Chapter Notes

Soooooo...some fluffy stuff...some romantic stuff...some head-canon stuff...some just plain silly stuff. Hope you enjoy it!

The drive up to Berkley was a long one, so Logan and Veronica decided to leave Thursday night, drive for a few hours to Bakersfield, find a room for the night, then head the rest of the way up the coast the next morning. Veronica actually relished the idea of leaving town, and everything that reminded her of the baby. Wallace was more than happy to loft-sit to make sure no one broke in to plant any bugs while they were gone.

Logan had packed a large variety of snacks to keep Veronica happy, and made a special "Road Trip" playlist for the drive. Veronica took care of the equipment they needed, but also packed her own camera to take photos along the way. By the time they jumped into the Range Rover for the journey, they were both slightly giddy.

The drive relaxed them and they talked non stop about cases, the scandal surrounding Neptune's new mayor, the ongoing presidential race, and whether Wallace would try and pass of their place off as 'his' to any women while they were gone. Veronica made them stop at a few places along the way to take pictures of the scenery, as well as her handsome husband, in the fading sunlight. When they got to Bakersfield, they were tired but happier than they had been in a while.

Instead of staying at one of the fancier hotels in town, Veronica convinced Logan to stop at a little Super 8 Motel, since they only needed a place to sleep. It was close to the highway and looked cosy, so Logan agreed.

While Logan unloaded the gear into the room, Veronica disappeared into the bathroom. When he was done, he flung himself onto the king sized bed, fully clothed. A few seconds later, Veronica emerged from hiding, wearing a pair of pink silk pajama bottoms and a matching camisole.

"Hey." She said quietly.

"Hey." Her husband responded, lifting himself up on his elbows to look at her.

She walked over and sat on the edge of the bed beside him. "I know we can't have sex, but I thought that maybe we could do some other things."

Logan sat up closer to her. She had the same look in her eye that she did when they were first dating, a combination of lust and fear. He brought his hand up and brushed her hair from the side of her face and tucked it behind one of her ears. "What did you have in mind?" He said softly.

She shrugged and looked down at the bed. "I though maybe we could just kiss...touch...maybe you can sleep naked beside me. We've both been wearing lots of layers to bed and I miss feeling your skin against mine." She explained, still not looking at him.

He smiled. "I've missed you too." He replied and pulled back from her a bit. Grasping the edge of his t-shirt and he pulled it swiftly over his head. Veronica looked through her lashes at him and took in his pecs. She reached out and placed her hand over his heart, feeling the glorious stretch of his skin over his muscles, running her palm over his chest, up to his shoulder and down his arm. She slid closer to him and moved her lips towards his. He met her and caught her up in a passionate kiss. His lips were so soft and tender that Veronica was momentarily overwhelmed by how much she wanted him; becoming hungry for more, she shifted to deepen the kiss. She felt him reach behind her and take her head in his large hand. She reached up and snaked her fingers through his hair. He let out a little groan and began kissing his way from her lips, across her cheek to ear, and then down to her neck, burying his face in the crux of her shoulder and neck, kissing and sucking her flesh gently. Veronica felt like she was going to go wild, but her fear surfaced again, causing her to pull back from her pleasure. They both stared at each other, their chests rising and falling in unison.

Logan saw her fear and reached out to caress her cheek. "We'll stop. It's okay." He reassured her. She nodded her agreement and looked at the bed. He smiled and stood up, pulling a bit of the covers back as he did. "Jump in." He said and she smiled up at him.

Her soft silk outfit slid gently across the sheets and she tucked herself into the tightly made bed. Logan kept his eyes on her as he undid his belt buckle and pealed off his pants and socks. He was wearing her favourite navy blue Hugo Boss boxer briefs, the ones that fit him just...so. His hard-on was straining against his pouch. She bit her bottom lip in anticipation of the full show when he suddenly slipped into bed with her.

He saw her brow wrinkle and he laughed. "You know my rule: if you don't come, I don't come. Right now, if I were to rub up against that silk set while naked at night, I would come. And I haven't come in my sleep since I was about fifteen, so I'm on a good streak." He wiggled under the covers and grabbed her around the waist, sliding her closer to him. When they were nose-to-nose, he kissed her gently, wrapping his arms around her and enveloping her in a bear hug.

Veronica exhaled all her anxiety and sunk into him. She felt his body next to her through the silk, thin enough to feel like a second skin, yet thick enough to cover the fact that she was still cramping and bleeding. She could feel the ripple of his chest and abs, pressed against her breasts and stomach, his hard cock tucked gently between the gap in her thighs. Logan ran his fingers up and down her back soothingly, every once in a while, stopping to linger on the curve of her bottom. She pressed her palms to his chest, feeling his heart in her hands. If they could stay like this forever, she would.

"This all just feels so weird." She said, an inside thought momentarily escaping her lips.

"What? This?" Logan asked, confused by her comment.

"Well, not THIS. This is good. Just this feeling I have of wanting to be with you but still scared." She grasped for an explaination. "It's kind of like I'm a virgin again. And I know I'm not, but it still has that feeling of wanting to have sex but being anxious and nervous about it too."

He smiled and kissed his wife's head. "Maybe you get a do-over." He replied and stroked her hair lovingly.

She laughed. "A 'do-over' with virginity? Okay. How is that possible."

Logan shrugged and she felt his shoulders move against her. "I don't know. We both know how you lost your virginity last time. Maybe this is your chance to have a special, romantic 'first time'."

When Veronica was a teenager, she always believed her first time would be roses and champagne and candles. The truth was much further off. "There was our first time together." She stated.

He chuckled. "You made me pull over and have sex with you in the car on the way to dinner, the night before you left for New York. We never made it to the restaurant. We barely made it back to my hotel room. Doesn't scream romantic first time..."

"Pffffffff...I had five orgasms that night. Who needs candles and roses when you have that." She teased.

"True, but your orgasms were all part of my nefarious plot to make you greedy for more of me." He said in a lecherous voice. When she looked up at him, he pantomimed twirling he tips of an imaginary moustache.

She gave a boisterous laugh. "It worked." She caught his eye and arched her eyebrow at him. "Our wedding night was romantic."

"Uhhhhh...you are clearly forgetting about how you straddled my lap in the limo after the ceremony and rode me all the way to our reception dinner. THAT was our first time having sex when we were married. Later that evening was romantic, but..." He laughed and grabbed her closer.

"Fine. You win. Great sex, not a lot of romance." Veronica rolled her eyes and shrugged. "You know, for everything we have ever talked about, you have never told me how you lost YOUR virginity."

Logan's smile diminished a bit. "I'm sure Lilly told you, once upon a time."

She made a confused face at him. "I thought Lilly was your first?"

"No, Lilly was not my 'first'. She knew the story and I always just assumed she told you." He said, his voice turning serious.

Veronica pulled out of his arms a bit to look directly at him on the pillow. "No. She never did."

Logan sat up on one arm and looked at his wife. "So when you were drilling me about prostitutes, back in college, you weren't fishing for information on it?"

Veronica's eyes became wide. "No. I wasn't. But now you have to tell me because I will obsess if you don't."

Logan took a deep breath and pulled away from her, laying on his back and putting his hands behind his head. Veronica scampered up and sat cross-legged beside him, anxious for the story. "Okay. I will tell you, but it's pretty brutal. Are you sure you want to know?"

She reached over and took her husband's hand. "I want to know. Good or bad, I want to know what happened."

Logan closed his eyes and took a deep breath, thinking back. "So, do you remember when I got my braces off when I was 14?"

Did she ever remember. In a weekend he went from gangly cute Logan to hotter than hell Logan. "I do. Your mom took you to L.A. to get it done. And you got your hair cut and a bunch of new clothes too." She looked down at his hand in hers. "Lilly wouldn't stop talking about you after that."

"Yeah, well, my dad couldn't stop talking about it either. Said I finally looked like a 'man' and not a boy." He opened his eyes and looked at his wife with sadness. "So a few weeks later, he flew with me to an upscale brothel in Texas. He pretty much handed me over to the women in the place and told them to 'teach me how to be a man' and then took off. I was with four different prostitutes that weekend." He closed his eyes again, not wanting to see the look of horror he knew was probably on his wife's face. "Except the joke, in the end, was on Aaron. Instead of just having sex with me, they actually taught me how to really pleasure a woman. A few weeks later, when he returned on his own, the girls were bragging to him about how good I was, because they taught me how to 'make love' not 'just fuck'." He opened his eyes and looked at the ceiling, not at Veronica. "He told me this when he was beating me later, so I wouldn't get any ideas that I was somehow 'better' than him."

To his surprise, he felt his wife lean over and kiss him tenderly on the cheek. She lay her head down next to his. "Thank you for telling me. You could have told me sooner, you know."

He looked her in the eyes finally and smiled. "No. I couldn't. When I was younger I thought I was the luckiest 14 year old boy on the planet. Everyone else was jerking off into a sock and I actually had sex. It wasn't until I told a Navy psychiatrist about it, and he asked how I felt to have my virginity 'taken' by these older women, that I started to understand how truly messed up I was." He reached over and brushed Veronica's hair from her face. "Lilly found out about my brothel experience from Duncan and wanted me to show her everything I 'learned'. When I told her that it was you I wanted, she convinced me that you wouldn't want to be with me if you knew about the prostitutes...you were too good, too straight laced...that I should be with her because she had as much experience as I did and didn't care. Which was a big lie...she was a virgin when we slept together."

Veronica's mouth dropped open in shock. "But there were guys she talked about..."

Logan shook his head. "They fooled around, and did other stuff, but trust me when I say, she was a virgin the first time we slept together." His eyebrows raised.

Veronica joined her husband in staring at the ceiling, mentally recalibrating everything she knew from their teenage years in her head. They were quiet for a minute before she spoke. "Are you okay now...I mean...with that happened?"

"Yeah. I guess I'm as okay as I ever will be. But part of it has to do with you." Logan smiled and kissed her forehead. "Before you and I started dating in High School, it was always about sex first, feelings later. Because we waited so long to have sex, we had to connect in other ways. And it was quite possibly the healthiest sexual relationship I have ever had, even after we broke up."

Veronica rolled towards her spouse and wrapped her leg and arms around him. "Healthy is good." She whispered in his ear, nuzzling her face in his neck. "Maybe you need a do-over too."

Logan turned his head so the tips of their noses touched. Veronica giggled at the contact, and he playfully moved his head so they rubbed together. "Maybe I do." Veronica saw his eyes sparkle and she knew he was thinking about them together. "We should do it." Logan whispered back to her.

Veronica wrinkled her nose. "What? Lose our imaginary virginity to each other?"

"Yeah." He beamed at her. "We can't have sex until the doctor gives her okay. We'll wait until then. And then..." He kissed her nose. "...we will have a night together..." He kissed her cheek. "...unlike any other night." He kissed her neck.

Veronica's mind went into overdrive at the possibilities. She knew Logan could be wildly romantic and the idea that their first time together after the loss of their child could mean something more made her heart happy. "I'd like that." She replied, suddenly feeling like she dropped into a time warp and was a teenager again. She reached over and gave him a feathery kiss on his lips. His smile was so wide she though it would fall off his face.

"Perfect." He whispered. Veronica turned around in his arms and stretched out under the covers. Logan stretched with her, pressing himself along her from her head to her feet. That was the last they spoke until morning.

The couple indulgently slept in the next day, enjoying being away from their problems back home. They spent the morning cuddling in bed, talking and laughing until they decided to check out. Veronica was ecstatic when Logan pulled up to a roadside IHOP for breakfast and she binged on pancakes and bacon. The rest of the drive up to Berkley was relaxed, and the couple enjoyed driving with the windows open, music blaring, Veronica singing along with the lyrics. They felt lighter and more connected and Veronica happily held Logan's hand as he drove, easily showing her affections for her husband once more.

Another day of driving, another night at a motel, however, this one was much closer to Berkley campus. When Logan came out of the bathroom, Veronica was already dressed in her "Amber" outfit – jean shorts, Keds, and tank-top. She was still carrying some extra weight from the pregnancy, and on her tiny frame it gave her outfit bombshell curves. He let out a whistle and she paused while applying her makeup. "Don't forget to take off your wedding ring." She said, looking at him in his towel.

He lifted the hand that was holding the fabric around his waist and wiggled his fingers in the air, dropping the towel in the process. "Already done." He said with a big grin.

Veronica looked from his cock to his face and rolled her eyes. "You're terrible." She drawled and went back to applying her eyeshadow, still watching him in the mirror.

Logan shrugged and walked over to the bed where his clothes were laid out. "What? Just getting myself ready..." He said and pulled on his briefs. Veronica continued to watch his reflection as he donned a faded pair of designer jeans and a Berkeley t-shirt that hugged his muscles. He tied a thick leather cuff onto one wrist, then sat on the edge of the bed to slip on a pair of brown Birkenstock sandals.

Finished with her makeup, Veronica sauntered over to her husband and began fussing with his hair. "What are you doing?"

Veronica continued to run her fingers through his wet hair, brining his bangs down over his eyes and tossing it gently. "Trying to cover." She muttered.

He gently tapped her hands away with his. "Cover what?"

His wife looked down at him and frowned. "The widow's peak that you are getting. College guys aren't known for their receding hair lines."

He gasped and moved his body so he could see past her into the mirror. "What?! I'm not losing hair!" Then he started playing with his locks himself.

Veronica shrugged. "Okay. You're not." And turned to gather her purse. Just as she stepped away, he grabbed her around the waist and pulled her back onto the bed with him. She shrieked and squealed as he began tickling her. "OKAY!" She screamed with delight. "You're NOT GOING BALD!"

He released her and kissed her gently on the forehead. "See. That wasn't so difficult." He then stood up and reached onto the side table for his camera-watch, adding the piece of equipment to his wardrobe.

She lay there for a moment, enjoying their happiness together. This was when her heart was always full, when the two of them were completely partners. Logan gazed down at her and offered her his hand, which she accepted. When she stood, she went on tiptoes to give him a quick kiss, then went back to the mirror to affix her camera pendent around her neck, and gather her things.

Logan opened the door to the hotel room, letting in a blast of warm air. "Are you ready to party, Amber?"

Veronica giggled and skipped out the door. "You bet, Charlie!"

Kappa Alpha Delta was located just on the outer tip of the campus, although the music from the raging party could be heard ricocheting off the walls of buildings for blocks leading up to it. "Amber" held "Charlie's" hand as they walked up to the frat-house, past the groups of partyers on the lawn.

On the porch, two girls in sorority t-shirts sat at a table piled high with Solo cups in red and blue. At the sight of Logan walking towards them, the blond one slapped the brunette excitedly and they both got ridiculous grins on their faces. Veronica mentally prepared herself for the onslaught of giddy women, and cursed herself for forgetting her piano wire at home.

"Hi!" Blondie purred at Logan. "I.D. please." She said and put her hand out to Logan.

Veronica reached across and slapped her fake Berkeley I.D. into the girl's hand. "Oops! Sorry!" She giggled.

Logan smiled at his wife. "Here's mine." He said sliding his on the table towards Blondie, but not looking at her.

Blondie showed the I.D. to Brown-hair-girl and then handed them back. "Well, welcome Charlie. Red beer cups are $10...blue pop cups are $5."

"Just pop for me tonight, sweetie." Veronica giggled as she took her I.D. back. "I want to be fully coherent for our own PRIVATE party later." And she wrapped herself around Logan.

The girls made gagging faces as Logan pulled her close. "Well then, one beer, one pop, please." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a $20.

Brown-hair-girl wrote "Amber" on the blue cup and "Charlie" on the red one and handed them to the couple along with their change. "Keep these on you at all times. If you lose them, you have to buy them again. Only beer in the red and no mixing liquor in with your pop. And remember, never let anyone give you a drink that isn't working the taps and don't let anyone hold your drink, even for a moment." She said turning to Veronica.

"Yeah. Got that." She muttered and took Logan's arm. "Thanks ladies! Have fun!" She said with forced perkiness.

The house was packed with people. Logan took Veronica's hand and began snaking their way through to the kitchen. Sure enough, four kegs and every type of soda known to man, were set up for people. Logan handed his cup to the guy manning the tap. "Hey! You wouldn't happen to know a Kevin Jefferies would you?"

The burly keg guard nodded as he poured. "Yeah! I know Kev! He usually holds court on the couch during these things, talking to girls about philosophy and such." The guy laughed. "One of these days, it'll get him laid." He said and handed him his beer.

Logan took his drink and laughed. "Thanks man." He said and lifted his glass to him.

When he turned, Veronica was suddenly beside him with her pop. "So what's the plan?"

Logan put his arm around his wife's waist, making the men around them who were ogling her all look away. He leaned in and murmured in her ear, trying to make his words look sexy. "Find him. Then let me do the talking."

She giggled at the vibration on her lobes. "I can manage that."

They ambled through the crowd to the living room. Sure enough, Kevin was sitting on the couch, talking to a girl about something. He looked exactly like the photo his mother provided: long brown hair pulled in a man-bun, brown eyes, medium build, and soul-patch. The red head had the look of a trapped gazelle in her big eyes. As they got closer, Logan noticed Kevin's movements were frenetic as he talked and his eyes darted at bit from the girl to the room and back to the girl. He was either drunk or high or both. Logan dropped his hand off of Veronica and approached the young man.

"Kevin Jefferies! Man, I've been looking everywhere for you!" Logan bellowed and held out his hand.

The confused student held out his hand and shook Logan's. The red head saw her opportunity and bolted from the couch. Logan sat down in the spot she vacated. "Uh...do I know you?" Kevin said, glancing around. Catching Veronica's eye, she smiled and waived bubbly and sat on the arm of the couch behind Logan.

"You kind of do...I'm Charlie Lester. My mom, Carol has been friends with your mom, Dianne, for, like, ever! So when me and my girl, Amber, transferred here, she said to look you up and say hey!" Logan's enthusiasm was infectious and Kevin quickly caught on.

"Oh, hey! Cool man! Did you grow up in Neptune too?" He said, getting excited to meet some hometown people.

Logan shrugged. "Kinda did. But I went to boarding school in New York so I was only there during the summers. And Amber here is from San Diego." He jabbed a thumb in Veronica's direction.

Veronica waived and Kevin smiled and waived back. As he brought his hand down, he rubbed the back of his hand across his nose. "Oh, man...I miss Neptune. University isn't nearly as exciting."

Logan dropped his voice and leaned into Kevin. "Been here a few weeks, but these shit heads don't know how to party, you know what I mean."

Kevin looked around and dropped his voice, suddenly stone sober. "Fuck yeah. It's all just pot and beer."

Logan smiled greedily, seeing his opportunity. "Not like partying on the yacht at home. I've been on campus three weeks and I can't score any coke or heroin. What's up with that? Do the poor only smoke pot or what?"

Kevin looked up at Veronica and back to Logan. "You looking to party now?"

Logan arched an eyebrow. "Nah. I'm looking to score. The little lady likes to get coke'd up and fuck. Lets me do things to her that would make your eyes fall our of your head." He gave his new friend a wicked grin. Veronica heard what he said, bit her bottom lip and ran her hand through the back of his hair seductively.

Kevin licked his lips, obviously enjoying the picture Logan painted for him. "Come upstairs. I'll show you what I've got in stock." He said and stood up. Logan stood and grabbed Veronica's hand. Together, they followed Kevin up the stairs and all the way down to the furthest room in the house. Kevin unlocked the three deadbolts on the door and let them all in. The room was tiny, only a bed, a desk, and a dresser. Veronica touched her pendent around her neck, activating the video camera. On top of the desk was a mirror with several lines of cocaine drawn out. Kevin noticed her looking at them. "You want to start your party early?" He asked with a grin. "Just a little sample of my product for clients."

Veronica shook her head. "No. I prefer not having an audience." She stated firmly.

Kevin giggled and shrugged. "Worth a shot. How about you, Charlie. Do you want to partake?"

Logan looked at the line of coke and imagined how terribly good it once felt. How it killed his self-loathing, if only for a few hours. How if would probably kill the dull ache that was still in him right now. "No thanks, Kev. I'll save my partying for later too." He winked at Veronica who gave him a grin.

Kevin walked over to the dresser. "Suit yourself." He said and bent over the mirror, snatching up a straw, and quickly sucking up the white powder with his nose. When he was done, he reached for the top drawer and slid it open. "How much do you want?" He muttered, rifling around.

"An 8-Ball, if you've got it." Said Logan and reached into his pocket for his wallet.

Kevin pulled out a clear package of cocaine and held it up. Veronica noticed Logan snap a picture with his watch camera as he fiddled with his wallet. "$250." Kevin said and dangled the drugs in front of them. Logan pulled out the money and passed it to him. Kevin took the money with one hand and tossed the baggie to Logan. Logan caught it and shoved it in his pocket. Kevin held up his hand and made a fist. "Go Pirates!" He called and started laughing hysterically.

Veronica shook her head and reached for Logan's hand. "Yeah. Go. Pirates." She responded.

Logan extended his hand to Kevin. "Pleasure doing business with you, sir." He said and Kevin shook his hand. "Come on, babe, let's go start a party of our own."

Veronica reached around and slapped him on the ass. "Sounds like fun, honey buns." She said and the two quickly made their way out of the party and back to their hotel to download the video and photos they just snagged for their client.

Keith was on his fifth coffee of the day. He figured that this 8:00 pm caffeine rush should get him through until Duncan's usual bedtime of 11:00 pm. He adjusted his headphones and sat back in his chair to listen to the sound of Duncan reading reports in his office and talking to himself.

There was a knock on the office door and Duncan called for the person to enter.

The sound of heavy shoes crossing the floor was different from Weidmen's footsteps, Keith thought and leaned in to listen.

"Nice place ya got here, Mr. Kane. Great painting of your sister. Very lifelike."

Keith groaned. He knew that voice.

"Mr. Van Lowe. Please, have a seat." There was the moving of chairs. "Now, you said you have some photos I may be interested in purchasing."

Vinnie laughed. "You're going to love them. They are exactly what you need." There was the clicking of a briefcase and the sound of papers.

"Well, I hope they are as you described in your email. My men have been tailing Logan Echolls for weeks and they haven't come up with anything."

Keith's blood ran cold. What the hell was Vinnie up to.

"Well Duncan, if I can call you that...I feel I know you...these were from a year ago when Echolls and I were chasing the same bounty. You know how much I've lost on bounty hunting with him around? Millions! And he doesn't even need the money!"

"THE PHOTOS Mr. Van Lowe!" Barked Duncan, having no time for Vinnie's banter.

"Geez. Fine. Here. Five pictures; $2,000 each or $10,000 for them all."

There was the shuffling of papers and then silence. Keith sat on the end of his seat. Then Duncan's voice came through again.

"Mr. Van Lowe, these are exactly what I need. The $10,000 is yours." Keith could hear the happiness in Duncan's voice.

Mr. Mars put his hands over his eyes and leaned on the desk. "Oh, Logan. What the hell did you do?"