Drunk Logan
Chapter 17

A/N: Don't own anything! Because, again, I would treat my Logan much better.

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

"Yeah, I understand. Okay. Yeah." Keith continued listening as the Sheriff spoke.

Logan leaned over and whispered in Veronica's ear, "How long can it take to tell your dad that they've got him in custody?" She grabbed his arm and he saw an uneasy look in her eyes that he didn't like.

"Alright, we'll talk about it later." Keith shut his phone and slowly turned to look at the teens.

"What is it, Dad?" Veronica didn't know what he was going to say, she just knew that she wasn't going to like it.

"Well, apparently Troy had a girlfriend, Shauna something, at his old school. They got into a lot of trouble together involving drugs and some other stuff. That's why his parents decided to move here. Fresh town, fresh start. They've been vacationing here for years and have a lot of contacts like the Kane's."

"Okay, but Dad, what does any of this have to do with him being arrested?" Veronica was a little lost.

"When they went to pick him up, they discovered that he had left sometime during the night. When he didn't come down for school, his parents checked on him. Then, after a few calls, they found out that the old girlfriend has also gone missing."

"Veronica, it seems that he was going out with you as a cover story with his parents. As far as they knew, he had cut off all contact with his ex-girlfriend. I'm sorry, Honey." He looked at her with compassionate eyes.

"If he was just using me, why did he react the way he did about the rumors? Why did he do," she moved her arms up and down motioning toward her battered body, "all of this?" It wasn't that she still cared about Troy and was hurt that he didn't return her feelings. She was a little ashamed of her inability to see through the facade. And, if she admitted it to herself, she was a little hurt and embarrassed that the only guy that had shown real interest in her since Duncan, was just using her.

"I don't know, I really don't. It doesn't make sense to me either. In my experience, if a guy is using someone as a cover, he doesn't really care one way or another about what they do. Plus, what he did to you took effort on his part and that's highly unusual for someone who has no stake in the situation. The only thing I can think of is that he felt you had threatened his cover; therefore his entire plan was in jeopardy."
"I don't know, Veronica. I've got mixed emotions. I'm glad he's away from you, but I'm incensed that he's not going to pay for what he's done. At least, not yet. Hopefully he will resurface soon and the cops will catch up to him." He really wanted to go after Troy himself. Keith would make him pay for what he did to Veronica. He decided he'd use some of his contacts to track Troy down. As a P.I., he wasn't bound by the limitations of jurisdiction.

"Logan, I'll meet you at the school tomorrow morning and explain everything to the administration. They should excuse your absences." Logan nodded silently in agreement. The day was winding down and Keith would be taking Veronica away. It'd been 2 ½ days since he'd been apart from her for more than a couple of hours. That was only once and it hadn't turned out well at all. He wasn't looking forward to the separation.

Normally, he couldn't make it a full day around anybody, without needing a break. With Veronica, though, it seemed like the time had gone by in a flash. He felt a little resentment toward Keith, although he knew that it was illogical. Loneliness crept in as he thought about the night ahead of him. 'She hasn't even left yet and I already miss her.'

"Veronica, why don't you two go pack up your stuff, it's getting late." She nodded her head and started to leave, but stopped when she heard Logan's voice.

"I'll be there in a second. I just need to check on something real quick, okay?" Then he followed that with a stern, "Just take it slow, I'll be in there soon." She smiled and nodded as she left the room.

When he was sure she was out of earshot, he turned to Keith with a pensive look.

"Um, Mr. Mars, I kind of wanted to talk to you about something." Keith looked at the boy in front of him and could tell that something was bothering him. He had learned so much disturbing information already from the boy, he was hesitant about asking for more.

"What is it, Logan?" He said somewhat slowly.

"It's about what happened to Veronica."

"Uh-huh, and...?"

"I don't know if it's important or not, and Veronica doesn't know about it, but I wanted to tell you just in case." He was fidgeting with his sleeves. "When I was waiting for Veronica to come to Journalism...it when she was with Troy. Anyway, at one point I felt like I was being watched. I looked around and saw Troy standing outside of the classroom, looking at me through the door window. He was leaning against the wall and when he had my attention, he winked and kind of smirked at me. Then he walked off." Logan paused for a moment. "Timing wise, it would have been after...you know?" Keith nodded. "It really creeped me out and that's what made me leave class to find Veronica."

"Yeah, I can see how you'd find that disturbing. It's probably nothing, but I'll keep an eye on her. Thank you." He was sincere in his thanks as he began trying to process all of the information he had regarding Troy.

"Now, why don't you go ahead and help Veronica with her things. I'm sure she's wondering where you are."

"Yeah, I should do that." Before he turned to leave, he looked at Keith one last time. "She's going to be okay, right?" He looked sick and scared and Keith felt for him. Spending the day with Logan and Veronica and seeing Logan's treatment of her; Keith could tell that he cared deeply.

"We'll make sure she is. You're going to keep helping out, right?"

"Absolutely. You couldn't tear me away." Logan left to go find Veronica.

"I believe it," Keith said to the empty room.

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Logan entered his room to see Veronica sitting on his bed and hugging his pillow.

"Hey, you alright?" He was afraid that he'd spent too much time talking to Keith and that she'd hurt herself trying to pack up her things.

"Yeah. You?" Veronica was so happy that her father was home and that everything was out in the open with him, although she still had to tell him about the DNA test. She was sure he wouldn't be surprised to hear she was investigating further.

As happy as she was, though, she was equally disappointed about leaving Logan. It wasn't that she felt unsafe around her dad because she knew that he would protect her with his life. She just felt a level of comfort and safety with Logan that she'd never felt before.

"Good." He croaked out and then cleared his throat.

"I've already packed up most of my things, I just need to get my bathroom stuff together." She said wishing there was more to keep her there longer.

Logan walked over to her and stroked his fingers lightly through her hair. "Stay here, I'll get it."

She smiled at him, wishing he would bend down and kiss her again. She knew that the smart and logical thing was to wait until the dust settled before pursuing anything with Logan. She just couldn't help the desire she felt every time he touched her, every time he looked at her with that deep, brown gaze.

"Thanks."

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Logan was packing up her toiletries slowly. He figured that whatever he could do to keep her from leaving, he'd do.

He came across the head band she used when she was getting ready for bed. She would use it to hold back her hair when she was washing her face and brushing her teeth. He looked toward the door to make sure she wasn't watching and then stuffed the head band in his medicine cabinet.

'Ah, once again I've proven what a girl I can be.' He shook his head and laughed at himself.

He left the bathroom and grabbed her bag, then walked over to her. He held out his hands to her and she took them. The room was silent as he helped her stand. He let go of one of her hands, but continued to hold the other as he walked her back to her father.

When Keith saw them, he rose and approached them. He would have laughed at the sight of the somber teens if he didn't feel so badly for them. In fact, he might feel a little rejected, like a consolation prize. He could see that they were both on the verge of tears, though, and it tugged at his heart. He knew that they had gone through a lot and that tight bonds can form during intense situations. They'd only had each other to rely on for the last couple of days. Now, they were facing a separation that seemed to be hitting them very hard.

"Ready?" Veronica just nodded. "Logan, thank you for taking care of Veronica." He shook Logan's hand and Logan returned it with a tight smile and a nod. Keith grabbed Veronica's bag and walked out the door.

They still had not spoken a word and they just watched Keith walk out. Veronica sighed and looked into Logan's eyes, which was a mistake. She turned and walked away from him before he could see the tear escape from her eye.

As she moved away from him, his senses piqued and everything slowed. He watched as she spun around and her hair lifted away from her head. She took one small step and then another. His focus landed on theirs arms stretching out, then her hand as it began to move out of his. Her fingers brushed over his as his fingers curled in an attempt to retain hold of her for a moment longer. Then, her arm dropped to her side. She was gone and the silence was deafening.

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The drive home was quiet and Veronica just stared out the window. When they got home she said goodnight to her father and went to bed. She was able to lay on one side, but she couldn't sleep. She got up and went to the bag she'd brought back from Logan's house. She unzipped it and dug to the bottom where she grabbed a green sweater she had taken from Logan's closet when she was packing. She crawled back into her bed and snuggled into his sweater, breathing in his scent. She laid there staring at her cell phone on the night stand.

After Veronica left, Logan stood in the foyer for a few minutes. He felt like walking further into the house and going about his regular business was somehow deserting her. She was well taken care of and he knew that. He couldn't help thinking, though, that he knew what she needed more than anyone at that moment.
When he finally turned around, he headed straight to his room, got ready for bed and laid down. He turned off the lamp and laid there for a while longer just staring at his cell phone laying on his night stand.

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The cell phone rang and the message received was simple, "Gd Nght."

The responding message was just as simple, "Swt Drms."

When Veronica saw his response, she smiled sweetly, snuggled into the green sweater and closed her eyes.

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When Logan and Keith met up in the school office, they shook hands again.

"How was your night, Logan?"

"Alright. How's she doing?" He was dying to know. There was a part of him that wanted Keith to tell him that she was doing great and had been practicing her cartwheels that morning. The other part wanted to know that her night was as horrible without him as his was without her.

"Physically, she's doing okay. She's moving a bit slow, of course. Emotionally, I think she's a little lonely." Keith knew what Logan was doing and wanted to ease things for him.

They were interrupted when the Office Aide told them that Vice Principal Clemmons was ready for them.

They went in and explained the situation to Mr. Clemmons, who was understanding, offered any possible help and promised that there would be a full review of student safety policies. He excused Logan's absences and told Keith that Veronica should come back when she was ready.

They said goodbye to the Vice Principal and left the office. Before they could separate, Keith's cell phone rang. He looked at the caller ID and answered the phone while Logan waited.

"Don, what do you got? Yeah? Okay. And what did you find? Okay, I'll be there in a few minutes. Thanks, Don." He hung up the phone and turned to Logan who was waiting for a report.

"What did he say?"

"They were doing a routine search and they found something at Troy's that he thinks I need to see."

"What? Did he tell you anything?" Logan wondered what they could have possibly found that would require Keith's further involvement. "I want to come with you." When Keith started to shake his head, Logan continued. "Mr. Mars, please, I need this."

Keith let out a heavy sigh and then nodded, "Come on, but this is a police matter. If I need you to do something like stay in the car or let me have a private conversation with Sheriff Lamb, then you do it. No questions, no discussions. Just don't say a word while we are there. Understood?"

"Anything. Let's go."

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Ok, my amazing reviewers! I love your reviews and I keep wanting to give away details about what is to come, but I CAN'T! I'm excited, though. Anyway, I looked ahead a couple of chapters and ch. 19 does NOT have a cliff hanger...heeheehee. Hope you enjoyed this one.

2honest4myowngood: well, today is your lucky day. I'm updating earlier in the day...so your cliffie won't be as long! Thank you for the great review.

sarca666: So sorry to hear of your recent hair loss. You know, Veronica knows of a good wig shop. :-)

Sagebeth: hmmm, how was that for an answer? I'm thinking you might be left with another question, though.

Lorelei Candice Black: Well...at least I gave you one answer. I never promised no cliffies. :-)

Miss-Mars: Well, as you can see from this chapter, we haven't closed the book quite yet on Troy. Keep reading...

IluvVM: Really, it's a sickness, a disease, really. BUT, I am going to meetings for it. lol

Kaleena Mason: Thank you. I've tried to get their characters close to canon with the exceptions of when I want them to act differently...hahahaha

LoVeElle: Thank you so much. I'm glad that you enjoyed it so much. Ok, so now you know what Lamb was telling Keith, but it looks like we are in the same place we left off last chapter! Yes, stupid, stupid Troy. Watch for next chapter...now there's where we start to have some fun! (Remember, when I say fun, it may not be exactly what you would think of as fun.)

09nerLoVer: Yes, in my world, we never have a S3 finale. In my world, LoVe is treated the way it should be. Wait! Hmmmm, let's not assume that means that it's all roses for them. I mean, really, where would the fun in that be?

VMLoVeR87: Well, at least I answered that one. I'm sure after reading this chapter, you can lay back and relax...or not?

ShmexyShmexyHinny: Hee hee hee. Are you better now? Hee hee hee. I'm sorry, I just can't help it! (Whispering: plus, it's a little fun!)

Literati and naley forever: Thank you so much. We are in total agreement regarding Logan. Although, I do have to give a good amount of credit to JD. I really don't think just any actor could have pulled off Logan like he does. Picture Teddy Dunn in Logan's role...yeah, don't think so!

storynerd89: THANK YOU!! Funny, one of my highlights is seeing the reviews. This seems to be a mutually beneficial relationship! Hmmmm, were you reading my mind? I think I feel violated:-)

Ok, show off, what am I thinking now?

RBDFAN: Whew! Sounds like things will work out for us. I call hunting season, though. My husband is gone for awhile every hunting season, plus a lot of the weekends. Troy, sneaky little guy!

xosummerxo: Yeah, I actually hated the idea of Keith knowing that their was a question about her paternity. He was the one character out of the 4 parents that I would have expected to do something about the V/D situation. It's funny. When I was writing this, I actually had planned to make it so that he didn't know, but I forgot. Then, what was done was done. Maybe I'll do things differently in my next story, which is rolling around in my head right now. DL has 44 chapters written and I think I'll have it done in another 2 or so. Look at you, aren't you a smart one! Refer to my comments to storynerd89 regarding reading my mind. Yes, vi-o-la-ted! (wink, wink)

AJzkitten69: Yes, I'm sorry for the difficult time you are going through. 2nd half of S3 was hard on us all! I'm so glad I can give you a little hope it your time of despair. Hmmm, I've got readers with no hair and no nails now. Not sure if that's good or not. Don't worry, chapter 19 is coming, with it's no big cliffie at the end.

SaraLyleth: Thank you, thank you and thank you again! I'm so glad you enjoyed it. Based on your reaction, I think that you may like the Keith/Logan/Veronica stuff that is coming. We aren't done with Keith yet. And, yes, Lamb is an . He needed to be put in his place. For the record, I have a friend who has met the actor, Michael Muhney (sp?). She got to have a breakfast and visit with him and his wife. There were about 15 people altogether. She said that he was one of the nicest, most down-to-earth guys ever. No wonder he and JD get along so well.

vmloganluvr: ok, breathe. You must remember to breathe. Just keep repeating in your mind...Chapter 19 does not have a cliff hanger, chapter 19 does not have a cliff hanger! It should get you through the next couple of days. Thanks!