A/N: I've never tried writing anything this fluffy or in present-tense before, but there's a first for everything. I needed a break from the "In Between" angst. Special thanks to Bondopoulos for encouraging me to write whichever story feels like "it's about to write itself."

This story is partly inspired by "The Pygmalion," partly by an online prompt, partly by "You've Got Mail" the movie, and partly by "Control" by SilverLining2k6. Rob Thomas owns all the characters, but I love playing with them. I promise I won't leave "In Between" unfinished. Here goes nothing :)


"Veronica, I need your help."

She turns at the sound of the soft voice, her own fingers still smoothing out the edges of her hair in front of the bathroom mirror. Her eyes appraise her latest customer. Short black hair, unfamiliar features, and two nervous hands fumbling in front of her jacket - the girl's a freshman alright.

Given how her last outing with a freshman turned out, heaven forgive her for not being particularly excited.

She puts on a reluctant half-smile. "How can I help you?"

"My name is Chelsea. And I'm - " the girl, even shorter than Veronica, mumbles timidly, "I'm being bullied - a lot."

Instantly curious, Veronica leans her hip against the green tiles of the sink counter. She crosses her arms. "By whom?"

"That's the thing." Chelsea looks up, eyes teary. "I don't know."


"So wait, let me get this straight. You're being bullied - on the Internet?" Veronica tries to keep her voice soft. Lunch period is way too public for drama.

Chelsea nods back across their trays. Their table is secluded, but not completely.

Veronica gives their surroundings another once-over. "So why are they bullying you?"

"Well - " The freshman sighs, her sentence unfinished.

"Chelsea, I want to help." The blonde reaches over, fingers finding the young girl's chubby forearm. "But I need to know more if I'm gonna get anything done. You know that, right?"

She watches the hesitation flick by her lunch buddy's face before she's answered with a nod.

"How do they bully you?" Veronica asks, her tone significantly gentler than before.

"They call me names. They joke about me on the forum," Chelsea blurts. "Then yesterday, they sent a package to my house - it was full of bad language and a mutilated picture."

"Of you?"

Chelsea nods. "Of me. And, well, plus someone else."

"Is someone else being bullied along with you?"

Chelsea looks around before she answers. "I guess, but well - he doesn't know it."

Confusing, very confusing - this girl is. But hey, she promised to help; she'll help. She frowns incrementally, mind processing.

"Chelsea, could you tell me why you're being bullied?"

The tears that suddenly rain on Chelsea's tray catch her off-guard. The freshman sobs before she speaks, "They bully me - because of the stuff I write."

"You write - online?"

"Yes, fanfiction."

"Fanfiction?"

"Yes, it's like made-up stories about celebrities or characters you like." Her words barely make it over the heaving sobs.

"And these bullies - they use aliases online."

Chelsea nods vehemently.

"And they are bullying you and your guy friend for writing fanfiction because?"

"Because the guy isn't my friend." Chelsea pauses. "It's Logan Echolls."


Fanfiction - apparently, the hobby goes back as far as the Bronte sisters, way before the 20th century and its brainchild the Internet. The accessibility of fanfiction, along with all its consequences, however, is a rather young addition to the family.

Veronica flops down at her bedroom desk and pulls out her laptop.

"Let's see - www. alternateuniverse. net," she talks to herself as her fingers fly over the keyboard.

She cringes instantly at the gaudy layout of the home page; but she's here on a mission, and she's never one to let a mission go.

Section: Celebrities. Name: Echolls.

Veronica clicks away to locate Chelsea's cursed tale.

Why anyone in their right mind would spend time reading - let alone writing - about Logan Echolls baffles her. Yes, he's rich, he's charming, he's attractive, and he's a complete jackass. His parents may be famous, but she couldn't say the same about him.

Sure, he can be witty and charismatic - but, well, those things don't make him any less of a jerk.

Veronica leans back as she scrolls down the page of fan-written stories about the Echolls family. Apparently, Chelsea's not the only crazy one.

Each story title comes with an accompanying byline and summary.

"That Special Summer" by Rowena092: Aaron falls in love with his 18-year-old co-star as they film in Hawaii
"Pink Diapers" by 143Aaron: What if instead of Logan, Aaron and Lynn had a baby girl?
"Trip to Tinseltown" by RosemaryAnne: Trina buys Logan a special Christmas present.

Topics range from mundane to ludicrous to seriously disturbing. Veronica groans. How could anyone write with so much liberty about real people's lives?

After a few minutes of sorting through the inscrutably small text, she finally lands at Chelsea's story.

"Secret Chamber" by LLEcholls4Ever: In his junior year at Neptune High, Logan falls in love with a new transfer student.

Really, Chelsea? Really?

Veronica sighs. Chelsea may be young and foolish, but no one deserves the treatment she's receiving - no matter how naive he or she may happen to be.

She clicks on the story proper, holds her breath, and reads.

Love finds us all in unexpected places. And for Logan, the love of his life happened to be right in front of him.
He was hanging out with the boys at the lunch table. They looked bored. Then, Cherry walked into the quad. She shimmered in her summer dress.
Logan's mouth went dry the moment she arrived. He knew he had found the one.

Gagging suddenly becomes a top priority. "Cherry" - really? Her new friend is apparently both naive and delusional.

It took him two weeks to find the courage to talk to her.
"Hey," he said as he walked up to her locker. "You look really pretty."
"Thanks." She smiled back at him.
"Could you please go to the winter dance with me? Please don't break my heart."
What Logan didn't know was that she was watching him the whole two weeks that he was watching her.
"Of course." She replied.
She reminded him to wear a blue tie because she was gonna wear blue. They both knew it was going to be the best night of their lives.

And there's a chapter two? People enjoy this literary garbage?

Veronica swallows back the bile already creeping up her throat. She jumps to the latest chapter - an incredible chapter 22.

"No, no, don't leave me." Logan held her close as he cried.
"Logan, your friends don't like me."
"But I love you. That's enough right? I will always love you more than anything."
Cherry was very sad about how Logan's friends humiliated her. But she was glad to know that he loved her more.
"I love you too, Logan." She held him tightly.
Logan smiled and kissed her feverishly. Their tongues warred with each other's. She ran her hands down his chest and his fingers moved from her hips to her waist and to her breasts -

Hyperventilating, Veronica jumps up from her chair. Her eyes sting; her heart throbs - but not in a pleasant way.


Surrounded by sickly green bathroom tiles, she actively regulates her breathing. She tried; she really did. But a case that needs her to read imaginary tales about a gentle, mushy, and erotic Logan Echolls isn't going to help her any.

Veronica lowers her eyes. If it had been way back, maybe she could've helped Chelsea with a laugh or two at the ridiculous writing. But now? Reading about a tender-hearted Logan is only going to remind her of how things will never be that way again.

That Logan - the one who thought she was hot at twelve - well, he doesn't exist anymore.

"Veronica!" The door gives way to a sobbing Chelsea running straight at her.

Veronica finds herself wrapped in a suffocating hug. She places her hands lightly on Chelsea's shoulder blades. "What happened?"

"They - they attacked my locker!"

Veronica's sweater starts getting uncomfortably wet and snotty.

She pushes the young girl back carefully, avoiding contact with the watery wasteland on her face. "Chelsea, what did they do?"

Between sniffles, Chelsea pulls out a stack of colored paper from her backpack. She holds them out to Veronica.

One sheet has Chelsea's picture with "SLUT" written in red next to it. Another sheet has "Logan will never love you. No one ever will." sprawling in glitter pen. Yet another has paparazzi shots of Logan hanging out with Lilly.

Lilly - they so did not do that.

Veronica inhales. Recollections of the last time someone wrote "slut" on her windshield flash vividly in her mind.

"When did this happen?" Her voice is cold - frosted, even.

"I found them after study hall," Chelsea whimpers.

"That means they have someone at Neptune High." She grabs Chelsea by the shoulders. "And we're going to find them out and make them pay."


A/N: I will say right now that I do not mean to offend anybody with my parody on fanfiction. I am a fanfiction writer. I am poking fun at the medium that I myself enjoy. I hope we can all enjoy it together. Since this story is so very different from my other ones, I really need to know your thoughts. Please leave a review!