A/N: For the sake of this story, LoVe are together, have been for a while. Totally in love as it should have been in the serious, no issues, no problems. Complete fluff!
Keith awoke in the middle of the night to someone running through his house. Instantly on alert, he sprang from his bed, grabbed the bat he kept behind the door, and crept from his room.
Hearing the sound of retching from the bathroom relaxed him, no one was in the house, but Veronica was sick.
He lightly tapped on the door when he heard the toilet flush. "Honey… you alright?"
He stifled a chuckle at the answering groan. He knew his daughter, she was usually a kick ass and take name type of girl, but when she was sick… look out, she was the biggest baby he knew.
"Really dad? Laughing?" she said, pulling the door open.
He squinted in the light before placing a hand on her forehead. "Hmm, you are a little warm…"
She cocked her head to the side like 'duh.'
"Can I get you anything?" he asked, trying to smooth it over.
"No, I'm going back to bed to die. I'm not going to school tomorrow," she said sniffling as she went.
He smiled at his teenage daughter's back as she shut her door behind her. Now that he was awake, he checked the fridge for soda and put it on the counter to warm up for Veronica. He made a quick grocery list of things they might need, and decided to ask Alicia to make some soup for her tomorrow.
Satisfied his fatherly duties were completed; he turned on his laptop and started on some research for a few cases.
A few hours later, he decided to check on Veronica and head into the office. He poked his head in her room, knocking on the open door.
"Honey, can I get you anything before I head out?"
"No," came her short, sickly reply.
"Do you want me to work from home today? I will…"
"No. I'll just make us both miserable. Go away, far, far away… maybe you won't catch it."
"Well, if I did, I'm sure I'd handle it better than you," he joked with her, narrowly dodging a pillow that came flying at the door. "Nope, aims still off… least I know it's not bad."
"Dad!" she shouted beginning to laugh. Laughing sent her into a coughing fit and she hoped she wouldn't have to see the doctor.
"Alright, alright, I'm leaving. I have my phone if you need me… I'm going to see if Alicia will make you some soup today too, maybe make you feel better."
"No, it's fine. Ms. Fennel has better things to worry about then me, honest. I'll be fine. Go to work, catch the bad guys, bring home the bacon," she said deadpanned.
"Alright, love you, feel better!" he said, leaving the door cracked open.
She rolled over in bed, every muscle in her body aching with the effort. Yes, she was usually a baby when she got sick, but even she knew this was a bad one. She had slight hopes that after her 3am bathroom run she would sleep and awake feeling much better. Nope, she felt much worse.
She reached up above her head for her phone, she had to tell Logan she was skipping today or he'd worry. Not feeling up to a phone call, she sent him a quick text.
Sick. Skipping. Love you.
She set the phone on the bed beside her and tried to snuggle down in the covers, hoping to sleep for a few more hours.
She awoke to her phone vibrating and ringing under her cheek. She groaned trying to make her hands work so she could answer it. Hearing the ringtone, she knew it was Logan.
"Lo'," she said drowsy and sick.
"Hey you… what's wrong?" came his soothing voice. She tilted her head back to look at the clock, 7am, so he wasn't in school yet, but should be on his way.
"Sick, dunno why," she mumbled into the phone, breathing steadily to make her stomach stop rolling.
"What can I do? I can stop at the store before I come over and get you anything you want."
"What? No. Go to school, you're gonna be late."
He smiled at the phone. There was no way he was going to school while she was at home, sick as she sounded. At least not until he saw she was alright with his own two eyes.
"Okay," he said agreeably, not wanting her to get worked up over something she wasn't changing. "Are you sure there isn't anything I can get you? Soda, crackers? Soup?"
"No, really… I'm alr…," she started, but clapped her hand to her mouth as she felt her stomach clench. "Call you back," she shouted on the way to the bathroom.
After her stomach was completely empty and her throat raw she groaned. Not like Logan wasn't already coming over, she knew him better than that, but now there was absolutely no way she could persuade him otherwise.
She shut the toilet lid and tried to stand. Her head spinning, she thought she was going to lose it again. Instead, she lay her head down, immediate relief found on the cool tiles. She reached for her phone again.
Use your key, I'm not getting up to let you in.
She had given Logan a key to her house a while ago, it was easier than her getting out of bed to let him in when her father called her saying he was on his way out of town. Now, she just sent him a message that the coast was clear, and he would come join her within 20 minutes.
He gave her a keycard to his room, too. When Keith had scheduled away time, they would stay there, but spur of the moment outings were easier spent at her house since she had to take care of Back Up.
Logan parked his X-terra in Keith's spot, grabbed the grocery bags on the seat, and jogged up the steps to the second floor apartments.
He slid his key into the lock, smiling as he did so. He never exchanged keys with anyone before, it was a good feeling, the trust she instilled in him.
He scratched Back Up's ears, dropped the bags on the counter, and went to find Veronica. He paused as he passed the bathroom door, heading for her room. Seeing her looking up at him from the floor made him smirk, but the glare he got shortly after wiped all traces of humor from his face, but his eyes still sparkled.
"Morning, baby…," he said coolly, resting against the door frame. "Were you planning on spending the day on the bathroom floor?"
"Very funny, Sparky," she retorted, trying to sit. She clutched her head as the room spun again.
He reached down and scooped her up in his arms, not allowing her to try walking when she couldn't even sit up. "Slow!" she said as she felt her stomach lurch.
He stopped, giving her a second to adjust before softly walking into her bedroom. He was about to set her on the bed when she stopped him.
"Wait, take my robe off… I think I puked on it."
He snorted. "That's attractive," he mumbled.
She giggled. "Sorry, honey… I thought we were past the honeymoon stage," she said, batting her lashes at him.
He grinned as he set her on her feet to take off the offending material. He tossed it in the hamper in her corner before helping her into bed.
Even sick, she noticed the way Logan's eyes lingered on her now scantily clad figure. In just a thin cami and her boyshorts, it really left nothing to the imagination.
"Stop looking at me like that, I am sick you know…," she said playfully.
"Looking at you how?" he asked, his face a mask of innocence.
She gave him a smirk. "You're smoldering at me and you know it."
"Moi?" he asked, gesturing to himself. She snickered at him again. "And what, if I may ask, does smoldering at someone look like?"
She cocked her head, pulling her hair out from under her to lie over her shoulder before answering. "You really want to see?" she asked softly.
He nodded his head, swallowing thickly. She pursed her lips and nodded once, telling him she would show him.
She tucked her chin down a little bit, looking up at him through half mast eyes. She let all the dirty thoughts of her and Logan run through her mind, lust filling up her eyes. She parted her lips as her breathing slightly increased. She continued smoldering at him until he was slightly flushed and fidgeting.
She laughed a throaty chuckle. "That, my love, is smoldering," she gave him a haughty smirk. "Just imagine what it'd look like if I weren't sick."
He opened his mouth to speak, having to clear his throat before continuing. "Well then. That will be filed under 'look into later.' I'm going to go get you a drink," he said as he walked towards the kitchen. "And take a cold shower," he mumbled.
She giggled, trying to calm her own heart rate as he walked away. "I think we have some soda in the fridge," she called.
A minute later, he walked back into the room with a tray. Her eyes popped, "Logan?" she said questioningly.
"Ha ha, I do know how to carry a tray, darling," he said, his voice dripping with sarcasm.
She sniggered as she watched him set the tray down. "We have an entire variety of items for you, madam," he said with old world charm and a sweeping hand gesture at the tray sitting on her desk.
"We have Skist, oyster crackers, cough drops, vapor rub for later," he said wagging his eyebrows lecherously at her. She giggled as he continued. "And, hugs and kisses!" he said holding up a stuffed bear holding a heart that said 'I love you beary much!' There was a pouch behind the heart that held a single Hershey's kiss. He perched on the side of the bed and handed her the bear.
She looked up at him, love shining in her eyes. "Thank you, Logan. I love you," she said sincerely.
"I love you," he said, brushing her hair off her face before kissing her softly on her forehead. "Mm, I think you're running a fever," he said concerned.
"I'm going to call the doctor," he said standing.
"No! No doctor, please," she pouted. He gave in. "Alright, I won't call the doctor," he said rolling his eyes. "Do you want a drink? I have solid food in the kitchen for later."
"Mm, yes please. Skist and a cough drop?"
"Your wish, my command," he said smiling at her as he poured her drink in a glass and popped a straw into it. He pulled a low table from her wall over to the side of the bed, setting the drink and a few cough drops on.
"I'm going to put the rest of the stuff away, I'll be back in a minute."
"Okay..., Logan?" she called before he left her room. He turned around, raising an eyebrow. "Thank you," she said smiling. She blew him a kiss that he pretended to catch as he walked to the kitchen smiling like a loon.
He pulled his cell phone from his pocket as he compressed the bags he brought the food in. He already had everything put away, but needed an excuse to make a few quick phone calls.
He scrolled through his contacts until reaching the one he needed.
"Hey, where are you two?" Wallace said answering his phone.
"Hey man. Ronnie's sick, I'm at her house for the day."
"Aww, she okay?" he asked, concerned.
"Yeah… hanging in there. But hey, I think she has a fever… but she won't let me call a doctor." Wallace laughed. "Can you give me your mom's number so I can ask her what to do?"
"Yeah, sure thing," Wallace said, not questioning it. He gave him the number and Logan scrawled it on a napkin. "She's home now too, doesn't work until this afternoon."
"Okay, thanks man. I'll let Ronnie know you were asking about her," Logan said.
"Yup, tell her we all miss her," Wallace said before hanging up.
Logan looked at the number on the napkin for a few seconds before dialing it.
It rang a few times before Alicia answered.
"Hello?"
"Uh, Ms. Fennel?" Logan asked awkwardly.
"Yes, this is she."
"Hi, uh, sorry to bother you, this is Logan Echolls…"
"Oh!" she said, finally recognizing the voice. "Logan, how are you, is everything alright?"
"Yeah, I'm fine… I'm at Veronica's house, she's sick. I think she has a fever, but she won't let me call the doctor… I was wondering if you could, ah, tell me what to give her?"
He heard Alicia's soft giggle over the phone. "Keith was right," she said nonchalantly. "I'm just finishing up some chicken soup, I was planning on coming over in about twenty minutes… think she can hang on till then?"
"Oh, ah, yeah… twenty minutes, ok. See you then," he said feeling awkward again.
They hung up and Logan scratched his head, walking back into the bedroom.
"Who'd ya call?" she asked from her bed.
"Ms. Fennel," he answered easily.
"Logan! I'm fine!" she said before going into a coughing fit that proved she wasn't quite as fine as she'd like to be.
She groaned and pulled the covers up to her chin, starting to get chilly. She watched Logan walk to her closet with a smile on his face. She was ecstatic at how comfortable they were with each other now. Just a year earlier they were enemies, now lovers and best friends.
He pulled a blanket out of her closet and draped it over her shivering form.
"What can I do?" he asked desperately, hating to see her so sick.
"Nothing," she said through chattering teeth. "You just being here is helpful… I'll be alright… hopefully," she said morosely.
He grinned. "Of course you'll be fine, but I want you to be fine sooner, I need my bobcat back."
She snickered to his delight, but kept shivering. He piled another blanket on her before pulling his sweater off so he was just in a t-shirt and motioning her to move over in the bed.
She shook her head, refusing to move. "No! You'll get sick!" she protested, not wishing her sickness on anyone, especially her boyfriend.
He rolled his eyes and slid her over gently, climbing in beside her. "I'll risk it," he said easily.
Despite her protests, she instantly snuggled against his side, reveling in his body heat. He wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close as he kissed the top of her head.
"You just want me to play nursemaid for you, don't you?" she asked teasingly.
"That's one of the perks of having a steady girlfriend, sugarpants."
She snickered, laying her head on his chest so he couldn't see her expression. "You don't have to be sick to play doctor, baby," she said softly.
She felt a shudder run down his spine and delighted in the way her words made him react. He groaned. "Maybe you should get sick more often, you're feisty."
She chuckled and ran her hand down his chest. "If you're up for it… I think I'll need some help with the vapor rub later…," she said innocently.
He pulled her head up to rest his lips on hers, moving softly, sweetly against them. "It's a good thing I bought two jars," he said against her lips.