For some reason, Logan hung back once they made it to Veronica's room.

"Hey, V. How you feeling?" Eli asked as he came in.

She smiled wanly. "I'm good! Besides the fact that they gave me a beautiful cocktail of painkillers, I only got hit in the thigh, so it's not a big deal."

Weevil raised an eyebrow. "Usually getting shot anywhere is kinda a big deal. Not for me, because I'm a badass, but you know, for other people."

"Doctors said that it just missed her bone and the femoral artery." Keith told him, reaching out to hold Veronica's hand. "Half an inch to the side…"

Veronica glanced briefly at Logan, then shook her head with a smile. "Hey, Logan's the one who took him down before he could ruin my beautiful face. I mean, what if I couldn't skate by on my looks anymore?"

"It'd be a damn tragedy, you having to use your brain." Eli agreed with a grin.

"I know, right? Luckily, just my leg. I mean, who even uses their legs?"

"It's a good thing they didn't have to amputate," Keith added seriously. "You're barely tall enough to go on the rides at Disneyland as it is."

Veronica's sardonic look did much in convincing everyone she was going to be alright. "Seriously, Dad? A short joke? From you?"

"What's that supposed to mean?" Keith protested.

"I've had guys go down screaming at the thought of blood, so you're tough, I'll give you that." Eli told her fondly.

"Oh, that reminds me. Eli, I bring a message to you from the other side." Veronica told them in a spooky voice.

"You do, huh? Is Abuelo pissed that I threw away his bolo ties?"

"No, it's much more serious than that. The spirits have told me to say…" She tried to maintain her poker face. "That you need to shave your head. All that fuzz makes you look like a Chia pet."

Weevil shook his head and stifled a grin. "Oh, well, you tell the spirits that I need to talk it over with my wife."

"Oh, Jade totally agrees with me. We just didn't know how to break it to you." Veronica informed him.

"You two becoming friends has made my life much more difficult, you know that?" He teased. "Speaking of, I should probably let her know you're okay."

Veronica checked the time. "Oh no! You missed putting Tina to bed, I'm so sorry."

Eli raised an eyebrow. "V, you got shot. The only people who should be sorry is any of the Fitzpatricks who run into me. Besides, I'll bring the whole gang in tomorrow, if you're feeling alright."

Veronica smiled warmly. "I'd love that. Tell Tina Tia Veronica says hello."

"Will do. Night, chica."

"Later, vato." She called in response, and with a parting wave, Eli headed out.

Logan tried to stifle the surge of envy at how close they seemed. There was an ease about their relationship, a sense of respect, of solidity, of a reliance built on years of trust. She probably hadn't accused Eli of - well, it was Veronica, so maybe she had.

Keith patted her hand. "You sure you're feeling alright, honey?"

Veronica gave him an exasperated look. "For the fifth time, yes, Dad. I feel fine. Besides, this is honestly the best career move I could have made."

"Is it now?" Keith asked with a slight grin.

"Absolutely. I'm pretty sure this qualifies me for hazard pay, plus, there's an unofficial rule that when reporters get together, the one with the best battlewound from a story drinks for free." She pointed to her covered leg. "Free drinks for life!"

Keith chuckled. "Well, I'm glad you have your priorities straight."

"Always, Daddy-o." She winked at him, then looked at Logan, still leaning silently against the corner of the room.

"Hey Dad, d'you think you can use those legendary Mars investigation skills and rustle me up some extra pudding cups?" Veronica stuck out her lower lip and widened her eyes persuasively.

"You're putting me on the pudding cup case? This could be it, kiddo, the one that gets me to the big leagues." Keith smiled.

"I have no doubt." Veronica nodded seriously in agreement.

After standing, Keith dropped a kiss on the top of her head, gave Logan a look of his own, then headed into the hallway. "I'll be back in just a bit."

Once they were alone, Logan examined Veronica carefully, taking in her face pale from the loss of blood, her bruised arm, cut up hands, the bump of her bandaged leg under the blankets, the various tubes and cords surrounding her bed.

When he met her gaze, he realized she was doing the same to him. He realized he must look a mess, dark-rimmed red eyes, cuts on his face and arm, bloodied knuckles, plus the large bruise blossoming on his face.

"We make quite a picture, huh?" She said with a small smile.

Logan tried to return the gesture. "Yeah. I bet."

"How's Trina?"

"She's okay. Her boyfriend was pretty beat up, but I can't say I feel sorry for him. Turns out he's one of the Fitzpatrick's drug dealers."

"Sounds like a real Prince Charming." Veronica commented drily. "Think she'll dump him after this?"

Logan sighed. "Not sure. She did go to Second Chances though, which is… something."

She gave him a small smile. "It's a good start."

Silence descended again as she opened her mouth to say something, then closed it and stared at the covers instead. He waited her out as she glanced at him, eyes intent, biting her lip, clearly wanting to ask him something.

"Hey, um,"

There it was.

Her voice was hesitant. "If I ask you a question, do you promise to tell me the truth?"

For a moment, he just looked at her, then let out the ghost of a chuckle. "That sounds like a dangerous game, Mars."

When she didn't look away, Logan gave her a measuring glance, then answered. "Tell you what. I will if you will."

Veronica blinked in confusion.

"A truth for a truth." He told her, then watched her reaction. She swallowed, her shoulders tensing slightly. He knew this was something the old Veronica would never do. She would never risk revealing herself, her secrets, her truths. Especially not to him. Old scars and memories would remind her that she shouldn't trust anyone, should never give them the tools to break her, a light to to shine in her dark corners.

But this wasn't the old Veronica.

"Deal." She told him, holding out her hand. There was still a trace of hesitation, but her voice was clear and steady. He stepped forward, shook her hand, then sat in the chair next to her bed.

"Ladies first."

She looked down at her hands, then asked softly, "Why do you have all my articles?"

Logan stared. That was not what he expected.

There was a slight pause. "Do you want the long version or the short version?" He asked finally.

Veronica attempted a grin. "I don't have any immediate plans."

He sighed, running his hand through his hair, trying to think of where to begin.

"It turns out that rehab isn't as 'One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest' as you might think. It's mainly… boring. Besides the lovely nine days of detox, anyway. There's a lot of therapy sessions, things like that. But a lot of it is just sitting around. And while I like reading as much as the next guy, there are only so many times one can read dime-store romance novels and self-help books. But they did have a couple newspapers delivered there, so I grabbed those."

He gave her a sarcastic grin. "I just love reading the comics. That Garfield. Such a hoot."

She smiled back, then waited for him to continue.

"Anyway, they got all the local papers, including the Hearst college paper." Veronica's eyebrows shot up as several pieces of information came together. "And imagine my surprise when the only article worth reading in there had 'by Veronica Mars' on top. So, every week, I collected the paper for myself, ordered some of the back issues as well."

He shifted slightly, then continued, "I was in rehab longer than most, since they tend to let you out earlier if you have a 'stable support system', you know, friends, family, things like that. I, however, had Dick." Logan looked up to clarify, "The person, not… no one."

Guilt flickered across her face, but she didn't interrupt.

"Anyway, they wanted to keep me around for a bit. Outpatient stuff, sober living community, the works, and I needed all the decent reading material I could find. It took a little bit of work to figure out you had transferred to Stanford the next year, but once I figured it out, I got that paper too."

He shrugged. "After that, it just became a habit. Part of therapy is replacing bad habits with new ones, like working out, learning a new hobby, or reading. Something to do instead of having a drink. Besides, watching you direct your wit at the world instead of just me was incredibly satisfying."

Logan paused, unsure if he should admit the next part, but isn't that what she had asked for? The truth?

"The short version is... it was the only way I could hear your voice." He finished, then glanced up at Veronica's face.

Multiple emotions flitted through her eyes, and, unsure if he was ready for her response, he decided to take his chance.

"My turn." He said, and Veronica went very still.

His heart suddenly pounding in his chest, he bit his lip, then asked quickly, "W-what did I say to you that night?"

Her mouth dropped open, then she let out a slow breath.

"What do you remember?"

Logan attempted a grin. "Doubling up, huh?" He stared at a spot on the floor. "I… I just remember talking to you at school, and how you said that after you graduate, you never have to think of anyone from high school ever again, and you sounded so… so glad. And I realized that I was one of the reasons you were so happy to leave. Why it was so terrible. "

"Logan…" her voice was soft, rueful, but he couldn't meet her gaze just yet.

"Y'know, the way I treated you after Lilly… and how angry I was even when we were dating, and when we broke up, how I couldn't stand to see you with…" He took a ragged breath. "I realized that you couldn't wait to leave everyone behind. Looking back at everything that had happened, I couldn't even blame you."

Shaking his head, he said, "I had just always thought that there was... more to our story. More to us than just one summer in high school. I never even considered that you just wanted to get out and never look back. To leave," he changed the word he was going to use, "...all of it behind."

He coughed. "Anyway. I started chugging down champagne once the party started, and... that's all I remember from that night."

When he finally looked up, Veronica was studiously examining the sensor on her finger. About to give up, he suddenly heard her voice, so quiet he nearly missed it, "You said we were epic."

His eyes locked on her face as she continued to fiddle with her blankets.

"You said our story spanned years and continents, bloodshed and ruined lives." She choked out a laugh. "I asked whether any relationship should be that hard, and you told me that no one…"

"...writes songs about the ones that come easy." He finished, with a slightly questioning lilt at the end.

Veronica nodded, then looked at him. "How did…"

"I'd been thinking something like that for… years. I didn't think I'd ever be drunk enough to tell you, though." Logan swallowed. "What made you come back? I thought that, after everything, you never wanted to…"

"I guess… I hadn't thought about never seeing you again. And I didn't realize how much you… cared. I guess I knew that you did, but I tried not to think about it. But..."

She met his eyes. "I think it was that you were honest with me. About how you felt. And I wanted to at least try and keep in touch with you to see what might have..."

Logan let out a humorless laugh. "Until I screwed it up."

Veronica watched him for a moment, hating the weight of guilt on his shoulders. "One more question." She waited until he met her gaze, then quirked a teasing eyebrow.

"Dick? Seriously?"

She could feel the tension dissipate as Logan gave her a real smile. "I know, right? It's hard to believe, but he's… well, he hasn't matured or anything, but he's been oddly supportive. Brings me non-alcoholic beer, distracts people trying to offer me stuff, tells me he enjoys drinking for two now. He's great at company parties, since the only thing people remember is the last crazy thing he did."

"Why don't you want people to know?" She asked carefully.

He rubbed the back of his neck and answered, "Enough of my life has been posted for public consumption. I just… want this to be for people I choose to tell."

Veronica stared at him a moment. "Logan, I…"

"Hey kiddo. Look who I ran into down the hall." Keith said as he came in holding a collection of pudding cups, then paused as he looked between the two of them.

The nurse from before waved as she followed Keith in, then said, "I'm afraid visiting hours are over, and Ms. Mars really needs to rest. You can come see her tomorrow, if you like."

Veronica glanced at Logan almost hesitantly, and the corner of his mouth tugged slightly upward as he answered, "I would like."

He moved as if to kiss her forehead, then checked himself and squeezed her hand instead. As he left, he looked back once with a small, wistful smile, which Veronica returned as the nurse injected her next dose of medication into the IV drip.

"Night, Logan." Veronica murmured as her eyes started to close.

Keith suddenly felt like an intruder as a desperately aching expression crossed Logan's face, halfway between hope and heartbreak, fondness and fear.

It was the look of a man who's seen everyone he cares about leave him. A man who had finally regained something precious, and couldn't bear the pervasive threat of loss. The double-edged joy of finally gaining your heart's desire, and the accompanying terror of knowing it could disappear at any moment.

The look of a man desperately in love, who dared not hope it was returned.