A/N: So this chapter is a little shorter than they have been, but I found a way to bring in something I've been struggling to have an excuse for... so yeah. I think they always seem shorter on here than when I'm writing them for some reason. It's like words have vanished... oh well. I have an epilogue rolling around in my head that I want to do. I have a chapter rolling around in my head. I probably want at least one more good fluff chapter just because I like things fluffy. This is fifteen... so I could probably make this work to twenty... but after that I'm just writing and there isn't going to be a concrete end to the story then... so. There's that. I am thinking of another story I want to write. I'm not sure if it would be a sequel or just another story unrelated. I'll keep thinking about it. In the mean time commence reading this chapter. Because it's here. And I said so. Lol.

Chapter 15: Fists a' Flyin'

Piz did not see Veronica at all on Monday. She had purposefully avoided him, the incident of her birthday party still fresh in her mind. On Tuesday, he noticed her walk into the cafeteria, laughing, with Logan after their morning class together. The pair went through the lunch line before selecting an empty table on the other side of the cafeteria, never once looking in his direction.

Soon all of their mutual friends, again with the exception of Parker, showed up and joined Logan and Veronica. Piz packed up his things and relocated himself to their table; maybe no one saw him sitting over there alone.

When he sat down, Logan instinctively inched closer to Veronica, who averted her eyes and became quiet. Wallace and Mac said polite "hellos" but the conversation had come to a halt.

"Hey Veronica," Piz said, trying to get her attention as she wrote something down in her notebook, "Happy Birthday, again."

Again, she said nothing, but closed her notebook and slipped it into her bag, getting ready to leave. She just couldn't face him right now, it was too soon. Picking up her trash and slinging her bag over her shoulder, she moved to get up and made her way to the bin.

Logan watched patiently, seeing if she was going to leave or return to the table. However, Piz decided to follow her, "Veronica, talk to me," he said, and grabbed onto her arm, spinning her around, leaving her wobbly on her feet. The look of discomfort on her face silently expressed that Piz was, perhaps, holding her a little too tightly. Although he certainly hadn't intended to hurt Veronica, just stop her from leaving, she knew that a bruise was definitely going to form in the shape of his hand on her arm.

Immediately Logan was up and pulling Piz away from her, "Back off, Piz. I kicked your ass once; don't make me do it again." Of course Logan was in the middle of another scene in the cafeteria involving Veronica, who looked horrified at the interaction. At that moment, he didn't care. He never wanted to see that expression on her face again.

"It's not my fault she becomes a bitch when she's jealous," Piz defended himself. Strike three, Piz, you're out. Logan's fist collided with Piz's face, reminding him of the pain that came with messing with Logan. Piz quickly fell to the ground, his hand reaching up to his face in an attempt to soothe the pain. By now the cafeteria was quiet, with the exception of one exit door, which slammed shut.

Logan knew it was Veronica running away. He had just caused a scene, punched her friend in the face, and became the over-protective jackass that she didn't like. Veronica Mars was not a damsel in distress that needed rescuing. As soon as his brain could figure out how to send the signal to his feet, he ran out of the cafeteria to chase her, leaving Piz to sort his own face out. Getting to Veronica became more important than teaching Piz a lesson.

"What's the big deal?" Piz asked to no one in particular. Wallace looked to Mac and sighed, getting up to grab Piz and lead him out of the cafeteria.

He led him back to the room before letting him collapse on their own floor, "Dude... you messed things up so bad, I can't even look at you. I told you, I was going to take her side, and I am. I don't think you can fix this. The Madison thing, maybe, because you didn't know, but calling Veronica a bitch? I'm sorry, but I can't just let you call my best friend a bitch." Wallace took a seat on the chair at his desk, "You remember when Veronica broke up with Logan freshman year because he slept with some girl?"

Piz nodded, crawling to a sitting position and leaning against the closet, "Yeah, it was great, she was single and I got to date her..." Piz remembered.

Wallace also nodded at his memory, "The girl Logan slept with was Madison. They weren't even together at the time and Logan slept with her and Veronica broke up with him for it later. Veronica has her reasons and if she wants you to know, she'll tell you, but you know its got to be bad if that's what happened with Logan, and she's in love with Logan."

Piz, however, wasn't really listening to it, just lost in his own thoughts, "If she forgave Logan for sleeping with her, she'll forgive me for bringing her to a party. She doesn't know that I slept with her."

The look on Wallace's face as the words tumbled out of Piz's mouth was of pure horror and disgust. He shook his head and got up, leaving Piz alone in the room. It just wasn't worth it. In his futile attempt to get Veronica back, he pretty much destroyed any ounce of hope that remained of that happening.

Logan caught up to Veronica just as she was about to pull out of her parking space. He stood behind her car, not allowing her to leave. Veronica sighed and rolled down her window, "move or I'll run you over."

Calling her bluff, he remained in his spot, "Then I guess you'll have to run me over because I'm not moving." He heard her rev her engine to scare him, but he remained glued. He knew Veronica would never run him, or anyone else for that matter, over with her car. Deep down, Veronica Mars was a marshmallow. Finally he heard her cut the engine off.

Logan walked around and got in the passenger seat, ready to take what she needed to say.

"You can't solve everything with your fists, Logan, you just can't. I would have handled it," she was upset, but trying to hold her tears back. Not just upset with him, but upset with the whole situation and somehow it was all coming out at once. Why did Piz have to choose Madison of all people? Where did he even meet her?

He wasn't sure if he should touch her, so his hands remained awkwardly to at his sides. He wanted so desperately to comfort her, knowing the kind of memories and pain that Madison brought with her; knowing how hurt she must feel at the betrayal of a friend. "I know. But I don't care. I saw him grab you and I couldn't let him hurt you. All I want to do is protect you," he sighed. They've had this fight before, but it's never really resolved. It probably never will be.

They were at an impasse. He was a protector by nature and she had grown to be fiercely independent. "I get it, Logan, I do," she began, "I know you feel like you need to protect me. You said that I needed to learn to trust you right, and you would work on being more trustworthy?" she asked, remembering their previous conversation, "I guess you need to trust me too, and in exchange I'll become more trustworthy."

She paused for a moment and caught his eyes, before explaining, "I promise to tell you when I need help if you stop jumping in at every little thing, okay? Some days I do need protecting." Veronica thought back to that night on the roof of the Neptune Grand with Cassidy Casablancas. She needed Logan then. The day in the River Styx, she'd needed him then too. Taking on the Russian Mob to defend her honor, well it wasn't a need, but it was a nice gesture. "I just... I don't know what I would do with myself if something happened to you because of me..." she confessed, knowing she would carry the guilt with her.

Hiring someone to follow her when she investigated the rapes at Hearst? It made her more paranoid. Beating up Piz when he thought Piz was the one to release that tape freshman year? She certainly didn't need him to do that. They clearly needed to work on communicating where his fists were needed. Today, his fists were unnecessary. "Okay," he conceded.

"Now let me see your hand," she instructed, wanting to make sure he hadn't injured himself while hitting Piz. He rolled his eyes, but obliged. Veronica inspected it before she was satisfied that he had no injuries requiring first aid and then placed a healing kiss on it anyway for good measure. Knowing that the worst was past them, Logan opened his arms for her as she crawled across the center console and just held her.

By this time, of course, it was too late to try to make it to their afternoon class; they had already missed most of it. They sat in her car for a while, enjoying the comfort that came along with each other's presence. For them, things would always be better when it was just the two of them.

A/N: I think Piz had a moment of like temporary insanity here. For serious. So caught up in trying to get Veronica that he pretty much just forever screwed himself over forever and brought Logan and Veronica closer in the process. Uh, you know the drill, review, review, review. Yup.