Drunk Logan
Ch. 10

A/N: Let me know what you think of this update! Your feedback makes me giggle like a little girl. Thank you so much for the encouragement.

Flashbacks/thoughts of previous HC come from the show. Thx, again!

LOVE...LOVE...LOVE...LOVE...LOVE...LOVE...LOVE...LOVE

Saturday morning Veronica woke up with up with a smile on her face as she snuggled into her pillows and blankets. She couldn't remember the last time she'd woken up in such a good mood. She felt warm and safe and loved. As she lay there, images of her night's dreams were flashing through her mind.

"Mmmm," Veronica sighed. Then, all of the sudden, she sat straight up in bed.

"Oh, no!" Veronica said frantically as the impact of her sleep-hazed thoughts hit her full force. She realized that the images floating around in her head and the source of her warmth was the one and only, Logan Echolls. She had been having a series of dreams about Logan. The fact that they were dreams and not nightmares is what really concerned Veronica.

Veronica tried to lay back down, but couldn't keep the thoughts of Logan away, his intense brown eyes, the highlights in his hair, the feel of his hand on hers, his adorable evil little smirk.

'Veronica, you hate him, he hates you. It works well for you...right?' What was disturbing to Veronica was that she wasn't so sure it was working anymore. It scared her that in a week's time, she'd gone from knowing exactly how she felt about him to this completely mixed up mess of emotions that she couldn't decipher, let alone understand. Her confusion got even more complex when she thought of Logan's actions over the last week. It started with small differences in the beginning of the week with him not trashing her when Dick had baited him. Throughout the week, his civility, his seeking her help, his desire to have her involved in Lilly's memorial every step of the way and his acts of comfort had thrown her.

Thoughts of him made her feel like she was in a complete haze. She decided to get up and shower. 'Maybe that will clear my head and I'll be able to engage in reason and logical thought again.'

Luckily, the shower helped. Veronica had been able to see through the haze finally and had come to a decision or at least a conclusion regarding her confusion. She knew that the events of the week were colored by the anniversary of Homecoming and Lilly's death.

'I'll just let the dust settle a little and I'm sure things will go back to normal. We're both feeling nostalgic right now, but that will pass. When things do settle down, my feelings will settle also.' Veronica knew it was a good plan. After Monday, she wouldn't be seeing much of Logan and she was sure that things would be back to normal after another week or so.
'So, I just have to make it through seeing him on Monday morning when we clean up the A/V room. That's not bad. Oh yeah, and the dance tonight. That is of course, if I even see him in the sea of people. Who am I kidding? Of course I'll see him, and the likelihood is that he'll be crowned King. Wait, who is he going with? Oh, it's probably some air-headed bimbo who couldn't care less about him. Won't stop her from spreading her legs for him, the little slut. Probably some tall, leggy, gorgeous whore! Argh, I just hate girls like that!' At this point, Veronica was stomping around her room. She was getting her clothes out and slamming her drawers and closet door along the way.

She was pulled out of her rampage when her father knocked on her door to ask her if everything was okay.

"Yeah, sorry dad. Everything's fine. I'll be out in a couple of minutes." Veronica sat down in a huff on her bed. After a minute, she had calmed down a bit. 'What is wrong with you Veronica? You don't care who he brings. He could go with the entire cheerleading squad and it wouldn't bother you.'

"I have Troy...I am going to the dance with Troy."

"What was that, Honey?" Keith had heard Veronica say something as he turned to walk away.

"Nothing, Dad. Just talking to myself," Veronica yelled back. 'Yeah, like a crazy person. Oh no, nothing's wrong in here.' Veronica thought sarcastically.

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Logan had woken up in a terrible mood. He had thought it was a really good idea when he made plans to spend Homecoming alone at the beach in remembrance of Lilly, the Fab Four and their last Homecoming. He was seriously reconsidering how good of an idea it really was now.

Did he really want to go to the dance now? No. Was he still happy that he'd be at the beach? Absolutely. What was it then? It was the alone part.

Prior to this week, he would have opted to spend all of his emotionally vulnerable time by himself. The kindness and comfort Veronica had given him throughout the events of the last week, though, were making him rethink his policy on that...on a lot of things, really.

'Because of my pride and anger, I have missed out on all that is Ronnie for the better part of a year. I knew how good of a friend she was; she proved herself over and over again when we were friends. If I were really honest, she proved herself again, when she told Lilly about me kissing Yolanda. I wouldn't have wanted her to do anything else.'

Logan knew that the worst part was not what she could've done directly for him over the last year. It was the things that he could've done for her. She had the ability to make him feel needed. He could've been there to protect her at Shelley's party. In fact, no one would have even tried anything like that if he hadn't made it okay to hate and abuse her.
Had he clung to her after Lilly's death instead of pushing her away, he could've felt depended upon and cared for, loved. He couldn't think of anyone else in his life who made him feel that way, not like she did. The closest person was his mother, but she didn't really rely on him for a lot. She had 'people' who took care of her every physical need and Aaron, who molded and directed their personal and professional lives.

Duncan was his oldest and best friend, but he didn't really need Logan. Even before Lilly died, before he had turned into this guy who expressed as much emotion as a wall. They were best friends and they loved hanging out together, but they weren't dependent on one another. Day by day their friendship became more surface.

'Wow, I feel even worse than I did when I got up." Logan thought to himself. The one hope he had was that it wasn't too late. He knew that Veronica probably would not be able to forgive him ever, but this week had given him a thread of hope.

Logan knew that she was going to Homecoming with Troy and that he wouldn't see her until Monday morning. After that, though, when would he have the chance to see her? Or to be alone with her? He needed to figure out what he could do to get more time with her. Journalism and lunch across the quad used to be too much. Now it didn't seem like nearly enough time to see her. He wanted to get to know her again. This week had been a good start, but there was so much more to this changed Veronica than he had seen. She was so closed off now, the utter opposite of what she had been. He wanted to know every facet of her and he wasn't willing to let go of that possibility, not yet.

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Logan's evening went as planned. Tux? Check. Limo? Check. Beach and Champagne? Check. Solitude? Check Check. He had taken his shoes and socks off and had walked along the waves. He had spent most of it reliving the last Homecoming in his mind. Then, he nestled himself up against a large piece of driftwood just staring into the ocean.

He remembered their 'I never...' game. The bored look on Lilly's face when she was imitating her parents having sex and Duncan's equally appalled reaction, the way he had outed Duncan for masturbating in the locker room at school, Veronica's admission that she'd never gone skinny-dipping and Lilly's, "We're going to have to do something about that," comment.

'To bad we didn't take the opportunity to do something about it that night.' He chuckled at himself. Here he was celebrating Lilly and the Fab Four and his thoughts had still drifted to Veronica. They weren't real innocent thoughts either.

He had a vivid imagination. He could almost see her with her new, shorter hair and confident attitude. She'd be wearing something more bold than the simple pastel dress she'd worn the previous year, maybe even red satin, like Lilly had suggested so many times. He imagined her striding up to the ocean in her no-nonsense way and unzipping the back of her dress, letting it slip off of her slender frame and drop to the ground. He imagined what her milky white skin would look like in the moonlight. She was gorgeous. He could see her wading into the ocean until she finally just dove under the water.
Logan was brought back to reality when he heard the distinct sound of a zipper. He blinked and saw the very vision of his daydream.

"Veronica?" Logan said, which stopped her just before she released the dress from her body.

Veronica let out a squeal as she spun around quickly to see who had intruded on her mission.

"Logan?" She breathed out as she clung tightly to the front of her dress. "Wh...wha...what are you doing here?

Veronica's mind was racing. She had gotten out of the limo with the intent of taking a quick dip, just enough to cross it off her list and pay homage to Lilly in a small way. She hadn't planned to do this, if so she wouldn't have gone through all of the trouble of curling her hair so perfectly. When she saw the ocean out the limo window, she just couldn't stop herself. It was stupid, it was just skinny-dipping, but she needed to do this. She couldn't explain it. It was like the red satin dress she was wearing. When she'd seen it in the store, she knew it was the perfect wardrobe choice. She had the same feeling when she'd seen the ocean.

Now, though, of all places, she had come upon Logan. Luckily he had spoken up when he had. If not, they both would have gotten a real surprise.

"Why aren't you at the dance? Where's your date?" Veronica cringed at the thought of him sharing an intimate moment at the beach with his date.

"I'm here alone. I never planned on going to the dance. This," he swept his arms out, "is my Homecoming."

"A better question, Miss Mars, is what are you doing here?" A clever, but genuine smile plastered on his face. He let out a little chuckle.

"You know, she would love this!"

"Are you making fun of me, Logan?" Veronica was completely off of her game. She was having trouble telling up from down. The only thing she was sure of was the grip she had on the front of her dress and the fact that the dress was fully unzipped, her back exposed.

"No." His face lost all signs of laughter. "I'm dead serious. I was just thinking about that night and our round of 'I never.' She would be so proud to see you here now."

"Yeah, well, I didn't really plan on running into anyone." Then she continued in a quieter voice, "I didn't really plan this at all. I saw the ocean and just couldn't pass it up."

"Well, look, I don't want to ruin your plans or anything. Feel free to continue on your path." Logan motioned toward the water.

Veronica laughed. "Like that's gonna happen. You expect me to undress and walk out there and you, what? With front row seats for the whole thing? I don't think so."

"It's not a big deal. I'll even turn around." Logan was completely serious as he turned away from her. He knew that it might kill him, but he wouldn't gawk at her. He knew how important this was to her and he wouldn't want to take advantage of her in any way.

"No big deal, huh?" I don't see you getting undressed to parade around."

"Okay." That's all Logan said. Veronica was pondering what he meant by that when she saw him lay his tux jacket on the large piece of driftwood he'd been leaning against. When he turned around and was peeling off his shirt, she stopped him.

"Logan, stop. What are you doing?"

"If you're not going to do it by yourself, I'll go with you. That way we'll both be equally exposed. I won't even glance toward you until we're under the cover of water. Of course, you're not allowed to peek, either." He gave her a pointed look.

"Are you serious?" He must be crazy. 'I must be crazy for actually considering this preposterous idea.'

"Look, I know that you're not out here just for the joy of skinny-dipping. I know the significance of this one act. My whole reason for being here tonight is for the same reason. It's my way of remembering and celebrating her and the way things were. I know that's what this is for you and I don't want to be the one to stop you from accomplishing that. Come on, it'll be cathartic." He waited patiently for her to respond.

That was it, that little speech was all it took for Veronica Mars to agree to get naked with Logan Echolls. 'I understand, now, how so many girls can sleep with him. He can make a completely outrageous suggestion sound completely sane and logical.'

They worked it out so that they would walk side by side, looking straight ahead as they walked into the water. Logan couldn't wait to get into the cold water. Being close enough to touch her, knowing that she was without a scrap of clothing was too much for Logan. He needed that cold water to counteract the effects she was having on his body.

When they were finally in the water, they turned toward each other tentatively. They relaxed when they realized that they were "safe."

Veronica got a huge smile on her face, grabbed his upper arms and let out a "woo-hoo" as she shook him. She was so excited, it was exhilarating.

After a moment, her smiling face turned into a thoughtful expression.

"What?" Logan noticed the change immediately and started to get concerned. 'Is she regretting this? Please don't say you're regretting this.'
"I never would have come here tonight if I'd known you were here." She said and noticed the hurt look in his eyes. "I'm so glad I did, though."

"I'm actually happy to be sharing this with you. You are the only one, besides Duncan maybe, who could understand how important such an insignificant act is. Thank you, Logan."

She was looking up into his eyes and she was so sincere. Logan wet his lips with his tongue, he wanted to kiss her so badly in that moment. Instead, he settled for stroking his hand down the side of her face. "Your welcome, Veronica. Thank you for sharing part of my Homecoming with me. I'd hug you, but I'm thinking that would probably defeat the whole 'no peeking rule' we have going. Although, technically, we wouldn't be peeking..." He laughed as he waggled his eyebrows suggestively.

Veronica laughed, too. "Yeah, I'm thinking we'd probably be crossing some sort of boundary there."

"Ver-oni-ca?" Logan and Veronica turned quickly as they heard someone calling Veronica's name.

"Oh, shoot. I totally forgot that Troy, Wallace and Georgia are waiting in the limo for me. I'm so sorry, I've got to go." She didn't want Troy coming to look for her, especially since she was now skinny-dipping with Logan while on a date with Troy. "I'll be right there," she yelled back.

"Well, we'd better send you off, then. Shall we?" Logan said as he gently guided her out of the water with a hand on the small of her back. Her skin felt so silky in the water.

When they were on the beach, Logan held up his tux jacket for Veronica to dress behind. When she was done, he wrapped it around his waist waiting for her to leave before he got dressed.

As she passed him to leave, she leaned toward his ear, "See you on Monday, Logan. Have a good night and stay safe out here, okay?" She said and then gave him a kiss on the cheek. "Thank you again."

LOVE...LOVE...LOVE...LOVE...LOVE...LOVE...LOVE...LOVE...LOVE...LOVE

REVIEWERS:

xosummerxo: Answer your questions? I hope I did it justice here. A little different spin on things, anyway.

sarca666: Thank you so much. I totally understand where you are coming from. Actually, I've had to stop myself from posting multiple chapters too close together...hey, you've got to wait a little, at least. :-)

Literati and naley forever: Thank you. I hope that the insight into both Logan and Veronica's thoughts really comes out in the whole story.

Lorelei Candice Black: Well, this should have answered all of your questions...how'd I do?

RBDFAN: Yeah, see, I'm just in love with him in general. If I had it my way, the show would e called 'Logan Echolls.' Don't get me wrong, I know it's not feasible, but a girl can dream, can't she?

Adja: hahahahaha. Well, girl. I give up...I don't know when you'll be leaving. :-)

IluvVM: Oh, I'm so glad I'm wrapping your emotions all up in knots...there will be A LOT more of that coming! Thanks so much for your kindness

SaraLyleth: hmmm, that's the question, isn't it? What is going to happen with Troy? Obviously, he is in the way of LoVe...but, what are we going to do about him? I think you'll be surprised. Keep reading. I think your questions...some of them about Troy will be answered in Ch. 12...if I remember correctly...maybe it's ch. 13.

BrokenGravity23: Thank you so much...sounds like you're a reader after my own heart. Yes, S1 totally rocks, yes I love the indepthness of the longer chapters. Makes you feel like you're eating the full meal, even if you don't get to the dessert...instead of stopping at the dinner salad. Huh? Food analogies...no, I don't know why I have 30 pounds to lose. Hmmm. :-)

Kaleena Mason: Thank you, I'm so glad you enjoyed it.

vmars3: Wow! All I can say is a big THANK YOU! I really appreciate your wonderful words. Well, we know LoVe has to get around Troy...

09nerLoVer: Thank you. I don't know if people realize how giddy I feel when I get reviews...thank you for my giddyness.

VMLoVeR87: Soon enough? If I were reading, I'd say no...cause I'm a very greedy reader, hee hee. Actually, I'm getting to reread these chapters that I wrote beginning in March. I find myself wanting to post quickly so that I can reread my own story. Yes, I could read it at any time, but I'm keeping myself just a chapter or two ahead of you guys...so I like the quick updates, too.

inspiresxlove: Thank you so much. I'm so happy that you are enjoying it!!! I hope you enjoy future chapters as much.