The swirling red and blue lights of the police cars and ambulance didn't quite go with the rest of the Echolls' Christmas décor. Veronica sat outside, just out of the way, watching the aftermath of the stalker's rage unfold. It didn't even occur to her to leave.
After tearing her eyes away from the damage – Lynn screaming, Aaron bleeding, her dad handcuffing the crazy server/stalker – she had found Logan standing across the room. Of all the people at the party, he was the one that called it in. She watched him for a few moments, her heart breaking at the stunned and scared look on his face as he mumbled out the need for an ambulance. She was too far away to hear what he said exactly, and she looked away when he hung up. They weren't friends, she remembered.
Just for a second, her mind flitted back to the now-forgotten poker game. Logan suggested a break, saving her from having to really reply to Conner's comment about being unlucky in love. She didn't really have any illusions about that – he probably just didn't want to lose the game, or maybe he didn't want to be stuck in that room anymore while a party was happening – but she did have to note that he didn't take the opportunity to throw insults at her.
She then realized that Logan was probably doing it for Duncan's benefit, not hers. Veronica shook her head and moved away from the crowd. The party was pretty much over by that point, with the arrival of the ambulance and the cops, and the departure of Aaron and Lynn into the ambulance. From her viewpoint near the door, she watched Logan exit the house with his mother's coat and purse. Lynn looked both relieved and flustered. She touched Logan's cheek, said something to him that Veronica couldn't make out, and then climbed into the ambulance. Veronica looked away, watching the cops make their way through the crowd.
"You'll catch a cold if you're out here for too long."
Veronica turned at the voice. Logan was standing next to her, hands in his pockets and shoulders hunched, staring at the ambulance as it started away from the house.
"I'm fine," she said quietly. "You're not wearing a jacket, either."
Logan turned and met her eyes briefly. "I'm fine," he parroted back to her. She didn't say anything, holding his gaze until he looked away and shrugged his shoulders. "I wonder if anyone still feels like playing poker."
Veronica shook her head. She knew that Weevil had probably taken off – it wasn't his scene in the first place, and the police only added to that awkwardness. Duncan had followed his parents, but she didn't know if he left with them. She hadn't seen him around since, but she wasn't really looking. That left her, Conner, and Logan, and even if he was claiming the opposite, she knew that Logan wasn't fine.
"Rain check?"
Logan nodded, but didn't move away. They stayed like that for a few minutes, watching as Neptune's finest gossiped their way back to their cars. One of the deputies came over to them, telling Logan that the cleanup crew would have to hold off for a little while, because the party room was technically a crime scene, but it would probably be released pretty soon. Logan nodded again as Veronica spotted her father and slipped away. She didn't look back to see Logan watching her as she hugged her dad before heading back to the pool house to grab her bag.
Christmas Day was a pretty quiet event in the Mars household. Veronica and her dad exchanged a couple presents – funds and practicality limited how they celebrated – and they watched one of the Christmas parades on TV. Veronica made cookies. Her dad made lunch. It wasn't anything like Christmas was once upon a time, back when her mom made sure that there were more fun gifts than practical ones, and the second half of the day was spent with Lilly – and in later years, Duncan and Logan – putting the new presents to good use.
The day deviated even farther from the past when her dad took off for the airport. It was unfortunate timing, but bail jumpers wait for no holiday. Veronica waved him off, knowing that they needed the money more than they needed a family dinner. She cleaned the living room up – discarding the wrapping paper before Backup decided to eat it – and impulsively decided that she didn't want to be at home right now. She filled up a thermos full of hot chocolate and grabbed a jacket. Winter in California wasn't cold, exactly, but it definitely wasn't summer. She grabbed Backup's leash and started towards Dog Beach, thankful for the time alone to think.
She had been alone, of course, since the night of the Echolls' Christmas party, but not for very long. She hadn't seen Logan since then – winter break didn't give them much of a chance to socialize. Her dad had told her that Aaron would be fine. If she was being honest with herself, she wasn't sure how she felt about that news. Logan hadn't ever admitted it to her, but she had her suspicions that his hatred towards his father was rooted in something more than Aaron's now-exposed infidelity.
It was all a lot to process, and without school to keep her mind occupied, it was starting to get to her. Veronica sipped her hot chocolate before unclipping Backup's leash and throwing a tennis ball for him. Her beloved dog took off after the ball, but instead of returning it to her, headed for someone else sitting on the beach.
"Backup!" Veronica called, capping the thermos and making her way over to where her dog was licking the innocent beachgoer. "Backup, what…"
"Hey, Veronica." Logan's voice cut her off. "I guess he likes me."
"Logan, what are you doing here?" She asked, not unkindly. He was still petting Backup, who clearly loved the attention. He didn't reply, and she suppressed the urge to roll her eyes.
"I just needed to think for a while." The reply was quiet, and she almost thought she imagined it, until Logan looked up at her. "It's been… rough." He trailed off, and didn't protest when Veronica sat down next to him.
She didn't say anything, either, choosing instead to stare out at the water. Of all the gin joints, she thought. There were tons of beaches between here and the 09 zip, and Logan showed up to this one – Dog Beach – sans dog.
As if he was reading her thoughts, he spoke up again. "I figured I was less likely to see someone I knew at this beach…" he trailed off. "So much for that."
Veronica looked at him. He was still focused on Backup, having now moved to scratching him behind the ears. "I can leave," she offered quietly. This wasn't part of their rivalry; she wouldn't be letting him win by walking away. The fact that she had come here to be alone inched back into her mind, and she picked up the tennis ball and moved to stand up.
"Don't."
Veronica paused, just barely having started to stand. She didn't say anything, but looked at Logan. He looked up and met her eyes.
"I… You don't have to."
She gazed at him for a moment, before nodding and going back to her previous position. She uncapped and took a sip of her hot chocolate as Logan picked up the tennis ball and threw it. Backup, true to form, tore after it.
Veronica grinned. After a moment, she held out the thermos. "Hot chocolate?"
Logan looked at her, surprise evident on his face. It was a peace offering, and they both knew it. He nodded after a second, and took the thermos from her. He took a sip, and Veronica caught the hint of a smile on his face.
He handed the drink back to her, and she wrapped her hands around it. "That's the first time I've had your hot chocolate since…" Logan trailed off, and Veronica looked at him intently. He took a deep breath and continued. "Since the Christmas when my parents let me stay at the Kane's house. You came over on Christmas Eve, and it was the four of us pretty much left to ourselves…" he trailed off again, running his fingers through the sand.
Veronica took another sip of the hot chocolate and then held it out to Logan again. He took it wordlessly, looking down at it for a minute before taking a sip. She noticed that he had closed his eyes. Backup came bounding back, and Veronica threw the ball again. Logan had opened his eyes by the time she looked back at him.
"I remember that Christmas," Veronica said quietly. "We were all so young. My parents protested a little at me going to Lilly's on Christmas Eve, but I guess they could see how much it meant to me. I didn't really expect you and Duncan to hang out with us, which is a weird thought now, but at the time, going to the Kane's was a time to hang out with Lilly, not Duncan." Veronica knew she was rambling, but she had gotten caught up in the memory. "But then you did, and it was cold outside, and Lilly whined until I agreed to make hot chocolate. It's not hard," she said with a laugh. "Lilly probably spiked hers, now that I think about it."
Logan grinned. "I did too, later on. I caught Lilly adding something to the second cup and demanded that she add it to mine, too. I don't think I ever told Duncan."
Veronica shook her head, but she felt the smile on her face. "That explains why you two held onto your mugs so tightly."
Logan laughed but didn't say anything. They sat like that for a while, passing the hot chocolate back and forth and throwing the ball for Backup. Veronica realized that they had closed the distance between them over the time they'd been sitting there. Not completely, of course, but they were definitely closer than they had been when she sat down. It hadn't been intentional – at least, on her part, and she assumed that Logan hadn't done it intentionally either – but just through moving to get the tennis ball. She was contemplating moving away from him when he spoke up again.
"Thanks, Veronica."
She froze. "For what?"
Logan took a minute before he replied. "For staying, I guess." He shrugged. "For reliving the past with me for a minute."
Veronica looked at him and felt the same little tug in her heart that she did the night of the Christmas party when she watched him call for help. Slowly, she nodded.
"You're welcome, Logan," she looked back towards the ocean. "No one should be alone on Christmas."
A/N: I'm returning to the world of fanfiction after years (years?!) of being away. This is, hopefully, just the start of VM fics from me. Let me know what you think of it! (: