A/N: I have the final three chapters (that follow this one) already written, but I'm stalling on posting them because I'm still trying to tweak some things in the next chapter (Lilly's POV). It's not exactly where I want it to be, so it might be a bit before this story is updated, but it is technically finished. So you will get a complete story sometime soon. I promise. Anyway, here's Logan's chapter. Let me know what you think. Enjoy! R&R! Thanks! ~Mac

Disclaimer: I don't own Veronica Mars.

Fourteen

Logan tried to be patient. It was clearly one of his shortcomings, but the was working on it. For Veronica, he had realized, he would do close to anything. He couldn't put into words what exactly it was about her that drove him to that sort of insanity, but he was already in too deep to care what he was risking. So, he waited, and he sat on his hands so he wouldn't call her. Even though she was taking far longer to get there than he expected, he was afraid that she would take any call as a sign that he didn't want her to come. He waited, to prove that he could.

At a certain point, it became clear that Veronica wasn't coming. He wanted to call her then even more. He wanted to argue and rage and blame. Why had she gotten his hopes up if she was going to stand him up? What was the point? To make him as frustrated, upset and angry as she had been? If so, mission accomplished. Really, though, what he wanted to do was hear her voice and beg her to come back to him. It was pathetic, but the tiny blonde had done something strange to him.

He had a feeling that he would let her run all over him, beat him to a pulp, and still he would come crawling back for more.

That realization hit him hard. He burrowed further into his bed, kicking away his blankets. He was happy to spend the rest of the night trying to figure out what to do to fix whatever had happened to make this day go to hell. It was then that he found the present Lilly had left him, tucked in the folds of his comforter. He stared down at it in the fading light coming in through his window.

It occurred to him that it was going to be harder to fix than he first expected.

0o0

Logan found Lilly in the quad the next morning before school, surrounded by a few of her still loyal sycophants. He was livid as he stalked across campus. He had barely slept the night before, because he was obsessing over what Lilly might have said or done to make Veronica not show up. There was no telling what rumors the oldest Kane was spreading at that very moment. What he was about to do might not put a stop to them—it might even fuel them further—but he was beyond caring. If Veronica already hated him, there was nothing left to lose.

As Logan approached, the circle of Lilly's lackeys parted to reveal where she sat at one of the tables. She smirked when she saw him, but it only lasted the next couple seconds before Logan slammed the offending garment down on the table in front of her. She jerked backwards as the table vibrated under the force of his fist. He had surprised her, which was something of an accomplishment in itself.

"I think you forgot something yesterday," Logan said. His voice was harsh and it called everyone to attention. "I don't know what kind of game you're playing, but I'm out. You can find someone else to toy with."

"You weren't complaining yesterday—" Lilly's smirk had returned. She pinched the lacy fabric and held it out, so there was no debate as to what it was.

"Shut up," Logan cut her off. "Your friends here might be stupid enough to believe whatever story you told them, but anyone with half a brain would know that I would never touch you. See, I don't make a habit of hooking up with girls that are as desperate as you are."

"I'm not—"

"No, it's still my turn to talk," Logan leaned over the table so that she would hear him clearly. "You're twisted if you think there was ever a chance in hell that I would want to be with you. You're just a pretty girl with a mean spirit and I can do much better."

"And what's better?" Lilly asked, looking entirely unfazed, or trying to. "Veronica? Because, if you haven't figured it out yet, she believed me. You should have seen her yesterday. She was heartbroken, devastated, completely decimated that, at the first sign of trouble, you went running to the first warm body that would spread its legs for you."

"Yeah, and how did Veronica feel thinking that warm body belonged to you?" Logan said. "I bet that really took her down a notch. You're probably proud of yourself because you were able to put her in her place without actually having to do any of the work."

Lilly narrowed her eyes.

"You think you know exactly how everything should be, but, I'm telling you, the longer you spend thinking only of yourself, the more you're going to push away the people that actually care about you," Logan continued. "Your sister loves you more than she loves herself, and all you've done is throw that back in her face. She deserves better."

"I think I know my sister better than you. I was just trying to show her that she deserves better than you," Lilly stood up to bring herself level with him. "You can't come in here, sweet talk your way into our inner circle and not expect there to be blow back when you step out of line."

"I'm done toeing your line, Lilly," Logan said. "And from the looks of it, I'm not the only one. You want everyone to believe that you've got their best interests in mind, but you're only ever looking out for yourself. All you've done is prove that over and over and over. You did all this because you wanted me. You railroaded your own sister because she dared to want me too. The thing is, Veronica has been and always will be more important than I am. Now, you're going to end up with neither of us. There's a problem if I'm the only one that sees that."

"Do you think anyone is going to believe that you aren't exactly like me? That you don't run over anything and anyone that gets in the way of what you want?" Lilly spat out her accusations. "Everyone knows you're just as selfish and just as much of a liar as the rest of us."

"You seem to be under the impression that I care what you or anyone else here thinks about me," Logan said. "There is only one person in Neptune whose opinion I value. You may have destroyed her trust in me, but she's it."

"You're fooling yourself if you think Veronica ever trusted you," Lilly said. "If she did, she wouldn't have fallen for my little ruse."

Logan set his jaw. "So, you're admitting you lied?"

"Sure, why not? I 'lied,'" Lilly curled her fingers into air quotes. "I did what I had to. I made sure that my little sister didn't get tied up with a loser like you. Veronica is like a little, innocent lamb. If I don't show her what she should and shouldn't do. She'd be lost. It's the same as everyone else in this school. If they didn't have someone to guide them, they wouldn't know where they belonged. There would be chaos."

"Trouble is, people have minds of their own," Logan said. "Veronica has a mind of her own."

"And it was far too easy to break her. Vee is as uncomplicated as they come. She wants a goddamn fairytale and you were never going to give it to her. I certainly wasn't going to let you." Lilly's smirk was back again. "I'm the only one with power here. You can shoot your mouth off all you want, but you'll never be able to stop me. I'll always be in control, because I don't care what I have to do to keep it. I destroyed my own sister to keep it and I would do the same to anyone else that challenged me. Do you want to hear what I have planned for you, Mr. Echolls?"

"No thanks," Logan shook his head and started to back away from the table. "I've already seen you in action, Lilly Kane. You're ruthless, but it's hard to take from someone who has nothing left. But it's good to know exactly what you're capable of, isn't it everyone?"

Logan looked around at all the stunned faces that were watching the heated exchange. It took Lilly a moment to realize what she had done, the corner that he had backed her into. While everyone knew, by unspoken understanding, what Lilly would do to get what she wanted and what power she had been given by them allowing her to be their de facto leader, there was a reason it was unspoken. It was an uncomfortable truth, discussed and complained about in private, but never something that was said out loud in public—especially by Lilly herself. It had to be that way, because as soon as it was said for everyone to hear, it made them all look stupid for letting her play unyielding dictator for so long. And if they were going to keep up appearances, they weren't going to let her get away with it any longer.

Logan watched as the smirk slid off of Lilly's face and her eyes darted back and forth around the people still standing beside the table. No one had abandoned her yet, but, from the looks on their faces, that was going to change very soon.

Logan raised a hand to salute the falling leader. "Try keeping control after that."

When he arrived at school that morning, he wasn't expecting this conversation to go that far. He wanted to show her that he wasn't going to play her games anymore. He wanted her to see that she should be ashamed of what she had done to Veronica. It was not his intention to turn anyone against her, or to overthrow her entirely, but it was about time someone did.

0o0

Veronica wasn't in the morning classes they shared and her absence was the only thing that Logan could focus on, not that he ever paid much attention in class as it was. Duncan was missing as well, which wasn't a good sign. Lilly had made it to campus without her siblings, because she had wanted to gloat over her victory with people who would appreciate it. Logan might have spoiled her fun, but that still meant that Veronica, and perhaps Duncan, were avoiding him.

There was a chance that he was never going to be able to reverse the damage that Lilly had done, but he would never know until he spoke to Veronica. She couldn't stay away forever, but the longer it took, the more set she would be in what she already believed to be true. Logan had to get to her before he missed his window. He needed to apologize, at the very least, even though he had done nothing wrong. He needed Veronica to hear the truth, even if she didn't believe him. He needed her to know.

So, at lunch, instead of joining everyone else at the quad, he took a drive to the Kanes. Idle chatter, overheard during the morning classes, indicated that this particular lunch hour on campus was going to be a compelling spectacle. Logan had more important things on his to do list than watching the restructuring of the Neptune High social hierarchy. What table he sat at, or what people chose to call themselves his friends, didn't matter as long as Veronica refused to see him. He knew who he was, and what he was worth as a person; he didn't need anyone else to try to tell him otherwise. He needed Veronica to believe in him again, that was it.

Logan went over what he was going to say on the drive over and lost it all when he was standing at their front door. He still knocked. He was better when he was in the moment anyway. The worst thing he could do right now was sound rehearsed. It would make him sound like a liar. If she would let him, he was going to speak from the heart.

Only, it was Duncan who answered the door. Instead of inviting Logan inside, he stepped outside and closed the door behind him.

"You shouldn't be here," Duncan said.

Logan shook his head, "I didn't do it."

"I know you didn't, man."

"You do?" Logan frowned. "How?"

"Lilly is a masterful liar, but she sucks at telling the truth," Duncan said. "Her truth always sounds like fiction. If what she said about you and her was true, no one would have believed her."

"If you know I didn't do it, why won't you let me in?"

"Veronica doesn't want to see you," Duncan said. "It's why she stayed home."

"So, you believe me," Logan pointed at Duncan, then waved his hand at the house, "but Veronica doesn't."

"I didn't say that," Duncan replied. "She just needs time. Lilly said a lot of awful things, most of which had nothing to do with you, and Veronica isn't taking it well. It'd be better if you gave her some space. She'll come to you when she's ready."

"I want her to hear it from me," Logan said. "Not from the Neptune High rumor mill. I can explain—"

"I get it," Duncan put up a hand, "but it's not happening today. If it were up to me, I'd let you in. But I've spent too long protecting the wrong sister. I've got to do my brotherly duty and turn you away."

"Right," Logan looked at the ground and ran a hand through his hair. "Will you tell her I was here? And that I'm sorry for whatever Lilly said."

"You don't need to be sorry about that, believe me," Duncan breathed out, "Lilly needs to take responsibility for her own insecure stupidity."

"I'm still sorry," Logan said. "I don't want Veronica hurt anymore than you do. If being here will hurt her, I'll go. Just tell her that I'm trying."

"I will," Duncan said. Logan started to walk back to his car and Duncan called after him. "She'll come around."

"I hope you're right," Logan said and waved before he got into his car.

As he was pulling away, he took one more look up at the house. Duncan had already gone back inside. If Logan didn't know better, he could have sworn that he had seen a flash of blonde hair in the front windows. Maybe it wasn't over yet. Maybe he still had a chance. He would have to wait and see.

0o0

Before the sun set that evening, word was out about what had happened at school that day. There seemed to be some conflict over what the word was exactly, though. Everyone had heard about Logan confronting Lilly that morning, but everyone had heard different versions of how it went down. After scrolling through a half dozen texts and screening twice as many phone calls from people wanting a first hand account, Logan shut off his phone. There was no use in clarifying anything with those people; the truth would only get distorted as it got passed around like a game of petty gossip telephone. He also wasn't interested in hearing about what happened during the lunch period he had missed. The only person he wanted to talk to wouldn't see him. The best thing for him to do was to lock himself in his room until tomorrow. So, that was what he did.

He laid out on his bed, staring up at his ceiling. He was disappointed that he hadn't been able to resolve things with Veronica, but there wasn't anything that he could do about that right now. He had promised her that he could be patient with her, wait things out, and take it slow. He hadn't expected to have to move so slow that progress was nonexistent, but if he was ever going to prove that he could hold out for her, then he had to do so now. Logan was content to stay right where he was until Veronica was ready. As long as Lilly didn't show up to screw it all up again, then he would be fine.

Boredom led to him starting to doze off. He was just relaxing into a sleepy haze when there was a knock at his door. It jolted him back to full consciousness.

"Logan, honey, are you in there?" his mother's voice seeped through the door.

He pushed himself up into a seated position and shook off the last of the haze clouding his senses. He smoothed down his hair and rubbed a hand over his face. He was not in the mood to deal with whatever booze induced antics his mother was up to. Despite this, she wasn't going to go away until he acknowledged her.

"Yeah, yeah," Logan called out. "I'm kinda busy."

"Well, you have a pretty blonde visitor," his mother replied. "Surely, you can take a break to entertain her."

The last time his mother let a pretty blonde into their house, all hell had broken loose. He was going to have to prepare some kind of 'no fly list,' so she wouldn't accidentally invite a blood sucking leech into their house. Instead of answering, his mother through the door again, he threw himself off his bed and crossed the room. He breathed in deeply before he twisted the lock and pulled open the door.

"I don't want any visitors," Logan said. "Even if they're blonde and pretty."

His eyes had focused on his mother, her lithe figure small in his door frame, and the bar glass full of amber fluid in her hand first. Then his gaze rose over her shoulder to land on the blonde in question. He wanted to take it all back.

"Do you think you could make an exception for me?" Veronica asked, taking a step closer to his room.

"For you, anything," Logan said.

"I'll leave you two to it, then," his mother smiled and headed off down the hall. Her glass was already back at her lips before she made it three steps.

Veronica shifted forward to take his mother's place in his doorway and Logan stepped back as an invitation for her to come in. She followed after him, then continued past him when he stopped to close the door. She hovered in the center of the room, her eyes watching him with unrelenting attention.

"Were you expecting someone else?" Veronica asked.

"I wasn't expecting anyone," Logan told the truth. "But the lat time my mother described an unexpected visitor as a pretty blonde, shit imploded."

It was Veronica's turn to talk, but she wasn't taking it. There was a part of Logan that was almost unsettled enough to fill the silence, just to avoid the quiet, but he stopped himself. He was lucky that it had only taken Veronica a few hours to come to him; he wasn't going to ruin that, only a few seconds in, by saying something stupid.

"So my phone has been ringing non stop since early this morning," Veronica finally said. "I heard a story about how you publicly returned my sister's underwear, but like most gossip I'm sure that's not accurate."

"No, that's one hundred percent accurate," Logan said. "Lilly planted the lacy excuse for underwear in my bed, I assume, for you to find."

"Why would I be in your bed?" Veronica asked. "Why would she think that?"

"I don't know," Logan crossed his arms. "But I think it was supposed to be proof that she and I hooked up."

"Isn't it?"

"No."

"That's all you have to say about it?"

"Yeah, pretty much," Logan said. He dropped his arms back to his sides. "Look, Veronica, you don't want me to beg for forgiveness anymore than I would ever do it. If you did, you wouldn't be here. You're standing there because you have doubts about whatever Lilly tried to sell you yesterday."

"She was very convincing," Veronica said.

"Most accomplished liars are," Logan said. "I know she's your sister, but she lied to you. I have told you in every way I know how, that I want you, not Lilly, why would I hook up with her, knowing you were on your way?"

"Because I'm not worth the effort. Because I'm not good enough. Because I'm the Kane that never should have been," Veronica rambled. "Because Lilly is beautiful, and sexy, and—"

"—fake," Logan finished for her, halting her train of thought in its tracks. "There's nothing real about Lilly. It's all an act, an illusion. Whatever she said to make you feel less than what we all know you are, is a product of her own insecurity."

"You are the third person to tell me that," Veronica's face was set into a deep frown.

Logan took a step closer to her. "That's because it's true. She's done all of this because she's jealous. She's jealous of you, because you don't need a guy like me to validate you, like she does, but you can have me anyway."

He was met with silence. He didn't know if Veronica was processing what he said, if she had been stunned silent by his words, or if she was trying to come up with the best way to tell him off. Either way, he was unnerved by it.

"I know you were hurt by what you thought happened, and I know I could have done more to keep it from playing out the way it did," Logan continued to fill the air. "But I'm hoping that you won't give up on me yet."

Veronica lifted her head. Her jaw was set and she leveled her intense gaze on him. "Tell me right now—yes or no, no excuses or explanations, just a single syllable—did you have sex with Lilly?"

"No," Logan said, meeting her eyes with his own look of determination.

"Okay," Veronica said and sat down on the closest edge of Logan's bed. "I believe you."

"That's it?" Logan sat down next to her, leaving a small gap between them for her comfort.

"Yes," Veronica nodded. "I'm not going to play games like my sister. As long as you're straightforward with me. I'll do you the same courtesy."

"Can I ask you something?" Logan shifted so that he was angled toward her.

"Sure."

"How much did you hear about what happened this morning before you decided to come over here tonight?" Logan asked.

"I tried to ignore most of it. The panties thing came up a lot, that was hard to ignore," Veronica looked at her hands folded in her lap. "There were many third and fourth hand accounts of the fight between you and Lilly. There was little consensus on what it was about. Until lunch time, when one thing became obviously clear."

"And that was?"

"Whatever you said or made Lilly say, it turned everyone against her. Madison and Shelley led a boycott and left Lilly at the 09er tables by herself," Veronica said. "Mac said her table was invaded by two Casablancas brothers, Madison herself, Meg and at least two other 09ers who—in Mac's words—have a weekly allowances that are larger than her father's annual income. Zip code lines have been crossed for the first time in Neptune High history, all to get away from Lilly. The revolution was triumphant and neither of us were even there to witness it, or reap our spoils of victory."

"You would have felt guilty and sat with her," Logan said.

"That's probably true," Veronica agreed.

"They'll all go back eventually."

"That's also probably true," Veronica twisted her fingers around each other. "But it won't be the same."

"No, it won't."

"What did you say to her?"

Logan rolled his shoulders and settled in. "I told her the truth, and it forced her to tell the truth. I think it's the first time any of them have heard it out loud. They reacted accordingly."

"Lilly doesn't lose control easily," Veronica said.

"I think the idea of you and me has that kind of effect on her," Logan said.

"I think it has more to do with me, than you," Veronica bit her lip as she looked up at Logan. "But put us together and it's almost debilitating for her."

"What do you think would happen if we got together after all she did to keep us apart?" Logan asked.

"Does it matter to you? Because it doesn't matter to me."

"Veronica, it's never mattered to me," Logan let a small smile show for the first time. "I've only ever wanted you. I've never cared about the consequences."

"You still want me, with everything you know?" Veronica asked.

"Yes," Logan said.

"Would you still want me if I wasn't a Kane, if I wasn't an 09er, if I was the daughter of a small time Sheriff?"

"Yes, in fact, I might even want you more."

What Veronica did next was so fast, that Logan couldn't register the steps it took to end up the way they did. One second, Veronica was sitting next to him and the next she had thrown a leg over him to settle herself over his lap. She pushed his chest until he fell backwards on his bed with her leaning over him. He stopped breathing for a second and he reached up to hold onto her arms just above where her hands had planted on his shoulders to help her keep her balance.

Veronica lowered her voice to whisper so quiet that the only reason he could hear it was because of how close they were pressed together. Logan couldn't help but watch her lips as she spoke, which had the added benefit of distracting himself from the feel of her body over his.

"Do you want me like this?" Veronica asked.

"Yes, of course I do. I want you in every way I can imagine," Logan ran his hands up her arms to her shoulders and then back down to her waist. "The question is, do you want this?"

Veronica slid her hands from his shoulders to his chest. Then she leaned in even closer, until her forehead rested against his. With her lips hovering a breath away from his, she murmured, "Yes."

Before Logan could fully take in exactly what that meant, Veronica was kissing him. Her fingers curled into his shirt, tugging him up to her. She kissed him with a passionate confidence that he hadn't expected, but had him clutching her closer and returning the kiss with equal fervor. Everything but this moment faded away. This was what he had been waiting for and, god, was it worth every single second.

0o0

Later, Logan laid flat against his pillows with Veronica curled tightly against his side. He had one hand playing with her hair and the other stroking circles onto the arm she had thrown over his chest. Their clothes were rumpled, but still in place. She was more forward than anyone would have thought she would be, but even that small surprise didn't change who she was. She would only go so far, and that was fine with him. Being able to lay beside her like he was now was more than enough for him. This was better than anything else he could be doing. He could wait for more, and he would, because she was worth it. This was proof of that, thought he had always known that. Veronica had been underestimated her entire life, but Logan was never going to make that mistake.

He was starting to slip back into that hazy realm that preceded sleep when Veronica spoke. Her voice was raspy, like she was almost dozing off as well. Logan's eyelids had drooped and he looked down at Veronica through his eyelashes. She licked her kissed pink lips between words, tempting him to cover her mouth with his again, if only he could find the strength to move from his position.

"What do you think it's going to be like at school tomorrow?" Veronica asked.

"Does it matter?" Logan returned.

"As long as I can face it with you, I'll take on anything."

A lazy grin parted Logan's lips. "Does this mean you'll be my date to Homecoming?"

Veronica pressed her face into his neck, a soft laugh tickling his skin.

Logan's grin widened and he said, "I'll take that as a yes."