Logan sat in the wooden chair of the waiting area in the Neptune Sheriff's Department waiting for Veronica Mars to pick him up. He wasn't even sure what her title was at this moment that was part of a much larger conversation he would be having with her when she arrived to take him home. Girlfriend… lover? Ex-Lover once she found out the truth about Kendall? He was still shaken from his little visit in the cells with dear old dad. Cliff McCormack had given him the paperwork and a business card and arranged for a time to call over and see him tomorrow at his house. He would be required to call in for a scheduled check in at the Sheriff's department once a week to have his monitor information downloaded and adjusted as needed. He couldn't stop rubbing his thumb into his hands, he still wanted to claw his way out of his own skin. He hated this feeling of anxiety, the panic that made his mouth dry and made him feel like his heart was in his throat.

Sheriff Lamb was such a bastard… he had arranged for his father to be sent up from County just so he would have the opportunity to put Logan in the same cell as him. He really hated him.

"Logan?" Veronica called as she came running into the hallway of the station; her blond hair was falling around her shoulders, her blue eyes searching the room for him. He watched as she sighed in relief when their eyes connected, he gave her a weak smile and stood up to greet her.

"Hey…" he said quietly as she threw her arms around him and held him tightly. What a sight for sore eyes…

"Oh God.. How long have you been here.. Why didn't you call me?" she asked as she pulled back and reached up to touch his face. His heart ached, she had been worried about him, the concern she felt was wrapping itself around him… would she still be as tender with him when she found out about those pictures?

"My dad is here…" he told her shakily. "Lamb made me share a cell with him."

Veronica's eyes softened in understanding, she wrapped her arms tighter around his waist and nodded quietly, reaching up on her tip toes to kiss him gently.

"Let's get you home" she whispered as she took him by the hand and led him to the car.

Logan and Veronica barely said a word while they drove from the Sheriff's Department to the Echolls family estate in the 90909 area code of Neptune. It was 1.37am but the Wendy's drive thru was still open so Veronica stopped to pick up some coffee and some food for them after she heard Logan's stomach growl for the third time, it had been a long night. She wasn't sure this was the time to bring up all that information she had uncovered about Kendall Casablanca's and the Fitzpatrick's and Logan's Father. The recent exposure to Aaron Echolls was still too raw and she could tell he needed a little time to settle first. They would talk it out tomorrow morning; right now she just wanted to take care of him.

"Did you get the name of the witness?" she asked quietly as she handed him his coffee.

"Not yet" he replied softly, taking the paper cup from her hand. "I have to see my lawyer tomorrow.. But I'm not sure if they will tell me anything" he had barely looked in her direction.

Veronica took the cup from his hand, placing it in the holder between them and leaned over and kissed him, running her fingers through his hair. The anger she had felt earlier after finding him in those photos with Kendall had subsided as her investigation had gone on into a deeper conspiracy, that was a conversation she would have with him later, right now, she just wanted to get him someplace where he could breathe.

"We are going to get through this" she promised before turning the engine on again to drive them to his house. Logan laced his fingers with hers and tried to memorize the feel of her this way… he still hadn't worked up the nerve to ask her where she had been earlier… if she had seen anything at his house. He didn't want to ask… he didn't want her to stop loving him this way. It all felt so inevitable, buried secrets had a habit of surfacing when she was around, and if Kendall was blackmailing him, it was only a matter of time before she found out. He stepped out of the car into the driveway of his house and followed behind her as they went inside, the music had finished and the candles in the garden had all burned out, there was scent of melted vanilla wax coming into the kitchen. The moon reflected in the pool and he stepped into the garden to survey the mess left behind, he breathed deeply and felt heartbroken that he hadn't been able to surprise her with the evening he had intended.

Nothing in his life was ever simple… he couldn't even plan a romantic dinner with the girl he loved without the universe dragging him away into his darkest nightmares. She came into the garden behind him, wrapping her arms around his waist from behind.

"I'm sorry" she whispered as she curled herself around him.

"It wasn't your fault" he replied softly. "It's just the story of my life" he told her brokenly.

"It shouldn't be…" she told him as she turned him to face her, he was weeping a little.

"I just… everything feels like it's falling apart…" he confessed, cupping her face. She was so beautiful… he didn't deserve her, what could he offer her except this chaos?

"Then I am going to get some gaffa tape and glue it right back up…" Veronica promised, pulling his mouth to hers. He moaned hungrily as she wrapped her arms around his neck and he slipped his hands to her hips. There it was, his sweet peace, he wanted to savour this…

"I love you Veronica.." he told her. "You are the only thing in this world I care about."

And I care too much about you to drag you down with me… Logan thought miserably.

"I have to tell you something…" she replied leading him over to the sun lounger that sat by the door to the house and easing him down.

"Can it wait? I just want to hold you for a little while…" he pleaded, pulling her into his lap. He wouldn't take it much further than this tonight he thought… after the situation he had gotten himself into with Kendall, he had no right to keep anything from her, but he wasn't ready to let her go just yet. He didn't want to risk angering her, of having her leave him… He sounded so vulnerable that she just nodded gently and allowed him to pull her into his arms as he lay down backwards. She swallowed hard and wrapped her arms around his back up to his shoulders, her head on his chest listening to his heart beat. Could a heartbeat sound melancholy?

"I'm sorry I ran out earlier like I did…" Veronica admitted, hugging him tighter.

Logan felt like the ground had opened up to swallow him, and he looked down at her, fear making his pulse race. She was here… she knew…

"Veronica…." He began before she turned, straddling him with her hips and sitting on top of him, biting her lip.

"I bolted… again.. and I shouldn't have done that… I should have given us a chance to talk it out first.." she confessed. No… No… No… his mind raced as he gripped her petite waist in his hands.

"Please let me explain" he begged, pulling her to him, his head buried in her chest. She ran her hand through his sandy brown hair and kissed his forehead.

"You don't have to..." she assured him, he was so panicked.

"I don't even know how she got those pictures.." he told her. "It was from before… I swear…" he pleaded, cupping her face, worry rippling around in his chocolate brown eyes.

Veronica reached out and kissed him. Oh god… he didn't know that she had been the one to leave the pictures here.

"I took those pictures Logan… It was a case… Cassidy wanted proof that Kendall was cheating on his dad… she doesn't have them, neither does Beaver" she explained. "I only found out about them at work, when I got here.. I found her bra in the living room…" she told him.

"She came by…" Logan admitted "but nothing happened… I kicked her out.." he swore, his eyes beseeching with her to trust him. He ran his hands along her back, she had to believe him. Don't go… his mind pleaded.

"I believe you.." Veronica said as she cupped his face. "and I shouldn't have run away like I did"

"Drapetomania" he answered shyly. "An overwhelming urge to runaway" he elaborated.

"I don't want to run away anymore, I want to fight for this…" she declared, brushing her lips against his. She knew… and she didn't care… she still wanted him… his heart began to race and he pulled her tighter, if she wanted to fight for them, then he would too. He grabbed her ass and pulled her closer. There was so much more that she needed to tell him but she was too tired, the night had been too long and emotional. She wanted to get lost in the taste of him, to have him inside her, to cradle him against her body and take care of him, to love him.

"I promised to always be by your side, under you or on top" he murmured between kisses "for as long as you will have me" he told her.

"Good… because I love you Logan" she sighed as she pulled his mouth back to hers, her hands reaching around his shirt to undress him. They may not have been able to have their romantic dinner that he had planned for them tonight but she would make love to him here under the stars, and if she couldn't chase away his nightmares of Aaron Echolls tonight, then she would just keep him awake with her until the sun rose, cradling him to her body, telling him how much she loved him, that he was safe. They could retreat back to his bedroom, and wrap themselves against one another like they had been this morning. It was then she realised that the quote that on her calendar this evening at work was right, you could become homesick for people too.