A/N: As always huge thanks go out to my betas Bondopolous and BryroseA! This chapter will wrap up the weekend and then it's back to school…

Chapter 7 - Your Shadow Weighs A Ton

Wallace was walking up the stairs to Mars Investigations when he heard an unexpected voice. Did V invite someone else to our study session? Last week they had made plans to get some serious cramming in today for their AP History exam. But she hadn't mentioned anyone meeting them.

Wallace pushed the door open to find Veronica laughing with… Logan?

"Hey Wallace, you made it. I hope you don't mind if Logan joins us; he has to take the same test." She had stopped laughing and was chewing on her lower lip. Wallace knew it was one of her nervous habits.

"Yeah, of course. How's it goin' man?" Wallace reached his hand out to Logan. Logan looked surprised, but accepted Wallace's hand. Logan shook his hand firmly, but not jackass aggressively like Wallace was expecting.

"Better than last time you saw me. I was kinda drunk and may have been rude." Logan smirked at Wallace.

"Uh hun, you were both of those things. And today?" Wallace looked at him skeptically. Richie rich had more of a reputation for being a giant asshole than for studying.

"Today, my good Wallace, I am going for amusing," Logan turned to wink at Veronica, "and academic."

Wallace watched as Veronica's serious expression shifted back to laughter. Apparently, the jackass was succeeding in at least one of his goals for the day; Veronica definitely looked amused.

Wallace tossed his bag on the floor at the end of the couch. Veronica had stacks of flashcards all over the coffee table and a textbook was open facing Logan. A few cartons of take-out were scattered around the office. They looked comfortable with each other and clearly had been there a while.

"Hey V, can we talk for a sec? In your dad's office." He jerked his thumb toward the office.

"Of course. Excuse us Logan." Wallace saw Veronica give Logan an apologetic smile as he headed into Mr. Mars' office.

After the door shut, Wallace turned to look at Veronica. "What happened to staying away from him? Did you see his face? All bruised from what? Fighting? And the guy is psychotic! He used a crowbar to bash in your headlights." Wallace tried to keep his voice down as he gestured toward the outer room.

"I said I'd take it under advisement, and I did. It's complicated. I can't really talk about it, but I promise you everything is fine. Logan has mostly been on his best behavior." Veronica had already turned, heading back into the other room.

"I just don't get it." How can she stand to be around this guy after everything he's done? Wallace shook his head and began to follow her to the door when Veronica turned back around.

"I know you don't and there is nothing I can tell you that will change that. Give him a chance or don't. But for today he's our study buddy." She shrugged, opened the door, and headed back to the couch.

Wallace hesitated in the office long enough to hear Logan whisper, "Veronica, should I go? I don't want to cause a problem." Wallace didn't wait to hear Veronica's response. He decided that he was being rude, and while rude may be the norm for the Logan Echollses of the world, it was not Wallace's way.

"All right Echolls, I guess we're cool until V says otherwise." Wallace sat on the couch next to Veronica and reached for a pile of flashcards. "Let's kill this test."

An hour later, Wallace was feeling overwhelmed by all the information he'd reviewed. He was grateful when Veronica's phone started to ring.

"It's my dad." She held up the phone and headed for her dad's office, shutting the door behind her.

"Can I ask you something?" Logan asked. He'd turned very serious in the few seconds since Veronica had left the room.

Wallace nodded, "What's on your mind?" Wallace watched as Logan pulled his shirtsleeves down over his hands and waited for him to speak again.

"Friday night, you said something about Veronica having been hurt." Logan looked up from his lap. Wallace nodded at the clearly distressed 09er sitting across from him. "Do you know what happened?" Logan said in a voice so soft and small that Wallace almost couldn't hear him.

"Naw, man. She's just said some things that made me think, you know… Why don't you ask her?" Wallace shook his head, thinking about the party flyer and the resulting conversation.

"I did…" Logan looked back at his lap.

Wallace snorted. Bet that went really well. Out loud he said, "And what did she say?"

"What do you think? She shut me down; said she had no idea what I was talking about." Logan sighed.

Wallace nodded, "Kinda assumed you were part of whatever happened to her, to be honest."

"I can see why you'd think that." Logan frowned and then turned pleading eyes to Wallace. "Look I know you have absolutely no reason to believe or trust me, but… God she is going to kill me. But later, when I asked again, Veronica got really upset and said something about not remembering anything after having a drink at a party last year. People had GHB at that party and I know that she woke up there the next morning. I know something happened but she won't say what, though I can guess…" Logan paled and shifted in his chair. "When I pushed her about it she had a... um, like a panic attack. It was the second time I've seen her do that in the past few days."

Wallace was shocked. He'd had a pretty strong sense that something bad had happened to Veronica, but she had never confided any details to him beyond generic warnings. The rest of what Logan said started to hit him.

"Panic attacks? You saw her have not one, but two? What did you do?" Wallace sneered harshly.

"Well, the first time…" Logan was back to pulling down his sleeves and twisting them around. "My dad…" Logan's voice cracked. "Look, it's complicated, but no one hurt her and she was fine after a few minutes. The second time, like I said, was when I tried to get her to tell me what happened to her. I'm surprised that, after everything I just told you, the panic attack is what you're most upset about." Logan's mouth rose slightly on one side as his eyes rolled up to meet Wallace's.

"Give me a minute; I'm getting there." Wallace took a deep breath and looked at the door of Mr. Mars' office. He could hear Veronica talking and moving around in the office. Assured that she wasn't wrapping up her conversation, he turned back to Logan. "You said you know she woke up there, not that she said she did… And you know people had GHB at that party?" Logan nodded in confirmation, his eyes glassy and intense.

"You know these things because you were there." It wasn't a question.

Logan nodded again, "I remember her acting weird that night. But I may have been um… preoccupied with my own issues. I asked around and found out that she was seen leaving the next morning. They said… well, that she was a mess. I don't know what to do. I don't want to upset her again but if someone... I want to try to make it right."

Wallace stared at Logan, really looking at him for the first time. This guy wasn't the cruel ringleader of the 09ers who he'd seen at school. He looked beyond miserable and sincerely distressed about what might have happened to someone he wasn't even friends with anymore. Maybe the seventh grader Veronica described as her best friend is still in there after all.

"You're right, I have no reason to trust you, but for some reason it seems like Veronica has decided to let you back in her life. And either you are a much better actor than either of your parents or you're worried about my girl, too." Wallace stood up and awkwardly patted Logan on the shoulder. "I get the feeling there is more to this than you're telling me, and we're not done talking about this. Not by a long shot. But I'm not going to say anything to V. For now."

Logan looked relieved and resigned. "All right, thank you. Really, thank you."

"Now get your shit together, we have one more thing to talk about." Wallace smiled tightly.

"We do?" Logan raised his eyebrows.

"What are we going to do to Troy?"

Logan smiled, "I'm sure between the two of us we can come up with something."

"Dad, you really don't need to worry. I'm fine for one more night. Get the bad guy and I'll hold the fort." Veronica told her father confidently. "I'd better get back out there. Wallace needs all the help he can get."

"Okay honey. Be good and don't just eat ice cream." Keith told her.

"No promises. Love you, dad."

"Love you, too, kid." And the call disconnected.

"Alright boys, are you both still alive?" Veronica walked back out to the outer room of the office to find Logan and Wallace sitting quietly, each holding a stack of flashcards. "Who are you and what have you done with Wallace and Logan?" She asked, disturbed to find them working in companionable silence.

"What? You know I'm capable of being civil." Logan smirked at her, but his eyes lacked their usual mischievous glint.

Wallace leaned back against the couch. "I am as much of a marshmallow as you are, Mars. And your boy here needs more help than I do." Veronica quirked an eyebrow as they shared a look. They're up to something.

"Okay, you two are freaking me out." Veronica shook her head as she moved to join Wallace on the couch. "In other news, I have a case." This was directed at Wallace, but then she observed Logan with interest. "Hmm… but I think you could be a valuable asset."

"Setting a honey trap?" Logan asked her with mock seriousness and a wink.

"Actually…" She spent the next ten minutes filling them in on all that Luke had shared with her. His debt to Zigman, the trip to TJ, the drugs in the piñata.

"He claims Duncan and Troy had no idea what he was up to. Logan, he said you were originally supposed to go on that trip…" she let the sentence hang.

"Yeah, I was. Two things before you ask: one – I did know that Luke was picking up illegal stuff in Mexico, and two – I had no idea when Duncan called us to get him that he was with them." Veronica watched as Logan tugged at his sleeves but maintained eye contact; she was pretty sure she believed him.

She nodded, "I want to start by seeing if we can find Troy's dad's car. It has a security system but we can't have it activated without filing a police report. Let's see what we can dig up in the mean time."

Wallace headed for the computer on Veronica's desk while she pulled out her laptop.

"What can I do?" Logan asked, moving to sit on the couch next to Veronica.

"How are you at filing, sweet cheeks?" She asked, playfully slapping his unbruised cheek.

"Who am I, William Powell?" Logan asked, offended.

"Ha! You wish. He played the detective. If anyone's Nick, it's me; you, doll face, are Nora." Veronica quipped at him and he batted his eyelashes at her.

"Who does that make me?" Wallace asked.

Veronica and Logan shared a look. "Shaggy." They said in unison.

"You two are so weird together." Wallace shook his head. "And speaking of together, don't think I missed that you two had a little sleepover… again."

A few hours later, Logan and Veronica made their way back to the apartment. Logan knew that Keith wasn't expected back until late the next day, but he was worried about his own homecoming. Even if he put it off until Monday, it wasn't going to be pleasant. Logan had just locked the door behind them when his cell phone chirped.

From Asshole to Logan Echolls, 7:14pm

Heading to LA tonight, mother back tomorrow afternoon

From Logan Echolls to Asshole, 7:15pm

Still working on project, home tomorrow

Logan sighed with relief. Aaron was headed to LA and he would probably stay for at least a couple of days.

"Good news?" Veronica asked him.

"Yeah, you could say that. Aaron is headed to LA." He tried to be enthusiastic but just couldn't summon it.

"Oh, of course. Um… If you want I can just pack up the extra food for you to take home with you. I'm sure you want to sleep in your own bed…" She sounded disappointed. Is she disappointed?

"Actually, he didn't say when he was leaving, and to be honest I don't want to risk it. If it's okay, I would rather just stay with you again tonight. And I'm still not feeling great about driving; I was hoping you would drive me to school in the morning." He kept his eyes down, not wanting to reveal how much he wanted to spend more time with her.

"If you don't want to risk it…" Veronica smiled shyly. "Besides dinner, what do you want to do? We finished studying."

"Can we take Backup down to the beach? I'd kinda like to stretch out and walk around a bit."

"That actually sounds really good."

Logan and Veronica put their gyros and salad in the fridge to eat after their walk on the beach. If Veronica was honest with herself, she was feeling pretty nervous. She had a lot on her mind that she wanted to discuss with him, but she wasn't sure how to broach the subject.

"Logan?"

"Veronica?"

"Um… I want to ask you something but I don't want…" Veronica looked out at the surf trying to find the right words. "Have you ever thought about turning him in?" She blurted it out before she could stop herself. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry—it's none of my business." She flopped down onto the cold sand.

"It's okay. I've never really talked about this with anyone." Logan took a deep breath and sat down next to her. "Turning him in? No, I've seen him pay people off, so no I never really considered that. It's only eighteen more months. You saw a bad day, but this isn't really an everyday thing."

"Logan, come on! You said earlier that this time wasn't that bad. All of those times you were 'sick' or taking 'special trips' - I may have been blind but I'm not stupid. How many of those were actually because you were too hurt to come to school?" She stared into his eyes, her mouth drawn into a tight line across her face.

"I'm very healthy and not particularly fond of visiting either of my parents on set," was all he said. But it was enough; it only confirmed what Veronica had suspected. Aaron Echolls was beating Logan on a regular basis, and badly enough that he'd missed school at least once a month for almost as long as she had known him.

"I want to do something." She said softly.

"Ronnie…" Logan sighed, "What is there to do? I can't leave until I'm eighteen. Even then, I don't have access to the first tier my trust until I 'complete high school'." He emphasized with quote fingers. "I wouldn't have any way to support myself other than bumming off people. Not to mention that my trust isn't irrevocable; Aaron can change the terms at any time. I can deal until then."

"What if I could give you some options? Options that wouldn't mean having to live like the rest of us?" She smirked at him.

"I'd listen. But seriously, it isn't a death sentence…"

She hoped he was right. "Okay, I'm getting hungry and I think Backup is done running around. Let's head back."

When Logan stood up, he reached for Veronica, and she could see the strain in his face. He was feeling better, but the cuts and bruises were still hindering his movement. She was determined to find options to get him away from Aaron. She couldn't imagine leaving him to this for eighteen more months even if he had been dealing with it for almost that many years.

They made their way back to the apartment mostly in silence, Veronica's mind spinning with possible ways to help Logan. She unlocked the door and let Logan and Backup in before her, so lost in thought that she jumped at the sound of Logan's voice.

"Veronica, the answering machine-thingy is blinking." Logan pointed out as he headed for the refrigerator to retrieve their dinner.

Veronica pushed the play button, "Hi, Keith, it's me. I might be a little late to dinner since I came into work—Oh, wait a minute. Um, I'm sorry. I'm just going to call your cell."

"Who was that? Her voice was familiar." Logan said. Veronica fiddled with the phone and put her finger to her lips, shushing him.

"Hi, you've reached Rebecca James in the Counseling Office at Neptune High School. I'm away-" Veronica cut off the call.

"It was Ms. James."

"As in 'Student Counselor' Becky?" Logan looked incredulous; "Your dad has a date with Becky?"

Veronica just shook her head and dialed a number into the phone. "Dad, when you get this you need to call your date for tonight and let her know you're still out of town. Love you." And she ended the call.

Without comment, Logan passed her a gyro and the bowl of extra tomatoes they had ordered.

Logan watched Veronica while they ate. She seemed subdued in a way that didn't align with the ferocity he had seen in her eyes when she asked what he wanted to do about Aaron. As far as he knew, Keith Mars was still married to Veronica's mother, waste of space though she might be. Is this the first time she's heard of him dating?

"Veronica?" She looked up at him a little dazed. "Did you know your dad was dating?"

"Hmmm… um… No, this is the first I'm hearing of it. But mom, Lianne, she's been gone – a while now." Veronica stabbed an olive on her plate.

Logan thought about the last time he knew for sure that Mrs. Mars had been around. Had to be around the time they moved into this place.

"But it makes sense I guess. Before he left for this trip, my dad pulled out a box of her things for me to go through." Veronica abandoned her fork and walked to her room. A few minutes later she emerged with a filing box. "He wanted me to pick out anything I wanted to keep."

Logan watched her set the box on the counter and stoically began to pull things out: a framed picture, a small envelope, and some other items. What kind of mother leaves when her daughter's best friend has been murdered? Even his, habitually absent, mother had been there more for him than Lianne Mars had been for Veronica. The guilt over how he had treated her overwhelmed him again. Her best friend died, her father lost his job, her mother left, and we were terrible to her…

"Hey, look at this, a safe deposit box key?" Veronica held a brass key up to Logan.

"Does it say which bank?" He asked her.

"Neptune National, that's downtown." Veronica told him, looking at the small envelope the key had been inside.

"What do you want to do?" Logan didn't know anything about how safe deposit boxes worked, but he assumed that the person who rented the box would need to be present to open it.

"I can make a death certificate and get them to let me open it." Her eyes had that shine in them he had come to recognize as 'Veronica on a case.' It was hot, but also a little scary.

"Really? You can do that?" He didn't doubt her ability, but was still surprised.

"Piece of cake." She smiled. "Ooo, cake. Did you order any dessert?"

"You haven't finished your dinner and you're already thinking about dessert?" He laughed.

"Have you met me? Of course I'm thinking about dessert. But seriously… you ordered dessert, right?" Veronica's brow furrowed and she glared at him.

"Hmmm… I dunno. Will loukoumades work?" He smiled, holding up another container.

"Um…fried dough with cinnamon and honey?" She asked, grabbing the box. "Yeah, I think I can work with that, but there's only eight in here. What are you going to have?" She maintained her glare until Logan presented a second container with a big grin.

Full and a little tired, Logan moved to the couch to watch some TV and relax. He watched Veronica flip through the channels while he thought about what he wanted to do next. Tomorrow he could go back home and not have to worry about Aaron for a few days. But when it really came down to it, Aaron wasn't the biggest bad on his list of problems for tomorrow. School was going to be interesting.

So much had changed in the last three days that Logan felt like his head was still spinning. He and Veronica were rebuilding their friendship, she knew his darkest secret, and he was pretty sure he knew a big one of hers. But how would they handle everyone?

"About tomorrow…" Logan tried to find the words but found he didn't quite know what to say.

"Tomorrow, yes? Are we going to go back to the status quo?" Logan could hear the disappointment in Veronica's voice.

"Only if that's what you want. As far as I'm concerned, fuck em." He smiled, hoping that she felt the same way.

"Fuck em, hmmm… sounds apropos considering what you've been saying about me for the last year." Much to his relief, she winked at him. Then the good humor in her expression slid a bit, "It's been different, um… nice? This," Veronica waved her hand between them, "I don't want to go back."

"Good, me neither. I do want to warn you though, I'm pretty sure Troy has been telling people a rather exaggerated version of Friday night. And he knows we were together on Saturday night, too." He rubbed the back of his neck and shifted his gaze to the floor. "And there's Duncan… I didn't tell you before but he accused me of sleeping with you, though he used more colorful language. That was part of what he was so upset about." Logan pushed his fingers through his hair drawing his eyes back up to meet Veronica's. "I denied it, of course, and told Duncan that we were working on our friendship. I don't know if he believed me, but I don't think Duncan would say anything. Unfortunately, Troy overheard, and I don't think he'll keep quiet.

"Logan, even if Troy only told the truth it wouldn't matter; it all sounds pretty scandalous. Anyway with my 'reputation' it won't matter what anyone says. By the end of the day I'll have done you and half the guys at the dance. I'm used to it, but what about you?"

Logan couldn't believe she was worried about him. Veronica's reputation was completely false and entirely his fault. His, on the other hand… "Veronica, my reputation should be far worse than yours, hell I deserve worse than they even say. Believe it or not I've been a much bigger slut than I've let on. I'm just not much for bragging about my drunken misadventures. The difference is my 'promiscuity' just makes me cooler in their eyes." Logan sighed and buried his face in his hands, too embarrassed with himself to look at Veronica.

"Somehow I don't think people thinking that you hooked up with me is going to give you more street cred."

Logan couldn't take the tension in his limbs anymore and began pacing the living room. Why should either of us have to worry about such stupid shit?

"Veronica, I don't care. I. Just. Don't. Care. Most of those people aren't really my friends." He stopped to look directly at her, "they aren't worth caring about." Logan stared into Veronica's wide, surprised eyes for a moment before he resumed pacing. "Do you think any of them would care if they knew what my home life was really like? Think they would patch me up, smuggle me out, and stash me away? No! I've been horrible to you and you did all of that. I may be an asshole, but I'm not stupid. I screwed up, but now I know where my loyalties belong." He declared, finally sitting back down on the couch.

Veronica stared at Logan, her mouth slightly hanging open.

"What?" Logan asked her.

"Welcome back, Logan Echolls! God I've missed you." She launched herself across the couch and into his lap to hug him tightly. He only winced a little, but he was pretty sure she didn't notice.