Weekend
'It's going to be one rough weekend,' Logan Echolls thought as the clock hit three fifteen. The bell rung, the weekend began, everyone rushed quickly to get home so they didn't miss the last minutes of some show, or so they could strip and get into their pools, or go to the beach. Logan was the last one to get out of class, which was a first. He didn't have anything to look forward to this weekend, just more nights of booze and avoidance.
The car swerved, the tires screeched and the engine roared as he drove, he saw the corner coming, saw the lamp post coming, and he pressed his foot harder on the pedal.
He sat in the sheriffs department, Lamb kept him waiting, the smart ass. He sat there, a bit of blood trickling down from a cut above his eye. He sat there and tapped his finger, his face indifferent, but inside he was wondering why the hell he kept on surviving.
The car crash wasn't anything new, it happened to him in his dreams every night. He got in a car, his dad, his mum, Duncan, Veronica, Lilly….they were all there… all alive. He got into the car with them, his Dad started off driving, but then suddenly he was in the driver's seat, looking out at the windshield, heading straight over the bridge. He felt the impact, the water sucking him down, he reached out to grab his mothers hand, Lilly's, Veronicas…. His hand met thin air, and then he was standing on the bridge looking down at the sinking car, his father standing beside him, grinning down at the wreckage. It happened like that every night, his father and him, they were the only ones to survive.
"Were Echolls son," the words his father had said long ago echoed in his ears, "Were survivors." That night when he'd woken up in a sweat, those words hit him harder then they ever had before.
"Yeah," he'd said quietly to himself, "and murderers."
"Well it looks like your going to be staying over night Echolls," Lamb said a happy grin on his face. Logan ignored him, anger not even stirring in him, his eyes wandered to Lambs gun, wondering if he made a grab for it, would Lamb shoot him.
"What about Bail did I hear you ask?" Lamb said, snapping Logan back to the real world, an officer came in and took Logan by the arm, pulling him up, Logan's chance had gone.
"Well Echolls," Lamb continued the one sided conversation, "Since you don't have a thousand on you, and I don't really feel like taking a check you'll have to find some way to get it to us, in cash, or your going to be spending two very uncomfortable days in our holding cell."
"A phone call," Logan said sluggishly, trying to wake from his stupor, Lamb gave him a look, "I get a phone call jackass, and to think they made you sheriff." Logan snapped now.
"Fine," Lamb snapped, "But I'm timing you."
He picked up the phone, and his hand stopped momentarily over the dials, his house was destroyed, so no help on the now non existent family front, Duncan was gone, no help there either, and he wasn't about to waste a phone call on Dick. Logan dialed a well remembered number, and waited as it rung, trying to collect his thoughts.
"Mars residence," a man's voice, not Veronica's came across the line. Logan let go of the breath he'd been holding. "Hello?"
"Uh…Hi Mr…Mars…" Logan began awkwardly, he wasn't about to ask this man to help, and he knew there wasn't any point asking anyway.
"Logan?' Keith said, surprise evident in his voice.
"Is…Veronica there by any chance?" Logan asked, still rather awkward.
"Hurry up son," Lamb said, tapping his watch, his hand hovering over the engage button. "Tick tock, tick tock."
"No," Keith said, rather distracted, "Was that Lamb?"
Logan was about to put the phone down quickly, when Lamb suddenly grabbed it.
"Hi let me guess," he said into the receiver, "Is this Logan's little ex-girlfriend the blonde annoying pixy."
His face fell as Keith Mars replied to this. Logan watched him then turned away, the officer taking him to the holding cell. It was just turning out to be the most perfectly planned weekend.
Logan sat staring at the bars, being arrested wasn't exactly new to his family, it was also extremely boring. He wondered how he was going to get out of this one, he'd stolen a car, it deserved at least a night in here, unless he had money to bail, which he did, but Lamb wasn't about to take an eftpost card. Logan didn't really care anyway; it wasn't like he was going to be doing much outside, just sitting in his dark room, drinking until he passed out. Not much difference except for the absence of alcohol.
"Here's your money," Keith Mars finally said standing in front of Lamb, he slammed down the crisp dollar notes. Lamb narrowed his eyes, obviously annoyed that Logan would be getting out of that cell.
"I thought you didn't like the kid," Lamb said, getting up.
"I don't," Keith Mars shrugged, "But I've run out of cases, and no high school kid should have to spend his weekend in lock up. It's just so darn cruel. Call it a marshmallow heart."
"I'd call it pity if I didn't know you better," Lamb said.
"Yeah well unfortunately for you, you do," was Mars only reply.
With a few snide remarks about a family of jail birds Logan was out, walking into the car park, Keith Mars followed. It surprised Logan that anyone had come to bail him out, most of all Keith Mars, there was no love lost between the two.
"Didn't expect to get bailed I suppose," Keith said behind him. Logan turned and looked at him; he didn't feel up to quipping.
"No one's left to bail me," he shrugged, "No family, no friends, so no I didn't expect it. You better not be expecting any gratitude."
"Didn't expect any less from a thoughtful boy like you," Keith observed. "So how are you planning on getting home?"
Logan shrugged, "Walking, do you have any brighter ideas?"
"Here I'll drive you," Keith said, "I'd hate to think that I wasted my money just so you'd land up back in there."
Keith headed for his car, and to both their surprises Logan followed.
"Did you tell Veronica?" Logan asked outside the hotel, it had been a very silent drive.
"No," Keith said, "She's out doing whatever you crazy kids do these days."
"You mean solving crimes," Logan said dryly.
"Oh, I thought you guys were doing hard parties, man I got that wrong," Keith replied.
"Yeah, no one uses man anymore either," Logan said.
He opened the car door, but he didn't get out, instead he looked up at the uninviting hotel with it's free booze and its dark rooms. He stayed in the car, somehow unable to make his legs move.
"Logan," Keith called, "Are you okay?"
"Why," Logan snapped.
"Well you've got bags under your eyes a vampire would die for, like you haven't slept in a month, and maybe the fact you stole a car a few hours ago is a bit of a give away."
"Yeah…" Logan said, then trailed off.
"Have you been doing drugs again?" Keith asked in mock concern, "You know I told Aaron before he went to jail to not leave his toys lying around."
"Like father like son," Logan said quietly.
"What," Keith asked his brows knitting.
"You know what my dad used to tell me," Logan said suddenly, "When he was in one of his better benevolent 'lets play daddy moods'. He used to tell me us Echolls men, were all the same Logan, were all survivors. You know, and before now, I never paid much attention to it…It was just more crap that came out of his mouth….but do you think it's true….?"
"Well I don't think your fathers really a survivor Logan," Keith said, "Seeing as he's going to be in jail for a very long time, possibly forever."
"Yeah but he's still alive isn't he," Logan pressed, "And Lilly's the one who ended up six feet under… along with my mum…. You know I stole that car today cause I thought… hell I though, 'I don't want my own car getting smashed." I think I kind of planned to hit that lamp post….that's not normal is it?"
"No," Keith said, looking at Logan, "It's not."
"But I survived it, despite….well…trying….Maybe us Echolls are all the same," Logan said his voice quiet.
"I wouldn't say that," Keith said, "Echolls is just a name Logan, it doesn't really mean anything, just because you share the same last name as your father, as I'm sure you'll know, doesn't make him your father, and it doesn't make you him."
"Yeah," Logan said disjointedly, "Yeah…." He put one foot out of the car then turned back to Keith, "Hey I…can you tell Veronica….tell her I'll see her on Monday."
"Hey Logan," Logan paused for a second more, looking back.
"Yeah?"
"Have a good weekend," Keith finished.
Logan gave a wane smile and with that thought he got out of the car and slammed the door, trudging up to the hotel.
A week later Veronica came home, looking rather puzzled at her father. Apparently Logan had told her to say thanks.
"Thanks," Mars repeated.
"Yeah, he said something about appreciating the ride, he also gave me this," she held out some money, "You don't think its drug money do you?" She asked jokingly.
"No," Keith said taking the money, "I think he was just drunk."
"Yeah," she said, looking at him suspiciously, "He stole a car and smashed it into a pole on the weekend…or so I've heard."
"Really," Keith asked, faking surprise "Must have been one rough weekend."