Title: Rekindling
Author: Mooncat
Rating: M
Summary: A slow way back to friendship – or even something more? AU, LoVe, Logan's POV.
Disclaimer: I do not own the characters of Veronica Mars, just burrowing them.
Copyright: Sarah Diaz 2006
Author's Note: Okay, this is my first Mars story and I honestly have no idea where this is going. I just go with the flow. It's slightly AU, starting somewhere during season one, a different way how Logan and Veronica got past being enemies – and to something new between them.
Rekindling
Prologue
"Yo Echolls!"
At the angry voice, Logan looked up, his eyebrows shooting skywards when he saw the black flag pole guy looming over him.
"I'm sorry, do you mean me?" Logan asked with a smirk. "You know, I'm not sure, seeing as you and I hardly breathe the same air, it kind of surprises me when you all of a sudden see it fit for you to come here to the wrong side and address me."
The dark expression on the guy's face got even darker, if that was possible, and his eyebrows drew together. "Cut the crap, asshole, what did you do this time?" he demanded to know in a tight voice.
Logan's eyebrows shot higher. "Oh, I don't know. I do a lot of things. Right now I'm breathing and asking myself why exactly you stand in my sun. So husch, husch, why don't you go back to the loser table you're usually sitting on, now," he said, dismissing the guy with a wave of his hand, and returned his attention to the bunch of guys surrounding him.
Apparently though, the guy didn't get the clue as he, instead of leaving already, stemmed his hands on the table and leaned down, right into Logan's face. "If you think you can just ignore me, then think again. I know that most people around here buckle in front of you and stumble over their feet in order to please the son of one of Hollywood's most famous dream couple, but guess what, I'm not one of them. I'm not afraid of you. I watched for a while now how you treated my friend like shit, and I said nothing 'cause she wouldn't let me, but you've gone too far now. I don't know what cruel thing you did to her this time but if it was bad enough to hurt her like she does right now then I guess you really had to have outdone yourself this time," he hissed and leaned even closer. "And I sure as hell am done just watching. Leave her alone or by God, I'll make you pay for every harsh word you said to her, every vicious thing you did to her, hell, for every nasty glance you sent her way! Was that clear enough for you or do I need to send it to you in script form?"
Logan's eyes chilled as he felt the rage always bottled up inside him raise its ugly head. Who the hell did that guy think he was, coming off talking to him like that! But for now he flipped a tight lid onto the rage and gave the guy with an obvious death wish a deriding smile. "As you're seen following Mars around like a lost puppy ever since you started here I guess we're talking about the ever charming Ms Veronica Mars, aren't we?" he asked in a pleasant voice, ignoring the way he felt his best friend tensing beside him.
"Don't you fucking play games now, Echolls, you know exactly that this is about Veronica!" the guy hissed, his anger quickly turning into rage.
Logan gave a dramatic sigh. "Actually no, I have no idea, but then it shouldn't surprise me, seeing as Ms Mars loves to blame the strangest things on me. What's it this time?" he asked with slight interest, but then shrugged. "Oh well, it doesn't really matter. It's widely known after all how delusional the lovely Ms Mars is, our own little nutcase," he said with false affection. Then though, his eyes harden. "I wouldn't believe all the crap she's feeding you, Fennel, and even less I'd trust her, 'cause you know, she has a tendency to stab her so called friends right into their back," he added, bitterly.
Fennel shook his head in disgust. "No wonder, with friends like you. Turned their backs on her the second she dares to waver from their path. Yeah, I'd be cuddling such friends to my heart as well."
The lid on his rage blew off and Logan shot to his feet, his hand grabbing Fennel's collar and yanking him towards him. "You better shut the fuck up than talking about things you know nothing about!" he threatened furiously.
"As soon as you leave my BFF alone, I'm more than happy to stay clear of you, Echolls," Fennel said relatively calmly, his dark eyes boring into Logan's, unwavering.
"I do as I please, boy, and what's between me and Veronica Mars doesn't concern you shit," Logan lowly said and, restraining the urge to pummel Fennel's face to a bloody gulp, shoved the guy away, hard. "And you better stay out of my way or you'll learn what real high school hell feels like."
Fennel, who had stumbled, straightened. "Hurt her again, Echolls, and we'll see whose life turns to one big hellhole," he simply said and turned to head away.
His hands flexing and unflexing, Logan fought the desire to go after the guy and beat the shit out of him.
"Dude, what the hell was his problem?" Dick asked, coming to stand beside him with big eyes.
Logan took a deep breath and shrugged, turning to Dick and the rest of his friends with a mocking grin. "You know as much as me. Mars probably told him some horror tales again, like she usual does," he answered lightly.
"Yeah, Dude, probably. That bitch sure likes to cause trouble," Luke agreed.
"Hear, hear," Logan agreed and was about to sit down again when his best friend shook his head and angrily got up and left without a word. But then the glare Duncan Kane sent him spoke volumes. Frowning, Logan followed him, quickly catching up to him. "And now what's your problem, huh DK?"
Duncan ignored him and just walked on. Getting fed up with the attitude, Logan caught Duncan's arm and forced him to turn and face him. "I asked you something, Duncan," he insisted impatiently.
Duncan looked away, before his eyes turned back to him, still shining in anger. "When will you finally stop this which hunt you got going against Veronica? Okay, I get you're angry with her. I'm too. But it's going too far Logan," he said tensely, shaking his head. "Way too far. What did you do to her this time anyway?" he wanted to know with a frown.
Frustrated, Logan threw up his arms. "I didn't do anything! I haven't said a word to Veronica in days! I have no idea why Fennel went over the edge like that and I really don't care. Whatever it was he thinks I did or said to her, she deserved it."
"Logan, stop finally!" Duncan demanded exasperated. "When on Earth will you stop harassing Veronica?"
"Like never, sounds pretty good to me," Logan answered heatedly, but truthfully.
"For heaven's sake, why can't you give it a rest? If anyone I should be angry with her, after all it's my dad they suspected of killing his own daughter, my family Keith went after," Duncan gave back equally heated. "He did what he thought was right, did his job, I get that, even though I'll never understand why he went down that road. He did though, and he paid for it. You know Veronica. You honestly think she wouldn't stand with her father when everyone, including Lianne, turned their backs on him?"
"She betrayed us!" Logan exclaimed. "She should have never believed even for a second what crap her dad was imagining! And she should have stopped him! Right before he got obsessed with Jake killing Lilly! She could have stopped him but she didn't. She could have opted to stay true to her friends, to Lilly, but no, of course not, she rather turned her back on us!"
Duncan looked at him sadly and shook his head. "Man, Logan, have you even known Veronica at all? She loves Keith. He's her world, her hero, whish isn't very surprising considering that he was the sheriff of Neptune since like forever. You've seen those two together. It's not like it is between you and your dad or even between me and mine. They're truly close. Of course she stood by him. It was wrong, yeah, but fuck, Logan, she doesn't deserve what you've been putting her through this past year."
Logan narrowed his eyes. "I haven't heard you complaining before, Duncan. What's the matter? You falling for her again?"
"You know what? Yeah, I stood by and watched you and the others put her through hell, because yeah, I was angry," Duncan confessed. "But one day you've got to move on and get past this blind rage you seem to be in constantly lately, especially when she's concerned."
"That's where you're wrong: I don't have to do anything. And I'll never forgive her for betraying us!" Logan hissed. "Just because you have the hots for her again doesn't mean that I can just forget what she did."
"Grow up Logan and call me once you're past your jackass phase," Duncan simply said tightlipped and left Logan standing there, seething.
His hands balled to fists and he glared at the retreating back of his best friend.
God damn that fucking Veronica Mars. Even with her gone out of their circle she still caused nothing but trouble. And what fucking lies had she come up with now to make him the center of her oh so pitiful life? Hadn't it been enough that she had betrayed her friends, that her father had been set on destroying the Kanes even more than Lilly's death had already ripped them apart? Had she set her mind on destroying even his and Duncan's friendship now? But he wouldn't let her. He wouldn't let her take away that last thing that remained of the good old golden days when the world had maybe not been perfect but still a hell of a lot better than it was now. When his girlfriend had still been alive and his best friend hadn't turned to a fucking walking droid.
When he still had been able to believe in the only stable thing in his life, the shy, innocent and sweet Veronica Mars who had always been the calm, steady rock in their group, always there for her friends, always ready to listen to them, always watching out for them, always ready to just make the worst day a bit better with that understanding, warm smile of hers, so full of compassion and affection. When he had been convinced that no matter what, he could always count on Veronica.
Yeah right. Apparently he had been wrong. There was no rely on Veronica Mars and that revelation had been almost more devastating than the loss of his girlfriend.
No.
It had been worse. He had believed he could always count on one Veronica Mars, best friend of his girlfriend, girlfriend of his best friend, his friend since they had been twelve. But he had been wrong. In the moment he would have needed her most, she had turned her back to him and Duncan and Lilly and everyone else, making the loss they all had suffered with Lilly's death even worse, as if they hadn't just lost Lilly, but Veronica as well.
And Duncan could say what he wanted. That Logan could never forgive Veronica Mars.
TBC!