a/n: I'm sorry to say that this story is reaching it's conclusion in a few chapters. I am so thankful for everyone who has stuck with this fic and decided to make it worth their time to read. I will hopefully be writing more Logan and Veronica in the future.
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It's her second week of living at the Echolls' abode, and Veronica is getting really sick of pretending to be pregnant.
Of course, she and Logan have made up the excuse that's she's not showing yet, but it's only a matter of time before she will have to get one of those fake bumps from the store, and Veronica isn't quite sure she wants to go there. For right now, she's just pretending to throw up every morning before she leaves for school, and makes sure that it's known that onions make her queasy. Logan seems to feel guilty, and all he does is try to convince her to go away. You shouldn't do this for me Ronica, I can take care of myself.
They both knew that without her he wouldn't be any closer to getting free from this hellish life than she was of winning the lottery.
She tried to spend as much time as possible on campus, and never came back to the house if Logan wasn't there. She didn't want to get any alone time with Aaron – the man was creepy. She had always thought so, even when every girl in school had a picture of him taped in their lockers and she went to see his movies with her Dad. There had been something off about his face, she remembers recollecting to her Dad, something odd. Her Father had laughed and told her not to worry. He was just an actor.
Just an actor wouldn't do this to their son. What the common people tended to forget was that actor's were real people. Aaron Echolls, as much as she wished he were some bad nightmare – was real. What he was doing to Logan was real.
"Maybe you should go home," Logan says nervously one day, sitting on her bed.
Veronica sighs loudly, rolling her eyes. "Logan. You've said and asked me that a million times. The answer is final – I'm not going home, unless you come with me."
He's quiet for a moment, but relaxed. She leans forward and rests her head on his shoulder, thanking her lucky stars that she has him. He's someone to lean on – someone who can lean on her. His arms slowly but surely move to wrap around her torso, and his face is buried in her hair.
"Thank you," he whispers, and she knows that while he's saying she should go – he's thinking the opposite. She thinks that he needs her as much as she needs him.
"Of course," she says back, "And thank you."
It's a dual sort of partnership she supposes, they both are slowly fixing themselves.
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They still do all their casework in Veronica's dorm room, when Mac's not back. While they've started dating and she's living with him now – she can't forget about the case. She can't forget about what drew them together in the first place.
"We can't break into the Kane's house," Veronica shakes her head, "We can't find evidence that way – it wouldn't hold up because it's illegal."
"Well then how are we going to get into her air vents?" Logan asks, stretching out his long limbs on her bed. Veronica is sitting by his head, her eyes tracing over the notes she's taken on the case so far.
"We could ask Duncan to let us in," Veronica suggests, and Logan spits.
"What?!"
"I said, we could ask Duncan Kane. I mean, he's got to have a key or something right?"
"Isn't Duncan our prime suspect?" Logan asks suspiciously, "I mean, if he really did kill Lily, he wouldn't want us to find the potential evidence."
"Duncan Kane seemed to me to be like one of those pushover types," Veronica says, "And I really don't think he remembers. I do think he's telling the truth about that at least."
Logan nods. "Okay, but how are we going to ask him? It's not like he believed me before anyways."
Veronica grins. "Trust me. He will."
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This time, Logan does not wait in the car. Veronica quite forcefully grabs him by the wrist when he tries to stay in the car and drags him after her.
"It'll be fine," she says, "We'll convince him."
She knocks loudly on the door, and just as she was hoping – Duncan answers, not his girlfriend.
"Duncan Kane?" she asks, and then takes a fake private detective badge out of her bag, "I'm a private detective working for Logan Echolls. I have reason to believe you might be the real culprit."
"Culprit?" Duncan looks confused, but she can tell it's an act. He knows exactly why she's here.
"For killing Lily Kane," Veronica says, glaring. "I have some very convincing evidence, and the only thing that can prove your evidence is something inside your sister's room."
"My sister's room? Me killing her? Are you crazy?"
"No," Veronica snaps, "I am a goddamn genius. Now do you want me to take my evidence to the police or do you want to see inside her room?"
"The police went over everything anyways, you're not going to find anything."
"Do you remember Duncan," Logan says, stepping in. "how Lily used to hide things in her air vents?"
Something in Duncan's face changes, and suddenly Veronica hopes that it wasn't Duncan that killed her. She has no qualms at accusing Duncan of being dangerous, but he seems actually sad about his sister's passing.
"You really want to see what's in my sister's air vents?" Duncan asks, "And if there's evidence to prove I'm guilty—"
"We'll move on to another suspect," Veronica promises. "Please Mr. Kane."
"Fine," Duncan nods, "I'll let you into my parents house, but Logan's not coming."
"What?" Logan visibly bristles.
"There's a party tonight, and I can make up the excuse that Veronica is Meg's friend," there is a sort of pride as Duncan looks at Logan, like he's rubbing his perfect plan, his perfect life, in his face. "She can come with me."
"There is no way-"
"I'll take your offer," Veronica says automatically. "I'll meet you –"
"I'll pick you up," Duncan offers with a smug smile, and part of Veronica wonders what this is really about. It was almost like he was trying to be a dick to Logan by helping with this case, like he wanted her to view him as the perfect golden boy too.
"This will be really helpful Lo," she says softly, standing on her tip toes so she can press a gentle kiss to his lips. Take that Duncan fucking Kane.
It's true that when she pulls away, Duncan is looking a little stunned, and maybe disappointed? It doesn't really matter – Veronica's smug either way.
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"Will you do something for me?" Veronica asks later that night, as she twirls in front of Logan's mirror – wearing a silky black number that they found in Lynn's closet. It was brand new, had never been worn. The woman was only slightly bigger than Veronica, nothing that couldn't be fixed with a few bobby pins.
"Anything," Logan says, his eyes watching her intently.
"Get out of the house," Veronica says, "Go hang out with Dick or surf or anything that's legal so you're not caught at home alone."
"I'm going to sit in a diner, waiting for you to call for me to be the dashing prince and save you from Duncan's evil clutches," Logan tells her plainly, holding up his phone. Veronica smiles.
"Just keep well caffeinated," she advises, patting him on the head.
"Please stay safe Ronnie," Logan whispers suddenly, "You're the only one – the only person who –" he fights for the right words, and she can see that he's really trying. "The only person who believed me."
Veronica isn't sure what she's supposed to say to this, so instead she just smiles and leans in to kiss him softly. "I always stay safe."
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Duncan seems more subdued when he picks her up, and Veronica slides into the passenger seat, self consciously adjusting her hair. Duncan Kane is weak, smug, and she's decided –a jackass. She's not looking forward to this evening, but it's for Logan.
"You look nice," Duncan offers.
"Thank you," she says quietly.
"So are you dating Logan now?"
"I suppose so," Veronica murmurs. Aaron hasn't told the public of their 'engagement' yet, so Veronica figures it's pretty much safe to assume that she and Logan are dating.
"Don't break his heart okay?" Duncan asks suddenly, jerking the wheel onto a long road, "He's had enough shit happen to him already."
"I won't," Veronica says, "Logan doesn't deserve anymore bullshit."
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The party is everything Veronica hates. It's fancy people in fancy dresses, holding fancy glasses and talking in fancy voices. It's an overwhelming contrast to the life she's lived all her life, and she can already tell that she's not fit for the world of the rich. Duncan introduces her as Veronica Mars, an interested friend who wanted to see what the Kane house looked like from the inside.
Veronica can hear people whispering already, wondering if Duncan was dumping Meg for her – etc. It made her sick, and part of her hoped that these rumors never reached Logan's ears. She never would dump Logan for Duncan. No matter how fucked-up Logan was.
"Can we go up to Lily's room?" Veronica hisses in Duncan's ear after thirty minutes of polite torture. Duncan looks amused, like she's lasted as long as he expected her to, and Veronica has to refrain from socking him in the jaw.
"You know what people are going to say," Duncan says in an undertone, and Veronica sneers in his direction.
"And when we figure out who killed Lily, we can disprove all those rumors. Just come on."
Duncan sighs in resignation, and leads her up a nearly hidden staircase into a hallway full of bedrooms. He stops in front of one that has the letter's LILY on it in blockish pink letters. "This is it," he says, swinging open the door.
It's creepy. It's almost like the girl who died long ago is going to walk in at any second, it's so perfectly preserved. Clothes are strewn over the backs of chairs and across the bed, perfume bottles and makeup containers lay open on a vanity table – even a broken picture of Lily and Logan is lying across the dresser. Veronica steps closer to it, not touching it but observing the happy carefree look Logan was giving Lily – nothing like the one he had given her before she left for the party. Losing a girlfriend could make you more cautious that way she supposes.
"There's the air vent," Duncan says, and points to a small metal frame in the wall. Veronica is wary to touch anything in the room, to break the spell that seems to have been cast over the room, but Duncan shoves a chair over to the wall anyways. Veronica climbs up, and jostles the cover free. It's loose, like someone's put it back in place in a hurry.
Veronica reaches in and pulls out a thick stack of letters, covered in a messy boyish scrawl. To Lily, from Logan. She carefully sets those down at her feet, taking notice of the few letters that weren't in Logan's handwriting. She peers more intently into the air vent, and spots something lingering in the back, like it's been shoved back there intentionally. She reaches in and takes ahold of whatever it is.
"Are these…" she says, a crease appearing in-between her eyes as she frowns down at the objects, "Tapes?"