Title: Comfort in You
Author: fickledame
Rating: General
Word Count: 1297
Spoilers: Probably spoils until episode 2.1 – Normal is the Watchword
Pairing: Logan/Veronica
Summary: Logan and Veronica have a secret.
Dedication: To moire2 for being an amazing friend, confidant and for betaing for me constantly. G
A/N: Big, big thanks go to semby for the beta!

The first time he comes to her is the night after Lilly is murdered. He stands in the doorway, his hand on the edge of the door as if it is the only thing keeping him upright. His brown eyes burn into hers, full of vulnerability and grief.

Veronica takes him into her room, creeping near her Mom sprawled out on the couch with her eyes closed, and past her Dad sleeping soundly in his room.

He wraps his arms around her and she buries her head into his chest as they curl up together on her bed. She absently notes he smells faintly of alcohol, tears and sweat as he falls asleep and begins to snore gently. The rhythm of his breathing finally lets her succumb to sleep, the image of her dead best friend finally fading away in the darkness.

When she wakes up, he is gone.

Logan doesn't look at her the whole length of Lilly's funeral, his steady gaze never leaving the pine coffin with the beautiful cream and yellow roses arranged gracefully on top of it. He brushes past her afterwards, and she feels a pang of hurt in the midst of her own sorrow. But that night, when she hears the quiet knocking on the door, she knows exactly who it is. Her Dad is at the station still, he hasn't been coming home until the early hours of the morning and her Mom left a few hours after, saying she had to visit a friend.

He doesn't say a word as they once again fall asleep, clinging to each other like a lifeline.

Her Dad accuses Jake Kane and loses his job. The 09ers begin to taunt her; his warm eyes now shine with anger and amusement as tears slip down her cheeks.

He still comes to her.

They don't speak. She doesn't ask why and he doesn't offer a reason.

Veronica goes to Shelly's party and once again wakes up alone, but with her underwear on the floor and a feeling of horror to the depths of her bones. That night when he arrives, she grips his t-shirt in her fists and silently shakes with sobs all night. Logan doesn't sleep either - he lays awake watching her with a look in his eyes that Veronica thinks may be concern, but he doesn't ask what's wrong.

Their spiteful banter is on top form the next day when she arrives at school with short hair, wearing a ripped black top and jeans. There is a hardness in her eyes and her back is held straight as she viciously rips back into him in response to his taunts. Dick calls her a slut and then finds all four of tires are removed from his car after school. They turn up in the bottom of the school swimming pool.

Her Mom disappears from Neptune and they move from the edges of the 09er district to the opposite end of Neptune. Logan now avoids the front door as Keith's room is too close to it and he would hear. He climbs in through her window and she smirks, calling him Joey Potter. He looks surprised at her words; it's the first time they have spoken in her room since he started coming. He doesn't reply.

She sees the video on the internet of Logan ring-leading the fighting homeless people and rolls her eyes in disgust. The next night Logan comes to her room he is limping and winces when she wraps her arms around him, but doesn't stop her. He softly runs his fingers through her hair.

One night, he heavily sits down and yelps in shock when the whole bed wobbles. They both laugh before they can stop themselves. He keeps shifting to make the waves and giggles infectiously. Neither get much sleep that night.

Logan drives from the hospital straight to her apartment the evening Aaron is stabbed. He paces the room all night, constantly checking his phone while Veronica sleeps. He gets a call from Lynn at 4:00am to say Aaron is all stitched up and back home. Logan punches a hole in the wall making Veronica jump awake. He can't explain why he did it. She tells her Dad she dropped something when he knocks on her door. The next night he tries his best to plaster it up and smiles proudly at the uneven mess. Veronica smoothes it down herself when he leaves and paints it white. Her Dad never mentions it.

Lynn jumps to her death and Veronica opens the window in preparation and sits cross-legged on her bed for him to arrive. She's still sitting there when the sun rises, casting glowing rays across her bedspread.

She doesn't see him until he arrives at her front door asking for her help a week or so later, but he doesn't stay the night. Her arms ache all night as she longs for his presence. It's another night she watches the sun rise alone.

The next time he stays over is the night he breaks down at the hotel. He doesn't cry anymore, but he holds her so tight she can barely breathe, but when he falls asleep, his arms relax and she joins him a few minutes later.

They kiss outside the motel and everything changes again. He stops coming at night. He never gives a reason just like he has never admitted out loud, to Veronica or anyone else, that he has spent so many nights in her bed. Veronica Mars. His sworn enemy. The girl he made cry, whose headlights he smashed.

Now they have a different kind of secret. They stealthily meet in the girl's bathroom for a make out session before Physics; he gropes her in the cleaning cupboard and drives her around as she works on cases. She misses him when she curls up under her covers, but understands why he isn't there. The temptation would be too great and it is too early in their relationship for that.

Tad tells her Logan was the one with GHB and the betrayal stabs through her. That night, with her Mom back under her roof, but not making everything better, she longs for his comfort and the strength she draws from him but he is the very reason she needs that comfort.

Things happen in quick succession and before she knows it Aaron Echolls is in jail for murdering Lilly and trying to kill her. Logan is pulled from her arms to be taken into custody for the murder of Felix, until he gets released on bail. Keith is in hospital and her Mom has left her again, disappearing into the night with her college fund.

She stays at his house this time, careful of his injuries. It's certainly more comfortable in the larger bed, but they end up in the middle entwined together anyway.

This time they spend a lot of their time at night talking, about everything they could possibly think of, but glossing over anything painful or bad, which covered quite a lot of their lives. Keith is back at home and they switch to sleeping in her bed.

They break up and Veronica half expects him to be there that night, taking comfort in her. Even if she is the one that caused him the pain. The window remains closed.

It takes the bus flying off the cliff and Veronica surviving to draw him back again. He buries his nose in her hair and rocks them both to sleep. She pretends to be asleep as he kisses her softly on the forehead and leaves the next morning.

Veronica knows he is swearing to himself it will be the last time.

She knows it won't be.

She hopes it won't be.

fin

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