Woman!

I am serious if I was there I would give you the cold shoulder. How many does a brother have to tell you? I don't want to hear about who Mac has the hots for, or any of that shit. Does Weevil let you talk to him like this? No, I know for a fact he doesn't. So why do you think you can do it with me? Huh? Yeah, no good enough reason is coming into the little head of yours, is it? Keep yourself in check, or I'll stop e-mailing you.

I'm in Kampala, it's the capital of Uganda. We came in to gather supply, and some other things. The new crop of volunteers are rolling in too, I remember when that was me. The village that we've been staying in is amazing, and not in the "Awe dude this is so cool" amazing, but in the "Wow, people can actually live like this" amazing. Running water is something they've never heard of. The whole village comes together to protect their children. Everyone is scared, you can see it in their faces, the way they don't like to sleep at night. We have helped to build more secure buildings, but we both know if someone wants it, nothing will stop them. I wish you could see some of the kids, superfly. They would blow you away. We think we have issues in Neptune, we've got nothing on these guys. Those things Apollo wrote about, his story seems like a fairytale compared to what I've heard. Some of this kids are brainwashed into killing their own families. I don't even think Echoll's could have killed his own pops. It's eye opening, and soul changing.

So Mac and Dick? Do I even want to know how that happened?

However, I'm not surprised about your dad. I got an e-mail from my mom. Did you know they've been talking again? I guess he's gone to her for advice on what to do and say to you about this whole Logan thing. Don't know why either of them think it would matter. You're going to do what you want no matter what we say, or how many times we warn you about that kid. I gave up last time, really, I mean it's just sad.

I don't have a lot of time. We're only here for the night, something about us needing normal beds to sleep in, and showers. I'm not complaining though. I'll be back in Neptune before the 1st. I don't remember which day I fly back, I've got an 18 hour layover in New York, that's all I know. Ask my mom, she can tell you.

I miss you V, and I worry about you even when I'm not there. Just try to keep your head low and stay out of trouble this summer. There is enough going on already.

Your Papa Bear
Wallace

You care, you really care! Awe shucks kids, you make me smile even when you're on the other side of the world. I won't lie and say I don't worry about you. I've read Apollo's books, and I've read up on what you're doing. It makes me worry about your safety, and the safety or all those people you're helping. I know that compared to them, my problems seem superficial. I can't imagine being there, seeing the things you're seeing. Just don't change to much, I want to be able to recognize you when you come back.

Things are getting a little hairy here. Which I suppose one could say is normal for Neptune. The summer air seems to make things grow. By the time you get back, I'll have an extra set or arms, and maybe even legs, depending on how things go. Someone's been breaking into cars. Nothing's been taken, but it's defiantly happening. And as normal, I'm on the case. Although it seems pointless to share this with you. Since you're off saving the actual world, and I'm just here in Neptune, battling aliens and rich powerful men that surely lie and cheat. Such is life though.

And please, don't tell me you're not a girl. You love this gossip stuff more than I do. And that's why you're wondering when Mac and Dick got together, and if they are really together, or it that's just some ploy I've got going. So to put you out of your misery, they aren't together, not in the sense of the word though. Will this make you stay up at night? Tossing and turning, wondering whatever I could mean? I am evil like that, aren't I? *insert my evil laugh here*

Logan's out of the hospital. So things are looking up. Have you heard from Piz? Do I have the right to ask you that?

Be safe Wallace.

Love V

"Did you tell him I said hello?" Logan questioned, looking at Veronica from across his bedroom. She was sitting at a small table and had been lost in her own little world for a long time.

Veronica smiled when she turned to look at him, she didn't even know that he was awake. "Did you say hello?" she questioned. "I don't remember the two of you being chummy. Did the memo get lost somewhere? I'm always the last to know."

"We are the best of friends. I am planning a slumber party for when he gets back. He promised to paint my nails." Logan he informed her, as she came over to sit on the edge of his bed.

"Is he going to do your hair as well, or is Weevil going to be invited?"

"I never said I was friends with the help." Logan told her, watching a twitch of annoyance flash across her features.

"Maybe Dick then?" she asked. "Speaking of the blonde, where is he?"

"Spending some time with daddy dearest I believe, or helping Mac shop of a new car." Logan answered.

"Do not mention him and Mac together, please, I'm still trying to wrap my head around that." Veronica sighed. "I refuse to believe they are together, or that she is buying a new car."

"I'm just telling you what I heard through the wall." Logan smiled. "But I'm not his keeper, so I can't say for sure."

"You're not his keeper, than I wonder who is." She pretended to ponder the thought for a moment, looking towards the ceiling with her finger tapping his chin. "I'm truly stumped. All this time, I was sure it was you."

"Okay mister wise guy." Logan laughed shaking his head. "You ready to talk?"

"Me? Talk?" Veronica asked pointing at herself. "I was so sure that's what we were doing. Did they change the definition and forget to tell me? Man I hate it when that happens."

"I'm serious Ronnie." Logan sighed. This talk had been a long time coming. There was so much between them, they both needed to clear the air.

"Oh, you mean talk, talk." Veronica nodded and moved to sit crisscross on the bed. She studied his healing face, taking in the changing colors and healing cuts. It was hard to believe that just a few short weeks ago his face was one giant bruise.

"I figure it may be time to sort a few things out. Like the fact that you left your internship to come back here." Logan knew that was the best place to start. Everything else was past them, Madison, Piz, Gory, those things didn't matter anymore.

Veronica was silent for a moment, this wasn't what she had in mind when he started. In fact, this was a subject that she would be fine never talking about, with anyone. "I had to." She whispered and looked at him. "You would have done the same if it was me."

"I am the reckless one, I am the one that doesn't think my action though. You're the smart sensible one."

"Are you saying coming back was senseless?" Veronica questioned, raising and eyebrow, hoping it would mask the hurt his words caused.

"Always putting words in my mouth." Logan muttered. "And Jake?" he asked, moving on from that subject.

"How do you know about that?" she looked at him puzzled. She never mentioned to anyone that Jake Kane's goon had been the one to find Logan. "Did Dick tell you?" he was the one that had driven her to his house, the only one that could make the connection.

"He called me a few days ago, wanted to see how I was doing." Logan explained. "He said he was sorry he couldn't have stopped it, that he would have if he had known sooner. It was pretty easy to fill in the blanks."

Veronica could feel the tears sting her eyes as she thought back to that day so many weeks ago. "I didn't know what else to do. I had tried everything I could, and kept coming up empty handed. I knew going to him was a long shot, but it was my last shot. When I was thrown out of the house, I was so scared Logan." Her voice was so small, for once matching her tiny size.

Logan reached with his good arm and pulled her over to him, allowing her to lay next to him and cuddle into his side. He wanted to comfort her, he wanted to hold her, and take all that fear away.

"They had thought your body had washed ashore, and I had to go and identify it. The sheriff's office wasn't doing anything, and the FBI was getting involved. I wasn't sure how much longer I could hold on. My whole world seemed to stop when my dad called, when he told me."

"You did the right thing Ronnie, you always do the right thing." he whispered into her hair.

Logan allowed her to cry for awhile before speaking. "I had gone out to surf that morning. I couldn't take being stuck in here any longer, and I figured it'd been a few weeks, things should have cooled off by then, he should have been gone for the summer. I don't even remember making it out of my car." His voice was soft as he spoke, and filled with so many different emotions. "When I came to, I don't know how long it had been, but I was in this cement room. There weren't windows so I couldn't tell the time of day, and I was in so much pain. There was a blood stain on the floor, and I couldn't stand. I didn't know what had happened, or even who had done it. But it didn't take long. Gory kept hitting me until I blacked out."

"Logan." Veronica looked up at him, his eyes were far away, and she knew he wasn't in the room with him, but somewhere else, somewhere bad.

"This other guy, I don't know who he was, but he was the one with the knife. He said he liked the scars on my back." He instantly returned to the room, to the present time and looked down at Veronica, tears in his own eyes. He knew that he couldn't give her the details, he couldn't go over those things with her, because he knew sooner or later she would be able to figure it out on her own. His body had become a map of sorts, showing all the ways physical pain was inflicted on him. "The only thing that kept me alive, was knowing the longer they had me, the safer you were. Gory talked about how you were next, and when I was finally gone, they'd go after you."

She couldn't even think about it. Another sob tore through her body and she held herself as closely to him as she could. When she had finally stopped, her whole head felt like it was ready to explode. Her nose was stuffed, and she had a slight case of the hiccups. "Normal people don't have to deal with all this." She whispered into the silent room.

"We're not normal Veronica, we're epic." Logan held her to his side as tightly as he could, kissing the top of her head, trying to comfort her in way he could. He hated to put his nightmares in her head.

"Then have we had our fair share of bloodshed and ruined lives?" she hiccupped. "Because I don't know if I can go on anymore years, or spanning continents."

"Is that what I said?" he asked after thinking about it. She had referred to this speech a few times before, but would never tell him what it was he had said that night.

Veronica looked up at him, puffy faced and blood shot and smiled. "No one writes songs about the ones that come easy." She wanted to lean up and kiss him, she really did. She wanted to feel his lips pressed against his, and allow their tongues to dance. But she couldn't, not yet.

When the sadness of their conversation wore off, and Veronica's nose seemed to clear, it was time for another conversation, another set of emotions. Logan knew somewhere down deep, that if he didn't allow Veronica it get it all out, to yell at him now, it would only come up later, and the consequences would be greater. So he had no choice but to let her yell at him for a few moments. She had been so worried, and so scared, and she deserved to let it all out, she deserved to share it with him, because he had shared his nightmare with her.

"I told you he was connected, I didn't want you to touch him. None of this would have happened if you would have listened to me." She yelled repeatedly, always rephrasing her words, with so much anger until she fell back into the bed next to him in tears. Her anger didn't last long, not before the guilt of her words could eat her up. How could she say those things, how could she be mad at him? He had already been through so much, she had almost lost him. He had been punished enough. But she needed him to see. She needed him to understand that he couldn't keep reacting to life that like.

"I can't be around you, not if you're going to keep going down this road." Veronica whispers, not even sure if he's still awake. She had finally given up her anger hours ago, and just laid next to him.

"What do you mean?" he whispered back.

"If you're going to beat up every person that wrongs me, I just can't do it Logan. I can't put myself through this again. I was so scared that I would never see you, that I wouldn't be able to find you." Veronica told him. "I know it seems unfair to ask you to change, because I know it's part of who you are, but I think it's part of what Aaron made you." She knew that would get his attention, that would make him think. "You weren't like that, not when we were younger, not to this extent."

"Before this happened, before Gory, when I was stuck in here, I did a lot of thinking." Logan sighed, and rubbed her back slowly. "I thought that maybe I should try anger management classes, see if it helps. The way I reacted to Piz, the disappointment I saw in your face. I don't want to ever see that again."

"I suppose we should talk about Piz next." Veronica sighed after a moment. She was happy that Logan wanted to take classes, that he knew even before she needed to tell him.

"Just answer me one thing." Logan said, his voice suddenly turning more serious than Veronica had heard it in a long time. "Do you feel anywhere near the same for him as you do for me?"

Like that was an easy question for Veronica Mars to answer. She had always been so guarded for her emotions, and her feelings, down to every last smile. She didn't spout them off, she didn't talk about them. But now, they had reached a point where it had caused so many problems for them, and everyone they came in contact with.

What did she feel for Piz? That always seemed to be the question. But lying next to Logan, feeling his smooth fingers on her back, taking in his scent, it wasn't hard to know. "There is no comparison." She couldn't look up at him this time, because she knew if she did they would kiss. But she couldn't do it, she couldn't allow it. Not until things were settled with Piz. So the only thing she could offer him were simple words. "I love you Logan Echolls."

If that didn't make every part of Logan feel alive, then nothing ever would. He smiled, and pushed his head back into the pillow, tears sliding from the corner of his eyes while he replayed her words in his head. "I love you Veronica Mars." He whispered back.