AN: Whoo longest chapter yet! Thank you to all you beautiful people for continuing to read/review/follow/favourite! Sorry to the people who felt I left the last chapter on a cliff hanger, funnily enough I actually went out of my way to show that Logan was alive just so it wouldn't be :)

A big thank you to Drish, I would be lost without you.

The room was silent, had been for a good twenty minutes since the doctor had left, Veronica was ok with it though, she didn't really know what to say, after all what can you say to the boy you love when his dad just tried to kill your ex-girlfriend, who he was also sleeping with? God this was all a mess, she thinks, huffing out a breath and instantly regretting it when her still sensitive throat protested.

"You don't have to stay." Logan says, breaking the silence. Veronica startles from her thoughts, is that why he'd been quiet so long, he thought she didn't want to be there. But of course he would think that, it was Logan, he had probably convinced himself she would hate him now because of Aaron.

"I know that, but I want to be here." She tells him, because there's nowhere else she would rather be, she had insisted on being with him since they had left in an Ambulance together from the Kane estate. She didn't know what had happened with Lilly, her dad wouldn't tell her much when he met up with her at the hospital, he had only stayed long enough to ensure Veronica would be ok before leaving again, he did have an attempted murderer to track down and two confused and powerful parents to deal with after all. Logan's looking at her and smiling serenely at her.

"Mmm... I'm glad it's you here, Ronnie. Even after my dad tried to kill you." He tells her. She wonders if he would have told her that if he wasn't high on painkillers. The ashtray had broken his left shoulder and he could have been discharged already with a bottle of pain killers, but Lyn had yet to arrive, or even answer her phone, so it had been decided he would stay overnight, hooked up to a morphine drip, that now had him smiling at Veronica with the most peaceful expression on his face that Veronica had ever seen. He was topless, wrist in a collar cuff resting on his stomach, under normal circumstances Veronica would have used this opportunity to ogle, but instead she was met with the sight of his swollen shoulder, dark bruising covered his shoulder and arm. Every time she allowed her gaze to look past his face she was filled with a burning rage. She supposes she should be happy she had been able to prevent Lilly's death and she is, but she never wanted Logan to get hurt in the process, he would be a mess when he finally had a chance to process what had happened today. To top it all off, his own mother had yet to show up, surely she had been told by now? Would she ignore it like she had the abuse? Veronica finds herself wondering.

"You ready Honey?" Keith Mars' voice asks from the doorway. He's looking at them both softly and Veronica can see the compassion and love in his eyes. She's up and moving across the room before she even realises;

"I love you." She tells him as he engulfs her in a hug. Even if it had turned out that he wasn't her real father, the love she has for this man would have never wavered. Whenever she had needed him, Keith had always been there and Veronica couldn't describe the sense of comfort and love that gave her, never had she been more grateful a person existed, then she was for Keith Mars.

"Thank you." She tells him, hugging him that little bit tighter, trying to tell him what she cannot say with words.

"Always." He tells her, she doesn't need more than that, because she knows what he means, he will always love her and he will always be there for her.

"Are you ready to go?" Her dad asks after a moment.

"Yeah, just give me a minute to say goodbye." She tells him after pulling away.

"Ok, I'll be in the hall." He says, shutting the door behind him. She approaches the bed. Logan's eyes are closed, though she's sure he's not quite asleep yet.

"Logan." She whispers.

"Mmm?"

"I have to go, but I'll come see you tomorrow." She tells him, already feeling guilty for leaving.

"'Kay." He mumbles. Before she can stop herself, and because she knows it's doubtful he will remember, she leans forward and kisses him quickly on the lips.

"Sweet dreams, Logan." She strokes his hair and turns to leave the room, just as she reaches the door she hears a mumbled reply from behind her;

"Night Ronnie."

"You're home." Lianne says as Veronica walks in the door. Veronica suppresses a sigh, wishing she could have just gone home with Keith.

"Obviously."

"Watch your attitude young lady, I understand that you have been a little upset with me lately-" Veronica scoffed, a little upset?! Yeah right... Lianne continued as if she hadn't heard Veronica's news of disbelief. "But that doesn't excuse you staying out so late and not even calling."

"I was at the hospital." Veronica can hear the disbelief in her tone, can her mother honestly not see the bruises around her neck? Can she not tell that Veronica is seconds away from passing out from emotional and physical exhaustion?! Preventing a murder, worrying about your friend's injuries and mental state and being almost choked to death is exhausting, how can her mother not see this?!

"I know that, only because your father called. It doesn't excuse your behaviour Veronica."

"If Dad called you then you already know. I'm going to bed." She's done with this conversation, all she wants now is to climb into bed and let her exhaustion pull her into a blissful state of sleep.

"Veronica, I am not the monster you are making me out to be. I am your mother and I think it's time you remembered that!" Lianne shouts from behind her. If Veronica thought herself done with the conversation before, it was nothing compared to how she felt now.

"If you were a real mother worthy of the name, you would have never allowed me to date Duncan, you wouldn't be threatening the only man I've known as my father to keep him away from me, you wouldn't force me to stay here with you and you would open your eyes and see that I am not ok, that I almost died today, that Lilly and Logan almost died today and because of that I am exhausted and just want to go to bed. I am sorry that you feel I owed you a phone call when I was at the hospital being checked over because I was almost strangled today and that I was too busy worrying about Logan to call you, but honestly," She stops, her voice breaking, her throat is on fire from raising her voice and she can feel the tears threatening to fall, but she refuses to let them, she is not that girl and she will be damned if she lets Lianne see her cry; "Honestly," she says, this time in a quieter voice, "I don't even think you deserved it." With those parting words, she retreats to her room, leaving a stunned Lianne behind her.

The next morning she is up and out of the house before Lianne has woken up, though Veronica doubts she'll be awake anytime soon if the multiple empty bottles of vodka spread throughout the living room are any indication of her mother's current state and she knows they are.

Logan is already awake when she walks into his room and though he is alone, there's an expensive looking woman's jacket on the visitors chair and Veronica feels relief that Lyn has finally shown up.

"Hey." She greets, he's been watching something on the TV, but the sound of her voice gets his attention and he looks over at her.

"Hey." He says, obviously surprised to see her.

"I told you I would come by today." She tells him.

"You did? Sorry I don't really remember much of last night." He's smiling, but Veronica can see the uncertainty in his eyes. She realises that since he can't remember last night, he must also not remember her telling him she wanted to be there with him and likely still thinks she will hate him for what Aaron has done. She's promised herself that she would be more open with Logan this time around and truthfully she finds she actually wants to tell him, to reassure him that she doesn't hold Aaron's actions against him, regardless of the awkwardness that might result from it.

"Logan, what happened yesterday is not your fault." She tells him, moving to sit in the chair beside his bed. He stares at her, looking for any proof that she is lying, Veronica suspects.

"How can it not be? He's my father." Logan says, he's not looking at her as he says it, instead he has his eyes intensely focused on the television, though Veronica doubts he has any idea what he's seeing.

"That's right he is your father, not you. You're not responsible for what he does, Logan, ever." He's looking at her now, Veronica can't quite read his expression but it reminds her of the way he had looked at her when she had pretended to be interested in buying a screen play when she was looking for Trina's abusive boyfriend, Dylan something.

"You really think so?" He asks.

"Logan, you could never be him." She tells him, because she suspects that is what he's really asking. He looks shocked for a moment before replying.

"Thank you, Veronica." She smiles at him and the two get caught in an almost intense stare, one that has Veronica wishing she was allowed to reach across and kiss him, maybe caress his cheek, offer him some of physical comfort just to let him know she is here for him. Before she has a chance to give into temptation, Lyn enters the room, the doctor from last night, Dr. Rodgers, she thinks, following along behind her.

"Oh hello, Veronica." Lyn greets. She's all dressed up, full makeup, and ridiculously high heels, as if she's headed out for the night and Veronica finds herself resenting Lyn's presences a little, can't help but think Logan might be better off without his mother here, caring in that way that was never quite enough for any child, but especially not for Logan, who she had long since discovered was far more sensitive than he let on.

"Hi, Mrs Echolls." She greets, because she is still Logan's mum.

"The doctor is just going to take a look at Logan's shoulder before he's discharged." Lyn tells her and Veronica can tell she is being dismissed. So too can Logan apparently because he is quick to comment;

"Veronica can stay." But Veronica is feeling an overwhelming urge to leave, so she gets up and smiling at Logan says;

"It's ok, I have to get to school anyway." She hadn't really been sure if she would be going to school that day, but it sure beat going home and seeing Lianne.

"School?" Logan asks, concern evident in his voice.

"Yeah figured I've got to face it sometime." She shrugs and smiles at him in what she hopes is a reassuring way, she can see he isn't happy about her going to school and she knows it's for a good reason, but she's faced those hallways and those people on worse days then today, not that he knows that of course, which is why she knows why he is worried. A part of her wishes in that moment, that Logan knew who she had been in her other life, even if only a little, after all it was that version of herself that Logan had fallen in love with.

"It'll be fine." She tells him instead. "I can come over afterwards if you want?" His frown lifts and he smiles at her.

"I want." her tells her and Veronica feels a little flutter in her stomach, oh if only you did want, Logan. She thinks as she says goodbye. If only...

"Ronnie!" She hears the moment she gets out of her car at school. Sighing she turns towards the voice, finding herself face to face with Dick.

"Is it true Logan's dad went totally psycho and tried to kill you guys? Beav and I were driving back from TJ yesterday but everyone is talking about it. Said Mr Echolls got mad after catching you and Lilly getting it on with Logan." Veronica rolls her eyes, honestly the idiots in this school.

"Yes Dick, Aaron totally went crazy because he found us having a threesome." Veronica tells him as she walks away, the rumours are only going to become more outrageous until the real story gets out, there's really no point in denying them.

"Seriously, Ronnie?!" Dick calls from behind her.

"She was being sarcastic, Dick." She can hear Cassidy telling his brother, she hadn't even noticed he was there.

She's sitting in homeroom, trying to ignore all of the stares she's receiving, wishing she had worn a top that hid more of the bruising around her neck, when there's a knock on the door.

"Veronica Mars, you're wanted in the office." Her homeroom teacher tells her. Veronica gets up, ignoring all of the 'ooohs' at her being called to the office and the whispering following her as she makes her way to the door. She really hates this place.

When she gets to the office, Deputy Lamb is waiting for her.

"Veronica, the Sheriff wants to see you." He tells her and Veronica suppresses her witty remark, honestly why he couldn't just say her dad wanted to see her. She follows him out to his car, finding it odd to be sitting in the passenger seat and not the back given her history with Lamb.

"How's the Echolls kid?" He asks as he's pulling out of the school.

"Broken shoulder." She tells him, because while he may have pulled Logan from that pool yesterday, he is still the same guy who told her to 'go see the wizard' when she told him about being raped. They stay silent after that and Veronica is grateful for it, she is not in the mood to make small talk with this man.

Lamb tells her to take a seat when they arrive at the station, she's only been sitting for a few minutes when the door to her father's office opens and her dad and all of the Kane's emerge from it. Veronica feels a moment of panic, she's not ready for this, not ready to face Lilly because she doesn't know how Lilly is feeling about this and though she hates to admit it, Veronica is also worried that what happened yesterday had resulted in making Lilly hate her more. It's pathetic, she knows it is, this desire she has for Lilly's friendship, even though she has begun to see that Lilly was obviously not the person Veronica had always thought she was, there's a part of her that still feels like she needs Lilly in her life.

"Veronica." Lilly says, obviously surprised to see the other girl there. Her dad and the Kane's are looking at her now. Duncan moves towards her and before she's really given much thought to what he intends to do, he's already hugging her and for a moment, Veronica allows herself to sink into it, comforted by the simplicity that was Duncan and the part of her he would always represent, of the innocence she had long since lost. It wasn't that she still loved him, she was sure of that when she pulled away from him, Duncan represented a certain kind of comfort, but it was to a girl who no longer existed. He had been a safe first love, but he wasn't her epic love, that role had already been filled by a boy with big brown eyes, a self defence mechanism full of witty remarks and the biggest heart of anyone she knew.

Caught in her thoughts about Logan, Veronica doesn't notice someone else has moved to hug her until she feels their arms around her. The florally perfume would have been a dead giveaway if it weren't for all the blonde hair in her face.

"Lilly?" She questions in shock, though she knows it is.

"Veronica, I'm so glad you're ok." Lilly says as she pulls back. Veronica doesn't quite know how to react, this is not the Lilly she has come to expect recently. Lilly must take Veronica's silence as a go ahead to keep talking because she does just that.

"You saved my life." She says, and there's that look in her eyes again, Veronica still can't figure it out but she wonders if it might be gratefulness.

"It was Logan." She says, because Lilly should be thanking him, not her.

"Yeah but if you hadn't of called your dad there's no telling what could have happened."

"There is the question of how you knew to call the sheriff." Celeste Kane's cool voice cut in.

"Which is why Veronica is here." Keith says. "Honey why don't you come into my office." Grateful to escape the Kane's, Veronica quickly flees to Keith's office. Now she just had to figure out what to tell her dad without giving away Logan's secret.

Logan's POV *Surprise!*

Having a broken shoulder was an absolute bitch, Logan thinks as he sit on the recliner in the living room. His mother had stuck around long enough to get him settled on the couch before taking off to her room with a headache, she'd no doubt either taken sleeping pills or drunk herself unconscious by now. He had long since given up the dream of having to caring, attentive parents, or at the very least, that's what he told himself. His shoulder hurt and he was extremely uncomfortable, but he still had another hour before he could take anymore.

He glanced back at the infomercial playing on the TV and rolled his eyes, honestly these things were so ridiculous, as if normal people ever actually found themselves in situations like the ones they showed in the commercial, and if they were ever stupid enough to, as far as Logan was concerned they deserved it.

God he was grumpy. Was it too much to ask for someone to care about him? But that wasn't true, there was someone who cared about him, Veronica. It confused him why Veronica wanted to be around him and yet he never got the impression she wished to be anywhere else. She wasn't who he'd always thought she was, though he will admit he hadn't ever really paid close attention to her, always to wrapped up in Lilly to care that much about his best mate's girlfriend. He's not sure how he feels about her, but he knows her constantly wants to be around her, something about her presence soothes his soul, though you couldn't pay him enough to ever admit that aloud. She was witty, and caring and beautiful and full of surprises and she made him feel cared about in a way he couldn't remember ever feeling. When he had seen what Aaron had done to her this morning, he had been sure she would hold him against Logan, he certainly did, instead she had almost seemed to read his mind when she'd told him he wasn't his father and Logan had almost believed it, knew that coming from her it must be true. He doesn't want to be his father, he wants to be the kind of man worthy of Veronica Mars, he just has to find a way to prove to her that he can be.

"Hey." It's as if his thoughts have summoned her, though truthfully she is never far from his thoughts these days.

"Hey." He smiles, taking her in, was it weird that he had missed her when she'd only been gone a few hours?

"I brought comfort food. Though I wasn't sure if you'd feel like eating, I figured you could be comforted by the sight of me eating it." She tells him as she moves towards him, Logan laughs, wincing when it jostles his shoulder. She's by his side in an instant,

"Maybe I'm not the best company, I'm far too witty to keep you from laughing." She tells him, Logan's laugh dies in his throat when she reaches up to stroke his hair.

"Did you want me to get you anything?" She asks

"Not unless you can move time forward an hour so I can take another pill." He tells her.

"Unfortunately, not even I, am that good." She says with a wink, and Logan finds himself overwhelmed with this burning sensation in his stomach, or maybe it's his heart, his head certainly feels funny. He's not sure what it is, just knows that it's because of this girl. Yes, he thinks, he's going to find a way to become a man worthy of Veronica Mars, because he never wants this feeling to go away.

AN: Hoped you liked it and felt like I did Logan's POV justice, I'm rather nervous about it haha.

Now dear readers I have a question for you; do you think Logan ever really got over Lilly?

Thanks so much for reading, I love you all!