A/N: Thanx, as always, for the reviewage. Have to warn you, this is headed for an ending soon, which I do feel kind of bad about since I've just finished my other VMars story too, but hey, you gotta end them sometime!

(For disclaimer, etc. - see chapter 1)

Chapter 14 - Give Us Your Blessing

Lynn Echolls thought her body would be used to drinking. Years living with Aaron, dealing with his affairs and the way he treated both her and their son so abominably, there were times when she'd sought solace in the bottom of many a bottle until the world faded to nothingness. Lately, she'd been much more subdued in the alcohol-intake. She hadn't the need to look for comfort in drink, or anything. with Aaron out of their lives, she and Logan had started to learn how to be happy again. It thrilled Lynn that every time she saw her son these days he had a smile on his face, and he was being so grown up and responsible over this whole situation with Veronica Mars and the baby, she really couldn't be mad at him.

After all he'd been through, Lynn was surprised that Logan hadn't turned out far wilder than he actually was. Oh, she knew he drank at times, and that he was far from virginal that first time with Veronica - the Kane girl had seen to that, she was certain of it! No, Logan was no angel, but he was her baby, and now he was having a baby of his own, and that child would be loved and taken care of to the very best ability of the both the Echolls and Mars families, she knew that for certain.

"Good morning, Mom" her son suddenly greeted her with his usual cheery manner and smile.

Lynn was smiling when she turned to reply, but got quite a shock when she realised that next to her son, who was dressed only in his pyjama bottoms, stood Veronica, in her own nightwear of sweat pants and a vest top.

"Well... Good morning" Lynn said at length as she quickly swallowed down her aspirin and half a glass of water.

"I'm sorry if we surprised you, Ms Echolls" Veronica said, shifting awkwardly from one foot to the other, "If you have a problem with me being here, I can..."

"Veronica, sweetheart, no" Lynn shook her head, feeling awful for making the poor girl uncomfortable

Really, it would be ridiculous to say the two of them couldn't be together, since it was clear and obvious to all that this wasn't the first time - Veronica would hardly be carrying Logan's child if it were! Honestly, Lynn wasn't too worried about the young couple spending the night together, even if it did feel a little wrong on some level, she was just so surprised to realise it had happened.

"I guess we didn't think..." the blonde said, looking everywhere but at Lynn, as Logan squeezed her hand in his, trying to reassure her that everything was okay.

"Really, Veronica, it's perfectly fine" his mother said then, "I'm just not feeling my best this morning, not even really awake if I'm honest" she admitted, "Uh, does your father know you stayed here last night?"

"Yes" Veronica nodded once, "Ms Echolls, I promise I wouldn't..."

"Please, Veronica, call me Lynn" she urged her as they all took a seat by the counter, "Ms Echolls only reminds me of Aaron's mother, and makes me feel as old and crabby as she was" she declared, much to Veronica's amusement.

"Okay, Lynn" she smiled, as Logan did the same and his girlfriend turned to glance at him, "Did you talk to your Mom before you asked me...?" she said, immediately regretting asking in front of the woman in question when her ears pricked up and she looked between the two with a dubious eye.

"Logan" she said, in a warning tone, "Is there something I should know? Something I should worry about?"

"No, Mom, I swear, it's all good" her son told her, "I just... I asked Veronica to live with me, and she said yes"

"Except we weren't thinking of living here or at my place" Veronica cut in, ever mindful of Lynn getting there first if she didn't, "We were looking here" she said, producing the brochures from last night and showing them to the woman who would likely be the closest Veronica had to a mother figure in the future.

She was almost as afraid of running this by Lynn as she was her own father. Neither of them were likely to love the idea of their children moving out of home, and yet they could hardly argue with the logic. A baby on the way, the young couple wanting to make a commitment to each other, it made perfect sense really.

"It's not like I can't afford to get the place or support Veronica" Logan began rambling as most people did when the were nervous, "That account you started for me when I was a kid..."

"Well, sweetheart, that money was supposed to pay for college" Lynn interrupted, glancing up from the brochure in her hand to look at her son, not angry apparently, but eager to make her point as much as he was.

"Then I won't go to college" Logan shook his head, "or I'll go somewhere cheaper than we thought, I don't care" he said firmly, gripping Veronica's hand tight in his as the blond felt increasingly awkward, "Mom, you know I have to do this"

Lynn stared back at her son for a moment, a little stunned to see not her little boy anymore but a young man looking back at her. Of course, he was still the son she loved so much, but he was becoming a man now, with responsibilities that he was determined to have. She had to respect him for that, had to support him in it, it was all she could do.

"Veronica" she said, turning her gaze from Logan to his girlfriend, "Are you sure this is what you want, sweetie?" she checked, her tone soft and concerned, not at all patronising, which Veronica was grateful for, "You know running a house, even a small one isn't easy, and raising a baby too..."

"We'll be okay, Lynn" the blonde nodded barely, "I'm not going to lie and tell you I think it'll be easy, because I know that it won't" she sighed, "but we can do it, I know we can" she said, glancing at Logan as the young couple shared a smile, "if only we have you and my Dad on our side" she added, her eyes going back to Lynn, who had yet to give an answer be it positive or negative with regards to this plan.

"Then what can I say?" she older woman sighed, dropping the pamphlets of apartments onto the counter, "You're grown-ups now, you're going to have to be" she smiled, "I guess if you say you can manage, I'll have to believe you, but don't ever forget that I am here for you, no matter what, and I love you" she said, reaching out to Logan, her hand going to his cheek.

"I love you too, Mom" he told her with a genuine smile as he put an arm around her and mother and son shared a hug.

Veronica was soon pulled into the group embrace, and breathed a sigh of relief. One down, and one to go. She only hoped her father would understand as Lynn did that this was the best thing for her, Logan, and the baby. She'd meant what she said before, it was what they both wanted and needed, and it would work out alright, in the end.

* * * * *

Veronica was a little distracted as she stood by her locker with the apartment brochure in her hand. She and Logan had come straight from his house to school and therefore had yet to speak to Keith about the possible move. In some ways Veronica was dreading it, and yet for the most part she knew her Dad well enough to know he would go with the plan if he thought it was sensible, and she really couldn't see why he wouldn't think so. She couldn't help but smile as she gazed at the possible home she and Logan, along with their baby, would eventually share. This wasn't how she'd expected her life to go, but it was working out pretty well so far, considering the bomb-shell that was dropped into the centre of her world not so long ago.

The ringing of the school bell startled her from her thoughts, so much so that she physically jumped, dropping her brochure to the floor. It skittered across the hall, right into the path of a young man who bent to pick it up and return it to its owner. Both Veronica and Duncan felt more than a little awkward when they realised who the other was, and it only got worse when he noticed what he was holding.

"Wow" he said, apparently more than a little surprised.

"Duncan, I was just..." Veronica began, unsure why she felt the need to make excuses, but thinking she should do it all the same.

"Moving house?" he filled in for her, handing over the pictures of the new apartments to buy and rent in Neptune.

"Yes" Veronica admitted, sticking out her chin, after all she had no reason to be ashamed of what they were doing, "Logan and I are going to get a place together, to raise the baby" she explained, feeling even proud that the two of them were being adults about all this.

"Very cute" Duncan said flatly as he forced the brochures into Veronica's hand and turned to walk away.

"Duncan, wait!" she called after him, glad when he at least bothered to turn back, "I don't want you to hate me anymore" she sighed, so tired of having to deal with one too many issues right now.

As if it weren't hard enough being sixteen and pregnant, the whole school staring at her, her whole life being turned on its head. What she'd done, cheating on Duncan, it was wrong, but he couldn't go on punishing her forever. Before they were even going out, they'd been such good friends and she hated that they'd lost that.

"I don't hate you" he said, eyes dipping to the floor and back as he stood before her, "I couldn't if I wanted to" he admitted, recalling the amount of time he'd spent trying to do just that.

"Please don't hate Logan either" Veronica urged him, knowing that might be the more difficult request for her ex to fulfil, "I know what we did was wrong, and I am so sorry we ever hurt you, Logan is too" she said as he looked away, "Duncan, you know as well as I do we were done long before that night that Logan and I..." she stopped when she realised she had no way to finish that sentence without digging herself a big hole, "Even before Lilly, all we did was fight or just carry on regardless" she shook her head, knowing by the way he wouldn't look at her that he knew every word was true, "We weren't in love by the end, Duncan, we were just together out of habit"

She was surprised to see him smile at that, but she took it as a good sign. Maybe he understood what she was saying, maybe he'd just realised how true it was, though none of this seemed like a great reason to grin.

"I know, you're right" he said with a sigh, "I guess I'm just finding it hard to kick the habit" he told her, leaning in to kiss her cheek and savouring the brief contact a moment longer than perhaps he should, "I do want you to be happy, Veronica, both of you" he told her sincerely, before turning to walk away, leaving Veronica staring after him in silence.

* * * * *

"We have something to tell you..." said Veronica as she and Logan sat if front of her father's desk at the Sheriff's station, hand in hand.

"Oh, I'm getting a very bad flashback" Keith replied, half way between joking and serious, since he really was just a little worried about what was coming next - the last two conversations that started this way had been about Veronica's pregnancy and Logan being the unlikely father!

"Dad, please" Veronica rolled her eyes, "Just, take a look" she said, deciding finding the words would be too difficult, and just handing over the brochure she held in her hand.

"What's this?" he asked with a slight frown as he flipped over the pages of pictures showing medium-sized apartments, all brand new and neutrally decorated.

"With your permission, sir" Logan started, clearing his throat nervously before he could continue, "One of those will be mine and Veronica's new home, where we'd like to raise our child" he explained, as Keith's eyes drifted up from the page and met those of the young man before him.

He didn't look thrilled, but anger wasn't present in his gaze either. Both Veronica and Logan took it as a good sign that his head hadn't exploded yet. They hadn't exactly been expecting smiles and hugs, but some reaction in the positive would've been nice.

"We can do it, Dad" Veronica assured her father, "Logan has money saved, I have my college fund, I mean, it's not like I need it right now and by the time I do, we'll have worked something out" she explained, sounding altogether too grown-up for Keith's liking in some ways, "The place comes with basic furniture, and I can get online, find the best deals on the things we'll need for the baby..." she continued on, pointing at the pictured apartments and pulling out a wad of papers that she'd clearly been scribbling on all day in school, making plans and such, "Dad?" she frowned slightly when she realised he had yet to answer her or even react at all.

His silence was more worrying to her than any negative feedback he might've given. She wanted desperately for him to understand that this was what they both wanted and needed to do, and that they could be okay.

"I missed it, didn't I?" Keith said with a vague shake of his head as he looked over at his daughter, "The part where you grew up" he smiled, though Veronica was almost certain she could see tears in his eyes.

Emotions aside, she and Logan both knew just by the look on Keith's face that they had his blessing on this, and they couldn't have been happier.

To Be Continued...