Veronica was on her phone the minute she left Alicia in the hospital with her Dad. Now he knew she'd be okay it was time to take care of the other man in her life. Dialing up Wallace she waited as the phone rang without answer. She didn't know where Logan was, but she had an idea, a very sickening idea, of where he was tonight. With everything going wrong in his life she figured he'd be drunk, and if he was drunk enough he might just go to the bridge.
Running back into the hospital she skidded into her Dad's room looking to Alicia with an unasked question in her eyes. Alicia looked up at Veronica for only a few seconds before reaching into her purse and tossing Veronica the keys to her car. "Are you sure you're okay to drive?"
Veronica paused before nodding, "I'm fine, thanks Alicia." Her eyes flickered between her sleeping father and his ex-girlfriend. "And… I'm sorry."
Alicia looked up again in surprise. "For what, Veronica?"
Ducking her head in shame she whispered, "For bringing my mother back. You would have been a much better mom than mine ever could have been again." Before Alicia could respond Veronica raced out of the room for the parking lot leaving the woman to her thoughts whilst the girl searched the lot for her car.
The bridge wasn't empty, at the entrance sat two bikers blocking any cars from coming on. Veronica had to slam on the brakes so as not to hit them. They were PCH bikers, Weevil's boys. This wasn't good, this wasn't good at all. Shutting off the car Veronica set her eyes on the yellow hummer surrounded by bikes. She ignored the bikers who tried to get in her way holding up her taser, pressing the button to make sparks fly and they jumped back. Stuffing the taser back in her pocket she took off at a sprint watching Weevil approach Logan on the bridge.
"Weevil! Stop!" All heads turned toward her as she stopped at the edge of the group of bikers eyeing them.
"Stay out of this V, this is between me and the murderer who killed Lilly." Weevil growled making a motion with his hand. Hector, Weevil's right hand, was at Veronica's side in an instant, hand on her arm holding her back.
Veronica wrenched her arm away with a little effort. "I've been man handled enough tonight thanks," She growled to Hector before weaving fearlessly through the bikes. "Weevil listen to me, Logan didn't kill Lilly."
"I heard you telling your Dad Veronica, now you gonna lie to me?" His eyes never left Logan though the 09er was glancing to Veronica every few seconds nervously watching her progress.
She sighed knowing this was her mess and her job to clean up. "I know I doubted Logan when the evidence turned against him but… but the man who did kill Lilly is in jail, for now."
Veronica was closer to him, now on the inside of the circle with no one between her and Weevil and the bridge. She leaned partially against Logan's vehicle for support since her legs weren't really strong enough to hold her after the night she'd had. Weevil glanced toward her at her words with shock in his eyes and frowned when he caught sight of Veronica closer up though still too far to see the full extent of the night's events on her face.
"What happened to you?"
"Run in with a hater of meddling blondes." She replied simply with a shrug. "And a tree," she frowned, "Or a telephone pole, I really don't remember."
He scowled still staring at the bruises and scratches visible on her face. Alicia had brought her clothes to change out of her waitress disguise so everything but her hands, face, and neck were covered. That still left a lot of room to show off exactly what damage crashing a car, being chased and beat by a man much larger and stronger than you, and being locked in a burning fridge can do to a person. The bruises were still coming in, and he'd have to get closer to see the real damage in the dim lighting. What he was seeing was just an overview. Aaron had gotten quite a few good hits in while she was unconscious. She hadn't shown the doctors though; she didn't want to be stuck overnight when Logan could have been in trouble, and now she knew it was a good idea as he was standing on the ledge of a bridge about to be beat to death by bikers.
"If pretty boy didn't do it than who did?" Weevil demanded to know, and Logan's eyes yelled the same question. Who did it?
Veronica looked away closing her eyes as the picture hit her, of Aaron's face in her rear window, of coming to in her car and seeing him sprawled between her and her bag, of running from him and banging on the man's door only to have Aaron appear behind him. "Call of your dogs Weevil, and then we can talk." She had a headache, and talking about this was a delicate enough subject without an audience.
"They'll stay."
"Get rid of the fucking peanut gallery Eli!" Veronica yelled, her eyes snapping open to give him a killer glare so full of anger he actually flinched.
Normally Weevil would never back down when someone commanded him to do something, but this was different. This was Veronica, and he could call them off with pride for this one instance. He could see this was going to be bad, and he didn't think he wanted his boys around when he heard the news of the real killer. He just hoped he wasn't going to get tased and learn Logan really was the killer the moment the bikers were gone. No, Veronica wouldn't do that to him, and she didn't even look strong enough to pull out her taser at the moment.
"This once I'm gonna let you get away with talking to me like that Mars. Boys, head out. The lady and I got business to discuss." Weevil waved off his gang keeping his eyes on the weary V. Logan still stood on the bridge ledge, the ever silent watcher. With a roar of engines the bikers were up and going and then, gone. "Well?"
Veronica's eyes flickered to him from their point staring at the horizon and then back to the blurred line of black sea meeting black sky. "Logan, drop the booze and get off the bridge."
Logan's eyes settled on the blonde girl who had his heart all in knots, the bottle was half empty in his hands but he dropped it. His feet remained firmly planted on the bridge ledge. "Why?"
"Because I'm quite afraid you're either going to jump or fall off, and I'd rather not go diving in after you in blind hope you'll be alive and I'll live the fall enough to save your ass." Veronica growled gritting her teeth.
He smirked drunkenly though he was sobering up pretty quick at the heavy mood and suddenly wishing he hadn't dropped the now shattered bottle. "I don't think so. I'll stay up here whilst you tell Weevil how you solved the case Nancy."
Veronica winced, "Logan," She was cut off by Weevil.
"Just tell me who it is before I push him off myself, and if I don't believe you then Richie Rich is going overboard." The gang leader took a threatening step towards Logan, the two meeting gazes challenging each other like dogs about to fight to the death, and Veronica sighed again.
Without really thinking it and to her own surprise, without even hesitating, she took a couple quick, fast strides before either male turned to her and hoped up onto the bridge ledge staring at the horizon still. She balanced herself and took a couple steps along the edge away from Logan and Weevil.
"Ronnie!" Logan shouted seeing her first, "What are you doing? Get down now!"
Weevil's gaze flashed to Veronica, his eyes widening when he saw exactly where the girl had moved to. "V, get down!"
"Why?" She asked repeating Logan's question mockingly, now staring at the water instead of the horizon.
Logan and Weevil exchanged glances, both easing slightly toward the blonde who didn't glance up, but still saw their movements and edged away another sliding step. "Veronica," Logan began, completely sobered up in mind despite the alcohol still wavering in his system. His eyes stared at her face now taking in the bruises and cuts that Weevil had seen. "What happened? Who killed Lilly?"
Veronica lifted one foot swinging it back and forth over the water, back over the ledge, over the bridge, back over the ledge, over the water, and lost her balance a little. Putting the foot back down seeing them both reach out a hand toward her in fear of her wavering balance she appraised the water with interest.
"You know, I nearly burned to death tonight, a swim sounds like a great way to cool down. Sounds like a simple answer, one step and no more Dad in the hospital, no more felony drunken mom on the run, no more images of tonight stuck on replay in my head, no more idiotic ex-boyfriend standing on a ledge." She looked pointedly at Logan.
Without hesitation he jumped down from the ledge onto the sturdy bridge surface but began to panic when she still didn't get down. He took a few steps away from the ledge but she still didn't move. Her eyes were shifting; she was no longer concerned about getting him down but getting out. Now he wasn't sure getting on the ledge had ever been about him. That scared him closer to death than standing on the ledge had gotten him.
"Veronica, now it's your turn, step off the ledge." Logan urged, Weevil letting him do all the talking as he searched for a safe way to get the tiny blonde off the ledge without knocking her over or letting her jump first.
"Which way," She replied with a dangerous smirk. "You know I think I get it now…"
"Get what V?" Weevil asked, finally speaking up knowing the only way to get Veronica down was to talk her back onto the bridge.
"Why your mom did it Logan, chose a bridge to escape your Dad. I mean you thought she'd go down with pills but I've got a whole bottle of painkillers in my bag and thinking about having to swallow enough to OD… well that takes a lot more than just a single step into oblivion. A lot more time to regret, to change your mind, a lot more time to fear, and to worry someone's going to stop you." She teetered a bit, her legs really weren't strong enough to hold her without her full concentration. Her face scrunched slightly as she focused on keeping her balance.
Logan's eyes searched her, her face, her body, her posture, and he didn't know what to do. He didn't know how to talk someone down from a ledge, and he wondered if he would have been able to talk his mom off that ledge. "You've got a lot left to live for Ronnie."
Her head snapped to look at him, her body tilting a bit to the right before she caught herself. "I don't have that much longer to live Logan. Lilly's killer isn't going to go to Jail." She laughed for a beat, "I mean once they patch him up at the hospital he'll be sent to a cell but when it comes to a trail…" She shook her head knowing exactly how it would end. "Someone with the love of the public isn't going to get by with the word of the hated ex-Sheriff and his equally hated daughter. Of course I guess Duncan saw the tapes to…" She kicked her foot in thought. "But I have a feeling he'll be overruled with his epilepsy and all… they could say he's actually the killer just like his parent's thought and then he'll go to jail and Lilly's killer will be free to get rid of, quote, another meddling blonde bitch trying to ruin my reputation, end quote." Her face was blank, but sickly pale.
"Who? Who killed Lilly, Veronica?" Logan questioned taking a step closer when she wasn't looking. "Who wants to kill you now… and what tapes?"
"Tapes of Lilly sleeping with her… older lover, the man who killed her," Veronica replied her eyes turned to the horizon once again getting lost in the black depths. "Lilly was sleeping with a guy," her eyes flashed to Weevil for a moment before flickering back to the horizon, "another guy. He was taping their encounters along with that of many other women… but she found the tapes the morning of her murder and stole them, running back home. A speeding ticket with photo puts her time of death as hours before the official time of death thanks to the Kane's panic that their son might have killed her. He chased after her, but she'd already hid the tapes… in her vents. I found those cameras myself," She cackled again, "I was almost a star on them as well, sickening…"
"Veronica?" Logan questioned urging her to continue whilst his stomach turned at not only the thought of her sleeping with someone else but also being taped with someone else.
"I didn't make the connection until I found the tapes tonight in her vents during the Kane's party, I snuck in. Duncan caught me sneaking into the room finding the tapes. We played them and sure enough there was the same room with her screwing with some guy. The camera angel changed and there he was… and then there was video from the morning she died. It was like déjà vu, her and I doing the exact same discovery process of those cameras and then she took the tapes and ran for it. The tapes ended there and I took them telling Duncan I'd take them to the police. I called my Dad while I was driving and the minute I hang up Duncan's calling me telling me the killer left the party early and then there he is… in my car in the backseat. He took my phone and the tapes and ordered me to drive and I drove, right into a pole… or tree. I really don't remember. The confessed, to me, story is that he followed her back to her home, she refused to give up the tapes and he had a fit of rage that killed her. But either way once I woke up in the car he was still unconscious and I grabbed the tapes and ran for the nearest house, a single filled yard cabin in the middle of nowhere, talk about bad luck. I hid the tapes before he caught up with me after knocking out the owner of the cabin. I'll skip over the mini details but next thing I know I'm waking up listening to my walkie-talkie locked inside a refrigerator."
Weevil and Logan were both inching closer but stopped at this examining the blonde once again. She was shaking ever so slightly, her whole body in a shiver of fear as she remembered waking in complete darkness. "I couldn't see a thing and he was yelling at me trying to find the tapes. Then he started pouring gasoline over the fridge and I told him I'd thrown them on the roof, which I had done for one… and he went after it and just as he was my Dad showed up. They fought; he won and set the fridge on fire. My dad ran through the flames to get me out which is why he is currently in the hospital." She let out a pitiful sob and it occurred to them that this was not just filling them in but informing them of the truth in case neither Mars saw it to the court hearing.
"Veronica, come here," Logan urged, so close that she was just a bit out of reach should he need to shoot forward and grab her. Her knees were wobbly, visibly shifting, her balance rolling like a ball in a circle, teetering on the edge of its axis orbit.
"When I was sure my Dad was okay I grabbed the gun and chased after him, put a bullet in him, not a killer one, though some poor soul had already come along and hit him with a car by accident otherwise he would have gotten away already… the bystander called 9-1-1 and I stood there pointing the gun at him still the cops showed up. The hardest part about that was not shooting him. He deserved it, he still deserves it… and he's going to get away with it…"
"You don't know that, he may get what he deserves. He will go to jail where he can't hurt you or anyone else," Logan assured her though he truly didn't know whether it was the truth until he heard who the killer was.
Weevil was right at Logan's heels, letting him handle Veronica. She was responding to Richie Rich much more than to him. "V, you still haven't told us who the killer is. Though I totally believe you," he added when she leaned far too close for comfort over the ledge, "it wasn't Logan. So who was it?"
"I already told you," Veronica spat making them both think back.
"No, you didn't, Ronnie," Logan answered after a few minutes of running back through the information. She turned, putting her back to the water, her heels hanging over the edge of the ledge making him sick. "Veronica, please… don't do that. My mom…" Logan froze. "You understand why my Mom chose a bridge to escape my father."
Weevil looked between the two in confusion, "Say what?"
Logan stumbled back a step and then forward two to make up for it, so close he could reach out and grab Veronica with a slight stretch of his fingers. "My father killed Lilly," He choked out, barley able to breathe. "He killed Lilly?"
She nodded slowly, watching him carefully. He took another step closer and out of instinct she started to take another step back. Her eyes widened in recognition of the action and she shot forward just in time to not go over the edge, landing on the bridge with a yelp. A second after her feet hit the bridge Logan's arms were locked around her. She struggled against his grip as he dragged her away from the ledge to his car. Weevil stepped aside completely with Logan on the idea of getting V far from the bridge ledge.
"Are you okay?" Logan asked when her back hit his car.
Veronica looked up at him in surprise, "Are you okay?"
He almost laughed. Almost. "I'm fine. You're the one who was about to jump off a bridge and," he raised a hand to run his finger tips over the bruise on the side of her face wincing when she flinched. "And all this…"
She looked up at him and smiled weakly, "It's nothing. I'm fine."
His eyes were searching hers for any sign of what had been there on the ledge, but there was nothing now of that haunting shadow he wasn't sure he'd ever be able to get out of his head. "You got her," Weevil asked making Logan jump. He looked over to see the biker now standing by his bike watching them carefully.
Logan nodded, "I've got her." His eyes flickered to Veronica and then down both ends of the bridge looking for any other bikers, seeing two still at the bridge entrance next to a parked car waving off the only other car out tonight it seemed. "Can you have one of your guys take the car?"
Veronica was about to protest but Weevil was already agreeing and Logan was holding out his hand for the keys. She scowled but handed them over watching as Logan tossed them to Weevil. All alcohol was nullified in his system, nothing but Logan left over after the well sobering event. "It's Alicia's. It'll need to be dropped off at Wallace's place."
The bike roared to life as Weevil nodded without a word, looking her over once more carefully before he put on his helmet. He added another nod as goodbye before heading towards the entrance to the bridge. Logan wrapped one arm around Veronica's waist keeping her next to him as he opened the passenger door. He picked her up, much to her protest and plopped her in the passenger seat, reaching over to buckle her in before she could do it herself. He ran around to his side, locking the doors the moment his door was closed, keeping a careful eye on her.
"I'm not going to make a run for the bridge Logan. I wouldn't have really jumped, no matter how much I considered it. I'm not suicidal, just a convincing actress, maybe even enough to convince myself sometimes, but not enough to jump off a bridge." Veronica wasn't sure how else to convince him as doubt still clung to his eyes and protective stance. She didn't know where he was driving to, but she found out when they headed on the familiar route to her apartment.
They didn't say anything else for the drive. The radio was on; all channels tuned in to the report on Aaron Echols, murderer in custody, under arrest for the murder and statutory rape of Lilly Kane and the assault and attempted murder of Veronica and Keith Mars. Logan didn't say anything, but Veronica thought that if anything he looked relieved, extremely so. She vaguely remember what Trina had once said.
"He abused you." Logan tensed, the pause lengthy, before nodding. "You're relieved he's going to jail." He nodded again. "Are you… sad?" He shook his head after another pause. "Happy?"
Logan chuckled, "I'm not happy." The light tone turned to a gravely growl, "I'm angry," his knuckles turned white on the steering wheel, "He hurt you. He tried to kill you. He killed Lilly. I'm angry."
His eyes flickered to her full of fire and then back to the road as he pulled into the parking lot at Veronica's building. She waited for him to unlock the door before hopping out. To her surprise a second door slam followed hers and Logan began to follow her towards her apartment. She stopped, looking back at him with a glare as she reached her door.
"What are you doing Logan?"
"Other than making sure you don't kill yourself?" He asked jokingly then he turned serious, his eyes searching hers in a way much like they had that fateful day at the Camelot Motel. "Wanting to comfort the girl I care most about. The only person I have left just about followed the last family that even remotely loved me over a bridge. I don't want to ever let you out of my sight again Veronica."
She stared at him a second longer before unlocking her door and letting him in after her. She locked the door behind him not turning around as his eyes burned holes in her back. "Logan…"
"How bad?" She didn't answer. "How bad, Veronica? Did you even let the doctor's check you over or did you just race to my rescue without thinking about yourself?" She scoffed, he had her there.
Then his hands were on her shoulders pulling off her jacket. Veronica yelped, moving forward into the door as she pulled forward trying to get a grasp on the jacket before it was off. Her sleeves were long, still covering, but she didn't like the missing layer. Logan threw the jacket toward the couch and wrapped an arm around her waist moving her from the door to the wall and spinning her around, putting her back against the solid surface.
Veronica put her hands up to push him away, her mouth opened to protest only to close as he put up his arms on either side of her. She glanced from arm to arm as he leaned in leaving little escape room. She pushed on his chest but he didn't budge, "Logan-," He cut her off, his lips closing in over hers muffling her murmurs of protest. Still, this was better than him removing her clothes to assess the damage.
She sunk into the kiss withering when he licked her bottom lip asking for entrance and then taking it when she didn't give in fast enough. Veronica leaned fully against the wall, Logan leaning into her holding her up. The pressure made her sore body ache where she was bruised but she didn't push him away again as his hands left the wall to rest on her hip and cup her neck.
Logan eased them away from the wall breaking the kiss and moving his lips down her jaw and to her neck. Veronica closed her eyes moving her feet with his as he moved her off the wall and turned her, backing her up while he walked forward. Logan kept his eyes open as he kissed her neck, watching where he was headed while keeping her distracted. In her mind she was against rushing into anything on a night like this, but the rest of her just wanted to be held by Logan and if he wanted to get heated first that was alright as long as he didn't leave her.
With his foot he nudged open her door and the creak made Veronica snap back to her senses slightly. Feeling her tense Logan moved swiftly back to her lips taking her open mouth to his advantage to battle her tongue with his for dominance. It was a short war, with Veronica submitting to his onslaught under his coaxing. When she relaxed under his hands again he swiftly closed the door behind him, his body blocking the closed exit as Veronica jumped and tried to pull back. He let her break the kiss but kept her in his arms as she squirmed to get loose.
"What do you think you're doing?" Veronica asked breathless. Her heart was beating a thousand times per minute and her mind was tired and racing.
Logan didn't respond for a moment, the hand on her neck playing with her hair in a distracting way. "You thought I killed Lilly?"
Veronica's eyes flashed with guilt, a look that gave him slight relief. From behind the door he could hear Backup whine once. "I have trust issues, you know that… When the evidence stacked against you I feared you were playing me, using me…"
He traced patterns with his finger tips along her back as she spoke making it hard to think in her already muddled mind. "I wasn't. I wouldn't. I won't. I care about you. God, Veronica… I love you." When she didn't respond but to tense up he continued, "When you blamed me I felt so betrayed… but I forgive you if that means anything, not that you've asked for forgiveness but its there."
"I'm sorry for blaming you. I'm sorry for being too willing to see a flaw… so eager to find one and that I hunted one out searching for the thing that would prove the false notion my mind was trying to tell my heart about you going to hurt me… I'm just so sorry."
"And I forgive you. And I'm sorry to," He kissed her forehead feeling her relax again. She sighed in relief as her aching muscles unstrung. "You're hurt."
"I'm fine," she whispered looking at the floor. His hot breath ghosted over her skin on her forehead and she shivered. "I'm just tired. It's been a long night."
He didn't voice his agreement, just started drawing patterns on her back again and playing with her hair. It was comforting, distracting her. Leaning in he was about to kiss her again when she wrenched away, "No, Logan."
"Why?" He asked taking a step forward and she stepped back again.
"Because…" Her eyes searched his, her mouth at a loss for an excuse. He took another step in arm snaking out to wrap around her waist before she could pull away again. Fingers playing with the bottom of her shirt he slowly edged under the material, dancing over the soft skin. "Logan, what are you doing?"
"Assessing the damage," He muttered slowly lifting up her shirt. Veronica tensed but didn't stop him as he eased the shirt over her head and tugged it down her arms. His eyes moved over every inch displayed before him taking in bruises, skin red in places where flames had nearly burned or had burned her skin. "Oh Ronnie…"
She shrugged, "I've had worse, and where am I to complain about your Dad beating me up to you, the one who's been taking his hits for years."
Logan's hands tightened on her arms almost painfully as a growling sound vibrated deep in his chest. "I can take anything my Dad throws at me, but he hurt you," Logan stopped, gritting his teeth with flames in his eyes. "He's not going to hurt you again."
Veronica half laughed, "You sure about that? Do you really think he's going to be convicted?"
"You have the tapes," Logan assured still eyeing the multitude of marks. "When have you had worse," he asked suddenly going back to her previous words.
Her eyes flashed. "You aren't the only one with an abusive parent Logan… remember when we were younger and I used to say I couldn't go swimming because I was on my period?" Logan grimaced but nodded remembering a few occurrences. "Or when I'd near die of heat stroke in gym because I refused to take off my long sleeve shirt from under my gym shirt?" He nodded. "It didn't happen that often, just when she was really drunk and Dad wasn't around…"
"Your mom," He stated with hate in his voice. "My Dad."
"We are so messed up," Veronica muttered staring at the floor, her arms limp in his hands. He stroked up to her shoulders resting them there for a moment before cupping her face making her look at him. After a minute she smiled, "Epic huh?"
He laughed, the sound deep and loud and comforting in the dark silence. "Yeah… epic… Let's get these taken care of," he fingered the burns on her arms and turned for her bathroom in search of her first aid kit. Veronica sat on her bed waiting, her mind drifting off a bit even as he reentered the room and tenderly cared for each of her wounds, getting her out of her jeans as well to examine the burns, bruises and cuts on her legs. "Thank you."
Her eyes followed him as he stood, putting the supplies back into the box. "For what?"
Logan shut the box, the safety lock clicking. "For getting me off that bridge, I love you."
Veronica rolled her eyes smiling at him lightly. Those three words were ones she had the most trouble saying. Trust and love; two things that were the hardest for her to give up. Logan understood when she didn't respond, but when she did his gravity ceased to be the earth and began to be her. "I love you too."