Title: New Beginnings, Same Endings
Characters/Pairings: Logan/Veronica, Nate/Serena, Seth/Summer, Ryan/Blair, Dick/various OCs
Disclaimer: LOL PLEASE. If I owned any of these series, LoVe would never have broken up, Marissa wouldn't existed (or at least, died), and GG would stay closer to the books. Basically, Josh and Rob own this.
A/N: So, I haven't actually written a fanfic in a really, really long time but I've just gotten recently obsessed with VM and The OC and GG has always been a love of mine so I decided to mesh them! It was originally going to have OTH in here too but since I've never done a crossover fic, I figured three fandoms were a good enough start. Not that that's saying none of those charries might make a surprise appearance or anything ;)
If there was anything Veronica had learned about the past three years since Lily had died, it was that Neptune no longer had a place for her. She had been over life in Neptune long before she graduated but she was surprised when she felt her heart slightly break at the thought of leaving behind the home where so much had happened. Her father would be fine - he she wasn't worried about - but what about all the friends and the life she had managed to salvage in the past year? Wallace would still be on the same coast but Duke seemed almost impossibly far for her to deal with. And Mac, headed to Hearst, would be the farthest from them all.
Of course, Mac had patiently informed Veronica during their teary goodbye that their computers all had webcams and software that would allow them to chat daily, should the need arise. The trio spent the entire summer together, solving any petty cases that came their way while trying to remain normal for the few months.
The only person Veronica wouldn't miss was Logan. After being part of a dynamic friendship to being enemies to make-out buddies to enemies to being in love to hating each other again to falling in love yet again, he decided to follow her to New York. His decent grades and SAT score were overshadowed by his amazing (and completely original, Veronica made sure of) essay, and though she felt some sort of contribution to the school must've been made, Logan would be starting at Brown in the fall with her.
"Ladies and gentlemen, we're now beginning our descent into Providence, Rhode Island so please buckle your seat belts. It's a sunny day and a warm seventy-five degrees on your Tuesday afternoon," the pilot's voice crackled over the intercom. The rest of his spiel went unnoticed as Veronica reached for Logan's hand nervously. This suddenly became too real for her - she was in college, on the other side of the country from her father and home and oh, my God was she hyperventilating? Veronica Mars did not hyperventilate. Ever.
"Oh, Ronnie, if you were so eager to join the mile high club, you should've said so about...oh, maybe an hour ago," Logan quipped in her ear softly, chuckling. Quirking and eyebrow, she suddenly realized that in her anxiety, she had missed the hands Logan had folded in his lap by a mere few inches and was resting her palm in the center of his crotch. Smirking evilly, she rubbed back and forth a couple times, before grabbing his actual hand.
"We can join that club when we get to the hotel," she whispered in his ear, placing a kiss right at the intersection of his jaw and ear. Their easy teasing and his immature comments were comforting. At least something wasn't going to change.
"Okay, here is where I ask how long we're living in this hotel together before we can move into the dorms," Dick said from next to Veronica. She just patted his arm with pursed lips and a "not long" rushed from her lips. How Dick had gotten into Brown was a mystery she had yet to solve. His grades were horrible but his SAT score had been surprisingly good (she was convinced someone else had taken his test because there was no way that Dick could've scored a 2300 but he just shrugged, chalked it up to good guessing and made a pervy comment at some passing blonde) and she was sure his incredibly large inheritance from Kendall, Cassidy's and his father's life insurance played a small part in his acceptance.
"You know, the dorms aren't co-ed at Brown," Logan said, chuckling at his friend.
"Yeah, but like, getting a girl to a dorm room is so much easier than having to call, like, a cab and get her to the hotel." He shrugged like his comment was rational and Veronica just shook her head and gripped both of their hands as the plane trembled before finally hitting the runway. "You okay, Veronica?"
She nodded, eyes squeezed shut until she felt the plane completely stop. So her nervousness wasn't all because of college. Ever since Cassidy had blown up Woody's plane, she wasn't so much afraid of flying as she was of flying and being blown up. She knew the chances of that happening were slim to none but still, she knew how to hold a grudge.
"Okay, let's get you out of here," Logan said, grabbing her hand and pulling her up, trying to escort her off the plane before the crowd came. Dick grabbed their carry-ons and followed quickly, staying a good distance so that if she got sick, she wouldn't hurl on him but being close enough to be there if she needed him.
The trio made it quickly to baggage claim and out of the airport, headed to their home for the next week and a half.
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"Blair! I swear, if you take any longer, I will have Nate go in there and get you out, one way or another," Serena threatened playfully, falling on her back next to her boyfriend.
"S, I have to be prepared! I'm making my biggest impression in these next few weeks and since I'm not as Brown-y as you are, it takes time!" Blair took another look in the mirror. Her hair had grown to rest half-way down her back and fell in loose waves. She had grown out of her headband phase, preferring the mystery forehead and eye sweeping bangs allowed.
Ever since she had miraculously been allowed to attend Brown (she was positive it was Serena's celebrity that persuaded the Dean at Yale to accept her, other schools following suit), she found that the school was almost perfect. Away from the students she knew and disliked, but close enough to visit home whenever she pleased. Not that it'd be often - she and Chuck had ended things in a bad place (neither had wanted to break up, which left him with bitter feelings towards her leaving him to run his father's company alone) and she and her mother were happy but it was awkward now that she had to raise a baby all over again. Blair was ready to leave - but she had sworn that she would change when she made it to Brown. The drama was amusing but so high school and generally so petty that she was appalled at ever having been that girl.
Instead, she found herself calming down and being more affable, hardly leaving anyone to recognize her when she left.
"Ta-da!" She popped out of the bathroom in a flourish, wearing patent leather Stella McCartney heels, Lucky Brand jeans, and a t-shirt that proudly declared Brown University. She was the picturesque college student (minus the heels) and she was amazed at how easy it felt to be this way.
"Wow, B, you actually look...normal," Nate said, feigning shock as he held his hand over his heart gingerly. Serena giggled and smacked him lightly on the head, before telling her best friend she looked fine and definitely ready to head down to get some food.
"I'm famished!" her friend joked, clutching her stomach and grabbing her hotel key and phone. Turning towards her boyfriend, she smiled innocently. "So, Natie, where are you taking Blair and I out for dinner?"
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Summer giggled happily before hiccuping silently. It had been a while since she had drunk any liquor this strong and she was definitely feeling the effects. Seth was just slightly behind her and Ryan seemed to be not feeling anything at all.
"C'mon, Ryan, aren't you just a little tipsy?" she asked, dragging out her words and slurring slightly as she held her thumb and index finger close together.
"No, and you should be glad I'm not. You and Seth are a handful when drunk," Ryan said in annoyance. Helping his stumbling friends find the elevator, he chose to ignore the bottle of vodka Seth was un-stealthily trying to smuggle back to their room. Sighing, he pressed the up button and grabbed Summer's arm to pull her away from Seth. He did not need to have them jumping each other in the middle of the Providence Biltmore's lobby. All they needed to do was make it to their penthouse and slip them into their room for all the fun they wanted to have.
"Ryan," Summer whined, dragging his name out. "You are being no fun! Just take another shot," she said, snatching the bottle from Seth and holding it out to him. Debating for a minute, he shook his head as he grabbed the bottle and unscrewing the cap, took a sip of the bitter liquid. He was never a huge fan of the clear liquor - he preferred his beer - but liquor was liquor and he was too sober to be dealing with his two friends right now.
"Dude, it's about to be a party!" a voice called out from behind them. Noticing the elevator doors open, he moved his two friends into the elevator before sneaking a glance behind him. There stood an obviously spoiled rich kid, with blonde hair that said he spent too much time in the sun and an accent that declared he was from none other than lovely California.
The surfer boy was accompanied by a couple, from the looks of it. They stood close and both appeared amused yet embarrassed by their friend's behavior. Moving into the elevator next to them, the doors were about to close when another trio came waltzing in. The elevator quickly became cramped and they were ready to get to their floor.
Summer was the first to break the silence. Giggling at something Seth had said, she nodded and offered the bottle to the blonde boy. He grabbed it and eagerly took a sip. "Woo!" he exclaimed jokingly, offering the bottle to his friends. The tall male took a sip, though his girlfriend declined. The bottle was then snatched out of his hands by the other blonde in the elevator. She was absolutely drop-dead gorgeous - and she of course had a boyfriend. The brunette whom stepped in with her kissed her cheek lovingly as he snatched the bottle himself.
"So, I guess we're, like, the party floor," the blonde boy said aloud. A feeling of confusion spread across the crowd as they looked towards the buttons. Clearly, the only button pressed was the top floor. "So, I'm Dick. Dick Casablancas," he said, doing the head nod at the brunette who was wearing a Brown shirt. She was pretty as well, almost prettier than her friend in the way that she seemed a little more...worldly, in a way, than her friend.
Disgust showing on her face for a second, she shook her head almost imperceptibly and smiled. "Blair Waldorf," she said, mocking his expression with complete seriousness.
"Please excuse Dick. He's...well, he's Dick," the petite blonde said. "Veronica Mars," she said with a grin. Ryan couldn't tell what it was but he liked her already. She seemed tough and able to handle herself, even though he noticed her boyfriend stood slightly in front of her, like he was ready to protect her should the need arise.
"Logan Echolls," he said simply. Ryan remembered the name - obviously everyone had, because a quiet "oh" sounded through the tiny space. The guy seemed uncomfortable, though, with everyone remembering the scandal of his actor father so Ryan cleared his throat.
"Ryan Atwood," he said, pursing his lips in a makeshift smile.
"I'm Summer Roberts."
"Seth Cohen, at your service, though, seriously, we need more alcohol since this bottle is half-empty. And no, it's not half-full 'cause the optimism is lost when it's liquor," Seth rambled in greeting, staring at the bottle for the last half.
The gorgeous blonde giggled. "I'm Serena van der Woodsen," she said, giving a smile Ryan was almost sure she had practiced time and time again in the mirror or had learned from posing for pictures too often.
"Nate Archibald," the brunette smiled and Ryan could tell he was the popular one back home and that almost made Ryan dislike him. "And we have a fully stocked minibar in the penthouse for the...party floor," he said with an amused expression. Ryan liked him after that.
The elevator had made it's arrival at their floor quickly and the nine teenagers stepped out. "Party in our suite!" Dick exclaimed and headed quickly towards his suite. Ryan chuckled and shook his head in amusement.
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Two hours and three bottles of champagne later, the nine teenagers were successfully trashed. They were talking about where they were from (turns out the Newpsies were close to the 09ers) and their respective histories.
"...so after his ex died, he took the baby and left town," Veronica shrugged, leaning with her back resting on Logan's shoulders.
"So that's when you two got back together?" Serena questioned, nursing an almost empty glass. After Veronica nodded and Logan placed a sweet kiss on top of her head, Serena cooed. "You guys are so cute!"
Ryan rolled his eyes. "I feel like my manhood is being stripped away right now, as we talk about how cute everyone is," he grumbled. All around him, everyone was in a pair, except for he, Blair, and Dick. It made him a little bitter; his girlfriend (well, ex, though he knew their relationship never really ended) was currently sailing around Greece with her father as she took a year-or-maybe-more-long hiatus from college.
"Seriously, how can it be cute when, like, everyone's life has been so fucking screwed up?" Blair asked, rolling her eyes.
"I agree with the hot brunette chick," Dick said, raising his personal bottle of Jack Daniels up as a mock toast.
"It's Blair!" she exclaimed for the millionth time that night.
"And he scored a 2300 on his SATs," Veronica chimed in, sounding slightly bitter.
"...you're kidding me," Blair said, mouth agape. After a second she broke out in giggles. "I can not believe...that he got a fucking...2300," she shot out between gasping for air. A few seconds later and Ryan chuckled as well, the group joining shortly after.
"To embezzling and murderous fathers, ignorant and drunk mothers, and the fucked up lives we lead," Logan called out, clinking his glass and downing the rest of it quickly.
They didn't talk about their families for the rest of the night.
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"Veronica! Veronica, turn on the tv!" A frantic Blair rushed into the apartment and grabbed the remote from Dick's hand and changed the channel to the local news.
"This morning, news has surfaced of an incoming Brown University student being murdered at the school's annual Orientation Mixer." The reporter's voice filled the quiet penthouse as Veronica and Logan emerged from their room. "The body has not been identified yet but the school's rep has made a statement on the matter."
"This is a tragedy none of us expected last night but we assure students that everything is being done to catch the alleged murderer," another male said on screen. "The school has amplified security and assure it's students they they are more safe than ever."
The rest of the newscast was lost on the group. Logan shared a meaningful glance at Veronica, hoping she would let the cops take over this one. She looked at him and he sighed. "Just be careful, please."