A/N: So, after all the drama that I've been throwing at this poor couple, I thought I would give them a chapter off of sweet fluffy goodness. It's cute. It's light. It's fun. It makes me smile, darnit. I really don't have much else to say other than I see the end of summer quickly approaching and predict a few people to be returning to Neptune soon. In the meantime, our favorite couple gets to spend a very fun evening at the carnival. Oh, speaking of that, I mentioned getting old time photos. I'm not sure if that's a thing elsewhere like it is here. Usually they're done at the beach, but for anyone who doesn't know, they're novelties. Basically they provide the scene and the costumes/props for you to wear and they set you up in an old-fashioned scene (a saloon, various rooms of an antiquated house, etc) and take photos of you looking like you're from the time period, usually in sepia-tone and then you buy them and these old-fashioned looking frames to put them in. Anyway, pretty straight forward. Just thought I would add a little disclaimer about that.
Chapter 10: I Luv You Beary Much
On a particularly mild evening that summer, Logan convinced Veronica to spend the evening with him at the carnival on the pier. It hadn't taken much arm twisting, since Veronica was quite the little kid at heart, and after their scare not too long ago, they needed a night of drama-free fun.
"So," he said, taking her hand and pulling her aside once they successfully entered the gates, as to not lose her in the crowd, "What would you like to do first? Cotton candy? Ferris wheel? Fun house?" His other hand, of its own volition, reached up and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.
Her eyes lit up when she saw the carousel, "Pony!" she pointed past his shoulder, jumping with excitement. She gave him her best pout face, which earned her a grin from Logan.
"Lead the way," he said, holding up their joined hands, unable to control the smile on his face. Although he never understood the origins of her pony fascination, he had to admit that it was adorable. Veronica Mars could go from badass crime fighter one minute to sweet innocent little girl the next at the mention of a pony.
He didn't even mind when they stood in line amongst many, many children. Or when the line to get on the ride was actually several times longer than the ride itself. Or even how incredibly awkward he was on a carousel horse that was not designed for a grown man over six feet tall.
Veronica laughed at the way her tried to squeeze himself onto the tiny horse as the ride began and snapped a quick picture on her phone, making a mental note to use it as his call I.D. picture later. "You laugh now," He warned, "but I will find something to get my revenge."
"I'll believe that when I see it," she responded with a smirk as they exited the ride, resuming their previous hand holding position. If she ever questioned the gesture, he would simply say he didn't want to lose her in the crowd. It wouldn't be a lie, but it certainly wouldn't be a whole truth either.
She pointed across the crowd to an old time photos shop. "We should get our picture taken," Veronica suggested, thinking of the wonderful poses they could do in a classic bar scene. The line wasn't too long and they were quickly getting changed into their outfits for the photos.
Veronica had chosen a costume of a rather revealing saloon girl, outfitted with fishnets, a garter (with a wad of cash tucked inside), a large hat and a feather boa. She had chosen a pistol and a bottle of Jack as props before situating herself on top of the bar for the picture.
She took a couple of solo shots before Logan came out to join her, dressed in full gangster attire. He had a cigar and an old machine gun for props. He tried to keep his face in check when he saw her sitting on the bar, dressed in such an outfit, but it proved to be difficult.
As soon as he took his place, the photographer began arranging them; their limbs becoming intertwined. He looked with a straight face towards the camera, mustering his inner gangster as she looked sultrily at him. Her fingers were posed on his face, about to turn his head to look at her.
Veronica could turn it on, passion flaring in her eyes, want in her fingertips. Then, as soon as the shoot was done, she turned it off. Straight back to friends, laughing. Logan was stunned and amazed with her performance. He was the son of a Hollywood actor, but she was the one that could act.
Within a few minutes, they were allowed to see the takes and choose the photos they wanted to purchase. "How long have you two been dating?" the man who showed them the pictures asked as he flipped through them.
"We're not," Veronica said quickly, "we're just friends," and she gestured between them to accent her statement. They watched the man shake his head and mumble something resembling "I wish I had a friend like that" to himself.
Soon they were picking antiquated frames and leaving the attraction, bag in hand. These were by far the best novelty gifts they had ever purchased. Their next destination became the Ferris wheel, where they could sit close and overlook the city of Neptune.
When a cool wind blew, perhaps an early sign of fall approaching, Veronica instinctively snuggled closer to Logan and allowed him to put his arm around her. "This is nice," she said with a smile as they sat, stopped, at the top of the Ferris wheel.
Logan nodded in agreement, "no one else around to bother us.
Veronica looked at him for a moment, before saying what was on her mind: "Can I ask you for a favor? You can say no if you want."
"What's the favor?" he asked with a smile, knowing from experience to never blindly agree to anything with Veronica Mars.
She smiled and suddenly became shy, "Well, I kind of always wanted to kiss someone at the top of a Ferris wheel. It just seemed so romantic. And well, we're here, and not moving, and if it's not crossing any friendship lines…"
Her rambling shyness reminded him of the innocent Veronica that he knew from before Lilly's death. He thought she was cute then and definitely cute now and a part of him was really glad to see traces of that Veronica still remained in her. Finally, he stopped her ramblings by lightly placing a kiss on her lips. It was innocent, sweet, and short, just like her.
Just as quickly as it had happened, it was over and the Ferris wheel was moving again. The only lingering sign that that did just occur was the blush that spread across Veronica's cheeks. Logan only smiled at her and again brushed a strand of hair behind her ear.
When the ride was over, it was starting to get late, "Are you ready to leave?" she asked him, again taking his hand, although it was no longer necessary since the crowd had begun to thin.
Logan looked around, "Actually, there's one more thing I want to do." Finally he spotted it and he led her over to the booth.
In front of them stood the game of ring toss with the "I wuv you beary much" teddy bears as prizes. Veronica's face lit up; he remembered. However, she wasn't going to let him get away with it so easily and lightly harassed him about his lack of ring-tossing ability.
However, she was quickly proven wrong and on his first try he won the bear for her, as promised, so many years ago. "You know, you can choose a larger prize," the carnie said, gesturing towards the oversized neon lizards hanging above them.
Logan shook his head, "nope, I promised this lady here, a bear, and I intend to pay in full," he said and received his prize. Logan promptly handed it over to Veronica, who was still amazed that not only did he remember, but he found a ring-tossing booth with those bears, and won her it on his first attempt.
The bear wasn't large; she could easily carry it with one arm. It didn't matter; he had won her the bear like a normal couple. Suddenly it hit her. This was a date. She kept face for the rest of the evening as he took her home; silently thinking of how Logan Echolls was a dead man and ways she could get her revenge.
A/N: So, there you have it folks, Veronica officially figured out Logan's plan and now he has to pay, because she wouldn't be Veronica without seeking revenge. But I did like this chapter and all the fluffy goodness of it. A cute, fun night at the carnival on the pier near the beach, hand holding, an innocent little kiss. Anyway, reviews are heavenly and that box can get pretty lonely on a cold night... just saying...