Welcome to Neptune
Disclaimer: I own nothing except the OCs and the storyline.
Logan loved his dreams
His dreams were the only places he ever felt…like himself. His dreams weren't even that exciting.
They had Natalie in them and Wallace, Dick, Mac and Weevil-who, strangely, mostly wore pink rabbit ears on his head- as well as all of Natalie's friends, like James and the others.
She was in them too. Blonde hair, sharp eyes and a cunning smirk. All in all Veronica Mars was the same person she in his dreams as she was in real life.
In these dreams he and Veronica lived in their house. She had a big office for her work as a PI while he worked in the room across the hall from her. When he looked out the door, he could see her sitting at her desk.
He was doing that now, in his dream.
Her head was bent over the desk, looking through a case file. She glanced up and caught him staring and she smiled. He smiled back and she looked at the file again.
Then Logan heard the hurried steps of someone coming up the stairs. He looked up to see a blonde haired, browned eyed teenage boy standing in the doorway.
"You said you practise baseball with me Dad."
Logan smiled at the boy and said, "I'll be there in a minute."
More steps could be heard and a smaller boy appeared. "We have to play, Dad."
Logan smiled at the two boys and replied, "Alright then, let's go."
Logan stood up and walked out of his office. As he turned to walk down the stairs, Veronica came out of her office and said, "I better go too. In case the boys beat you so bad, you need a hug."
Logan smirked at her and said, "I'll take the hug anyway."
"Ew!" the two boys walking in front of them said. The family walked out of the house.
Logan startled out of his day dream and sighed. He sat forward on the couch and ran a hand through his hair. Even when he was awake, Logan just thought about her.
He stood up and walked towards the kitchen. But he was halfway there was a knock at the door. Logan frowned as he walked towards it. Natalie would just walk in if she was home as would many of his friends and Backup was asleep in the kitchen so why would anyone come to complain about him?
He put his hand on the door handle and opened the door. He looked up, his eyes locking on the person standing there and he froze.
"What? No hug?"
Logan didn't even register her words. They both stood there looking into each others eyes after fifteen years. He couldn't even comprehend why she was back after all those years and didn't care at that moment.
He slowly reached out his hand and touched her cheek, just to make sure she was actually there. She sighed slightly when he touched her face. He let his fingers slid down her jaw and then he let his arm drop to his side.
Why was Veronica blurry? Oh yes, he was tearing up. Logan saw tears in Veronica's eyes but being the woman she was she held them back.
"Logan…" His name hadn't sounded so good in fifteen years.
It was like a switch in his head and suddenly every thought and feeling came rushing at him. He leaned forward and took her face in his hands.
Before she could say a word he crashed his lips onto hers. Fifteen years was a long time to go without each other. It felt like they had been walking in the desert and had finally found a river. Veronica wasn't even aware that they were still standing on the doorstep. Oxygen was needed but they only pulled apart for a second before they were kissing again.
"Logan," Veronica mumbled.
Logan didn't respond so she said it again. Reluctantly Veronica out her hands to his chest and pushed him away. Logan pulled back and looked at her.
He smiled slightly. She smiled wearily back.
"We need to talk."
Logan nodded, still numb. She was back! She was in front of him! He stepped aside and Veronica walked into the house.
She looked around for a second and Logan saw her look at the woman's jumper that was lying on the armchair. Logan panicked and said, "That's Natalie's! She's a girl that I've been looking after for about five years. She's fifteen."
Veronica smiled and said, "I know."
Logan nodded. He should have known that she would always do her research. There was a barking and Backup suddenly appeared, skidding into the sitting room.
Veronica smiled widely and she bent down to pet him. "Good boy!" she said, "It's good to see you again!"
Veronica stood up and looked at Logan. She sighed when she saw that shock wear off and his face suddenly turn into a frown.
"Where the fuck have you been?!" he said angrily.
Veronica replied, "Look I'm sorry. I know that I left without telling you-."
"Well Veronica I was hoping for a little bit more then a letter when my wife left me!"
"I had to do that! I knew that if I stood in front of you and tried to explain things to you then I wouldn't be able to leave!"
"So why did you? I mean sure we had our arguments but yelling at each other was kind of our thing if you remember?! What? Did you get scared or tiered?" Logan shouted.
"Oh I'm not going to start this again Logan!" Veronica shouted back, "I came here because I wanted to see you again and to tell you that I'm back in Neptune for good."
Logan stared at her and replied, "R-really? You're staying?"
Veronica nodded and said, "Yes, um, I'm staying in Neptune. Do you remember the case I was working on before I left?"
Logan thought for a moment and then nodded. "I think so. A fraud case in a company right?"
Veronica nodded, "Well the men who ran the business started to get worried and threaten me. I didn't take any notice of them until they started to threaten you and everyone else I cared about. Then I had to run."
Logan nodded. "But you couldn't have told me? I could have gone with you."
Veronica shook her head. "No you couldn't. For years I was looking over my shoulder and if you had gone with me then you would have been in more danger. As long as you were away from me then you were safe. But now those men are out of the way."
Logan sighed and sat down on the couch. Silence filled the room. Veronica sighed and sat down on the arm chair. She opened her mouth to talk but her phone rang. She pulled it out of her pocket and answered it.
"Hello?"
"Hey Mom. Where are you? I'm back from the park and you're not here at the house."
Veronica sighed when she saw Lucas's worried voice. She should have known that her absence would make him worry.
"I'll be there in a minute. Bye." She hung up and stood up.
Logan stood up too and asked, "You're leaving!"
He was having flashbacks of the first time she left and Veronica said, "Its ok. I'll leave you my number but I do have to go meet someone."
She scribbled her number on a pad of paper that was lying on the coffee table. Logan walked her to the door and when Veronica opened it, she stood and looked at Logan.
"We have to talk some more," he said quietly.
Veronica nodded and reached up to kiss him on the cheek. "I missed you," she said, quietly.
Logan looked at her in surprise and she smiled as she slipped out the door. Logan watched as she walked down the driveway and got into her car.
Veronica Mars talking about her feeling so openly? Maybe she was a marshmallow like Wallace said. Fifteen years can change a person.
Logan could barely watch as she drove away but at least he had her number. He shut the door and leaned against it. He ran a hand over his face and tried to sort through the emotions going through him.
Anger, happiness, joy, confusion and worry. Why was it that Veronica always made his head spin?
-Later-
Lucas sat on his bed and stared at the magazine in his hands. He sighed and threw it to one side.
He could barely concentrate. Logan knew that Veronica was back in Neptune but he still had no idea about Lucas. Veronica was practically in a daze and she was now sitting on the couch in the sitting room watching TV.
Lucas was about to get up and talk to her when he heard a tapping at his window. He looked over and was shocked to see Natalie sitting on the tree outside his window. He hurried over and opened it.
"What are you doing?!" he asked her.
Natalie rolled her eyes and said, "I'm selling cookies! What the hell do you think I'm doing?!"
Lucas stood back and let her climb into his room. As Natalie dusted herself off Lucas looked around the room.
His eyes widened when he saw the picture of himself and Veronica sitting on his desk in a frame. He quickly went over and sat on the desk, blocking the picture.
Natalie looked at him and said excitably, "Veronica Mars is back!"
Lucas replied, "Wow! Logan's wife? Really?"
Natalie nodded and sat down on the desk chair. "Yup! She came to see Logan today. When I got back to the house Logan was in a daze or something. But I can tell he's really happy!"
Lucas smiled and said, "That's great, really great."
Natalie smiled but it soon slid off her face.
"What's wrong?" Lucas asked.
"What if she doesn't like me?" Natalie asked, "What if she wants to spend time with Logan and I'll just be in the way?"
Lucas shook his head, "That wouldn't happen Natalie. I don't think Veronica is that kind of person and Logan is always looking after your best interests anyway."
Natalie nodded, "Thanks. I-I know, I just got a bit insecure."
Lucas nodded and replied, "Well don't worry about it because Logan wouldn't do anything that would hurt you."
Natalie nodded and was about to speak when a voice was heard calling up the stairs. "Lucas! Come down here for dinner!"
Lucas's eyes went wide when he heard Veronica's voice and stood up quickly. He pulled Natalie up as well and hurried her towards the window.
"You need to go!" he said.
Natalie climbed half way out the window and replied, "Would you stop hurrying me? This is hard you know."
She was out on the tree and Lucas said, "Ok whatever!"
Natalie rolled her eyes and said, "Well I don't see you climbing in my window!"
Natalie climbed down the tree and got to the ground.
"Hey!"
Natalie looked up to see Lucas looking out his window at her. "I can't really climb in your window. There's no tree near it. I checked."
Natalie smiled at his cheeky smirk and said, "Charmer."
Lucas smiled as he watched her walk away.
-The next day-
Lucas opened the door and shut it behind him. "Logan! Natalie!" he called into the house.
Natalie appeared from the kitchen and smiled. "Hey! Come into the kitchen."
She walked back into the room and Lucas followed her. Natalie was sitting at the kitchen table with Logan and they were sorting through a load of papers.
"What are these?" Lucas asked.
Logan sighed and said, "These are a load of receipts from my movie production company. I own it but I employ people to run it. That means there are a lot of people spending a lot of money and I have to keep track of it all."
"We usually send them to an accountant but we have to sort them out into groups first," Natalie said.
"I hate this job!" Logan grumbled.
"Did you put Backup in the garden? We don't want him to come in and disrupt all the papers," Natalie said.
"Who's Backup?" Lucas asked.
"The dog. He was Veronica's so her father Keith takes him sometimes. That's where he's been the last few weeks."
Logan sighed and stood up. He whistled and said, "Backup! Here boy!"
The big dog came in the door and immediately came running towards Lucas.
"No! Backup, no!" Logan said.
But Backup only skidded to a stop in front of Lucas and licked his hand. Logan and Natalie stared as Lucas bent down and petted the dog.
"Good boy," Lucas said, "Hey boy."
Lucas looked at Logan and Natalie and said, "What?"
"Backup hates strangers," Natalie said carefully, "It took a week for him to even let me pet him."
"Veronica trained him to be a good watchdog," Logan mumbled, "He usually barks at people he doesn't know."
"Well he must like me," Lucas said standing up.
"He must," Logan said. "Come on Backup," Logan said, leading the dog out the door.
Lucas sat down at the kitchen island and Logan came back into the kitchen.
Natalie stood up and said, "I think there are some boxes we can put these into in the spare room."
When she walked out of the kitchen, Logan said, "Natalie went somewhere yesterday after I told her about Veronica. Do you know where she went?"
Lucas was looking at all the papers and he said off-hand, "Yes, she climbed in my window and told me about Veronica."
Logan nodded, "Right. Well as long as you don't go climbing in her window."
"Nah, there's no tree near her window. I checked." Lucas realized what he said and looked up to see Logan's questioning face.
"Um, I'm going to help Natalie with those boxes," he said quickly.
He stood up and hurried out of the room. Logan smiled and went back to the papers that were all over the table. Lucas and Natalie came in a minute later with a few boxes.
The laughter and talk that was in the room seemed to make the job easier.