Veronica Mars Fan Fiction
Title: Grown Up Girls and Video Games
Summary: Logan runs into someone unexpected when getting his morning coffee. Oneshot.
Inspired by Episode 3.13: Postgame Mortem (Set 8 years later)
AN: Okay so this is a little weird but it's just for fun so please just go with it. Hope you like it.
Logan slid into a booth at a beachside café. It was an early Saturday morning in spring and he needed some coffee to wake him up. He gazed out of the window and saw the Neptune Grand rising high into the clear blue sky. He remembered his days there and chuckled at the thought that he'd actually lived in the Penthouse suite of a four star hotel for a few years. It seemed ridiculous now but he'd been young and recently orphaned at the time. He found himself reminiscing a lot lately; thinking of times past and how tough life had seemed. It was all just trivial teenage drama now. Logan had thought that Veronica Mars was the love of his life, the only girl for him. He realised now that while they had loved each other they didn't like each other and that had ultimately been the downfall of their relationship. A wise man once said first comes friendship then comes love.
"Top up?" asked the young waitress pulling him from his musings and back to the present.
"Sure," he replied as he watched her top up his nearly empty mug. "Thanks."
She smiled and winked as she moved onto the next table. He looked past the waitress and noticed the young woman sitting in the booth next to his. She smiled at him and he returned it. She seemed familiar to him but he couldn't place her face. When the waitress had moved on to yet another customer the young woman got up and approached Logan's table.
"Room for one more?" she asked when she arrived.
She was smiling and Logan liked it. She was very pretty, he wouldn't have called her beautiful, but she was definitely pretty. She seemed a bit too young to be beautiful yet. Her light brown hair was long and parted to one side giving her a natural and relaxed look. She had large brown eyes and her smile was warm and bubbly.
"Of course," Logan finally stopped staring and answered her, extending his hand to offer her the seat across from him.
She giggled.
"What?" asked Logan, a little defensively.
"You don't recognise me do you?" she asked still laughing.
Logan frowned. "Should I?" he asked innocently.
"Well I suppose I wouldn't have expected you to," she shrugged stopping her giggles. "I mean we haven't seen each other for about eight years."
Logan narrowed his gaze on her and wondered who she could be. "Eight years?" he finally asked. "But how old are you?"
"Don't you know it's rude to ask a girl her age?" she teased.
He laughed. "Sorry. It's just that you don't seem old enough for me to have known you eight years ago."
"Well I was only eleven!" she exclaimed and glanced out the window at the building that he'd been observing earlier.
He followed where her eyes had darted and looked back at her. She was smiling again.
"We haven't played Mario Carts in over five years, y'know," she said throwing him another hint.
It finally dawned upon him and he realised that he knew that smile and that laugh and those eyes. His face split into a huge grin. "Heather!"
"Finally!" she cried out, laughing. "I was beginning to think you'd forgotten all about me. It wouldn't be the first time."
He looked at her guiltily. It was true, they hadn't played Mario Carts online in over five years and that was his fault. He changed their Fridays at four o'clock to every second Friday and then to once a month and then eventually to never. He'd stopped playing and his excuse was that he was too busy; he'd grown up.
"Don't beat yourself up," she said. "In hindsight I'm surprised you kept it up as long as you did."
He just looked at her and couldn't stop smiling, it was such a welcomed surprise to see her again and she was no longer the little girl he'd played video games with. No, she was a woman now.
"Well if you're not busy now I'd love to catch up," said Logan after he'd finished his reflections. "Amy's is still open."
"I thought I told you once before not to flirt with me, old man," she joked before adding; "I'd love to."
"I haven't eaten ice cream this early in the morning in ages," said Heather as she scooped up another spoonful of her strawberry ice cream and put it in her mouth, closing her eyes and savouring the flavour. "They definitely have the best ice cream."
Logan just laughed. She was still the same Heather that he'd known all those years ago. Of course, she'd filled out a lot more and was a young woman now rather than a little girl but she was still bright and bubbly, talkative, genuine and, according to her stories, a hopeless romantic.
"Do you want to play Mario Carts?" Logan asked Heather after a short silence. "I've got it on Wii now."
"Really? I'd love to but I will warn you, I've also got it on Wii and well, not to brag or anything, but I'm pretty good," Heather said, laughing again.
"Oh you are, are you?" said Logan playfully. "Wait until you see how I handle Peach."
They returned to Logan's apartment and played Mario Carts for hours, chatting about everything from Heather's college classes to Logan's new lounge suite.
When Logan finally dropped Heather back to her dormitory at Hearst at the end of the day she turned to him said; "Thank you for a lovely day, it was great catching up."
"It was," agreed Logan reflectively. "We should make an effort to stay in touch this time."
They both stood there in silence for a long interval.
"Well I guess I should get going," Logan trailed off as he turned to leave.
"Wait," said Heather suddenly and he turned around to face her again. She paused for another moment before speaking. "You once told me to talk to you about love when I knew something about it...well I think I know something now."
He stared at her and a smile crept onto his face as she smiled shyly back at him.
She reached out and grabbed the front of his shirt, pulling him towards her, not so shyly. He didn't fight it. She reached down and opened the door behind her, backing into the room, pulling him in with her.
Once they were inside Logan kicked the door shut behind him with his foot as he said; "You can tell me all about it..."
AN: Thanks for reading. Reviews are always welcome.
