Title: One Change
Rating: M
Pairing(s)/Character(s): Logan/Veronica
Warnings: sexual content
Disclaimer: Don't own 'em - not making any money off 'em. Dern it.2

Summary: What if before Lilly died, before Veronica was raped, she actually gave her virginity to Logan? What might have changed? What might have stayed the same?


Chapter 11

Veronica felt guilty for even thinking Logan might have been the guilty party, especially since she was aware of his soft feelings for Weevil's grandmother, but she was glad he was proven innocent by his browser history in his fourth period computer lab class.

When she told Wallace, he raised his eyebrows. "You know that expecting him of setting up Weevil's grandmother isn't a good way to fix things with him, right?"

Veronica did her best to not roll her eyes. "Who said I want to fix things?"

"Girl, really?" At his incredulous tone, she met Wallace's eyes. "I might have not known you that long, but only people blind wouldn't be able to see what's between the two of you. Why are you still fighting it?"

"He was a jerk to me."

"Because he was jealous. Granted, I don't know the history between the two of you and Kane, but I have a feeling you would lash out if you were jealous too."

As if to prove his point, vapid giggling could be heard, and their eyes turned to Caitlin and Logan. He sat on top of the 09'er table, and Caitlin leaned into him.

She squeezed the papers between tight fists, pretending it was Caitlin's stupid neck she was squeezing instead.

"See? Jealous," Wallace mocked. "And you know he's only catering to Caitlin to get a rise out of you. He probably wants you to know what it feels like to be jealous."

"He's an asshole," Veronica muttered angrily.

"And you can sometimes be a bitch," Wallace easily replied.

Veronica looked at him in outrage. "Wallace!" She couldn't believe he actually had the nerve to call her a bitch.

Wallace carelessly shrugged. "Well, you can be. It's a fact. Frankly, I think you and Logan are a match made in heaven because you both care about each other despite those two things. And I kind of think you like fighting with him. I wouldn't be surprised if it turned you on."

Veronica blushed, giving away the truth of Wallace's knowing statement.

"Aha, I was right," he smugly joked.

Veronica looked back down at the papers she was holding. "Wait a minute. He visited the Neptune Grand Hotel website. He didn't make any reservations, but there's a charge on the credit card for the honeymoon suite. Why was he at a hotel?"

"And the important question, at least to you, is who was he with, right?" Wallace asked.

Veronica didn't answer; instead, she glared at the 09'er table, and at Logan in particular.

The insufferable jerk looked back at her with raised eyebrows, a challenge in his eyes.


When Veronica reached her LeBaron, she wanted to groan in frustration at the flat tire. Logan walked up behind her. "Bummer."

"Go away," she ordered. She grabbed a tool from the back and was disgusted to see Logan still there. "Yes?" she impatiently asked.

"Want some help?"

She scoffed as she turned her back on him. "What do you know about dealing with a flat tire?" she asked.

Silence.

"Exactly. I'm sure you never fixed a tire in your life."

"I can probably still help though," he muttered.

She didn't dignify that with a response as she tried to loosen the nuts when another guy approached them.

"Troy," Logan impassively intoned.

Veronica found the quality of Logan's voice interesting enough that she tore her gaze away from her tire to stand up and look behind her at the two men who seemed to be in a pissing contest, or at least a one-sided pissing contest from Logan's point of view..

The guy—Logan had called him Troy—looked at her. "Flat?"

Veronica smirked. "Just as God made me."

Troy crouched down to stare at the tire. "Are you always this persnickety?"

As if he was tired of being ignored, Logan interjected himself between them, actually stepping in the middle. "I've known Veronica for years, and persnickety might as well be her middle name."

She raised her eyebrows, wondering at his attitude to a guy she thought was a fellow 09'er. And why did Troy care if Logan had known her for years?

She shook her head and stared at Troy. "I'm supposed to be taking surf competition photos in Gold Coast in thirty minutes and…this is my second mysterious flat since school started."

Troy looked at her with a smile she was sure some girls found charming. Too bad, she was completely in like with a certain egotistical asshole already. He stood up and acting as if Logan wasn't there, he stared into her eyes. "Let me help you." He took the tool from her.. "I'm Troy, by the way."

Veronica shot a glance and Logan and it was easy to read his unhappiness with the whole exchange. She decided to be as honest as possible, and maybe that would appease Logan a little bit. She forced a smile on her face. "I'm Veronica. And, I'm not interested. You being a proper good citizen won't change my disinterest either. Just so you know."

Logan's eyes widened.

Veronica sent him a meaningful look.

And Troy might as well have disappeared. "Okay," Troy stated slowly. "I can still help, though, if you want. I mean, you have that surf contest to get to, right?"

Veronica opened her mouth but was interrupted by Caitlin arriving on a pink scooter. She stopped right by Logan.

She looked at him flirtatiously, and Veronica forcibly stopped herself from reaching over to yank all of that fake blonde hair out of her head. "Hey."

"Nice ride," Logan commented.

She giggled, and Veronica cringed.

Logan looked back at Veronica and tried to send her a message with his eyes. It said 'Sorry that I'm a jealous asshole, and she means nothing to me.'

Veronica wanted to believe it, but she was scared to once again put herself out there. Guys said girls played tricks and teased, but Logan kept going hot and cold with her, and it was dizzying, and not in a positive life-affirming way.

Caitlin looked at Troy and Veronica, as if noticing for the first time that the world didn't consist of only her and Logan. "What are you staring at, Mars?" she snapped.

Veronica smiled frozenly. "Nothing much."

It was a good thing Caitlin didn't have heat vision.

Logan turned his body away from Caitlin and faced Veronica, subtly telling the bleach blonde that she could leave now.

Duncan approached them.

Logan sighed. "Great. Now it's a party," he angrily muttered.

Duncan smiled at Veronica. "Hey, Veronica, you need a ride? If we don't go now, we'll miss it."

Veronica looked indecisive. "Um..."

"Go ahead. I'll finish this up and throw the tools in the trunk," Troy encouraged.

Veronica met Logan's eyes. "I was actually hoping Logan would drive me. If he didn't already have plans that is."

Duncan's face turned impassive. "I'm sure Logan has more important things to do., and we're going to the same place."

"Logan?" Veronica asked.

She didn't say it, but he read the message clear as day. 'This is your chance. Take it. He smiled at Duncan. "Nope. No plans for today. And I'll love to be your chariot Ms. Mars."

Veronica laughed. She grabbed her stuff from the boot of her car, smiled and Troy and Duncan, and then followed Logan to his yellow monstrosity of a car.


Veronica was silent, so Logan decided to maybe change that. He said the first thing that came to his mind. "I know I'm an asshole."

"Well, I won't disagree with that," she sardonically replied.

"It's just..."

"Just what?" she asked.

Although he was focused on the road, out of the corner of his eyes, he saw her looking at him. "Well, I guess we never really talked about what feelings you still had for Duncan, and I got jealous when I thought you wanted to spend time with him."

She looked away from him. "Did I give any indication that I wanted to spend time with him? I didn't ask for the assignment; I was given it. And I haven't talked to Duncan in months."

"You haven't talked because it was his choice. I don't know how you would feel if he suddenly decided he wanted to spend time with you."

"And instead of simply asking how I'd feel about the idea, you came to your own conclusions."

"You jumped to conclusions about Caitlin," Logan retorted.

"Yeah, but you made me jump to conclusion with the way you were acting with her. I think you wanted me to jump to those conclusions; you liked the idea of me being jealous."

Logan didn't deny it. "Fine, we've already established I'm an asshole, but I'm sick of being jerked around."

"I'm not the only one doing the jerking."

Logan nodded because he knew that was fair. "So, when do we stop jerking each other and just be together?"

Veronica was silent for a few moments, and he didn't think he would get an answer. And that was why he was surprised when Veronica spoke again. He was even more surprised by what she had to say. "If you want to stop jerking you around, answer me this. Why were you at the Neptune Grand and who were you with?"

"I wasn't at the Neptune Grand."

"Don't lie to me," she furiously stated.

"I'm not lying," Logan passionately argued.

Veronica turned in her seat and when they stopped at a red light, Logan looked at her. "Really? Because you visited the website and there was charge on the credit card for the honeymoon suite."

"I told you I don't have the card, and I'm not lying. If I go to the Neptune Grand with anyone, I want it to be with you."

Veronica looked into his eyes, and he hoped she didn't see any deceit. Logan might be a master at deceit, but there was no reason for him to lie, but if anything could ever work between them, she needed to be able to trust Logan. But this new Veronica didn't trust easily, making him wonder if trying to earn her trust was a fool's errand.

Suddenly, there was a honk of a horn behind them, alerting them that the traffic light was green, and Logan quickly turned back to the steering wheel and continued driving.

Hopefully, Veronica would think about everything he said. He didn't know what else he could say or do to prove his feelings for the fiery blonde.

He almost didn't notice Weevil cleaning up the side of the road, but he didn't care. It wasn't his problem.

When they get to the beach, Logan asked, "How are you getting home?"

"I actually hadn't thought about that," she sheepishly admitted.

"I'm sure Duncan would give you a ride if you asked him," Logan put out, trying to keep the bitterness out of his tone.

Veronica shrewdly looked at him. "Maybe, but I would rather spend more time with you. Unless you have something else to do and can't."

Logan leaned over and kissed her softly on the lips. When he pulled back, he had a soft smile on his face as his heart fluttered at the sight of her glazed eyes. "Even if I had plans, I'd cancel them without a second's thought to take you home."

She smiled as a light blush stained her cheeks, and he knew he said the right thing. For once.

Veronica took pictures while Duncan took notes as he interviewed a surfer. When they finished, Duncan opened his mouth, probably to invite Veronica to his car for a ride home, but he snapped it shut when Logan walked up to her. "You ready to go?" he asked.

Duncan glared at the two of them, but Logan ignored it. He only had eyes for Veronica, and even if Duncan still loved her, he lost his chance when he started ignoring her for no reason whatsoever. They had been over for eternity by high school years, and Duncan shouldn't expect Veronica to stay alone.

Veronica nodded. She waved at Duncan and followed Logan to the car.


When they pulled up to her apartment building, Veronica turned in her seat to once again stare at Logan. "It's nice going through the majority of the afternoon without any real arguments."

"You still haven't told me if you believe me about the credit card and hotel room," Logan muttered, eyes fastened to the steering wheel.

Veronica thought about everything she knew of Logan. The old Logan, the one before Lilly's death, would have never purposely hurt her. And she liked to think that Logan was still there, buried underneath the harder Logan she gotten to know. Just like she knew, deep down, a softer more marshmallow Veronica Mars was being protected by a toughened outer shell.

And that was why she leaned over and kissed his cheek. "I trust that you care about me, and if it really came down to it, you wouldn't lie to me if you knew it would hurt me. That's all I can give you, though."

She left the car and walked to her apartment. When she got inside, she rolled her eyes at the sight of her dad looking out of the window, and he wasn't even being coy about it. "So, you and Logan are hanging out again?"

Veronica shrugged. "On and off when we're not annoying each other. He drove me because I had to go somewhere for a journalism assignment, and I rather be in his car than Duncan's."

Keith nodded. "Okay." And he left it at that.

"So, Dad, I kind of need us to go the Neptune Grand. Like now."

Keith blinked. "What for?"

She smiled sweetly. "The Navarro case. I need a little help."

"It's solved, isn't it? I'm pretty sure the confessed criminal is in jail."

Veronica gave him a hard lock, the one that got her almost anything she wanted.

He sighed. "Oh, all right. Fine. What do you need me to do?"

Veronica and Keith went to his car and quickly drove to the hotel as she explained her plan. They pulled a little subterfuge with the poor receptionist, but they couldn't get any surveillance tape because too much time had passed. They did get a detailed bill summary, though.

Veronica's yes narrowed after she looked it over. The one who signed for room service in the room that was charged to the credit car was Caitlin. It made her doubt Logan's story all over again, but she forcibly stopped herself. He wouldn't lie to her about a relationship with Caitlin. Not when she was getting closer to giving them a real chance.

.The next day, in the journalism classroom, she made her way over to Logan. "Caitlin signed for room service in the hotel room that was paid for with the Echolls credit card," she announced without any preamble.

"Are you back to accusing me of being involved?" he asked cautiously.

Veronica shook her head. "No, but I thought you should be aware of it. She's been to your mansion before. Is there any way she could have gotten her hands on it without your knowledge?"

Logan looked at the desk. "I don't think so. When she's there, she's usually plastered to my side." He looked up fearfully.

Veronica knew her eyes were glinting with jealousy. "Really? Plastered to your side you say?"

"When she's there, she's always a part of a group, but that doesn't stop her from trying to hold my undivided attention. It never works, of course, but she still tries."

"Uh huh, so if she couldn't have taken the card, who did and is using it on her?"

"You're the detective. Isn't it your job to figure that out?"

Duncan came up to the two of them. "What are you two talking about?" he asked suspiciously.

"Work," Veronica easily answer, her eyes focused on Logan.

Duncan walked away with a huff when he realized he wasn't getting Veronica's attention away from Logan.

"I think DK is a little pissed off," Logan sarcastically joked.

"And I don't really care," Veronica disclosed.

And just like that, Logan let out a smile that Veronica found so beautiful and real. And it reminded her of one of the reasons why she liked the asshole so much.

At lunch the same day, Veronica and Wallace are talking when Troy comes up and sat down next to Veronica. "How's that spare tire holding out?"

Veronica forcibly smiled. "Aah. There it is: the quid pro quo."

Troy sent her a charming smile. "Hey, this great nation of ours was built on quid pro quo. I am having a party on Saturday and you should come. Well, both of you."

"Cool," Wallace acknowledged.

"But, especially you," Troy added.

Veronica looked at Logan who was staring at her table. She looked back at Troy. "Is Logan going to be there?" she finally asked.

Finally, Troy looked thrown off his game. "Um, I'm not sure."

"Well, my going depends on that answer. I already told you I wasn't interested in you, and that hasn't changed. And you should know that Logan has a pretty bad jealous streak. You really don't want to get on his bad side."

"So, you're not pretending to not feel for Logan anymore," Wallace surmised. "What the hell happened between the two of you yesterday that there's a complete 180 degree turn."

Veronica shrugged. "We talked."

"It's amazing what communication can do," Wallace proclaimed.

"Shut it, Fennel," Veronica ordered.

Troy didn't look happy when he left the table, but Veronica couldn't find it in herself to care, especially with the way Logan was looking at her right then from his own table.

Veronica stood up and announced, "I'm going to figure out what's going on with the credit card once and for all, so I can finally put the case behind me."

She went into the school building and found an empty classroom. She took out the credit card charge list to look it over and noticed seven telephone numbers.

She pulled out her own phone and dialed the first number, and it was movieline. She crossed the number off and then moved onto the next. It was Jesse Ford, Caitlin's mom. She ended the call and crossed that number off.

Veronica punched in the next number. "Hey," a rough male voice answered.

Veronica furrowed her brow. "Who's this?"

"You're calling me, so why don't you tell me?"

"The number was on my credit card bill, and I didn't recognize it," Veronica perkily explained.

"The name's Chardo."

Veronica hung up immediately. She knew the name. Weevil's cousin.

Later that day, when she saw Chardo in the hallway, she grabbed him and pushed him into the girl's bathroom.

"Watch it little girl," he warned.

Veronica wasn't playing any games. Since she found out it was Chardo behind the credit card fraud, she already figured out what Caitlin's involvement was, and it sickened her that he would allowed his cousin and grandmother to take the blame for his actions. "Confess about the credit card. It's good for the soul."

And she listened to Chardo's plan. And the sad thing was that he believed Caitlin would actually run away with him, even if there were no more expensive gifts. He took the meaning of rose-tinted glasses to a whole new level.

Veronica thought about going to Logan with the news, but she decided Weevil and Mrs. Narvarro were the ones that really had to know.

Veronica sat down with Mrs. Narvarro later that day and listened to her explain why she was allowing Weevil to take the blame for Chardo, even though she knew the truth.

Mrs. Narvarro's eyes were sad when she disclosed, "Eli is still seventeen. Chardo is eighteen, and he's got a record. They'd send him to prison. Weevil can do four months of juvie."

"Weevil thinks he's taking the fall for you," Veronica retorted, doing her best to keep the judgment out of her voice.

Mrs. Narvarro wasn't moved. "I have dinner to fix."

"I always liked you, ever since I became friends with Logan, but frankly, I'm wondering if I ever even knew you. The fact that you can sacrifice one grandson for another, that you're not making Chardo take responsibility for his actions..." She trailed off as she shook her head disbelievingly. "Do you even know what he's doing with those credit cards?"

Mrs. Narvarro didn't answer.

Veronica pulled out the list of credit card charges and walked over to Mrs. Narvarro. "He spent all that money, thousands of dollars, taking out a spoiled, rich, white girl. Caitlin Ford. I'm sure you met her at the Echolls' mansion. She's the girl that's always at Logan's side because she is dying to be his girlfriend even though he won't give her time of day."

That got the desired reaction out of Mrs. Narvarro. Maybe she would see how wrong the whole thing was now.

When Weevil was dropped off at home by a Sheriff's Department car, Veronica was still there. After he hugged his grandmother, he walked over to Veronica. "Veronica Mars, I hear you're to thank for this Kodak moment. Didn't you get the memo? The bad guy was already in jail. Gimme some love."

Veronica allowed the hug before Mrs. Narvarro walked between them, stating that she was going to make him something to eat.

Quietly, Veronica told Weevil, "You should know. The judge issued a warrant for Chardo after authorizing your release. They're out looking for him."

Weevil frowned. "Yeah, well. They won't be the only ones."

Veronica nodded. "Logan and the other 09'ers might care about Caitlin slumming it with Chardo, and they're definitely eject her from the crowd, but I'm pretty sure Chardo's going to be left to you and the PCHers."

Weevil nodded, a grim look on his face. "Good."

The next day, it was around school about Perfect Caitlin Ford and Biker trash, Chardo Narvarro. Veronica shook her head. Caitlin would be lucky if any of her old friends would even talk to her. Veronica knew from firsthand experience how flaky 09'er friendships could actually be.

Logan was waiting for her at the table she usually shared with Wallace for lunch. "Hey," she murmured shyly.

"Hey. Can I join you and your friend for lunch?"

She bit her bottom lip. "His name is Wallace. You should probably try to remember it."

Logan smirked. "Fine. Can I join you and Wallace for lunch?"

Wallace walked up to them. "What's up, Superfly? Echolls?"

Veronica smiled at the addition. "Logan wants to sit with us during lunch. What do you say, Fennel?"

Wallace gestured as he sat down. "Pull up a bench."

Instead of sitting next to Wallace, across from Veronica, Logan moved to the other side of the picnic table to sit next to Veronica.

She tried to not pay attention to the stares aimed at their table as they sat down. If Logan was going to be a part of her life, she would just have to get used to being the center of attention. And now she knew, more than anything, she really wanted Logan to be a part of her life.


Notes: Writing a little bit each day seemed to work for me. Not only did I finally get through episode 2, but I was also ready to post six days early, and the chapter itself is almost 4k. Not bad at all.