A/N: First, thanks so much to all the wonderful people who reviewed the previous chapter. Second, my apologies to everyone I confused with the accidental upload on Monday - yes, that was a chapter of my latest Leverage fic - oops! Third, please read this chapter and then leave me a quick review to tell me if you still like the story. Many thanx all :)

(For disclaimer, etc. - see chapter 1)

Chapter 3

"Yeah, well, you can tell Mr Northwood that whilst we appreciate his generosity, this is not gonna change the number of patrol cars passing through his part of town," said Leo with his usual winning smile, even though he was on the phone.

Of course, Veronica could see him from where she was hovering by his office. Just as soon as he was done with his call, she tapped on the door that had been left ajar and let herself in.

"Hey," her ex-husband greeted her. "You okay?" he checked a second later, already sure that she wasn't.

When you knew someone as well as Leo knew Veronica, when you'd been married for twelve years and raised a child together, you just noticed these things. It was also strange for her to show up at his work this way, unless something was wrong. Given that it was highly unlikely that T.J. was in trouble at the school, Leo wasn't sure what to think.

"I'm... not so much okay," admitted Veronica as she closed the door tight shut and then the blinds for good measure. "I'm guessing you haven't heard much in the way of news or gossip this morning?" she asked, sure she was right before the question ever left her lips.

"Honestly? I've been swamped since before I stepped through the door," he admitted, gesturing with arms wide to the piles of paper on his desk just for starters.

"I'd like to say I'll keep this brief but it's kind of a big deal," his ex-wife told him with a shake in her voice that he knew meant something bad.

Veronica's hands were shaking, though she tried to hide it by playing with the strap of her purse where it lay in her lap. This could not be good news, and Leo was hardly breathing as he waited to hear it.

"There was a story on the entertainment channel this morning," she said, looking away at first but soon forcing herself to meet Leo's eyes. "The truth is, Logan is coming back to Neptune," she said at last, and watched the colour drain from the Sheriff's face.

This was one time when even Leo couldn't find any kind of smile. Veronica knew the words she had spoken would cut him to the core. This was their worst nightmare, both of them had said as much so many times, and kept quiet about it a lot more often. Everything worked whilst Logan stayed away. T.J. saw Leo as her Dad, he and Veronica carried on as good friends and happy exes. It was all fine. The moment Logan Echolls came back to town, all three of their lives fell down round their ears, and that was before Veronica even considered her own father, and her two closest friends that knew the truth.

"Okay," said Leo after a pause that went on too long. "Um, I don't really know what we're gonna do here, unless..."

"No," Veronica shook her head definitely. "Don't look at me for an answer, because I have nothing," she admitted, the wobble in her voice getting worse all the time as she fought the urge to bawl like a baby.

Now was not the time to fall apart, no matter how much she wished she could. It'd be easy to cry and sob, and say it wasn't fair, but the fact of the matter was that would just be Veronica feeling sorry for herself. She brought this on her own head, and she knew it too. Of course, she could have been with Leo without lying, or with any other man she might have met and fallen for instead, but no, she chose to lie about T.J.'s real father, to the girl herself, to everyone else, except for three specific people. Now she knew the truth was within easy distance of smacking her in the face, and ruining everything. The house of cards was about to fall and for once in her life, Veronica Mars could not save the day and make it all turn out okay in the end, it just wasn't possible.

"I hate that this is all my fault!" she said crossly, practically growling at herself in frustration. "I did this to us, to all three of us, and... and I knew how badly it could end," she laughed hollowly as the tears she had been fighting finally trickled down her cheeks. "I knew, Leo, because I've seen it a hundred times. It even happened to me. How stupid am I?" she cried.

Leo rounded the desk to get to her, pulling her out of the chair to hug her close as she sobbed into his shirt. He wished he could say something to make her feel better, but there was really nothing he could find that would help. There was no denying that he and Veronica had both been fools to think they could keep up this charade forever. Keith had warned them, and he wasn't the only one. Wallace and Mac had been sceptical at best, but Veronica and Leo had convinced them all that this was the best way forward. Now it seemed so ridiculous, so naive of them to think they could go on forever and never get caught out.

"Sometimes I really wish I just stayed dating you all those years ago," Veronica sniffed as she looked up at him trough red-rimmed eyes. "Then we would've stayed married and T.J. really would be yours."

"Yeah," he considered, still holding her close, pushing her hair back from her face as he gazed down at her then. "But you and I both know that life wouldn't've been perfect even then," he told her. "Nobody's life is a fairytale, Veronica."

"Nobody could've tried harder to make mine that way than you, Leo," she smiled up at him through a veil of tears.

Right now, Veronica wasn't sure what hurt more, knowing her life could have been so much easier if she just chose the right man, or remembering how things had been before and the resulting catastrophe that was due at any time...

"You okay?" asked Leo as he watched Veronica sink down into the armchair with her face in her hands.

They just got back from the doctors office, and for the first time, they had seen this baby that was growing inside of her. It was a big day, a very big moment, and Leo understood why she might be feeling emotional. He'd be more worried if she wasn't.

"Yeah," said Veronica, as she looked over at him with a smile creeping onto her face. "I'm actually okay, and that's... that's because of you, Leo," she told him reaching out her hand as he walked over and took a hold of it. "You are being so amazing about all this, and I really, really don't deserve it," she shook her head.

"It's fine, Veronica," he promised her, sitting down beside her and kissing the hand he held. "I wanna be here. I wanna do this."

"You want to take on another man's baby?" she checked, finding out all very hard to believe even now. "The world thinks this child is yours," she reminded him, her hand on her slightly expanded belly.

"I know that, and it's fine," he told her sincerely. "It's better than fine, it's... Veronica, I want this. I want you and, and I'm pretty sure I'm always going to," he admitted.

"Leo..." she tried to interrupt but this time he wasn't going to let her.

"Please, Veronica, just let me say this," he urged her, holding her hand in both of his as he shifted to face her. "I know this isn't how you planned your life. Not the baby, not Logan leaving, not lying to your Dad and everyone," he recapped, almost wishing he hadn't when she looked fit to cry all over him again, "but I meant what I said two months ago, about being here for you, about making everything be okay."

"I know," she nodded, swallowing down emotion as she met his eyes.

"Yeah, well, what you probably don't know is that I wish this baby was mine," he smiled genuinely. "I wish you and me were still together for real, and... and I want that, Veronica, I honestly do," he told her, putting a hand to her face when she tried to look away. "I love you, Veronica, you know I do, and if you'll let me I wanna be here with you and this kid, forever."

When he started to laugh at his own words, she was almost worried. Anybody else and she might have accused them of a sick joke, but not Leo, never Leo. He was as straight and honest as any guy she ever met, but what he was offering here, it couldn't be for real. No guy was this good.

"I just realised how corny all that sounded," he said, ducking his head.

"It wasn't corny," Veronica told him, before laughing just a little herself. "Okay, so it was, but in the best way. Leo, seriously," she smiled as he looked at her again, "I would love to say it was that easy..."

"It could be; it is," he insisted. "And before you say it, I already know that you don't love me the way I love you, but hey, that's okay," he shrugged as if it weren't a deal-breaker. "Maybe you'll learn, maybe you won't, but would it be so crazy to try?" he asked her earnestly.

Veronica opened her mouth to speak but no words came out. He was serious, he really was. Leo D'Amata, a truly decent and nice guy who she did love in some ways, was sat here offering her love and a life, security and support. It was crazy, she was carrying another man's child, and she didn't really feel that way about him anymore, if she ever truly had. In spite of all this he was willing, more than willing, he genuinely wanted her to be with him. Marriage, kids, together forever. It was wrong to say yes, and she knew it, or maybe it would only be wrong if he didn't know the score. The fact was, he knew how she felt and how she didn't feel. He was still here. Maybe she wouldn't be such a bitch if she did this. Maybe...

"We're gonna have to figure out how to explain all this to T.J." Leo sighed as he held Veronica tight in his arms still. "I mean, Logan's not dumb, he'll do the math. He's gonna know there's a least at chance that... He's gonna figure it out" he said instead, finding it just too painful to say those other words.

"I know," his ex-wife sniffed as she made herself find that backbone that was in there somewhere and look up at Leo's worried expression. "I know we have to be the strong ones here," she nodded, "but I honestly hate this," she admitted.

Leo could hardly say he felt any better about it, but there's was no other choice. They made their beds and now they must lie in them, come what may, however messy things got from here on out.

It was a strange feeling for Logan to be heading home. For the longest time, he never really thought he had a home, bouncing between flashy houses from LA to Hawaii to Paris and back around. He was rich and pretty enough to go anywhere he wanted, do anything he wanted, and that was just exactly what he did. He tried not to think about Neptune too much, though it almost always proved impossible, without the assistance of alcohol anyway.

Neptune meant Veronica Mars, and she was one part of town that Logan could never forget. He wanted to, for a long while. He knew life would be easier if he could let the memory of his ex fade away, but it never completely happened. Years ago, Logan lost count of the number of times he picked up the phone to call her, and then just recently when he started making plans to return to his so-called home town. He never actually dialled the number, he wasn't even sure she would still be there. Everybody had grown up a lot since those High School and college days, probably moved on to decent jobs, marriages and kids maybe, happy little homes with white picket fences and roses round the door. That wasn't Logan Echolls, and somehow he couldn't quite picture Veronica living like that either.

Their relationship was supposed to be epic, that was what he told her, and despite saying later he barely remembered those words, they were burned into his mind as much as he knew they had to be in hers. So much for spanning years and continents. Logan found his fame and Veronica probably found a guy that didn't have a psychotic streak, that could love her like she deserved and handle her crazy ass need to put herself in the line of fire every other day on the calendar.

"We'll be landing within the hour, Mr Echolls," one of his bodyguards told him then as he retook his seat opposite the actor.

"Thank you, Stubbs," he nodded once before gazing out the window again.

From the private jet to his rebuilt, refurbished home, that had been months in the making. The superstar lifestyle was not to be sneezed at, and yet Logan's mind was everywhere but the present and bright future in this moment. The past was the only place his brain wanted to be since he made the tough decision to return to Neptune, California. He thought of Veronica more often than not, wondering what it might be like to see her again, how she might've changed, how they might face each other, after the way they had parted...

Logan woke with the sun in his eyes and a moment of fear in his mind as he realised last night might have been another torturous dream. Turning his head to the pillow beside him and finding it empty seemed to confirm that theory, but the smell of her perfume brought back the memories too fully and clearly to have been all inside his mind.

The problem was, now Veronica was gone and Logan was unsure whether he was about to scream or cry, finding both reactions seemingly suitable in the moment.

He was an idiot, a complete fool in his behaviour last night. Logan knew he had not been fair to anyone, least of all Veronica, but as he sat up fast and looked down at the empty space beside him, he realised she had the last laugh on him. Yes, he told her she would always love him, and she proved it last night by allowing herself to fall into his arms and into his bed, but then she just as easily walked out on him before he woke up.

Barely a week after she realised her and Piz was never going to work out and let him down as gently as she could, Logan had announced he was leaving town, and had no plans to come back. He knew it would confuse her, maybe hurt her, though he denied that was what he was trying to do. Honestly, Logan wasn't sure himself, he was just so emotionally wrecked by this whole situation. By the time it came to the night before he left, and Veronica had stormed into his suite of rooms at the Neptune Grand to have things out with him once and for all, he didn't know whether he hoped she would beg him to stay or tell him to get lost.

The anger and sadness between them turned to passion that could not be denied or pushed easily aside. They made love for hours, though those words were never spoken, and fell asleep before the dawn.

Now Veronica was gone. She had made the choice for both of them on how this epic tale of theirs played out. Sure, Logan could go after her, but if she had bolted before he woke, she clearly had no want or need to talk to him. Let this be their last hurrah, maybe, let it be their parting gift to each other, one more night before they walked away forever. In his mind she would always exist as the girl who made him happiest and hurt him most over the years. Last night could live forever in his mind as the best and worst Logan had ever known, and it would be the last time he saw Veronica Mars, quite possibly forever.

"Mr Echolls?" his assistant tapped him on the shoulder and broke him out of a trance. "The pilot has asked that you fasten your seat-belt. We'll be landing in a few minutes," she smiled amiably.

"Thank you, Amy," he smiled back, though the expression never made it to his eyes as he did as she advised.

Here they were, moments from Neptune, and though he had more cash and a few more staff than when he left, much was just the same for Logan. He never married or had kids, the thought really never crossed his mind unless he was dreaming of a petite blonde he used to know, and would always love somehow. By now he was sure she had a doting husband, maybe even a bunch of loving sons and daughters, all snarky and cute as she could be. Seeing her like that, it might just kill him, but then Logan was pretty sure his heart was all but dead the day he walked out of Neptune. Coming back couldn't make it any worse, he was sure.

To Be Continued...