Drunk Logan
Ch. 19

A/N: I hope you like this chapter. Don't skip ahead. :-)

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There was an explosion of activity. Logan and Keith ran as fast as they could yelling anxiously at each other.

"HOW LONG HAS SHE BEEN ALONE?"

"I LEFT HER RIGHT BEFORE I MET YOU AT THE SCHOOL...MAYBE A COUPLE OF HOURS. HAVE YOU HEARD FROM HER?"

"NO, HAVE YOU?"

"NO, TRY TO CALL HER." Keith yelled as he was digging into his pocket for his keys.

"GOT, IT!!" Logan was pulling out his phone and opening his car door while Keith got into the driver's seat.

Keith started the car and sped away from the curb while Logan was dialing his phone.

"Come on, come on, answer the phone, Veronica...DAMN IT!" Logan was frustrated by receiving her voice mail. "Veronica, it's Logan. I'm with your dad. Call one of us as soon as you get this message. Don't wait, ok?" Although loud, Logan's voice was scratchy and quivering and he was breathing hard.

"Try her again!" Keith would have Logan call her over and over until they got to her if that's what it took. Logan redialed her number...again, nothing.

"Veronica, Veronica, Veronica. Come on Ronnie, where are you?" Logan was whispering as he placed his third call to her. "ARGH! I'm gonna kill him. I swear, I'm gonna kill him! I'm gonna rip him limb from limb. I, I, I..." Keith knew Logan was losing control and they did not have time to lose it.

"Logan, listen to me. Listen very carefully. Are you listening?" He needed Logan to focus on him and less on what could be happening to Veronica. Logan nodded. "Look at me. Say it, Logan." He was using a firm, but kind voice.

"I'm listening to you." Logan looked over at him with wild eyes.

"Okay. Listen very carefully." Keith said as he kept his eyes on the road and took a hard right turn. "There are a lot of reasons why she may not be answering her phone, right? What are they?"
"Ah, I don't know! She's always got her phone on her!" Logan wasn't thinking clearly, he just wanted to be there, seeing her at that moment.

"Logan, concentrate."

"Uh...okay." He huffed out a breath and thought for a second. "She could be taking a nap, but she should still hear her phone."

"Keep going," Keith prodded, he knew they only had a couple of minutes before they would be at the apartment and know what was happening. Keeping focused on the problem at hand and on problem-solving was a skill that he had acquired through years of stress and intense situations on the job. This, however, was the hardest thing he'd ever had to go through. He knew that it was a very real possibility that his baby could be hurt. He was just hoping that wasn't the case.

"Okay, she could be in the bathroom, maybe she's taking a shower or maybe she's listening to her MP3 player and she can't hear her phone over the music." He began to calm a bit. "Yeah, you're right. There are lots of reasons why she wouldn't be answering. Yeah, she's okay. She's fine. She's fine."

He was feeling a little better, but he couldn't help the nagging feeling that this was too reminiscent of a couple of days prior. Again, he was trying to reach her and couldn't. Again, he was rushing toward her with no idea of what he would find. When he found her the last time, she'd been beaten, but he still found her. He was hoping that he would once again find her, but that this time she'd be blissfully ignorant of the excitement of the morning he and Keith had endured.

They pulled into the parking lot of the apartment building and neither wasted time in getting out of the car and running to the apartment door. Logan arrived first as he had gotten out of the car before it had come to a complete stop. Once he reached the door, he started pounding on it and yelling Veronica's name while he waited for Keith to catch up with the key.

"Her car's in the parking lot. She should be here," Keith said as he got to Logan.

She hadn't answered by the time the older man arrived. He unlocked the door, swinging it open with such force that it hit the wall and bounced back at them. They rushed in, both frantically scanning the living room and kitchen on their way to the back of the apartment. They separated as Keith crashed through the door to the bathroom and Logan propelled himself to her bedroom.

Logan found her room empty, but decided to check her closet anyway, "Veronica?" He called for her waiting to hear her obliviously sweet voice. Keith had rushed into his room after finding the bathroom and shower empty.

"Ver-on-ic-a?" Both men yelled simultaneously as they emerged empty-handed from the rooms they had searched. They looked at each other expectantly, but were met with disappointment.

"Oh, no! She's gone!" Logan cried out as he reared back and punched the wall.
"Logan, keep it together. I need you to be clear-headed if we're going to find her. Do you understand me?" Logan nodded as he paced the hall and then moved into the living room.

Keith pulled his phone out and dialed her number. It was ringing when Logan spoke up.

"Wait. What is that? Do you hear that?" He looked to Keith. "That's her phone."

"Sounds like it's coming from the bedroom." They walked back and saw her phone, ringing on her night stand.

"Where is she? What does this mean?" Logan was asking questions that Keith didn't have the answers to.

Just then they heard a weird tapping sound coming from the front of the apartment and getting closer. They looked to the bedroom door just as Backup came bounding in, excited to see them both. The sight of him was followed by the best sound in the world.

"Uh, dad? Why's there a hole in the wall?" It was Veronica clear as a bell and as oblivious as Logan had hoped.

Logan and Keith were on her in a moment, surrounding her, touching her, talking to her all at once. They would have enveloped her in a bear hug, had either forgotten about her injuries. Unfortunately, those were at the forefront of their minds at that particular moment.

"Wait, stop. You're both talking at once and I can't hear anything. What is going on here? Logan, what are you doing here? Dad was supposed to meet you at school, not bring you home in the middle of the day." Keith and Logan burst out in laughter, just so elated to see her.

Veronica looked on in utter confusion. Not only was she clueless as to why they were both there when they should have been elsewhere; she also had no idea why they were coming out of her bedroom. Logan should have been in school, at least for a couple more hours. Keith should have been at work, although she did remember him promising to stay home and take care of her.

"Where were you, Veronica?" Keith finally stopped laughing enough to try to figure out what had happened.

"I was getting tired of just sitting in here and I didn't want my muscles to tighten up too much. I just took Backup for a walk down the path to the beach." She was being so nonchalant about it, like she didn't even know her life was at stake, which she didn't. The worry Logan had felt moments ago returned full force, thinking of what could have happened to her.

"Geez, Ronnie!" His voice was raised. "Why do you even have a phone if you're not going to keep it with you? People need to get hold of you and can't." She could tell that he was upset, she just didn't understand why. "Is it too much to ask that you keep your phone with you?" He said sarcastically.

When he saw the hurt look cross her face, he wanted to kick himself. Keith saw it too, but he knew where the boy was coming from and couldn't blame him.
"Veronica look, you just gave Logan and I a scare when we couldn't reach you, that's all. He's not upset with you."

"No, Ronnie. I'm sorry. I'm not mad at you. I, I'm just so relieved to see you." He put his hand on the side of her head and squeezed just enough to not hurt her and let out a little growl. "You have no idea the heart attack you just caused us to have. Sure, it might be expected for someone as old as your dad, here." He gave Keith a wink. "But, come on. You're taking years off of my life."

"Okay, again I ask...What is going on with you two?" Logan and her dad had said a lot to her since she'd walked in the door. On the other hand, they really hadn't said much.

"Well, Honey, we will explain everything to you later. Right now, I'll just tell you that we have reason to believe that Troy may come after you. We need to get you to a safer location. We could go to Aunt Rachel's house in Arizona." Keith was thinking aloud, trying to find the best way to get Veronica the protection she needed. He'd take her to the moon if he could.

"Wait, what are you talking about, Dad? I can't go to Arizona. I've got school and you've got the business. What are we going to do? Just drop everything here in Neptune and leave?" There was a time when she wouldn't have minded that proposition, but that was before. Before so many things had changed for her. She had a new BFF, she had her job helping her dad with cases, she had Logan back. Their friendship had just been renewed and her dad was wanting to end all of it.

"Whoa, whoa, wait a minute Mr. Mars. I'm sure there is a better answer. Plus, going to Arizona may not solve the problem." He looked at Keith pointedly and Keith understood the look. He knew it, too. The amount of effort and research that Troy had put into his obsession with Veronica could have easily included knowing the locations of her family and friends. In Arizona, they wouldn't have any special protection and they wouldn't be near a Sheriff's Department that knew exactly what they were dealing with in Troy.

"Mr. Mars, I may have an idea. Give me one minute before you make any decisions, okay?"

"Fine, but make it quick, Logan." He said to the boy who was already walking out the front door with his cell phone in hand.

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Logan returned a few short minutes later.

"It's all set. I've spoken to my parents and you are both welcome to stay at our house."

"But-" Keith tried to cut in.

"We have a state-of-the-art security system to keep all of Aaron's psycho-fans out, plenty of staff around to help out in an emergency, plenty of room for you to spread out in and, on special occasions, we have the press parked outside the gates as added witnesses." He took a short breath and then continued before Keith could try to object again. "Look, my parents are concerned and were really pleased to invite you to stay for as long as you need. Plus, they will only be there half of the time anyway because my dad is doing press for his newest release. This way, Veronica will still be able to attend school and you would still be able to go to work as much as you wanted. Come on, Mr. Mars. It's a great idea, what do you say?"

Keith pondered all of the points the young man had made and couldn't deny that it would be very useful. It gave them extra security, but still allowed them to have access to the town and any clues that might lead them to Troy.

"Yeah, alright. We'll try it." He watched as Logan and Veronica both lit up excitedly. He groaned to himself, 'I hope I'm not making a mistake here.'

"Let's hurry, though. I want to get out of here." Keith looked around the room a little and Logan understood his meaning. They weren't sure how Troy had gotten all of the pictures of Veronica that he had. Some of them looked like they'd come from inside the apartment, but didn't look like she was aware of a camera. "I'll go pack my stuff. Logan, help Veronica get her things packed. Veronica, pack everything you think you might need. I don't want to have to come back here for anything until we know that Troy has been caught."

Veronica just nodded and followed Logan to her room. She was still confused about what had gone on that morning to make Logan and her father so on edge, but they were definitely on the same page. The two were working together, speaking, planning, brain-storming, almost as if Veronica wasn't even there. She laughed to herself. Never in her wildest dreams would she have pictured Logan and her dad working together, and working well together at that.

When they were all done packing, they got Backup's supplies and left for Logan's. Keith dropped them off at the school to get Logan's Xterra and then told them to go ahead and he would pick up some food on the way there.

When they arrived at Logan's, they got Veronica and Keith settled into guest rooms. Veronica's room was situated between Logan and Keith's rooms.

They ate and enjoyed another night in the swimming pool and hot tub. It was a chance for all of them to relax a little, although they couldn't escape the questions Veronica had for them about Troy. Even from her relaxed position in the hot tub, she was dogged with her interrogation. They explained that he had an obsession with her that started back when he met Duncan and Lilly. They believed that it would be difficult for him to stop an obsession he'd had such a devotion to, which is why they wanted to protect her.

Keith wanted to give her enough information to make her understand the gravity of the situation, but not enough to completely creep her out and worry her too much. That's what he and Logan were there for, to worry for her.

They were all emotionally and physically exhausted and wanted to get to bed early. They decided that Logan would go to school in the morning, while Keith stayed with a still recovering Veronica. When Logan returned in the afternoon, Keith would go to the office. They would keep the security system activated whether home or not; and they discussed the matter with the staff on duty that night. Then, they went their separate ways to get cleaned up and reside for the night.
When Veronica went into her bathroom to get cleaned up, she searched her toiletries bag for the head band she used to hold her hair back. When she didn't find it, she figured she'd ask Logan if he remembered seeing it, either when he had packed her up at her house or the night before at his house. When she'd arrived home the night before, she didn't even bother washing up, she just collapsed into her bed.

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Logan had gone into his bathroom to take a shower before bed. He was in and out quickly, and stood in front of the sink to brush his teeth. When he looked at himself in the mirror, he could still see the anxiety and remains of terror that had plagued him earlier. The events of the day and the worry he still had about losing Veronica finally caught up to him. He broke down suddenly, feeling completely exhausted and so filled with relief and fear. Relief that she had been alright and fear that Troy would still come after her. The strength in his legs suddenly gone, he sunk to the floor.

He let himself cry until he heard a knock on the door and her voice calling his name. He tried to wipe his eyes and sniff back any additional tears.

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Veronica knocked on Logan's bedroom door and when she didn't hear a reply, she entered cautiously. She heard the water in the bathroom running so she moved closer to the door. What she heard shocked her. It was, what seemed to be, Logan...sobbing.

"Logan?" She got no response so she knocked and repeated his name a little louder, "Logan?"

"Just a minute." She heard him croak out. When he finally came to the door, she could see his red, puffy eyes and runny nose.

"Logan? Are you okay?" She asked with trepidation. She had gotten used to being the only one who completely lost it and broke down in tears. Seeing him, with such hurt in his eyes, made her heart ache. "What's wrong?"

"I...I.." Logan stammered around, opening and shutting his mouth unproductively several times. Finally, he found the words to speak.

"You have no idea, Ronnie, how scared your dad and I were. I thought I'd lost you, just when we found each other again. When Lilly died, I learned people could disappear from our lives in an instant. I can't believe how much time I wasted this last year by treating you so badly. If something had happened today, I would've died. And, I missed you so much last night. I know it's stupid, but I was just so lonely without you here." He kind of blushed at how vulnerable he was at that moment.

"Logan, it's okay. I'm okay. Nothing happened and now we know that we need to be on the look out."

"Veronica, you have to promise me. Promise me that you won't get hurt. I really don't think I could handle losing you, not now." He was looking deep into her eyes, he was dead serious and shaking slightly. Seeing the despair in his eyes brought tears to her eyes that she wouldn't let fall. She quickly regained control knowing that she needed to lift his spirits.

"Look, Logan. I'm fine and I'm going to be fine. I have the two most protective people I've ever known standing guard for me. You guys won't let Troy get anywhere near me. I'm not worried, you shouldn't be either." Veronica smiled brightly at him. She was trying to soothe him by making him understand how much faith she held in her "Partners of Protection."

Logan put his hand to her good cheek and leaned in, giving her a long kiss on her forehead. Veronica responded immediately by stepping further into him and wrapping her arms around his waist while he lightly stroked her hair, still afraid to touch her.

After standing there for awhile, they finally separated. Veronica gave him a sweet supportive smile.

"I'd better head to bed. Good night, Logan." She said and walked toward his door.

"Good night, Ronnie." She stopped and turned back to him for a moment.

"Oh, and Logan? Just so you know...I missed you, too. My night was horrible." With that, she walked out of his room, closing the door behind her. Logan just stood there, staring at the closed door and sporting the most giddy smile ever.

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SEE! No Cliff hanger! Aren't I just totally sweet to you?

2honest4myowngood: So glad to have your attention. Now, hope you liked this one...more to come, of course!

Sagebeth: Yeah, I'm not real great at writing the snark, but I thought I did pretty good w/Logan on that one.

Lorelei Candice Black: ooh, you are a sick one, aren't you? Here everyone else is hoping she's alright, but not you! Lol...don't worry Logan will have his chances to be a hero...one way or another (cause you don't actually think I'm going to tell you how he's going to be a hero, do you?).

IluvVM: ROTFL...you know, I was with you UNTIL you said that you didn't love me in THAT way. Man, way to burst my bubble! Hahaha, anyway, I'm so happy that you enjoyed the chapter so much. Hope you liked 19.

LoVeElle: Yeah, I know. I think it really hits home for Logan though. It's right in his face and he can't downplay it. Whereas, Veronica only knows enough to know she needs to be careful, Logan and Keith know enough to be downright scared!

09nerLoVer: But, see. As promised, no cliff hanger for Ch. 19. All is good and quiet and normal in LoVe World...or, maybe not? Yes, you're right. Troy is sick and I don't even want to think about how he got some of the pictures he got and what other pictures he might have!

VMLoVeR87: thank you!

ShmexyShmexyHinny: I know, I know! But, no cliffie this time. Plus remember, your heart will regenerate...no need to worry.

Literati and naley forever: Moonlight! That's it! They had me at JD! Anyway, whew! V was okay...yea!

RBDFAN: lol, you totally make me laugh! I love creeping you out though. I've always wondered about just how far I could go. Look at someone like Stephen King. With what comes out of his mind, you know he's got to be a little nuts himself. :-)

xosummerxo: Interesting...well, maybe you're not such a big fan of the twist. That's okay...it is a big twist to throw in there. Anyway, stick with me and ride it out, then let me know. I know you will, you're such a faithful reviewer. Thanks!!!

AJzkitten69: Yeah, I should write a story where Hannah is a psycho butt-monkey. I can't stand her!!! I actually have difficulty watching the episodes with her in it.

SaraLyleth: I hope you were able to sleep! Well, this chapter should have let you relax a little. Whew! So glad you are so into the story, though! Oh, it's Moonlight and will be on CBS this fall...about vanpires...he plays an ancient one. I guess they already aired the pilot, but his part was being played by an older actor. They decided to go younger and in steps the whole reason to watch...JD!! Woohoo. I now have a reason to look forward to fall tv again!!

jennaml2709: thank you thank you thank you. I was hoping to catch you guys off guard. Now, you may have a

lagurlroks: See, and I don't even watch One Tree Hill. Well, I hope you liked the outcome. See, a breather.

xavia: Thank you! Thanks for writing a review!

inpiresxlove: Thank you! And, see, no killing you this time. All is good. :-)