Again, I do not own any of the characters, I am simply borrowing them for the time being. I intend to start out kind of slowly, so bare with me, please. Many thank yous to the awesome reviewers and followers, your thoughts and words have meant so much! Feedback is always appreciated.

March 21, 1942

"Are you getting sleepy, beautiful?" He whispered to head laying on his chest. The reply came in sigh form, happy and languid, they slowly danced their way off the floor. "I'll tell my parents we're leaving." Veronica looked up and pulled her boyfriend's head towards hers, kissing him with more ferocity than he was accustomed to. He fingered an errant curl fallen down her neck as they broke away, struck by her azure stare, something glinted behind her eyes that he couldn't quite place. If wasn't so sure it wasn't, he could have sworn it was like, hunger? No, desire. He tried to play off the shiver that mere thought sent down his spine with one last twirl, releasing her as they reached the table.

"Hurry back," her voice low and husky, lip worried between her teeth, her porcelain skin flushing crimson she turned away and started gathering their things. Before, he was intrigued. Now, completely perplexed. Running through every possible scenario for her perceived behavior, the only conclusion he could come to was the absolute last thing that could happen. He shook off the thoughts that now assaulted his senses, stealing one last glance at his girlfriend, who was whispering conspiratorially with Lilly. He swallowed hard and continued on.

Logan walked up behind his parents, to the casual observer they appeared simply to be talking, but there was a reason for their wealth. Their act, happily married, doting parents, philanthropists… expertly blocked and performed, were the only roles the Echolls played well. On stage, Lynn had shone, but the lights of Hollywood burned brighter and left her coolly in the shadows. This USO tour was her chance, back in the spotlight while doing something worthwhile, if the barbiturates and gin hadn't destroyed her ability to feel, she was sure she'd be happy. Aaron had desperately needed a dose of good publicity, and this was better than what he could have hoped for. Neither had seemed to care they'd be leaving their son for at least six months, with the likely hood they'd just go again and miss his entire senior year. Logan couldn't wait. Sure, he'd be forced to endure Trina's presence, but he knew she'd stay in LA over Neptune. He'd be eighteen soon enough and then he could do…what? The little voice that had been pecking at the back of his subconscious since their interaction with the Squiddies earlier was growing louder, but he had enough focus to drown it out. At the moment.

"Mom, Dad," Logan said respectfully as his parents turned to face him. "Ronnie's beat, I think we're going to head back to the house." Lynn smiled and nodded, Aaron studied his son a moment longer before waving over a few photographers.

"One last photo opportunity, son," if he noticed, Aaron ignored Logan's physical recoil from the word. "There's something I wanted to give you, seeing as we won't be around for a while." He paused and waited for the cameramen to get set up, reporters with pen posed hands lingering on baited breath gathered and he resumed his contrived performance as patriarch. "Logan, your mother and I wish we didn't have to leave, but our country needs us all now, and this is the best way we can give back!" His smile was wide, teeth gleaming against the flashbulbs, making Logan hyper aware that everyone had joined to watch the scene unfold. He hated these forced interactions with the press, especially since he was always supposed to play the gracious and loving child. He was as skilled an actor as his parents, he came off as affectionate and congenial, the American teenage dream.

"It's a small price to pay to support our boys. I'll be in good hands." His eyes locked with Veronica's, he could see her breath catch as her smile reached her eyes.

"Indeed," he followed Logan's gaze to Veronica and impatiently cleared his throat, forcing his son's attention back to him. "Which is why we thought it was best to have something…reliable," It was then Logan noticed the object in Aaron's hands, flashes reflecting off the keys as he pressed them into Logan's hand. He looked at his father in astonishment, he looked back in smug superiority. For a moment Logan faltered, he almost let himself believe this was more than just a staged moment.

"You're giving me the Phantom?" He recovered quickly, mega-watt smile plastered on his face as he embraced his father and mother tightly. He tuned out the questions people were shouting out around him, wanting nothing more than to grab his girl and get out of the now over-crowded room. People slowly dispersed, Logan thanked his parents again, trying to get away from them quickly. His mother's vacant eyes took him in as best they could, she kissed him on the cheek and walked away. Aaron took his son's hand and held it firm.

"Now I know you think my being gone will be the best thing that ever happened to you, but you'll do good to stay out of trouble. I have eyes…and fists, if need be, everywhere. " Logan tensed, knowing anything there were more than a few people who would act on Aaron's authority if they saw the opportunity. He shuddered but forced his eyes to keep his fathers, since he was taller too, it seemed to calm him a bit knowing that Aaron had to physically look up to him.

"Gee, dad, it's nice to know what you really think of me." He pulled his hand away from his father and stepped away.

"Now son," Aaron started tersely.

"I promise, it's something you won't have to worry about. I'm getting the limo for the gang and I'm taking Veronica home. I'll see you tomorrow." He called over his shoulder, refusing to turn back, to see the anger coloring his features. Oh, it would be bad when they got back to Neptune. The petite blonde in front of him made it worth it, though, her hair was starting to escape its bobby pinned confines, makeup softened and smudged by the night of dancing and stolen kisses. She jumped when his arms came from behind, but quickly snuggled back into him, breathing in the musky spice that was simply Logan.

"Are we going now?" He offered his arm as he moved from behind her, she simply linked her arm in his as he nodded. He told Lilly the car would be around to get them in an hour, she merely raised her eyebrows and smirked.

"An hour, Echolls? Why, whatever do you plan on doing with our incorruptible Veronica Mars?"

"Oooh, corruption? I like the sound of that." It was Veronica who turned to wink at Lilly. Neither saw the look of abject delight and shock that stole over her face.

"I, um, hope this is okay. I mean, us being here alone..I..I don't want you to think I'm a cad," he finally stopped stammering and looked at her. For the first time all night, all day…days, it was just the two of them. No well-intentioned, albeit overbearing friends, no parents, siblings or housekeepers, and Logan Echolls was at a complete loss. Nothing stood between taking his beautiful girl up to his room, except his decency and unqualified fear for Keith Mars. Since day one of their friendship, it was to be understood, that if harm of any kind were to come to Veronica, it would be repaid in kind. He took another shaky breath. The night had taken a toll on Logan's nerves. Between the heated confrontations, which had been playing on a loop in his head all night, to the shameful display of parenting Aaron and Lynn had performed for their ever adoring audience.

"Lo? Is everything okay?" She closed the distance between them in quick steps, her fingers gently pushing his gelled hair out of his eyes. He looks, deflated, but smiles sweetly when he meets her eyes.

"Yeah, doll face, you're here. How could anything not be okay?" And then she was kissing him. Savagely. Desperately. With fervently returned savagery. He could feel his suit jacket sliding down his arms, he let it hit the floor as his suspenders slipped off as well. "Ronnie…" he breathed between kisses, never taking his hands off her waist, keeping her flush to him. "What are we doing?" she stopped abruptly and looked at him, flushed, shame-faced and absolutely enchanting.

"Logan. The world is…absolute chaos. I have no idea what the next few years, months, days, hours, will hold," her voice cracked slightly, he watched as she tried to organize her thoughts, her brow only furrowed like that when she was listing. "I want every day of my life to be special, each moment and memory what I want. I know you, so much better than you think, I've seen your cogs turning all night…you, too, and have future brain. And I'm tired of only thinking and never acting." She traced his cheekbones, down his jawline, across his lips and smiled. "The only important thing in my future, is you, Logan, because no matter what I choose to do, or how I choose to do it, you're by my side. And unless this is not what you want," she paused and took a breath. "I don't want to waste any more of this precious time alone." He nodded in acquiescence, capturing her mouth again before lifting her bridal style and carrying her off to his room.

It was a beautiful night, not warm enough to swim, but with a blanket or two, the large chaises around the pool were perfect for cuddling.

"So," Logan started. For the last twenty minutes or so he'd been trying to stop looking so damned happy. It was impossible. They both wore matching grins, their new intimacy making it difficult to stop touching one another. Logan couldn't stop touching Veronica's hands, entwining his fingers with hers, kissing each of them, bringing them to his face…it was as if each caress were new again, and he planned on a night of continued firsts. "Where did that come from? Not that I'm complaining…" she blushed, the feel of his body against hers burned into her sense memory. "I just never thought, I mean we had never talked about it…and I don't want you to think that I, expected this in any way, shape or form. I just wanted to show you off to the world," his voice hovering just above a whisper. "No one should be this lucky, Vee. Why am I so lucky?" He pressed his forehead against hers. "I don't deserve you." The tears that she'd tried to bite back flowed freely now, concern and confusion lacing Logan's features.

"I think I'm the lucky one. Look at you Echolls, you are a catch. I know you're not perfect, and neither am I, and I know you think that your scars make you weak, but I promise you that's not the case. You have so much light, so much love, you will do great things in this world Logan Echolls."

"Only if you're with me. I can barely tie my own shoelaces without assistance Veronica, how will I get through this life without you telling me what to do?" She laughed as she curled up to his side, tucking her face into his neck.

"I don't think you have to worry about that, I have no intention of letting you go." For a fleeting moment, the thought of permanence struck terror in Logan's heart. Nothing good lasted. Not in his world. And he'd already been tempting the fates by loving Veronica as long as he had without anything catastrophic to come along and derail it. He was terrified that by giving into their baser, physical desires they'd opened Pandora's Box and that the only perceived evil to escape could haunt them in a way they were ill prepared to handle. But as usual, Veronica had surprised him, by having clearly given this some thought and taken on the responsible role, wanting there to be no chance for regret.

"I do have one question," he remarked casually. "While I totally appreciate your, um, preparation in regard to tonight's unscheduled events," she blushed slightly and he continued. "What brought it on? We never talked about it, and while it was clearly the best thing that has ever happened in my life, I just kinda want to know…why now?" She rolled on her side, propping herself on her elbow, he quickly mirrored her, now face to face.

"I've thought about if for a while. Lilly, as I'm sure you're aware doesn't abide sexual repression. She's too hep for her own good, but at least, she's smart about it. We talked at length, and then we went to see her doctor who provided me with the most absolutely terrifying literature, and I was much less sure than I had been going in. But she did give me some condoms, so I knew that if I was ever sure, I'd be ready." The smile on his face was absolutely blissful to her. He radiated happiness, his love shone unreservedly just for her. "Lo, my world is about to go sideways," She whispered.

"What are you talking about, Ronnie?" His brow creased in confusion.

"My dad's enlisting. He's leaving in the spring for training," she bit back the tears, she'd already cried for this once, she couldn't do it again. Not so soon, not when she was so happy.

"Oh, doll," he said wrapping her in his arms. "I wish I could tell you it'll be okay…" he felt her head move up and down against his chest, they both knew there were no words. "This does mean that there will only be one parent supervising us for the next year," his voice slipped half an octave, "And we both know for a fact that Lianne is far less pragmatic than Keith." His fingers lazily trailed up and down her spine making her shiver in the cold night air. This is how their friends found them when they made their way back from the gala.

"Well, well, well…" Dick started, a smirk planted firmly on his lips. "Looks like we missed the real party, kiddos." Mac proceeded to elbow him in the ribs when she noticed the blush creeping up Veronica's neck.

"Ladies, it's time to change out of these beautiful gowns and get into something a bit more, comfortable," Lilly drawled, pointedly looking at Wallace who tried to be nonchalant but was loving every second of Lilly's advances. They'd met through Veronica, who had had a few classes with Wallace after his family had moved from Chicago. His mother, Alicia Fennell, aka Lettie Rosemont, was a jazz singer, a headliner catching the eye of an up and coming real estate developer. He wanted to open a club in Neptune, with the demographics constantly shifting and the more liberal Hollywood types settling in, he knew it would thrive. And thrive it did. The band was constructed to have the best horns of any on the west coast, and their leader, Mr. Carter Edmunds, made sure Sugar Blue was the most happening place Balboa County had ever seen. The gang had gone in for one of their youth dances and were blown away by the power of the music and energy the crowd exuded. When Veronica recognized Wallace and invited him over to join them, he was ecstatic. The group offered no resistance or hesitation, simply willing him to be part of their circle, the color of his skin a non-issue to them. That had been two years ago, and while his new friends parents had a decidedly harder time accepting him, they never regretted bringing him in. He was one of them, and would forever be.

"So boys, how were the rest of your evenings?" Wallace looked to Dick, then to Duncan, each of them shrugging, leaving whatever was to be said to Wallace.

"Everything was on the beam until we were getting ready to leave. We were walking out to the limo, and those Anchor Clankers were on the sidewalk, waiting for a cab or something. They started saying stuff to the girls, so we got them into the limo but they wouldn't stop jabbering on. That J.B. cat, just wouldn't stop, man. It started with how all our girls must be paid by the hour because there was no way we could have such dishes. Then he started to say some pretty nasty things about Vee, and you. I swear if your dad hadn't come out when he did I might have ended up in jail." He shook his head in disbelief, he was so good about not letting people get under his skin, but that guy just hit every hot button Wallace Fennell had.

"You know we wouldn't have let that happen, Wally," Dick said sincerely. "Besides, that guy would have deserved a broken nose or worse for what he said about you, Lo." Duncan was the only one watching Logan's expression, he knew what they'd said earlier struck a serious chord in Logan, Duncan knowing full well how money clouded every perception.

"So spill Logan!" Duncan broke in attempting to diffuse the situation, noticing the tension wafting from Logan's direction. "Did an hour give you enough time, or did we interrupt whatever salacious plans you had for our dear Veronica?"

"Yeah, what were you and Ronnie up to? You look positively slack happy."

"You know Dick, at this very moment, I am," He laughed mirthlessly. "It won't last, though. It never does," he added somberly. He hadn't noticed Veronica come back out on the patio, nor could he see the little piece of her heart that broken for him reflected in her eyes, and for that she was grateful. All she could do now is help him realize he was deserving of lasting happiness, and she would do her damnedest to see it happen.

23 September 1945

Morning came much too early to Veronica Mars. She had tried, in vain, to drown the thoughts that reverberated through her head. But it was impossible. The half-drained bottle lie in the sink, she'd not been able to bring herself to drink his memory out of her head. She'd done that before, and the tears still came, and so did the dreams. The hope was always that she'd pass out before the barrage resumed, but she was left with the flickering images, film reel ticking off the last seconds of how everything was before it spectacularly fell apart. She could hear the ocean in the distance, waves pummeling the shore with the ferocity that accompanied storms. There would be no sunrise this Sunday morning. She sighed loudly and resigned herself to face the gray day that lies ahead.

Most days she could pass the door without too much thought, today was not going to be one of those days. She opened the door like she did every so often and stepped into the room that had been occupied by Logan when he'd lived here. Some days she cursed Lynn Echolls for guilting her to stay here, and others she was so thankful to be surrounded by things that reminded her of what she had loved. She had a feeling that today would lie somewhere in the middle. The lack of visible sunrise would make her mood dour, regardless. Sunday mornings, back when they were kids and carefree, they'd get up early and picnic on the beach and watch the sunrise. Dick and Logan would surf while Duncan and Wallace kicked a soccer ball around. The girls talked while crocheting, or reading, or if you were Mac, working out complex mathematical equations. They were an opus of contradictions, fitting together brilliantly against all odds. She missed the rest of her puzzle.

Eventually making her way into the kitchen, she could hear the steady rain beating down the terrace steps. The informal dining area was all glass, the beach lying beyond the flagstone patio, obscured by the torrent. She wondered if Lilly would call today, she'd be gone back to school nearly a month and they hadn't been able to catch up much. Sighing, she looked around. It was still sparse, all the furniture from her parents' home (what she hadn't had to sell off), barely made a dent in the expansive Prairie style house she had taken to call home. It made cleaning easier, that and she only ever seemed to use the three same dishes and pans, all of her earthly possessions could have fit in the kitchen. It was one of her conditions and Lynn happily obliged, leaving Logan's room completely untouched, however. She had also insisted on the Rolls staying, as it was Logan's. Veronica was helpless to do anything but oblige. Opening the cupboards, she extracted what she needed and began her first task of the day.

"I know it's been a while since I stopped. It's been a rough couple of months…but I got some really good news, and you were the first…well, second, person I had to share it with. My dad's coming home. By Christmas he says. I miss him so much," she sniffled and wiped her eyes gingerly, trying not to muss the makeup she'd put on. "I just hope he's not disappointed in me, I never could stand to see that look in his eyes. I swear that's all I saw before he left, and no, he never actually said he was disappointed, I could just feel it. Why did things have to go to shit? Logan was right, why would anything good stay?" She swallowed down the tears that welled in her eyes. She had actually said his name out loud. That hadn't happened in a long time, she shook it off and placed a hand on the cool granite in front of her. "I miss you." Her voice a mere whisper as her eyes took in the name emblazoned on the headstone.

Clifford Hamilton McCormack

Capitan US Army Bastogne

17 July 1903 - 29 December 1944

Those who want to reap the benefits of this great nation must bear the fatigue of supporting it. Thomas Paine

He was the second person her father had befriended in Neptune, and she took to calling Uncle Cliffy almost immediately. He and his wife were estranged, divorce was the biggest no-no in southern California, but she had been shaken to her core by his passing. He died heroically, or so they said, but Veronica just assumed they said that about everyone…because it was true. They were all heroes in their own right. And she had two more on her list to see today.

"Please, please, please tell me those are snickerdoodles!" Wallace exclaimed as he opened the door. She graciously presented the tin to him and entered the apartment behind him. "Dickie! We got a visitor…and treats!" Dick Casablancas lost a leg on D-Day. He still managed his easy smile and temperament but there was a dull ache in his eyes. Some days he didn't have the patience for anyone, his prosthetic would give him trouble or he'd have been up in the throes of a flashback, he was downright surly to anyone who tried to help. Wallace was the only one he let help. He had fought too. And while they didn't get a chance to serve with one another, the bonds of war had made them brothers. Veronica loved that at least once a week she'd get to see them, more pieces floating near one another, not connecting in the way they were meant to but at least, they were close.

"Hey Ronnie," Dick said quietly, taking his first cookie and savoring it. "Any news on your front?"

"As a matter of fact…Dad should be home by the end of the year. Or so his letters say." They both smiled, Dick's waning only slightly when he added the next bit.

"Still nothing from Lo…"

"No," she cut him off abruptly. She could not go back down that path today. She wanted to focus on the now, her friends who were with her still…the ones whose faces were real in front of her. Not the ghost of yesterday haunting her dreams. She plastered on a smile and spent the rest of the day with the boys, trying to find some semblance of normalcy.