Ares – Chapter 3: Shoot me if my dalliance has turned into affection.

Oooh, things are starting to heat up, if you know what I mean.

So this is for all the people who are still with me, however many there are! I apologise for the long wait on this chapter, it has been a very exciting and hectic month for me - I moved out of home! But yes, everyone who has reviewed so far, thank you for your wonderful gift - because they really are!

Listen to: Dumb Mistakes - Faker

"Just so we're clear, this isn't like a peace offering," Veronica said as she haughtily stepped up into the passenger seat of Logan's car.

"Of course, I mean if it wasn't you'd be walking all the way back to Neptune," Logan said sarcastically. She scowled and he considered what he'd just said, "Wait, you're far too proud to not do that. Why did you get in my car again?"

Veronica shook her head and retorted, "You said there was candy involved… I'm starting to think that that was a lie!"

"They're in the back with the ropes and the duct tape."

Veronica smiled, "Of course. You didn't tell me, does your house have a dungeon?"

Logan scoffed, "Do you not know me at all, Mars? Of course, it's an old torture room – that's where you'll be staying."

"I'll just take the panic room instead. It might be safer in there. Are you sure it's alright with your parents? I mean, it is their house, right?"

Logan continued to watch the road as he replied boredly, "My mother will be especially overjoyed at the aspect of forcing her hospitality onto another person, other than myself."

"Lynn Echolls dotes on her guests?" Veronica asked in surprise.

"You wouldn't believe it," Logan commented.

"Should I be intimidated?" Veronica asked sincerely. Logan turned to her immediately, a mix of amusement and surprise covering his features.

"Should Veronica Mars be intimidated of my mother?" he repeated, more to himself, "I didn't think it in your capacity to be intimidated by anyone."

Veronica laughed, "I'm going to take that as a compliment."

"What, that you're head bitch in charge?"

"Exactly," she said with a grin.

Veronica had been in some nice houses before – she'd grown up with the Kane's after all, but Logan's house was something else. It was the kind of flashy wealth that she wasn't used to – the ceilings being extremely tall, huge columns standing in the living room and the whole place painted a bright white.

"Logan, honey, is that you?" A voice called as they entered the house.

"Woah," Veronica said on impulse as she looked around.

"Resist the urge to steal anything, Mars," Logan warned with a grin. Veronica rolled her eyes at him as a woman floated down the staircase closest to them.

"Logan! Honey, what are you doing here?" The woman asked excitedly.

"Hey mom," he replied sheepishly as he stepped forward into her embrace.

"And you must be…Veronica, is that right?" Lynn asked as she broke away from Logan and walked towards the blonde. Veronica looked at Logan in confusion and nodded.

"I am," she said with a smile.

"I've heard so much about you," Lynn said, before surprising Veronica and embracing her in a hug. Veronica shot Logan very confused looks as she hugged his mom.

"I hope he wasn't whining about me," Veronica said.

Lynn stepped away, waving off Veronica's question, "Oh no, no, Logan's lovely."

"He is?" Veronica said in disbelief.

Lynn raised her eyebrows at her son, "Tell me my son's been treating a beautiful girl like yourself with some respect!"

"Always, mom," Logan sing-songed, before stooping down and pecking Lynn on the cheek. "It's cool if Veronica stays tonight? Her car broke down."

"Of course, honey, you're welcome here anytime, Veronica," Lynn said with a smile. "Well I'm heading over to the philanthropic society. I'll see you kids later on!"

They said their farewells and Mrs Echolls left with a smile and a wave.

As soon as she was out of earshot, Veronica commented, "You know, she's a lot shorter in person."

Logan sniggered into his hand for a moment before his face fell. "She's right behind you," he said quietly. Immediately Veronica's face fell, flushing with fear.

Logan cackled louder than ever, clapping his hands together, "You should have seen your face!"

Veronica clutched her chest, her heart slowing from a furious beat. "That wasn't funny!"

Logan cocked his head to one side, as if in consideration, "I'm pretty sure it was actually."

Without skipping a beat he moved into the adjoining hallway, taking off his jacket lazily as he walked. Veronica followed after him slowly and unsure.

She could handle Logan on her own terms just fine, but now she was on unfamiliar turf – his turf. It was a foreign situation that she was unsure of how to handle.

Logan must have sensed her apprehension, turning around and snapping, "Did I say you could follow me?" His face broke into a cheeky grin not long after. Veronica poked her tongue out at him.

They were in the kitchen now and Logan sprang open the refrigerator door as if he were a kid coming home from school in the afternoon. Veronica hoisted herself up onto the kitchen bench and sat on it.

His voice rang out from nosing around in the fridge, "I have to say, dinner aspects are looking quite grim. And knowing about your appetite I'd say that my mom's rabbit food isn't going to suffice?"

"You'd be right, and I'll ignore your backhanded compliment for the moment."

"Ahh, a peace treaty," Logan said with a smirk as he closed the fridge door. "In the spirit of newfound harmony what's say we share a take-out meal?"

Veronica smiled, "I think I'm more than okay with that option. All for the sake of harmony, of course."

"Of course," Logan agreed.

When the pizza arrived, the pair was already set up in Logan's bedroom with his huge plasma and a range of DVD's that Veronica had chosen from their extensive collection downstairs.

"You play xbox?" Logan asked from his position, sat on the floor.

"Not habitually. Give me a Nintendo 64 any day of the week and I'm set."

"Mario Kart?"

"You know it," Veronica said with a smile as she went to grab another piece of pizza. "It's weird being in your room. We couldn't just sit in the lounge?"

"Prude," Logan scolded, a smirk covering his face, "My TV's bigger."

"Of course it is. The golden boy has to have the best of the best."

Logan showed no offense at her comment, rather acceptance.

"Typical," Veronica commented offhandedly before she slumped down on the bed, facing towards the TV as she lay on her stomach, still eating the pizza. Logan watched her, as she made comfortable on the bed.

"Just what I like, a hot blonde making herself comfortable on my bed," Logan quipped, before realising what he had said. Veronica made the same realisation at the same time, her face breaking into a grin.

"You called me 'hot'," she repeated.

"That was sarcasm," he said quickly.

"Sure it was, Echolls. I'm onto you and your fake 'Veronica's a hag' ploy."

"Speaking of other things fake…" he coughed, "Cough, our relationship cough."

Veronica rolled her eyes, "What? Are you asking for payment or something now?"

"No," he said, lazily biting into a slice, "I just want you to recognise the sacrifice of hot girl booty I'm making for you. And I don't even like you."

"Well I do apologise, Logan. At the conclusion of this little experiment, I will make my best effort to throw every sorority girl I come across in your path. Happy?"

"You mean, you'll be my wingman?" Logan asked mockingly, holding a hand to his heart.

Veronica, from her position on the bed, pushed him playfully. "Wingwoman," she corrected.

"A wingwoman to call my own! That's the dream." Veronica laughed at his theatricalism.

"So where's your dad?" Veronica asked curiously after a few moments of watching TV.

Logan looked at her for a moment – she looked right back at him. He looked down and cleared his own throat, "Miami. With his twenty-five year old trophy wife and their lovechild."

"Oh," Veronica said awkwardly, "I didn't…"

"No, it was all very hush-hush, at my mom's behest," he looked up at her for the first time, "I'm glad though. I don't have to put up with him."

"Life of a Hollywood movie star not as glamorous as it all seems?" Veronica joked.

He rolled his eyes, "It's all very…tawdry, Veronica."

"Whose life isn't?" she countered.

"Well now you've got me intrigued, do tell," Logan urged.

Veronica shrugged, "You're probably going to use this against me at some point, but what the hell…"

"Come on, you're my wingwoman, I wouldn't do that to you."

Veronica chuckled, before becoming serious, "My mom's an alcoholic. She's in rehab, trying to sober up."

"So? My mom's been in rehab three times."

"What, Betty Ford? She gets sober and a magazine deal?" Veronica said offhandedly in her cynical way. It took her a second for her own words to sink in. "Oh my god, Logan, I'm so sorry."

"Forget it," he said with a grin, "I said the same thing."

Veronica looked at Logan, lying beside her on the bed, both on their stomachs facing the television – but not paying it much attention. Logan looked over at her and caught her eyes.

"What? Are you surprised or something? My life's not as perfect as it seems," Logan asked bitterly.

"I'm sorry," she said quietly.

His eyes kept her own in their gaze, brown against blue, not knowing what to say, what to think, what to do.

"There's a lot you don't know about me, Veronica," he said softly.

They both silently recognised the fact that they had made assumptions on each other when they had first met and that those assumptions were becoming more and more untrue the more time that they spent together. The real Logan and Veronica were becoming clearer to the other as each day of the ridiculous pairing elapsed.

Veronica tried again, quieter still, "I'm sorry."

The words had barely left her mouth when he came closer, entering her breathing space until she had none. His lips were assaulting hers hungrily and she found herself compliant to his behaviour, his body finding hers and closing in around her.

The tension between the two of them had finally exploded, and neither found that they had the willpower, or indeed, the want to stop themselves from going further.

Logan managed to flip Veronica onto her back, one hand on her hip while the other caressed her face and hair as they made out frantically on the bed.

Veronica admitted to herself then that she wanted it; Logan's smell itself was intoxicating. She had noticed it when she had been sitting on the bed. With his strong arms supporting her, she felt completely aroused. It wasn't exactly a secret that Logan was attractive, after all.

She reached for the bottom of his shirt, tugging it upwards, until it got halfway – he took it off the rest of the way swiftly, lips coming back onto her mouth passionately as one of his hands worked its way underneath her shirt.

Her shirt was the next item of clothing to go – followed by the rest. Until neither of them had any clothes left on their bodies, or any reason to stop the natural progression that came after that.

After their intensely passionate and impromptu sexual encounter, she looked at him in the light of the TV. He was propped up, head rested in his hand as he grinned at her.

"It's gonna be awkward now, isn't it?" she asked, still panting. He took that moment to put his head down at her level, kissing her so passionately that she was left out-of-breath again. He moved in between her legs quickly and she felt his desire for her again. He didn't give her the chance to say anything further as he continued to kiss her, moving into her again slowly.

They both fell asleep quickly after the second time, both too tired to move and drenched in sweat. Veronica couldn't help but think that he was by far the most passionate lover she had ever had. It had always been dull and the same with Duncan. It certainly wasn't anything near what she'd just had with Logan. Twice.

Logan, for his part, was still in disbelief. He had just had sex with Veronica Mars of all people. As he turned over and looked at her sleeping, naked figure he couldn't help but smile. Dude, you're falling for her.

"Shit!" Veronica hissed to herself as she woke. She was starting to realise that last night had been a considerable mistake. How could she – with Logan? She gathered her things from around his room silently, before taking one last look at him before she left. Logan was her rival, not to mention her working partner. She had screwed up, big time. And just when she was beginning to think that they could actually be friends.

Veronica tip-toed through Logan's mansion, thankful that he had insisted that her car was to be brought to the house once it was finished. It was waiting for Veronica in the drive, all fixed up.

She thought about everything that had happened the previous night as she drove the long drive back to Neptune – how had she completely warped a potential new friendship, and what the hell was going to happen now?

She barely registered the fact that she had driven all the way back into Neptune in the time being.

But the events of the previous night may have taken a second place to the surprise that was about to come.

Duncan Kane was sat, waiting for her on the doorstep of her house.

So yes, that is it... for now. I'm sorry for the lack of smut - I find that it's always cringeworthy when I write explicit stuff, so I'm trying to ease into it...As weird as that sounds.

I hope I've got some readers left - let me know if you're still with me and hit me up with a review! Please :)