New fic: Some Things Never Change (part I)
Fandom: Veronica Mars
Title: Some Things Never Change
Pairing: Logan/Veronica
Rating: PG
Warning: Spoilers up to the series finale. Starts right where 3.20 left off.
Summary: "You're gonna die," are Gorya's last words in the show and they left it at that. What would have happened if this wasn't an empty threat?
Disclaimer: Veronica Mars was created by Rob Thomas, I'm only playing with his characters. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.
Note: Thanks to tonks_2005 and frelnik who betaed this monster. And please don't die of shock but I wrote het.
Some Things Never Change
Her phone rang at 2.15 am. She fumbled blindly for it and, discovering that the number told her nothing, croaked a sleepy “Yeah?”
“Veronica Mars?” a female voice asked.
“Yes, that’s me,” Veronica answered.
“I’m calling you because you’re listed as Logan Echolls’ emergency contact, although we understand that you are not a family member. Is that correct?”
Instantly, Veronica was wide awake. She was Logan’s emergency contact?
“I’m his cousin, actually. Is he in trouble?”
“Ms Mars, I need to inform you that Mr Echolls was taken to the hospital earlier tonight. He is in stable condition by now but --”
“Which hospital?” Veronica interrupted, her palms sweaty. Had Logan been in an accident or had Gorya Sorokin struck as he had promised to do?
The nurse answered her as Veronica was already getting dressed. Five minutes later, she grabbed her notebook and her bag and rushed out of the room. Her leg tangled in the strap of her bag and she stumbled and fell in the dark.
The door to her father’s bedroom opened as she stuffed her wallet and mobile back into her bag. “Something the matter?”
Her voice sounded very small and scared to her own ears. “It’s Logan.”
***
She reached the hospital fifteen minutes later. Five days had gone by since Logan had beat up Gorya, five days in which she had not spoken to him. Stupid, stupid her! She should have taken the threat more seriously, should have tried to get some incriminating information on the guy (something that did not involve bodies in trunks), should have done something with the picture the camera in the pen had taken, should have…
Veronica hit the steering wheel in frustration and bit back tears. She had been a bad friend.
The light in the reception was screamingly bright. “I’m Veronica Mars and someone called me because of Logan Echolls,” she spurted out. The nurse looked at her with a sharp eye.
“Are you of age?”
“Yes, of course I am. Now, what is the matter?”
The nurse leafed through a planner. “Are you a relative?”
“Yes,” Veronica said impatiently. “But I must have forgotten to bring my birth certificate and blood samples. No idea why that is.”
“These are standard questions, miss. Second floor for you.”
Veronica checked the signs on the wall and her heart sank when she read the words intensive care.
She had always thought that the elevator to the presidential suite was the longest ride imaginable but now Veronica realised that waiting for the damn elevator in a hospital and then waiting for it to make its way up one floor could be so much longer.
There was more waiting. Veronica had to wait for the doctor for almost an hour. Before he showed up, her dad called her but she was mono-syllabic and promised him to call back as soon as she knew something.
“Veronica Mars?” a tall, middle-aged man in a white lab coat asked her, just as she was considering hacking into the hospital computer. She nodded. “I’m Doctor Benson. You’re Mr Echolls´ cousin, is that correct?”
“If I get asked this question one more time I’ll have a hissy fit,” she said darkly.
The doctor gave her a tight smile. “Ms Mars, your cousin was put into my care shortly after midnight. He was stabbed twice and apparently left for dead in the parking lot of the Neptune Grand.” Veronica gasped. “Additionally, he received quite a beating and two of his ribs and one finger are fractured. Fortunately, no vital organs were punctured but the blood loss was severe and whoever attacked him missed his heart by two inches. We had some trouble to stop the bleeding but Mr Echolls is now in stable condition.”
Veronica blinked. It was harder and harder to understand him with the blood rushing loudly in her ears. Logan had been stabbed and left for dead. He was in hospital because he had beaten up the man who had publicly humiliated her.
“Can I...can I see him?” she asked, when the doctor had finished.
“Not yet, I’m afraid. Shall we call anyone else?”
Anyone else? Who cared about Logan? His parents were dead, his half-brother did not even know him, Dick was probably somewhere off to a party and Trina had not even shown up for her stepmother’s funeral and she would make sure to bring cameras, something that would endanger Logan’s life even more. Gorya and his buddies left Logan in the belief that he was dying and as long as she did not know how to stop them from trying again, she had rather not any media reporting on The Echolls Curse.
“Ms Mars?” Doctor Benson eyed her through his square glasses.
“There is no one else.”
***
The clock on the wall drove her mad. The steady tick-tock seemed to mock her and it was only drowned out by the occasional ringing of the phone. The smell of disinfectant made her as sick as the growing self-reproaches. Logan had defended her honour and stood up for her when nobody else would, not even Veronica herself, and she had thanked him with stubborn silence. When he had apologised to Piz, the realisation had dawned on her that he had really been concerned about her well-being and hadn’t just seized the opportunity to beat up her boyfriend. Unsurprisingly, she had believed he was petty enough to do that, had believed the worst of him. But no, he had apologised and walked away with his head held high and she had loved him for it. Love was a sentiment Veronica had been careful not to name in one sentence with Logan for weeks. This relationship with Piz had to work, it was good and safe, and Logan had had enough chances, right? Wrong. With growing horror Veronica realised that she had forgiven Madison, the girl she loathed more than anything, the girl who had roofied her and would do it again without second thoughts, but not Logan, who had saved her life so many times she had stopped counting.
At seven in the morning her dad showed up and forced a cup of coffee into her clammy hand. She sipped mechanically and the hot liquid burnt down her throat and revived her somewhat.
“What did he do this time?”
“Protect me,” Veronica bit out. Small wonder that her dad had such a low opinion of Logan. Contrary to Piz, the good boy, she had rarely brought Logan over and her dad had never got to know him. Now that she thought of it, none of her friends knew Logan very well because she had kept him apart from them. It had been Parker who had properly introduced him to their little circle. She could almost hear Mac saying, Guess I never thought much of the guy when you two were dating. Surly thing, you know. But since he's been around so much lately, I've seen his sweet side. Probably the side you saw all the time. And Mac had technically known Logan since high school. Yeah, Veronica had been a good friend.
“Honey, it is not your fault that he’s here,” Keith Mars assured his daughter and took her into his arms. It was a little awkward because they were both sitting on uncomfortable metal chairs and Veronica’s bag was crammed between them, but it felt like heaven. It took a few minutes for Veronica to realise that she was sobbing silently into her dad’s shirt. It was not her fault but it was.
She had never taken the time to analyse the most complicated relationship in her life. Whenever things got rough, she busied herself with a case and focussed on others. In fact, everything inside of her was screaming to start the research on Logan’s attackers but a strange sort of paralysis glued her to the chair and kept her from opening her notebook. Her dad rubbed her back soothingly but it was as if she was disconnected from the scene, as if she was standing by and watching herself being comforted.
It was after ten when she was allowed to see him for a few minutes. She knew that it was bound to be a horrible sight but nothing prepared her for all the tubes, bandages and bruises, which were horribly accentuated on his pale skin. He looked so young and vulnerable, it made her ache inside. Someone would pay for this!
“Don’t worry, Logan,” she whispered, fearful to disturb him. “You’ll be up in no time and some people will be very sorry for what they did to you.”
Logan’s bruised face stayed in her mind long after she had been ushered out of the room. The need to do something was almost overwhelming but she was afraid to leave him. What if his condition deteriorated while she was away?
“How is he?” Keith asked, worried at the look on her face.
“Bad. He looks horrible. Dad, would you mind staying here for an hour or so? I want to get him a few things for when he wakes up. And I suppose I need to tell Dick that he’s here.”
“OK, honey. Take your time and do whatever you have to do. But there is something I don’t understand. Why did the hospital call you in the first place?”
Veronica looked at him and almost choked on the words. “Because there is no one else and I’m his emergency contact. That reminds me, dad.” She lowered her voice. “I need a document confirming that I’m Logan’s cousin. Just in case, you know.”
“I’ll arrange that, don’t worry.”
She bent down to where he was sitting and kissed his cheek. “Thanks, dad.”
***
She still carried the key card to Logan’s place around in her bag, so she did not have to drive home first. Surprisingly, Dick was there and not hung over.
“Hey, Ronnie,” he greeted her, not really looking up from the game he was playing. “Sneaking into your ex’s apartment while he’s away is not cool, you know. You could have knocked ‘cause I could have been nude or something. Or is that why you’re here?”
Veronica didn’t bother with a reply and walked straight into Logan’s room. She found a sports bag under his bed and started packing. Boxers, t-shirts, socks. She went back into the main room and dropped a few DVDs into the bag.
“What’s up, V? Is he, like, moving in with you? Did I miss something?”
Veronica turned to him, her cold stare shutting him up immediately. “Logan’s in the hospital, Dick. He’s really hurt. Someone stabbed him. So spare me your dumb comments because, frankly, I don’t have time for this.” She rushed into the bathroom and collected Logan’s razor and toothbrush.
“Dude, what happened?” Dick stood right behind her, worry written all over his face. It was strange to see Dick showing sincere emotions.
“I don’t know yet but I won’t rest till I found out,” Veronica answered. “Oh, and Dick, don’t tell anyone and I mean anyone. If the wrong people find out Logan’s still breathing...” She took a deep breath. “Just play dumb for a while, OK? We all know you’re pretty good at that.”
“Hey,” Dick called after her. She was already at the door. “He’s my buddy, too.”
***
On the way back to the hospital, Piz called her. Feeling only slightly guilty, she ignored the call. She did not know what to tell him and, right now, it was more important to find out whom she had to bribe, blackmail or threaten to get to Gorya. It seemed to be clear that he was the one behind the attack but it would be hard to prove and even harder to eliminate the risk of him trying again. If the Castle was not behind all of this she could start with Jake Kane. Granted, she was not in his good books and if he had left town already it would be hard to get a hold on him. In fact, it might prove necessary to track down Duncan for this. Veronica had promised herself never to go looking for him and his daughter but, back then, she had not known that a psychotic Russian was out to humiliate her and kill her friends. Logan had been right. Someone always had to pay.
“Here you go, Veronica,” Keith said and handed her a big brown envelop. With a grateful smile she pulled out the documents that claimed her relation to Logan Echolls. Hopefully, she would not need them.
“Thanks, dad.” Veronica gave him a peck. “You’re the best.”
“I know, I know.” He got up and stretched dramatically. “These chairs were clearly made for torture.”
“Is there any news?” Veronica asked anxiously.
Keith frowned. “No. I’m sorry but as far as I know he hasn’t woken up yet.” With a sigh Veronica sank down on the chair her dad had been sitting on. “Honey, do you know what happened? You said Logan protected you but from what?”
Veronica knew that she could not tell him everything she knew but she was also aware that she would need her father’s help. She begged him closer and he sat down next to her. “There is a secret organisation at Hearst,” she began, “and I stumbled across them by accident.”
“Of course,” Keith remarked dryly.
She slapped his arm. “Will you let me finish? Great. Well, I didn’t go looking for trouble this time. Someone tried to get Weevil busted for something he hadn’t done and when I found out that it was a bunch of privileged college kids I wanted them to be very, very sorry.” Keith gave her a long look she chose to ignore. “Unfortunately, this organisation isn’t picky when it comes to creeps and one of their newest members is a psychotic jackass - and not in the every high school has one sense. That’s where Logan comes in. He beat the guy up in the middle of the cafeteria and that made him a tiny bit unhappy. He sort of swore bloody revenge.”
“Sounds like a typical Logan problem,” Keith commented.
“Well, it’s not,” Veronica said sharply. “He wouldn’t be in hospital if it wasn’t for me. If I hadn’t provoked them...”
“Veronica, has this anything to do with you breaking into Jake Kane’s house?”
“It might have,” she said with a guilty smile.
Abruptly, Keith seized her arm and pulled her closer. “Listen, I want you to stay away from him. He’s dangerous, you know that. God, Veronica, you should know better,” he reproached her.
“I didn’t know he was involved,” Veronica defended herself. “I only realised it when I was already in. And I’m almost sure that Duncan’s father has nothing to do with the attack on Logan. He is powerful enough to punish the guy responsible for it though. But dad, I might need your help to contact him and it may involve tracking down Duncan.”
“Are you out of your mind?”
Veronica pulled out of his grip. “No, but you might want to consider that there is someone at my college who’s running around thinking that he can get away with murder. They want him dead, dad! They stabbed him and then left him there to die! That’s the second friend I would have lost within a few years and I won’t let a crazed power-hungry psycho get away with it!”
“Keep your voice down,” Keith chided her. He looked more worried than angry now. Slumping in his chair, he let out a deep breath. “All right, I’ll help you, but only if it proves absolutely necessary. Wait till Logan wakes up and ask him what he remembers. It could be enough for an arrest.”
“Yeah, because things are usually that easy,” Veronica said sardonically. “By the way, have you seen someone from the Sheriff’s Department yet?”
***
“I’m sorry, Ms Mars, but he hasn’t regained consciousness yet. The good news is that his blood pressure and vitals stabilised and, if things are going the way we hope for, we’ll be able to release him from intensive care very soon,” Doctor Benson told her that evening. He looked tired and overworked, so Veronica decided not to push it. She thanked him and slumped back into her seat. The waiting was wearing her down and the sleep-deprivation was adding to the general feeling of exhaustion.
“Excuse me, miss,” a young nurse interrupted her reading twenty minutes later.
“Yes?”
“You look as if you could do with some rest. Why don’t you just leave your phone number and we’ll call you as soon as your cousin wakes up?”
“This is very nice of you bu--”
“I’m Alice,” the nurse told her with a bright smile. “I promise you that you’ll learn about any change that may happen while you’re away the minute I know. I’ll be here for the next ten hours, so...”
Veronica thought about it. She could really do with some sleep and her dad would be worried, too. She also had a lot of reading to do for her criminology class. Unfortunately, time did not stand still when misfortune struck.
“Thanks, Alice. I’ll take you up on it,” she told the nurse, who was only a few years older than herself. “I’m Veronica,” she added with a grateful smile.
When she left the hospital, Veronica found that she had two calls from Wallace, five from Piz and one from her dad. She dialled her dad’s number as she climbed in the car.
“Hey,” Keith’s voice greeted her. “I was wondering when you were coming home.”
“I’m on my way, dad.”
“Good. Are you hungry? I’m making meatballs.”
“Sounds great,” she said, trying for cheerful.
“Oh, and Piz called. I haven’t told him anything but you may want to give him a ring. He’s worried.”
“Will do, dad.”
At the next red light she sent a text saying that she was busy and would call him when she had the time.
***
“Morning, honey.” Keith turned the bacon as Veronica made her way to the fridge. She was already dressed and gulped down a glass of orange juice greedily.
“Morning, dad. I’m in a hurry.”
“Don’t say another word, breakfast is ready,” Keith told her and put a plate down in front of her. “And don’t even think of skipping.”
Veronica smiled and pouted at him. “Yes, daddy. Am I allowed to go out and play after school?”
“Only if you do your homework,” Keith quipped. Veronica grimaced and bit into her bacon, crunching on it audibly. “Such an adorable kid you are.” Keith patted her head. “Well, I’ll be home late. Surveillance.”
“All right. I’ll be at the hospital anyway,” Veronica said. She would have to do some detective work on her own after class. She could not rely on the press keeping conveniently silent and sooner or later they would find out and waylay the hospital. She would have a word with Sheriff Van Lowe, too, as much as the mere idea repulsed her.
***
“Hey, Alice, still here?” Veronica asked when she arrived and saw the familiar face, considerably less enthusiastic now.
“Martin called in ill, so this means a double shift for me,” Alice explained gravely. “But I have good news for you. Logan Echolls has been released from intensive care this morning. His new room is straight down the corridor and then on the right.”
Veronica smiled happily. “Can I get you some coffee? From outside the hospital, I mean.”
“That would make you my favourite person in the whole world,” Alice groaned. Her grey eyes were tired and her shoulders slumped. Veronica nodded sympathetically and turned to get the coffee. She couldn’t help smiling. Logan was out of intensive care. Things were finally looking up.
She was carrying two coffees when she heard her mobile ring. Again. She was pretty sure that it wasn’t her dad; Two cups of coffee, two hands - the excuse not to answer the phone was water-tight. By the time Alice came and told her that Logan was awake she had seven unanswered calls. Anxious and relieved, she followed her down the corridor.
A doctor she did not know was in the room, checking the clipboard, but Veronica had only eyes for Logan.
“Hey,” she said with forced cheerfulness. His face was multi-coloured now but his eyes lit up when he recognised her.
“Only ten minutes. Mr Echolls still needs rest,” said the doctor. He caught up with Alice on the way out and gave her instructions.
“Look who the cat dragged in,” Logan greeted her in a low but steady voice. Veronica pulled a plastic chair close to the bed and sat down. She was reaching for his hand when she saw that one finger was splinted and the whole hand bandaged.
“Oh, Logan,” she whispered, trying to hold back the tears. He just looked at her, obviously happy to see her, which was somehow worse than if he had been angry at her.
“You told me he was connected,” Logan said lightly, as if this was nothing more than the usual bruises he got whenever he got into a brawl.
“You could be dead!” Veronica exclaimed, staring him down.
Logan smiled an embarrassed little smile that turned into a grimace.
“Shall I call the nurse?” Veronica asked in a completely different tone.
“Nah, I’ve had better drugs, to be honest. What has the world come to?”
“The end. Almost for you anyway. Logan, I need you to tell me exactly what happened.”
Logan’s voice got even lower when he told her. He had parked his car in the usual place, had got out and headed for the hotel, when Gorya and two other guys he hadn’t recognised jumped at him. He had defended himself, obviously, but the two guys had eventually got a hold on him. Then Gorya had drawn a knife and rammed it into him. He had said something about better not messing with a Sorokin and then everything had gone dark.
“Nice little set-up,” Logan commented after a small pause. Veronica gave him an incredulous look. “Come on, what do you expect me to say?”
“I don’t expect anything from you,” Veronica said before she could help herself. It was too easy to fall back into old patterns. She could see the pain in Logan’s eyes and felt sorry immediately. “Nothing, but to stay alive, OK?” she added to make up for her blunder. Why could he rile her so easily without even trying? “So, do you remember anything else? Maybe a name? Unusual clothing? Anything?”
“Veronica, it was dark and it was three against one. Do you get the feeling of the strangest little déjà vu, too?”
The bridge, Felix, the PCHers - of course, the irony wasn’t lost on her. “Yeah, but last time you lied to me and the sheriff. Speaking of Vinnie, why would he not investigate this case at all?”
“I’m sorry,” said Logan, looking everything but. “I just woke up from a coma. You don’t expect me to do your job, do you?”
“Can you at least try to be helpful?” Veronica snapped.
Logan gave her one of his superior looks but, thanks to his coloured and swollen skin, it looked bizarre. “I did. That’s why I’m here.”
Oh, he was just too infuriating. Why did she try to keep him save in the first place? Because you wouldn’t want to miss his snarky comments for the world, a little voice piped up in the back of her mind. She took a deep breath and refrained from inducing the next round.
“I’m sorry, the ten minutes are up,” a male nurse interrupted them. He was holding the door open, waiting for Veronica to leave. Logan looked as if their little chat had completely exhausted him.
“Logan, I’m...I’m sorry. I’ll get the bastard, I promise,” she said so quickly that the words tumbled together.
He managed a crooked smile. “Be careful, Ronnie.”
Without thinking, she reached out and brushed his cheek. Then, deeply troubled, she turned around and left, not looking back. Her thoughts going helter-skelter, she almost ran into the sheriff.
“Well, if that isn’t --” Vinnie van Lowe started.
“The last person you expected? Speaking of not living up to expectations, Vinnie, why are you here two days late?”
Vinnie smirked down at her. “Why would I waste my time here, drinking really bad coffee and waiting for a college kid to wake up? I had someone call me as soon as he did and here I am.”
“Wow, you really exploit all resources,” Veronica said sardonically.
“If I did, I would probably find out that you’re not supposed to be here,” he quipped with a smirk.
Veronica threw him a dark look. “Yes, that’s definitely more important than finding the man with the knife. I’m glad you’ve got your priorities right.”
“Well, it’s been nice and all but I have a job to do. Speaking of which, how’s Keith doing?”
“Splendid. Lots of clients that are disappointed with the law.”
“I live to serve,” Vinnie said, grinning, and turned away. Veronica entertained the possibility of sending a few thousand volts through the sheriff. It was a nice thought.
The rest of the day flew by. Time always did when she was working on a case that was so tricky. Gorya Sorokin wasn’t an amateur but that didn’t mean that he hadn’t left any traces. She was pretty sure that he had. It was close to midnight when she finally found something on the crime scene pictures she had taken herself. Half an hour later she scribbled down an address with a feeling of satisfaction. Oh yes, he had been careful. But not careful enough.
She grabbed her bag and her camera and whistled for Backup.
***
It was early in the morning when she walked into the Sheriff’s Department and she wasn’t surprised to find that Vinnie hadn’t shown yet.
“Sacks,” she greeted the deputy.
“Veronica. To what do we owe the pleasure this time?”
“This and that. Attempted murder you don’t investigate. The usual.”
“You’ll have to wait for the sheriff,” he said.
“Is that a Pavlovian response due to me opening my mouth?” Veronica smirked and made her way to the sheriff’s office.
“You can’t --”
“You know I can. Relax, Sacks. Vinnie and I are this close.” A medicine ball could have brought a few friends to exhaust the space between her arms.
Sacks sighed in resignation. “He won’t be happy.”
“I’m counting on it.”
***
“Veronica, wait up!” Piz called after her. She took a deep breath and managed a smile as she turned towards him. She had been in a bitchy mood ever since Vinnie laughed about and shrugged off the photographic evidence and the names she provided him with. Granted, it wasn’t much but she was getting the impression that he didn’t want to investigate the attack on Logan, and she was very interested in finding out why, especially after a sleepless night on a stake-out. She could still get to Gory through Jake Kane but the attack on Logan itself was not incriminating enough. Kane would shrug it off as Gory crossing the line by accident and Logan had thrown the first punch after all. Veronica had totally forgotten about Piz, occupied with the case, as she was walking to the library and heard his voice. This was inevitable, though she had hoped for later rather than sooner.
“Hey.”
“Hey,” he said and gave her a soft kiss. Everything about their relationship was soft, gentle and nice. She could imagine what Logan, could almost hear what he would have to say, and it annoyed her even more that he invaded her thoughts like that. “I called you like twenty times. What’s up?”
Not willing to have this discussion in a corridor, Veronica pulled him into one of the many alcoves of the building. “Sorry, Piz, I was preoccupied. Logan’s in...in the hospital and I’m trying to find out who got him there.”
“Oh,” Piz said. “Well, I have a pretty good guess.”
“Yeah, me too. But my job is to nail the bastard.”
“Is it?” Piz frowned. “I mean, nobody deserves something like that but Logan kind of makes a habit of punch first, ask questions later. I guess the guy who posted that video paid him back.”
Veronica gave him a tight smile, her nerves on end anyway. “So? Should I just lean back and let him get away with it? Sorry, I’m not built that way.”
Piz raised his hands in a defensive gesture. “That’s not what I said.”
“Then what are you saying?” Veronica asked impatiently.
“I’m saying that you shut me out for three days because of him.”
“So this is about you being jealous of Logan?” Veronica raised an eyebrow.
“No. Yes. Veronica, I love you but sometimes I just don’t understand --”
“Exactly. You don’t understand. This is something I have to do.”
Piz leaned against the wall, a picture of misery. “Why?”
Veronica gave him an incredulous look. “Because that’s what I do, Sherlock. Private Eye, remember? On your first day, I found your stuff, too, and I can’t remember you were complaining then.”
“That’s not what I meant. It’s Logan. He was a friend of Mercer’s, he slept with this Madison girl you hate, and not two weeks ago he beat me into a pulp for something I didn’t do and yet, you forget about it in a heartbeat, forget about all of us, because he’s in a mess.”
Veronica felt her temper rising. “Well, maybe I should have told you about the things he did right every now and then. When Dick’s little brother tried to kill me, he saved my life, and he helped me through the worst night of my life, when I believed my dad had been blown up. When Moe drugged me and tried to shave my head, he was there and saved me, again.” Piz gasped in horror. “Right, you didn’t know. You don’t know about a lot of things Logan and I went through together. I was furious at what he did to you and I made that very clear. But when the worst comes to the worst I’m there for him because he’s always got my back, too.”
“I’m sorry, Veronica,” Piz said and he looked it. It was so easy to silence him, too easy.
Veronica took a deep breath. “Piz, let’s be honest, we don’t work out.”
“What?”
“You are the ideal boyfriend and...the girl I used to be in high school would have been happy to have you. Hell, I want to be happy with you, want to have a boyfriend my dad likes and who doesn’t have a criminal record.”
“Veronica!” Piz looked shocked, understanding really dawning on him. This was it and he was obviously not ready.
She pushed back a strand of hair. “Please, let me get this out. I used to be like that. Never in trouble, only visiting the sheriff’s office because my mum asked me to bring dad lunch. The thing is, that’s not me anymore. My friend Lilly’s death...well, it changed me and I can’t go back to who I was. I don’t believe in karma, Piz, I’m more of an Alekto kind of girl.”
“That’s fine. I like who you are now,” Piz assured her, desperation evident in his voice.
“No, you don’t,” Veronica replied pointedly. “I’m sorry, Piz. I’m really sorry.”
“So this is it? You’re breaking up with me just like that? Because I question you once?”
“Come on, you dislike a lot of things I do, you just don’t tell me.”
“Well, I did now. And I can’t believe that you just throw it all away,” Piz reproached her. “You’re still in love with him, aren’t you?”
She swallowed the reply, knowing it was the right thing to do, but she felt sorry for him and them nonetheless. “It’s complicated,” she admitted. “I’m sorry.”
But the truth was that she didn’t feel as sorry as she should.
***
On to part II
Title: Some Things Never Change
Pairing: Logan/Veronica
Rating: PG
Warning: Spoilers up to the series finale. Starts right where 3.20 left off.
Summary: "You're gonna die," are Gorya's last words in the show and they left it at that. What would have happened if this wasn't an empty threat?
Disclaimer: Veronica Mars was created by Rob Thomas, I'm only playing with his characters. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.
Note: Thanks to tonks_2005 and frelnik who betaed this monster. And please don't die of shock but I wrote het.
Some Things Never Change
Her phone rang at 2.15 am. She fumbled blindly for it and, discovering that the number told her nothing, croaked a sleepy “Yeah?”
“Veronica Mars?” a female voice asked.
“Yes, that’s me,” Veronica answered.
“I’m calling you because you’re listed as Logan Echolls’ emergency contact, although we understand that you are not a family member. Is that correct?”
Instantly, Veronica was wide awake. She was Logan’s emergency contact?
“I’m his cousin, actually. Is he in trouble?”
“Ms Mars, I need to inform you that Mr Echolls was taken to the hospital earlier tonight. He is in stable condition by now but --”
“Which hospital?” Veronica interrupted, her palms sweaty. Had Logan been in an accident or had Gorya Sorokin struck as he had promised to do?
The nurse answered her as Veronica was already getting dressed. Five minutes later, she grabbed her notebook and her bag and rushed out of the room. Her leg tangled in the strap of her bag and she stumbled and fell in the dark.
The door to her father’s bedroom opened as she stuffed her wallet and mobile back into her bag. “Something the matter?”
Her voice sounded very small and scared to her own ears. “It’s Logan.”
***
She reached the hospital fifteen minutes later. Five days had gone by since Logan had beat up Gorya, five days in which she had not spoken to him. Stupid, stupid her! She should have taken the threat more seriously, should have tried to get some incriminating information on the guy (something that did not involve bodies in trunks), should have done something with the picture the camera in the pen had taken, should have…
Veronica hit the steering wheel in frustration and bit back tears. She had been a bad friend.
The light in the reception was screamingly bright. “I’m Veronica Mars and someone called me because of Logan Echolls,” she spurted out. The nurse looked at her with a sharp eye.
“Are you of age?”
“Yes, of course I am. Now, what is the matter?”
The nurse leafed through a planner. “Are you a relative?”
“Yes,” Veronica said impatiently. “But I must have forgotten to bring my birth certificate and blood samples. No idea why that is.”
“These are standard questions, miss. Second floor for you.”
Veronica checked the signs on the wall and her heart sank when she read the words intensive care.
She had always thought that the elevator to the presidential suite was the longest ride imaginable but now Veronica realised that waiting for the damn elevator in a hospital and then waiting for it to make its way up one floor could be so much longer.
There was more waiting. Veronica had to wait for the doctor for almost an hour. Before he showed up, her dad called her but she was mono-syllabic and promised him to call back as soon as she knew something.
“Veronica Mars?” a tall, middle-aged man in a white lab coat asked her, just as she was considering hacking into the hospital computer. She nodded. “I’m Doctor Benson. You’re Mr Echolls´ cousin, is that correct?”
“If I get asked this question one more time I’ll have a hissy fit,” she said darkly.
The doctor gave her a tight smile. “Ms Mars, your cousin was put into my care shortly after midnight. He was stabbed twice and apparently left for dead in the parking lot of the Neptune Grand.” Veronica gasped. “Additionally, he received quite a beating and two of his ribs and one finger are fractured. Fortunately, no vital organs were punctured but the blood loss was severe and whoever attacked him missed his heart by two inches. We had some trouble to stop the bleeding but Mr Echolls is now in stable condition.”
Veronica blinked. It was harder and harder to understand him with the blood rushing loudly in her ears. Logan had been stabbed and left for dead. He was in hospital because he had beaten up the man who had publicly humiliated her.
“Can I...can I see him?” she asked, when the doctor had finished.
“Not yet, I’m afraid. Shall we call anyone else?”
Anyone else? Who cared about Logan? His parents were dead, his half-brother did not even know him, Dick was probably somewhere off to a party and Trina had not even shown up for her stepmother’s funeral and she would make sure to bring cameras, something that would endanger Logan’s life even more. Gorya and his buddies left Logan in the belief that he was dying and as long as she did not know how to stop them from trying again, she had rather not any media reporting on The Echolls Curse.
“Ms Mars?” Doctor Benson eyed her through his square glasses.
“There is no one else.”
***
The clock on the wall drove her mad. The steady tick-tock seemed to mock her and it was only drowned out by the occasional ringing of the phone. The smell of disinfectant made her as sick as the growing self-reproaches. Logan had defended her honour and stood up for her when nobody else would, not even Veronica herself, and she had thanked him with stubborn silence. When he had apologised to Piz, the realisation had dawned on her that he had really been concerned about her well-being and hadn’t just seized the opportunity to beat up her boyfriend. Unsurprisingly, she had believed he was petty enough to do that, had believed the worst of him. But no, he had apologised and walked away with his head held high and she had loved him for it. Love was a sentiment Veronica had been careful not to name in one sentence with Logan for weeks. This relationship with Piz had to work, it was good and safe, and Logan had had enough chances, right? Wrong. With growing horror Veronica realised that she had forgiven Madison, the girl she loathed more than anything, the girl who had roofied her and would do it again without second thoughts, but not Logan, who had saved her life so many times she had stopped counting.
At seven in the morning her dad showed up and forced a cup of coffee into her clammy hand. She sipped mechanically and the hot liquid burnt down her throat and revived her somewhat.
“What did he do this time?”
“Protect me,” Veronica bit out. Small wonder that her dad had such a low opinion of Logan. Contrary to Piz, the good boy, she had rarely brought Logan over and her dad had never got to know him. Now that she thought of it, none of her friends knew Logan very well because she had kept him apart from them. It had been Parker who had properly introduced him to their little circle. She could almost hear Mac saying, Guess I never thought much of the guy when you two were dating. Surly thing, you know. But since he's been around so much lately, I've seen his sweet side. Probably the side you saw all the time. And Mac had technically known Logan since high school. Yeah, Veronica had been a good friend.
“Honey, it is not your fault that he’s here,” Keith Mars assured his daughter and took her into his arms. It was a little awkward because they were both sitting on uncomfortable metal chairs and Veronica’s bag was crammed between them, but it felt like heaven. It took a few minutes for Veronica to realise that she was sobbing silently into her dad’s shirt. It was not her fault but it was.
She had never taken the time to analyse the most complicated relationship in her life. Whenever things got rough, she busied herself with a case and focussed on others. In fact, everything inside of her was screaming to start the research on Logan’s attackers but a strange sort of paralysis glued her to the chair and kept her from opening her notebook. Her dad rubbed her back soothingly but it was as if she was disconnected from the scene, as if she was standing by and watching herself being comforted.
It was after ten when she was allowed to see him for a few minutes. She knew that it was bound to be a horrible sight but nothing prepared her for all the tubes, bandages and bruises, which were horribly accentuated on his pale skin. He looked so young and vulnerable, it made her ache inside. Someone would pay for this!
“Don’t worry, Logan,” she whispered, fearful to disturb him. “You’ll be up in no time and some people will be very sorry for what they did to you.”
Logan’s bruised face stayed in her mind long after she had been ushered out of the room. The need to do something was almost overwhelming but she was afraid to leave him. What if his condition deteriorated while she was away?
“How is he?” Keith asked, worried at the look on her face.
“Bad. He looks horrible. Dad, would you mind staying here for an hour or so? I want to get him a few things for when he wakes up. And I suppose I need to tell Dick that he’s here.”
“OK, honey. Take your time and do whatever you have to do. But there is something I don’t understand. Why did the hospital call you in the first place?”
Veronica looked at him and almost choked on the words. “Because there is no one else and I’m his emergency contact. That reminds me, dad.” She lowered her voice. “I need a document confirming that I’m Logan’s cousin. Just in case, you know.”
“I’ll arrange that, don’t worry.”
She bent down to where he was sitting and kissed his cheek. “Thanks, dad.”
***
She still carried the key card to Logan’s place around in her bag, so she did not have to drive home first. Surprisingly, Dick was there and not hung over.
“Hey, Ronnie,” he greeted her, not really looking up from the game he was playing. “Sneaking into your ex’s apartment while he’s away is not cool, you know. You could have knocked ‘cause I could have been nude or something. Or is that why you’re here?”
Veronica didn’t bother with a reply and walked straight into Logan’s room. She found a sports bag under his bed and started packing. Boxers, t-shirts, socks. She went back into the main room and dropped a few DVDs into the bag.
“What’s up, V? Is he, like, moving in with you? Did I miss something?”
Veronica turned to him, her cold stare shutting him up immediately. “Logan’s in the hospital, Dick. He’s really hurt. Someone stabbed him. So spare me your dumb comments because, frankly, I don’t have time for this.” She rushed into the bathroom and collected Logan’s razor and toothbrush.
“Dude, what happened?” Dick stood right behind her, worry written all over his face. It was strange to see Dick showing sincere emotions.
“I don’t know yet but I won’t rest till I found out,” Veronica answered. “Oh, and Dick, don’t tell anyone and I mean anyone. If the wrong people find out Logan’s still breathing...” She took a deep breath. “Just play dumb for a while, OK? We all know you’re pretty good at that.”
“Hey,” Dick called after her. She was already at the door. “He’s my buddy, too.”
***
On the way back to the hospital, Piz called her. Feeling only slightly guilty, she ignored the call. She did not know what to tell him and, right now, it was more important to find out whom she had to bribe, blackmail or threaten to get to Gorya. It seemed to be clear that he was the one behind the attack but it would be hard to prove and even harder to eliminate the risk of him trying again. If the Castle was not behind all of this she could start with Jake Kane. Granted, she was not in his good books and if he had left town already it would be hard to get a hold on him. In fact, it might prove necessary to track down Duncan for this. Veronica had promised herself never to go looking for him and his daughter but, back then, she had not known that a psychotic Russian was out to humiliate her and kill her friends. Logan had been right. Someone always had to pay.
“Here you go, Veronica,” Keith said and handed her a big brown envelop. With a grateful smile she pulled out the documents that claimed her relation to Logan Echolls. Hopefully, she would not need them.
“Thanks, dad.” Veronica gave him a peck. “You’re the best.”
“I know, I know.” He got up and stretched dramatically. “These chairs were clearly made for torture.”
“Is there any news?” Veronica asked anxiously.
Keith frowned. “No. I’m sorry but as far as I know he hasn’t woken up yet.” With a sigh Veronica sank down on the chair her dad had been sitting on. “Honey, do you know what happened? You said Logan protected you but from what?”
Veronica knew that she could not tell him everything she knew but she was also aware that she would need her father’s help. She begged him closer and he sat down next to her. “There is a secret organisation at Hearst,” she began, “and I stumbled across them by accident.”
“Of course,” Keith remarked dryly.
She slapped his arm. “Will you let me finish? Great. Well, I didn’t go looking for trouble this time. Someone tried to get Weevil busted for something he hadn’t done and when I found out that it was a bunch of privileged college kids I wanted them to be very, very sorry.” Keith gave her a long look she chose to ignore. “Unfortunately, this organisation isn’t picky when it comes to creeps and one of their newest members is a psychotic jackass - and not in the every high school has one sense. That’s where Logan comes in. He beat the guy up in the middle of the cafeteria and that made him a tiny bit unhappy. He sort of swore bloody revenge.”
“Sounds like a typical Logan problem,” Keith commented.
“Well, it’s not,” Veronica said sharply. “He wouldn’t be in hospital if it wasn’t for me. If I hadn’t provoked them...”
“Veronica, has this anything to do with you breaking into Jake Kane’s house?”
“It might have,” she said with a guilty smile.
Abruptly, Keith seized her arm and pulled her closer. “Listen, I want you to stay away from him. He’s dangerous, you know that. God, Veronica, you should know better,” he reproached her.
“I didn’t know he was involved,” Veronica defended herself. “I only realised it when I was already in. And I’m almost sure that Duncan’s father has nothing to do with the attack on Logan. He is powerful enough to punish the guy responsible for it though. But dad, I might need your help to contact him and it may involve tracking down Duncan.”
“Are you out of your mind?”
Veronica pulled out of his grip. “No, but you might want to consider that there is someone at my college who’s running around thinking that he can get away with murder. They want him dead, dad! They stabbed him and then left him there to die! That’s the second friend I would have lost within a few years and I won’t let a crazed power-hungry psycho get away with it!”
“Keep your voice down,” Keith chided her. He looked more worried than angry now. Slumping in his chair, he let out a deep breath. “All right, I’ll help you, but only if it proves absolutely necessary. Wait till Logan wakes up and ask him what he remembers. It could be enough for an arrest.”
“Yeah, because things are usually that easy,” Veronica said sardonically. “By the way, have you seen someone from the Sheriff’s Department yet?”
***
“I’m sorry, Ms Mars, but he hasn’t regained consciousness yet. The good news is that his blood pressure and vitals stabilised and, if things are going the way we hope for, we’ll be able to release him from intensive care very soon,” Doctor Benson told her that evening. He looked tired and overworked, so Veronica decided not to push it. She thanked him and slumped back into her seat. The waiting was wearing her down and the sleep-deprivation was adding to the general feeling of exhaustion.
“Excuse me, miss,” a young nurse interrupted her reading twenty minutes later.
“Yes?”
“You look as if you could do with some rest. Why don’t you just leave your phone number and we’ll call you as soon as your cousin wakes up?”
“This is very nice of you bu--”
“I’m Alice,” the nurse told her with a bright smile. “I promise you that you’ll learn about any change that may happen while you’re away the minute I know. I’ll be here for the next ten hours, so...”
Veronica thought about it. She could really do with some sleep and her dad would be worried, too. She also had a lot of reading to do for her criminology class. Unfortunately, time did not stand still when misfortune struck.
“Thanks, Alice. I’ll take you up on it,” she told the nurse, who was only a few years older than herself. “I’m Veronica,” she added with a grateful smile.
When she left the hospital, Veronica found that she had two calls from Wallace, five from Piz and one from her dad. She dialled her dad’s number as she climbed in the car.
“Hey,” Keith’s voice greeted her. “I was wondering when you were coming home.”
“I’m on my way, dad.”
“Good. Are you hungry? I’m making meatballs.”
“Sounds great,” she said, trying for cheerful.
“Oh, and Piz called. I haven’t told him anything but you may want to give him a ring. He’s worried.”
“Will do, dad.”
At the next red light she sent a text saying that she was busy and would call him when she had the time.
***
“Morning, honey.” Keith turned the bacon as Veronica made her way to the fridge. She was already dressed and gulped down a glass of orange juice greedily.
“Morning, dad. I’m in a hurry.”
“Don’t say another word, breakfast is ready,” Keith told her and put a plate down in front of her. “And don’t even think of skipping.”
Veronica smiled and pouted at him. “Yes, daddy. Am I allowed to go out and play after school?”
“Only if you do your homework,” Keith quipped. Veronica grimaced and bit into her bacon, crunching on it audibly. “Such an adorable kid you are.” Keith patted her head. “Well, I’ll be home late. Surveillance.”
“All right. I’ll be at the hospital anyway,” Veronica said. She would have to do some detective work on her own after class. She could not rely on the press keeping conveniently silent and sooner or later they would find out and waylay the hospital. She would have a word with Sheriff Van Lowe, too, as much as the mere idea repulsed her.
***
“Hey, Alice, still here?” Veronica asked when she arrived and saw the familiar face, considerably less enthusiastic now.
“Martin called in ill, so this means a double shift for me,” Alice explained gravely. “But I have good news for you. Logan Echolls has been released from intensive care this morning. His new room is straight down the corridor and then on the right.”
Veronica smiled happily. “Can I get you some coffee? From outside the hospital, I mean.”
“That would make you my favourite person in the whole world,” Alice groaned. Her grey eyes were tired and her shoulders slumped. Veronica nodded sympathetically and turned to get the coffee. She couldn’t help smiling. Logan was out of intensive care. Things were finally looking up.
She was carrying two coffees when she heard her mobile ring. Again. She was pretty sure that it wasn’t her dad; Two cups of coffee, two hands - the excuse not to answer the phone was water-tight. By the time Alice came and told her that Logan was awake she had seven unanswered calls. Anxious and relieved, she followed her down the corridor.
A doctor she did not know was in the room, checking the clipboard, but Veronica had only eyes for Logan.
“Hey,” she said with forced cheerfulness. His face was multi-coloured now but his eyes lit up when he recognised her.
“Only ten minutes. Mr Echolls still needs rest,” said the doctor. He caught up with Alice on the way out and gave her instructions.
“Look who the cat dragged in,” Logan greeted her in a low but steady voice. Veronica pulled a plastic chair close to the bed and sat down. She was reaching for his hand when she saw that one finger was splinted and the whole hand bandaged.
“Oh, Logan,” she whispered, trying to hold back the tears. He just looked at her, obviously happy to see her, which was somehow worse than if he had been angry at her.
“You told me he was connected,” Logan said lightly, as if this was nothing more than the usual bruises he got whenever he got into a brawl.
“You could be dead!” Veronica exclaimed, staring him down.
Logan smiled an embarrassed little smile that turned into a grimace.
“Shall I call the nurse?” Veronica asked in a completely different tone.
“Nah, I’ve had better drugs, to be honest. What has the world come to?”
“The end. Almost for you anyway. Logan, I need you to tell me exactly what happened.”
Logan’s voice got even lower when he told her. He had parked his car in the usual place, had got out and headed for the hotel, when Gorya and two other guys he hadn’t recognised jumped at him. He had defended himself, obviously, but the two guys had eventually got a hold on him. Then Gorya had drawn a knife and rammed it into him. He had said something about better not messing with a Sorokin and then everything had gone dark.
“Nice little set-up,” Logan commented after a small pause. Veronica gave him an incredulous look. “Come on, what do you expect me to say?”
“I don’t expect anything from you,” Veronica said before she could help herself. It was too easy to fall back into old patterns. She could see the pain in Logan’s eyes and felt sorry immediately. “Nothing, but to stay alive, OK?” she added to make up for her blunder. Why could he rile her so easily without even trying? “So, do you remember anything else? Maybe a name? Unusual clothing? Anything?”
“Veronica, it was dark and it was three against one. Do you get the feeling of the strangest little déjà vu, too?”
The bridge, Felix, the PCHers - of course, the irony wasn’t lost on her. “Yeah, but last time you lied to me and the sheriff. Speaking of Vinnie, why would he not investigate this case at all?”
“I’m sorry,” said Logan, looking everything but. “I just woke up from a coma. You don’t expect me to do your job, do you?”
“Can you at least try to be helpful?” Veronica snapped.
Logan gave her one of his superior looks but, thanks to his coloured and swollen skin, it looked bizarre. “I did. That’s why I’m here.”
Oh, he was just too infuriating. Why did she try to keep him save in the first place? Because you wouldn’t want to miss his snarky comments for the world, a little voice piped up in the back of her mind. She took a deep breath and refrained from inducing the next round.
“I’m sorry, the ten minutes are up,” a male nurse interrupted them. He was holding the door open, waiting for Veronica to leave. Logan looked as if their little chat had completely exhausted him.
“Logan, I’m...I’m sorry. I’ll get the bastard, I promise,” she said so quickly that the words tumbled together.
He managed a crooked smile. “Be careful, Ronnie.”
Without thinking, she reached out and brushed his cheek. Then, deeply troubled, she turned around and left, not looking back. Her thoughts going helter-skelter, she almost ran into the sheriff.
“Well, if that isn’t --” Vinnie van Lowe started.
“The last person you expected? Speaking of not living up to expectations, Vinnie, why are you here two days late?”
Vinnie smirked down at her. “Why would I waste my time here, drinking really bad coffee and waiting for a college kid to wake up? I had someone call me as soon as he did and here I am.”
“Wow, you really exploit all resources,” Veronica said sardonically.
“If I did, I would probably find out that you’re not supposed to be here,” he quipped with a smirk.
Veronica threw him a dark look. “Yes, that’s definitely more important than finding the man with the knife. I’m glad you’ve got your priorities right.”
“Well, it’s been nice and all but I have a job to do. Speaking of which, how’s Keith doing?”
“Splendid. Lots of clients that are disappointed with the law.”
“I live to serve,” Vinnie said, grinning, and turned away. Veronica entertained the possibility of sending a few thousand volts through the sheriff. It was a nice thought.
The rest of the day flew by. Time always did when she was working on a case that was so tricky. Gorya Sorokin wasn’t an amateur but that didn’t mean that he hadn’t left any traces. She was pretty sure that he had. It was close to midnight when she finally found something on the crime scene pictures she had taken herself. Half an hour later she scribbled down an address with a feeling of satisfaction. Oh yes, he had been careful. But not careful enough.
She grabbed her bag and her camera and whistled for Backup.
***
It was early in the morning when she walked into the Sheriff’s Department and she wasn’t surprised to find that Vinnie hadn’t shown yet.
“Sacks,” she greeted the deputy.
“Veronica. To what do we owe the pleasure this time?”
“This and that. Attempted murder you don’t investigate. The usual.”
“You’ll have to wait for the sheriff,” he said.
“Is that a Pavlovian response due to me opening my mouth?” Veronica smirked and made her way to the sheriff’s office.
“You can’t --”
“You know I can. Relax, Sacks. Vinnie and I are this close.” A medicine ball could have brought a few friends to exhaust the space between her arms.
Sacks sighed in resignation. “He won’t be happy.”
“I’m counting on it.”
***
“Veronica, wait up!” Piz called after her. She took a deep breath and managed a smile as she turned towards him. She had been in a bitchy mood ever since Vinnie laughed about and shrugged off the photographic evidence and the names she provided him with. Granted, it wasn’t much but she was getting the impression that he didn’t want to investigate the attack on Logan, and she was very interested in finding out why, especially after a sleepless night on a stake-out. She could still get to Gory through Jake Kane but the attack on Logan itself was not incriminating enough. Kane would shrug it off as Gory crossing the line by accident and Logan had thrown the first punch after all. Veronica had totally forgotten about Piz, occupied with the case, as she was walking to the library and heard his voice. This was inevitable, though she had hoped for later rather than sooner.
“Hey.”
“Hey,” he said and gave her a soft kiss. Everything about their relationship was soft, gentle and nice. She could imagine what Logan, could almost hear what he would have to say, and it annoyed her even more that he invaded her thoughts like that. “I called you like twenty times. What’s up?”
Not willing to have this discussion in a corridor, Veronica pulled him into one of the many alcoves of the building. “Sorry, Piz, I was preoccupied. Logan’s in...in the hospital and I’m trying to find out who got him there.”
“Oh,” Piz said. “Well, I have a pretty good guess.”
“Yeah, me too. But my job is to nail the bastard.”
“Is it?” Piz frowned. “I mean, nobody deserves something like that but Logan kind of makes a habit of punch first, ask questions later. I guess the guy who posted that video paid him back.”
Veronica gave him a tight smile, her nerves on end anyway. “So? Should I just lean back and let him get away with it? Sorry, I’m not built that way.”
Piz raised his hands in a defensive gesture. “That’s not what I said.”
“Then what are you saying?” Veronica asked impatiently.
“I’m saying that you shut me out for three days because of him.”
“So this is about you being jealous of Logan?” Veronica raised an eyebrow.
“No. Yes. Veronica, I love you but sometimes I just don’t understand --”
“Exactly. You don’t understand. This is something I have to do.”
Piz leaned against the wall, a picture of misery. “Why?”
Veronica gave him an incredulous look. “Because that’s what I do, Sherlock. Private Eye, remember? On your first day, I found your stuff, too, and I can’t remember you were complaining then.”
“That’s not what I meant. It’s Logan. He was a friend of Mercer’s, he slept with this Madison girl you hate, and not two weeks ago he beat me into a pulp for something I didn’t do and yet, you forget about it in a heartbeat, forget about all of us, because he’s in a mess.”
Veronica felt her temper rising. “Well, maybe I should have told you about the things he did right every now and then. When Dick’s little brother tried to kill me, he saved my life, and he helped me through the worst night of my life, when I believed my dad had been blown up. When Moe drugged me and tried to shave my head, he was there and saved me, again.” Piz gasped in horror. “Right, you didn’t know. You don’t know about a lot of things Logan and I went through together. I was furious at what he did to you and I made that very clear. But when the worst comes to the worst I’m there for him because he’s always got my back, too.”
“I’m sorry, Veronica,” Piz said and he looked it. It was so easy to silence him, too easy.
Veronica took a deep breath. “Piz, let’s be honest, we don’t work out.”
“What?”
“You are the ideal boyfriend and...the girl I used to be in high school would have been happy to have you. Hell, I want to be happy with you, want to have a boyfriend my dad likes and who doesn’t have a criminal record.”
“Veronica!” Piz looked shocked, understanding really dawning on him. This was it and he was obviously not ready.
She pushed back a strand of hair. “Please, let me get this out. I used to be like that. Never in trouble, only visiting the sheriff’s office because my mum asked me to bring dad lunch. The thing is, that’s not me anymore. My friend Lilly’s death...well, it changed me and I can’t go back to who I was. I don’t believe in karma, Piz, I’m more of an Alekto kind of girl.”
“That’s fine. I like who you are now,” Piz assured her, desperation evident in his voice.
“No, you don’t,” Veronica replied pointedly. “I’m sorry, Piz. I’m really sorry.”
“So this is it? You’re breaking up with me just like that? Because I question you once?”
“Come on, you dislike a lot of things I do, you just don’t tell me.”
“Well, I did now. And I can’t believe that you just throw it all away,” Piz reproached her. “You’re still in love with him, aren’t you?”
She swallowed the reply, knowing it was the right thing to do, but she felt sorry for him and them nonetheless. “It’s complicated,” she admitted. “I’m sorry.”
But the truth was that she didn’t feel as sorry as she should.
***
On to part II