Title: Asking Everything in Return
Pairing: Logan/Veronica
Rating: Mature
Summary: Logan has returned from his six-month deployment and now it's back to the real world. Third in the Second Chances series, sequel to Coming Home to You
Author's Notes: I'm generally sticking to the main plot points of MKAT, however, this is my 'fix-it' story – it's how I would have liked to have seen things play out between Logan and Veronica in the book, instead of what we got… so some parts of the book will be the same, others a little different.
Chapter One
The first few days after Logan arrives home are a strange combination of surreal and incredible. He has two weeks of post-deployment leave and so far, he's spent all of it at her apartment. After his homecoming Friday evening and their blissful Saturday together, it's straight back to regular life for Veronica. The California bar exam starts on Tuesday in Los Angeles, so most of Sunday and Monday are filled with last-minute studying, while Logan spends the majority of the time sleeping and eating.
By late Thursday evening, Veronica is wiped. The three-day bar exam is finally over, and with two three-hour sessions of essay writing each day, she's exhausted… and not entirely sure how she managed to survive the final day of testing without either falling asleep or completely losing her mind.
When she lets herself into her small, cosy Dog Beach apartment, she finds Logan lounging on the second-hand, grey-and white-striped couch she found in a small thrift store along the PCH, one foot resting on the cushions, knee drawn up, the other flat on the floor. A well-worn paperback is in his hand. Veronica's eyes involuntarily drift over his prone form. He's clad in a pair of sweatpants and a tight-fitting US Navy t-shirt, and God, he looks good.
"Hey," he says, giving a small smile and nodding in acknowledgement as she drops her bag to the floor. "How'd it go?"
"Well, it was long. And exhausting," she says, kicking off her shoes and walking over to him, bare feet padding across the hardwood floor.
"But it went okay?" he asks, discarding the book to one side and pulling himself up into a sitting position, placing his feet flat on the floor.
"Hope so, but let's not talk about it anymore," she says, placing one knee on the couch, and bracing her hands on his shoulders as she straddles his lap. "I need a distraction."
"You do, huh?" He grins up at her, his hands coming to her waist. "I think that can be arranged."
Veronica smiles back, a familiar warmth building in her chest as she curls her fingers around the back of his neck, stroking the skin gently.
"You didn't spend the whole day just sprawled across my living room furniture, did you?" she asks teasingly.
He seems to ponder that for a moment, before the side of his mouth tugs up into a smirk.
"No, not the whole day," he says. "I took a shower in the bathroom, ate a sandwich in the kitchen, took a nap in the bedroom."
"So, a productive day, then." Veronica schools her features into an expression of faux-sympathy as she adds, "Wow, you must be exhausted."
"You would think," he says, shifting slightly beneath her, curving his hands around her bottom. "But now that you're here, I might just be able to find my second wind."
"Really?" she says airily. "Well, I've just spent six hours answering essay questions, so I'll leave you with your second wind and go get some sleep."
"Aw, what?" He grumbles, frowning as she moves to stand, his hands clutching her hips to keep her there, as his lower lip juts out in a pout. "You can't do that."
"I can't?" Veronica feigns innocence, looking down at him.
She keeps a straight face as long as she can—which isn't all that long at all when he's looking at her like that—before grinning.
"I don't know what I was thinking." Her arms slide around his neck again as she lowers herself back down onto his lap. "Of course I can't."
"Damn fuckin' right you can't," he replies emphatically.
"I'm so glad you're home," she murmurs softly, pressing her forehead to his.
"Me, too." He smiles, relaxing when she runs her fingers through his hair.
She brings one hand around to cup his jaw, tilting it up until their mouths are almost touching, then lets her tongue slip out, licking her lips, swiping across his lower lip with the tip as she does so. Logan shudders beneath her.
"V'ronica," he murmurs, pleading, stretching up to capture her mouth with his.
She lets him, just for a moment, then pulls back. She grins when he goes in again, straightening just as he catches her lower lip between his, leaving him chasing after her again. When she does it a third time, he stops, pulling back with a frown.
"Quit teasing."
"Teasing?" she enquires innocently. She leans in, lowering her mouth to his ear, swirling her tongue around the lobe. "What is this thing you call 'teasing'?"
"Geez," he mutters, voice strangled as his fingers dig into the flesh of her bottom, tugging her close so she can feel his arousal.
Veronica bites back a moan. It feels so good to be able to do this again, to have him right here with her, to be able to touch him whenever she likes.
"Bedroom?" he asks throatily, jerking his head in the direction of her room.
She lifts her head, gives a wicked smile. "Nah, right here is good for me."
"Okay, then." His palms slide along her denim-clad thighs and she shivers.
"Just…" She slides back and stands up, holding one finger up. "Gimme one second."
She turns to leave and hears him groan behind her. "Seriously?"
Okay, so she feels a little guilty for leaving him hanging, but she's pretty sure he doesn't have any protection stashed in those sweatpants, so a trip to the bedroom it is. Ducking inside the room, she strips off her top and jeans, then reaches for her favourite shirt—Logan's navy-blue button down—and slips it on over her bra and panties, leaving it unbuttoned. Checking her reflection in the mirror, she grabs a condom from the bedside drawer and tucks it into her bra before heading out to the living room again.
Logan's back to flipping the pages of his paperback and Veronica smirks, sauntering up behind him and slipping her arms around his shoulders.
"Forget about me, already?"
He grins, turning his head and stealing a kiss. "Never."
Veronica straightens, letting her fingers trail along the back of the cushions as she rounds the couch. She comes to a stop in front of him, plucking the book out of his hands and dropping it onto the coffee table.
"Okay, buddy, get comfortable." She nudges him sideways and he complies, stretching out on the sofa, one arm propped beneath his head as he looks up at her with a lazy grin.
"You just gonna stand there and flash your underwear at me from under that shirt, or are you gonna…?" He frowns then. "Wait, isn't that my shirt?"
"Yes, it is." Veronica grins, kneeling over him, straddling his hips. "And no, I'm not."
"Hmm…" She sits back on her heels, resting against his thighs and letting her fingers run down over his cotton-covered stomach. "Shirt. Off."
He quirks an eyebrow but doesn't move. "Demanding, aren't we?"
"Yeah, well, I've had a long day. A long three days," she amends. "I think I deserve to be at least a little demanding."
He purses his lips, studying her for a moment, before giving a long-suffering sigh. "Fine. What the lady wants…"
He sits up, and Veronica can feel his abdominal muscles flexing beneath her fingers. Not for the first time in the last few months, she wonders what happened to the slouching, slightly soft-around-the-edges Logan she knew ten years ago. Not that she doesn't love how he is now, but sometimes, it's like he's turned into a completely different person. He tugs the shirt off and moves to toss it away, but Veronica swipes it from his fingers, holding it up to her nose, inhaling the familiar notes of his cedar and sandalwood cologne.
God, she's missed his scent.
"Okay, eww." She opens her eyes. He's watching her with distaste, nose wrinkled, though his eyes are sparkling with amusement. "You know that's all sweaty, right?"
"Shut up," she admonishes playfully, pointing at the button-down she's wearing. "I needed a fix… this one stopped smelling like you months ago."
"Hey, I'm right here." He gestures to himself. "Instant fix any time you like."
She drops the shirt to the floor, smiling happily as she leans down over him, resting her palms on his chest as she kisses him softly, then murmurs, "I know."
His lips curl up into a smile and he lifts a hand to her face, tucking a stray strand of hair behind her ear, letting his fingers trail along her cheek. His expression softens and Veronica finds herself falling into his tender gaze. He tilts his chin, kisses her again, and she has to bite back a sigh of pleasure at the feel of his mouth on hers.
He nuzzles her nose, then murmurs teasingly, "So, we just making small talk here, or are we gonna fuck? 'Cause I got things do to."
Veronica gasps, affronted, swatting at his bare chest. "Fuck off, you do not."
He seems to think about it for a moment, before relenting. "Yeah, you're right. I'm all yours."
"Yes, you are." She grins.
"Seriously though, folks. Let's get the ball rolling, shall we?" He returns his arm to its former position behind his head, lazy grin back in place. With the other arm, he gestures toward his crotch. "It's all yours."
Veronica just arches one eyebrow, glancing down at the arousal obvious through his sweatpants, before giving an amused snort.
"Not quite what I had in mind. At least not right now." She pauses, narrowing her eyes. "You know, I'm the one who's been stuck in an exam hall for the past three days while you've just been lounging around my apartment doing nothing; if anything, you should be the one doing all the work here."
Logan shrugs, giving a throaty chuckle. ""Hey, this position was your idea, not mine."
Veronica gives an exaggerated roll of her eyes, then leans in so their lips are almost touching. "Hey, Logan?"
"Yes, Veronica?"
"Stop talking."
Without waiting for a response, she closes the gap, capturing his lips with hers, pouring everything she's feeling into the kiss—playfulness, tenderness, affection. He responds without hesitation, arms tightening around her, palms flat against her back.
He feels amazing, Veronica muses absently as his tongue tangles with hers, as his hands roam her body beneath the shirt, as he extracts the condom from her bra and frees himself from the sweatpants, rolling it on. I've missed this so much.
Not even bothering with further removal of clothes, Logan tugs her panties to one side and slides up into her, making her gasp. They start slow, just savouring the feel of being together again, stealing kisses between sighs and moans, then Logan grabs her hips, fingers digging into her skin, guiding her movements as he thrusts up into her, harder and faster, and Veronica can't stop the moans of pleasure slipping from her lips as she tips over the edge, falling into ecstasy.
"Mmm," Logan mumbles when she curls up against him, spent, his hands roaming her back beneath the soft material of his shirt. "That was good."
Veronica lifts her head incredulously. "Good? That's all you got?"
He grins, his fingers tracing gentle circles on her back. "Okay, that was fuckin' A. Not to mention much needed."
"Well, excuse me for being too stressed and tired to have sex the last couple of days." She tries to keep it playful, though a hint of annoyance sneaks through.
"Hey." He shifts, glancing down at her. "Sorry, I didn't mean… I wasn't expecting… Shit, I know how fucking hard you've worked this week."
"I know what you meant." Veronica says reassuringly, relaxing back against him. "Besides, the exam is over now, which means I have lots of free time to spend with you."
"What about work? Your cases?"
"I'm taking the rest of the week off, and some of next week too."
"Yeah?"
"Yep, I'm all yours. Until Wednesday morning, anyway." She pauses, unsure whether to bring the next topic up now or wait until closer to the time. "Although…"
Logan stills beneath her, sensing her hesitance. "What is it?"
"You're invited for dinner Monday night." She tries not to cringe as she adds, "At my dad's."
He sighs, looking to the ceiling. "Yeah? He seriously wants me there?"
"Yes. And yes, he does."
"He doesn't like me, Veronica." He sounds resigned.
She frowns, looking up at him, resting her chin on her hand over his chest. "What are you talking about? He likes you."
"He tolerates me, for your sake. But that's about it," he states bluntly. "He blames me for keeping you here."
Okay, he may kind of have a point. Even though Veronica has told Keith over and over that he decision to stay in Neptune has little to do with Logan, he still doesn't seem entirely convinced.
She shakes her head though. "No, he doesn't… okay, I'll admit, he might have some small reservations, but that's more about me than you."
"I don't know, Veronica…"
"Come on," she says, resting her hand on his chest and propping her chin up on it so she can look at him. "You've faced a hell of a lot worse than a dinner with my father. Please?"
He glances at her doubtfully, before giving a heavy sigh. "Okay, fine. I'll go. For you."
She smiles, kisses his chest. "Thank you."
"So, Logan, must be nice to be back on US soil again," says Keith, cutting into his steak at dinner a few nights later.
Logan eyes the juices spilling from the man's tender cut as he nods. "Yes, sir."
"Bet you're glad to be off that ship, right?"
Logan grins wryly at that. "Definitely, sir."
Keith stops, fork midway to his mouth, and frowns, eyes narrowing. "You know, I can't tell if you're being serious or sarcastic with all this 'sir' stuff."
"Oh, definitely serious, sir." Logan replies, giving a solemn nod.
He is being serious—Navy etiquette and all that—but Veronica doesn't look convinced of that as she hides a smirk behind her glass of wine.
"Right," says Keith, reaching for the bottle of wine and topping up his glass, then holding it up towards Logan. "You sure you don't want any wine?"
He sees Veronica look toward him hesitantly, but he just shrugs. He has nothing to hide, or be ashamed of anymore. "No, thanks, Mr. Mars. I'm fine with water."
Keith's eyebrows rise in surprise. "Guess alcohol and flying planes don't mix, huh?"
Logan glances toward Veronica, who gives him a reassuring smile, before shaking his head. "No, it's not that. I can drink when I'm not on duty. It's just that I don't. Not anymore."
Keith looks surprised. "You don't drink? At all?"
He shakes his head. "After… what happened… well I—"
"Almost eight years sober now, right?" Veronica reaches across the table to squeeze his hand.
Logan looks over at her, gives a warm smile. "Yeah."
"Oh." Keith blinks, looking between the two of them. "Wow. Okay." As he cut into his steak again, he mumbled, "Never thought I'd see the day."
"Dad!" Veronica admonishes, glancing at Logan apologetically.
"Hey, it's okay," Logan says, before turning to Keith. "You're not the first person to have said that. Believe me."
Keith nods, turning back to his steak. They eat in silence and Logan takes the opportunity to reflect on the evening so far. He's been expecting Veronica to try to commandeer the conversation, steer it away from anything personal, like she had that time they had dinner with her father back in college, but she's been surprisingly quiet this time, allowing he and Keith to engage in casual conversation without interrupting.
"So, Logan, what are your plans now you're home?" Keith speaks up a couple of minutes later.
"I'm due to start shore rotation next week, so I'll be on dry land for the next 18 months or so."
"And what do you do on shore rotation?"
"I've been assigned to the Fleet Readiness Center down at North Island," Logan says. "I'll be running diagnostics on the F/A-18s."
"Which means what, exactly?" asks Keith, leaning forward with interest.
"I help them discover what's wrong with the jets before it's too late to fix them."
"Wait," Veronica interrupts with a frown. "You'll be flying broken planes? Isn't that dangerous?"
"It'll only be testing for minor faults, under controlled conditions," Logan assures her. "It's pretty safe."
"So, you'll be living down on the base in San Diego?" asks Keith then, his implication clear.
"Well, I have a condo just off-base," he says, avoiding Veronica's gaze. "Guess I'll be living there."
Keith nods, looking between Logan and Veronica. "And what about the two of you? What are your plans now?"
Logan tries not to wince as he attempts to form a suitable response. "Uh…"
"Dad, come on," Veronica cuts in, looking annoyed, if not slightly uncomfortable. "That's kinda our business, not yours."
"Sorry." Keith holds his hands up. "You're right. Not my business."
Conversation turns to Mars Investigations and the latest happenings in Neptune, for which Logan is grateful. To be honest, while he has been staying with Veronica since he got back, he's not entirely sure what's going to happen when he has to return to work next week. They haven't exactly discussed future living arrangements yet.
"So," Veronica says as Logan pulls the BMW up outside her apartment building later that evening. "You staying here tonight, or you just dropping me off and heading back to your bachelor pad in San Diego?"
There's a bite to her tone and Logan sighs. He should have seen this coming; she's been even more uncharacteristically quiet since the whole San Diego discussion at dinner.
"You know I didn't mean it like that, Veronica," he says, turning to her, one hand resting on the steering wheel.
"Do I?" She lifts an eyebrow challengingly. "I thought you were pretty clear with the whole 'I'm gonna live in San Diego' thing."
"What did you expect me to say?" he shoots back. "'Oh, yes, Mr. Mars, I plan to shack up with your daughter and have illicit sex with her for the next 18 months'? I'm sure that would have gone down well."
Veronica opens her mouth to retort, then closes it quickly and sinks back into her seat, relenting. "Yeah, okay."
"Look," he says softly. "I didn't know what else to say. We haven't exactly talked about it, you know… about what happens next."
She sighs. "I know. I know we haven't."
"So, maybe we should," he says hesitantly. "Talk about it."
"Yeah, we should." She nods. "But not tonight."
She reaches for the door handles and climbs out of the car. Logan watches as she heads towards the apartment, before giving a sigh and following her.
Guess some things haven't changed.
Logan remains silent as they climb the three flights of steps to her apartment, while she unlocks the door, but when they step inside and she heads straight for the bedroom, he stops her with a hand on her arm.
"I think we should talk about this now," he says when she looks up at him questioningly. "I know you, Veronica…if we don't, you're just gonna keep putting it off."
She studies him for a long moment, then nods, moving over to the sofa and sinking down onto it. "Okay, fine. Let's talk."
Logan joins her, sitting with one leg bent beneath him so he can face her side-on. She's watching him expectantly, but Logan doesn't speak right away, just takes a moment to look at her, admiring her gorgeous features illuminated by the soft light from the lamp across the room.
"Logan?" she queries.
He just smiles softly, then, unable to help himself, leans in, cups her cheek, and kisses her. When he pulls back, he finds her looking at him with amusement.
"What?"
She gives a wry smile. "I thought I was about to get a lecture. You know, something about not opening up…"
Logan shakes his head. "I'm not gonna lecture you, Veronica. I just want us to do it right this time, talk about these things instead of tiptoeing around them. Make sure we're on the same page here."
"Yeah, okay." She looks sheepish. "Sorry."
"Okay, so, as of next week, I'm going to be working on base every day," he says. "In San Diego. And you'll be here, in Neptune."
"Right," she agrees. "And I guess the logical thing would be for you to live in San Diego and me to live here."
"Yeah, and we could see each other on the weekends," he says, then pauses, levelling her with a thoughtful look. "But do you want to do that?"
Veronica grimaces. "Not really."
"So, maybe, we could… live together?"
That causes a wince, along with a 'deer in headlights' expression, which, though not unexpected, still causes a twinge of disappointment.
"I, uh… I'm not sure I'm ready for that," she admits, looking apologetic. "You've only been back a few days."
"I know." He reaches over, taking her hand, and she sighs.
"See, this is why I didn't want to talk about it," she admits. "It's too soon to be making big decisions like this."
Okay, fair enough. She has a point.
"Yeah, you're right," he says.
It wouldn't be fair on Veronica to ask her to live in San Diego, away from her father and Mac and Wallace. Yet, he can't really give up his condo either, not just because he's tied into a lease, but also because he wants somewhere close to the base where he can stay if he needs to. It wouldn't make sense to rent somewhere in Neptune as well, and staying with Dick is out because he doesn't even have a bedroom there, just a makeshift bed. So, really, the only solution that makes sense is—
"Look." Veronica squeezes his hand. "I'm not saying I don't want to, you know, live together… but we're still getting to know each other again. Can't we just take things as they come and see what happens, rather than making anything official just yet?"
Logan nods. "Yeah, okay."
She smiles then. "Great."
"So, just to be clear… I'm staying here tonight, right?"
Veronica smiles, a smile that lights up her face, as she leans forward. Just before her lips touch his, she whispers. "Of course you are."
The remainder of Logan's leave passes in a blur of sated bliss, punctuated by a few trips into the office and stake-outs, some of which Logan decides to tag along for. He claims it's because he wants to spend time with her, but Veronica thinks it's more likely he's bored stuck in her apartment.
She can only imagine what it's like to have been in such a high-intensity, dangerous environment for months at a time, always on the go, only to come back and suddenly have nothing to do. More than once in the last few days, Veronica has been woken in the night by Logan startling awake, shooting up in the bed, thinking he's still on the ship. Each time, he apologises, assuring her he won't do it again, but it seems to be a subconscious reaction and not something he can control.
Once he returns to work and they start to settle into some semblance of a routine, he begins sleeping much more peacefully.
It's nice, actually: each morning, Logan gets up early for a run, trying not to wake Veronica in the process, though he's usually unsuccessful, then she drags herself out of bed and fixes breakfast while he showers and dresses. After he's left for the base, Veronica gets ready herself and heads into the office. Depending on her workload, sometimes she's home before Logan returns and starts making dinner, and other days, when she's been on stakeouts or in the office late into the evening, he's either lounging on the sofa or waiting for her in bed.
Tonight, though, it's after midnight when she gets home, having spent the day in Los Angeles following leads for her latest case, then getting stuck in Friday evening traffic for three hours and also having to head into the office when she finally made it back to Neptune.
The lights are off when she lets herself into the apartment and for a moment, she thinks maybe she's just dreamed the last four weeks and that Logan is still on the ship and hasn't come home yet. But then she turns on the lamp and spots his cover on the kitchen counter, and one of his US Navy T-shirts strewn across the couch and she sighs with relief.
There's a note on the counter, which she picks up with interest:
Tried to wait up, but too exhausted.
Dinner's in the fridge if you haven't eaten.
L
Veronica smiles as she places it back down on the worktop. She grabbed some take-out before heading to the office earlier, but forgot to message Logan to let him know she wouldn't need any dinner. But even if she was hungry, the call of her bed—with Logan in it—is much too tempting.
After a quick trip to the bathroom to wash up and brush her teeth, she pries open the bedroom door and tiptoes inside. She can just about make out Logan's sleeping form in the bed as she tugs off her clothes, fumbling around for her sleep-shirt—another of his t-shirts—and pulling it over her head. She slips into the bed, snuggling up to Logan's warm, bare back, slipping her arm around his waist and pressing her nose to the skin between his shoulder blades. He shifts a little, letting out a small, incoherent mumble, and she smiles, relaxing against him and drifting off to sleep.