A/N: Well, all fics must end somewhere and nows the time for this one to come to a close. Thanx for all the support and reviews - each and everyone of you rocks! :-)

(For disclaimer, etc. - see chapter 1)

Chapter 15 - We Are In Love

Veronica was bored; bored of being fat, bored of being home alone, just completely and utterly bored. She got regular visitors, but they all asked the same things and only had one topic of conversation - the baby. Not that she minded so much, she was as eager to see her child as anybody and with just two weeks to her due date nobody was going to have to wait very long it seemed. Still, Veronica wanted to know what was going on in the world outside of her own pregnancy. Between not wishing to upset her by telling her about what she was missing, and ever mindful of stressing her out, nobody seemed willing to tell her about the latest happenings at school or anything.

Checking her watch, Veronica was at least happy to realise that Logan would be over soon. He came practically every day after school and spent a lot of weekends with her, at first at her home or his, and then more recently at their new apartment. Since it came mostly decorated and furnished, it didn't need too much work, except for what would be their baby's room. Keith and Lynn had pitched in with both money and ideas and the young couple had done a wonderful job, as far as they could see. This afternoon they would make a few trips back and forth, move in some of the bigger and more important things from their own homes, then it was just clothes and the like to move in when the baby finally came.

Keith was determined that his daughter remain living at home until the baby came. Not that he didn't trust Logan to take care of Veronica, but it was a lot of responsibility for one young man alone who was also juggling school and friends and so forth. He had a whole year left to complete of High School, a thought that made Veronica just a little jealous. The last day of her Junior year had been her last day at Neptune High, period. One year early she had said goodbye to her school life, and entered adulthood a little too quickly for comfort. Unfortunately, it could not be helped, what was done could not be undone, Veronica was reminded of this as her back twinged once again even now as she lay comfortably on the couch in her new living room.

With her hand resting on her overly swollen belly, Veronica wished in equal parts that this pregnancy would be over and that the day of labour and pain would never come. Giving birth scared the hell out of her, despite all the assurances she received from doctors and nurses, as well as her father, and Logan and his Mom. They all had faith in her, they would all be there to ensure no harm came to her or her baby and yet this was perhaps the one thing she was most afraid of.

"At least I have another couple of weeks to try and get used to the idea" she muttered to herself, moments before the front door swung open and Logan came into the house.

"Hi honey, I'm home" he called in proper cliched style as he greeted the mother of his child.

"Oh, that's going to get real old, real fast" she told him with an over the top grin as she made a move to get up off the couch to meet him, but gave up when it just caused pain.

"You have no idea how much I missed you today" he said, letting her joke slide as he carefully moved her feet out of the way, sat down and replaced her legs across his lap.

"Tell me about it" Veronica sighed, another twinge in he back making her wince as she tried to sit up.

"Hey, are you okay?" Logan checked, not loving that she seemed to be in pain, and that she seemed overly keen to get up when she ought to stay sitting.

"I'm fat and sweating, with a kid kicking me in the kidneys" she huffed, "Would you be okay?" she snapped, perhaps a little too harshly, but Logan understood.

This was hard on her, much harder than it was on him or anyone else. He stood up as soon as she had and went after her, reaching out to turn her around and pull her into his arms, as best as he could given the load she was carrying!

"Okay, first, you are not fat" he told her seriously, "You're carrying my kid" he smiled, "Second, it won't hurt much longer, and then I can't say it'll be easier but at least I can be more help" he said, holding her as close as he could, "and third, no matter what, Veronica, you are the most beautiful woman in the world to me" he swore, pulling back to look in to her eyes, "And I love you"

"I love you too" she promised with a genuine smile as he dipped his head and brought his lips to hers in a sweet kiss that Veronica didn't really want to end.

Unfortunately, a strange sensation shot through her then, and not one that Logan had caused for a change. He noticed something odd too and broke the kiss as he looked down and winced a little at the sight that met his eyes.

"Okay, that's different" he said flatly, glancing at Veronica who looked as surprised as he was to be standing in a puddle, "And that's bad" he added as the blonde doubled over in pain.

"This so isn't supposed to be happening yet!" Veronica half said, half screamed, as pain ripped though her body.

Those twinges before had hurt enough, but it never once occurred to her they were the contractions she'd been told to expect. Now they were much worse and if she was right, her water had just broken. This could not be good.

"Okay, er... hospital bag" Logan started racing around, "No, that's not here, that's at your house, damn!" he yelled angrily as he grabbed his cell from his pocket and dialled the Mars house.

"Dad's not home" Veronica told him, before crying over another contraction, "and I really don't think we have time, Logan" she said desperately, as he tried not to panic as much as she appeared to be doing.

He had to be the man now, he had to be here for Veronica, there was no-one else to help them.

"Okay" he said, for the third time in as many seconds, or so it seemed, "We need to get you to the car and to the hospital"

"Good plan" Veronica nodded as she allowed him to help her up and they hurried as best they could out to the car.

They'd just made it onto the drive when a motorcycle engine startled them both, and they looked across as one to see Weevil pull up behind Logan's X-Terra.

"What's he doing here?" Logan snapped, despite the intense situation he and Veronica were currently in.

"Please, don't" his girlfriend urged him, "I can't handle you two fighting right now" she said desperately as he continued to help her towards the car, and Weevil hurried over to them.

"Hey, what the hell's happenin', V?" he asked, looking genuinely concerned.

"She's having a baby... now!" Logan explained, as he opened the car down and moved to help Veronica inside.

"Weevil" she said, suddenly having a thought as she braced herself against the side of the vehicle and let rip a scream, "Damn!" she cursed, before she could manage to continue, "Weevil, could you go find my Dad? I think he's at work, I really need him here too, and my bag from the house" she said, and he immediately nodded in response.

"You got it, chica" he said with a smile, leaning in to plant a kiss on her forehead right in front of Logan, who he then glared at, "You take care of her, you got it?" he said with a look as he walked backwards til he reached his bike then hopped on and sped away, not even bothering with his helmet.

"Well, at least we agree on one thing" Logan sighed as he helped Veronica into the car at last.

"What?" she asked, trying to breathe properly as she collapsed into the seat, holding herself.

"You should be the most important thing in my life" he said softly, "and you are" he added as he leaned in and kissed her briefly, before shutting the car door and pelting around to the driver's side.

They had a hospital to get to and fast. No child of Logan Echoll's was going to be born on the side of the road; no way, no how.

* * * * *

"Excuse me!" Keith Mars called as he pelted into Neptune General with an unlikely friend on his heels in the form of Eli Navarro.

It had taken a while for the biker to drive back to the Sherriff's station, convince the deputies he had a real emergency for the Sheriff himself, and then get the guy over to first his own home and then the hospital. Still, he was glad to be a part of today, to be helping out in this family emergency. Veronica meant a lot to him, mostly because she was the only one he could really talk to about Lilly, and they'd become pretty good friends since the rest of the school shunned her. She needed a shoulder and his leather-clad one had been there a few times for her. Sometimes strangers were better listeners than those you loved, they both knew that. Now all Weevil could hear was the Sheriff's voice, with an uncharacteristic panic in the tone, as he yelled across at any nurse or doctor that might listen.

"I'm looking for my daughter; Veronica Mars" he explained to the first person that would listen.

"She was brought in about a half hour ago, half way to havin' a kid fall out of her" Weevil added when it was clear Keith was being taken less than seriously since he looked kind of like a crazy person right now.

It seemed at least his words got the nurse's full attention, and with his meaning clear, she soon knew who they were talking about and calmly asked that they follow her down the hall. The whole way, Keith continued to ask if everything was okay, and if there were any problems. He was underwhelmed to not receive an answer for a long time, though honestly he barely gave the poor nurse a space to speak into as he scarcely stopped to breathe, and then to realise their location was not the delivery room as he'd expected but just a family waiting room.

"If you'd like to take a seat" she offered the two men, "I'll go and see if I can find out what's happening with your daughter" she smiled politely, as Weevil followed by a begrudging Keith went into the room and sat down.

"I should be in there with her" the Sheriff complained, getting up just as soon as his butt hit the chair, and pacing the small room like a caged animal, "I need to be there for my little girl"

"Not to be talking out of place, Sheriff, but she ain't so much a little girl no more" Weevil reminded him, "I know kids are always kids to their parents, least that's what they say, but V has her boy Echolls now, and they're havin' a kid of their own"

"Thank you so much for making me feel like a spare part, Eli" Keith said with a look as he re-took his seat beside the younger man and sighed, "I can't help it, I just... She's seventeen, barely even that, and she's just grown up so fast"

"It happens" Weevil shrugged, knowing that for very different reasons he'd had to grow up just as fast as Veronica, if not faster, "And I'm not sayin' its always a good thing, but V's not stupid, and as much as I hate to say it, Echolls treats her right, he ain't gonna let any harm come to her" he told Keith who knew he was right, even if he wouldn't say so, "'Sides, he messes her around, I got no problem bustin' his head, if your trigger finger fails" he smirked, much to the older man's amusement.

"Thank you, Eli" he smiled, "I don't think that will be necessary, unless..." he got no further with his sentence as the door burst open, catching their full attention.

"She did it" Logan said breathlessly, clearly overwhelmed and probably having run a distance at considerable speed, "She... I have a daughter. We got a girl!" he said delightedly as Keith leapt to his feet and hugged the young man before him, as they both got emotional at the concept of being a father and grandfather respectively.

"Hey, congratulations, man" Weevil said, holding out a hand for Logan to shake just the second he and Keith let go of each other.

In a moment of what might've been joy, madness, or a combination of these two emotions and more, Logan grabbed the offered hand and shook it with considerable force as he grinned at his unlikely friend.

"Thanks, man" he said, glancing at Keith and back, "For everything" he said, his meaning clear, since they all knew that as much as Veronica appreciated his presence, she would want her father here just as much.

"No sweat" Weevil shrugged, "So long as V and the kid are okay, nothin' else matters, right?"

"They're better than okay" Logan smiled so wide it looked as if his face might fall in two at a moments notice, "They're perfect"

* * * * *

Veronica Mars was exhausted, beyond exhausted in fact as she fought to stay sitting upright in her hospital bed. Still, the grin would not shift from her face, no matter how tired her body was, or how much pain she'd been in. Nothing was important, nothing but the little bundle in her arms, her own little girl.

"Hello, baby" she said to her daughter, as she smiled down at the newborn child, "I'm Veronica, your Mommy" she said, feeling a little strange saying those words and yet not in the least sorry about it.

It had been a tough decision for both herself and Logan, deciding to keep and raise this child themselves, but in this moment more than any other she knew they'd made the right choice.

Just then the door swung open, and her fiancé returned to her side, leading her own father and an awkward looking Weevil into the room.

"There's my girl" Keith smiled as he hurried to the left side of the bed and perched on the edge, as Logan returned to his place on the right.

"Make that girls, plural" Veronica grinned right back at her Dad, as he leaned in to see the baby in her arms, "Look Lauren, its your Grandpa" the blonde said with a look that made Keith want to scold her for making him feel old, and yet tears of happiness were in his eyes, a look of pride on his features at what his little girl had done.

"She's beautiful" he declared, putting his hand lightly to the baby's head and then leaning over to kiss Veronica on the forehead, "And you did great, honey"

"She really did" Logan agreed as he wrapped an arm around her shoulders, and kissed her temple, equally as proud to love this young woman as Keith was.

"Lauren, huh?" Weevil said with nod, "Cute name for a cute kid" he told the proud mother as she grinned at him.

"We thought so" Veronica agreed, "The first part of Logan's name, the middle part of mine... kind of anyway" she said, wondering if anybody else would even understand the weird way in which she and her fiancé had come up with the name a few nights ago, "Lauren" she said as she smiled down at the child, "The perfect combination of you and me" she said as she looked from the baby to Logan.

The look they shared spoke volumes, not just to each other but also to the other occupants of the room. Keith and Weevil could both see how much Logan and Veronica loved each other and the baby she had just given life too.

Promising to drop in again later, the two onlookers left the young family alone a moment, though they probably wouldn't have noticed either way.

"I can't believe we did this" Veronica said with tears in her eyes as she glanced between Logan and baby Lauren, "She's so beautiful"

"Just like her Mom" he assured her, making her feel all the more emotional.

"It's going to take a while to get used to being called that" she admitted with a light laugh.

"Can't exactly say I expected to be a Dad this soon either" Logan admitted, "but I wouldn't change anything in my life right now, Veronica" he declared, one arm tight around her, the other helping her hold the baby close, "This feels perfect to me. I love you, both of you, more than anything else in the world"

"That works out well" Veronica told him, as she looked up into his eyes, "Because I love you two just the same" she assured him, as he leaned in to kiss her lips.

- The End -

('cept there's an Epilogue, so not really!)