A/N: you see, I told you I update more in termtime, and since I have the day off school tomorrow (thank god for the 11+ exam) I can stay up late into the night and write chapters for you my lovely readers! I hope you enjoy this latest installment, once again I only own the plotline.
The next day Veronica gets up early, and drives her nondescript LeBaron to the Echolls household, so that she can be sure she sees Aaron's whole day. She makes a note of his license plate and then settles down with her breakfast to wait for him.
Logan, peering out of his window, unsure why he's up so early, notices the blonde PI across the street and prays that neither his dad or the bodyguard notice her waiting. He catches her eye and gives a slight wave, before going back to bed, where a different blonde is waiting for him. Confused about what he had been feeling the day before, Logan had called Lilly and invited her over. As usual, one thing led to another and Lilly had ended up spending the night.
Out on the street Veronica wonders what possessed Logan to wave at her like that – so friendly, and slightly intimate – and realises that she quite likes it. She had noticed his weird face when she'd mentioned him knowing her schedule, and it confused her. But she couldn't let herself start thinking about Logan. She knew from when they were friends that it was very easy to let Logan fill her thoughts. She didn't like to dwell on it, but she had had a crush on Logan for several years of their friendship. She'd made herself forget about it when Duncan had asked her out, and she was certain that she hated him now – after all, who wouldn't after all he done to her. Yeah, she hated him…mostly.
Her thoughts were interrupted by Aaron and his body guard climbing into his Land Rover and driving off. Veronica immediately went into stealth mode, following, but making sure she was 2 cars behind and one across, so that nobody would notice that she was tailing. Sure enough, Aaron reaches the country club at about nine o clock, and gets out of the car, tennis racket in hand.
She then works out how she can get into the members club – which is exclusive. She checks her appearance and, realising that jeans and a band tee aren't the correct dress for the club, forages around in the bag she always keeps in the back of her car which contains bits and pieces of other outfits. Finding a white linen skirt, and an addidas tank top, she dresses for tennis, and then sneaks into the club through the staff entrance.
Once inside she borrows a tennis racket, and goes out to the courts. Aaron is enjoying a heavy work out with some other rich dude, and she sits down on one of the benches for observers. After an energetic game, Aaron looks up and notices the familiar blonde watching him, and goes over to her.
"Why, hello Veronica. I didn't realise you frequented the club." Aaron is friendly, and slightly flirty, and Veronica once again gets the crawling feeling of discomfort she always felt when visiting the Echolls household.
"Oh, I don't normally, but a friend of mine," She fakes an embarassed face, "A guy actually, asked me here for a game of tennis. Of course, he's late. Or at least I hope he is." Aaron looks sympathetic, and invites her for a game while she waits for her date. "Oh, that's so nice of you, Mr Echolls!" The peppy innocent act comes easily to her and he is completely sucked in. She checks her watch, and realises that it is nearly time for Aaron to leave, and she doesn't want to make a difference to his routine. "Actually, I ought to go, my dad is expecting me, so I'll have to bail on my friend after all!" She fakes disappointment, and waves as she jogs away.
Veronica has been following Aaron all day, and so far he has been the model husband. After his game of tennis he went for a drink with his agent, and then drove to lunch with Lynn Echolls, stopping on the way to pick up some flowers for her. Afterwards he went to his agent's office, where he had a meeting. While he was in there, Veronica went into the main reception to leave a bug – in case his secret affairs where taking place in the office. It was a simple task – delivering a bunch of flowers for Aaron's agent – but she had had to make sure that her target didn't come out of the office and recognise her.
She follows him to a few more meetings, but nothing happens, and the only women he comes in contact with are the receptionist at a private doctor's clinic, and the parking warden who tries to ticket his car. He takes only a passing interest in both of them, as neither are especially attractive, and is obviously only using them to stoke his already inflated ego.
Disappointed, Veronica follows him back to the 90909 district and his home. She decides to go in and tell Logan about her failure, so that she can enjoy the rest of her weekend without the case being on her mind. Waiting about 10 minutes after Aaron enters the house, she then walks over to the house and rings the doorbell. Mrs Navarro answers the door, and greets Veronica with a smile, as she remembers how she helped clear Weevil's name.
"Why hello, Veronica. What are you doing here?" She speaks heavily accented english, and realising that it's difficult for her, Veronica tries to answer in her shaky high school Spanish.
"Quiero hablar a Logan." She says – 'I want to talk to Logan'.
"Sí, sí, es en el salón." Mrs Navarro leads her along a passage plastered with posters from Aaron's previous films. Veronica tries not to look at the apparently attractive face smiling down at her from left and right, but finds that she'd actually rather be stuck in that hall of fame than witnessing what she does when she walks into the living room.
Logan and Lilly are going at it on the couch, both wearing very little. Veronica is incredibly uncomfortable with the situation, but Lilly looks confident – although Logan is bright red – and so she is determined not to let them see her discomfort. She smirks and gives them a once over.
"So, this is how the upper classes spend their weekends. Wow, and I thought running around after cheating spouses was tiring." She leans against the doorframe, and directs her next comment directly at Logan, who is scrambling around getting his clothes back on. "No wonder you always fall asleep in class, Echolls. Miss Kane here is giving you a better work out than you'd get if you went to gym class."
"What are you doing here, Mars?" Lilly's voice cuts Veronica off, her tone bitchy and annoyed at the interuption.
"Well I've obviously come to make up that threesome Logan's always been on about wanting." Veronica replies wryly. Logan actually looks up, perky at the thought of a threesome with the two beautiful blondes. "Keep your pants on, Echolls, it was a joke." Veronica says, noticing his eagerness.
"Damn right it's a joke. I don't share with sluts. Who knows what kind of diseases she's got." Lilly sneers, biting Logan's neck in a possessive manner. Logan still has said nothing.
"Right. Well. I need to talk to you, Logan, so I'll be on Dog Beach when you're available to talk. Don't make me wait too long, though, or who knows who I'll have told about what I found out today." With that, Veronica strides out of the room, and goes back to her car.
By the time she gets to the beach, Logan is already in his car and on the way there. He shook off Lilly without great difficulty. She's probably on her way to meet her bit on the side, Logan muses as he drives to Dog Beach. He parks, but doesn't immediately see Veronica waiting for him.
She is sitting a way along the beach on some very familiar jutting rocks. He recognises them as the ones that the Fab Four used to hang out on. Lilly had since decided that the beach was no place for cool people to hang out, and since Veronica's defection – as he liked to call it – Logan, Lilly, Duncan and their friends hadn't been back there. By the looks of it, Veronica is a regular fixture there, as people walking their dogs, or sunbathing are greeting her and exchanging pleasantries.
He wanders over, trying not to look too eager, and sits down beside her. Her legs are pulled up, and she is hugging them to her chest. She doesn't acknowledge his presence, merely waves to a passing jogger.
"So, you still come here, huh?" Logan asks.
"Yeah, it's the only place I can walk Back-up and not be stared at for having a dog bigger than I am." She laughs, and greets another dog owner.
"I miss coming here, you know." Logan confides, unsure why he is, in fact, telling her this. "But of course Lilly doesn't think we should deign to come here nowadays. Doesn't stop the waves being best on this beach."
"Yeah, so I've been told. Never seen the appeal of surfing personally." She replies, as Weevil and a couple of guys from his gang wander over.
"This punk bothering you, V?" Weevil asks, his concern hidden behind a gruff exterior.
"No, she actually told me to come here, so you can just stop trying to protect your little crush and back off, Paco." Logan replies, snipily. Veronica frowns at him, and tries to calm Weevil down.
"He's fine for now, Weevs. We're just talking business, nothing to worry about." She puts a hand on his arm, and Logan envies their easy relationship. He can't remember the last time Veronica touched him in a friendly manner. "By the way, my brake light blew yesterday. Think you can get your hands on a new one for me?" The signature Veronica-Mars-headtilt is used, and Weevil holds out his hand. "You don't need my keys for obtaining a lightbulb, Eli."
"Yeah, yeah, I just thought you'd let me turn on the radio while I changed the bulb, V." He grumbles.
"I don't need you to change it for me, just get me one from that uncle of yours." She frowns slightly. "Why do guys always think that I need help and saving? 'Oh poor me, can't change a lightbulb in case I break a nail!'" She falsettos, then glares at both Logan and Weevil, before offering her final starement. "I hate Lilly for stereotyping all blondes as needing guys to do everything for them."
Both boys are speechless. Her last words had been venemous, and Weevil steps back a bit, in consternation.
"Okay, well I'll get the bulb, V. You owe me one, that good for you?" He grins, hesitantly, and Veronica shakes off her sudden dark mood, and smiles back.
"Remind me the next time you want me to bail you out of jail that you got me a new brakelight." She laughs, as he and his cronies walk away, towards where their motorbikes are.
"Wow, Mars, you have that leatherhead wrapped round your little finger." Logan chuckles.
"He knows better than to get on my bad side." She laughs along with him, and they both feel like it's old times again. "Lilly uses sex as a manipulator. I use fear."
"Damn right, I know I'm terrified of you sometimes, Ronnie." The old nickname slips out easily, and at first neither of them realise that Logan's even said it. But only a second later, Veronica recovers her awareness of their situation, and realises what he's done.
"Don't call me that." She snaps.
"You used to love it when I called you Ronnie." Logan murmurs.
"Yeah, I loved it when you used it as an insult, too, Logan." She says, bitterly. He realises that he has hurt her a lot more than he knew, and immediately wants to make it right.
"Oh God, Ronnie, I'm really sorry. I should never have treated you the way I did. I was just mad is all." He starts to explain but gets cut off sharply by the girl next to him.
"I didn't catch your dad getting up to anything." She says abruptly, sliding off the rock and brushing down her jeans. She starts walking away and throws her final words over her shoulder. "I'll try again on Monday."
Logan wants to keep her there, make her listen to him, make her understand him, but knows that she won't let him. He watches her walk back to the parking lot, and sees Weevil standing there, a small box in his hand. He gives it to Veronica, and they bump fists, and joke about something. Logan hates how comfortable she is with the biker she has only known for a few weeks, while his relationship with her – one spanning years – has become strained. He hates that their only interaction is the daily sniping at school, or the newer development of the adultery case. He wishes they could go to Starbucks and bitch about the Kanes, and whatever annoying thing either of them has done this time, like they used to.
But he also knew that he had put paid to anything like that happening when he had started tormenting her for having some kind of loyalty to her family.
"I guess I just don't know the love that enables you to give up everything you know for someone." Logan mutters, as he too slides off the rocks and saunters back to his Xterra. By the time he gets to the car park, Veronica's unmistakeable rustbucket LeBaron is long gone.
It's then that Logan vows that he will get Veronica Mars to forgive him, even if it takes him the rest of his life to do it. Even as he decides it, he wonders why he cares so much.