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 12

Veronica was in the middle of hurrying into the school building when Troy ran up to her. "Hey, Veronica."

She rolled her eyes. "Troy, what may I do for you?" she asked with fake niceness.

Really, he was annoying her. Despite her telling him she wasn't interested, he was still pestering her, as if he could get her to change her mind.

"Well, I will be cruising the marina in my dad's Sabre 386. Wind through my hair, Strokes blasting through the speakers, and I hope, with any luck, you at my side."

"You just don't give up," she scoffed. "Logan and I are working really hard towards something, and I will not have you ruin it. And even if there was no Logan, I still wouldn't be interested in you. Find another target."

Troy glared at her and stomped away like a spoiled child that was denied his favorite toy. She shook her head as a student ran into her and knocked all of her stuff out of her arms and then he left without even apologizing.

"Thanks so much," she muttered sarcastically as she bent to pick up her stuff.

Another pair of hands joined her in helping, and she looked up into Duncan's eyes. 'Are these the eyes that I used to swoon over? Really? Because I just don't feel it anymore. I guess I really am over him. Good, and Logan will be happy to hear that as well.'

He wore a somber expression as he stared at her with woeful eyes. "So, how are you doing?"

"Okay," she slowly answered.

"What's going on with you and Logan?" He asked, cutting to the chase.

Her eyes narrowed. "Whatever it is going on has nothing to do with you, but it's between Logan and me so butt out," she ordered

Duncan obviously didn't like her answer because he dropped her items that he had been picking up and stomped away.

"I seem to be making people stomp away in childish huffs today," she mused out loud.

"I can see that," an amused voice said behind her.

Veronica quickly gathered up her stuff and turned around to look at a smiling Logan. "Hey," she murmured.

"First Troy and now Duncan. I'm impressed."

"You've been standing there the whole time, huh?"

"Well, I always like seeing how you use your words to cut people down to shreds, especially when your snark isn't aimed at me."

"I'm sure it will be aimed at you before the day is over."

Logan nodded. "I'm sure too," he agreed with a smirk that made her want to grab him and kiss him so badly. She refrained, though, as they were out in public amongst gossipy teenagers that had nothing better to do than to speculate about her relationship with Logan.

Despite they way the day started, the rest of Veronica's day went smoother. She and Wallace hung out between classes and at lunch, Logan joined their table once again.

"So, Echolls, you going to be permentent fixture at our table?" Wallace asked, not unkindly, but with a curious tilt in his voice.

Logan looked at Veronica quickly. "I hope so."

It was a simple answer, but it said it all.

She did her best to not blush at such a simple sentiment. She hoped he'd be there for a good while too.

The day continued going well, all the way uintil dinner time.

That night, her dad told her about getting a call from the guidance counselor. She didn't know what it was about, but she did have a question for him.

"What do you think Mom was doing at the Camelot motel with Jake Kane two weeks ago?"

He tried to wave it away.

"Dad, she's my mom. I have a right to know. So far, you've refused to answer me, but you can't keep running away from it. She was only in Arizona, and you weren't looking for her. And now she's meeting Jake? There has to be a reason for it.

"Stay away from the case. Veronica! Please."

Veronica stared at her upset father and once again gave up. "How 'bout those Padres?" she weakly joked.

Keith collected his plate and wordlessly left.

When she got to her room, she called the first person that she thought of, and to be perfectly honest, it was the only person she really wanted to talk to.

"Hey, Veronica," he answered, and she heard the smile in his voice.

"Logan..." She trailed off; she suddenly didn't feel so sure about how much she should tell him.

"What's wrong? Are you okay?"

She heard the worry in his voice, and she blurted everything out. "My mom is meeting Jake Kane in the Camelot motel. And I don't know why. Any my dad won't talk to me about it. And I just don't know what to do."

"I know you, Veronica. If your dad is withholding information, you're going to do everything you can to find out the truth."

"Why is that bad? She's my mom. I should know what's going on."

"I know, but Veronica, you may not like what you find out."

She thought about that, and she knew he was right. After all, the Camelot wasn't famous for its beautiful rooms. "I know, but I think it's better than the not knowing."

He sighed. "Then I'll do everything I can to help you; I just don't want you to regret it later on."

She smiled sadly. "Thanks, Logan."


Logan had been worried about Veronica after the previous night's phone conversation, so he was waiting for her in the school's parking lot the next day.

When she drove in and parked, he quickly strode over to her car and stood on the driver's side. "You okay?" he asked when she got out.

"It's sweet of you to worry, but I'm fine," she assured him. "I know you think I should leave whatever is going on with my mom alone, but I can't. Our family is broken, but maybe I can fix it."

"It's not up to you to fix your parents' problems," he tried.

Veronica stared at the ground. "Maybe, but I just want us to be a family again."

He knew he wouldn't be able to get through to her when her mind was made up so he gave up, at least for now. Instead, he pulled her into his arms for a loose embrace and felt gratified when she wrapped her arms around his torso.

"This feels nice," she mumbled into his shirt.

"It does," he agreed, and he knew that he never wanted to let her go.

That day, Veronica and Logan were near her locker talking. It felt so normal that Logan wanted to grin. He hadn't felt this great since before Lilly's death, and it was nice great to have a little piece of happiness.

His thoughts turned sour as he thought about Lilly. He wondered how she'd feel about his burgeoning relationship with Veronica. Would she be angry? Happy? Whatever her reaction would have been, Veronica didn't seem worried, and he wondered why.

Despite everything he said when he was trying to smear Veronica's name after Lilly's death when she sided with her dad, he knew how much Veronica had loved Lilly. And he didn't understand why she didn't seem to feel any guilt about this.

Maybe it was something he should ask her.

After all, they were trying to be more mature with how they dealt with each other, and maturity included communication.

He swallowed when Duncan stormed passed them, a glare on his face. Lately, it was either a glare or an indifferent face. Those were the only two facial expressions that Duncan seemed to have.

Veronica watched the Kane heir as well. "I don't get it. He broke up with me months ago and didn't even have the balls to do it like a man. Instead, he just ignored me until I got the hint. Why does he think he has any right to play the injured party where you and I are concerned?"

Logan shrugged. He always suspected Duncan still had feelings for Veronica, so he had no idea why the breakup happened, but their ending caused Logan's fortune to turn good as a new door, full of possibilities, opened for him, so he didn't want to question it too heavily.

Later that day, Veronica told him about her new case involving some boy—she didn't tell him a name out of respect for said boy's privacy—and a missing father.

"Why bother trying to find some deadbeat dad who couldn't even be a man and stay?" she muttered angrily as they walked down the hall.

Logan raised an eyebrow at her cynical tone. "Really? This coming from the girl who wants to find her mom, a woman who definitely wouldn't win any Mother of the Year awards."

Veronica sighed. "Fine. I get it. Pot meet kettle, right?"

"Right."

"But John Smith, really? What kind of name is John Smith?" Veronica asked with a pout.

Logan smirked. "A common one, but I know you, and you'll crack the case no matter how unoriginal the name is."


Later that day, after school, Veronica sat at the desk in the main office of Mars Investigations, recording a message, while Wallace stuffed envelopes on the other side of the desk.

Keith walked in and waited while Veronica finished up. He and Wallace met, and Veronica felt great that she finally had a friend for her dad to meet. Maybe he'd get over her renewed whatever with Logan if he saw that Logan wasn't the only person in Veronica's life.

.She then proceeded to explain the case for Justin and went on another rant about the name 'John Smith.'

And when Keith disappeared into his office and shut the door, she asked Wallace to get her permanent file to see what the counselor told him.

Wallace rolled his eyes, but he was already used to Veronica's antics, so it didn't faze him much.

The next day, Veronica, Logan, and Wallace were exiting the school, the permanent file in Wallace's hand.

Logan's arm was around Veronica, and she leaned into his side.

Wallace opened the file and scanned it. "You called your geometry teacher a jackass?"

"That's my girl," Logan stated fondly.

Veronica blushed. "That's totally out of context .Let me see it." She reached for it, but Wallace held it up and away from her.

He continued to read it and got laughs from Logan as he read the compliments from teachers who had the more innocent Veronica Mars.

They sat at one of the lunch tables as Veronica tried to fend off their gentle teasing about a Veronica Mars that had long since died.

"You wrote your teacher a poem? How sweet," Wallace joked.

Logan raised his eyebrows. "I knew you were a little bit of a teacher's pet, but I didn't realize it was so dire. Maybe I shouldn't be talking to you. You might rub off on me."

Veronica glared at him. "Any influence I have on you has to be a good influence. You can only benefit from my presence in your life."

Logan leaned closer to her. "You might be right."

Veronica leaned in, their lips only inches apart, when Justin comes up to them. Wallace quickly hid the file under his jacket, and Logan reluctantly backed away with a put upon sigh.

Justin frowned at Logan. "So, uh, any leads yet?"

Veronica blinked as she did her best to clear the Logan-induced fog from her head. "Um, we should know something by next week."

Justin nodded. "Oh, um, I've got something for you," he said, still looking at Logan with an unfriendly gaze. He dug into his bag and pulled out a CD. "I burned a few songs for you."

Veronica looked quickly at Logan. "Thanks, I guess."

Logan smirked. He didn't see Justin as much of a threat and pulled Veronica closer to his body. Veronica rested her head on Logan's shoulder, sending a message to him, as well as Troy that was looking at them from a distance.

Justin's stare became even more unfriendly."I just thought if you were on a stake out or something, you might need something to get you through the night. That's just the kind of guy I am."

"You're also the kind of guy that hits on another guy's girlfriend, right in front of said guy as well. Real classy."

Justin didn't dignify that with a response as he walked away with a huff.

"So, you two are boyfriend and girlfriend now? Officially? Veronica's BFF would have liked to have been in the loop," Wallace exclaimed.

"Well, Veronica would have liked to have been in the loop as well," she said. "I didn't realize we had labeled us yet."

Logan carelessly shrugged. "Well, I've labeled us now. Especially if it keeps the guys wanting to get into your pants away from you."

"Aww, you're jealous. And I thought you saw Justin as a non-threat."

"Doesn't mean I want to watch him salivate over you, even if I know he doesn't stand a chance."

Veronica laughed. "You're lucky I think you're cute because I usually don't like the whole caveman routine." She turned back to Wallace. "Do me a favor? Get me his file."

That night, Logan and Veronica sat in his car, parked outside of a restaurant. Her dad was home that night, and she didn't want to be caught by him if they sat in front of the apartment complex.

There might have been talking involved, but there was a lot more kissing than anything.

Veronica breathed heavily as a hand cupped her left breast through her bra and shirt.

"Is this okay?" he asked.

"Very okay," Veronica promised.

Their lips found each other's again. Veronica's hand went down to his jeans and pressed against the bulge there, but that was what snapped Logan out of it.

"Hey, can I ask you something?"

"Now?" she gasped, her cheeks red and her pupils completely blown by her lust.

"It's just... Well... you don't seem to feel guilty about Lilly, and I would really like to know your secret because I kind of feel like my stomach is in knots about how she'd feel about this."

She blinked and realized he didn't know. Veronica backed away. "Well, before she died, Lilly talked to me. She knew there was something between us. And she gave me her blessing; she thought we'd be good for each other, and she encouraged me to tell you I cared for you. I never got the chance to follow her advice before she..." She forced the tears to not fall and shook her head, unable to complete that particular sentence. "...And then you were a jerk, so I decided Lilly obviously had no idea what she was talking about when she told me you cared about me."

"So Lilly wouldn't be angry?"

Veronica grinned. "Somewhere up there, she probably shouting, 'It's about damn time!'"

Logan returned the grin. "I think her language would be a bit more colorful."

"Maybe," Veronica conceded, and then she leaned closer to him, kissing him again, and he returned it.

All in all, it was one hot make out session that left her yearning for so much more touching and less clothes.

When Logan dropped her off, Veronica tried to sneak into the apartment, but her dad waited up for her.

"Have a good time with Logan?"

She tried to not look guilty about how good of a time she actually had. "It was great."

"Is there something more than friendship between the two of you?" he asked.

And she knew it wasn't the time to lie. "Yeah, there is," and she left him to go to her bedroom, where she hoped to go to sleep and fantasize about Logan's lips and hands. And abs. And feet. And pretty much every single one of his body parts.

The next day, Veronica was on cloud nine when Wallace came up to her in the hallway. With his help and Justin's permanent record file that he nabbed for her, she cracked the secret about Justin's odd behavior and absentee dad. And when she confronted him about his dead father at lunch, she didn't mince her words and made sure he knew he owed her $150 in postage.

She hated when someone wasted her time.

And then the unthinkable happened. Someone claimed to be Justin's father and was answering the scholarship letter she sent out.

The two of them looked at each other, speechless.

Logan and Veronica were in her bedroom after school, with the door opened on her dad's orders, when Justin came to talk to her.

Both of them went outside. Logan didn't trust the kid that obviously wanted Veronica, and he wasn't about to leave her alone with him.

Justin didn't even bother glaring at him before he launched into his plea to Veronica. His dad was alive and he wanted to find out the truth.

Veronica, understanding the urgency Justin was feeling, asked to see the letter. She'd work it out for Justin. He deserved some answers.

Logan left when Justin left, understanding that she needed to work the case.

And when her dad tried to talk about her mom leaving, Veronica shut him down like he shut her down so many times when she asked questions. She already figured out where her mom was staying, but she had no reason to tell him that.

Right then, she needed to focus on the case of Justin and John Smith.

That didn't mean she didn't engage in hot make out sessions with her boyfriend whenever she could at school. She no longer cared what gossipy 09'ers thought about her. All that mattered was what the people who cared about her thought, and that was a very small list: Logan, Wallace, and her dad.

And if someone didn't like her relationship with Logan, they could go screw themselves.


Logan was surprised when Veronica showed up at the mansion a couple of nights after she started looking into John Smith for real.

She wore a wide smile. "The case has been solved!" she triumphantly declared.

He allowed her in, thankful that his parents were out for the night. "Really? What reason did he have for disappearing on his kid?"

"Well, it's actually kind of unbelievable, but John became Julia."

Logan opened his mouth, and then it snapped shut. He opened it again. "Julia? As in a sex change?"

Veronica nodded. "Julia is actually someone Justin knows that comes into the video store that he works out. He was pretty upset about having a dad that chose to become a woman, but I made him see that his dad drove ninety miles every week just to see him for a few seconds, and that's something I wish my mom would do. I think I've made him think a bit about not being so hard on his dad for doing something he felt like he had to do in order to be happy."

"I'm proud of you," he said sincerely. They were silent for a few moments, staring at each other, and then he asked with clear invitation in his eyes, "Want to come in?"

They hadn't had sex since that one night, but it was all he wanted, and he was pretty sure Veronica wanted it as well. They both knew that if she walked in, there would be no going back. She nodded and allowed him to pull her into his arms.

They made their way to Logan's bedroom and fell down on the unmade bed. Hands and lips were everywhere, and Logan watched her face, and he knew the exact moment that her mind shut off as she gave into the pleasure of it all.

Afterwards, where the sweat was cooling on their intertwined bodies, she whispered, "I know where my mom is holed up, and I'm going to Arizona to talk to her."

Logan could have made a joke about her ruining the mood, but instead, he said, "You're not going alone."

Veronica, to her credit, didn't argue with him.

And the next day, after school, Logan was forced to watch Veronica be disappointed once again because Lianne had left two week previously. He took her in his arms.

"Why is it so hard to find her?" she whispered into his shirt, uncaring of what Adrianna, her mom's college friend, thought of her.

He wished he had reassuring words to say to her, but he didn't know how to make her feel better, so instead, he tightened his hold on her and hoped the hug would be enough.