A/N: I thought long and hard about this idea, and eventually decided to go for it. I didn't intend for it to be anything more than a oneshot, but 3k+ words later and I've accepted that it's definitely going to be. I hope you all enjoy it!
Many thanks to my lovely beta and good friend Leah for reading through this even though she hasn't watched the series. Yet. ;)
Thank you to Shelby for listening to me whine, answering random questions, and encouraging me along the way. And thank you to Catherine for the countless capslock-filled emails we exchanged months ago about this phase in L/V's life, because those definitely played a huge part in all that this story became.
Some elements/characters from the first Veronica Mars book, The Thousand-Dollar Tan Line, are present in this story.
Veronica leaves the office early that Friday afternoon, mentally exhausted from working nonstop on a case that has dragged on for weeks. When she enters their beach house, it's sunny and pleasantly still, aside from a muffled noise coming from a few rooms over. She smiles for what feels like the first time since before she left for work that morning, grateful that she can de-stress in Logan's company.
Removing her flats and purse and placing them on the floor against a wall in the foyer, she starts to tie her hair up high into a messy bun as she makes her way to the living room.
Logan sits on the couch, his back to Veronica, and he's hovering over his phone, intently studying a YouTube video. Something about flight mechanics, she's willing to bet. The volume is so low, she doesn't know how he's even hearing it.
Veronica walks up behind him and brushes her fingers through his hair, her nails barely grazing his scalp, and then down to lightly scratch the back of his neck. Her hands settle flat on his chest. Her arms are loosely draped around each side of his neck as she leans down to kiss his cheek.
Logan taps the pause button on his phone's screen, sets it aside and takes Veronica's hands with his, lifting her arms over his head and leading her around to his side of the couch. She sits down next to him, props her feet up on the coffee table in front of them. He follows suit and puts his arm around her as he does, pulling her closer.
"Missed you," Logan says, kissing her temple, then the side of her mouth. His hand envelopes her forearm, his fingers stroke the inside of it. "Long day?"
She looks up at him and only nods once in response, because he knows.
"Better now," she says quietly, almost in a whisper. Her head is resting against him and her eyelids are heavy, and she can't stop herself from drifting off to sleep right there.
Veronica naps for almost two hours. When she wakes up, one side of her face is pressed against a decorative pillow, the rest of her body sprawled out across the length of the couch. Logan is gone, and she frowns at his absence, until she smells a hint of something Italian and hones in on the music playing outside on the back deck.
She sits up, yawns, and squints to see him through the open window blinds. He's standing at the patio table, casually setting out plates and silverware, pouring wine into two glasses. Her breath catches a bit. She looks away, smiling, and pauses for a few seconds before leaving her place on the couch to go and freshen up.
It's been three years. Three years since nine years apart and an emotional, heated reunion and two weeks of bliss. Three years since he saved her dad's life, and in many ways, her own.
Those three years have felt like a month and a lifetime all at once. She can't ever decide which it is. What she's sure of, though, is that she's happy and that she loves him. She knows she never stopped. It's rough, between their jobs, his time away, and the almost decade of missed moments to catch up on, but she can't see past him now, can't imagine living without him.
Veronica brushes her teeth, washes her face, and lets down her hair. She looks for something to change into that's a little less Mars Investigations and a little more Relaxing Friday Night In, and settles on a loose, off-white sheer blouse with a tank top underneath and dark, frayed jean shorts.
In her retreat from the bathroom, she doesn't quite make it through their bedroom doorway before running into Logan. He steps back, observing her change in attire as she does his.
He's in jeans and a navy v-neck tee that hugs his form just enough, and she's grossly attracted. His 5 o'clock shadow makes everything worse. She wonders if dinner is really necessary right now. Veronica purses her lips and focuses on Logan's eyes, touting her best attempt at a poker face. As if she truly believes he can't sense what this look is doing to her.
"Funny seeing you here," Logan says, unable to hide his grin. He leans forward to kiss her cheek. Her eyelids flutter shut and then open as he's leaning back.
"Wait," she frowns, placing both hands on his chest. "Were you expecting someone else to join you for dinner, 'cause in that case-"
"Come with me," he says, his voice softer now, more serious. He offers her a hand.
"Gladly, babe."
As it turns out, Veronica's post-nap senses were correct. Logan had prepared salads and a fancy Italian dish that, after they'd devoured three quarters of it, he proudly claims to have learned about while watching a Good Morning America special. She almost loses her wine at the admission.
"Good Morning America? Seriously, folks. Can I start calling you my house husband now?" Veronica questions, her smile wide and jubilant. She's sipping on her second glass, holding it easily with both hands, her elbows resting at the edge of the tiny, wooden square patio table. Across from her, Logan laughs and squints one eye, then ducks his head, and she thinks she sees him squirm in his chair.
He looks back up, first out at the ocean in the distance and then at Veronica. He's still smiling, but his eyes lock in on hers. She doesn't break his gaze, never wants to.
"I'd be honored, m'dear."
Veronica slowly sets aside her wine glass and reaches one hand over the table toward Logan, her other forearm in front of her, a barrier between her and her plate. He meets her hand with his, entwining their fingers. Their elbows settle on open spaces on the table.
"So. Three years, huh?" Logan says, squeezing her hand gently as he does. His thumb strokes the back of her hand, and she tries to keep breathing steadily as she nods, biting her bottom lip.
His eyes are so calm, so sure. She hopes hers look the same to him.
"I love you," Veronica says, a trace of desperation in her voice. Her eyes begin to tear up at the statement she's made hundreds of times before, but these days, she doesn't feel the need to blink them back.
Logan lowers his head toward their hands, pulling them closer to him, and his lips meet her fingers. He reaches across the table, brushes pieces of her hair away from her face, his fingers cupping her cheek. Veronica lets the warm, familiar feeling in her stomach overwhelm her. Suddenly, they're nineteen again.
"I love you, too, V."
Logan, in true form, has queued up the outdoor sound system to play his Arctic Monkeys station on Pandora throughout dinner, but he's set the volume low enough that they haven't paid much attention to it. Until now.
Veronica's eyes kind of widen when she realizes what song is playing now, the lyrics bringing her back to some of their more intimate moments, years prior.
Secrets I have held in my heart / Are harder to hide than I thought / Maybe I just wanna be yours / I wanna be yours, I wanna be yours
She tries and fails to hide her smile, sees Logan attempting to do the same. She closes her mouth, grins, and they both stifle their laughter.
After dinner they clear the table, put away leftovers, and decide to take a walk along the beach. The sun is finally visibly starting to set, but they know they have a while before it gets too dark to see anything.
They walk closely in the wet sand in a comfortable silence, their fingers laced together. Veronica's hand grazes Logan's forearm, she kisses his bicep. Logan dips down to kiss her mouth, and deepens it until she pulls back, laughing and urging him to keep moving forward, or else.
This is Veronica's favorite time of the day. It's when she feels the most at ease. Logan's presence makes it infinitely more peaceful.
They walk for twenty minutes before coming upon a tiny traveling gelato stand. Logan is already pulling his wallet out from his back pocket before Veronica can begin to suggest getting dessert before dessert. She suggests it anyway.
He snorts, holding out his – their – credit card in front of her. "Surprise me."
She hesitates for a few seconds but takes the card, lifts up on her tiptoes to kiss him, and goes over to the stand to investigate their options. She plays it safe, opting to get them each a small cup, one serving of dark chocolate for Logan and raspberry for her.
She makes her way back to him, struggling as she does to juggle the two cups, two spoons, and the card, all while trying not to trip over her own feet in the thick, cool, dry sand.
"Don't even think about it, Echolls," Veronica warns when she reaches Logan, all potential disasters averted.
He's all smiles and raised eyebrows as he places his hands at her waist to help her regain her balance.
"You act like you've never walked in the sand before."
Logan takes his gelato from her, no need to question which one is for him. Veronica hands him a spoon, slips the credit card loose into his side pocket, and stays facing him as she starts eating.
He shakes his head from side-to-side dramatically. "I blame the extra wine. Never again."
Veronica makes a weak fist and hits him in his stomach. He steps aside and pretends to double over in pain, grimacing.
She rolls her eyes, sighing dramatically. "You better be nicer to me, or these last three years are all you'll get."
"Oh yeah?" Logan's facing her again. He's eating his gelato now and apparently saving some for later at the side of his mouth.
"Yeah."
Veronica grins, and wedges a spoon in her gelato so that she's sure it won't fall out. She stands tall and puts one hand at the back of Logan's neck, her fingers draw him closer to her. She kisses him straight away, and then moves to the side of his mouth, helping him out with the chocolate.
"Mmm," she hums. "You're welcome. Do you need someone to take care of the rest of that for you? I might know a girl." She points to his gelato and shrugs, her expression innocent.
"I might know a girl, too," Logan responds, considering. "But I'm good, thanks."
Veronica winks at him, takes a quick bite from her cup, and spins around so that her back is to him. She steps forward, pauses, and holds out a hand behind her. He takes it, steps up behind her, and wraps both of their arms across her stomach. Logan's head rests against the side of hers, his hand traveling underneath her top, caressing her abdomen and settling on her hip. She turns her head, presses her forehead up against his cheek, and closes her eyes.
They stay that way for a minute, appreciating the closeness, the refreshing ocean air, everything.
Veronica kisses his cheek and breaks away from their embrace. Logan follows her to a random spot in the sand. They sit down to finish up their gelato before it melts completely, their legs crossed, watching the waves as they come in.
"Hey, we better head back," Logan says, standing up so that he's in front of her, holding out both his hands. They're still near the gelato stand, which looks like it's closing down for the night.
Veronica lets Logan help her to her feet and she dusts the sand from her shorts. They start walking in the direction they came from, hoping to beat the last of the sunset before their path home gets uncomfortably dark.
They've just reached the end of their walk along the beach when it happens. It shouldn't surprise her, but it does.
The sky is incandescent, reflecting on the water. Veronica leads the last of the way back home, through the sand and up toward the house, grateful that Logan remembered to leave the porch light on. She starts to go up the porch steps, Logan trailing behind her, and then pauses, sitting down on the third step up. She reaches a hand up, her fingers tugging on Logan's, willing him to sit down to the left of her on the same step.
"You okay?" Logan asks, his brows furrowed, eyes concerned. He sits down and places his hand on her thigh, warm on her cold skin.
"Yeah," she replies, a smile playing at her mouth. She puts a reassuring hand on top of his. "More than okay. Just want to enjoy this for a little while longer." She nods in the direction of the ocean, looks back at Logan. "Ten more minutes? Then movie night it is, I promise."
"Movie night can wait," Logan says, his hand moving up her thigh. "This is better."
"You're so cheesy."
"But you're into it."
"A little."
They both laugh and look straight ahead at nothing in particular as the last of the sun continues to fade away quickly. Veronica leans forward, her elbows fixed above her knees, her chin on her hands. She's almost hypnotized by the sound of the soft waves steadily pushing onto the shore.
"Hey, V?" Logan starts, breaking her daze. He doesn't continue, so Veronica turns her head to face him. When she does, she finds him angled toward her, looking down. She looks down with him and sees that, above his leg, his thumb and first two fingers are playing with something silver, circular, beautiful. It glistens in the moonlight. Her mouth gapes. She thinks she might faint.
"Oh, my god."
Veronica's hands have fallen into her lap, her legs now pulled together. Her shoulders are hunched over slightly as she continues to stare at the ring, then her eyes move up to Logan's face. He's focused on her now. He smiles wide.
"I know," he says with ease, swallowing hard, but still all confidence. His eyes stay locked on hers. "I wanted to ask you something, if that's cool with you."
"Okay," she responds, her voice unsteady, breathless.
Logan reaches up to let his fingers trace her jaw line. She trembles in response.
"It's okay," he whispers reassuringly, lowering his chin, but never breaking his eyes away from hers. One of his hands finds her lower back, and his fingers make a few small circles.
His hand leaves her back and pulls low at her left arm to free her hand from her own grasp. He holds it surely as he starts again. Veronica's heart is pounding at probably record speed, but her breathing has somewhat steadied. She's ready.
"Veronica," Logan says, and he's breathless now, too – nervous, even. She raises her chin, giving him a tiny smile, glad that he's decided to join her.
"I'm happy with you," he continues. "Happy with us. We're strong now, the strongest together, and I want forever with you. So, I was wondering – I've been wondering for a while. Marry me?"
And there it is. Logan is holding the ring between them, above their hands. His eyes are wide, hopeful as he awaits her answer. Veronica's smile grows instantly and she nods twice, tears welling. His hand tenderly squeezes hers.
"I would love to marry you, Logan," she says softly, without hesitation. "Yes."
He lets out a heavy exhale, nodding back at her, grinning.
"Yes?"
"Yes," Veronica says again, feels like she could say it eighty more times and never tire of it.
Her fingers brace around Logan's wrist for support as she stands up. She steps over him and sits down on his thighs, his lap. Her legs fall on either side of his.
They both look down as Logan takes her left hand with his right and eases the ring onto her ring finger. A perfect fit.
Veronica stretches her hand out in front of her, shakily, and they silently admire the new addition. She leans her head forward so that her face is inches away from Logan's, and uses her other hand to lift his chin.
"I love it," she says. She closes the distance between them, kissing him slowly, deepening it right away. Then she pulls back, her hands on each side of his face. "Thank you."
"You're welcome," Logan responds, kissing her once more. He moves her hands from his cheeks so that he can hold both in his own between them, looking down at the ring again. "It was my grandmother's."
"What? How did you-" Veronica trails off, waits for him to continue. She doesn't remember Logan speaking fondly of a grandmother, only his grandfather from his mom's side, who even then he had no semblance of a relationship with.
"Yeah, I – yeah," he shakes his head, laughs nervously, meets her gaze again. "It was my mom's mom. She passed away like, six years ago? I never knew her, obviously. But, this was hers and I guess she wanted mom to have it when she died, and well. I managed to acquire it when that happened." He's lowered his head again, his fingers lightly touching the tips of hers. "I've held onto it, in some way, ever since."
"Logan, it's perfect," Veronica says, and he looks back up at her. "I love it. I'm so happy."
"Me too," he says, leaning forward, his hand caressing her cheek. Their foreheads come together. "Love you."
"Love you."
Veronica pulls back, kisses Logan's forehead twice, and her arms hug his neck, her legs wrapping around his waist as best they can. His arms come around her back, and they pull each other closer.
Logan kisses the side of her neck, below her ear, his stubble tickling her skin. His chin is resting on her collarbone when she hears him say, "Always."
Veronica's eyes close. She melts into him. She can't believe he's hers.