A/N: I'm just going to stop apologizing for the delay because I am a terrible person and everyone should come to expect this from me by now. Of course, not that it matters much, since this is probably one of the final chapters. There might be one more and then an epilogue or I might go straight to the epilogue, I haven't decided yet. But, it has been a good run and all of you are amazing. I would especially like to thank my wonderful betas who have made this story so much better than it could have ever possibly been if I had continued alone. Okay, not winning an award here, so without further ado, chapter 25.
Chapter 25: Pillows.
Logan's hands trailed down her body, reacquainting themselves with the feeling of her underneath of them. God, how he had missed this. He deepened the kiss, their tongues fighting for dominance. Passion, it was certainly the one thing their relationship had never lacked. Slowly, one hand started to travel under the hem of her shirt, moving up her toned stomach.
Then it was on the floor beside them. His shirt quickly joined it and it was flesh against warm flesh as he kissed down her neck, paying close attention to that one spot that made her wild. Even after all of this time, he still knew her body better than the back of his hand. Logan grinned as she moaned, feeling pleased with himself for giving her such pleasure.
Veronica pushed him away, her eyes wide as though she was shocked by her own response, "What are we doing?" she whisper-yelled at him.. "We're not together anymore, Logan. We can't just make out whenever we feel like it. It doesn't work that way," she paused for a moment, "We have a kid in the next room."
"So?" he asked, not looking away from her.
She shot him a look before opening the door a crack to peek into the hallway, "We'll talk later," she said as she slipped out, leaving Logan standing there, confused.
With a frustrated sigh, he slammed his hand against the door before moving towards the bathroom for a shower. He needed to clear his head. What was going on?
Veronica moved about the kitchen, checking the cabinets for breakfast items, frowning when she saw that most of them were bare. Typical Logan, would rather starve than shop for groceries. With a sigh she grabbed a box of Pop-Tarts.
"Mom?" Linley called from behind her, causing her to turn around as she pushed the lever on the toaster.
"Pop-Tarts in a minute, how about some juice?" Veronica asked, moving towards the fridge.
Linley took a seat at the table, "Or coffee?" she questioned hopefully.
"That stuff will stunt your growth, and I hate to be the one to break this to you, but you don't really have any height to spare," she said with a laugh, placing the glass of juice in front of her daughter before going to remove the pastries from the toaster and bringing them to the table.
Linley picked one up and took a bite before putting it back on the plate, "Actually, I was wondering if you wouldn't mind braiding my hair. Whenever I do it, it comes out lopsided," she asked, holding out a hair-tie.
"Must be from all that book learnin'… weighing down half of your brain… you need to get out there and fill the other half with useless information. I keep telling you, skip school, join a gang, meet some undesirables, but you never listen," Veronica quipped, running her fingers through her daughter's hair as she separated it into sections to braid it.
"I think I'll live with the lopsided head," Linley said, trying to reach for her Pop-Tart but was held back by her mother's hands in her hair.
Veronica shrugged as she tied off the end, "Well, when you finally fall over, I'll be waiting with the video camera."
"Ha ha," Linley said, sarcastically, finally able to reach her breakfast.
Veronica rolled her eyes in response, "Hurry up, your dad will be down any minute to take you to school."
Linley looked back towards the entrance to the kitchen before turning back to her mother, "Would you have married him? If you hadn't gotten on that plane or he had showed up at your door, would you really have done it?"
She waited a moment before turning back towards her daughter, absent-mindedly playing with a dishtowel on the counter before shoving it away and turning around. "Yeah, sweetheart, I would have. The white dress. The beach. My dad walking me down the aisle…" Veronica trailed off, the thought that she would never have that. Her father never got to walk his only daughter down the aisle. "Look at the time, I should go get dressed. Have a good day at school, Martian," she said and bent down to place a kiss on the top of her daughter's head, "I love you."
Standing up, she turned around to see Logan entering the kitchen. With a heavy sigh she brushed past him on her way to the stairs. She couldn't deal with it right now.
Logan looked between the place where Veronica blew past him and then towards Linley, hoping for some sort of explanation, "Mom said that you're driving me to school," Linley offered.
"What was that about?" he asked, gesturing behind him in the direction Veronica had run off.
Linley shifted her eyes and adjusted her crutches under her arms, "Look, I want you two to get back together as much as the next kid with split up parents, but honestly, you screwed up. And, just so you know, if you do anything, anything, to make her want to leave, be it this house or Neptune itself, I'm going with her. Now, I know you technically have some legal rights, and can bring me back, but it won't matter, I'll leave again, and we can keep up that cycle until you get the message or I turn eighteen." She moved past him on her way to the garage, signaling that the conversation was over.
Logan shook his head and followed her, grabbing his keys on his way out. The drive to school was silent. "Do you need help getting out?" he asked when he pulled up in front of the school.
She looked at him for the first time the entire ride, "Would it have made a difference?" she asked.
"Would helping you out make a difference? I don't know. It's kind of high…" he tried to answer.
Linley rolled her eyes at him as she adjusted her crutches, "If you knew about me, would it have made a difference?"
"Of course, if I had known you existed, I would have been on the first plane to D.C. to be with your mom and you," Logan said, a tone of desperation ringing in his voice.
She shook her head and opened the door, "That. That right there is why she's pissed at you."
"What are you talking about?" he asked quickly as a car behind him laid on the horn.
Linley shifted herself out of the SUV and turned around, "You were willing to get on a plane and fly clear across the country for me but not for her. Her, the woman who is supposedly the one true love of your life. I'd be pissed too if I wasn't a good enough reason for the guy I wanted to spend the rest of my life with to get on a plane. I probably wouldn't want to marry him anymore because it sounds a lot more like obligation than love." She paused for a moment looking towards the school, "Just… just talk to her. I have to go."
He watched her close her door and head towards the school. Just as he was about to pull away from the school, he noticed that she had forgotten something on the seat: a simple silver chain. Logan picked it up and thought about calling out to her when he noticed that attached to the chain was the engagement ring he had used to propose to Veronica sixteen years ago. He got the feeling that she didn't simply "forget" it.
Another honk from behind him stirred him from his thoughts and he put the car in gear, speeding away. Why did it come as a shock to him that his daughter, that Veronica's daughter, was one smart kid?
Logan took the long way home, giving himself time to think. Linley had made a valid point. Of course he loved Veronica. Loves her. Then why didn't he go for her? Why didn't he? Because she was supposed to come back to him.
So why didn't he go when she didn't come back? Why had he given up on her, on their love, on their happy ending, so easily? He pulled over and began pounding on the steering wheel at his own stupidity.
Logan sat for a while on the side of the road, collecting his thoughts. He watched the cars pass by, some speeding down the road with a sense of urgency, others going slower, obeying the traffic laws. His thoughts drifted between happy memories of the times their life together was so filled with promise to all the years wasted apart. Finally, he started the vehicle again, checked for traffic and drove home, deciding that he wasn't going to let another lost minute slip away.
Walking through the front door, he placed his keys in the dish and set out to find Veronica so they could talk. He went through the house, checking the living room and the kitchen before spotting her sitting in one of the patio chairs outside. He watched her for a moment, lazily browsing the internet on her laptop while she talked on the phone to someone, dressed simply in a pair of jeans and the unmistakable dark blue FBI sweatshirt that he had seen Linley wearing not long ago.
Making a little more noise than necessary, he slid open the glass door to the backyard, stepping out onto the patio and leaned against the house. He watched her relaxed demeanor shift as her back straightened and she closed her laptop. "Okay, Pete," she laughed uneasily, "Yeah, I have to go…. No, definitely, I'm sure Linley would love to see you… No…Pete, no. Don't get her anything. She's spoiled enough," Veronica sighed, "Yes, I know. Bye." She placed her phone down on top of her laptop before turning around to Logan. "Do you want to sit?" she asked him.
He nodded and took a seat in the chair opposite hers at the table. They sat there for an awkward moment, neither of them speaking. Finally, Logan took a deep breath and began, "I'll get right to the point- I still love you, Veronica, and I'm sure that you are the only one for me."
She sighed and fidgeted with her phone on the table, "It isn't that simple anymore, Logan. We can't just throw ourselves back into a relationship again like a pair of teenagers."
Logan ran a hand through his hair, "Okay, so let's be adults," he paused allowing for his hands to still, "I screwed up. I should have gotten on a plane and flown to D.C. to be with you or at least tried, Linley or no Linley. I just thought…" he trailed off, shaking his head, giving himself a moment to recollect his thoughts, "I thought that when you didn't come back, you didn't want me anymore. For a while, I was busy with Trina, and then when that failed, I was angry. I lay in bed for days. I punched things. Then I got this assistant: Destiny. She worked for me for about six years." He looked away, embarrassed at that portion of his life, memories that he had buried deep were suddenly coming to the surface.
"Was she the blonde that…" Veronica trailed off, thinking to the awards show but not really wanting the answer. Logan nodded, ashamed, thinking back to that night.
He smiled at the cameras as he walked the red carpet, hand-in-hand with a very busty blonde until they reached the interviewer from some celebrity gossip show. "Logan Echolls," he said, shaking Logan's hand, "I was a fan of your father's."
Logan snorted, but before he could make a comment, Destiny was speaking, "I'm sure he would be proud to see his son walking the red carpet this evening."
"Jealous is a better word," Logan responded, pulling Destiny a little closer to himself, putting on a show for the cameras. He felt his phone vibrating in his pocket and moved away from the interviewer to check the caller.
Destiny was right behind him, pulling the phone from his hand, "Not tonight. Not even if someone is dying. There's nothing you can do about it anyway, you're not a doctor. You only play one in the movies." She looked at the name of the caller before putting his phone into her purse, "Where do these people even get your number anyway?" she asked with a light laugh, leading him into the building.
The entire evening, she played the supportive girlfriend role well. She clutched his arm when they announced his category, displaying her nervousness about the outcome before jumping out of her seat in excitement when his name was called. She even placed a quick kiss on his cheek before allowing him to make his way to the stage to accept his award. She, however, was not his girlfriend.
Later that evening, she returned home with him, checking his phone as they walked in the door. Almost thirty missed calls from the same number: some bitch he had a kid with. That much she had learned from reading his e-mails and listening to his voicemails before "accidentally" deleting them.. She sighed and deleted the call log, "Babe, I'm going to call the phone company in the morning and get you a new number. You shouldn't have to deal with this," Destiny said, handing him back his phone, now completely erased of Veronica Mars. Whoever she was, baby mama or old flame,, she was not going to be a threat to their relationship if Destiny could help it.
"How many times do I have to tell you not to call me babe?" he asked, taking his phone back a little rougher than he intended to.
Destiny rolled her eyes and began removing her heels, "You didn't seem to mind it last night in bed," she remarked, stepping closer to him and locking lips with him.
He pushed her away, "Oh, come on, Logan, don't act like that," she whined.
"Don't act like what?" Logan began untying his tie in frustration.
She put her hands over his and calmed his actions, "Let's just go to bed. We'll discuss this in the morning when you have a clear head."
"Julia thinks…" he began but she cut him off.
"Julia thinks? Really? Has Julia been there for the past six years, taking care of you? Does Julia know exactly how you like your coffee? Or what shade of green brings out your eyes? Will Julia fuck you in the middle of the night when you're lonely and horny? I don't think so," Destiny began screaming, "We've been together for six years, Logan, I know what's best for you and it isn't Julia."
He shook his head and took a step back, "We're not together, Dest, you're my assistant, I'm your boss. I think maybe you should leave."
"I fired her that night," Logan recounted. "It was messy, but thankfully Julia buried it and began with the rebranding. Logan Echolls: Hollywood's most eligible bachelor. That's when my career really took off. I was doing movie after movie, flying all over the place to location to film. When I was actually home, I spent all my time being Uncle Logan to Mac and Dick's little girl."
He paused for a moment, "My point is I should have made time to go to D.C. and see you. I guess… I wanted to hold on to that hope that it wasn't over. If I went there and I saw you, happy, without me, I would have known that it was really over and I've never been ready to let you go."
"It's a nice gesture, Logan, saying all of this, but it doesn't really fix anything," Veronica said, shifting her position in the chair as she pulled one leg closer to her body and wrapped her arms around it, "I should have tried harder to tell you. I was afraid that you didn't want her. I know what it's like to be rejected by a parent, and I didn't want that for her. I wanted her to know that she was always loved and cared about and important. I wanted to protect her. I didn't stop loving you, I just started loving her more."
He nodded and stood, "Do you want something to drink?" His mouth felt dry. Maybe it was the summer sun returning. Or the guilt he felt for creating this whole mess in the first place. Veronica shook her head and watched him walk inside.
Loan took a few minutes as he fumbled around with the ice dispenser in the fridge, wondering why he didn't just buy a new fridge with a working ice dispenser. Frustrated, he slammed the glass down on the counter. "You have got to stop that," Veronica's voice came from behind him.
He turned around and looked at her, then back to the glass, now cracked, on the counter. "Ice dispenser doesn't work," he offered as an explanation for his behavior.
She looked around before locking eyes with him, "There are a lot of things around here that aren't working."
"How do we fix them?" he asked, standing straighter as he took a step closer to her and away from the counter.
Veronica shrugged, "Well, the foundation seems to be solid," she started, tapping her foot on the ground a few times for emphasis, as though she was talking about the house. "But I think the walls need to come down."
He nodded, "I agree. No more walls." He took another step towards her.
"Then, slowly, we rebuild, making it better than it was before, strong against any storm, or," she looked out the kitchen window, "wave that may hit it."
Again, Logan nodded, taking another step towards her, "I like that idea." He paused, noting that they were only a few steps apart, "When do we start?"
This time, it was Veronica that stepped forward, closing the distance between them, wrapping her arms around his shoulders and leaning up to kiss him. His arms went around her waist, pulling her into him, returning the kiss that she had so boldly initiated. When the need for air overcame them, she pulled back with a smile, "Looks like the heater is still functioning properly."
Suddenly the ice dispenser decided to work, spitting out ice cubes all over the kitchen floor until it had no more to give. Logan looked up from the mess when the sweet sound of Veronica's laughter filled the air. A smile spread across his face as he held her loosely in his arms. "The fridge, not so much," she added with a smile.
"Where do we start?" he asked, nervously, not wanting to ruin the moment.
She pretended to think for a moment, "I think this is the part where you ask me out on a date."
Logan smiled, "Veronica Mars, would you like to go out on a date with me?"
Veronica smiled and in exaggerated motions pretended to have to think about it, "Let's stay in, instead. We could order Chinese and watch one of your cheesy movies, with Linley. Let's just be a family." Hope rang in her voice that he would be okay with it.
He tucked a piece of hair behind her ear, "Sounds perfect."
"Let's not tell her right away. I just… I want to be sure that this is going to work," she said, locking eyes with him.
Looking into her deep blue eyes, he was reminded that he could never deny her anything, "Okay. I won't say anything, but she is a smart kid, you might not want to keep this from her for too long."
Veronica nodded and looked back to the ice on the floor, "You know, if we had a dog, he would have already started to clean this up."
"You want a dog?" he asked.
She smiled, "We'll see. Right now, we should probably pick up the ice before it ruins the floor."
Letting out a breath, he nodded in agreement, releasing her from his arms as they both bent down to pick up the cubes. It didn't last long when Veronica dropped an ice cube down the back of his shirt. Retaliating, he dropped one down the front of her sweater and watched her squirm, laughing.
By the afternoon, they had mostly given up on cleaning up the ice, both lying wet on the kitchen floor, gasping for breath from laughing so hard. Looking at her watch, Veronica shot straight up, "Someone has to go get Linley."
They looked at each other, trying to determine who was the most presentable. Finally, Veronica stood, grabbing hold of the counter for support, since the floor was now quite slippery, "I'll go. I wanted to stop by the store anyway. I'm just going to go hop in the shower."
Logan stood too, "Want some company?" he asked wiggling his eyebrows.
"Slow, Logan, slow. I have to go pick up our daughter in 20 minutes," she reminded with a laugh before heading towards the stairs.
Later that evening, the trio sat in the living room, Chinese food containers covering the coffee table, as they watched one of Logan's earliest films. Veronica set down the container with the rest before scooting closer to Logan on the couch, resting her head on his shoulder.
Taking the hint, he also put his container down before wrapping his arm around her, drawing her closer to him. Stealing a glance at Linley, who was completely focused on the movie, he looked back to Veronica, capturing her lips with his own in a quick kiss, loving that he was able to do that again. She was right; this was a great idea for date night.
"You two look comfy," Linley said, noting their position on the couch as she reached for a different container.
Veronica smiled, "Want to know a secret?" she asked and watched Linley nod, "Your dad makes the best pillow. He's not too soft or too bony, just right," she confided, causing a grin to spread across Logan's face. "Come try," Veronica continued.
Awkwardly, due to her injured leg, Linley pulled herself off the ground and made her way over to the couch, taking the spot on the other side of Logan, before resting her head on his other shoulder.
Veronica turned back to the movie with a smile. It wasn't long before she felt Logan poking her in the side, causing her to look up at him. She followed his gaze over to Linley, who was sleeping like a baby on his other side and chuckled lightly. "I did say you made an excellent pillow," she whispered.
When the movie was over, Veronica removed herself from Logan, sitting up and reaching for the remote. "Should I wake her?" he asked.
She looked to her sleeping daughter, "Only if you want to carry her up to bed."
"I don't mind," he responded, "she weighs practically nothing." It was the truth. His daughter, like Veronica, was quite tiny, and it wasn't a struggle at all to carry her up a flight of stairs to her bedroom. This time, however, Veronica was not close behind with Linley's crutches. Instead, she opted to stay downstairs, cleaning up the takeout containers and straightening the living room.
"You know," Logan said when he returned, "I do have a maid. She gets paid to clean things."
In spite of his statement, she finished gathering the trash and threw it in the bin, "Doesn't mean you can't clean up after yourself, Logan." She walked past him, up the stairs, to get ready for bed herself.
Logan shook his head and began going through the first level, checking the locks on the doors, and turning off the lights. He made sure to grab Linley's crutches before going upstairs; once he was satisfied the house was, indeed, safe.
"I believe that is mine," Logan said, finally heading into his own room, seeing Veronica brushing her teeth in his en suite bathroom, wearing one of his t-shirts.
She rinsed off her toothbrush and put it in the holder, a gesture that did not go unnoticed by Logan. He was reminded of the night before when she returned to her room with her toothbrush, something only a guest would do.
He watched her walk past him and climb into bed. "Are you coming?" she asked, patting the other side of the bed.
"Are you sure?" Logan asked, remembering their conversation about going slow.
"We're just two people sharing a bed, Logan," she said simply. Deciding not to over-think the gesture, he flipped the light switch, threw off his shirt and jeans, and slid into bed next to her. She moved closer to him, resting her head on his bare chest, her favorite pillow of all.
A/N: So there it is. Review? Please? I love reading all of them. And. We're almost at 200! That's incredible! And all of you have made that happen. I can't tell you what happens next because honestly, I haven't written it yet and I'm still playing around with it in my head but it'll be good. After all, LoVe is involved. Thanks again you guys, and feel free to tell me all of your thoughts in the fabulous box below. Review!