Disclaimer: I own no part of the Veronica Mars franchise. Seriously. No part. Although considering that I've started dreaming about it now-and when people are around, I want them to LEAVE so I can work on my fics, they should really be paying me for this gig. A night with Jason Dohring would TOTALLY be compensation…
The gate is locked. As Veronica peeks in through the wrought iron, she can see a sliver of yellow-Logan's car, but nothing else. And as she pushes the buzzer for the 12th time to no avail, frustrated tears form in the corners of her eyes. She reaches for her bag again, fumbling against her things for her cell phone.
"Come on, Logan." She breathes as she dials his number, her fingers shaking. She's contemplating scaling the wall when he answers, his voice heavy.
"Veronica, now really isn't the time." He's tired and broken, and she would've swallowed her fear and anger if she hadn't heard the edge in his voice.
"Logan-"
"Veronica. Please." There is a certain finality in that. Please. A word she'd never heard come out of his mouth before. Please. "God, y'know, Ronnie," His voice is conversational now, and she wonders for a moment where he's going with it. "I can't believe what crap Dog Beach is turning into. I mean, who would've thought. I mean, if I lived anywhere around there, I would get out as quickly as possible. You know, in an area that bad, getting out would be the best idea." He sighs deeply, and the words propel themselves throughout her mind. Best idea. Dog Beach. An area that bad… And it all finally clicks into place.
"Logan…" Her voice falters, and for a second, she wants to push on. To continue; ask him why he took those tapes, why he wants her to leave so badly, but she doesn't. "I love you." She murmurs into the phone, her voice barely a whisper. She can hear his sharp intake of breath, and the words hurriedly whispered back. Then he is gone, and Veronica can't help but wonder what happened. She moves off the hood and into the driver's side of the car, her mind a little unfocused as she reverses out of the driveway, and as she pulls into the parking lot of the beach, she wonders where the time went-how she got there so quickly. The April air is crisp as it swirls around her shoulders, but she barely realizes she's shivering. She barely realizes anything at all now, her lifeless eyes focused in on the crashing of the surf on the shore. It brings Lilly back in a startling heartbeat. Lilly, god, what a mess you made of everything. And I thought it was my fault. The tears are flowing down her cheeks before she can stop them, and she doesn't even notice the soft rapping noise against the window of her car. Startled out of her reverie, she's out of the car and into his arms in seconds. She doesn't even bother closing the door.
"Veronica-" His voice is soft, low and insistent in her ear. But she shakes her head, needing the soft warmness of him. "I-"
"I don't want your apologies, Logan." She murmurs, pulling away and wiping the tears from her eyes. "I can't believe you would take those tapes. Take the investigation into your own hands…god. I can't even-" She glances out at the ocean, the turbulent waves agitating her even more. Lilly's revenge.
"Well at least we know now." He murmurs quietly, and for the first time she notices that he's shaking too.
"We know now? We know what?" She asks wearily. He looks so lost and crestfallen that instinctively she wants to wrap herself around him. She doesn't. "What do we know Logan?" She asks softly. Their eyes lock, and for a moment, they are the only people who exist. Tears are leaking out of the corners of her eyes, but she doesn't wipe them away, her eyes so intensely caught in his, trying to differentiate between the differing emotions in his eyes.
"He didn't do it."
A/N: I know, I know. It's still not as long as it should be, but for the moment, it's the best I can do. I hope you enjoyed this chapter, even though it isn't my favorite.