Disclaimer: I still don't own Veronica Mars. Do you think if I say it enough, they'll surprise me by giving over the rights?
A/N: I'm changing the tense for the scene, I hope you don't mind.
"Well if it isn't little Ms. Mars." A tingle of awareness shoots down Veronica's spine. She spins around quickly but has to school her features into staying in shock and outrage mode.
"Logan." Her voice is laced with disdain, but at the same time, as he nears her, the undercurrent of emotion emanating from him is so tangible that she can almost see it.
"Isn't it a little late for you to be out?" His words are pointed as he looks down at her revealing little outfit. She flushes and quickly turns to face the register.
"Just this, little lady?" The clerk is leering, and the color returns to her cheeks in full force. She nods stiffly, wondering what in the world had possessed her to come out at this time of night. "That'll be $6.85, Ma'am." His drawl and even the slight raise of his eyebrows cause her stomach to churn. She hands him a ten, but instead of giving her change, he grabs hold of her wrist instead. "How's about you and me…" His eyebrows rise again, if possible more suggestively this time, but before Veronica can even respond, Logan has planted his fist in the man's face.
"Go." Veronica shakes her head, but the look in his eyes causes her to change her mind. As she paces the parking lot, she curses herself for being so stupid-had Logan not been there…she didn't even have her cell phone with her…she hears his footsteps behind her, and blinks her eyes from the sudden mist that has clouded by them.
"Why did you do that?" She asks, her voice trembling. He doesn't respond, doesn't look at her, only hands her the change, and begins to walk off. "Wait, Logan!" He stops and slowly turns around. His features are masked.
"Why do you think, Veronica?" The sound of her name on his lips causes her a sharp moment of pain, and she can feel a lump forming in her throat. "The guy was an arrogant jackass who had it coming to him, I just happened to do it first." She nods, but can't help disbelieving him. "What did you think I did it for you? In some misbegotten attempt to win you back? No sorry, I don't play that way." She recoils as if she's been slapped, but nods. She'd known he would react to her this way, but she hadn't expected it to be so hard.
"Well, thank you, none the less." She turns away from him and heads towards the Buick, her fingers tracing her skin where his fingers had burned hers.
"Although it begs the question, where's Duncan tonight?" His voice makes her stop, the words bringing color to her cheeks. "I certainly wouldn't have wanted other men ogling my girlfriend. If she were dressed like that and looked like you." It is a backhanded compliment, and Veronica feels an absurd rush of please as she hears it. Her smile however, fades after a moment.
"No, she parades around in bikinis and you don't even care." The words have slipped out before she could stop them, and she closes her eyes in anguish. Suddenly he's closer than he has been in weeks.
"What did you say?" His voice is like ice, and she can feel the hair on the back of her neck prick. There's fire in his eyes, and she should know better than to provoke it.
"Kendall Casablancas. Stepmother to Dick, and Cassidy, wife to Big Dick…she sure likes those bikinis." She can take him down, glare by glare, and he knows it.
"What about her?" His tone is nonchalant, but Veronica knows better. But out of nowhere, a torrent of white-hot anger explodes inside her.
"I saw you with her, Logan." Tears have spilled out of the corners of her eyes, but she doesn't notice, doesn't move to wipe them away. "I saw you." She takes a shaky breath, and despite her tears, her eyes are ablaze with fire. "Did I mean nothing to you?" Her voice is small, and for the first time since the argument began, she averts her eyes, the tears have reddened her cheeks. His angry, soulless laugh brings her eyes to his again.
"Did you mean nothing to me?" His voice is calm, steady, but Veronica knows better, there's a war waging inside him. "I'm sorry, Ms. Mars, I was under the impression that you had meant the world to me. Let's disregard your constant lack of faith in me, and fast-forward to where you dumped me when I needed you most. Yeah, I would say you meant about…nothing to me." He turns to walk away, but the soft timbre of her voice stops him.
"You weren't yourself, you were acting crazy-" He swings around, fire in his gaze.
"I'm not going to justify myself to you-"
"Setting fire to swimming pools? Terrorizing parks? Challenging Weevil whenever you got the chance? You weren't acting like yourself."
"Because you're such the expert on me."
"I thought I was. God Logan, what are you doing with her?"
"Why do you care?"
"Because I care about you! What we had was wonderful, and special, and I'll always care about you, you know-"
"Veronica, I loved you." And suddenly, his hands are cupping her face, and his lips are on hers. She doesn't think to struggle. She doesn't think at all. All she can do is kiss him back. It's the only thing keeping her alive.