Ficlet: Stay (Logan/Veronica) PG
Title: Stay
Author: sadiekate
Pairing/Character: Logan/Veronica
Word Count: 487
Rating: PG
Summary: An intermediate finale scene.
Spoilers: Through the second-season finale.
Warnings: None.
Author's Note: This one's for jascott for requesting it, and helpwess for insisting I follow through and do it. Because basically, I do anything that helpwess tells me to do. Oh, and it's also for Iced-Ti, because I'm pretty sure she used this title first. X-posted to fic_from_mars and veronicamarsfic.
Veronica falls asleep on the way home from the hotel. When Logan brings her in from the car, she is dead weight in his arms, but she is still maybe the lightest thing he has ever carried with him.
So, it’s not her weight he collapses under on the couch, but the weight of the past three years.
He could stand again, of course. Carry her to her room, tuck her in and leave her behind. If there’s anything he’s learned, it’s that she doesn’t like witnesses to her weaknesses. She’s good at building walls, as good as he is, even, but when she’s sprawled boneless and defenseless across his legs, all he can see is the rubble around her.
He thinks that maybe he is a terrible person. Because she’s lost everything, and part of him is glad that maybe now someone will understand his life a little more. Except he can’t be that awful, because all he can think about is the ways he wishes he could make things right. If he could raise the dead for her, he would. He’d bring her father back to her. He’d bring Cassidy back and kill him all over again for the ways that he wrecked her.
He’d bring Lilly back, and then maybe it would be like none of this ever happened.
But he can’t raise the dead. All he can do is struggle to his feet, and carry her to her room, and wrap the covers around her insubstantial frame.
And he can walk to the front door and leave her in the solitude that she must be longing for.
Or, he can hesitate with his hand on the knob. Because there’s no reason why she should want him there, but there are a million reasons why he should stay anyway.
It doesn’t take long to make his choice. He flips the lock on the door, like he can keep at bay the monsters beyond with just a flimsy bolt of metal. He curls up on the couch where she broke his heart almost a year ago, back when he foolishly believed things could never get worse.
He stays, and he knows that in the morning he’ll keep on staying. He’ll get up and make her a breakfast she won’t be able to swallow around the lump in her throat. He’ll stay while she makes plans to bury the only parent they had between the two of them that was ever worth a damn.
He’ll stay even if she doesn’t want him to, because she’s lost everything, and she should have one person to hold onto, even if it’s the last person she probably wants.
He’ll stay because he’s selfish, and he doesn’t want to lose her again, because he is always always always losing her.
He’ll stay to pick up the pieces, and he’ll hope that maybe when she’s mostly whole again, she’ll stay, too.
Author: sadiekate
Pairing/Character: Logan/Veronica
Word Count: 487
Rating: PG
Summary: An intermediate finale scene.
Spoilers: Through the second-season finale.
Warnings: None.
Author's Note: This one's for jascott for requesting it, and helpwess for insisting I follow through and do it. Because basically, I do anything that helpwess tells me to do. Oh, and it's also for Iced-Ti, because I'm pretty sure she used this title first. X-posted to fic_from_mars and veronicamarsfic.
Veronica falls asleep on the way home from the hotel. When Logan brings her in from the car, she is dead weight in his arms, but she is still maybe the lightest thing he has ever carried with him.
So, it’s not her weight he collapses under on the couch, but the weight of the past three years.
He could stand again, of course. Carry her to her room, tuck her in and leave her behind. If there’s anything he’s learned, it’s that she doesn’t like witnesses to her weaknesses. She’s good at building walls, as good as he is, even, but when she’s sprawled boneless and defenseless across his legs, all he can see is the rubble around her.
He thinks that maybe he is a terrible person. Because she’s lost everything, and part of him is glad that maybe now someone will understand his life a little more. Except he can’t be that awful, because all he can think about is the ways he wishes he could make things right. If he could raise the dead for her, he would. He’d bring her father back to her. He’d bring Cassidy back and kill him all over again for the ways that he wrecked her.
He’d bring Lilly back, and then maybe it would be like none of this ever happened.
But he can’t raise the dead. All he can do is struggle to his feet, and carry her to her room, and wrap the covers around her insubstantial frame.
And he can walk to the front door and leave her in the solitude that she must be longing for.
Or, he can hesitate with his hand on the knob. Because there’s no reason why she should want him there, but there are a million reasons why he should stay anyway.
It doesn’t take long to make his choice. He flips the lock on the door, like he can keep at bay the monsters beyond with just a flimsy bolt of metal. He curls up on the couch where she broke his heart almost a year ago, back when he foolishly believed things could never get worse.
He stays, and he knows that in the morning he’ll keep on staying. He’ll get up and make her a breakfast she won’t be able to swallow around the lump in her throat. He’ll stay while she makes plans to bury the only parent they had between the two of them that was ever worth a damn.
He’ll stay even if she doesn’t want him to, because she’s lost everything, and she should have one person to hold onto, even if it’s the last person she probably wants.
He’ll stay because he’s selfish, and he doesn’t want to lose her again, because he is always always always losing her.
He’ll stay to pick up the pieces, and he’ll hope that maybe when she’s mostly whole again, she’ll stay, too.