A/N - Just doing some reformatting of this chapter while I update the second chapter as well.
Disclaimer: I don't own them, I really wish I did!
"I can't believe it. When we left home 2 weeks ago, I looked normal. Now look at me!" Veronica is standing in front of the bathroom mirror in the hotel suite she and Logan were staying at. Dressed in a dark blue bikini, her stomach has started to swell outwards, other than that she is as tiny as she always has been.
Logan walks to the door and leans against the wall, just admiring her as she is twisting and turning in front of the mirror. When she notices him and glares at him in the mirror he just smirks and walks up behind her wrapping his arms around her and resting his hands against the bump.
"This is all your fault! If you hadn't have been so crazy when you got home last time, then I wouldn't look like this, and my clothes would still fit!"
"If I remember correctly, you were just as crazy about having me home as I was to be home. I wasn't the only one who didn't want to leave the bedroom for that weekend. Plus, I think you look absolutely amazing and adorable. You are even more gorgeous to me now." Logan leans his head down and kisses her temple and leaves his head next to Veronica's, looking into her eyes in the mirror. "I love you, Veronica Echolls, and it only makes me love you more to know that you have our children growing inside you."
Veronica starts tearing up and brings Logan's hand up to her mouth to kiss his fingers and then hold it tight. She leans back against his bare chest and watches him rub his other hand over her stomach.
"I love you too, you know that right? I've never said it enough, but I want to make sure you know that I do. And that I am happy. It's just still a lot to take in, and I..." She takes a deep breath and just holds onto Logan.
He turns her around in his arms and holds her close to him, tilting her head up and laying a sweet kiss on her lips and then her forehead. "It's a big deal to me too, bobcat. But it's something that I've never wanted with anyone else. You and me, against the world. And now, it's you and me and these two little bugs. We are, and always will be.." "Epic." They say the last word together and Veronica lays her head on his chest and breathes out the last of her tension. They stand there just holding onto each other for a moment before her stomach starts to grumble.
"Alright, lets get you fed before the kittens start making you cranky again." Logan laughs as he steers her out of the bathroom, grabbing his shirt and a coverup for Veronica on their way out of the suite.
"Kittens? When did I get kittens?" Veronica remembers to grab the beach bag as she is whisked down the hall to the elevators. "And can we go back to that yummy little beach bar? I really liked the burger there."
"Well, you are my bobcat, so they are my kittens. It makes perfect sense. And wherever you want to eat, we can go to. Plus, then we will already be on the beach. Mind watching me surf for a while again?"
"Well, at least you let me grab my bag this time. As long as you can find me a nice comfy bit of sand that comes with an umbrella, I will be happy to watch you surf. But only until I get hungry again." Veronica tucks herself under his arm as they wait for the elevator to get all the way to the bottom floor. "Your 'kittens' demand regular meals, or else they decide that they don't want me to hold any food down at all."
"I will do my very best, for you are the very best of me."
"Awww, you're adowable." She pinches his side and runs out of the elevator as it opens to try and avoid his retaliation. Logan chases her out of the elevator, as they dodge guests in the lobby trying to get her back. Logan is the only one who can truly bring out this side of Veronica and he always enjoys it. She is the only one who he feels safe enough around for him to act like this, so it's perfect for both of them.
As Logan runs past the valet stand, he pauses to dig out his car keys and tosses them to the valet. "Can you grab my car, it's apparently time for lunch. Thanks!" He continues to chase Veronica around the lobby, although not really trying to catch her until they come up next to a big empty couch. He picks her up and they land on the couch, both of them with huge smiles and giggles erupting from Veronica.
After they had been kicked out of the first hotel on their trip for behavior like this, Logan made sure to talk to the manager and tip very well, explaining exactly the atmosphere that he wanted for his wife on this trip. Now all of the staff knew just how they were supposed to treat the Echolls and for the most part, that meant letting them have the fun they wanted and placate all of the other guests who were disturbed. For the ones who were really offended Logan have given his authorization for the hotel to charge a nice dinner and drinks to his card, without telling Veronica at all. He wanted them to have the last 2 weeks of their month long tour of Australia and New Zealand just for fun. The last few months of their lives had been full of craziness and danger, and he had finally gotten Veronica to take some time off and go away with him. Time to relax and get away from both of their lives and reconnect with each other before the biggest change in their lives to this point.
As they lay laughing on the couch, simply enjoying the company of each other, the valet walks up and stands off to the side. He clears his throat after a moment, drawing their attention to him at last. "Your car is here, Mr. Echolls. Did you need anything else?"
"Nope, Thank you very much Eddie. Here you go." Logan hands over a folded bill as he gets up and then turns around to help Veronica up and holds her hand as they walk out to the rental car. "Time to feed you and the kittens." Veronica starts laughing again, and doesn't stop even as the valet closes the car door for her. He hands Logan a bottle of water as he gets into the drivers seat. "For your Mrs. when she can finally stop laughing."
"Eddie, you get a bigger tip when we get back." Logan calls out as he puts the convertible in drive and pulls out of the driveway. "Now, my dear. Off to get us some lunch, and then some sunshine and surfing. Here's your water." He puts the bottle into the cup holder and focuses on the road.
"Is this a good spot to sit and relax, sugarpuss?" Logan is hauling around his surfboard and a large beach umbrella while Veronica had her beach chair and the bag holding sunscreen, her books, towels, and other random beach paraphernalia.
"It looks great. Now, go impress me with your athleticism." Veronica sets up her chair under the beach umbrella and gets settled for an afternoon of reading and enjoying the sight of her husband half naked and wet. Yum. Oh right, that's how she got pregnant. Mmm, fun.
"Ok, if you need anything, just grab my attention. I'll be out there." Logan points to the water, kisses Veronica on the forehead and runs out into the ocean with his board.
Veronica finishes setting up her chair and puts on sunscreen before settling down with the first of her books, the classic What to Expect When You're Expecting. The next hour or so is filled with her taking turns between reading and watching Logan ride the waves. He seems happy, talking to some of the other surfers out there, and she is perfectly content to spend a lazy afternoon on the beach of a far away continent. One where no one is trying to abduct her, or murder her, or harm her husband in anyway. Veronica decides that it's about the perfect time to take a nap and puts down her book to recline the chair. Half an hour after she fell asleep, Logan notices that she's not watching him any more and comes out to check on her. Propping his board in the sand, he readjusts the umbrella so it shades her again. He leans down and brushes her hair off of her face. Veronica's eyes open slightly and she smiles at him and reaches out for his hand. He grabs it and places a kiss on the back of it. "Go back to sleep, love. I'll keep surfing for a bit."
"Mmm, my husband won't like you hitting on me, random dude. He's a dangerous man. Been accused of a few murders you know."
"Oh yeah? Is he in jail now?"
"Nope, I got him off of all charges. I'm a pretty awesome PI/Lawyer. You don't want to mess with us." Veronica smiles up sleepily at him, and the look in her eyes makes Logan drop to his knees beside her.
"For that smile, I'll take my chances." He whispers as he leans down and presses a kiss on her lips.
Veronica moans quietly and brings her hand up to tangle in his hair, finally growing out from his Navy haircut and holding him there to drag the kiss out. Finally he ends the kiss, leaving his forehead touching hers. "You sleep some more. I'll go back out on the water. Save up your energy for tonight. We'll go out for dinner and you can dress up all fancy. Maybe go out dancing? It will be fun." He kisses her forehead and gets back up to go surf some more.
"Sounds fun. You are pretty darn hot. Go cool off." Veronica swats his butt as he walks to grab his board and whistles at him.
"That is the reason for the kittens, bobcat." Logan runs into the water with the sound of Veronica's laughter ringing in his ears.
Unseen to either of them, a man looked up at the sound of her laughter, glanced around trying to see who was laughing, but all he could see was Logan's back as he dove under a wave and the umbrella blocking all but Veronica's legs. He shook his head, trying to get rid of a memory that he hadn't thought of in quite a few years. Then went back to watching a young girl surfing almost as well as a pro. Well, she had been surfing about since she could swim. The one thing that her namesake never showed interest in was the one thing that his daughter always wanted to do.
He goes closer to the water, walking past the umbrella on his way. He smiles as his daughter looks so happy on the water.
"Duncan?" A voice floats into his ears. On the heels of his previous memory, he just thought it was part of that, and doesn't respond. After all, he hasn't gone by that name in over 13 years and half a world away. "Duncan?" At the second repetition, he pauses. It can't be. He refuses to believe it.
"Donut? Is it really you?" Lily, his sister, not his daughter, was the one who came up with that nickname. The only other person who ever used it was his old girlfriend.
"Ve-veronica?" He can't turn around, he can't believe that she is there. And then he is being hugged as tightly as the short blonde with the amazing laugh can manage.
"Veronica?" The head nods as it is buried into his chest, trying her hardest to crush the breath from him. His arms reach up of their own accord and start hugging her back. She starts sobbing into his chest and hugging him even closer. "Please tell me I'm not dreaming, or hallucinating again. Please."
"Oh Duncan! Duncan, it's me!" She looks up at him and it's not the face of 18 year old Veronica he sees, and that is what convinces him. It's always her as he last saw her in his dreams and memories. He holds her as tight as she was holding him and starts crying as much as she was. He slowly falls down until they are both kneeling in the sand, holding each other for dear life, as if they can't believe this is actually happening.
Logan finishes a wave and looks over towards where he left Veronica. Seeing her kneeling in the sand wrapped around some guy looking like she was crying her heart out made him a touch scared. Grabbing his board, he starts walking quickly to where they were on the beach. He notices a teenage girl heading towards the same people, and the way she looks makes him do a double take, but he knows he couldn't have met this young girl anywhere.
"Hey, do you who that woman is who's hugging my dad?" She asks when she notices that Logan is heading towards the same people she is.
"Well, that's my wife. Lets go see what's going on. Who is your dad?" They both started walking a touch quicker to the two people sobbing on the beach.
"His name is Steve. Steve Campbell. Do you know him?" She asks as they come up to the crying pair.
"Veronica? Are you ok?" Logan drops his board and kneels down next to her, putting his hand on her back. Duncan looks up at his voice and Logan immediately sinks back down to the ground, his mouth dropping open in disbelief. "No. No, no, no, no..." He keeps repeating the word, like he doesn't even know what is coming out of his mouth. Because he doesn't.
Lily stands up her board and then grabs Logan's and sets that one up to. It doesn't look like anyone was hurt, and so she was just really confused as to why these people sitting in the middle of the beach looking like the world was ending. Or starting all over again. She sees the bottles of water next to the chair she assumed was the lady's and went to grab them.
Veronica looks up finally hearing Logan's muttering. "Logan. Logan." She reaches back to grab his hand. "Logan." He finally takes his eyes off of Duncan's face and looks at Veronica's. Seeing the tears run down her face hits him and he reaches up to her face, just resting his hand there.
"It's Duncan, Logan. It's really him." Logan looks back at Duncan and then grabs both of them and holds them tight. Veronica ends up mostly in the middle of the two men holding onto both of them. This lasts for a few more minutes before she starts realizing she can't breathe all that well. She tugs on the back of Duncan's shirt and tries to push against Logan's chest. "Guys, back up, let me go. I can't breathe." It takes the guys a moment to realize what she was asking, and then they both backed up as fast as they could, almost falling over in the sand. Veronica starts laughing through her tears and smiles at the two men looking like the awkward gawky teens they used to be.
"Hey Dad, are you okay?" Lilly finally saw an opening to figure out what was going on. She hands Veronica the water bottle she had been holding. "And why do they keep calling you Duncan? Isn't your name Steve?"
Veronica takes the water bottle offered and looks up at the girl for the first time. "Lily, is that you?" To Duncan, "Is this Lily?" She turns her head back to Lily. "You are even more beautiful than I imagined."
"My name is Lily. How did you know that? Dad, who are these people?" Lily goes over to where her dad was sitting in the sand. He looks up at her and grabs her hand, pulling her down into his lap.
"Lils, do you remember me telling you about the awesome guardian angel who helped me when you were a baby? And the best friend I had when I was a kid, the one whose dad was an awesome movie star?" When she nods at him, he continues. "This is them. Logan Echolls and Veronica Mars. A blast from my past that I never thought I'd ever see again." He finally had the chance to see all of Veronica and as his eyes traveled over her he noticed the flashy ring and her baby bump. "Or is it Veronica Echolls?" He said the last with a smile.
Veronica and Logan glanced at each other, and the smile that they could never hide from each other popped up for an instant. Their hands automatically found each other without looking. Logan turned back to Duncan and said "Yeah, it's Echolls now. Has been for almost 2 years now. How we got there is a story in itself."
"With us, wasn't it bound to be?" Veronica smiled. "Is it Steve now?" Veronica asked. "I'm not sure you look like a Steve." Her mouth quirked up in an assessing grin.
"Wow. Just wow. This is the last thing I ever expected to happen today. Logan and Veronica showing up on the beach. Although, I guess if I was ever going to run into Logan it would be on a beach surfing." Duncan's arms wrapped around Lily and he seemed to be talking mostly to himself.
"Dad. Hey Dad." Lily poked him in the stomach. "People are starting to look at all of us weirdly. Can we maybe look more normal before I get super embarrassed?"
This comment made all of the adults look around the beach in apprehension. The beach wasn't that crowded, but there were enough people around and they were starting to look at them.
"Yeah, we should probably go somewhere else. At least to finish the crying part of this reunion." Logan said as he stood up, holding a hand down to help Veronica up.
"How about we go back to our house? I'd like to hear more about this story." Lily looked up at her dad with her hopeful puppy dog eyes. The eyes that were so much like his dear sister's that he could never say no to them.
"And I don't want to say goodbye again just yet." Veronica used Logan's hand to pull herself up, and his arms went immediately around her, one hand resting unconsciously on the small bump where his children were. Duncan glanced at Veronica's stomach and then back up to their hopeful faces.
"Yeah, we can go back to our house. It'll be safer to talk inside." Lily bounced off of Duncan's lap at these words and bounced towards her board.
"Ok, but I'm driving with you. I don't want to lose you again so soon after finding you again." Veronica leaned down to poke Duncan in the chest.
"You don't need to drive anywhere. We walked here. You can just follow me." Lily seemed to have a mix of the personalities of her namesake and her mother. Almost like she was the best of both of them. She grabbed her board under one arm and held out her hand to Veronica. "Well, aren't you coming?" The way she said that, and the way she looked at that moment, it was if their Lily was back to life again. Veronica started crying again. "Yeah. Yeah Lily, I'm coming." As she glanced at Logan she could see tears starting to fall down his cheeks as well.