Chapter Five

"What's this I hear about a puppy?"

Logan looks up from flight log he's filling out for his test flight this morning. Chaos shoots him an enquiring look as he checks through his own paperwork. They'll be testing two of the jets together today.

"Huh?" He feigns innocence in an attempt to postpone the inevitable teasing.

"Word on the street is that you and Veronica are getting all domestic."

Logan frowns. How the hell does he know that?

The confusion must show on his face because Chaos elaborates. "Apparently my wife and your girlfriend have been talking behind our backs. I hear there's even been a lunch date."

"Seriously?" Logan's surprised, not just because Veronica hasn't mentioned anything about Sarah, but also because she never been a 'lunching' type of girl. "She didn't say anything."

"You know how women are." Chaos shrugs, as if that explains everything. "So, this puppy?"

Logan sighs, reaching for his phone. Pulling up a photo he snapped the other day of Veronica hugging Pony, he holds it up. "Here."

Chaos takes a closer look, then grins. "Cute."

"She's called Pony."

"Pony?"

"Don't ask."

Chaos grins. "No, seriously, I wanna know."

"Long-standing joke," says Logan. "Veronica always wanted a pony when she was a kid. She knew she was never actually gonna get one, but that didn't stop her hoping every time she got a present. We didn't have a name yet and Veronica joked the puppy was her 'pony.' It stuck."

"Cute," Chaos repeats, then nudges Logan. "But a dog… I mean, that's commitment right there. Something you wanna confess?"

"No," Logan says quickly. "It's just a puppy. Veronica grew up around dogs; she's been hinting about getting one for a while, so I figured, why not?"

"Right." Chaos sounds disbelieving. "Well, you know what they say, first it's a dog, next it'll be babies."

Logan scoffs. "Yeah, right. I don't think so." Chaos shoots him a look, opening his mouth to counter, but Logan swiftly cuts in. "Speaking of, how are you guys getting on with that?"

Chaos' expression sobers and he looks down at his paperwork. "Not so good. Three months and nada."

Logan winces in sympathy. "I'm sorry, man."

"Yeah, well…" Chaos shrugs. "We said we wouldn't push it, just wait and see what happens, but shore rotation is only so long, you know? The timing's kinda important here."

"Yeah." Logan claps him on the shoulder. "You'll get there, man."

"Here." Veronica holds out a folded piece of paper as she walks past Logan to the fridge that evening.

"What's this?" he asks, taking it from her. He unfolds it and blinks in surprise; it's a cheque. "Veronica…"

"It's what I owe you, remember?" she says over her shoulder, her back to him as she digs through the fridge for something for dinner. "I said I would pay you back."

"I know you did, but this is your hard-earned money." He runs his thumb across her looping scrawl. "I wasn't expecting it all back at once."

Veronica turns, closing the fridge and placing yesterday's take-out cartons on the counter before folding her arms across her chest, watching him with a knowing expression.

"No, you were hoping I'd forgotten about it, so you could pretend you didn't agree to me paying it back."

"No," he protests feebly. "I just thought we'd work it out later."

"Yeah, okay."

She clearly doesn't believe him, and she's right not to. He's never had any intention of letting her pay back the money.

She looks at him suspiciously, her eyes narrowing as she takes a step towards him. Her tone is warning as she says, "And don't even think about not cashing it, buddy. I'm giving it back, and that's final."

Logan sighs. "Okay, fine. I'm taking it."

Okay, so he'll cash it, but she's gonna get it back one way or another, he'll make sure of it.

"Great." She flashes him a smile, then steps over, rising up to give him a quick kiss. "Thanks."

Logan slips the cheque into his pocket as Veronica turns back to the take-out containers and heats them up. They grab forks and settle at the counter to eat. Normally, they would eat on the couch, but with a young, eager, untrained puppy on the loose, they have to be careful with food now.

"So," Veronica says as she digs into the egg-fried rice. "Do anything fun at work today?"

Logan shrugs. "Chaos and I flew test runs on a couple of the jets—we were running checks on the in-flight comms."

"Oh." She nods. "You know I have no idea what that means, right?"

"I know." Logan smirks. "But I know better than to bore you with the details."

She nods sagely. "And you have no idea how much I appreciate that."

"Chaos mentioned Pony today," he says then. "Said you told Sarah about her."

Veronica's eyes widen for a moment as she focuses her attention on the rice.

"Yeah. I did." She nods. "She was in town the other day, asked if we could meet for lunch."

"You didn't mention it." It's not an accusation, he's just curious.

She shrugs. "You know me, not really a social butterfly."

"You thought I'd judge you for it?"

"No." She lifts her eyes to his, biting her lip. "I just… it's stupid… I didn't want to make a big deal of it. She's your Navy friend's wife, and you know that's not—"

"Veronica," Logan cuts her off. "I know you're still getting used to the whole military thing. I'm not expecting you to suddenly become a 'Navy girlfriend' or anything. It doesn't have to mean anything other than that you guys are friends."

"Yeah…"

She looks embarrassed and uncomfortable, so he drops the subject, Pony offering an easy segue as she bounds up to them and starts pawing at his leg.

"So, we've had her almost two weeks." He gestures towards her. "Now, I don't know much about dogs, but shouldn't we be taking her to puppy training or something?"

Veronica glances down to where Pony is now looking up at her with pleading eyes. She smiles softly as she leans down from the stool to stroke her fur.

"Yeah, we should." She nods. "I'll look into it tomorrow."

Veronica wakes slowly on Sunday morning, warm and comfortable in the soft sheets. Logan is pressed up against her, his nose buried against the back of her neck, his warm breath sending pleasant tingles along her nerves, his arm wrapped tightly around her waist. She smiles lazily, contentment spreading through her. Even after almost three months, she's still having trouble believing that this is her life now, that she and Logan are a couple again, that they're happy together.

He shifts slightly behind her, arm tightening, his palm pressing against her bare stomach under her sleep shirt. She feels his arousal pressing against her through his boxers and it sends a spike of desire shooting up her spine. She bites her lip, arching her back a little and then he's pressing right there and she has to stifle a moan. His hips rock forward and this time she can't help it.

"God…"

"Nope, just me." He murmurs against her skin, his voice husky.

His lips press against the nape of her neck, before his tongue darts out to taste the same spot.

"Logan…"

He grins against her skin. "That's better."

"Hmm…" she murmurs when his hand slides down over her stomach, fingers dipping beneath the elastic of her panties. "Morning."

"Good morning to you, too."

His hand slides lower, cupping her sex, one finger slipping between her lips, gently stroking her clit as his mouth travels along her neck. Veronica gasps, her hips jerking in response, but Logan takes it slow, teasing and stroking, working her up in the most delicious way. His hips rock against her tantalisingly as his fingers bring her closer and closer to climax.

"God, yes…" She shudders in his arms.

As she comes down, Logan shifts, pulling off his boxers, then tugs her panties down her legs and tosses them aside. He reaches for protection, then settles over her, his hard length pressing against her clit. He lowers his head and kisses her soundly, tongue tangling with hers, darting in and out in a promise of things to come.

Veronica breaks the kiss, winding her arms around his neck as she reaches up to tease his earlobe with her tongue. Logan gives a small moan, turning his head, as she nips at the soft skin with her teeth.

"Shit!" He stiffens suddenly above her.

"What? What's wrong?" She pulls back, looking up at him quizzically. Except he's not looking at her, he's staring at something across the bedroom. "Logan?"

She turns her head… and realises what he's looking at: about three feet from the bed sits the puppy, dark brown eyes staring up at them, her head cocked inquisitively.

Veronica smiles, bringing her hand up to his cheek and turning his attention back to her. "It's okay, it's only Pony."

His eyes widen as he starts shaking his head. "No, Veronica… I can't… not...not when she's looking at me like that."

"Seriously?" She bites back a grin. "You're afraid to get down and dirty in front of a dog? I really don't think she's going to care."

"But look at her." He nods towards the puppy, whose tail is now wagging happily, brushing back and forth against the hardwood floor. "Those eyes, that sad expression. It just feels wrong, like she'll be judging us forever."

Veronica studies him for a moment, seeing how serious he is, before she sighs in defeat.

She glances over at Pony, unable to stop a wide smile spreading across her face at the sight of the small animal watching them expectantly, like a child craving attention.

Well, at least she's not big enough to jump onto the bed yet.

"Okay, fine. We'll stop."

"Thank you."

Logan lets out a sigh, relief evident in his expression as he slides over to his side of the bed, flopping onto his back. Sensing the change in atmosphere, Pony stands, padding over to the bed and pawing at the covers.

"Guess that's my cue to get up," she mumbles, sitting up and fumbling for her discarded panties under the sheet. She turns to Logan, one finger held up in warning. "But you owe me, mister."

"At least you got off," Logan responds with a pout. "I'm gonna need a minute here."

"Hey, I'm not the one who was too shy to do it in front of the dog." Veronica grins, patting his chest in mock sympathy. "Pony and I will be in the kitchen."

Logan groans, reaching for a pillow and tugging it over his face, and Veronica can't help but chuckle softly as she slips out of the bed and makes her way out into the living room, Pony dutifully following behind.

"Okay, girl, here you go," says Logan, setting down a fresh bowl of water for the dog, who eagerly starts lapping at it.

Veronica's out late tonight, chasing down some lead somewhere for her big case—for the second time in the last few days—so as per her request, he swung by Keith's on his way home from base to pick up the puppy, then took her for a half-walk, half-jog along the beach.

"Looks like it's just you and me, huh, kid?" he says when the dog stops drinking and looks up at him expectantly.

He smiles, crouching down to run his hand over her soft fur.

"What shall we do with ourselves?" Pony's tail wags enthusiastically and she gives a small squeak of a bark in response. "Yeah, I have no idea either."

He stands, glancing around the kitchen. "Guess we should probably think about dinner. What do you think, girl?"

Pony barks again, stronger this time.

"Right. Dinner it is."

He fixes a bowl of puppy chow for the dog, then makes an omelette for himself. As he slides it onto a plate and digs in, perching on one of the kitchen stools, he debates the evening's options. It's Monday night and Dick's out of town again this week, plus it's not like he can leave the dog here on her own anyway—she's not even trained yet, and Veronica would kill him if she came home to find the place destroyed. Chaos and Sarah live down in San Diego so they're out, and Bilbo's deployed on the Truman now.

Who else is there? Wallace… Mac… Weevil… Keith?

"Not likely," he mutters around a mouthful of omelette. Beside him, Pony jumps up, resting her paws on his knee, trying to get his attention. "Good thing you like me, huh, girl?"

After dinner, he grabs a Skist and a bag of potato chips and stretches out on the couch, pulling a blanket across himself and flicking on the TV. As he channel-hops, Pony joins him, curling up across his legs, making herself comfortable. Logan settles on a movie, but about thirty minutes in, Pony starts whining softly. Looking down, he finds her staring dolefully at the apartment door, her ears twitching with every noise.

"Missing your mommy, are you?" He strokes a comforting hand along her back. "She'll be back soon."

He doesn't realise what he's said until a few moments later. Mommy? Seriously? Dog owners for only two-and-a-half weeks and already he's referring to them as parents.

Geez.

When Veronica lets herself into the apartment late that night, she's greeted by the sight of Logan passed out on her couch, Pony sprawled out across his legs. She smiles at the picture they make, crossing over to the sofa and leaning over to kiss Logan's forehead, running her hand over Pony's head as she does so. The puppy wriggles, coming awake, which rouses Logan too. He blinks up at her sleepily, a lazy grin spreading across his face.

"Hey, you're home." His voice is gravelly and sleep-filled.

Veronica bites back a chuckle. "Spending the night on the couch, are ya, buddy?"

Logan sits up and stretches, then winces uncomfortably, reaching up to rub his neck.

"Sore?"

When he nods, she gestures for him to move forward, then slides in behind him, perching on the arm of the sofa as she kneads his shoulders.

"You know, there's a nice, comfortable bed right in there," she says, teasing. "Where you can avoid sleep-related neck and shoulder injuries."

"Mmm… feels good," is his only response, his head bowed.

As Veronica runs her hands along his skin, she finds herself staring at the play of muscles beneath her fingers, marvelling at the elegant curve of his neck, the broadness of his shoulders. He really is a man now, not just the boy—the memory—she carried with her for nine years. He relaxes beneath her touch, his fingers gently running through Pony's fur in time with the movement of her hands.

"How did it go with your lead tonight?" he asks a few moments later. "Any success?"

"Yep." She nods, though he can't see her. "We got a DNA sample from the basketball coach at PSU Friday night. It was a match. They arrested him, so I paid a visit to the San Diego PD this afternoon."

"PSU? San Diego PD?" Logan lifts his head, turning to look at her. "They're not far from the base, right?"

"Yeah."

"So, you were in San Diego all Friday, and again this afternoon?"

"I was." Veronica frowns, stopping her massage. What's he getting at?

"You didn't think to maybe let me know you were in town?" His voice holds a hint of accusation. "I could have hung around."

"I was there for the case, Logan," she says reasonably. "There wasn't time to do anything else."

She returns to applying pressure to his sore muscles, but he stiffens, shifting away and turning to face her. His lips are set in a thin line, his brow furrowed.

"Still, you could have texted."

"Why are you getting bent out of shape about this?" she asks, shifting backwards a little. "It's not like we could have seen each other anyway."

He looks at her for a moment, before shaking his head. "No reason. Never mind."

Moving Pony from his lap, he gets up, stretching as he shuffles over to the kitchen. Veronica watches him go for just a moment before giving a sigh and sliding off the couch to follow him.

She leans against the kitchen counter. He ignores her in favour of opening the fridge, extracting a carton of orange juice.

"Logan…" she tries. "Come on, talk to me."

He doesn't look at her, just busies himself with pouring a glass of juice.

"Just tell me what I've done, okay? Give me a chance to fix it."

He stops, looks up toward the ceiling for a moment, then finally turns to her. His expression is guarded and she can't tell what he's thinking.

"I knew it was too good to last," he says eventually.

"What? What was too good to last?"

"I thought things had changed, that we had changed." He sighs, crossing his arms over his chest. "But it's happening again."

"What do you mean?"

"You. Your cases. You ignoring me for your cases," he says. "It's like déjà vu. You are shutting me out."

"But we talked about this." Veronica frowns, confused. I've been making an effort to be more open with him. "I really am trying not to do that. I thought we were okay here?"

"I thought we were, too." He sighs. "But the last week you've been secretive, blowing me off in favour of doing God knows what for your case, swanning off to San Diego—where I work, by the way—without even so much as a 'hey, I'm in town'."

"What do you want me to do, Logan?" Veronica snaps, anger building in her chest. It's been a long day and she just wanted to be able to curl up with him and relax tonight, not fight. "I can't tell you everything about what I do."

"And I'm not expecting you to, but—"

"Look, this is my job, okay?" she cuts him off, feeling hurt. "My job. There are some things about it I can't discuss with you. And it's not like I ask for all the details about what you do either."

"I know that," he says, his expression turning hard. "But, you know, you could at least show some real interest in it."

"Oh, please." She scoffs, giving up on staying calm. "Like you could even tell me anyway. Military secrets and all that."

"That's not the point."

She sighs. "So what the fuck is your point, Logan?"

He throws his hands up in frustration. "Fuck if I know anymore."

He turns and stalks out of the kitchen, grabbing his jacket and pulling his sneakers on. He reaches for his car keys. Veronica watches him, heart pounding, her chest tight with anger.

"Where the hell are you going?"

He opens the door. "I can't be here right now."

The door slams behind him, leaving Veronica staring at it in silence.

What the hell just happened?

Shit.

Beside her, Pony whines and she looks down to see the puppy staring up at her with wide, sad eyes.

"Yeah, I know just how you feel," she mutters, running a hand through her hair. "I need to go find him and fix this."

She reaches for Pony's leash and fixes it onto her collar, before grabbing her jacket and heading out of the apartment. It's late, and Logan's car is still in the lot, so he can't have gone far.

It takes a few minutes of walking along the beach, Pony tugging at her leash, before she finds him. He's sitting in the sand next to a small outcrop of rocks, his legs drawn up and forearms resting on his knees as he stares out at the dark ocean, only illuminated by the moonlight and a flickering streetlamp several feet away.

Pony scampers over to him, pulling Veronica along with her, and Logan pets her warmly. Veronica hesitantly steps closer, gesturing to the spot beside him.

"Is this seat taken?"

He glances down at it, then shrugs. "Go ahead."

She settles down into the sand, mimicking his position as Pony squeezes in between them. She joins him in staring out at the waves for a moment, before saying softly, "I'm sorry."

When he doesn't say anything in return, she tries again.

"I don't mean to shut you out, I really don't," she says. "I don't want there to be things like this between us, but it's difficult for me, you know?"

She looks over at him, but his gaze is still fixed straight ahead.

"I wasn't lying when I said there are some things I can't tell you, but it's not just that. It's…"

She pauses, trying to find the right words.

"Go on," he says quietly.

"I've been alone for a long time. I'm used to it just being me, fending for myself, and not really telling people much about my life," she tries to explain. "Even in New York, with Piz, I never really let him in; we didn't talk about the big stuff, or even that much of the small stuff either. We just coexisted together without really making much effort." She sighs. "Then I came back here, started investigating again, we got back together, and it was good. Really good. Like everything was falling back into place."

"Okay…" Logan frowns. "But?"

"But you weren't here. For six months, it was just me, doing things the way I've always done them. Alone." She looks down at her hands. "My dad was busy recovering and then working his own cases, Mac knew everything anyway and Wallace didn't want to know."

"Veronica…" She looks over to find Logan watching her thoughtfully.

"I know I'm not very good at opening up, at letting people in. I'm not used to having someone in my life who wants to know all that stuff… but I'm trying to get better at it," she tells him softly, turning back to the ocean again. "It just… sometimes I just get so caught up in a case that I kind of forget about everything else and don't take the time to stop and think whether it might be affecting other people."

Between them, Pony gives a soft whine, and Veronica reaches over to stroke her, her eyes locking with Logan's once more.

"So, I'm sorry," she says sincerely. "It's not deliberate. I don't intend to shut you out, it just seems to happen without me realising it."

He doesn't react for a moment, just studies her intently, before he nods, placing his hand over hers on Pony's back.

"Okay."

"I will make an effort to tell you more stuff. I promise," she says. "I do want to make this work between us."

"Me, too."

Logan's thumb runs across the back of her hand, before he shifts, letting go and sliding his arm around her, pulling her close—well, as close as he can with a wriggling puppy in the way, at least. Veronica lets her head rest against his shoulder.

"Sorry for snapping earlier," he says softly. "It just feels like you've had more important things to do than spend time with me lately."

"Well—" she starts, but he cuts her off.

"I know what you're going to say, they are important, because they're for a case," he says. "I know that. And I'm not asking you to blow off your cases for me, I'm just asking that you keep me in the loop, so I'm not wondering where you are all the time."

Veronica nods slowly. "I can do that. And if I forget, you have my permission to call me on it, okay?"

"Okay." He smiles.

They sit together in silence for a couple of minutes before Veronica speaks up again, "So, it turns out we were wrong about Grace Manning's boyfriend."

If Logan seems surprised by the change in topic, he doesn't show it. "It wasn't the boyfriend?"

"There was no boyfriend," she tells him. "She was meeting a client at the Grand."

"Client, as in… she was a hooker?"

"High-end escort," Veronica clarifies. "Yeah. She was trying to pay for school."

"Wow," Logan comments. "So that guy—the PSU guy—he's the one who attacked her?"

"Well, his DNA was a match. Leo called me, said they'd arrested him. He claims he only had sex with her and left." Veronica sighs, giving a shake of her head. "So, now I just need to find proof."

"I'm sure you will," says Logan softly, tightening his arm around her.

"Yeah."

There's a pause before he says, "Thanks for telling me."

Veronica turns her head, giving him a soft smile and a nod, acknowledging his words. Instead of returning the smile, he frowns again, as if puzzling something out.

"Wait, Leo? As in… Deputy Leo? From when we were in high school?"

"Yeah, why?"

"What's he doing calling you?"

Veronica frowns, detecting a hint of… well, something in his tone. Jealousy?

"He's a detective now, down at San Diego PD." She shrugs. "I called him when we got the DNA results." Off Logan's confused look, she adds, "He did me a favour a few months ago, helped with your case—he took statements after the accident on the Serendipity."

"Oh. Right." Logan nods. "Guess I owe him my thanks, then."

"Yeah."

Silence falls between them again, before Veronica shivers.

"It's late and I'm cold," she says. "We should get back."

Logan glances at his watch, tapping his fingers against the ice-cold glass of water in his hand. Shit, Veronica, where are you?

It's Thursday evening, and he arrived at Keith Mars' house for their weekly dinner almost an hour ago, but Veronica hasn't shown yet. He glances over at Keith who is standing by the grill in the backyard, flipping burgers. True to her word, Veronica has been making an effort to let him know what she's doing, so he knows she's been spending the last few days tailing the PSU guy, but she was supposed to be here already.

"So, how's life in the Navy treating you, Logan?" asks Keith, pulling him from his thoughts. "All good?"

Logan nods. "Yeah, it's going well."

"Enjoying your shore rotation?"

"Yeah," he says. "It's good."

There's an awkward silence as he tries to think of something intelligent to say, but he comes up empty. There's just something about Keith Mars that makes him nervous; their conversations always seem stilted no matter how hard they try.

"So, uh, how's the investigating going?" he asks then. "Weevil's case going well?"

"Eh." Keith tilts his head. "It's going, at least."

"That's good."

There's another awkward silence and Logan glances toward the gate, willing it to open. Come on, Veronica. You're late.

As if on cue, he hears a car pull up outside the house and a few moments later, Pony bounds towards the gate with an excited bark as it opens and Veronica appears. Logan sighs with relief, glad for the break in tension.

"Perfect timing," Keith says, turning to his daughter with a smile. "You missed all the cattle-slaughtering, butchering and grilling—just in time to eat."

"I know better than to come between men and their blood rituals," Veronica says as she walks over to Logan, resting her hand on his shoulder. "I figured the whole meat-on-fire thing was a chance for you two to bond."

She plucks the glass of water from his hand before he has a chance to protest and takes a sip. Logan stands to help Keith carry the burgers to the table and the three of them settle into their seats.

"Dig in, guys," Keith says, passing him the salad bowl.

Logan takes some salad as Veronica places a burger on his plate, then hands the bowl to her. His mouth starts watering as the delicious smell of it assaults his senses. God, he missed real, fresh burgers out at sea.

"Almost four months on shore and I have to tell you, real food hasn't gotten old yet," he says appreciatively, picking up the burger and taking a bite.

The taste of the meat and spices hitting his tongue is like heaven and he groans, eyes sliding closed.

"Those monosyllabic reviews are the ones you like to hear," says Keith with a smile, as he adds seasoning to his salad.

Logan swallows and gives a nod.

"You just don't realise how good you have it until you get shipped off to sea for months on end without fresh food," he says. "When you get back, it's like all your senses are heightened."

"But you're here for a while now, though?"

"Yeah," he says. "I shouldn't have to deploy again for about a year."

Keith nods slowly. "That's good. Gives you some stability."

"Yeah."

Logan glances at Veronica, but she seems lost in thought. Probably still thinking about the case. He's about to get her attention, but his phone buzzes, interrupting the moment. He picks it up, then frowns; it's Cosmo.

"Hey, it's one of the guys from my squadron. You mind if I grab this?"

"Go ahead." Keith smiles.

He stands, accepting the call and bringing the phone to his ear as he heads through the patio doors and into the house, barely noticing Pony following him inside.

"Hey, man, what's up?"

"Mouth…" Cosmo's voice sounds muffled and strained, and Logan immediately straightens. "Something's happened. On the Truman."

"What are you talking about?"

"It's Bilbo, man. He's… he—"

"Shit, what happened?" asks Logan urgently, his gut tightening with dread.

"It—it was a night landing, on the carrier," Cosmo sounds like he's holding back tears. "The other night. Something… I dunno, something went wrong. He misjudged the angle or something. The jet hit the ramp."

Fuck. Shit. Fuck, no. Not Bilbo.

"No—no, that can't…" Logan swallows, trying to force the words out. "No, he's made hundreds of those landings. He's the best there is."

"Mouth—"

"He's okay, though, right?" He's grasping at straws and he knows it. "He's gonna be fine."

There's a long pause before, "He didn't make it, Mouth. Bilbo's dead."

"No… no. No," Logan shakes his head, refusing to believe it. "That's not—that would never happen. Not to him."

"I'm sorry, man." Cosmo exhales heavily. "They flew him back last night. Funeral's on Saturday up in Seattle. I'll email the details. You will be a pallbearer, right? It's what he would have wanted."

Logan blinks, unable to take it all in. "Yeah—yes, of course. I'll fly up tomorrow."

"Thanks, man. This is—" Cosmo stops, words catching in his throat.

"Yeah… I know." Logan nods numbly.

Cosmo ends the call, leaving Logan staring at his phone in shock. Did that really just happen? Bilbo's not dead… he can't be.

It was just supposed to be a short tour, to keep up his deployment requirement; no different from any other. Except it is, this time. His friend is dead. His friend, who has a wife and a child, a family who are all alone now.

He swallows, his fingers tightening around the phone, unable to move. He closes his eyes, wills the sudden tightness in his chest to loosen, the lump in his throat to go away, but it doesn't. Instead he feels tears beginning to form. With a shuddering intake of breath, he slowly opens his eyes again.

At his feet, Pony whimpers, like she senses something's wrong, then bounds to the sliding patio doors, pawing at them. With an absent nod, Logan, wills his feet to move, numbly walking over to the doors, pushing them open and stepping out into the too-bright sunlight.

He sees Veronica looking up at him, eyebrow raised in curiosity. "There you are. That was a long—"

She stops, her eyes widening in concern and worry as she looks closely at him. He bites his lip, trying to prevent the tears from falling. Veronica stands up, but he can't move, his fingers still clutching the phone.

He forces himself to make eye contact with her. "There was an accident. On the Truman."