Disclaimer: I do not own Veronica Mars. I have Rob Thomas to thank for my obsession and the CW to hate for cancelling it.
Author's Note: Okay, so I don't know if I like this chapter. It's kind of short and a lot of fluff but I realized that I like the relationship/friendship side of the show a little better than the mysteries. But I'm not going to abandon the Manning case. I'll be addressing that and maybe another small mystery/dilemma in the next chapter. I live for reviews and would really appreciate any advice for where the story should go. I write this story for all of you so I definitely want to make it the best that I can. In the mean time, enjoy the fluff. It's LoVe-able.
Veronica and Logan laughed their way through the rest of dinner. She regaled him with stories of spilled coffee in the lap of a top FBI agent, tripping in the lobby and breaking her heel in front of the Secretary of State and living off of Ramen Noodles and Spaghetti O's for three months. He told her about his solo week-long trip to South America, Trina's newest idea for the Aaron Echolls story and his newest endeavor, finding a house.
"You're going to leave the Neptune Grand for good?" Veronica asked as she finished the rest of her dessert.
"I'm thinking I may be getting a little to old to live the life of the spoiled rich kid in the penthouse suite, even though I've gotten really good at it," Logan laughed.
"Logan is growing up so fast," Veronica said, pinching Logan's cheek across the table. Before Logan could protest, the nervous waiter approached the table.
"Excuse me, do you need anything else or are you ready for the check?" he stumbled on his words.
"No, we're ready." Logan said, reaching into his pocket and pulling out his credit card. Veronica interjected.
"Logan, no. Dinner was expensive, let me split it with you!" She reached down for her purse but before she could pull out her wallet, Logan had already sent the waiter away without a word.
"Veronica, the typical date ritual would include the guy paying for the meal, which means I pay." The waiter quickly returned with the receipt and their to-go orders in hand, glad to be rid of Logan and his snarky comments for the night.
"Date huh? That's a little presumptuous of you." Veronica smiled.
"You like it." Logan winked. "Ready to go?"
"Yep." Veronica slowly grabbed her purse, realizing that to leave the restaurant, they would have to pass by Mac and Dick's table.
"We'll just say hello then make up some excuse that you're Dad hasn't eaten in a week and you have to bring him his lasagna now. It won't be weird unless you and Mac make it weird." he said, noticing her worry.
It won't be weird. It won't be weird. Veronica repeated in her head.
"Logan? Hey man. What are you doing here?" Dick said, standing up to greet Logan and avoiding making direct eye contact with Veronica.
"Well Dick, this being a restaurant, Veronica and myself just enjoyed a wonderful dinner now we're on our way out," Logan said as Dick and Mac laughed nervously. Veronica exhaled as Logan put his hand in the small of her back, reminding her that it doesn't have to be weird.
Mac looked at Dick then quickly looked up at Veronica.
"Uh, hey Veronica." She said, worried about her reaction.
"Hey Mac. Dick. Didn't think I'd ever see you two here," Veronica said uneasy.
"The Dickster loves Italian food," Dick said.
"Guess you're still trying to pull off that whole third person thing, huh?" Logan says, patting Dick on the shoulder.
"Dick loves hearing the sound of his own name. So Dick is going to keep doing it until Dick forgets about it."
"Which I hope is soon," Mac says, rolling her eyes. The four stood in an uncomfortable silence staring blankly at the inanimate objects around them.
"Logan, I'm going to use the bathroom before we go," Veronica broke the silence.
"I'll come with you," Mac jumped up. "Gotta fill the girls' going to the bathroom together quota for the month. Be right back." Mac quickly followed Veronica into the bathroom, both taking a seat on the couches inside.
"I was going to.." Mac said.
"If I would have known.." Veronica said at the exact same time.
"What?" The two said loudly, busting out into laughter.
"Me first," Mac said, being the first to stop laughing. "I didn't want to tell you about Dick right away because A. I know you two don't exactly get along and I really don't want to lose you as a friend and B. I wasn't really sure that our relationship was going to work out as well as our friendship had this summer."
"Mac I feel horrible for the way I acted toward Dick at the party. Yes, we've had our differences in the past," Understatement of the year "But I completely understand why you two are together. I mean, it's kind of the same reason me and Logan got together junior year. I'm just happy to see you truly happy again."
"Happy? You notice that? Do I look giggling school girl happy or mature adult in a good relationship happy?" Mac said, worried.
"Well, I'd say your one plaid skirt short of a full on 12 year old school girl," Veronica laughed, grabbing her friend in a hug. "Okay, let's go back out there before Logan eats all of your dinner."
"Didn't you two just eat?" Mac questioned as exited the bathroom.
"Have you met Logan?"
"We better hurry." Mac said, rushing toward the table.
Logan and Dick were sharing a plate of fried calamari when Mac and Veronica arrive back.
"Aren't you two adorable?" Veronica said, putting her hands on Logan's shoulders.
"Dick, are you seeing someone else behind my back?" Mac said, grabbing Dick's fork out of his hand.
"Dick only has eyes for one girl," he said, pulling her onto his lap. "But if you don't give Dick his fork back, he might have to eat your nose." Mac began to giggle feverishly as Dick nibbled at her nose.
"Okay, I might be completely okay with you two dating but please keep the PDA to a minimum, at least until I get used to it." Veronica said.
"Ronnie, you're okay with the Macster and Dick's love connection?" Dick asked.
"Yeah. Sorry for the way I treated you before I left and at the party." Veronica said.
"An apology for Veronica Mars? Dick never thought he'd see the day."
"Neither did Logan," Logan said, looking up at Veronica. She shrugged her shoulders then flicked him on the ear. "Ow. What was that for?"
"That was a Pavlov's theory in action. You will now associate pain with referring to yourself in third person." The three looked up at Veronica, confused. "What? I was bored this summer so I took an online psychology course. Oh yeah, and I got ordained as a minister. I can legally perform wedding ceremonies." Dick winked at Mac which prompted her to hit him over the head.
"Don't get any ideas. I know you like to get married but can we date for more than a month before you hint at it, " Mac joked. Dick smiled and kissed Mac.
"Well, okay then. We better be going." Logan said, noticing they had interrupted their date.
"Yeah. I ordered this food for my dad and I'm sure he's wondering when I'm going to actually bring it home. Mac, call me, we need to hang out before school starts. Dick, I'm sure I'll see you."
"Bye!" Mac and Dick said, as Logan and Veronica headed to the door. When the two reached the parking lot, Logan looked over at Veronica.
"See, it wasn't weird." He said, in an 'I told you so' moment.
"No, not weird at all. Well, until they started making out, then it got a little awkward for my liking." Veronica said, getting into Logan's car.
"Uh yeah. Tell me about it, I live with him." Logan answered after getting into the driver's seat.
"At least you'll have your own place soon," Veronica offered as a condolence.
"Well actually, Dick is probably going to move with me wherever I go. We've gotten so used to living together and if I lived alone, he'd probably spend 98 of his time at my place anyway, so it just makes sense"
"That is true. I kind of want to get my own place soon but I really don't think I could live alone or.."
"I'm sure Dick wouldn't mind if you moved into my room with me," Logan joked.
"Without my Dad. And with school starting next week and the fact that I'm now running Mars Investigations, I don't think I'll have time to start looking for my own place until next summer," Veronica said.
"So you're going to completely ignore my offer?" Logan asked.
"What offer? Oh the idiotic comment you interrupted me with. Yeah, I ignored it."
"I'm actually kind of offended Veronica. " Logan laughed. "Though ignoring people is a specialty of yours."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Veronica said defensively.
"Nothing. It was a joke." Logan answered, sensing that she may have taken it differently.
"I really don't think it meant nothing. I think it was a jab at the fact that I 'ignored' you before I left for my internship and you're still mad about it."
"Wow, that came out of left field. Yeah, I was mad at you for a while but I thought you knew I was over it after I emailed you." Logan explained.
"No Logan, you forwarded me some chain letter and I took the opportunity to email you. I apologized then and I really don't want to have to apologize again. I though we were friends Logan!" Veronica said, getting heated. "And after the amazing night we had, I really didn't think you'd bring this up! God, friends don't make each other grovel for forgiveness."
"Whoa, Veronica." Logan said, pulling over on the street in front of her complex. "Calm down. Where is this coming from?"
Veronica's eyes widened. "Okay, maybe I still feel bad that I told you that you were out of my life forever or maybe I'm still mad at you for sleeping with Madison and beating up Piz. I don't know Logan. I'm just mad at all of this. I don't want to be friends with you. I actually hate it more than anything."
"Okay." Logan said, staring blankly at the steering wheel.
"I'm not done. I hate being friends with you because I still have feelings for you and I can't stand being around you without wanting to kiss you or hold you. I was mad at you Logan, I never stopped loving you." Logan looked into Veronica's eyes but she quickly broke their eye contact by looking out the window. "And I thought you felt the same way until you started going out with Parker. So I started dating Piz and I thought maybe I could get over you like you got over me with a normal relationship. But how could normal work when I was part of something epic." She said, looking back at him with tears in her eyes . "Spanning years, ruined lives, bloodshed. Epic."
Logan immediately grabbed her, locking Veronica in a kiss. After a few minutes, he let her go, wiping the tears from her eyes.
"I'm so sorry Veronica, for everything. For Madison, Parker and for making you think there was ever a way for me to get over you." Logan held Veronica in his arms for several minutes before either one of them spoke again.
"Maybe I should go in now," Veronica said, lifting her head from his shoulder.
"And why is that?" Logan asked, kissing her on the cheek.
"Because I can see my dad looking through the window at your car. He's either really hungry or being an overprotective dad. I'm thinking the hungry part," Veronica said, reaching into the backseat and grabbing the to-go bag.
"Walk you to the door?" Logan asked, reaching over and opening her door from the inside.
"If you want to risk talking to a hungry Keith Mars, sure. But I think it would be in your best interest to stay in the car." Veronica said.
"Okay but, I'm going to sound like a girl saying this, when can I see you again?"
"Tomorrow and the day after, and the day after." Veronica said, reaching over and kissing him three times. "Okay, bye."
Logan pulled away with the same huge smile that Veronica had on her face as she reached the door.
"So how was the date?" Keith asked, sitting at the counter when Veronica walked blissfully in the door.
"Date? What date? I just had dinner with a friend." Veronica said, handing the to-go bag to her dad.
"You kiss all your friends like that? Should I be worried about your friendship with Wallace. I wouldn't want to have to deal with a Marcia/Greg situation if Alicia and I ever chose to get married."
"EW, EW, EW no. No! And you were spying. I thought you promised to stop doing that!" Veronica said, grabbing a fork from the drawer and prying into Keith's food.
"Hey! First you make me wait for my lasagna an extra half hour while you make out with your 'friend' then you try to steal food? Nuh uh. Nope." Veronica gave Keith her best pouty face. "I will only share a small portion of my cold, but delicious food if you tell me what's going on with you and Logan."
"I actually have no idea." Veronica reached for another bite only to be stopped by Keith's fork. "Jeez fine. Okay, I told him how I felt and we both apologized for everything that happened last year but I have no idea if were dating or going to just see where things go."
"Are you sure you want to get involved with him again?" Keith asked, taking another bite of his meal.
"I thought I didn't but after tonight, I think I want to see where things go. I'm not going to forget how much he hurt me but Dad, he's Logan. I couldn't see myself being happy with anyone else." Veronica looked down at the lasagna that Keith more than halfway through "Enough girl talk, can I pleaaaseee share? All that making out made me HUNGRY." Keith shook his head and Veronica laughed.
Remind me never to leave home again. Veronica thought to herself
A/N2: I had to throw in the epic line, even though it's completely cliché, I had to. I really like the MaDi relationship so expect to see more of that over the upcoming chapters. Please review, even if it's constructive criticism, I like to know your reaction to the story!