Title: Home Sweet Home
Author: Modern-Insomniac138
Pairing/Character: Logan/OC Friendship, LoVe eventually, a little V/D, Beaver/OC, Ensemble
Word Count: 2,230
Rating: PG-13
Summary: Carly Hayes is a freshman at Neptune High, and she's an old friend of the Echolls Family. Slight AU. Season 2.
Disclaimer: I do not own Veronica Mars, Rob Thomas does. Though I wish I owned Logan…
Oh well!
August 1, 2002
"Carly Elizabeth Hayes how could you?" Logan Echolls asked angrily.
"I'm sorry, how was I supposed to know that my little cough last night was really the flu?" Carly asked innocently.
Logan looked at Carly in sympathy. "I still can't believe that you have to stay in bed all day until you feel better." Logan said as he sat in a chair across from where she was lying.
"Yeah, I know, but I'm trying to convince my parents that I'm..." Carly started before she sneezed.
"It's okay Care Bear. Tonight, I'll take one for the team." Logan said smiling as he handed her a tissue.
"Thanks for understanding Logan. You know that I would go if I could. I hate seeing you being harassed by teeny bopper 09ers and Aaron obsessed fans." she said hazily as she wiped her nose with the tissue.
"It's okay, I just want you to get better." he said.
"Well, I think I'll be better soon, but I just don't think I can inhale another bowl of soup!" Carly whined.
Logan laughed.
"Don't you dare laugh at me! I'm tired, I'm cranky, and I feel like a 1,000,000 pound elephant just sat on me!" she wailed.
"Well, I'll let you get some rest. I'll tell you how everything went at hell fest if I see you tomorrow. Good luck with that elephant problem." Logan said as he got up from where he was sitting and headed for the door.
"Hey Logan?" Carly asked.
"Yeah Care Bear?" he asked.
"Go get 'em tiger." she said jokingly.
"Aye captain!" Logan exclaimed as he saluted her. She laughed as he walked out of her room. He quickly rounded the corner into the living room only to bump into Cecilia.
"Ow!" she shouted as she stumbled backwards.
"Sorry Cecilia!" he said as he grabbed her waist to keep her steady and from falling.
"It's okay." she said as she finally balanced herself.
"Are you alright?" he asked as he let go of her waist.
"Yeah, I am. So where are you going in such a rush?" she asked curiously.
"Oh, I'm headed home. I've got to get ready for my dad's movie release party tonight." he answered.
"Oh yeah, that's right. Well, I'll let you be on your way." Cecilia said smiling as she moved aside so he could pass.
"Thanks, I'll see you later." he said as he walked past her toward the door. "Hey, Cecilia?" he asked as he turned around to face her.
"Yeah Logan?" she asked.
"Are you coming tonight?" he asked hopefully.
"I'm not sure, I might have to stay here and take care of Carly." she answered.
"Oh, okay. I'll just talk to you tomorrow." he said disappointedly as he turned around to leave.
Cecilia looked down at the ground and then suddenly she shouted, "Wait!"
Logan turned around to face her.
"But I'm sure that I can get our nanny to baby-sit Carly. I mean, I need a break from babies and children after volunteering at that daycare center a few days ago." Cecilia said smiling.
Logan smiled and asked hopefully, "So I'll see you tonight?"
"Yeah, I'll see you tonight. Also, please tell Mrs. Santos to iron that green striped dress shirt that you have. I don't want my date to look like a total ass." she said smiling.
He smiled back. "Will do ma'am." he said as he saluted her.
She giggled as he turned around to leave. Once he left, she sighed. "What have I gotten myself into?" she asked herself as she turned around and headed to the bathroom.
Present/ December 31, 2005
"What! No Jeremy Maran! I mean, what happened to that guy? Did he just erase himself off the face of the Earth!" Carly shouted angrily as she rubbed her forehead in frustration.
"It's okay Carly, we'll just use a different technique to find him." Veronica suggested.
"We've been using different techniques and it's getting us no where! It's already five o'clock on New Year's Eve, and I promised Cassidy that we could hang out tonight. After a morning of Dakota spraying apple juice on my face and throwing mushy carrots at me, I really think that I need to take a shower and primp before we hang out!" Carly whined.
"Carly, just trust me okay? I mean we'll find Jeremy soon. Sometimes finding missing people aren't always an easy task. Look, it is New Year's Eve and why don't we give it another try for one more hour and see how it goes. Then if we don't find him we can both call it a day and continue on Monday. Now does that sound reasonable, yet?" Veronica asked.
"Yeah... it sounds fine to me." Carly answered as she flopped onto the couch.
Veronica sighed. Christmas had already passed and a new year was soon approaching. She was, now, in the middle of helping Carly with her case. After days of trying, it seemed that Cecilia's ex-boyfriend, Jeremy, had seemed to disappear off the face of the Earth and into the "Twilight Zone"! Veronica looked over at Carly in sympathy. She knew what it felt like to want to find someone desperately. She knew that feeling all too well after her mother left.
"So Carly, are you and the Beav dating?" Veronica asked curiously.
"Well... I'm not entirely sure." Carly answered.
"What do you mean you're not entirely sure?" Veronica asked in confusion.
"Well, things between me and Cassidy are really, really hard to explain. I mean for Christmas day we hung out and exchanged presents and all that good stuff, but I just don't know where we both stand. We've been on "dates", but we haven't even kissed yet. I'm not even sure if he's a boyfriend or just a friend! It's complicated and weird and all that mushy stuff in between." Carly answered frowning.
Veronica smiled. "Hey, what are you smiling about?" Carly asked.
"Well it seems fairly obvious to me." Veronica answered smiling.
"What's fairly obvious to you?" Carly asked.
"You like him. You really, really like him." Veronica answered simply.
Carly just blushed as she quickly tried to change the subject. "So, do you have any special plans for New Year's Eve?" she asked.
"Nope, it's just going to be me, Wallace, my dad, and Backup huddled in front of the television set as we watch the ball drop in Times Square." Veronica answered.
"So are you and Duncan on good terms, yet?" Carly asked.
"No, I think that we're going to be on rough mountain terrain for a damn long time. I don't want to see or talk to him ever again!" Veronica answered proudly.
"Well, good for you! He's a jerk anyway, but it's pretty funny how everyone is still talking about your break-up with that low life." Carly said happily.
Veronica smiled and looked back at the computer screen. She typed Jeremy's name again and stared at it for a few moments. She was about to click "enter" when suddenly... everything clicked. "Hey Carly?" she asked suddenly.
"Yeah?" Carly asked.
"What sport does Jeremy play?" she asked.
"Um... basketball, I think." Carly answered.
"Wasn't Jeremy's father a famous basketball player in the late 70s or something?" Veronica asked.
"Yeah, why?" Carly asked curiously.
"Do you remember anything that Cecilia told you about Jeremy, like about his relationship with his parents?" she asked.
"Um... Cecilia told me that Jeremy had some issues with his father because of sports. Jeremy wanted to be a teacher and his dad wanted him to be a basketball star just like him. I mean I felt bad for Jeremy, I guess I've always felt bad for him. Even though he was "rich", he had it rough. I mean his dad was so strict! I remember this one time when Jeremy and Cecilia were first going out. He came over for dinner and his dad called him like fifty times just to know what he was eating, so it wouldn't ruin his "physic" for basketball season. Man, just leave it to Mr. Maran to kill an evening." Carly answered shaking her head in disgust.
"What college does he go to?" Veronica asked.
"I don't know, but I heard he got some basketball scholarship somewhere in the lost horizon. Veronica, if I knew what college he goes to, then I wouldn't be here asking for your help. Boy, oh boy, I bet he hates it there, though. He was always very humble and down to Earth. He didn't like the craziness of his father's fame and his own social status. He was a really cool guy to be around. Cecilia told me that he dreamed of breaking free from his father's control. He didn't want his father's life. He wanted his own." Carly answered.
"So, it is possible that Jeremy finally got his dream?" Veronica asked.
Carly looked at Veronica and asked excitedly, "Where are you getting at?"
"Well, I think that Jeremy Maran, isn't Jeremy Maran anymore. I think that he changed his name to escape his father." Veronica answered proudly.
"Oh my God! No wonder we couldn't find him! I mean his parents are in Brazil or Spain enjoying an early retirement and he changed his name! Oh, I wish I could've seen him stand up to his dad! Wow, that would've been one hell of a show!" Carly exclaimed happily.
"Okay, what was Jeremy's full name again?" Veronica asked.
"Um... his full name was Jeremy Tristan Maran, why are you asking me this again? Shouldn't we be figuring out his new name?" Carly asked.
"Well I'm asking you this again because I think that just told me his new name." Veronica answered.
"Excuse me?" Carly asked in disbelief.
"I think that he simply dropped his last name. I mean you said that he was a simple kind of guy. It's only logical that he wasn't going to go for Jeremy Juanito Branwell Oats! I'm guessing that he's not Jeremy Maran anymore, but simply Jeremy Tristan now." Veronica answered as she typed the name into the search.
Carly bit her lip in anticipation and finally, after weeks of empty searches, there was in fact a Jeremy Tristan.
"Okay, Jeremy Tristan who lives in San Francisco, California." Veronica said happily as she jotted down the address.
"So, is this him?" Carly asked excitedly.
"Yeah, I'm guessing that it's him. Well, we'll just have to go and see for ourselves." Veronica answered as she shrugged her shoulders.
Carly looked at her in confusion. "What do you mean that 'we'll just have to go and see for ourselves'?" she asked puzzled.
"Well I mean that we'll just have to go to San Francisco and pay Jeremy Tristan a visit." Veronica answered simply.
"Whoa, whoa, wait a minute! Are you joking?" Carly asked in disbelief.
"No, I'm quite serious." Veronica answered smiling. Carly just started at her.
"Carly, why don't we just go home and celebrate a brand spankin' New Year and then on Monday, we'll go drive up to San Francisco and visit him. It'll only take one day. We'll leave early in the morning and then we'll be back way before midnight." Veronica reasoned.
Carly bit her lip as she contemplated Veronica's suggestion. She thought about it for a few more moments before answering. "What will I tell my mom? I don't think she's going to be happy when she finds out that I'm going to visit good ol' Jeremy." she asked smiling.
Veronica laughed and answered, "Just tell your mom that you're going to spend the day with Beav... Cassidy. You can ask him to cover for you. Then you can leave your house at seven o'clock in the morning, and take a bus to the beach. Then, I'll pick you up there at about eight o'clock in the morning. We'll drive to San Francisco, visit Jeremy, get the DNA sample, leave, and we can be home just in time for CSI: Miami. So, how does that sound?"
"Well, that sounds like you've been planning this for months!" Carly exclaimed smiling.
Veronica laughed. "So does that sound like a plan?" she asked.
Carly smiled and answered, "Yeah, that sounds like a plan."
Author's Notes: Please! Don't shoot! Here's another chapter! Sorry for the long wait, but I was extremely busy! Well, I hope y'all had a great, happy, and safe holiday. Happy New Year from me to you! Also, please review! I appreciate all reviews! Shout out to ANiME-AsIaN-ChiCK69, wickedshizit, Emily-in-Sydney7457, Simply Lily, xXxLOLAxXx, FanFicFairy514, FANATICAL DRAMA QUEEN, & Movies are love for reviewing the previous chapter! Ally love you long time! lol. I hope y'all enjoyed the new chapter! Also, next chapter, expect Veronica and Carly to bond more. Yes, they will become friends!
Ally