The wonderful shows Moonlight and Veronica Mars are owned by companies and people other than me. They are just places I go to play.
This is a Moonlight / Veronica Mars crossover. It follows Possession, which followed Who Are You?
This takes place a couple of years after Possession.
This is a redo so you've probably already read it.
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Six months ago
Veronica walks across the park watching for Logan. It doesn't take long for her to spot him. He's walking along with Wallace until they diverge and go their separate ways. Veronica likes to watch Logan now and then when he isn't aware of her. It gives her a chance to appreciate his body without him smirking at her. It also gives her a chance to see if anyone one else is around that is paying more attention to him than they should be. It was one thing when all she had to worry about were troublesome women hitting on him. Now she has vampires to watch for as well.
Logan and Veronica have been living together for a couple of years, she has finally learned to trust him, and to his credit, he hasn't disappointed her. They still have their occasional arguments but they are normal arguments, not Logan out of control fueled with his temper. Veronica is going to be eternally grateful to whatever it was that finally made Lynn tell Josef he had a son. The difference in Logan's temperament and overall outlook is much better. In just a few years, Josef has helped Logan reconcile most of the damage done to him by his abusive stepfather. Amazing what a loving parent can do for someone. He still has some of his ghosts but slowly his is putting them to rest. Unfortunately, along with Josef and all the good he's done for Logan comes a certain amount of danger. Four hundred year old vampires have their fair share of enemies and Josef probably more than most since he is not only very rich but one of the most powerful vampires in the country. It makes him a target and if anyone discovers Logan, it can make him one as well.
Veronica knows the day is coming when Logan is going to have to move to L.A. If the vampire community discovers him, there will be no choice. He will have to be where Josef can protect him. She doesn't know what she will do at that cross road. They've agreed to just wait and see what happens.
Veronica spots a woman watching Logan very closely. It's not unusual for women to watch Logan; he is young, very good looking and rich, a nice combination. This woman though seems different. She is watching him with an intensity that is not so much appreciation as studying him like a puzzle. Veronica watches closely and decides she needs to do a little unobserved surveillance. She walks in the opposite direction and flips out her phone.
Logan looks down at his phone and smiles as he answers. "Hey, there. Where are you?"
"Don't look around but I'm watching you. Actually I'm watching a woman watch you."
"And that's a problem because?"
Veronica swears she can hear the smirk through the phone. "This isn't your usual groupie. Something's not right." she replies somewhat dryly.
"You're my only groupie." Logan replies without an ounce of mirth.
"You sound so serious." Veronica tells him.
"I am. I just want to make sure you know you're the only one for me." He remembers when she didn't trust him. He has to admit that a certain amount of it was with good reason. He wants to make sure they never go back there again.
"Logan, it's ok. I love you and I know you love me. Lighten up. I just called to give you a heads up and tell you I'm not going to meet you. Go to dinner on your own and then head home. It will give me a chance to watch what she does. I just have a bad feeling about this one. I think she may be one of your father's people."
"Really? That's not good. What does she look like?" he asks.
"Long blond hair, cute, five foot seven, model thin, dresses like a model too."
Logan listens to the description. "Hey, now that you mention it I think I've seen her a couple times over the last few days. I think maybe at that party down at the marina last weekend."
Veronica shakes her head because she doesn't remember seeing the woman. She bites back the retort about his observation skills when it comes to blonds. "Let's take this slow. You do your thing and I'll do mine. I love you."
"I love you too. If we don't meet up for dinner, I'll see you at home?"
"Yes, in a very warm bed."
"That's my girl." Logan says and he disconnects.
Veronica punches up a second number. "I think we may have a problem. Nothing, concrete just a feeling I have."
Josef is as thankful Logan has Veronica, as she is that Logan has Josef. "V I trust your intuition. Let me know what you need."
"You will be my first call if it's bad. Don't worry."
"Good to hear it. I worry some times that you tend to think that you and Logan can take on the world by yourselves."
"Josef, that's probably true under human conditions but I try not to play games with vamps. It wouldn't take much for either of us to be out of our league and I'm not taking any chances with Logan's life."
"You have no idea how glad I am to hear you say that. Watch yourself as well. I'm getting kind of use to you, and Logan has this thing about you. No risky chances, alright?"
Veronica hears the warmth in his voice "I know. Don't worry. If she's what I think she is, one of us will call you and let you know. Hey, how are Mick, Beth and Shannon?"
"Good. They're here with me now and her name is Josie."
Veronica starts to laugh. "You're the only one who calls her by her middle name."
Josef sniffs. "That's because Shannon is just some rag tag Gaelic name." Josef glances across the desk at Mick who is scowling at him.
"Hey she's on the move. I have to go. I'll keep you posted." Veronica flips the phone closed and goes about keeping an eye on the woman following Logan.
Josef hangs up the phone and looks at Mick. "Don't look at me like that."
Mick shakes his head. "I'll have you know, Shannon was my grandmothers name. I take it that was V?"
"Yes, we may have trouble. She thinks one of our people is too interested in Logan, although it's a woman so it could be she just thinks he's irresistible."
Mick rolls his eyes. Josef continues. "She'll call back when she has more information and I'm not insulting your grandmother. I'm just saying Josie is a much better name for such a beautiful little girl."
Beth walks into the room with Shannon. She's gently patting the little girl on the back trying to get her to burp. Mick stands up and without a word; Beth passes the baby and a diaper to Mick. He throws the diaper over his shoulder and starts to walk the room with his daughter gently patting her on the back, murmuring quietly to her.
Josef never stops being amazed at their bond. They interact, half the time without ever saying a word. They know each other so well. "Hey, when are you two going to get married? I thought that was the big plan. First, you were going to do it right away and then you decided to wait until Josie was born and still nothing. I don't get to throw a bachelor party if you don't get married." Beth smiles every time Josef calls Shannon by her middle name. Her full name is Shannon Josephine St. John. Shannon was Mick's grandmother's name on his mother's side and Josephine well; everyone knows where the name Josephine comes from. Shannon has Mick's dark wavy hair and coloring and her mother's blue eyes.
They glance at each other with so much love it gives Josef the only pang of jealousy he's ever had over someone else's life.
"Maybe one of these days we'll get married, although the threat of one of your bachelor parties is enough to keep it one of these days." Mick says as he walks the room with Shannon.
Josef looks indignant.
Beth sits down in the chair Mick vacated. "We have a bit of a disagreement."
Josef looks at Beth somewhat skeptically. "It's hard to imagine you two disagree about much of anything anymore. What kind of disagreement?"
Mick starts to answer but Shannon burps. Mick smiles at her and wipes her mouth with the corner of the diaper.
Beth gets up out of the chair and takes Shannon back. Mick pulls the rocker out of its familiar corner and moves it over to the desk so Beth can sit with them while she rocks the little girl to sleep. Mick smiles when he thinks of the sudden appearance of the rocker in Josef's office. Back when Beth was about seven months pregnant Josef noticed that Beth was having a difficult time getting comfortable in a regular office chair and the couches in his office were so low she couldn't get up by herself and that made her cross. The next time they went to visit Josef at work the rocker was in the corner waiting for her. Josef never said anything about it; it was just there, waiting for Beth. Mick didn't tell Beth but one day he came to visit Josef and one of Josef's favorite freshies was sitting in the rocker waiting for Josef. When Josef entered the room and saw her, he nearly fired her on the spot. Word spread fast and no one else ever sits in the rocker but Beth.
Since the addition of Logan and Veronica to Josef's life, he's developed a strong sense of family that extends to Mick, Beth and Shannon. Since Josef hadn't known about Logan until he was an adult, Josef never got to buy presents for his son when he was little. Mick suspects Josef is trying to make up for it buying everything he can think of that Shannon might like. Mick didn't have the heart to tell him to stop so Beth had to put her foot down before Shannon was even born so that Josef would stop sending gifts to the apartment. Beth gently told him they appreciated it very much but she was absolutely not going to let him spoil her daughter rotten and besides soon there would be no room left in the apartment for any of them. She told him he couldn't buy any more presents for Shannon without clearance from her ahead of time. Beth explained that Josef has no sense of boundaries, which is fine for a four hundred year old vampire, but not for a human child. He pouted for a week and then very reluctantly agreed.
Once Shannon was born and Mick told Josef what her middle name was to be Josephine, and Beth and Mick wanted him to be her godfather, they were back to square one. It was more than he could manage. He started in again and once again, Beth had to put her foot down. It was a constant effort for Josef to keep from buying presents for Shannon. He dotes on her almost as much as her father does. Beth can't imagine what it will be like when Shannon gets old enough to date. The two of them will kill any boy who comes near her. Mick is already talking about all girl schools. Beth hops he is kidding.
Josef and Mick had an in depth conversation right after Shannon was born about legally naming Josef as Shannon's legal guardian in case something terrible were to happen to Mick and Beth. Neither, of them has any blood relatives left and both know with certainty that Josef would make sure that Shannon was always safe and loved. There was nothing more they could wish for, their little girl if something happened to the two of them. In addition, Mick told Josef that he made financial arrangements that will provide for both Beth and Shannon for a very long time if something happens to him. So, with that and all Josef's resources there is no worry that they would ever want for anything.
While Beth is getting comfortable in the rocker, Josef cocks his head to the side and looks intently at Shannon. "She's coming down with something...a cold or the flue."
Mick smiles. "I already told Beth."
Beth laughs. "I ought to rent you two out. You're so good at spotting illness before people know they are even sick. It's probably just a cold coming on."
Josef shrugs. "When you spend as much time listening to human vitals as we do, you get pretty good at knowing when something isn't right with them. Her breathing is a little off and she's just a little warm."
Mick looks across at Josef again and continues. "One of us doesn't really want to get married."
Josef looks at Beth. "Really?"
Beth smiles at his reaction. "Really. It just doesn't seem that important. We have each other and we have Shannon and life is just wonderful."
Josef squints at Mick. "How are you with this?"
Mick shrugs. "Well, as you love to point out, I'm still a prisoner of my time and in that time, you fell in love, you got married, and had kids. I have to agree with Beth a little bit though, somehow it doesn't seem to be that important anymore."
Beth snorts. "And in my time doing any one of those things doesn't mean the other has to follow."
Josef shrugs. "Must be something in the water."
Beth looks at him questioningly. "What's that mean?"
"I know that Logan has asked Veronica to marry him on more than a few occasions and she continues to say no."
Beth thinks about it for a minute. "Yes, but that situation is much different."
Josef walks over and pours himself a drink. "How do you figure? Neither one of you wants to get married."
Beth tucks a blanket around Shannon and looks up across at Josef. "With those two it's a control issue. Logan may not realize it but considering his upbringing he may think he will be able to exert more control over what V does if they are married and we all know how she feels about control. Veronica isn't going to give up any if she can help it. It's the same reason she hasn't gone back to school. She can't afford it and she won't let you or Logan pay for it. She feels like it would give you too much control."
Beth sees Josef scowl. "That and I think she likes the fact that it pisses me off to no end. There is no logical reason for her to not let me pay for her tuition and books and anything else she needs."
"Josef, you, and V are two sides of the same coin. She wants to control, one thing, her own life. You want to control everything. As I said, with them it's about control."
"And it's not like that with you two?"
Beth shakes her head. "You know better than that. It's not even close. It just doesn't seem all that important to me. There is something that would mean much more to me." Beth gives Mick a sidelong glance and continues. "Mick and I will be together forever, we all know that."
Mick nods in agreement. He wants her with him always but he still has some residual issues about her being turned. Beth rolls her eyes at him, when she sees the shadow in his eyes. "You know when Shannon gets older; you're going to turn me. You know it and I know it. Neither of us could survive without the other so you might as well admit it now."
Mick sighs. "I know and I want you with me always…. it's just…."
Beth looks at Josef, clearly exasperated. "Can you believe we are still having this conversation?"
"Actually yes, I can. You forget how long I've been listening to this. I will say, I think at this point his reluctance is more habit than conviction. He's mental health is better now than in all the years I've known him. I've never seen him this happy. Actually few people are as happy as he is these days."
"Could you two not talk about me like I'm not in the room?" Mick says sulkily.
Beth scrunches her nose at him. "Oh quiet, you invite this kind of speculation when you act against your own best interests. Listen to me, I'll be thirty in a couple more years and I think that will be a fine time. This is my choice. It's what I want more than any wedding. I want you to love me enough to turn me and love me forever."
Josef looks at Mick. "She's got a point. Turning her is a lot more permanent than any marriage license."
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Veronica watches the woman closely. She stays far enough away so the woman won't notice her. It's a warm weekend night. Lots of the local's are out and about. At least with this many humans Veronica won't stick out if the woman is a vamp. She's just one more warm body with a heartbeat. Once Logan settles on a place to eat, Veronica takes a chance that the woman will stick with him and runs to her car to get her infrared glasses. She would love to get pictures of the woman but there is no way she can stay undetected and get the woman's picture in the dim light. She settles for looking through the infrared glasses that Josef gave her to double check her hunch.
The small café Logan enters has a small outdoor area for dinning. He selects a table outside in plain sight. Veronica smiles. He's getting good at this. He knows if he's in plain view it makes it just that much easier for her to watch the woman. Veronica sees the woman in the park across from the café, watching Logan from her seat at the park bench. Veronica trains the glasses on the woman and no surprise, the woman doesn't show up in the glasses at all. Great. After Logan's done with dinner, he pays the check and decides to do as Veronica said and go home. He doesn't look around for her. He knows she's still out there watching him somewhere. She always has his back.
Veronica watches as it becomes apparent that the woman is going to approach Logan in the parking lot. Veronica doubts that she will do anything dangerous in middle of all these people even if it is late in the evening. All the same, Veronica stashes the glasses in her bag and moves in close thinking of a way to handle this.
Logan hears someone call him Josef. He ignores the call and keeps walking towards his car. Logan knows all the signs the vamp will be looking for to see if he recognizes the name. He doesn't know if he can pull it off but he regulates his breathing and does his best to stay very calm. Even if he can keep her guessing, he's ahead of the game. Logan feels someone tap him on the shoulder. He turns and suddenly he has his arms are full of a very willowy blond and he hears her call him Josef again.
Before he can extricate himself from the woman, he feels another hand on his other arm. He manages to get clear of the woman and turns to find a furious Veronica. "You lousy rat. I can't leave you to your own devices for one night without you acting like a wolf…. Who's the bimbo anyway?"
Logan smiles to himself. He doesn't know what Veronica has in mind but he knows her well enough to play along. Considering their history faking the fight isn't all that hard for either of them. In fact, just the idea freaks Logan out more than he likes. "Look, I wasn't doing anything. Its mistaken identity she thinks I'm someone named Josef, but of course, that's not going to matter to you. You never believe anything I say." Logan turns to the blond. "What is your name anyway?"
"Susan…."
"Well Susan this raving lunatic with the trust issues is my girlfriend Veronica."
"I might not have trust issues if you weren't always trying to nail everything in a skirt and as for the girl friend part, you can forget that. I'm out of here." Veronica turns and walks away.
Logan watches Veronica stalk off and turns back to Susan who is watching him very closely. "I'm sorry. I thought you were someone else. Let me buy you a drink to make up for the problem I caused."
"You probably did me a favor. The breakup has been coming for a while now. I'm not really in the mood for company right now. How about if we make it tomorrow night? I'll meet you here about nine. "
The woman looks at him curiously "You don't seem too upset about it."
Logan shrugs trying to seem calm. "Like I said, it's been coming. Do you want to meet me tomorrow night or not?"
She smiles warmly at him. "Sure. I'd really like that. I'll see you then."
Logan turns and heads for home to Veronica and a warm bed.
Veronica follows the woman long enough to make sure that she isn't going to continue to follow Logan and Veronica goes home as well.
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review please... :)
