Drunk Logan
Chapter 16

A/N: That's it! I've decided that I have the best reviewers EVER! I'd like to keep you all and just pull you out of my pocket when ever I need a little pick-me-up! Truly, you have no idea of how giddy I feel after reading your reviews. I walk around with a goofy little grin on my face! SO, TO ALL of you who review and review so faithfully, I love you! THANK YOU!!!!

Disclaimer: I own nothing! Except my babies and my husband...yes, I own him! That's not up for discussion.

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"Good Morning." Logan said softly as Veronica opened her eyes. He was watching her from the chair he was sitting in. He was fully dressed and his hair was done. "How are you feeling?"

"Uh, I don't know yet. We'll see when I try to get up." She said with an unsure smile. She looked around the room, "You're showered and dressed. What time is it?"

"It Madame, is almost 9 o'clock."

"What? I slept for 14 hours! I don't think that I've ever slept that long in my life." She paused, " Uh, and I am still exhausted." She laid her head back on her pillow.

"Well, you needed lots of sleep. Plus, that pill probably helped." He wanted to tell her how beautiful she was when she slept. The serenity in her face when all of the worries were not plaguing her made her look a little like the innocent Veronica he used to know. When she slept, she was a mix of the two. She still had the shorter hair and slightly matured look, but her face held the quiet peacefulness he'd know so well.

He may have wanted to tell her lots of things and to run over and kiss her again and hold her hand, but he knew that she was right the night before. They needed to take things slow and make sure that they had true feelings for each other. With everything that had gone on and with the repercussions their "relationship" would have, they needed to proceed with caution. He knew that, no matter what, people were going to have to get used to them being friends again. It would no longer be encouraged or even acceptable to treat her the way they had. People getting used to them being friends was one thing, just thrusting a budding romance on them was another.

"Well, I've got pharmaceutical options for you this morning. You can either take half of what you had last night, Extra-Strength Tylenol, Ibuprophen or Aleve...and call me in the morning." He smiled. "Once you see how much pain you're in, you can decide what you want. Just make sure you take something soon. If you don't stay ahead of the pain, you'll regret it. Do you want to lay in bed for a while longer or are you ready for me to help you up?"

"Unfortunately, I think I'd better get up. I need to call my dad and find out when he'll be home so we can figure out what to do about Troy." She knew her dad was going to flip when he saw her and she wasn't looking forward to it. Her dad wouldn't be upset with her, but he would be worried and she hated doing that to him.

"Already done. He should be here in about an hour and a half. He had his "real bad dude" and was just outside of town when I talked to him. I told him that we needed to see him, so he's going to head over here when he's done at the Sheriff's Department. Of course, I could always call him back and tell him to just stay there. We can meet him there, you know, make things easier in case you decide to report Troy." He wasn't looking directly at Veronica and was trying his best to downplay his suggestion.

"Well, I am impressed, Logan. Look at you, taking care of everything. And, I think meeting here will be just fine." She knew exactly what he was trying to do. Although she appreciated it, she wasn't ready to agree to go to the cops just yet.

"Well, I was bored to death just waiting on 'Sleeping Beauty' over there to wake up. So, I also took Backup for a walk and let him stay in the backyard for awhile. I called the school and told them we wouldn't be in today and we'd bring in our excuse letters tomorrow. I figure that bought us enough time for your dad to talk to the school about our absences. I haven't gotten you anything for breakfast yet because I didn't know when you were going to wake up, but Mrs. Navarro is ready to make whatever you need. You just tell me what you want and I'll have her make it while your taking a nice, hot shower." He got up and walked over to her to help her out of bed. He grabbed her hands and helped her slowly get into a sitting position. She was still really sore.

"Just sit here for a minute and let your body adjust to being up again. There's no rush, the calvary's coming to us, remember?" He was about to release her hands when she squeezed his.

"You know, if someone had told me a couple of weeks ago that we'd be here, together like this, I would have thought they'd been knocked over the head. I'm so glad you're here, Logan." He looked into her eyes and ran his hand down the side of her face.

"Me, too. Me, too. I wouldn't want to be anywhere else." They could both feel the moment crossing that friendship boundary they had set.

"Well, good then, Mr. Echolls. Let's get me into the shower, shall we?" He laughed.

"Sure, Miss Mars. As long as you promise to never call me Mr. Echolls again. I am not my father." They both laughed, but Logan's didn't reach his eyes. There was something about that statement.

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After her shower, Logan dressed the wound on her back again, then Veronica got dressed in her sweats and zip-up hoodie with a little help from Logan. She was relieved that her body, although still extremely sore, was not as bad as she thought it would be. At least she could move around. She attributed it to Logan's care of her. The hot tub and the pain relievers, along with the uninterrupted rest she was able to get had really helped.

When they got downstairs, Mrs. Navarro had a spread of fresh fruit, waffles, bacon and eggs.
"I thought you said you already ate?" Her eyebrows furrowed and she was looking at Logan.

"I did, but Mrs. Navarro knows how much you love to eat." He smirked at her and they heard Mrs. Navarro giggling from the kitchen.

"Thank you, Mrs. Navarro. It looks delicious." Veronica yelled to the lady who had always treated her with such kindness during her visits to the house.

"Your Welcome, Dear." The voice came from right behind Veronica.

"Ahh, where did you come from?" She spun around to see Lettie Navarro smiling at her.

"I was just going to ask if I could get you anything else." Veronica looked around, her eyes got huge, "Do you have anything else in the kitchen? I thought it was all on the table already." They all laughed. Veronica hugged the older lady lightly and said, "Really, thank you so much for all of this."

"It's good to see you again, Veronica. It's been too long." She said as she left the room.

Logan pulled out a chair for Veronica and she dug in.

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(Ding Dong)

Veronica and Logan looked at each other. Logan squeezed her hand and got up. As he passed her chair to answer the door, he leaned down and whispered, "It'll be okay."

A couple of minutes later he returned with Keith in tow. Keith was smiling, happy to see his daughter.

"I'm Ba-ack," he announced as he stretched out his arms and bent over prepared to engulf her in a hug.

"NO! Mr. Mars, Stop!" Logan yelled and rushed to stand between Veronica and her father.

"Huh?" Keith halted, arms still outstretched and a frown on his face. "What's going on here? I mean, I thought it was pretty weird for Logan to call me this morning and ask me to meet you guys at his house on a school day. Now, though, I'm not even supposed to hug my daughter hello?"

Veronica knew that she needed to intervene and explain everything. "Dad, something's happened." Keith looked from Veronica to Logan and back to Veronica.

"Oh, no." Keith shut his eyes then looked at Logan. "I hope you are not going to tell me that you got my little girl pregnant. I didn't even know that you two were friends again."

"No, no, dad that's not it. It's, It's, well, I... kind... of... got..." she's speaking so slowly in an effort to find the right words, "into an argument...at school." She finishes lamely.

"Veronica..." both guys say in a stern voice.
When he hears Logan's voice, Keith turns to look at him. "Okay, Logan, what's going on? For some reason, I think I'm going to get a more clear picture from you.

"Well, you see, Sir," Keith knew it was trouble if Logan was calling him 'Sir.' Logan almost never showed respect for his elders. "The truth is...Veronica didn't get into an argument." It wasn't even his father and Logan wasn't the one that hurt Veronica; but he was having a hard time getting this out, too.

"Okaaay." Keith tilted his head down, but kept his eyes set on the boy in front of him.

"Troy, he, um..." Keith was thrown at the mention of the boy's name. Then, the confusion written across his faced melted away into a deadly curiosity.

"Troy, um, what?"

"He got angry with Veronica and he hit her. Several times. Hard." Logan never knew speaking could be so difficult. He had always had a gift for talking his way into, through or out of anything. This was different. He knew how Keith would react. Logan remembered how he felt when he first found out what Troy had done and how he still felt every time he allowed himself to think about it too much. Speaking it out loud, also made it seem so much more real. Even though Logan had cleaned her up and seen the evidence himself, he had compartmentalized it in his mind. It was the only way he had avoided seeking Troy out. Frankly, he still had every intention of showing Troy what it felt like to go up against someone his own size. He just had to wait until Veronica didn't need him by her side constantly.

"WHAT!" He spun around and walked up to Veronica whose head was down now. "What is he talking about, Veronica?" He was still yelling until she looked up at him with tears in her eyes.

"I'm sorry, Daddy." She said quietly as the tears began to fall.

"Wha-" Keith started breathlessly as he finally saw the bruising on her cheek. "Oh, Honey. Are you okay? What happened?" He was fighting back tears now, too, along with a host of emotions. Worry, love, fury and hate were at the forefront.

Logan came behind her chair and Keith watched as he helped Veronica rise. His heart broke when he saw how much care Logan took with her and how gingerly she moved. That's when he processed Logan's earlier words, 'several times, hard.'

Veronica told her dad everything from Troy hearing a rumor about her and Logan, to the specifics of what he did to her, to when Logan arrived at the apartment. Keith just listened as the mixture of rage and tears built inside of him.

When she was done, he stood directly in front of her with tears running down his cheeks. "I'm so sorry, Honey." He was fidgeting like he wanted to move.

"Her forehead." Both Veronica and Keith turned quizzical looks on him. "You can touch her forehead, it isn't hurt...her left cheek and hands, too. Those are the only places I've been able to touch her that don't cause her any pain." Logan knew all too well what her father was feeling. He knew that Keith wanted to scoop Veronica up in his arms and not let go. He wanted to squeeze her tight enough to convince himself that she was okay. He couldn't do any of that, though.

Keith gave him an appreciative nod, then grabbed Veronica's cheek and kissed her forehead. After a minute, he stepped back and looked into her eyes. His gaze was interrupted by Logan's voice.

"You need to see them, Mr. Mars."

"What? Who?"

"The marks."

"I know. Veronica, it's time for me to see the damage." He watched as Logan unfolded a cloth napkin and held the two corners to her shoulders. He didn't know what Logan had planned until the boy spoke up.

"Okay, Ronnie." And with that, Veronica unzipped her hooded sweatshirt and then grabbed the napkin while Logan pulled it from her shoulders. Keith had almost interrupted, uneasy with his daughter being exposed in front of Logan. He stopped though, as soon as her shoulders were bared.

He took in a sharp breath and then surveyed the damage. Logan explained each of the marks in relation to the events that Veronica had described for her father. He uncovered the spot on her back that he had dressed earlier.

"It's not bleeding anymore, but I figured that the dressing would help dull some of the pain if she accidentally rubbed it against anything." He shrugged.

He continued to move down her body and then pointed out the marks on her hips. He rolled down the side of her pants just a fraction, showing Keith that the marks continued.

"She also has a pretty painful spot on her butt." Keith raised an eyebrow and turned to look at Logan.

"Uh...th-that I haven't seen, but she can't sit down unless she is at an angle." Keith nodded his head in understanding. "Also, there may be a bump on the back of her head from when she hit the wall. She's been sore everywhere and had a headache, but we're not sure if it's from a specific injury or everything in general." Keith continued to nod, blowing out a long breath.

They got Veronica covered back up and she turned to face her father. She saw the switch in his attitude and she knew the look he had in his eyes. He had gone from shocked and concerned, to business-like and determined. That was the only way he'd gotten through Lilly's murder. He had to push aside his personal feelings for his daughter's best friend, the girl who'd spent as much time at his house as she did at her own. It was the only way he could work and solve the case, although he didn't get the chance to solve it. Veronica braced herself for what was coming.
"What did the police say about all of this?" He didn't like the look he saw between Veronica and Logan. "Well?"

"We haven't gone to the cops yet, Sir."

"What!" He once again turned to face Logan. For a brief second, he thought about the fact that if Logan hadn't been there, he probably wouldn't know the half of it.

"Well, Veronica was hesitant to report it considering how Lamb treated," he noticed Veronica's eyes get huge and she started to violently shake her head 'no.' He wasn't sure what was going on, but knew that he wasn't supposed to go any further with his thought so he covered, "you after you were relieved of your position." He saw Veronica let out the breath she was holding.

"Yeah, Dad. I knew that you'd know what to do and we wouldn't have to deal with Lamb.

"Veronica, I'm sorry, Honey. I know that you hate Don, but we have to report this."

"No, Dad, no. He's the most incompetent..."

"Veronica, look we're not having this discussion. It's a done deal." When he saw the disappointed look on Veronica's face, he tried to cheer her up a bit. "Besides, if I have to shoot him, at least there will be a complaint on record. You know, if the need arises." All three of them chuckled.

"Now, before we go, is there anything that you've left out? You know that they are going to ask you everything about this and the events that led up to it. Is there anything I need to know before we go in there?"

Veronica thought about it for a moment, then she turned to Logan with pleading eyes.

"Could you give us a minute alone, Logan?" He complied and walked into the foyer. He wondered what it was that she needed to tell Keith that she couldn't say in front of him. He thought that he already knew everything there was to know about this situation. For a moment he was scared that Troy had done something more to Veronica, but brushed the feeling aside.

When he had left the room, her father looked down at her and sighed, "What is it?" He was worried about what else she had to tell him. It had to be pretty bad if she sent Logan out of the room, he had seen how much she'd relied on him throughout this whole thing.

"Dad, the rumor that Troy was upset about...it was about Logan driving out of the parking lot Monday morning with a blonde girl's head in his lap." Keith was confused as to what this had to do with anything, then it hit him. His eyes got wide and he spoke in almost a whisper, "Veronica, were you...did you..."

"No, dad. It is true that we left the school before it started on Monday morning. It is also true that my head was in his lap, but let me explain." On his nod, she continued. "We had been cleaning up the A/V room after making Lilly's video and I found some...information on Duncan's computer."
"What kind of information?"

"Well, apparently he keeps a journal on his computer. There was an entry that alluded to why he had broken up with me. It had to do with a paternity issue." She waited to see his reaction.

When she saw his eyes widen for a split second, she knew and closed her eyes.

"You know, don't you?" She asked him softly. "Here I am thinking that I'm going to be breaking some huge news to you, but you already know."

"Look, Veronica. Your mom's not perfect, but neither am I. There have been some rough patches in our relationship, but I still love her and I love you. You are my daughter, Veronica, in every way that counts. You always will be."

"But, biologically, you don't know, do you?"

"No," he said after a long pause. "I'm sorry you had to find out like this, I really am."

"I know, Dad. I am, too. Really, it doesn't matter right now, though. The reason I told you was because it has to do with the rumor. When I read Duncan's journal entry, I completely fell apart."

"Dad, Logan was there to pick up the pieces. He took care of everything. He took care of me. He got me out of the school before too many people arrived and he put me in his SUV. He laid a blanket across the center console and he laid my head on his leg. Dad, no part of it was sexual."

"I know, Veronica. I understand and I'm so glad that he was there for you. It seems as if he's done a lot of growing up." After a pause, he continued. "I noticed Backup and his food dish are here. Can I assume that you've been staying here?"

"Yes, Dad, but nothing happened. It wasn't about that. I swear."

"Dad, I don't know what I would have done theses last couple of days if he hadn't been here. You have no idea how much he's done for me." She smiled wryly. "I wouldn't even believe it, if I hadn't been here to see it."

He just laughed. "I know, I know. It's my job to worry about you though, you know that." She smiled and nodded. "I am very grateful to him for taking such good care of you, though. I never thought I'd say that," he said as he walked with her to the foyer where Logan was waiting.

"Everyone ready?" Upon their nods, he said, "Well, let's get this show on the road, then."

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They were standing at the front desk of the Sheriff's Department waiting to see Lamb and Veronica couldn't help but feel a sense of deja vu. She hoped that this experience would be a little more gratifying than her last visit to Lamb.
When they got into Lamb's office, they told him everything that had happened, leaving out the information about the paternity issue.

The Sheriff asked Veronica a lot of questions, some of them completely irrelevant, but they finally got through the questioning and filling out the written report. The last thing that had to be done was something Veronica wasn't looking forward to.

"Okay, I'm going to need Veronica to undress and we'll take pictures of the injuries for the file." Lamb said, and Veronica could feel his eyes traveling up and down her body.

"You're not taking them," Veronica stated matter-of-factly."

"Look, Veronica, are you trying to hide something and don't want me to collect all of the evidence. I'm the Sheriff for Pete's sake. This is my job."

"Actually, you forget who I am, Donny Boy. I know Department policy. I have the right to request a female officer and if one is not available, then medical personnel can also take them."

"Whatever," Lamb was irritated. "You're just trying to make things more difficult."

Just before they left, Lamb told Keith that he had deputies on their way to pick up Troy. He assured Keith that he would call as soon as Troy was in custody.

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When they left the Sheriff's Department, they decided to go back to Logan's. Back-up would need to be picked up and Veronica's stuff was still there. Logan had also suggested that they all take a dip in the hot tub or swimming pool.

"You know, since it seemed to help Veronica so much yesterday." Logan added as enticement for Keith. Keith knew exactly what was happening. Logan didn't want to let go of Veronica yet, Keith could understand the need to keep her close. It was a little confusing to see Logan behaving that way since he hadn't seen much of Logan in the past year.

Although Veronica never gave him any details, he knew that she had suffered from the same social issues that he had. How could she not when she stood with her father after he went up against the most powerful man in Neptune.

Watching Veronica and Logan interact, he knew that they had moved past whatever problems they had. Even though normally, he would still be weary about Logan; he was just too grateful to him for taking care of his baby girl.

They barbecued steaks and enjoyed the water. Veronica's body was able to relax again in the hot tub. She felt the tension leave her neck and shoulders, knowing that she wouldn't be accidentally running into Troy.

It was well into the evening by the time a call came from Lamb.
"Hello?" Keith answered his phone quickly. He was wanting this over immediately; and although he hadn't shown the kids, he'd been getting nervous at how long it'd been since they talked to the Sheriff. He was hoping it was just Lamb being a pompous ass, like normal, and making Keith wait.

"Uh, okay." Veronica and Logan watched as her father listened to an update on Troy.

"He what?" His voice was calm, but tight as he turned away from the two pairs of eyes still glued to him.

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Sarca666: That's actually kind of funny! Anyway, thank you so much for your kind reviews. They are welcome as often as you can give them. :-)

Miss-Mars: Well, this story seems to be a bit bi-polar...either we're on angst overload or sugar overload. Oh well, I guess I like them both. Thanks for the review.

09nerLoVer: Thank you so much. You are so nice. I hope you continue to enjoy the fic.

inspiresxlove: yes, you did! There was enough going on in the chapter where it's easy for it to be missed, but you saw it. Thank you so much for your enthusiasm. It is so great to hear.

LoVeElle: Oh, I know. I don't know if it's weird that I get as anxious and excited and sappy while I'm writing this story as I read other's fics. When I write scenes like that, I am totally picturing them in my mind. I love the way that JD/Logan kisses in canon! It's truly like he can't get enough. He is always fully committed. Sigh! Anyway...thank you SO much.

BrokenGravity23: heeheehee bats eye lashes. Thank you. Yes, I remember a review from BrokenGravity23. It was a nice review, but I'm sorry that there is some confusion for you. Nicole, thank you for your feedback. I really appreciate it.

lamiss12: ROTFL. I'm sorry. I know it's not funny, but I know where you're coming from. I've spent many a nights thinking that I was CRAZY for staying up so late for a story. Oh, no...see, that would be something you could expect from RT. In obsessionland, we don't do things that way.

SaraLyleth: Well, what did you think of the Keith/Veronica/Logan interaction? Thank you

Literati and naley forever: Yeah, I liked that scene, too. When I first saw what he was doing, I didn't have a clue. Then, the moment he walked into the jail cell, I was off the couch and totally doing my "Logan-is-the-best-guy-in-the-whole-wide-world" dance. Do you have one of those? I think everyone should!

ShmexyShmexyHinny: I'm sorry. It's is an evil streak in me that has been passed from generation to generation. I get it from my dad's side. BUT, thank you, thank you for your wonderful review.

Kaleena Mason: Thank you! Yeah, we couldn't wait forever for them to give us a little LoVe.

storynerd89: I'm so glad you read it that way. I picture the scenes in my head, and in there, that kiss was totally hot. It's just difficult to know whether that comes across in the writing. Thank you!

RBDFAN: Don't hate me...but I don't know who any of your other loves are...shrinks back in shame. Sorry! But, we can share our mutual love for JD. Anyway, thanks for the review.

xosummerxo: WOW! Loved your review. Thank you for your effort! Yes, there are a lot of things going on. When I first wrote these chapters, I had to make a list of all of the open subjects on the table just so that I wouldn't forget that something was still hanging out there, unresolved. Still a lot of unfolding to see. Enjoy!

AJzkitten69: ok, so since the first time I saw you're screen name, I have been wanting to say, "Wow, AJ's a pretty lucky guy, huh?" Hee hee. BTW, squee! Hahahaha! I love it because reviews like yours and others make me squee! It is hilarious. I actually laugh at how giddy I get after reading you guys' reviews. Thank you so much!

IluvVM: okay, that's it I'm blushing! In fact, I had to sit down so that I didn't faint! Thank you so very much for your awesome and ever faithful reviews.