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A Lamb/Veronica fic.

Chapter Three.

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Disclaimer: I still don't own Veronica Mars ... sigh.

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A/N: Thanks for the reviews so far guys! You rock! And just to answer a question, or more a concern, don't worry, I won't turn Logan into a bad guy. There might be some jealousy, but mostly just concern for Veronica, and regret that he broke up with her. I wish they'd gotten a 4th season, or even a bit longer season 3, 'cause they left things so unresolved, thinking they'd get another season ... grr.

Okay, so in the last chapter, Lamb helped Veronica get dressed, the two had a heart-to-heart, Veronica got to see her friends, and Logan and Veronica confirmed their break-up.

Now, I know that people reading the DoVe fic won't want many Logan scenes, but I promise it will all work out in the end, they are friends after all. Let's just say Logan's still looking out for her. But this will definitely be a DoVe fic ...

And yes, I know, I've been ignoring my other fics, but I can't write what I'm not in the mood for, and right now, this is my favorite!

So, enough out of me, and on with the story!

As always, please read and review, I live for feedback!

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"Easy, easy," Keith Mars said, helping her onto the couch.

"Yep ... got it, easy is the way," Veronica said, hissing as she hit a sore spot on her tailbone.

"Are you okay?" he asked, trying to arrange the pillows on the couch.

"Yeah, I will be," she insisted. "Thanks, Dad."

Keith grabbed a tv tray and set it up by the couch, putting remotes, water, and a bell.

She looked at him with an amused glint in her eyes. "Seriously, Dad? A bell?"

Keith smiled. "I am at your service. Just ring the bell, and I shall arrive."

"Can't I just holler 'Pa!'?" she wondered.
"Not if you expect me to come," her father informed her.

"Gotcha."

Keith sat down next to his daughter. Veronica looked at him, and he was quiet for a few seconds.

She'd been expecting this. He hadn't had time to talk to her since everything had happened, and now that they were alone, she knew this would be the time for him to have his break down.

"If they had ... if I had lost you, I don't know what I would have done, Veronica."

She opened her mouth to speak, but he interrupted her.

"I don't want you doing this anymore, Veronica, it's too dangerous," Keith told her.

"Dad, it's dangerous for you too," she argued. "But I respect your decision to do your job."

"And the difference is, you're not my father. I'm supposed to look out for you, and I wasn't there!"

Not knowing what else to do, she opened the hand in the sling and motioned for him to hold it. He crouched down in front of her, grasping her hand tightly.

"Dad, I can't stop being who I am, and I won't. I didn't want this to happen, and I wish it hadn't happened, and all I can say is that in the future, I'll be more careful. I promise to call you before being bait for a rapist."

Her joke didn't go over well, by the look on her dad's face. "Veronica ..."

"Or, you know, I just won't be the bait at all," she said.

"Much better," Keith said, squeezing her hand before standing up and kissing her forehead.

There was a knock at the door, and Keith went to answer it.

"Ah, Mr. Fenell, good to see you," he said.

"Hey, Wallace," Veronica called from the couch.

"Hey, Vee," he greeted, plopping down on the couch beside her.

She looked from her father to her friend, then sighed.

"I'm not gonna get any alone time, am I?" she inquired.

Keith smiled. "Only when you're doing bathroom things."

Veronica groaned, but knowing her dad, the phrase 'resistance is futile' ran through her head at least once.

"I foresee a lot of time spent in the bathrooms in my future," Veronica mumbled, clicking on the tv with strategically placed thumb.

"Now, I have to go into the office for a few hours, but Wallace here is gonna hang out with you until his relief come. Have fun Sweetie," Keith said, smiling and ruffling her hair as he walked out the door.

Wallace looked over at Veronica with a tight smile on his face.

"What?"

He sighed. "Logan and Weevil got arrested."

"What? What for?" she wanted to know.

Wallace didn't answer at first.

"Wallace, why were Logan and Weevil arrested?"

Walllace said, "They got themselves arrested so they'd get into a cell alone with Moe."

"Oh, crap," she said. "Dammit."

"I know, but we couldn't stop them," he insisted. "I don't suppose you have another get out of jail free card?"

"I highly doubt it," she said. Maybe the Sheriff and me are getting back to being friends, but no way he'd just let two of my friends out of jail because I asked him to.

Just then, however, her front door opened, and Logan and Weevil walked in.

"I thought you were in jail?" Veronica said.

"So did we, but the Sheriff must have taken a few too many happy pills. He let us go a half hour ago," Weevil explained.

She caught a look at his reddened and bruised knuckles, and noticed Logan's were the same.

"So, how's Moe?" she wondered.

"A little worse for wear, but I'm sure he'll pull through," Logan said, grabbing a couple bags of popcorn out of the cupboard and throwing them in the microwave. "So, what are we watching?"

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Veronica was the first to admit that watching her friends go out their way to make sure she didn't have to even move was fun, but the first time she had to go to the bathroom was not the most fun experience. In the end, she'd needed Logan's help to change into a tank top with a built-in bra and a pair of cotton pajama pants.

"Thanks," she said, thoroughly embarrassed.

"Hey, it's no problem," he insisted. "Besides, it's nothing I haven't seen before, right?"

Veronica rolled her eyes, but agreed with him. She looked around her room. "Wow, you guys really weren't kidding."

"About what?" he wondered.

She pointed to the numerous baskets and stuffed animals in her room.

"Yeah, what can I say, you're Miss Popularity now, everyone on campus knows your name, and it's only been a day," Logan told her.

"Wow," she said, overwhelmed.

"Oh, and Dick said to tell you that Chip Diller says 'sorry'."

"Really?"

Logan nodded. "I repeat, wow."

Going to the bathroom was also a fun experience, but one she handled on her own.

They made their way back to the couch slowly, with Veronica's sprained ankle and bruised tailbone slowing her down slightly.

"Hey, we're gonna head to the store, get some more junk food," Wallace said as he and Weevil headed out the door. "We'll be back in ten minutes or so."

"Okay, see you soon," Veronica called after them, sitting down on the couch again, trying to get comfortable. "Hey, Logan, can you get me a couple aspirin from the medicine cabinet?"

"Sure," he said, going into the bathroom and grabbing the bottle. He handed her two and and her water bottle. She had mastered the art of spraying the water into her mouth with surprising acuracy. After the first 6 tries, that is. My philosophy: water dries, pop leaves a stain.

"Thanks," she said, tucking her water in beside her on the couch, hissing as she ended up moving one of her broken fingers.

"You okay?" he asked, sitting down beside her.

"Yeah, just a bit tender," she said.

She looked over at him, noticing she was starting to get more mobility in her neck. "So, the Sheriff just let you go?"

"Yeah, it was really weird. I dunno, maybe he decided the Moe had it coming to him."

"Maybe," Veronica agreed verbally, but internally, other thoughts were brewing.

"So, I couldn't help but notice that you and Sheriff were going a bit off-script at the hospital," Logan began.

"What?" her heart thumped into her chest, thinking Logan had somehow found out about the scene in the bathroom. "What do you mean?"

"You know, with the chatting, and the hanging out," he said. "You guys haven't really been bosom buddied in a while, I was just wondering what was up with that."

"Nothing was ... up. We were just talking," she said, giving him a strange look. "Why ... jealous?"

"Very," he admitted, smiling.

Veronica was comforted by the fact that they could still be friends after all this, even though there were still feelings there. I think some part of me will always love Logan, and that's good.

"Good," she said, propping her feet up on the stool in front of the couch. "New movie?"

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Veronica ended up sleeping on the couch that night, and when she woke up, she saw her dad sprawled out on the floor in front of the couch. Shaking her head lightly, she got up slowly, favoring her sprained ankle, but careful not to disturb her sleeping father.

She was running water into her water bottle when the there was a light tapping on the door. Shutting off the water, she moved to the window and looked out the curtain.

She smiled softly, then opened the door carefully.

"Hey," she whispered, stepping out into the hallway. "What are you doing here?"

"Uh, well, first I wanted to bring you these," Lamb said, holding a pair of scrubs.

Veronica nudged the door open further, and he walked inside and placed them on the kitchen counter.

"And second?" Veronica wondered quietly.

"Well, I was just thinking ... since you'll probably still be injured on thursday, if you wanted to just do the dinner and movie at, uh, my place?"

Veronica resisted the urge to crack a grin, realizing how hard it must have been for him to 'ask her out'. "Yeah, that sounds good. I'll bring the movie, you cook the food ..."

"I'll order the food," he said, smiling.

Veronica nodded. "Sounds good."

"Okay, so I'll, uh, see you thursday, then," he said.

"See you thursday," she agreed.

He gave her a nervous wave, then backed up to the door.

He was fumbling with the door handle when she said, "Deputy?"

"Yeah?" he answered instinctively, then sighed when he realized she'd called him deputy. "Why do you call me that?"

She tilted her head slightly. "Because when you were a deputy, everything was still great and normal and stuff ... it's just a nice reminder. But I guess, I mean if it bothers you that much, I'll stop."

He opened the door, and began to leave the apartment, but then stopped, and said so quietly she almost didn't hear it, "I can be your deputy."

Veronica blushed in her smile, and Lamb left the apartment, closing the door behind him.

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Okay, end of chapter three!

I hope you enjoyed it!

Don't be shy about leaving feedback!

Until next time ...!