We Divined the Sea
Summary: AU. Oneshot. Pre-series with the Fab Four. Pre-LoVe or rather LoVe-lite. Lilly, Duncan, Logan, and Veronica are on Logan's family yacht, and Lilly is bored. So, she tells them a story about mermaids. It could be worse. "Mermaids aren't just pretty faces with fish tails, you know." And, finally, Logan and Veronica have their secrets.
A/N: Phew. Allow me to update my account and still ignore the other unfinished fic I've left for about a year. Whoopsy daisy. Anyway. Dedicated to jenilyn2000. I hope you like it (aka. prays it's acceptable). I seriously had to drop everything else I was doing to write this haha. ^^ That being said, it's a POS because I had to drop everything I was doing to cobble this together so hastily. ;O I actually wrote another POS before this but was like, nah, not enough LoVe action. So it basically took twice as long to write something. And it's still barely LoVe. Forgive me.
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The sun hung lazily in the cooled sky, threatening to dip into the sea below at a moment's notice. The four occupants of the single yacht in the area didn't seem to be too concerned, however. They were content with busying themselves doing separate things.
Except for one.
In fact, flipping through a magazine she had brought with her, Lilly plaintively declared, "I'm bored."
The other occupants of the yacht simultaneously tensed. Bored Lilly was a problem, and all they wanted to do was relax on their last weekend of summer.
Veronica turned to her right and looked at Logan who looked back, as if to say, she's your best friend, which meant they were in one of their weird off-again periods. Turning to her other side, she found Duncan already facing her and silently begging her to do something.
Thus, the responsibility—burden, rather—fell to Veronica's sunned and freckled shoulders; she weighed her options seriously.
Wanting to show off his new boating license, Logan had taken them an hour out towards the open waters, so the usual shopping distraction was out of the question. And, she wasn't quite ready to let Lilly give her a makeover like she had been requesting for months now. On the last day of school, she happened to see Veronica's sorely lacking attempt to give herself a winged eye look and never let it go.
Veronica's mother had encouraged her experimentation in makeup. She humored her.
On the other hand, if Lilly didn't have some directed outlet for her restless energy, then there was no telling what she'd come up with on her own.
Rolling her eyes so dramatically to show her disgust with the both of them, Veronica was almost certain she had dislocated something. Then, sitting up in her cushioned seat, she closed her book suddenly; it had been assigned for summer reading and not even halfway finished. However, so far, she didn't expect much from her sophomore year.
More languidly, she stretched and lifted up her sunglasses, catching the glint of the shimmering water behind Lilly's darkened silhouette.
"God, Lilly. Then I guess…," she started innocuously. Then, in one fluid motion, Veronica pulled off her sweater completely and threw it at Lilly. Diving off the side, she shouted, "Last one in sleeps on the deck!"
Not one to dawdle when adventure called, Lilly threw her magazine down and ran after her. Bubbly with the joy of having something to do, she called back, "You're on!" She made in arc as she jumped in a practiced manner, following Veronica into the salty sea. "See ya later, dorks."
"Careful, Lil!" Duncan futilely warned, catching on too late.
Beside him, Logan had already stripped down to his cotton shirt and swim trunks before walking up to the same side that the girls had gone over. Glancing down at the girls and then back to Duncan, who was still sitting dumbstruck and conflicted, he shrugged and offered a small apology. "Sorry, DK."
"What?"
"Gotta act quicker than that to keep up with those two." Winking, he saluted him as he expertly turned to jump backwards into the water after the other two.
Below where still Duncan, as soon as Logan surfaced again, Lilly threw herself onto Logan's back and forced him to keep them both afloat.
She shouted in his ear, "Way to go, Echolls! I give it a nine out of ten."
Logan spluttered and struggled, coughing out a stilted reply, "Hmm... the twins seem bigger than the last time I had the pleasure…"
Feigning affront, Lilly tried to force his head down. "Creep! Veronica, help me cleanse this sinner."
"Not even an ocean of holy water, Lil."
Hooking his hands under her legs, Logan swiftly tossed her off and floated over to Veronica.
Lilly's short gasp of surprise cut through the air before her head fell completely underwater.
"That's right, Lil. Ronnie's on my side, aren't you Ronnie?"
Indignant and stubborn, Lilly surfaced quickly at Veronica's other side and held her arm to her. "Please. In the event of a divorce, I get Veronica, and you get my stupid brother."
At her words, Duncan loomed over the side of the yacht and frowned down at them. "I can still hear, you know!"
"Nothing I haven't said to your face, donut! Now, are you coming down or not?"
"It's already getting late."
"C'mon, DK. If Ronnie hasn't cared that your legs are whiter than cottage cheese before, she's not gonna start now."
"It's dangerous," he argued, ignoring Logan's brand of teasing persuasion. "One of us needs to stay in the boat in case something happens."
"The ladder's down, and the water's at a pleasant cold as balls temperature. We'll be fine. We'll even stick close to the boat so no one gets lost."
"No… you know what? Little brother is right," Lilly interjected. She let go of Veronica and swam the short distance to lightly touch the side of the yacht. She faced the two of them, but her eyes remained downcast as she seemed to remember.
Logan rolled his eyes but took the bait anyway, "Alright. What's wrong, Lilly?"
Coquettishly, she plied, "Maybe if you asked nicely…"
He looked back at her impassively, waiting in silence until Duncan called back down to them, "Are you guys coming back up?"
"Shut up, donut! No. I'm about to tell a story!"
"Oh, goodie," Logan mocked. He swam around Veronica and flicked water droplets at her face. "Queen Lilly has a story."
"Shut up, Logan. If you don't want to hear it, fine. We'll just go back up and play truth or dare."
Eyes widening, Veronica protested, "No! Lilly, forget him. I want to hear it."
Lilly was too calculating for Veronica to play something as seemingly trivial as truth or dare without having a heart attack at each passing turn. At the very least, whatever Lilly's story turned out to be, it would be harmless fun.
"See? Veronica wants to hear it."
"Yeah, it's got nothing to do with the last time we played truth or dare."
Veronica hesitated, "Celeste never found out it was me, right?"
Lilly positively beamed back at her in pure mischief. "I think she thinks Duncan was the one who tried on her clothes, but mother dearest doesn't have the heart to ask him herself. So… you're safe."
"Wait, what?"
"Nothing, donut! Now, are you going to let me tell my story or not?"
"Pins and needles," Logan muttered.
Hearing him, Lilly pointedly glared. When he seemed to be done, she grinned widely at the both of them. "Great." Then, clearing her throat, she paused dramatically before beginning in her most campfire voice, "This is a story about the girl who turned into a mermaid."
"Can't you tell the story up here?"
"Duncan, I love you, but I will show everyone your dorky baby pictures if you don't shut up." She paused again to see if he'd call her bluff; he never did. Though, she wasn't bluffing either, and he knew it. Hearing no more objections, she gladly continued, "As I was saying, this is about a girl who turned into a mermaid, and—"
"So, this isn't about you. Shocking," Logan commented, unable to help himself, becau unfortunately for Lilly, Logan wasn't so inclined to give in to threats. Keeping just his head above water, he swam unafraid.
Lilly huffed at yet another interruption. Too far out of her reach for retaliation, she looked to Veronica. "Veronica?"
Reaching out, Veronica swiftly punched Logan's arm. "Quiet."
"Alright, alright," he conceded, splashing more water at her.
"Thank you, Veronica."
"No problem, Lil."
From above, Duncan asked, "Can you talk louder?"
"That's a first."
"Shut up, Logan."
"I think I'll bet against myself at this point and say no."
"Veronica?"
Veronica sighed and tilted her head to the side. "Logan?"
"Ronnie?"
"Be quiet for five minutes?"
Heaving his own sigh, Logan threw his arms up in forfeit and fell back on the water by her side, as if physically defeated as well.
Lilly seemed to perk up again at his surrender. "Thanks, darling. Again. So, moving on. Contrary to what The Little Mermaid would like to lead us to believe, mermaids aren't just happily living underwater and having fun with seafood. They're evil," she emphasized. "Because mermaids aren't just pretty faces with fish tails, you know? They used to be humans, too.
For all the girls that were thrown overboard because stupid and chauvinistic pigheaded sailors decided that women were bad luck, they're transformed into the creatures that we call 'mermaids,' who try to take revenge on the men who doomed them and doom them in return. And, wouldn't you be pissed, too? Honestly. You'd think they'd appreciate a bit of feminine mystique on board for those long nights."
She smiled to herself, and before anyone else could break her revelry or her stride, she shook her head. "Anyway, about two hundred years ago, there was a girl who lived around here, and she wanted to travel the world because, who wouldn't? This place probably sucked before all the shops and stuff. I mean, I doubt they even had a good ye olde dress shoppe let alone a good sushi—"
"Seriously?"
Veronica flicked Logan's arm admonishingly. "Logan!"
"What? That had to have been five minutes at least."
"Shut up," Lilly said, dragging out the words. "Were all of you raised in a barn and I not informed? Geez, I'm getting there. Like, okay, so, she wanted to travel the world, but she didn't have any money and blah blah blah, other things that I won't go into it because you all are such impatient children. The point is, there was nothing she could do. Basically.
So, she kinda gave up until she found herself a hot fisherman boyfriend, and he said she could just dress up as a guy, and he'd take her on this ship with him. Only, after they leave, there's a huge storm, and the hot guy flips, rats her out, and they throw her off the boat. She drowns, obviously, but the ship is saved, and they go on doing what they were supposed to do. But! The entire trip back, the asshole ex of hers is all freaked out and says he sees her in the water at night. And, he says she's coming for him or something until finally he's gone the next day. No one knows. So, adios asshole ex, right?"
While Lilly's words may not have been directed at him personally, her slight smirk was, and Logan rolled his eyes at her, bitterly stating, "Tragic. I really felt for everyone. Truly characters to be remembered."
"Figures you'd think so. But, I'm not done," she singsonged in annoyance. "So, asshole ex is gone, but just before they come back, another storm hits, and the entire boat's gone, too. Then, more and more boats start crashing and stuff, too, because of all these weird storms, and everyone's dying until finally, someone makes it back alive. And, they said, when they were on their boat, just before the storm hit, they saw a mermaid in the water who looked just like the first girl who drowned, and then the water started getting crazy. So, then, everybody figured that the girl came back as an angry mermaid spirit or whatever as revenge for throwing her off in the first place, and basically, our entire town's been cursed since then, including the water."
After a long enough silence, Duncan figured her story was over and it was finally safe to speak again. "Wait, how did that last guy know what the girl looked like if there weren't any survivors from the first ship?"
"I don't know. Missing posters?"
"Then, how was he so sure? It was probably dark. And far."
"A telescope? Whatever they had back then."
"He didn't warn the other people? Did he run off on his own?"
Piling on to annoy Lilly, Logan added, "Yeah, how did only he survive? What if he killed them and blamed it on a ghost? The people in town seriously trusted some crazy guy talking about ghosts?"
"Mermaids." She corrected, pursing her lips. "Forget it. There's no pleasing you people. Let's go back up." Pouting, she was already halfway up the ladder.
Shivering as she too climbed up the ladder and left the open waters, Veronica offered, "It was a really good story, Lil."
"Yeah, whatever. It is a nice idea, though, isn't it? Coming back as a mermaid and getting to take revenge on the men who murdered you? I could rock that."
Veronica balked, "It's morbid. I wouldn't want to take revenge on someone I loved."
"She didn't love him, Veronica. That wasn't the point. She loved the world and wanted to see it. He was the means to an end."
"Still… She had to have felt something."
"Please, Veronica. Not even if they betrayed you?"
"I don't think I have it in me."
Contemplating her words, Logan seized his opportunity from his position on the rungs below her. Silently, he took her by surprise, looping his arms around her waist and letting them both free fall back into the dark sea as Veronica squealed and kicked at him to escape.
"How about now?" He chuckled.
Her overexcited nerves made her laugh with him, but still she threatened, "I could kill you!"
"See? Ronnie just needed a little motivation."
"Really appreciate the help, Logan!" She cried before latching onto his shoulders. She crossed her arms tightly around his neck and demanded, "Now get me out of here. It's freezing."
"Your wish, my command."
Unsatisfied with his flippant response, she tugged at his ear and bent to whisper, "You are not getting off easy."
"Ooh," Logan snickered, tapping his fingers along the sides of her calves. "Can I have that in writing? Or…"
"Climb faster, boy," she ordered, ignoring his insinuation and the tingling feeling under her skin.
.
As soon as Logan changed, he turned the boat around, and an hour later, they were docked at the marina. And, after much nagging, he and Duncan were both forced to camp out on the deck while the girls took the warmer and cozier cabin for themselves.
"And, I was looking forward to private time with my two favorite blondes."
"Disgusting," Veronica decried before shutting the cabin door on him and retiring to her own sleeping spot.
Duncan was the first to go, as always, falling asleep easily on the cushions.
The girls whispered back and forth for a while, voices coming in soft waves through the open window, before stopping completely soon after.
Logan, however, was still up and would still be up for some time. The yacht was one of his most favorite places to be, to escape to. On it, he felt he could appreciate life as if he had no tomorrow.
Closely, he listened in to his friends' breathing coupled with the waves breaking over the side of the boat and relaxed.
Then suddenly, hearing a splash, his senses snapped back into action, and he waited in trepidation. The splashing grew louder, and he felt whatever it was draw closer.
Losing out to his curiosity, he got up, careful not to disturb Duncan's sleep. Tiptoeing towards the sounds, he leaned over the boat's edge to see into the dark.
The moon's reflection broke in small ripples on the water, painting it in strokes of black and white. Still, he could make out a figure.
There was someone down there.
The harder he focused, the calmer the ocean seemed to get, and he realized the figure was staring back at him.
As the boat swayed, he swayed, too, confused to the point of irrational anger by what he saw.
It was clearly Veronica in the water, but he never saw her leave the cabin.
The Veronica he saw beckoned him down, extending her hands up towards him as if ready to catch him.
However, it was and wasn't Veronica at the same time. Same in appearances, but the mannerisms were entirely too different.
"Veronica?"
She smiled and waved her arms more enthusiastically.
"You're not Veronica," he said, more for himself.
The thing below seemed to frown but stayed. Her arms stretched wide, palms up and pleading.
When he made no indication of moving, the imitation let her arms drop, and she seemed to withdraw. Her eyes acquired a telltale glossy sheen, and Logan almost relented, his own hand reaching out by its own accord until the water seemed to whip up around her. The swaying of the boat became more chaotic, less rhythmic.
Logan looked around for a moment to see if the others were awake, but when he turned his eyes back on her, she had disappeared.
He searched the distance for some sign of her. Seeing none, he laid back down and tried to rationalize what he had and hadn't seen.
It could've been another person out for a night swim; that wasn't unusual. But, that person had looked so much like his friend that he couldn't brush it off.
More than that, he couldn't shake the feeling that he had seen a dark, shadowy impression of a long tail extending from below her navel as she tried to lure him down.
He got little sleep that night, dreaming of what might have happened if he had followed.
.
The next morning, Logan stirred awake, fighting off the brightness of the sun as he threw his arm over his face. In his open palm, he felt something warm held against it, making up for the briskness of the being so close to the shore.
He saw the cup first, then the hands that pressed it into his.
"Morning," she said sympathetically, probably guilty that she and Lilly had forced him outside. "Sleep well?"
Logan grunted, taking a long drink from his cup of what appeared to be hot chocolate. "No coffee?"
"Coffee's bad for you."
"And hot chocolate's better?"
"Chocolate doesn't stunt your growth."
"I'm sure you know all about that."
Sticking her tongue out at him in response, she turned to Duncan sharply and offered, "Duncan? Here's your cup."
Even gruffer than Logan, Duncan wiped his eyes of gritty sleep, hastily straightening himself as he registered her before him.
Fortunately, Duncan and Veronica's awkward interaction gave Logan time to observe her.
The fractioned tilt of her head, almost calculated. The bite of her lip. The level of politeness, bordering on shy, as she urged Duncan to accept even when they'd known each other for so long. She touched her hair. The small relief in her eyes as Duncan took it from her. The near imperceptible fall of her chest as she sighed. Transaction completed.
He found all of it reassuring yet concerning at the same time. Somehow.
To preserve his sanity, he shuffled it to the back of his mind. Maybe he'd tell them some other day. But, tomorrow, they'd be gone, and today, they'd enjoy it.
.
That night, after they'd had their piece, Veronica had decided to forfeit her spot in the cabin, the guilt too much for her, and Duncan had stumbled his way through explaining why Logan should take the spot in the cabin.
Veronica glanced at Logan from the corner of her eye. Her hand touched her long blonde locks, and she asked with a small tilt of her head, "Are you sure? Doesn't your back hurt from this morning?"
"I'll be fine," Duncan reassured, blushing down at her.
Catching her eyes, Logan figured there would be other times to help his friend awkwardly court Veronica, but those were other times.
"Alright," Logan interjected. Veronica's eyes flashed at him, and he forced himself not to look back. "But, uh…," he paused meaningfully. "Don't blame me if the boat's a-rockin', just don't come a-knockin'."
"Logan, gross!" Veronica gagged, shoving him.
"And totally not happening!" Lilly called out. She was already making her bed inside the cabin.
Blanching, Duncan reconsidered his options. "Never mind. I'll take my sister."
Logan grinned at his word choice. "Twisted."
"Gross!"
"A little brother and sisterly bonding time won't hurt, Ronnie."
"Oh yeah? So, you and Trina…?"
"Good point."
"More like, good night," she said, effectively ending all conversation as she set up her makeshift bed across from Logan's.
She was still close, however.
If he reached out, he'd be able to touch her, but he didn't. Instead, he turned to his side and kept his back to her until she settled down, the thick blanket fluffing out around her.
It was colder than the night before, but he ended up giving her his as well, which she accepted in grateful silence.
Lying on his own 'bed,' he wasn't sure how much time had passed when he heard Veronica shift.
She tossed and turned, and he felt her kick off her blanket and his.
He sat up when she did. His eyes followed as she almost drifted to the side of the boat, but his mouth knew not to speak. The sudden sound might startle her into falling.
She stood there much like he did the night before, leaning over precariously.
He wondered if she was seeing what he did, some sort of shared hallucination.
Though, in actuality he wasn't sure if he wasn't already asleep himself. Her, part of another dream, picking up where he had left off last night in his dreams.
He ran his hand through his disheveled hair, taking his eyes off her for just a second when a distinctive splash reached his ears. Springing into action, he immediately jumped in after her.
The iciness of the black water pricked at his skin.
Swimming deeper and deeper, he tried to find her, reaching out through the darkness as his vision failed him. It was only when something brushed insistently along his skin and he followed it did he find her form. Hurrying, he dragged her up with him, gasping as his head finally broke through, the briny solution still stinging his eyes.
He heard her wheeze against him as he treaded water. He rubbed her back, making small circles until she eased out of her coughing fit.
She looked up at him in a daze, and he gathered her tightly to him.
Then, frustration winning out over relief, he demanded, "What the fuck, Veronica? What the fuck. What were you thinking? You could've died. You could've died."
When he felt her frame tremble, almost shamefully, he pulled back to face her.
Her wet eyes incriminating and accusatory at the same time.
Logan drew his mouth into a hard line. Dragging her with him as he swam closer to the docks, he lifted her onto the pier beside the yacht. Pushing against the wetted wood, he climbed up to lie down beside her, falling back, suddenly very, very exhausted.
Joining him, Veronica laid down, too. She was shaking again, this time from cold.
He couldn't do much for her in his current state, but he brought her into an awkward side hug anyway.
Their clothes squelched, water trickling out between them.
It was best if she changed, but he didn't think she could do it by herself. And, he certainly wasn't going to help. And, feeling her head burrow into the crook of his neck, he let them stay together for another moment or two. Really, there was nothing else he could do anyway, he thought.
"She's so sad, Logan. She's so sad," she said unexpectedly.
"Who?"
"The girl. She was so sad. She was crying."
"What girl?"
"The girl in the water."
"You saw a girl?" He swallowed the too.
"Yes. I saw her, Logan. I did."
"Sorry, sorry. What did she look like?"
"Lilly." Her breath came out uneven and hot against his skin.
Logan bit his tongue in shock. "Are you sure you saw Lilly? It couldn't have been…," he told her, unsure of what he meant by it.
"No, no. I know, but… she was crying. I wanted to help her so much."
"Do you know why she was sad?"
"She said she was lonely."
"You talked to her?"
"I think? She wanted me to go with her…"
Reflexively, his hold tightened, but Veronica didn't seem to mind, locking her arms around his neck in return.
"But, I didn't. I think that made her mad. And, then she did something, and I fell. Then, you… you jumped in after me? I don't know." She tried to hold back her sobs. "You saved me."
Breathing through her hair, breathing her, Logan rubbed circles along her back again, feeling her warmth even through her wet shirt.
"Thank you."
"Hey, don't worry about it, alright?"
"Mmm… Do you think she's okay?"
"Forget about her, Ronnie. It doesn't matter."
"I could feel it, though" she forced out. "Her pain."
"Well, that's not really your problem."
"But…"
"But nothing. Whatever that thing was, it wasn't human. It wasn't Lilly. But, it was going to take advantage of your kindness."
She didn't say anything after that, and he thought he had made it worse.
Repentant in his silence, he waited until she cleared past the point of being on the verge of a breakdown before he prodded at her to move, carrying her until they made it back to his boat. Carefully, he helped her back up onto the deck and told her to change.
Patiently, he stood with his arms crossed over his chest on the pier, feeling the bite of the ocean breeze return.
"I'm done," she said. "You can come up."
Grabbing hold of the edge of the boat, he pushed himself up and took Veronica's offered hand.
"Thanks… is that my…?"
She looked smaller than usual. Like an animal that needed to be protected.
"My stuff's inside the cabin," she explained quietly, her head downturned in subtle apology. Her usual coifed hair no longer tidy but hung over her eyes and shoulders in unruly waves, almost threatening to engulf her. "I didn't want to wake them and didn't think you'd mind. Is that okay?"
"Yeah. Just hand me my bag?"
"Here."
"Thanks."
When she didn't turn around, he cleared his throat, expecting her to realize her mistake.
"Sorry."
"It's okay."
He faced her as he changed. Feeling along his back and shoulders, the twinges of pain made him clench his jaw as he took off his shirt; he was in desperate need of a shower. Unfortunately for him, the salty evaporate was terrible and unforgiving against his wounds. He had no choice but to quickly dry off and change into his pajama bottoms and a sweater.
"You can turn around now."
"Mhmm. Thanks."
"You alright?"
"I think so…"
Settling into their spots like before she fell in and he jumped in after her, Logan turned to his side and saw that she was already lying down and facing his way with her eyes staring into him. "You know, I'm no Lilly, but you can talk to me if you want."
Veronica didn't hesitate to take her chance. "I just—Did you hear her?"
"That thing?"
"Did you hear her? When I fell in..."
"No, did you?"
"No!" She denied, her voice ringing loud and brash against the night. Clasping her hand over her mouth, she tensed, quiet again until the moment passed. "I mean, no. Forget it."
With how close they were, he could see a blush stain her cheeks, and he knew she had heard something, but he didn't press it. Nothing that that thing could have said interested him. He was content to have found her in time.
But, when he thought back to the moments just before her rescue and remembered that cool, smooth feeling directing him, he found himself curious. Was it the same thing he saw the night before. Was it good? Was it evil? What did it want?
Tentatively, she asked, "We don't have to tell anyone, do we?"
"Wasn't planning on it."
"Good. Promise to keep it a secret? Especially from Lilly?"
"Keeping a secret from Lilly? It's a slippery slope, Ronnie."
"Please."
"Why?"
"I can't explain it. I can't explain what happened, so I don't want her to know. She might get freaked out or something."
Logan clicked his tongue in feigned disapproval at her deceit. "Suit yourself. But, you owe me."
"For what?"
"Will you ever cease to amaze me?"
"Goodnight."
"Night."
"Remember, secret."
Logan reached out and pulled the blankets over her face to quiet her. "Shh."
.
After the incident, when the tides turns and Veronica found herself shipwrecked and devastatingly alone, she often thought back to the time they were both in the water, him jumping in after her.
He helped her see the world, and now she wanted revenge.
.
A/N: I couldn't resist. Muahaha. See ya, Donut. LoVe's got places to go, and each other to do. Miss you guys. Sorry. It's difficult to write VMars when I'm not sure I can properly capture it anymore. :/
I'm thinking about just moving everything to because it's so much more convenient and simpler to use than this doc uploading nonsense here. I don't know. It's just because I edit chapters so much after I update, and it's just easier to do that with ao3. /sigh. Yep. I'm doing it. I'm copying my fics over to ao3. ;O I'll still update here, but I guess it'll oddly lag behind my ao3 updates? I'll figure it out. My pseudonym at ao3 is HGRising.