DISCLAIMER: I don't own any rights to Veronica Mars. This story is written as a tribute only. No celebrity endorsement is implied by product placements. All real persons' names are used in the sense of "wouldn't it be cool if this person had this gig?" The institution discussed in this fic is not a real institution.
A/N: Beta-ed by Kazy and Poniesforall. All mistakes that remain are my responsibility. Again, some of this story is not intended for those under seventeen. Your reviews are important to me; I'm not the kind of person that holds a story hostage for reviews, but at the same time, the encouragement of a review helps me write faster and better.
Previously on Veronica Mars: The Year of Living Dangerously Part Two:
vanessagalore•livejournal•com/40299•html
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VERONICA MARS
10:00PM SHO ch: 340 60min 2009 TV-MA
What's the Sitch?
Dick gets Mac's email and asks for
Veronica's help; Wallace comes back
to town and fills in Veronica on his
investigation.
Veronica: Kristen Bell. Logan: Jason
Dohring. Dick: Ryan Hansen. Wallace:
Percy Daggs III. Candice Pauling: Toy
Connor. Alan: Ned Vaughn.
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CHAPTER FORTY-FIVE: "WHAT'S THE SITCH?"
Sat. 2/28/09 very early morning: Sunset Cliffs Apartment, Neptune, CA
Logan wakes up and rolls over to look at Veronica. He realizes that she's dreaming, twitching in her sleep, and her movements have woken him up. He reaches across her and gently caresses her arm while kissing her cheek. "Veronica..." he whispers.
She starts awake and looks at Logan as if she's never seen him before.
"Hey...it's okay. Veronica...you're dreaming," he says gently. He frowns a little, thinking that she looks completely terrified.
Veronica relaxes and smiles at him. "Hey."
Logan decides that he must have been wrong: that couldn't have been a look of utter despair that he saw on her face. "What were you dreaming about?" he asks curiously, stroking her cheek and looking at her with concern. "Chasing that wascally wabbit again?" he prods jokingly.
She huffs a quiet laugh. "Umm...I don't really remember," she lies smoothly. "What time is it?"
Logan rolls over and glances at the alarm clock. "6:45. We might as well get up. Do you want to shower first?"
"No, you go ahead."
When Logan leaves the room, Veronica closes her eyes and tries to calm her rapidly beating heart. He seems more relaxed every day–he's almost like he was...like he was before he left. I just wish the stupid nightmares would go away. I can't tell him...he'd never let it go. He can't know how scared I am about Briar Hill. It's ridiculous...there's nothing to be afraid of.
Sat. 2/28/09 morning: Pi Sig Frat House, Hearst College, Neptune, CA
Dick, yawning, logs on to his computer, intending to look at the latest nude pictures of Tila Tequila that Chip Diller was raving about the night before. Mixed in with a multitude of spam emails advertising penis enlargement, porn sites, and Viagra is an email from clicks on it and reads Mac's email.
Dear Dick,
It's great to hear from you. I'm going crazy trying to research these identity thieves. It seems like I'm not making any progress at all trying to trace their activities.
I'm glad to hear you're going to class. The Women's Studies class might even be good for you. I'll quiz you on the history of the Equal Rights Amendment when I get back. And I can't believe the story about Veronica and Logan! Maybe there's hope for those two after all.
This is going to sound stupid, but I haven't been able to find one of my T-shirts. It's the Padres shirt with the field of daisies on the back, the one that Veronica's boyfriend gave me the summer after sophomore year, do you remember? I think I left it in your room the last time I was there. Can you give that to Veronica to hold for me? It's one of my favorites, and I've been going nuts trying to remember where I left it.
I really miss you guys and hope to hear from you soon, if it's possible. They're treating me really well here, but it's lonely without my friends.
Love, Mac
"Okay...no way," Dick mutters. "What the hell?" He reads the email three more times. Finally, he prints out the email and calls Veronica, asking if he can meet her to show her something. She demurs, holding her hand over the phone and conferring with someone on the other end, then finally asks Dick where he'll be that afternoon. When he tells her that he's planning on going to the varsity women's soccer game at the Hearst athletic fields, Veronica says, "Perfect. I'll find you there."
Sat. 2/28/09 morning: San Diego to Neptune, CA
At the baggage return carousel, Veronica searches the crowd for Wallace and Candice. When she sees them, she waves excitedly, and Wallace grabs Candice's elbow, guiding her over to Veronica. Veronica throws her arms around Wallace's neck and hugs him tightly. Wallace says, "I thought you'd be waiting outside in your car."
Veronica leads the way to the Saturn idling by the curb. "I had a driver to help me today."
"Logan!" Wallace says, leaning in the car window. "You're back! So were you part of the plan to get Keith off?" He glances back at Veronica, points to his face and whispers, "A beard?" She gives a small nod and makes a face.
Logan says noncommittally, "I was just here for moral support." He bumps fists with Wallace.
"And I'm T-Pain, and you're my posse," Wallace retorts. "I'll get Vee to tell me the whole story later. You and I know little Miss Marshmallow here is really Sydney Bristow in disguise."
Veronica comments, "There's nothing to tell, Supa-fresh. Leo just made me a little mistake with the evidence, and we pointed it out to him."
Wallace opens the car door for Candice, and she slides into the rear seat. Wallace gets in after her and says, "Candice, this is Logan Echolls. Logan, Candice Pauling."
Logan turns around and says, "Hello, nice to meet you." Noticing her stunned expression, he says drily, "Don't believe everything you've heard about me. In fact, don't believe anything. It's really rare for me to actually murder an ex-girlfriend. And my friend's girlfriends are completely safe." Veronica frowns at him.
Candice finally recovers her voice and says, "Hi."
Veronica says quickly, "Candice, Logan and I were really sorry to hear about your brother."
Candice nods her thank-you.
Veronica gets in the passenger seat, and Logan puts the car in gear and heads for Neptune. Logan asks, "I assume we're heading for Hearst College, otherwise known as the Hellmouth?"
He gives Veronica a wise-ass look, and she picks up on it immediately. "It's just a good old-fashioned college with keg-parties and boys, I don't know why you'd assume Hearst was evil," she snipes back.
"Oh, I'm so very sorry. My contrition completely dwarfs the impending apocalypse," Logan answers, mock-seriously.
"What is this, a Buffy marathon?" Wallace pipes up from the back seat.
"Well, you know, a little blonde girl kicks ass and saves the world from evil. Seems perfectly appropriate," Logan replies, waggling the fingers of one hand in the air for emphasis. He looks over at Veronica, who makes a face. "Right, sugarpuss?"
"So, Echolls, are you the Original Evil?" she shoots back.
"I'm so rotten, they don't even have a word for it. I'm bad. Baddy bad, bad, bad. Does it make you horny?" He glances sideways at her with his trademark smirk, and she takes the bait.
"Only if you take off your shirt and flex for me, baby," she retorts. "You know how I like it."
"C'mon, Veronica, admit it, I'm your favorite bad boy," he snarks.
"Completely unreformable," she agrees.
"Okay, we're going to puke back here," Wallace interrupts from the back seat. "Enough of the foreplay. I really need your help, Veronica. You know...Shawn?" He glances at Candice, who flinches slightly.
Veronica looks guilty. "Oh, Candice. My god. I'm sorry, we're screwing around and–"
"It's all right," Candice replies. "Wallace told me about your dad; it must be a huge relief. You're allowed to be happy about it."
"You don't know how worried I've been," Veronica admits. "But still, I'm sorry. We're idiots." She looks back at Candice and Wallace regretfully.
Wallace says, "The police recovered Shawn's Blackberry. It was password-locked, but I got help from our old friend Leon."
"Leon, formerly of the Hearst computer science department, and mastermind of the magnetic card scam?" Veronica comments, turning to look at Wallace quizzically.
"Yeah, Professor Winkler hooked me up. With Mac in witness protection, I needed someone to help me crack the Blackberry," Wallace confirms, "and it turns out Leon took a job at Magneta-corp, not far from Atlanta."
"Magneta-corp?" Veronica repeats. "You're kidding."
"Nepotism at work. He sends his regards, by the way," Wallace adds, sarcastically.
"I bet."
Wallace pulls a sheaf of papers from his carry-on bag and hands them up to Veronica in the front seat. "Leon gave me a printout of everything on the device."
She shuffles through the papers. "It looks like he was meeting every week with someone with the initials CF."
"Until about two weeks before he disappeared," Wallace notes.
"And there's a number beside each entry. '500', '1200', '850', different amounts each time. 'CF'...maybe one of the Fitzpatricks?" she queries.
Logan says, "Ciaran. Do you remember him, Veronica? A big goon, repeated senior year like six times. Of course, everyone knew he was flunking on purpose so he could keep dealing drugs at the school."
Veronica nods. "He had quite a reputation. He was finally expelled two years before you transferred, Wallace."
Logan adds, "Weevil told me he thinks Ciaran and his brother Padraig killed Gustavio Toombs for trying to move in on the Fitzpatrick drug trade. Those guys are serious bad news, Wallace."
"Candice, I'm sorry to ask, but...did your brother ever deal drugs in the past?" Veronica asks cautiously.
She shakes her head. "No, not that I know of. But...I suppose it's possible. He was really smart, just not...common-sense smart. That's why my dad wanted him to go to college in Atlanta. But Shawn really seemed to have grown up and matured. And...Dad said he'd have to be on his own at some point, and we'd have to let him sink or swim." Candice looks incredibly sad. "I just feel so bad that I was overseas. Maybe I would have noticed something was going on if I was talking to him every week."
"It's not your fault. You couldn't have known," Wallace comforts, putting his arm around her.
She falls silent, staring out the window.
Veronica turns around in her seat and looks at Wallace. "You know, you can't just start asking questions about the Fitzpatricks and dealing meth. They'll kill you without even thinking twice."
"I know," he admits. "I was hoping Keith might have some ideas. I really don't want Shawn's murderer to get away with it."
Logan asks, logically, "Why was Shawn killed up in Washington State?" Looking at Veronica, he adds, "That's what you said, right?"
"I don't know," Wallace replies. "Maybe to throw suspicion away from the Fitzpatricks? Maybe there's a Canadian connection. I was hoping your dad would know more about it."
"I think he's going to say the same thing I did. You should leave this investigation to the authorities. What if you just turned this data over to Leo?" She meets Logan's sideway glance. "Leo's a good investigator." Although I don't think he's going to be doing me any favors in the near future.
Logan shakes his head. Veronica glances at him again, slightly nervous.
"I'll be careful," Wallace insists. "You know my moms would get all up in my face if I got hurt. She's still fussing at me about the Harmony shooting. I told her about going undercover at the gym, and she had a heart-attack. 'What if that guy had been the killer? I don't want you working there any more. Veronica always takes too many chances. She's a bad influence on you,'" he says in a high feminine voice.
"It's not your mom I'm worried about," Veronica replies, completely serious. "Wallace, the Fitzpatricks don't kid around. I had to be rescued twice just for going into the River Stix, and I wasn't accusing them of murder." She looks at Logan, and he takes her hand for a second.
Wallace falls silent. Then he says quietly, "I'll show what I found to your dad, and I'll listen to what he says."
Sat. 2/28/09: Hearst Athletic Fields, Neptune, CA
Dick cheers as one of the more well-endowed members of the Hearst Varsity Women's Soccer Team intercepts a pass and takes the ball down the field. "Yeah, baby!" He stands and high-fives Chip Diller next to him. "Almost as good as 'Baywatch'". He sees Veronica standing down on the ground next to the spectator stands, crooking her index finger at him. "Later, dude," Dick says, hurrying down the steps to meet her by the entrance to the field. When he gets to her, she motions with her head, and leads him toward the nearby parking lot.
Veronica looks quizzically at Dick. "Since when are you a women's soccer fan?"
"Since Brandi Chastain took off her shirt at the '99 World's Cup. A life-changing event. Some of these chicks are total babes," he responds.
Veronica rolls her eyes. "And here I thought you were just being an athletic supporter."
"A jockstrap joke? That's cold, Veronica. Don't be hatin'," Dick replies. "Where are we going anyways?"
"To my car." They get to her Saturn, and she opens the back door, motioning for Dick to enter.
Dick looks nervous. "Wait, are you kidnapping me? I've been good lately. Really. What did you hear?"
From inside the car, Logan says, "Get in the car, dickhead."
"Dude!" Dick replies, jumping in the back seat. Veronica gets in the driver's side. Dick says, "When did you get back? Why didn't you call me? What the hell, Logan?"
Veronica interrupts Dick's blathering. "I'm pretty sure the paparazzi are watching you. They know you're Logan's best friend. They probably have a tap on your phone. Logan wanted to call you as soon as we got back, but we decided it'd be better to wait until we were sure you weren't being observed. We took a look around the parking lot, and I'm pretty sure it's safe here."
"Gnarly hair, dude," Dick comments, looking at Logan. "Veronica, I hate to tell you, but I think you're dating down."
"Nice to see you too, Dick. Good to know you're not pining away for me," Logan replies. "What d'you want to talk to Veronica about?"
"It's an email from Mac, and she's completely flipped out." Dick digs out a piece of paper from his pocket and hands it to Veronica. "I don't think I would have recognized you, Logan. You've totally leaned out. Must be–"
"Don't say it," Logan warns. Dick shrugs and holds back.
Veronica frowns, reading the text, then when she finishes, she hands it to Logan. "I see what you mean. 'Love, Mac' sticks out like a sore thumb." At Dick's expression, she adds, "Sorry, Dick. She's obviously trying to send us a message. Padres, field of daisies," she muses. "Padres means San Diego, obviously. And then she says, 'Veronica's boyfriend the summer after sophomore year.' That's got to mean Mike Fields, that was my second summer internship with the FBI."
Logan says, "What about daisies? That really doesn't sound like Mac."
"Daisies...daisy..." she mutters to herself. "Wait...I think they call the Hearst supercomputer 'Daisy'." She fumbles in her purse and pulls out her iPhone. Using Google, she looks up FBI regional offices. "That's it! There's an FBI regional computer forensics center in San Diego. Mac's trying to tell us that's where she is. She's not at Quantico."
"But...what does it matter? We still can't get to her if she's in witness protection, right?" Dick says.
"I think she's saying that Mike Fields could get a message to her. Or maybe she wants to use him to get a message to us. Maybe she found something in the system that's important. Something about Hannah's case, maybe. Maybe she's been snooping around," Veronica wonders.
"Logan..." Dick says hesitantly, "Seriously, are you okay, dude? I was worried."
"I'm better," Logan replies succinctly. "Thanks for figuring out my password, douchebag. Last time I tell you anything."
"Hey!" Veronica butts in, elbowing him. "You did great, Dick. You get one free favor from me."
"No Pi Sig rate?"
"Nope. Absolutely free." She extends her hand to Dick, who shakes it cautiously.
"This can't be good," Logan observes. "I don't think I like you guys being friendly. My entire world order has been perverted."
"Don't worry, I'm sure he'll do something to piss me off soon enough."
"Count on it," Logan says drily.
"Hey!!" Dick cries aggrievedly. "I'm right here."
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VERONICA MARS
10:00PM SHO ch: 340 60min 2009 TV-MA
The Beast With Two Backs
Logan, Veronica, and Duncan surprise
Katerina.
Veronica: Kristen Bell. Logan: Jason
Dohring. Duncan 2.0: Chris Carmack.
Katerina: Katherine Heigl.
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CHAPTER FORTY-SIX: "THE BEAST WITH TWO BACKS"
Sat. 2/28/09: Neptune Grand Hotel, Neptune, CA
The elevator doors open with a ding, and Veronica starts to walk out, but Logan hesitates. She turns back and catches the door with her hand. "Are you going to be okay?"
"It's just..." he says tentatively.
"I know. It's hard. It's weird to be back here again. There's too many memories. And...I know how you feel about Duncan." He looks at her searchingly; she stretches her hand to him, and he takes it and follows her out of the elevator. Veronica stops just outside the elevator and turns to him. "Wait a second," she whispers. She reaches up to Logan, and pulls his face to hers. She kisses him, stroking the back of his head. "You know you have nothing to worry about. You can't get rid of me now."
"Sure, you say that now..." he replies, pressing his forehead against hers.
"I'll say it every day until you start to believe me." She thinks a minute, "How about, every time you see me scratching my cheek tonight, it means I'm thinking that I love you."
"Secret signals? Are we back in third grade?"
"You bet." She punches his arm lightly. "I'll be expecting you to respond with a spitball."
"What do you say...after we're done with this, we get a room of our own for tonight? Maybe the Honeymoon Suite, with the jacuzzi for two." He pushes a strand of her hair behind her ear, and unconsciously she shivers. "Your dad is cool but..."
"He's been unbelievable." She thinks about her dad telling her that he wanted her to move in with Logan if he went to prison. "But I know what you mean. We've had to be a little...restrained."
"Do you remember the list?" Logan asks. He shifts his cane to the other hand and pulls out his wallet. He takes out a well-worn folded piece of paper and hands it to Veronica.
She unfolds it and reads,
'1. In the shower, from behind, while soaping her breasts
2. Against the wall, with her legs wrapped around me
3. Doggy style
4. In the backseat of the BMW
5. In the backseat of the Saturn
6. Missionary, missionary, missionary
7. On the kitchen counter after I lick her
8. With her legs flipped up and wrapped around my neck
9. In the Hearst library on the third floor--the Congress of the Cow
10. Tie her to the bed and make her come ten times'
Veronica looks up at Logan and laughs. "Oh my god, you kept this?"
"Yeah, I had it with me the whole time I was gone." He smiles. "What do you say we start working on it tonight?"
"Hmm." She pretends to think. "I suppose that would be okay."
"I'm thinking number one and number eight for sure." He asks Veronica for her cell phone and dials a number from memory. "Can I speak to Tina, please?" He put his hand over the mouthpiece and whispers to Veronica, "You remember, my friend on the staff here?" In a normal voice, he says, "Tina. It's Logan Echolls. Can you do me a solid, strictly on the down low?...Yeah, I remember, fun times." He rolls his eyes at Veronica. "I'm in town just for one night, and I'd like to rent your best available suite...This needs to be under another name, let's say...Charles Windsor...and I'll be paying cash."
Veronica makes a face at him, mouthing, "Prince Charles? What, are you kidding?"
He shakes his head at her, smiling ironically. "That's great, Tina. I'll pick up the key card in your office in an hour or so. See you then." He hits the end button and hands the phone back to Veronica. Then Logan extends his hand for the list; she makes a show of being reluctant to give it back, smiling all the while. He takes it from her and carefully refolds it, replacing it in his wallet. He remarks, "Now I'm ready to face Duncan." Logan takes her hand, and she leads him to Duncan's door.
Duncan opens the door, obviously nervous. "Logan, hey..."
"Duncan...I'm sorry about Lill– your daughter...I mean..." Logan stumbles a little over the words.
"Yeah. Me too," Duncan says shortly. "Come on in. Katya's not here yet."
"Good," Veronica says.
When Veronica called Duncan to tell him about the break-in at Mars Investigations and the video of Katerina, Duncan reacted bitterly, complaining that yet another woman had lied to him. He angrily told Veronica to forget it; he was just going to tell Katerina to go away and concentrate on the custody battle. Veronica calmed him down and convinced him that they needed to find out what Katerina's agenda was and what damage might have been done to Duncan's case. Duncan finally agreed; he vetoed Veronica's dinner plan, saying that Katerina would know immediately that it was a setup. He suggested instead that they come over first and let Katerina walk in on them unawares; her reaction might tell them everything they needed to know.
Veronica asks, "What time did Katerina say she was coming?"
"She just said she'd join me for dinner tonight. I guess around seven," Duncan replies.
Noting Duncan's return to his normal hair color, Logan says to Duncan, "Blonds really don't have more fun?"
"To tell the truth, I wish I could erase all the plastic surgery too. Every time I look in the mirror, it just seems like a nightmare." He looks at Logan. Overtly trying to be friendly, he says in a mocking tone, "You need to eat, dude. You're too skinny. And the beard? And the cane? Come on. Who are you kidding? Did the queer eye guys get a hold of you?"
Taking the bait, Logan drops his cane, limps over to Duncan and puts him in a headlock. He snarks, "I'm not too skinny to kick your ass."
"You wish, girly man."
"Oh, you die," Logan says. He tries to pull Duncan to the floor, and they begin to tussle, eventually dissolving into laughter.
"Logan, watch out for your knee," Veronica calls out, laughing along with them. She breathes a sigh of relief; they seem to be getting along, for the moment at least. Logan looks over at her; she ostentatiously scratches her cheek, and he smiles back. She gets his cane and hands it to him. The three of them sit down on the couch, Veronica in between the two young men. She thinks, Just like old times at the Neptune Grand, except...this time I'm going out with the right one.
Slightly out of breath, Duncan says, "You hardly even need that cane. Guess you're not going to be a cripple after all."
"I'll be shredding the waves before you know it."
Duncan nods his head toward Veronica. "Do you think you'll ever get her on a board?"
"Nah. I think the Neptune Cocktail was named for her," Logan replies deprecatingly.
Veronica looks a little puzzled. Duncan leans over and says, "That's when you wipe out on a big wave and drink the sea-nectar of the god Neptune."
She rolls her eyes and retorts, "Perhaps I just need better instruction."
Logan condescendingly says, "It's all right, Veronica; you look good in a bikini. That's all you need to worry about, honeybunch."
"Oh, thanks, sweetie-pie."
"No problem, snookums."
Veronica notes a shadow passing over Duncan's expression. She elbows Logan and subtly nods toward Duncan. She changes the topic. "Duncan, we ran every check on Katerina's name that we could think of. My dad even ran her face through the government's facial recognition software without a hit."
Logan chimes in, "Duncan, I know I've seen her before. I just...I just can't place the face."
"Well, she said she's been in Neptune before. She's probably using an alias. Do you have any sense of where you might have met her?" Duncan asks.
"No clue," Logan replies.
There's a knock on the door, and the three of them immediately go silent. Duncan goes to answer the door. "Katya." The beautiful blonde woman kisses his cheek, stroking his arm, and enters the room. She stops short when she sees Logan and Veronica. Veronica thinks she perceives Katerina visibly calming herself. Duncan says, "You remember my friend, Veronica. This is...um, my friend, Logan."
Logan uses his cane to stand up; he turns toward Katerina and scrutinizes her face. Katerina says easily, "Hello, Logan. Nice to meet you. Nice to see you again, Veronica." She turns back to Duncan. Veronica looks at Logan questioningly; he shakes his head 'no'.
Duncan says, "My friends just stopped by for a few minutes. I was just going to open a bottle of wine. Unless–Logan, would you rather have a beer?"
"Actually, a soda would be better. Coke, if you got it."
"R-r-right." Duncan looks slightly surprised at Logan's request. "Veronica?"
"Coke for me too," she says in solidarity.
"Well, I'm having some of that Beaujolais we opened the other night." Duncan goes behind the bar; he brings two Cokes to Logan and Veronica, then returns to the bar and pours two glasses of wine. As Veronica had coached him, he holds two prepared wine glasses by their stems and hands one to Katerina. Veronica looks on in satisfaction as she grasps the wine glass by the bowl. Let's see who you really are, Katerina.
Katerina, resplendent in a low-cut purple and scarlet dress that shows off her impressive cleavage, settles next to Duncan on the couch. Veronica notices that she makes sure to contact Duncan's body and touches his knee or arm casually as she speaks. Katerina says, "So did you three go to school together?"
"Good old Neptune High!" Veronica says sarcastically.
"Go Pirates," Duncan echoes, unenthusiastically.
"Duncan, did you or Logan play any sports?" Katerina asks.
Logan says sarcastically, "I lettered in partying. Oh, and don't forget about boxing. I had a bit of notoriety for that."
Veronica nudges him. "Katerina, Duncan says this is not your first visit to Neptune. Do you have business here?"
"Business associates is more accurate." Katerina takes a sip of wine, skillfully eluding Veronica's question.
"What line of work are you in?" Veronica persists.
"Investments. Real estate and banking for the most part," Katerina answers.
"Oh really? I'm taking a seminar in investment fraud for my criminology degree."
Logan says, "Isn't she adorable? Beauty and brains in the same package." He chucks Veronica under her chin, and she frowns back at him.
Veronica continues, "Is that something you've ever run into? I ask because I'm in the middle of my research, and the field is changing overnight. As internet fraud becomes more prevalent, the investor has to constantly be on the lookout for new scams."
"I really wouldn't know. I have advisors who vet every proposal for me before I invest...Would you excuse me for a moment?" Katerina stands up and strolls to the bathroom, shutting the door behind her. Watching Katerina's mesmerizing, erotic progress across the room, Veronica reflects that Duncan never had a chance when this woman set out to bag him.
Duncan looks quizzically at Logan; Logan shakes his head 'no'. Veronica says quietly, "Just...follow my lead. We might as well try to get some information out of her."
When Katerina emerges from the bathroom, for a moment she is backlit by the bathroom light, and her curvaceous profile is silhouetted. Logan frowns, then he suddenly pushes quickly to his feet and limps over to Katerina. She turns to him in surprise. Logan grabs her upper arm, looking closely at her face. He turns her left arm so that he can look at the inside of her wrist. Katerina has a tattoo of a strand of flowers, with one larger flower of an intricate design. Logan appears to be thinking as he examines her arm.
"Logan?" Veronica asks.
Logan suddenly and viciously twists Katerina's wrist, forcing her to turn around and fall toward the nearby wall. He pulls down the zipper on her dress to expose her lower back.
"Logan, what the hell?" Duncan asks. He stands up and goes over to them; Veronica follows quickly behind.
Logan traces his hand over the junction of Katerina's spine and buttocks; there are very faint marks, almost a pattern of lighter marks against her skin color. Logan says harshly, "I bet it hurt like hell to laser this tattoo off. I hear your skin smells like burning pork chops."
"Logan?!" Veronica asks again.
"It's Kendall. Fucking bitch Kendall. She used to have a rosary tattooed on her left wrist; she covered it up with a new tattoo of flowers." To Kendall, he says, "You always were too proud of your boobs, Kendall. If you really wanted to hide, you should have gotten a breast reduction," Logan bites off.
Kendall turns her head and says spitefully, "Fuck you. Poor little rich boy and all your problems. You always treated me like I was a whore."
"If the shoe fits...Veronica, give me your taser," Logan says, holding Kendall tightly.
Veronica scrambles for her purse and hands the taser to Logan. "Logan, I think we should call my dad."
"If not the police," Duncan remarks.
"I'm dead, you idiot. Kendall Casablancas doesn't exist anymore," Kendall sneers. "Duncan, you should take some lessons from your friend Logan. Christ, you're the worst lay I've ever had. Good thing you have a lot of money."
Duncan grabs the taser from Logan and triggers it against Kendall. She slumps against the wall and slides down to the floor. Veronica looks at Duncan in shock. Duncan says quietly, "I'm sick of everyone fucking with me. I always just tried to do the right thing." He hands the taser back to Logan and returns to the couch, dropping his head into his hands.
Veronica disappears into Duncan's bedroom and returns a few minutes later with some of his neckties. Duncan mopes on the couch, drinking his wine, while she and Logan heave Kendall into a chair and tie her securely with the neckties. "Too bad Wiedman isn't still around; this kind of thing was right up his alley," she mutters under her breath to Logan.
"Call your dad," Logan says brusquely. "...Fuck! I really want a drink tonight."
Veronica shoots a glance at him.
"I'm not going to drink, Veronica. But, goddamn, I feel like I'm being forced to deal with every mistake I made senior year."
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
VERONICA MARS
10:00PM SHO ch: 340 60min 2009 TV-MA
Revelations 17:4-5
Kendall is interrogated.
Veronica: Kristen Bell. Logan: Jason
Dohring. Duncan 2.0: Chris Carmack.
Kendall 2.0: Katherine Heigl.
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
CHAPTER FORTY-SEVEN: "REVELATIONS 17:4-5"
"And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet colour, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication. And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH."
Sat. 2/28/09: Neptune Grand Hotel, Neptune, CA
While they wait for Keith, Veronica goes into Duncan's bedroom to search for bugs or recording devices. After a moment, Logan follows her and sits down heavily on the bed. In a quiet voice, Veronica says, "Are you okay?"
"Fucking Kendall," he mutters. "She's...she's the reason you and I..." Logan looks at Veronica with a despairing look. "I'm just afraid...I'm afraid you're going to remember just why you broke up with me." Bitterly, he concludes, "I was a goddamn fool. All I ever did was hurt you."
Duncan watches through the open doorway from the other room as Veronica moves to Logan's side. She puts her arm around Logan's shoulder and pulls him to her. Logan leans his head onto her torso, putting one arm around her. Duncan feels a stabbing pang of jealousy and clenches his fists.
Veronica says to Logan, "We talked about this. You've got to let it go. We both made mistakes." She looks toward the living room and sees Duncan watching them. Veronica pulls away from Logan, frowning. He looks up at her, and she subtly motions her head toward the living room. When Logan's eyes meet Duncan's, Duncan turns away and busies himself picking up the glasses from the coffee table and taking them to the wet bar.
Veronica begins to search the bedroom methodically. All the lamps are secured to the tables, and she dismisses them quickly. She runs her hand over the flat-screen television, shaking her head. She looks up, noticing a smoke detector, and she grabs a chair and pulls it over.
Logan queries, "What is it?"
"My dad and I use a fake smoke detector all the time. It has a camera in it that transmits to a recording device up to 40 feet away." She stands on the chair, but she is unable to reach the smoke detector.
"Here, let me," Logan says. He climbs up on the chair and easily reaches the device. He opens it up and says, "What am I looking for?"
"Is there a camera lens? And then there would also be a transmitter, attached with two wires."
"I think so," Logan replies. "If you have a screwdriver, I'll get it down."
Veronica goes into the living room to get her Leatherman all-in-one tool from her purse. She returns to the bedroom and opens it up to the screwdriver tool. She hands it up to Logan, and he looks at it, noting the color. "Purple?"
"It's called the Juice. No self-respecting P.I. would be without one," she answers. "Can you get it?"
He responds by taking the smoke detector off the ceiling and handing it to her.
"Yep, that's it. Wireless, black and white picture with a microphone as well. So Kendall must have a VCR somewhere in her room." Logan carefully steps off the chair, holding onto Veronica to steady himself.
There's a loud knock on the door. Duncan opens it and invites Keith in. Veronica and Logan walk out to greet him.
Keith sees the smoke detector in Veronica's hands, and he nods grimly. Looking over at Kendall tied to a chair, he asks, "So who is she?"
"It's Kendall. Logan recognized her uh..." Veronica stumbles.
"Her profile. And she still has a slight scar where she used to have a tattoo on her back," Logan explains.
Kendall, deciding to try a new tactic, says, "I don't know what they're talking about. I had a burn on my back when I was a kid. I don't know why they keep calling me Kendall. My name's Katerina, and when I tell the police what happened here, you're all going to be in a lot of trouble."
Keith walks over to her and studies her carefully. "No, I see it too. It's very good plastic surgery; it must have taken quite a bit of money...So Kendall, how 'bout you save us some time and tell us where the video recorder is in your room?"
Kendall obstinately stays silent. Veronica shrugs and finds Kendall's purse. She retrieves Katerina's card key and goes across the hall to Kendall's room. While they wait, Logan, Duncan, and Keith stare at Kendall, who is becoming increasingly nervous but keeps quiet.
Veronica returns five minutes later with a small video recorder and several small tapes. Duncan extends his hand, and Veronica gives him the tapes. He looks over the tapes with a resentful expression and drops them onto the table.
Keith pulls up a chair and sits close to Kendall, scrutinizing her. "So you did survive the shooting. I bet you have quite a tale to tell about that night in the desert."
Kendall stares at him, impassively.
Keith continues, "Did the Mannings hire you?"
"What?" Kendall replies, genuinely shocked.
"Did the Mannings hire you to get some dirt on Duncan to hurt his custody case?" Keith repeats.
"No. I don't know what you're talking about."
"I don't believe her," Duncan says.
Keith turns to him and comments, "I think she might be telling the truth." He turns back to Kendall, "So if you're not working for the Mannings, why are you videotaping Duncan?"
Kendall stares back angrily, then shrugs and admits, "Duncan's got millions. The first night, I was just looking for company, and he was attractive enough. A little uninspired in the bedroom, but what the hell. Then when I found out he was Duncan Kane and realized what he was worth..." She shrugs again, her meaning clear. "The video is insurance. If I couldn't convince him to part with his money willingly, I'd blackmail him. At the very least, I could sell the tapes to the tabloids."
"Then why did you break into our office?" Veronica chimes in.
Kendall looks shocked.
"That's right, we have video of you searching our office." Veronica turns to her dad. "Let's just call the police...let them handle it. We can tell them her real name. You never know, there might be some old charges too."
"Even better, we should deliver her to Liam Fitzpatrick. I'm sure he's still pissed that you double-crossed him." Keith stares at Kendall, who looks agitated at the mention of Liam. "Yeah, that's what we should do. We'll leave her someplace and call Liam, tell him where she is. She'll be dead by morning."
"You can't do that! That's murder!" Kendall replies heatedly.
"Yeah, Kendall, it is. And what were you planning to do out in the desert after I dropped off Cormac?"
"Nothing. I swear. I thought we were going to run away together. I didn't know Cormac was going to..."
"What...murder you and then get rid of me, the only witness? You play a dangerous game, Kendall. You have to expect there's going to be some consequences. I was a fool to take your case."
She sits silently, thinking, then blurts out, "What the hell happened to the money from the painting? I heard it made its way back to the open market. Cormac and Liam were too stupid to figure out that the painting was how I was transporting the money. I know you had to have taken the painting." She sneers at Veronica, "But you and little Miss Detective are still living the middle class dream. No fancy cars, still living in that crappy apartment. What the hell did you do with the money?"
"You're really not in a position to ask questions," Veronica chimes in.
"No, it's okay. It'll kill her to find out." Keith leans over Kendall and says quietly, "I donated the money to charity...the South Neptune food bank. The proceeds from whatever scam you were running are feeding the poor of Neptune."
Kendall looks stunned. "It's gone? You gave it all away? You're a fool. You could have retired, could have stopped spying on men cheating on their wives and prying into other people's business."
"And look over my shoulder every day, wondering when Liam was going to catch up with me? No thanks. I'll stick with snooping. I sleep okay at night."
Logan interrupts, speaking in a quiet, dangerous tone. "Why did you have an affair with me?"
Kendall looks at him nervously.
Logan stands up and walks over to her. "Why, Kendall? Why would you take that chance? I treated you like shit, and you kept coming back for more. I don't believe you were just there for the sex." He sees Veronica's anguished face out of the corner of his eye, and he almost stops. But he thinks to himself, I've got to know, I've got to understand what the hell was happening that year. "Why?" He leans down and grabs her neck with his hand, shaking her a little.
"Logan..." Veronica says, almost in a whisper, scared of what he might do.
Kendall swallows, staring into Logan's angry eyes. "I told Liam that you were sniffing around, hinting and flirting with me. I was mad at Liam, and I wanted to piss him off. And that did it...I thought he was going to kill me right then.
FLASHBACK (narrated by Kendall)
Liam says, "You're not going to fuck around on my brother. You do what I tell you to do, Kendall, and only what I tell you to do." He draws a gun and presses it hard into the side of Kendall's forehead.
Then Liam freezes abruptly; he brings the gun down, but Kendall is still too frightened to move. He paces a little, then whirls around to look at Kendall again. "Actually, you know, banging the Echolls kid might come in handy. He's gonna have to take the fall for offing Felix. We can't have the cops looking too closely at the PCHers...You're gonna fuck the kid, Kendall. And you're gonna fuck with his mind too, so he doesn't know if he's going or coming. Yeah, coming." Liam laughs uproariously at his inadvertent joke. "Coming, that's great. That's what you do best, Kendall. It's your special talent."
Kendall looks at Liam, scared.
Liam leans in and talks to her, his mouth inches from her face. "You're gonna fuck the kid, you're gonna stay close to him, so we know exactly how to set him up."
"So you were reporting to Liam the whole time...?" Veronica says, sickened.
"C'mon lover boy, you've got to admit we had some fun," Kendall says to Logan, in a mock-sweet tone.
"You make me sick," Logan says. "You're worse than a whore."
"A very rich whore," Kendall corrects. "I've managed to accumulate some funds since I left Neptune. There's always a rich gentleman in need of companionship. Of course I would have been a little richer if your daddy hadn't been killed."
"What?" Logan thunders, whirling around to face her again.
"Yeah, he promised me 200,000 to get one of Duncan's hairs out of the shower drain...from that shower right over there." Kendall laughs, motioning with her head. "I think his sleazebag attorneys planted it on his Oscar trophy. Then, after the trial, Aaron got shot before I could collect. We were sealing the deal that day, and I went to take a shower. When I came out, he'd been shot, and I got the hell out of there."
Duncan exchanges a glance with Veronica. Veronica thinks, When Wiedman shot Aaron, on Duncan's orders... Logan is fixated on Kendall and doesn't notice Veronica's and Duncan's unease.
Kendall continues, "I think you should pony up the two hundred grand that your daddy promised me, Logan. I have to say, you definitely inherited his skills in the sack. Quite memorable, just like you, lover."
"Oh that's just great, Kendall. Just fuck everyone to get what you want," Logan says bitterly.
"But it all worked out anyway." Now Kendall is talking quickly, as if she's been waiting to tell this story to someone, anyone who would listen. "Good ol' Beav really came through for me. What a fabulous stepson he was. Eight million dollars he makes on land deals, then he takes a header off the roof, and I get it all. I decided to forget about the deal I had with Liam, and I hired the only honest man in Neptune to make me a new identity and get me out of town. I waited for the only man I've ever loved to get out of prison...and he double-crossed me."
"Wait...what was that about a deal with Liam?" Veronica asks, curiously.
"Liam and I were running a con on Richard Casablancas Senior. We were siphoning funds off every deal that guy was making."
Veronica remembers observing Kendall making a delivery to a hotel room. That must have been the bag man, someone working for Liam.
Kendall continues, "...I knew Dick Senior was crooked, but I thought he was too smart to get caught. And there was so much money changing hands, it was easy to make some of it spill into my hands."
Keith asks, "How much?"
"Five million. My cut was half. Liam and I had an arrangement. But I never trusted him; I always knew he was likely to screw me over. When Beaver took his swan dive, I decided to take the Phoenix Land Trust money and run."
"Except...Liam figured out that you were running," Keith comments.
"As usual, he thought he deserved half of that money too. I actually had to work for that money," Kendall says, in a surprised tone. "That was legitimately my money. Great, huh? The only time I ever made money legally. And Liam decides he wanted half of it."
"And the love of your life wanted all of it," Keith adds. "Cormac always intended to kill you, as soon as I delivered you to him."
"Never con a con artist, right?" Kendall muses.
"So, how did you survive? Your blood was all over the cabin," Keith asks.
"Yeah, scalp wounds bleed like a mother." Kendall inclines her head, thinking about it. "Cormac dumped me in the desert. I guess he thought I was dead. I woke up, I guess a few hours later, and I tried to get back to the cabin, but I was too weak to make it. Some guy picked me up on the roadway and took me to a doctor. I managed to convince them it wasn't a bullet wound, and he patched me up. By the time I got back to the cabin, it was a crime scene, and I decided to cut my losses and get the hell out of there. I watched art auctions to see if the painting ever showed up; it never did, but then it was listed at an exhibition, so I knew there'd been a private sale."
"What painting?" Duncan queries, completely confused.
"Kendall used the cash from the Phoenix Land Trust to buy an extremely valuable painting, Van Gogh's 'The Two Lovers'. It was actually pretty smart...easy to take through customs, a small portable package, relatively easy to convert back into cash if you have the right connections," Keith comments, admiringly.
"I just didn't know who sold the painting. I figured it had to be you, Keith, since Liam and Cormac were too stupid to think of hiding the money in plain sight. But I couldn't understand. I've been watching you. This fall, when Veronica was arrested, you didn't bail her out. You had to get Echolls to put up the bail money. I knew you wouldn't let your kid stay in jail, so it seemed like you must not have the money. But...I've heard rumors that Liam's been trying to locate the eight million dollars as well, so I didn't think he had it either."
Veronica says, "You never thought about charity."
"Suckers," Kendall snorts. "You gave up the easy life to be a do-gooder. It's insane."
"So you broke into my office trying to find the money from the sale of the painting?" Keith asks.
Kendall nods. "The money, or a secret account or safe deposit box where you have the money stashed. Listen, I told you everything. You're going to let me go, right?"
Logan recognizes Kendall's practiced art of deception. "Sounds like you knew that it would be a long shot to find the money from the painting in Keith's office. Why are you really in town?"
Kendall shuts up.
Keith and Logan exchange a glance. Keith says, "Veronica, take a picture with your phone. And then send it to Liam Fitzpatrick. He'll be very interested to know what Kendall looks like now."
"You can't!" Kendall says, begging. "Stop!"
Veronica aims her phone at Kendall and takes the picture. She ostentatiously pushes buttons on the phone. "What's the number, Dad?"
Kendall says quickly, "Liam and I have a joint bank account, and I need to find out his password."
Keith stares at her, waiting.
"We didn't trust each other on the Casablancas con. So we came up with the idea of a joint account in the Caymans. You need both our passwords to access the funds. Or...a death certificate."
"So Liam can't access it either, because there was no body. Kendall Casablancas is still considered missing, presumed dead. After seven years, the state will issue a death certificate..." Keith thinks aloud.
"And he can get into the account, by right of survivorship," Kendall finishes.
"You gave Liam an awfully good motive to kill you."
"Except it would be killing the goose that laid the golden egg. Liam's drug running and racketeering aren't nearly as profitable as the real estate scams I've been doing," Kendall says proudly.
"Just think if you had done it legitimately. You'd be a millionaire, and you wouldn't be worrying about Liam hacking you into little tiny pieces," Veronica observes.
"As if a poor girl from the wrong side of the tracks can get seed money to start a business venture!" Kendall sneers. "The system is rigged against the little guy. The only way to beat it is to be a crook. And I needed Liam to launder the cash, in one of his many little enterprises."
Duncan speaks up. "Do you have any other photos or tapes of me? Remember that I can tell the Fitzpatricks what you look like too."
Sullenly, she replies, "No. The videotapes are it."
"Good," he answers. "And you're not going to cause any other trouble for my custody case?"
She shakes her head 'no'.
Veronica says, "Duncan, give them to me. We'll erase them for you at the office with our degaussing machine."
"No. I'll take care of it," he says firmly. Duncan gathers the tapes and the video recorder and takes them into his bedroom.
"What do we do with her?" Logan asks Keith.
"I guess we let her go. There's probably no evidence left of her involvement in the Casablancas real estate swindle, and Richard Casablancas has already served his sentence for that crime, so there's no point to calling the police. She knows that we'll tell Liam what she looks like if she causes any more problems for us," Keith muses. He directs his attention to Kendall. "I suggest you get out of Neptune, Kendall...or Priscilla, or Katerina, whatever the hell name you want to use. Go back to bedding rich men and forget about that account in the Caymans. It's not worth dying over. If Logan could recognize you, then Liam probably could too. He's got millions of reasons to keep looking for you."
Logan nods his agreement. He and Veronica begin to untie the neckties securing Kendall to her chair. When the bonds on her wrists are untied, Kendall begins massaging her wrists. "So lovely to see you again, Logan," she says sarcastically. She looks at Veronica. "And you...still just Veronica Mars, still a disappointment."
Logan, angered by her words, grabs her arm and propels Kendall towards the door. "Don't let the door hit you on the ass on your way out, bitch. Hope to never see you again," he says furiously.
"Likewise I'm sure," Kendall replies sarcastically, a little off balance from Logan pushing her. She grabs the woodwork on the doorway and turns around to say, "And don't you worry about me. I always manage to end up on top. Right, Logan?" She smirks and exits.
Logan rushes to the door and slams it, turning the lock viciously. When he turns to face Keith, Veronica, and Duncan, his face is reddened by anger and humiliation. He struggles to speak. "Veronica, I'm so...I'm so sorry about her. I wish..." He drops his eyes, unable to look Keith or Veronica in the face.
Veronica silently walks over to him and hugs him. At first, Logan is unsure what to do with his hands, but he finally returns the embrace, hanging his head in embarrassment. Duncan fidgets uncomfortably, then begins to gather up the neckties they used to tie her up, managing to keep from looking at Veronica hugging Logan.
Veronica pulls away slightly, keeping her arm around Logan's back. "Dad? Do you think she's telling the truth?"
"I don't know. She seemed genuinely surprised to hear that I gave the money away. I don't think she was hired by the Mannings to hurt Duncan's custody case. She probably makes it a habit to tape her conquests in case it turns out to be useful later." Keith shrugs. "I wouldn't be surprised if she turns up dead one of these days. You would think after what happened in the desert that she would have wanted to stay far away from Liam Fitzpatrick, and with him out of prison now, it's incredibly dangerous for her to stay in Neptune."
"She's greedy," Veronica comments. "She saw an opportunity when she realized she was sleeping with Duncan Kane. She should have left town the moment Liam was released from prison."
"I don't care," Logan says. "I don't care if she gets stabbed or shot or beat up or whatever." His voice rises in anger. "She was reporting back to the Fitzpatricks every time I was stupid enough to go to bed with her. She tried to set up Duncan for Lilly's murder. If you guys weren't here..." his voice trails off.
"Logan, stop!" Veronica says.
He looks at her, his eyes finally focusing on her face.
"It's over. Forget about her. She's not worth it," she says firmly. "I'm glad we figured out who she was. If you didn't know her...maybe Duncan would have lost his chance to get Lilly." Veronica keeps her voice steady, but, inside, she's teeming with emotions. I hate her too. Fucking Kendall.
There's an uncomfortable silence. Duncan finally says, "Listen, if you guys don't mind...I don't even want to think about this any more."
"Yeah," Keith replies, clapping a hand on Duncan's shoulder. "You'll be okay now. I don't think you have to worry about her anymore. I know everything's going to work out for you, Duncan." Keith grimaces and thinks to himself, I just wish you hadn't kidnapped the baby in the first place; I'll never forgive you for putting Veronica's future in jeopardy.
Duncan nods, hearing Keith's unspoken thought as loudly as if it was uttered. "Thanks, Mr. Mars."
Keith, Veronica, and Logan gather their things and make their way to the door. Duncan silently closes the door behind them. In the hallway, Keith turns to Veronica and asks, "See you at the apartment?"
"Uh, actually, we...uh, we have plans for the evening," Veronica says, blushing furiously. She adds lamely, "Dinner and a movie. Don't wait up for us, it might be late."
"Oh. Uh, okay," Keith sighs. He walks to her and hugs her. He says quietly, "You're still my little girl, you know. I love you." To Logan, he adds, "Be careful. Take care of her." He releases Veronica and says, "See you, uh, tomorrow, we got that meeting at noon, right?" Keith stammers a little, unable to look her in the eye. He hurries off, glancing once over his shoulder at the two of them watching him leave.
When the elevator doors shut, obscuring them from Keith's view, Logan says morosely, "I don't know, Veronica. Maybe a quiet night with your dad would be better...let's just forget about the Honeymoon Suite."
"No! Don't let her...don't let her ruin things for us," she finally finishes lamely. She takes his hand. "Logan?"
He looks at her.
"I'm proud of you. You tried really hard with Duncan, and he tried too. It was hard for both of you tonight," she comments.
He drops his eyes and mutters, "I don't deserve you."
"Don't you dare let her ruin things for us," she repeats, more strongly.
"Yes, mistress," he says quietly, then looks up to see her reaction, with the faintest of wry looks.
"That's better," she replies. "So I get to be in charge tonight? What's your safe word going to be?"
He chuckles softly, "I don't need one with you...but let's say..." He smoothes the hair from her forehead with a gentle caress as he pretends to think, gradually getting into the game with her. "How about...Texas?"
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
VERONICA MARS
10:00PM SHO ch: 340 60min 2009 TV-MA
Code Word: Endurance
Gratuitous pandering to fangirls ahead.
Veronica: Kristen Bell. Logan: Jason
Dohring. Tina: Anna Campbell.
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
CHAPTER FORTY-EIGHT: "CODE WORD: ENDURANCE"
Sat. 2/28/09: Neptune Grand Hotel, Neptune, CA
"Let's go see your friend Tina," she replies. "I'm thinking...we should use the stairs."
When they descend to the main floor, Veronica peeks around the corner, looking for paparazzi. "Seems safe," she whispers to Logan directly behind her.
They hustle down the hallway to Tina's office; Logan knocks gently, and, when he hears 'Come in', pushes the door open.
"Logan, so nice to see you." Tina stands up and hands a keycard to Logan. He fishes out his wallet and hands over the agreed-upon amount of cash. Tina says, "I hope you don't mind..." She looks at Veronica with curiosity and not a little envy. "I asked housekeeping to put a few surprises in the room for you. My treat, to welcome you back, Mr. Windsor," she says, winking.
"Thanks, Tina," Logan replies with a little wave.
Veronica checks the hallway again, and they proceed to the elevator quickly. The doors open almost immediately, and they enter, pressing the top button marked 'P' for penthouse. Logan whispers, "Do you want to give the security guards a show?" He nods with his head to the security camera, then bends down and begins kissing her neck.
"Stop it," she says, without conviction. "Do you have to be a bad boy all the time?"
"Yes, I do," he snarks, then begins to kiss his way to her mouth. When his lips meet hers, he tongues her fiercely, taking her breath away and making her sag against him.
The elevator dings quietly as they reach the penthouse floor. Logan releases her from his kiss, and she gasps, "Oh...there's definitely something about a bad boy..." He grabs her hand, tugging at her to come along to the room.
Logan inserts the keycard and pushes open the door. He drops the keycard and his cane and grabs her, propelling her across the living room to the bedroom beyond as he continues the kiss he started in the elevator.
"Slow down a little," she begs him, not meaning a word of it.
He chuckles, "Yes, mistress. If I may suggest?"
"Yes?" she replies, encouragingly.
"May I take off your clothes, mistress?" He leads her to the bed, gently urging her to lay down and sitting beside her. He bends to her neck and kisses her as he starts to unbutton her shirt. With each button, he trails kisses down her torso, lingering a little as he exposes her exquisite body, inch by inch. He tugs her shirt out from inside her jeans and delicately presses his lips below her bellybutton, and she shivers in response. "Ah, I think I've pleased the mistress," he murmurs. He urges her to sit up a little, and he takes off her shirt completely, revealing her delicate pink bra, and he kisses her along the scalloped edges of the lacy material.
"Umm, yes. That's pretty...ah...nice," she says, exclaiming as he presses a hand to her crotch, rubbing his hand gently against the seam of her tight jeans.
Logan comes up to nuzzle against her ear, whispering, "I think these jeans have to come off, my dear. Does the mistress approve?" He strokes a little harder against her crotch, and she hitches a little in response. She nods, and he firmly presses his lips against the sensitive skin beneath her ear. He lingers on her neck, kissing and sucking gently, as he unbuttons her jeans and draws the zipper down tortuously slowly.
"Ohhhh," she moans, wishing that he would hurry up and slow down all at once. She reaches for him, running her fingers through his hair and stroking his shoulders.
Logan ravages her mouth, taking her breath away, then pushes himself off the bed. He bends over her and eases her jeans down over her hips, just enough to expose her matching pink panties. He places a kiss on the waistband on her panties, then moves down and presses his mouth to her delicate thatch of hair hidden by the soft silkiness of her underthings. Veronica writhes a little under his kisses, spreading her thighs a little, hoping he'll release her from the confinement of her jeans, wishing he would kiss her a little lower. He follows her cues, sucking a little through the smooth material, rubbing her gently with his lips and tongue. She sighs her appreciation, panting loudly, engrossed in the profound sensations that are paradoxically heightened by the flimsy barrier of the silken material.
Finally, when Veronica thinks she cannot withstand any more of his restraint, he stands up and moves to the foot of the bed. He removes her shoes and reaches for her jeans, quickly pulling them off her legs and throwing them across the room. Logan sits down again and takes her calf in his hands. As he eases her sock off her foot, he kisses her ankle tenderly and follows the sock's progress with a trail of soft kisses. He repeats his loving motions on her other foot, tossing the socks away as he removes them. He lies back down beside her, pressing his body against hers; he reaches one hand down to stroke her through her satiny panties as he kisses and tongues her mouth. Logan fondles her through the soft and damp material, gliding his finger across her nub, tormenting her with his ministrations.
"Logan?" she gasps, caressing his chest.
"Yes, mistress?" he answers, moving down to kiss her neck again.
She pulls gently on his shirt. "You have too many clothes on..."
"Your wish is my command." He brushes against her neck one last time, then stands up and moves to the foot of the bed. He waits until she props herself up on her elbows to watch, then he mockingly strips for her. Logan does a little dance to imaginary music, posing and strutting as he unbuttons his shirt. Logan's still a little cautious of his healing leg, but he manages to do a passable burlesque for her. He throws the shirt away, then puts his arms behind his head, gyrating and thrusting his pelvis. Veronica begins to giggle at his antics. He turns his profile to her and makes a show of drawing the zipper of his jeans down as he bumps and grinds enticingly.
"Oh my god, you need a pole," Veronica laughs. "Pretty good dancing for a gimp. Come on, baby, take it all off!"
He kicks off his shoes and turns away from her, looking coquettishly over his shoulder at her, then draws his jeans down slowly, gradually exposing his boxers. Veronica claps her approval, saying, "Yeah, baby!" He moves his hips from side to side and then finally steps out of his jeans. Logan turns to face her and dances slowly for her. She says, "Come on, all of it!" and he makes a show of reluctance, wagging his finger at her. He acquiesces and hooks his thumbs into the sides of his boxers, wriggling his boxers off slowly, watching her face the entire time. He eases the boxer over his erection, and she smiles lasciviously at him, urging him on with catcalls. "Come on, boy! Show us what you got! Let me see your manly goodness," she giggles.
He twirls the boxers on his finger for a moment, making her dissolve in laughter. Logan throws the boxers away and comes back to lie beside her. He resumes kissing her neck and says, "Did the mistress like my dance?"
She replies, "Logan. Stop calling me mistress."
"Ah...What would you prefer? Sweetie-pie, honey, darling, sugarpuss..." he mutters as he rubs his face against her neck.
"Just say my name."
"Veronica," he whispers, his lips brushing against her as he speaks. "Veronica, Veronica, Veronica," he says, humming the syllables against her neck.
She smiles and reaches for his head, pulling him to her lips to kiss him passionately. She tongues him and grabs his hand, putting it to the clasp of her bra. "You do remember how to work this, right?" she snarks breathlessly.
"A challenge from Mistress Veronica," he responds. He gets lucky and opens the clasp the first time, saying, "Ta-da! Nothing to it!" He pulls the bra off as she wriggles to assist him; he throws the bra across the room. It lands on the lampshade and dangles there.
"Oh, you'll be unbearable now..." she laughs.
"Really? Unbearable?" He caresses her breast, stroking the nipple to attention. "Do you mean to say you don't like this?" He rubs a little harder, tweaking the nipple suddenly, and she gasps. "I think you like it," he comments, devouring her mouth again and continuing his ardent assault on her breast.
Veronica turns a little to press her pelvis against him, and he reaches down and pulls her firmly against his erection. He slips his cock between her legs and rubs himself against the crotch of her damp and silky panties. "Mmm, love your underwear," he mutters. "But...next time, a thong, okay?"
"Touch me, you jackass," she says, in a strangled tone. "Touch me, Logan," she begs, and he takes pity. He pulls back a little and slips his fingers under the waistband of her panties. Logan insinuates his fingers into her heat, stroking gently and firmly, bringing her to the peak of arousal. She moans loudly, spurring him on. She reaches down, trying to pull off her panties, and he takes the task from her, quickly pulling them down her legs. As he gets them off, Veronica surprises him by turning over and positioning herself on all fours. She looks back at him with a smile, saying, "We haven't...because of your leg...I've been thinking..." her voice trails off shyly.
"Ah. Somebody else was making a list," he says throatily. He covers her with his body, stroking her shoulder as he positions himself. "I didn't know..." he whispers in her ear, gently taking her earlobe between his teeth and nipping at it. Veronica reaches for his cock, stroking it strongly, driving him insane with her touch. He thrusts against her, and she guides him inside. Logan's cock slides into her wetness, and she arches her back, gasping and breathing heavily. He slowly pulls out and then thrusts strongly into her, making her groan loudly. She bucks against him, urging him on, and he begins to fuck her, trying to please her and destroy her all at once. Veronica is thrusting back against him, and he sees her move her hand to her crotch to touch herself. He whispers urgently, "Let me," and he takes her place, stroking diligently at her clit, balancing on one arm. She moves her hand to her breast, working her nipple as she fucks him.
"Oh, god, oh, god, Logan..." she cries, "Oh god, don't stop!"
He endeavors to thrust deeper, to really please her; she is whimpering and begging him, and he is impossibly aroused by her erotic abandon. He presses his fingers strongly against her clit, and she jolts at the new intensity. "Oh god," Veronica says once more, as she begins to throb around him, losing the rhythm of her thrusting in her climax. Logan continues to fuck her as she loses herself in her orgasm; as she shudders and moans, he thrusts once more and erupts deep within her. They collapse onto the bed, his cock still pulsating inside her; he rolls them onto their sides, and he gently slides in and out of her, making the most of his waning erection. He pushes in one last time, staying within her luscious depths, and hugs her to him. He kisses her back and neck, murmuring nonsense to her as they begin to calm themselves.
He whispers in her ear, "So what else is on this list of yours? I showed you mine, now show me yours..."
"I think I want to see if you can figure out what I want...I'll let you know when you've completed a task," she says, slyly.
"Oh, I see, it's a challenge." He kisses her neck again. "Have I at least completed one item?"
"Let me think...Actually, two. The strip-tease can count as one, although I really would have preferred some musical accompaniment," she snarks back. She turns her head so she can kiss his lips.
He caresses her arm, reveling in her softness and delicacy, thinking of the many contradictions that make up this woman: tough and soft, shy and courageous, beautiful and dangerous. She possesses him, whether he wants her to or not; he's helpless, smitten with her, impossibly bound to her. He knows she's not going to stop taking chances; she's going to live life to the fullest and drag him along for the rollercoaster ride. All he wants to do is protect her, yet there's a small part of him that admits that her obstinate recklessness is an essential aspect of his attraction to her.
"What are you thinking?" Veronica asks, rolling over in his arms so she can look at him.
"Just thinking how much I love you..." he whispers. "I'm the luckiest bad boy in the world."
"Don't ever change," she replies.
Logan smiles at her. "I promise," he says truthfully. "What do you say we raid the security office and get the videotape of us making out in the elevator? We could start a collection. Now that's a hobby I could get into."
Veronica huffs a quiet laugh. "It's true, you do need another hobby," she fires back. "And you do seem to have a predilection for sex in public places."
He doesn't answer, just captures her mouth in a passionate kiss.
"Hold on a sec, big boy," she says breathlessly, "I'm not quite recovered yet."
"Just making sure you know...how much I love you," he repeats, stroking her face with a single finger. She shivers a little under his intense gaze. He continues, "I'm never going to leave you again." He kisses her again, convincing her and himself of his promise.
Neptune Cocktail: Surfer speak for the large bellyful of seawater that one ingests during a particularly gnarly wipeout. Usually happens concurrently with the Sand Facial.
Charisma Carpenter's actual tattoos (and quite a bit of her actual body, like whoa) can be seen at this site.
www•vanishingtattoo•com/tattoo/celeb-carpenter•htm