Title: A Very Froggy Xmas
Chapter 2: Drink it down
Rating: M for language
Summary: Logan and Veronica come to terms with their relationship through a series of visits from the ghost of WB past.
Previously: Logan got a visit from spirit-Lilly.
A/N: Thank you to all who reviewed or put me on your favorites list: Beccakell13, firebirdgirl, Kathy0518, Jenn6891, LoVefan4ever, Ryely. I hope I didn't miss anyone!
Veronica
Veronica sat on the waterbed in her room wrapping Christmas presents for her small circle of friends. She stared at the huge pile of paper, bows, presents, and tape before her. "Ugh," she groaned. Couldn't she just owe everyone a favor or give them a discount on her PI services? That would be so much easier. Instead she spent countless hours searching for the perfect gifts for her friends. Anything less would not be worth it. After all it was the thought put into the gift that counted.
Veronica's personal circle of friends was was small but what they lacked in quantity they more than made up for in quality. She was proud of the fact that she carried these people with her past high school and through what was now the end of college. For her best friend, Wallace she had gotten him tickets and passes to several Lakers games courtesy of some work she did for a 'higher up' in the Laker organization; for Mac she raided her sources in Silicon Valley for the latest in tech gear; for Weevil she bought a new leather jacket with "My Bitch" embroidered on the inside and a "Get out of jail free" card in the pocket; and for Dick, gasp, yes she was friends with Dick. After all he and Mac were dating...a weekend of surfing tips from a pro.
Veronica didn't want to think about the one person missing from her list. The one person that mattered above all others. No, not her father. There were several gifts for him already stacked under the fake tree. She was trying in vain not to think about the one person she couldn't live with or without, Logan. Who knew six years ago that she would consider Logan Echolls to be the closest person to her?
It was difficult to think about their relationship without cliches coming to mind. For instance, he was the yin to her yang. Except with all of the drama and garbage that characterized them, the boundaries of yin and yang were jagged and prone to hurting the other. Sometimes the hurt was intentional, sometimes it was not but the question remained, was the hurt worth it?
Veronica's gaze shifted to a picture of her, Logan and Lilly at the beach smiling for the cameras. Thoughts of that particular day came flooding back. Duncan had already started to ignore her. This was his oh-so-gentlemanly way of breaking up with her. Logan and Lilly, noticing how depressed and well, neurotic, she was becoming forced her to skip class and spend the day at the beach. It was one of the best days of her life. Crap, she wasn't going to think about it. She promised herself she would not to go down that road. Veronica turned the picture down and commented, "Logan and Lilly always could talk me into anything."
"I'm glad you think so, Veronica Mars because I have a feeling we're about to team up on you again," Lilly stated with a grin dominating her pudgy face.
"Lilly?, Lilly?" the first was said with excitement, the second was said with shock as Veronica looked at the form that was Lilly. It was Lilly but far from the Lilly that Veronica had last "seen".
"Don't look at me that way, Veronica Mars. I was and always will be the fabulous, Lilly Kane. I've had the shock and disgust routine from Logan. I don't need it from you." Lilly crossed the room to sit on the water bed causing the mattress to send a tsunami across the bed and Veronica to almost fall off the bed. "Sorry," Lilly offered, "I'm still not used to this body and I pray that I never will be."
"Lilly, what are you doing here? Why are you here now? I don't know whether I'm more shocked by the body or that you're praying. Is something wrong? Wait, you said you saw Logan. Is something wrong with Logan?", Veronica finished rapidly as blood rushing to her extremities as her nerves went into high gear.
Lilly smiled, pleased with the concern she heard from Veronica. There was hope for her two clueless friends yet. "Cool your jets, Veronica. I didn't do anything to your precious Logan, although I'm sure I could've if I was so inclined" Lilly said while stretching across the bed in what would have been a seductive pose if not for Lilly's physical state. "I'm here for you and for him. To help."
Veronica burst out laughing, "You? Help? Are you trying to tell me the apocalypse is coming?"
Lilly frowned and shrank into a semi-fetal position. It was all she could manage before her knees were stopped by her belly.
Veronica, instantly contrite, apologized. "Sorry Lil but you threw me for a loop. Seriously, why are you here? The last time I saw you was before the bus crash."
"Right. That deed did get me some major points and kept the warts at bay."
"What?" questioned Veronica not understanding Lilly's comment.
Lilly explained to her the process of life review and why she was there.
"But Lilly, why do they think you've hurt me? I understand Logan but me? You didn't ever hurt me." Veronica said defensive as ever of Lilly.
Lilly shuddered. She didn't know what she had ever done to earn Veronica's unwavering loyalty but should would be forever grateful. Her formally naïve best friend, who was now as tough and as pessimistic as they came, should have been furious with her. It should have figured that Veronica would surprise her by being so forgiving but the doubting part of Lilly had to be sure. Veronica deserved at least a clean slate where their friendship was concerned. In the interest of their friendship, Lilly knew that she had to press on.
"Veronica, I kept the truth from you. First with Duncan and second with Aaron."
Veronica blanched when Lilly uttered Aaron's name, not only in remembrance of what he put Lilly, her and her father through but also the crimes he committed against Logan. Logan was truly the innocent party out of all of them. He had been born into a fucked up situation. The multitude of Aaron's punishments were not warranted and the extremities to which the punishment were administered was never warranted. Aaron had killed the child in Logan.
As for Lilly, Keith and herself, they hadn't been ignorant of Aaron's negative, cruel traits. Not saying that any of them deserved the actions mete out by Aaron but they weren't blind to him or placed in a situation that they were unable to leave. Lilly knew Aaron beat Logan and cheated on his wife. Veronica and Keith were aware of Aaron's vindictive, irrational behavior. How could they not expect someone whose previous behavior revealed him as evil to treat them in any other manner?
Veronica shook herself out of her trip down memory lane to focus on what Lilly had said. Sure, Lilly had kept information from her. Things that if Veronica would have known would have certainly made her life easier. Lilly had known that Duncan "broke up" with her because he thought they were related, however she kept quiet and didn't tell Veronica despite Veronica questioning her several times. If pressed, Veronica would have to say that she was a little put out that Lilly had kept secrets from her.
"I guess with Duncan, I can't see why you just didn't tell me what was going on. Why did I have to have a Flowers in the Attic moment? We could have cleared everything up with a simple DNA test but instead both Duncan and I had to think that we harbored romantic feelings toward our sibling?" Veronica teared up remembering all of the painful emotions that she went through following the "Are you the daughter of a schlumpy sheriff or queen and king of the prom?" incident.
'Clearly I misjudged Veronica again,' Lilly thought and tried to come up with a reason to explain her actions. "V, I thought that I was sparing you from pain and heartache."
Veronica shot Lilly an incredulous look.
"Well, maybe not the heartache. Lord knows that you were all sorts of teen angst at that point. I couldn't bare to have that burden placed on you, especially how you were. You couldn't have handled it being the perfect pink princess that you were but the Veronica that is could," Lilly tried to explain.
"Lil, I know that it made me tougher and that it was not all your fault. Duncan was responsible for it too, but you were...are my best friend and I thought that of all the people that I know, you would protect me. Half the time you protected by exposing me to all of the vices out there in the world in an effort to get me to "red satin". Why not this time? I do understand your point but I can't help but wonder how my life or our lives would have been different had you told me?," Veronica said.
"But you can't be different. You are who you are and are shaped by your life experiences. You can't dwell in the past, Veronica, you can only learn from it."
"And the Aaron secret?" Veronica questioned her friend.
"A mistake. That was me being me. Trying my best to break free from the mold that Celeste and Jake wanted me to be. I thought that having an affair with him would be the ultimate insult to my family."
"But also to Logan," Veronica said quietly.
"Yes, also to Logan," Lilly agreed.
"Lilly, do you realize how much you impacted our lives by being and not being here?" Veronica choked out.
"I'm starting to. I never really thought that I meant that much to you guys. I know how much I loved all of you but I wasn't used to those feelings being returned. I never showed my love and gratitude for all of you. That's why I'm here. I'm here to help you and Logan," Lilly stated returning to her original point.
"How?" Veronica could get no further words out for the very topic of her and Logan brought about feeling of anxiety, fear, happiness, etc. It was just too much sometimes.
"I know you and Logan best out of everyone in the world. I know your twists and turns and all the sidesteps that you both take. That ends now. Both of you need to work out your issues."
"And you're our Dr. Phil?"
"No, I'm bringing in some special...people, I guess you could say, that are going to take care of your issues."
"What do you mean?" Veronica questioned, perplexed by her friend's evasiveness.
"These 'people' are actually spirits that will be visiting both you and Logan. They will help you on your issues, if you let them. Let them Veronica. Not for me. Not for Logan. For yourself." Lilly pleaded.
Coming full circle, back to her question of 'Was it worth it?' Veronica thought of herself and Logan. She was scared but true to her tough exterior did not show it. Making a firm decision, she nodded to Lilly in agreement.
"Thanks, V. You won't regret it." Lilly dived toward her friend and enveloped her in a hug, fading away after a few seconds.
"Well, don't I feel like Demi Moore," Veronica exclaimed to no one.