Author's Note- Sorry for the delay in the chapter. I hope you enjoy the chapter. Please review, let me know what you think.

Chapter 24 - Soulmate

Veronica

For the second time in 48 hours I find myself facing someone holding a gun; someone clearly unhinged.

When Hannah sees Logan, she smiles and launches herself at him before anyone can react. I feel jealousy rear its head when she kisses my Logan. Before I can rip her off of him, she pulls a gun from behind her back and hits him in the head hard. Logan drops to the ground.

"You bitch." I scream at her, rushing her. Hannah raises the gun threateningly and I stop.

"I wouldn't do that Veronica Mars. I'm doing you a favor here." Hannah taunts me, holding my arm to keep me away from Logan. Logan is still laying on the ground and I wrench my arm free to lean over him. "He's fine. Why don't we have your friend put him on the couch and you and I can have a little chat."

Logan is still laying on the floor. While he's unconscious, he doesn't look too bad. A little pale, but his breathing is even. I look at Leo D'Amato trying not to let my fear show though I'm beyond terrified now. Leo nods and grabs Logan under the armpits and drags him to the couch. He lays him out and checks the bump on his head.

Flashback

It's decided that Veronica and I will go to the Grande while Keith, Mac, Wallace and Dick hold down the fort and prepare for our evening. My dad didn't agree willingly to Logan and I going on our own, but he thinks that his presence won't fix our problem of no evidence. Instead he comes up with the idea to have Leo join us wearing a wire so he can have legally obtained evidence to take action against Hannah if it proves that she is behind all of this.

Logan and I picked Leo up, dressed in plain clothes, on our way to the Grande. The plan is to tell Hannah that he's our bodyguard if she asks. It would not be outside the realm of reason for us to have hired a bodyguard given all that's happened recently.

End Flashback

I follow behind keeping an eye on Hannah. Hannah shuts the door behind us and pulls the safety lock. "So we're not interrupted," she says.

"Please sit down both of you. Logan will be out for a little while and I want to be sure that we have our talk before he wakes up." Hannah gestures to a chair by the couch. I sit, unsure what she wants. Leo sits in the chair next to me at Hannah's direction

Hannah takes a seat across from me, her back to the couch, keeping the gun trained on me at all times.

"You wanted to talk, so talk." I grit out at her, trying to stay calm. Why did Logan and I come? We knew she was a threat, but I don't think any of us considered that she might have weapons other than the scopolamine. I've been out of the game for so long I'm making lousy decisions, decisions that could hurt people yet again.

Hannah continues to look at me, smiling slightly. "You're very pretty." she says, disappointment coloring her statement. "I guess I knew that, but I had forgotten how pretty you really are. It's easy to see why Duncan and Logan were both so enamored of you."

"Ummm, thank you? Is that why you came here? To tell me that you think I'm pretty after you've attacked my boyfriend?" Sarcasm apparent in my every word.

"No, I wanted to make sure that you don't make a mistake. That you don't stay with Logan. I couldn't care less if you and Duncan decide to make a go of it again." Hannah answers my sarcasm with simple honesty.

"So you're doing this to save me?" I ask. "Is that why you're renting this room using his name?"

"No, because Logan deserves someone who can understand him. I saw how you treated him in high school. The two of you are toxic for one another. He would have been happier with me. When I met Duncan, I realized that he still thought of you as his one true love. He tried to keep quiet about it, but I could tell that he was keeping track of you. Over time, I realized that he was waiting for you to become the person you were before Lilly died, that sweet innocent girl that he thought was perfect."

"Yeah, Duncan is a crazy stalker. He's delusional. That's not news. What I want to know is why you helped him." I interrupt her evil soliloquy.

"Duncan hacked into your therapist's accounts to find out how close you were to becoming the woman he knew, but instead he found out that you were doing it all to get back to Logan. I told him that we had to save you. He was willing to do anything. It was easy to convince him to drug you and try to place suggestions when you were in a malleable state."

"Again, all things I know. I get why Duncan was doing this. He hates Logan because he thinks he corrupted me. He's delusional and doesn't realize that he did way more to change me than Logan ever did. All of that still does not explain why you are sitting here in the Neptune Grande, using Logan's last name, trying to "save" me, and just attacked the love of my life. So I ask you again, why are you doing this?" I'm beyond angry at this point. Leo shakes his head from his place by Logan's head, subtly telling me not to piss off the woman holding a gun on me. As I look at him, I notice a small smirk on Logan's face. He's not asleep anymore

"Because he's mine. You stole him from me, mistreated him, lied to him. We were in love, but when I went away to school, you dragged him back into your web, kept him from me. I was left to rot in that school but I knew a time would come when I would be able to get back to him. But finally, after I got rid of all of my obstacles, I thought you were out of his life. I had come home to find him. When I found him, he was staring at you. I realized that he was still hung up on you. I saw him watching you in Java the Hut, I saw how just looking at you affected him. I knew that I needed to keep you away. If you came back, I wouldn't have any chance. I figured I'd give him time to get over you, but then Duncan found out that you were coming back to him."

"What obstacles?" I ask because, while her whole story is pretty much cray-cray, it was that part of removing obstacles that sends a chill down my spine. This woman isn't just delusional, she reminds me of Beaver, that quiet evil that you don't see coming.

"Well my mom didn't think Logan was a good guy. She thought he was a bad influence, thought he was the reason that she lost custody of me. I couldn't have her going around maligning the man I loved. Since she wouldn't stop trying to get me to let go of him, she had to go. A simple cut of a breakline during a storm and mommy dearest's nagging was no more. She didn't understand how Logan and I were fated for each other."

Criminal mastermind this woman wasn't. She's telling us everything that she did. It dawns on me that she's only telling us all this because I'm not walking out of here alive, not if she has her way. Though if she thinks that Logan will stay with her after she eliminates me and Leo, she must not know him. Or else she has something else planned.

Stalling for time, I continue encouraging her to share what she's done. "And your father?"

"He tore me away from Logan. He was the coke addict, the one working with the Fitzgeralds, but he thought Logan was the bad one. He couldn't see the gentle soul that Logan had. He left me to rot in that school even after I told them how they treated me. He ruined my life." Hannah snarls. "He was easy to get rid of. I convinced him to let me come visit after mom died. The bastard wasn't even trying to hide his association with Liam Fitzpatrick at that point. Liam was easy to convince that he was a liability and needed to be gotten rid of."

"That's not an easy feat to convince Liam of anything." I muse.

"Oh, you'd be surprised what a guy will promise when you're riding his cock." She smiles. "Liam was the one to tell me about scopolamine, said it could make anyone do anything. I used it on him to convince him dad had to go. A bad batch of coke and daddy was out of the picture and I was finally free. But Logan wasn't ready. I knew he would need time to persuade and then I met Duncan. It all seemed perfect. I would just make sure that you never would come back to him and then Logan would finally move on and I would be there. And if he didn't see things my way, well I had ways of convincing him." She shrugs.

"Wow, drugging a guy to be with you. That's a whole new level of sick." I snarl at her.

"No, what's sick is Logan's obsession with you. I saw how you treated him in high school. You were always such a bitch. He was a sad boy and you just kept digging the knife in over and over again. You couldn't see how he was trying, you just thought the worst of him. You even gave him shit about dating me because you couldn't believe that he could like me for me rather than for some nefarious reason. Once I'm done, Logan will see things my way and you won't ever interfere again."

"How are you going to live out this fantasy ever after when you've got two dead bodies?" Leo speaks up.

"Oh, that's easy. I'm not going to kill either of you. You are. See, you killed Veronica and then yourself when you couldn't get her away from Logan. A crime of passion, open, close." Hannah says, smugly pulling some powder out of her pocket.

Logan

I've been listening to the whole conversation. Hannah has definitely thought this whole thing through. Bringing Leo along was supposed to be insurance for us, but instead we just handed her the perfect way to keep herself clean on all of this. With that stupid drug, she doesn't even have to do it here. She just needs to drug them and tell them to go somewhere else to die.

It's taking all of my self-control to not take action, but I know Veronica has been taunting Hannah into telling them everything. My girl believes that it's better to get the evidence rather than give the villain a chance to get away. She's all about justice. Just one of the many things that I love about her.

I've had my eyes open slightly watching everything, waiting for an opportunity. When Hannah pulls out a baggie of white powder, I know I have to do something, but there's still a gun to consider. I sit up silently, careful not to alert Hannah to the fact that I'm awake.

Veronica's eyes widen slightly but she doesn't give anything away to Hannah. I'm going to have to move fast. I keep an eye on the hand still holding the gun while watching Hannah finger the bag of powder. She's going to have to put the gun down if she's going to blow that shit in Leo and Veronica's face. That's going to be my chance.

Just as I expected, Hannah lays the gun down in her lap, keeping it still pointing at Veronica, ready to pick it up at a moment's notice if Leo or Veronica make a move. Hannah leans forward, already blowing the powder at them and I move lightning fast, knocking the gun away where it lands at Veronica's feet. I snatch the bag of powder as well, but it's too late.

Veronica has gone slack, her eyes vacant like she's a doll. I glance at Leo and see the same blank look on his face.

Hannah screeches, turning towards me. She lunges for the powder on the floor, hands scrabbling to get some of the powder. I push Hannah away before she can get any. I pull her up from the floor securing her arms behind her back.

"Noooooo, Logan how could you? You're ruining everything. She doesn't love you. I have always loved you." Hannah cries at me as I use my belt to tie her hands together, throwing her on the couch.

"You were once a sweet girl and I liked you, but Hannah, Veronica is the love of my life. I didn't choose her over you cause there was no choice. I've always been hers and I will always be hers."

"She loves you? Really? I think we need to put that to the test." Hannah growls at me. Before I can say anything she turns to look at Veronica. "Veronica, grab that gun and kill Logan. If I can't have you then no one will."

I watch in horror as Veronica leans down and picks up the gun and points it at my head.

"Bobcat, please, you're not a killer. It's me." I plead with Veronica, holding my hands in front of me. Her face is blank and she steadies the gun in her hands.

"Veronica, this is the guy who hurt you again and again. He slept with Madison to hurt you, he blamed you for Lilly's death, he caused your rape. You hate him." Hannah says from behind me, egging Veronica on.

I take a step towards Veronica talking the entire time. "I love you, please don't do this. I love you." Veronica's face is still blank but I see something flicker in her eyes. "Remember our plan, you and me together, our happily ever after. Please we've worked so hard to get back to each other. I love you."

The gun drops, no longer pointed at my head but still able to do quite a bit of damage if she pulls the trigger. I take another step towards her. I reach out a hand to touch her, hoping that our connection gets through to her. I feel that frisson of electricity when our skin touches, that tangible proof that she is it for me.

"Logan?" Veronica's voice is shaky, like she's fighting something to trying to take her over.

"Yes, it's me baby. Veronica, give me the gun. You don't want to kill me." The hand holding the gun is shaking, but she hasn't let go.

"You can't fight it Veronica. Kill him. He's the one who ruined your life, you hate him." Hannah continues spilling vitriol.

Veronica shakes her head, and I reach for the gun, gently taking it out of her hand. Without it, she sags and I catch her before she falls. I hold her tightly, trying to calm the trembling I feel running through her.

"It's okay baby, I love you." I tell her over and over again.

"No, it's not possible. No one can resist that drug." Hannah cries.

"Veronica isn't just anyone. She's my" I start to say, but am interrupted by Veronica.

"Soulmate. We're soulmates. Our connection is beyond understanding." Veronica whispers, head resting on my chest. I look down into her face, the drug still has her in its grip, but there's something of her in her eyes when she looks up at me. I lean down to kiss her softly.

"Soulmates." I agree. I never thought such a thing was possible, but how else do you explain the impossible connection between us? There's something that runs deep between us.

Hannah is crying now. I feel bad for how broken she seems but anyone who thinks they can come between Veronica and I is a special kind of crazy. I look over at Leo, but he's still blank and I feel uncomfortable giving him orders. Keeping Veronica in my arms and an eye of Hannah, I pull my cell out of my pocket and hit speed dial 2.

"Keith, can you come and bring the police?" I say into the phone. Glancing at Leo again, I add "and maybe an ambulance? Leo and Veronica were drugged but no one is hurt otherwise."

I hang up the phone breathing a sigh of relief. I'll let the cops deal with Hannah, Leo's recording should take care of everything. It's all over.