, I’m sure that she’d love to spend more time with you, seeing as you two are back together now.”
Logan stopped fiddling with his coffee cup and took a moment to process what he just heard Keith say-he was allowing Logan the opportunity to take another vacation with Veronica. It was unreal. Things were definitely looking up for him and Veronica this time around-no one seemed upset or annoyed at their relationship.
“I know that Veronica still wants to go to New York, and I’d be happy to go with her. I haven’t been there in a few years, but I think I can show her a good time.” He paused, realizing what he just said. “I mean…I can show her the sights. So she’ll have fun. You know.” He smiled nervously.
Keith laughed. “I got it, Logan. I figured you’d know the city well enough to act as tour guide. I already called the airline to get new tickets, and transferred my ticket to you. Unfortunately, our hotel reservations were unexchangable, so there’s still the issue of finding you two a place to stay.”
“Don’t worry about it! I’ll talk to some of my parents’ friends, or Harvey, and find a place.”
“Are you sure it’s not a problem?”
“Nope. I’m sure there are plenty of people in the showbiz industry who want to help me out now that I’m an orphan. I should be able to get something really nice for the two of us. When did you want to schedule this for?”
“I was thinking in a week or so, to give Veronica and I some time together. I didn’t have time to look into a hotel and won’t be able to do that this week, but I think you can handle that, right?”
“Yes…sounds like a plan. I’ll ask around and get back to you in a few days to let you know that things are fine.”
“Thanks for the help, Logan.”
“Not a problem, Mr. Mars.”
Keith glanced down at his watch and groaned. “I’m sorry to rush you out of here, but I’ve got to get back to work, Logan.” With that, Keith got up, went over to the pile of papers he had moved earlier and began looking through them again. Logan got up from his seat, and walked out of the office.
Once he was outside the building, Logan exhaled a huge sigh of relief. He had just met with Keith, and…no awkward conversation at all.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Veronica’s coffee date with Mac was surprisingly comfortable, which amazed the blonde. Mac was still grieving, despite all of her attempts to move on. She had found a temporary job at Kane Software for the summer, and was busy working on some small part of a new product Jake Kane was designing.
Veronica was really happy for her friend, and told her as much. At least things between them hadn’t been destroyed by the situation with Cassidy, though Veronica still hadn’t been able to reveal the true extent of Cassidy’s crimes…and she probably never would.
Mac mentioned that she needed to get back home, since her mom had become concerned about her leaving the house for extended periods of time. Veronica understood, sadly, and said goodbye.
~*~*~*~*~*~*
When Veronica arrived home, there was a message from her dad saying that she and Logan were going to New York the following week, to make up for her previous trip, and that he wanted to spend some time with her before she left.
Veronica smiled and thought about what she and Logan could do in the city.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Logan spent time the rest of the week talking to various business acquaintances of his parents about getting hotel reservations. After finding out that he could get a suite at the Waldorf=Astoria, thanks to Harvey and his close friend, The Donald, Logan assured Keith that the cost was covered. In exchange for the room, Logan agreed to appear at some various charity functions for Harvey, though the idea of him in front of cameras made him cringe. Apparently, the Echolls name was still worth something, even if it wasn’t Aaron’s face that would be all over this week’s In Touch or People. Had Harvey not arranged the entire stay in Palm Springs, Logan wouldn’t have even considered it, but he was still trying to find ways to thanks the agent. After all, the trip had gotten him Veronica back, and there was no end to Logan’s gratitude.
Keith, true to his word, spent more time with Veronica in the week before the trip. Logan knew that they had needed time to work out their issues, which gave him plenty of time to look for a new place to live. He still didn’t feel comfortable staying at the Neptune Grand, and the presidential suite at the Hilton in town just didn’t measure up after one night. Logan went back to the Neptune Grand, but had a smaller suite away from Aaron’s, but still spent time at the newest Casa de Killer when Dick was particularly drunk or in need of human contant.
Logan called Cliff, looking for some advice about buying a home, and then set out to talk with local realtors about available houses. Despite all of the money he inherited from Aaron, Logan had no use for a huge house in the 90909 zip code any more, and instead settled on a spacious, though not gigantic beach house. He was proud of his decision, and was sure that Veronica would love the space as much as he did when she saw it.
After he had settled the paperwork with the realtor, he made a few stops in San Diego looking for furniture and décor. He settled on only the absolute necessities (yes, he needed a plasma TV right away) for the moment, and planned on having Veronica help him furnish the rest of the home when they returned. Following his shopping binge, he called Enbom’s mother, as he couldn’t think of anyone else, to find out if she might know of someone who would be able to help him keep the house clean a few days a week.
Once he had the house in order, Logan was left with just enough time to get ready to fly to New York. He needed time to pick up some last-minute New York-appropriate things before he and Veronica left, although the thought of having to spend time with Veronica while he looked for a new wardrobe was very tempting. Of course, if given the choice, he’d much rather see Veronica try on new clothes. Logan Echolls was a generous boyfriend after all-he was giving back to Veronica (and himself) with his proposed offer to buy her anything she wanted while they were in New York.
Thoughts of Veronica naked and trying on skimpy lingerie were too distracting, so he pushed them from his mind, instead focusing on the task at hand.
Soon, Logan realized that he didn’t have anything clean to wear-the staff at the Grand hadn’t been as attentive to making his stay memorable after he vacated the presidential suite. Being the capable teenage boy that he was, he decided to try and wash his own clothes. It couldn’t be that difficult, he mused, as he looked at the collection of boxers, shirts, and pants wadded in a pile the floor. He took his pile of clothes to Dick’s knowing that he could wash his clothes there.
Years of watching television had taught Logan that he needed to do something with all of his clothes after they were in one pile, but it was escaping him. He hurriedly threw about half of the clothes into the washer, found some detergent, and started the machine.
Twenty minutes later, the washer started to make a loud noise, which prompted Logan to turn it off. He opened the lid and discovered that all of his clothes were still very wet, but he had no idea what to do, aside from trying to dry them. He picked up the congealed mass of fabric-which he noticed looked a bit splotchy in places-and moved them to the dryer. Miraculously, he found a dryer sheet and turned the machine on. Feeling proud, he left the laundry room and went to bed in one of Dick’s spare rooms, eagerly awaiting Veronica’s arrival the next morning.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Veronica arrived far too early for Dick’s taste, but he put on a brave face as the petite blonde entered his house and went in search of her boyfriend.
“Do you know if he packed last night, Dick?”
“No clue, Ronnie. I’m not Logan’s keeper.”
“Right. I’ll just go check on him, then.”
“Go right ahead. The guest room is near Beav-it’s upstairs and on the right.”
“Thanks!” she chirped and bounded up the stairs.
“Morning, sunshine,” she sang as she entered the large room.
“The sun is shining, yes, but this pile of shit is a disaster,” Logan huffed as he looked at the clothes in front of him.
“You tried to do your own laundry?”
“Yeah. I figured since I hadn’t fucked up cooking, I could wash my clothes.”
“Obviously you figured wrong.” She picked up something that seemed to be made out of wool and checked the tag. “You weren’t supposed to put your sweaters in the dryer. It looks about…” She held it up to her body, “…three sizes smaller now.”
“Is this your way of telling me I messed up?”
“Yes, it is,” she said with a huge smile on her face.
“Thanks. Now I guess the picture I had of me buying new clothes in New York will have to be a reality.”
“Guess so,” she said, winking at him. “Now let’s get going so we don’t miss our flight.”
“Whatever you say, Veronica. But just so you know, I have all the power once we get to the hotel.” Cutting off Veronica before she could interject, he shook his head. “The hotel, which will remain a secret until we arrive.”
“You’re no fun. I should at least get to know where I’m staying for the week.”
“It’s a surprise, but I know you’ll love it. Don’t worry.”
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
“You got us a car service?”
“Yes, Veronica, I did. I’m not going to try and hail cabs all around the city for a week. It’ll make things so much easier for us in the long run.”
“But what about the subway?”
“It’s dirty, and I don’t care what Guiliani or Bloomberg say, it’s not safe. Besides, I have the money. Why not go all out?”
“Let me get this straight. You’ll let me sit on the back of Weevil’s motorcycle, but I can’t take the A Train?”
“I never let you ride Weevil’s bike, and no, you won’t be taking the A Train, no matter how much that song makes you want to.”
“Party pooper.”
“Not really. I’d just rather spend my time doting on my girlfriend while we paint the town red, not running around to find the nearest subway station.”
“Does that mean I’m getting a pony out of this vacation? This is already the best. Trip. Ever!”
He rolled his eyes. “No pony, Veronica. How would you get it on the plane? No, I can only promise expensive jewelry and some clothes. Or lingerie. You get to choose.”
“Really? Lingerie? What happened to the fear of Keith Mars knowing that you want to see me scantly clad?”
“Hey. What happens in New York stays in New York.”
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Ever the dutiful boyfriend, Logan let Veronica have her run of all the places she wanted to go in the city. He happily went to the Met, MoMA, the Whitney, and the Guggenheim with her, and was even happier with their trip to SoHo. He didn’t have to worry about running around the city naked any more (although Veronica had been a fan of that option), and he even managed to get Veronica a few new things from some trendy bohemian stores. He even convinced her that going into Toys in Babeland wouldn’t be an entirely horrible idea, and the couple even left the store with a few new toys.
“Since we’ve spent so much time in art museums today, why don’t we test out the fabulous New York nightlife I’ve heard so much about? Harvey told me of this party in the meat packing district tonight that sounds like fun.”
“You’ve been talking to Harvey?” she asked curiously as she carried some of her bags towards their rented car.
“Yes, I’ve been talking to Harvey. I still owe him for Palm Springs, and this way, we get that fantastic room at the Waldorf=Astoria.”
“Oh, right. The party sounds great.” Her voice was less-than-convincing. “Is there a theme, or I can I just wear anything?”
“Harvey only told me that there was water involved, so I have no idea.”
“Great. Because I really need to show off my body in a wet t-shirt to all of Manhattan.”
“Well, we could just stay in all night, so I can have that image all to myself.”
Snorting, Veronica slapped Logan playfully. “Let’s just get back to the hotel so we have time to change.”
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
The party was so much worse than Veronica had imagined. Logan’s pitiful excuse of a party description hadn’t prepared her at all. Not only was water involved, but there was foam, and lots of it. In addition to the foam that dropped from the ceiling around midnight, there were twenty or so kiddie pools filled with gorgeous women splashing around, putting on a show for guys who had nothing better to do than ogle them.
Veronica and Logan were separated almost immediately after entering the large space so she had no one to turn to when some guy, who looked like he belonged in a zoo, managed to get Veronica into a kiddie pool, rendering her completely soaked.
Shooting him a death glare, she exited the small pool and tried to not get thrown into another.
She looked around the party again in search of her boyfriend. In the process, her ass was grabbed by at least three different men, one of whom briefly introduced himself as Heidi Fleiss’s nephew. Okay? Was she supposed to be impressed by that less-than-stellar credential? She suddenly saw Logan standing in a corner covered in a soapy mass of foam and water.
Veronica quickly walked over to Logan and dragged him outside, fuming. She huffed as they exited the old building, and she stood with her arms crossed against her chest.
“I take it you had fun, my love?” He asked, grinning at her anger. He started to rub his thumb and index fingers together.
“Shut up. Just because your body looks better after a few hours covered in foam, doesn’t mean that I had a good time.”
“That makes no sense, Veronica. You know I’m a social butterfly.” He stopped rubbing his fingers, figuring he’d played the smallest violin long enough.
“You’re playing on my heart strings now, Logan. Can’t you see that I’m wet and that I’ve been groped by gross New York guys for the last three hours?”
“I thought that was a nephew of Heidi Fleiss’s. That’s something to be proud of. I heard he’s a real winner.” He started to walk over to his girlfriend to comfort her, hoping that she wouldn’t want to maim him for bringing her here.
“Yeah. He’s a regular prince…who just wanted to get into my pants. He only introduced himself after grabbing my ass and making a play for my boobs.”
“I would have kicked his ass if he tired to grab your ass a second time, by the way. And who could blame him for wanting to grab your ass?”
“Me. It just so happens that I already have someone to get into my pants, thank you very much.”
“Is that right?” Logan arched an eyebrow upwards and put his arm around Veronica’s waist as they waited for the car to take them back to the hotel.
“It is.”
“Then I’m glad I brought you to this party.”
Veronica moved to slap her boyfriend, but at the last minute, decided to give him a kiss on the cheek. After the kiss, she moved her mouth closer to his ear and whispered, “You’ll be even more glad in a few minutes.”
Logan looked down at his tiny blonde and smiled widely. “I’m counting on it.”
The ride back to the hotel was filled with sexual anxiety. As soon as Logan opened the door of their suite, he encased his girlfriend in a large hug and gave her a deep kiss.
“Now, what was it that was going to make me happy, again?”
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Logan and Veronica sat in first class on their flight back to Neptune. Their most recent adventure marked another great week in their relationship, despite the foam disaster. Veronica had finally had a chance to see the city, she got to spend time with Logan, and would have plenty to tell Keith when he asked about the trip.
Of course, she and Logan had decided that some details were better left to themselves. Veronica did appreciate dating someone who was breathing, after all.
~*~*~
Note, the second: my item was a kiddie pool and my lyric was "On your heart strings" from Good Old Fashioned Lover Boy.