Title: Done Running
Rating: T
Pairing(s)/Character(s): Veronica/Logan, Heather
Warnings: None
Disclaimer: Don't own 'em - not making any money off 'em. Dern it.
Word Count: 1,139
Summary: Set in Season 3. How Veronica and Logan might have reconciled after the Madison breakup if I was in charge.
Notes: I want to thank everyone that reviewed my first VM fic, 'Unconventional Match.' It's always a little nerve-wracking for me when I'm new to a fandom and post my first fic to it. I didn't even know how active the fandom still was. I was pleasantly surprised by the response. It made me want to write you another LoVe fic, another redo of a particular plot point that I always found annoying. I hope you enjoy this little fic, and I hope you'll review it as well.
Veronica is looking through a case file when the door to Mars Investigation opens. Thinking it's her dad, she doesn't look up as she comments, "This Mark guy is a real picaroon. Why are we helping him again?" There's no answer, and she playfully smacks her forehead. "Oh, right. The money. I feel cheep."
When she finally tears her eyes away from the case file, her breath catches at the sight of someone who's very much not her dad. "Logan." She swallows harshly and curses her damn heartbeat for speeding up in her ex-boyfriend's mere presence. "What are you doing here?"
"Veronica, I miss you." It's stated so simply, so matter-of-factly.
"Logan..." She trails off, not knowing what to say. She already said everything she had to when she broke up with him.
He steps forward and she notices that even though he seems to be clean, he has bloodshot eyes, showing his exhaustion, and he's a bit scruffy.
Her eyes widen when a young girl steps from behind him. "Hi, my name's Heather."
"Um, hi. Logan, why are you and your new friend here?"
"Please, can you listen to Logan? He really, really loves you?" Heather pleads, her face doing a remarkable puppy dog expression.
"Heather, don't help me," he orders. He leaves the young girl near the door and moves closer to Veronica as she stands up. At her raised eyebrows, he explains, "I'm babysitting. Can we talk?"
"Now? While you're babysitting?"
"Heather actually gave me the courage. Please?"
She crosses her arms over her chest. "I don't think there's anything left for me to say."
"What if I have something left to say? I always let you talk. Don't you think you owe me the same courtesy?"
She brushes some bangs out of eyes, pushing her hair behind on of her ears. "Okay. Talk," she orders.
"Okay. I know I screwed up. I hurt you. I'm not denying you the right to be angry at me. What I did with Madison was a drunken mistake while we were broke up, though. I don't even remember it. And I was hoping you'd never find out, not because I wanted to lie to you but because I knew how much it would hurt you."
Her heart clenches at the unmasked pain in Logan's eyes and voice. Days have passed since their breakup, and she much of her anger has gone away, especially when she took the high road and didn't have Madison's car cubed. And logically, she can understand where Logan is coming from. Still, she doesn't know if that's enough for her.
"Logan, the day after Shelly's party, I wake up with no memory but knowing that I was..." she trails off meaningfully, remembering there's a young girl nearby.
He nods in understanding.
"I find my car with the word 'slut' written across it, thanks to Madison. Not only that, but I also find out later that she was the one who gave me the drink that made it happen."
"I know, and I get why you associate with Madison with that night –"
"And that's not even including how she treated me throughout high school," she interrupts.
"I know. I get all that, but you have to remember that she didn't know about the drug. She's a bitch," he whispers the last word, "but she wasn't voluntarily responsible for what happened to you that night. And she means nothing to me. Nothing. Besides Lily, you're the only girl I ever loved, and my feelings for you far outweigh my feelings for Lily. I never thought we'd get back together, so I used some pain management and had a forgettable one night stand." He cups her cheek. "It meant nothing, and I threw up the next morning when I realized what I had done. I love you, Veronica. I'm sorry. I'll do anything to have you back. Just give me a chance to make things right between us. Don't run from me. Don't run from us. I love you."
Veronica feels choked up, seeing the raw emotion and sincerity in Logan's eyes. She turns her head to kiss his palm. "I was in the lingerie store, trying to buy something special for you. She took great pleasure in telling me that you don't like the one-pieces. You know how insecure I've always been when comes to..."
"Sex?" Heather asks helpfully.
Both of them look at her in surprise, having momentarily forgotten about her presence.
"What? I'm eleven. Not stupid."
Logan and Veronica don't answer the precocious girl. Instead, they turn back to each other and Veronica continues where she left off. "You know I've always been insecure about sex, always afraid that my lack of experience bored you. And then Madison was telling me all of these things, pushing the right buttons to make that insecurity skyrocket."
Logan leans forward and kisses her forehead. "Veronica, you're a lot of things: stubborn, nosy, difficult, and sometimes a bit annoying. One thing that I have never found you to be was boring, though. I'm so sorry that you had to find out like that. She's meaningless, and she knows it. She knows she'll never have someone who cares about her as much as I care about you; that's why she took such great pleasure in hurting you. Who in their right mind could love a selfish bitch like Madison Sinclair? Please, don't let her ruin this. Don't give her that much power, the satisfaction of having destroyed us. Not after everything we've been through."
Veronica searches his eyes, sees the devotion and love in them. And suddenly, she doesn't want to fight it. She doesn't want to continue resisting, so tired of trying to stay away when all her heart cries for is Logan.
She grabs his head and pulls his lips down to hers, devouring them in a claiming kiss. He groans and eagerly returns the embrace. His hands grasp her waist and pull their bodies flush together.
They pull back from each other, just enough to talk. "No more Madison," she warns.
"No more," he promises, and she knows he's not just talking about Madison but other girls as well. As if to confirm her suspicions, he continues, "You're it for me."
They kiss again but are soon brought out of their lust-filled reverie by boisterous shouts. "It worked, it worked, it worked!"
Logan laughs and rests his forehead against hers. "Suddenly, I really wish I wasn't babysitting."
She raises her eyebrows at his erection. "Yeah, me too."
They kiss as Heather continues dancing around the office.
They still have things to work through, but Veronica has finally decided that she's done running. Logan is the only one she wants to be with, and she's not going to let anyone, especially Madison Sinclair, get in her way.