"Logan." His lawyer shook his hand. "You must be Veronica."
"Hi." Veronica said Logan tightly holding her hand.
"There are a few things we need to go over before we see the judge."
They sat around a table in the judge's chambers, a court reporter present. Logan still held Veronica's hand under the table. Once all the legal garbage was out of the way the judge spoke.
"Logan, I asked for this hearing today because I want to be sure that you understand what becoming an emancipated minor will mean. I'd like you to tell me in your own words why you believe you need to be emancipated."
Logan took a breath; Veronica squeezed his hand and gave him a smile of encouragement.
"My father is in jail pending trial for killing my former girlfriend; he tried to kill Veronica and her father when she found out the truth. Despite the image of the all American golden family my parents insisted on, my father is a violent bully." Veronica squeezed his hand again, he had told her about his father's violent temper. "He spent years beating me with a belt if I did anything wrong, I have scars to prove it. He drove my mother to drink and eventually to kill herself when she couldn't take putting up with the act anymore. My half-sister Trina would sell me out for a bit part in a TV show. My grandparents are all dead, my parents were only children and I'm 18 in a few months I can take care of myself I have done for a long time, I don't need foster care."
"I've been looking at your school records, you receive good grades and you're an active participant, although there have been some incidents, there has been nothing for the past three months."
"I have what you call a stabilising influence in my life." He smiled at Veronica.
"As you can see from the papers filed Logan has considerable financial means, and will have access to two considerable trust funds on his 18th and 21st birthdays. My office has also found several other accounts in his name which we are determining a dollar amount on."
"What about you..." The judge looked at his papers. "Miss Mars do you have anything you would like to add?"
"I'm just here for moral support." Veronica told him.
"I assume you have known Logan for some time, I'd like to hear your opinion."
"Logan has always been independent, he's had to be. His parents spent a lot of time jetting off half way around the world to film movies; he got thrown into an adult life too quickly. But he's smart, funny, caring, and compassionate; he can be a jerk but what teenage boy isn't? He's there for me when I need him and when I don't. We've just about gotten each other through the last few days and just for the record I'll kick his butt if he doesn't turn up at school every day."
"Thank you for your candour Ms Mars." He paused. "Logan, what do you plan to do with your future?"
"Given everything that's happened in the last year, I haven't really decided much beyond graduating high school and college."
"Thank you."
Logan kissed her Veronica swing her around after the judge signed the paperwork grating his emancipation.
"Logan." She said when he put her down. "People are looking."
"Let them. We should go out and celebrate."
"The press are still hanging around, you've been AWOL for four days I don't think going out and celebrating is a good idea right now."
"How about you come and help me pick out my new abode?"
"Now that I can help you with."
"What do you think?" Logan asked as the manager showed them around them around one of the Grand's long term rental suites.
"Can you give us a minute?" Veronica asked the manager.
"Of course." He left them to it.
"So?" He prompted.
"It's a high end hotel suite. But are you sure you just don't want to rent an apartment?" She suggested.
"Here I get all the benefits of home without the parental supervision. I don't have to cook, there is someone who will do my laundry, I get left alone and there is hotel security who will keep the press away."
"The rich definitely have a different definition of leaving home." She wandered over to the window to look out at the view.
"But you like it right?" He wrapped his arms around her.
"I like it." She agreed as he kissed the side of her neck.
"I guess I'm moving in tomorrow. Let's go and fill out the paperwork."
"Daddy!" Veronica hugged her father when Alicia brought him home. Veronica had offered to go and pick him up but Alicia had offered to drive him home. "I love you."
"I love you too." He looked around. "Where is Logan?"
"He got emancipated yesterday, so he moved into a suite at the Grande. He thought he should be out before you got home, he thought we might want some time alone."
"How is he doing?"
"You know Logan, he'll be okay."
"And you?"
"I miss him being here already." She shrugged. "I made dinner."
"Dinner?"
"Okay so Logan made a big batch of his pasta sauce yesterday but I heated it up and cooked the pasta."
"It smells great."
"Wait until you try it."
Logan padded to the door in just his boxer shorts to find out who had woken him up at two am.
"Veronica?" He said finding her stood on the other side of the door dressed in sneakers, sweat pants a tank top and one of his sweat shirts which had told him she was keeping because it smelled of him. "Is everything okay? Is your Dad okay?"
"I had another nightmare. I was back in the refrigerator and..." She sobbed.
"Come here." He pulled her into his arms. "It's okay, I've got you. I'm not going to let anything happen to you I promise." He held her until she stopped crying.
"Can I stay here tonight?"
"Does your dad know where you are?"
"I left him a note."
"Veronica...." He started.
"Please don't make me go home."
"Come on." He took her hand and led her into his bedroom. He helped her taker her sneakers off and lifted the covers so she could slid in. He slid into the other side of the bed. Veronica shuffled back until her back was flush against his chest. Logan wrapped his arm around her waist holding her hand. "It's okay, I'm right here go back to sleep."
"I love you." She whispered.
"I love you too." He kissed her shoulder and held her while she drifted back to sleep.
At seven thirty he crawled out of bed to answer his cell phone which was ringing in the other room, he pulled the door shut so as not to wake Veronica.
"Hello." He answered.
"Logan, it's Keith Mars. Is Veronica with you?"
"She's still asleep." Logan said.
"Do you want to tell me why my 17 year old felt the need to drive across town in the middle of the night?"
"She had another nightmare."
"Another?"
"She's been having nightmare about being trapped in the fridge, she panics and can't breathe. She's usually fine if I hold her while she cries and while she goes back to sleep." Logan probably didn't need to be admitting to Keith that he was sleeping with Veronica in the purest sense of the word.
"How long has this been going on?"
"Since it happened."
"She told me she was fine."
"She is other than the nightmares. She didn't tell you because she didn't want to upset you while you were in the hospital."
"Bring her home when she wakes up, I think the three of us need to have a little talk."
"Mr Mars, just so you know. Nothing happened other than me hold while she sleeps. I love her too much to take advantage of her like that."
"Bring her home when she wakes up Logan." Keith Mars finished the call.
"That went well." Logan muttered as he walked back to the bedroom to find Veronica had rolled on her back and was looking at him. "Good morning."
"You got up."
"Your Dad called." He indicated the cell phone in his hand. "He wants me to bring you home as soon as you wake up."
"Can we go back to sleep?" Veronica pulled the covers over her head.
"How about I order breakfast?" Logan pulled them back down and gave her a kiss.
"Breakfast?" She repeated.
"One benefit of living in a hotel room service." He reminded her. "What will it be?"
"Anything."
It was eight-thirty before they got back to the Mars apartment.
"Good morning Dad."
"You disappear in the middle of the night and all you can say is good morning Dad?"
"I left you a note." Veronica countered.
"A note was really going to help you if something happened and you broke down half way there."
"He's right." Logan agreed with him. Veronica turned and glared at him. "Sorry I'll let you two talk." He held up his hands and backed away.
"Dad..." She took a step towards her father.
"Why didn't you tell me you were having nightmares?"
"Dad it's nothing."
"Nothing made you drive across town?" Keith waited.
"It was a nightmare Dad, being with Logan makes me feel safe."
"Veronica..."
"Dad, I'm sorry I left without telling you where I was going and I'm sorry it was in the middle of the night." Logan could hear the tears coming. "And I'm sorry I didn't tell you I was having nightmares but I'm doing the best I can here."
"Hey." Logan put a hand on her arm; Veronica turned burying her face in his shirt. "It's okay, I've got you. Nothing is going to happen I promise." He held her his lips pressed to the top her head until the sobs subsided. He ran a finger down her cheek so she looked up at him. "You okay?" She nodded. He pressed a kiss to her forehead. "Come on." He took her hand and led her around the counter.
Keith watched as they worked in unison. Veronica pulled out bowls and spoons while Logan went to freezer.
"Chocolate or strawberry?" He asked.
"Chocolate." Veronica replied.
Logan grabbed the chocolate ice-cream, chocolate sauce and the half empty bag of mini marshmallows. Veronica handed him a spoon so he could spoon the ice-cream into the bowls as she added the sauce and marshmallows.
"Here." She set a bowl in front of her father.
"Isn't it a little early for ice-cream?" Keith asked.
"It's never too early for ice-cream." Veronica replied.
"We've sort of figured this out." Logan told him. "Crying, then ice-cream. Only one of us gets to fall apart at once."
"I think you should see someone." Keith told Veronica. "Both of you."
"Dad, you made me talk to a shrink when Lilly died it didn't help it only made things worse." She paused. "I do talk about it to Logan, we've formed our own little support group. Mac and Wallace turn up for moral support even Dick on occasion. We tried calling Duncan but he's not answering the phone right now."
"Veronica." Keith started.
"Dad, you have to let me deal with this my own way."
"So I should be expecting you to disappear in the middle of the night again?"
"You could let Logan stay over." Veronica suggested.
"Veronica."
"Then yes, I'll be disappearing at least until the nightmares stop. I'm going to get dressed." She handed Logan her empty bowl and headed into her room.
Keith turned to look at him.
"She really is okay most of the time. The nightmares just throw her a bit." Logan offered. Keith glared at him. "I meant what I said nothing happened and I would never push her into..." Keith stepped closer. "I should be going." He set the bowls on the counter. "Tell her I said goodbye."
"Logan sit down we need to talk."
When Veronica could see Logan had the look of someone who wanted to bolt.
"Dad please tell me you are not having a sex talk with my boyfriend."
"Veronica." Keith started.
"Dad, I'm on the pill. I have been since I was fifteen." Veronica blurted out.
"What?" Both Logan and Keith exclaimed.
"I had bad cramps; Mom knew she was the one who took me to the Doctor. Dad I'm going to say this once and then forget we ever had this conversation. If and when I have sex and whether or not it is with Logan is my decision. You don't a say in it. Logan, let's go."
Logan was more than happy to leave.
"Where are you going?" Keith asked.
"Since they don't bleach brains yet, we're taking Backup for a walk. Come on boy."
TBC