Thanks to everyone who has reviewed, alerted and/or favorited!
just to prove how not cruel I am, I'm being nice and posting this today instead of tomorrow. :)
Author's note: lots of stuff happens here. This chapter begins setting it all up for the end. you are gonna see some leo/meg and then it ends with some LoVe because its been awhile!
oh and I don't own veronica mars
Meg
And before I could stop myself I had grabbed Leo's gun.
I aimed it straight at Duncan and I heard Leo yell at me. "Meg no!"
But it was to late I'd pulled the trigger and when the bullet hit him, I watched in horror as Dick shoved Logan and Veronica out of the way, just as Duncan's gun went off.
Dick
Ok, so probably not the smartest thing I'd ever done.
But Logan's my best friend and I couldn't just stand there and watch as Duncan shot him.
When I heard the first shot I lunged for Logan.
He hit the ground hard with Ronnie still in his arms as Duncan's gun went off.
Logan
I hadn't seen him come at me.
I was so focused on saving Veronica I didn't see what he was doing and then there I was, on the ground clutching Veronica like my life depended on it.
When I looked over Dick was on the ground, Veronica cried Dick's name and I held her close as I went to him.
The bullet had just grazed his left shoulder, I was standing there horrified and he just smiled at me.
"Dick, are you ok?"
"Yeah man, I'm fine. What the hell are you waiting for? Get Ronnie the hell out of here."
"Are you coming with us?"
"No, just go."
I stood up, still holding Veronica and ran to CW's car.
I put her in the back seat and when I climbed in after her she was back in my arms immediately.
"I love you Logan, I love you so much."
"I love you too Veronica." We were crying and kissing each other, our bodies were fused together and neither of us were willing to let go.
When Wallace got in the car he started the engine and took off, it was then that I realized it was just the three of us.
"Wait, Wallace, where's Meg?"
"Leo's bringing her in Dick's truck."
"Is Duncan alive?"
"Does it matter?"
"No." Because it didn't.
"Who shot Duncan? Was it CW or Weevil?"
"Neither, it was Meg."
Leo
I couldn't believe that she had pulled the trigger.
I got to her just as she dropped the gun to the ground. She was just standing there, she wasn't crying or screaming she was doing nothing, there was no emotion.
I pulled her to me and saw Dick get up from the ground and then I watched as Logan rushed Veronica to the car.
CW yelled back at me asking if Meg was ok and I just answered yes, I didn't know what else to say. He told me to get her out of there and back to his place, so I did as I was told. Dick tossed Wallace his keys and Wallace put them in my hand as he ran to get Logan and Veronica out of there.
I grabbed Meg's hand and started to run with her down the driveway to Dick's truck.
She was still unresponsive.
Duncan
He hadn't even seen her.
In truth he hadn't seen any of them, just Logan and Veronica.
All he had seen was Veronica clinging to Logan for dear life and Logan taking her from him again.
And then out of nowhere he felt the pain.
He swaggered a little, then he pulled the trigger and when he saw Dick push Logan out of the way he swore.
That was when he saw Meg and he watched her drop the gun.
He couldn't believe she had shot him.
She had started all of this and then she'd tried to end it.
But Duncan wasn't going to go down that easy and he promised himself that it wasn't over.
He was so preoccupied with his thoughts that he didn't see Weevil heading straight for him.
Weevil
When I saw the bullet hit Duncan I didn't knew where it had come from, so imagine my surprise when I turned around to see Meg Manning holding the gun.
When I looked back Dick was on the ground and Logan and V were moving towards him, apparently he'd pushed them out of the way when Duncan fired his gun.
Meg's bullet, although effective, didn't do much damage, so I knew I had to take him out before he could recover.
I ran straight for Duncan, he didn't even see me coming and when I reached him I hauled back and hit him in the nose. I didn't bother to stop after the first punch.
CW
I've seen a lot of ugly situations in my life, so I'm not often surprised.
However I will admit that I was shocked when I realized that Meg had shot Duncan.
I turned in time to see the deputy pull her to him and I yelled back to ask if she was ok, he said yes but she didn't look it.
I yelled for him to get her out of there and Mr. Casablancas tossed Mr. Fennel his keys for the Deputy.
I watched as Mr. Fennel drove off in my car and the Deputy ran with Meg in tow towards the truck at the end of the road.
I then turned my sights back on Duncan.
His bullet had only grazed Mr. Casablancas and I stood and watched as he joined Mr. Navarro in his assault on Duncan.
Dick
As soon as they were gone I ran over to where Weevil was wailing on Duncan, I wanted a piece of him too.
That bastard had gone too far, he'd kidnapped Ronnie, possibly raped her, beat the crap out of her and then he shot at my best friend. This was personal.
When I reached them Weevil looked up at me while still pummeling Duncan.
"You're one lucky son of a bitch Casablancas."
"I know, mind if I join you?"
"Be my guest."
I looked at Duncan and the motherfucker was smiling, so I walked up to him and wiped the smug grin off his face.
We didn't stop until he was on the ground unconscious.
CW
After Duncan was subdued the two young men joined me off to the side.
Mr. Navarro looked at me. "What are we gonna do with him?"
"We are going to make a deal."
"A deal with who?" Asked Mr. Casablancas.
"Your friend Logan has found himself in some trouble with some very dangerous people. We will make a deal with Jake Kane and we will trade Duncan for Mr. Echolls safety."
Both of the young men were notably unhappy with that.
"You're just gonna hand him over. Just like that? After what he did to V?" Asked and enraged Mr. Navarro.
"No, we are going to make a deal. We will not be handing Duncan over to his father at all. The deal is that we will not harm Duncan, anymore than we already have, if all threats to both Veronica and Logan subside."
"So what are we gonna do with him after that happens?"
"We will be turning him over to the one person that can control him, now take him inside the house and make sure he cannot escape."
They nodded their heads in accordance with my wishes and I watched as they very unceremoniously began to drag Duncan back into the house.
I pulled out my phone and took a picture of the injured Duncan and dialed.
They both stopped when they heard of who I was calling.
"Hello Celeste, I have a proposition for you."
Weevil
I helped Dick bring Duncan inside the house but I wasn't thrilled, I wanted to see him dead, it would've given me great pleasure to watch him die and I'm pretty sure Dick felt the same way.
But CW was right, considering the trouble that V and Logan were in with the Castle and the Sorokin's, he would be a great bargaining chip.
All that really mattered was that he would no longer be able to hurt V.
But if he ever got close to her again I would kill him and that's not a threat it's a promise. One that I'd gladly pass on to his mother.
CW
When I rejoined the two young men I was no longer on the phone.
After I had ended the call with Celeste Kane I had called Jake Kane and offered the trade, he had accepted begrudgingly. He hadn't been happy with the terms, but it was either that or lose his last living child and that was something he wasn't willing to deal with.
I had also offered my resignation at the time, Jake Kane was not surprised.
I made a deal with Celeste for Duncan as well. She had been wanting to institutionalize Duncan for quite some time but Jake had fought her on it. I offered to turn him over to her if she promised to leave the country with him and have him locked up. He was not to return to the states or to ever have any communication with anyone from Neptune again.
She agreed and she thanked me, the only thing she asked in return was for half of the Kane's money to be transferred into an account for her. Celeste was aware of my plans and I told her it would not be a problem, I knew I could count on Miss Mackenzie to easily arrange it.
Celeste was on her way, I would wait until she arrived and then hand him over.
I turned to Mr. Casablancas and requested that he call Miss Mackenzie, he left the room to make the call.
Mac
When I saw Dick's name on the caller ID I almost cried, I'd been so worried, I hadn't heard from any of them yet and I was frantic when I answered. "Is she ok? Are you ok?"
"Yeah Mackie, I'm fine, and Ronnie's gonna be ok I think. They're on their way back to town, call Wallace, he'll tell you where they're going and we'll meet you there later."
"So what happened?"
"It's a long story, I'll fill you in later. But right now I need you to do something for me."
"Ok, anything."
"I need you to go into the Kane's bank accounts and transfer 50% of their funds into a bank account for Celeste."
"Ok, will do, but why?"
"We made a deal."
"Will you tell me later?"
"Yes. But that's not all I need."
"What else?"
"Take out another 100 million and open ten more accounts, 10 million in each."
"Ok for who?"
"One for each of us; you, me, Meg, Ronnie, Logan, Wallace, Weevil, CW, Leo, and one for Lilly under the last name Manning."
"Ok will do….oh my god…" I couldn't believe we'd forgotten.
"What's wrong?" He sounded concerned.
"Dick, we don't know who has Lilly."
Leo
Meg still hadn't spoken, she'd been silent the entire way to the truck and when I'd put her inside she still hadn't said anything. After only 10 miles I couldn't take it anymore and I pulled over. I looked at her and she was just staring straight ahead, so I gently grabbed her chin and turned her to face me.
"Meg?" She didn't respond. "Meg, baby, I need you to talk to me."
She finally seemed to see me. "I shot him Leo. I actually shot him."
"I know. But you did what you thought you had to do, you probably saved Logan's life."
"But what about Dick?"
"He's fine, the bullet just grazed him I think. But are you ok?" My hand was on her cheek and she placed hers on top of mine.
"Yeah, I think so. He took everything from me Leo. I gave up my life and my daughter so he could keep her safe and then he turned around and endangered her and everyone I love. This was all my fault, if I'd just told them what I knew then he never would have gotten to Veronica."
"Meg, what are you talking about?"
"Someone gave me files on Duncan, police reports, articles. There were tons of assaults and a couple of attempted rapes, so I went to Australia to see if Lilly was ok. He saw me Leo, that's how this all started. He looked so normal, I didn't believe the files and I didn't tell them. If I had they would have kept her away from him. They all hate me now, this is all my fault."
"Meg, you made a mistake. You tried to give him the benefit of the doubt because you loved him and he's the father of your child. They may be mad but they love you Meg, that's obvious. Look at what they've done for you."
"Do you really think they'll forgive me?"
"Yes, it might take a while, but yes."
I'd fallen in love with Meg the summer after I'd dated Veronica, we'd run into each other shortly after Duncan had ended things with her. I had never gotten the chance to tell her how I felt and I needed to know why she didn't let me help her.
"Why didn't you tell me Meg? Why did you just leave? I thought I'd lost you, I would have helped you, I would have done anything for you. "
She gave me a look of shock. "Leo it was the only choice I had. I was barely 18 and I couldn't have kept Lilly away from my parents. I had to do it, I'm so sorry I didn't tell you but you had a life here."
"I would have given it up for you. Don't you know that?"
"No, I didn't know that. I don't know what I'm going to do now Leo. I don't even know where Lilly is and if and when I do find her I don't have anywhere to go, for all intents and purposes I'm dead. I don't know if I can do this on my own."
She turned away and I pulled her back to look at me again.
"No Meg, you're not alone. I'm here, I'm with you. We'll find Lilly and we'll have each other. The three of us will be there for each other."
"You'd really do that? You would just step in and take responsibility for us?"
"Meg don't you realize that I'd do anything for you. I thought I'd lost you. I've spent 18 months wishing that I had told you how I felt, thinking I'd never get a chance to. I'm not waiting anymore, I want you and only you."
And just like that she was crying. "Really?"
"Yes really. If you don't feel the same way for me I understand, I'll take whatever you will give me. I know you never shared my feelings back then, but if you would just give me a chance I…"
She cut me off with a kiss before I could finish and when she pulled back she was smiling.
"Leo, I did feel the same way, I just never told you, I didn't know you felt that way about me. You were there for me when I needed you most and I've always felt the same way."
"It's you and me from now on Meg. You, me and Lilly, the way it always should have been."
She kissed me again and smiled. "You, me, and Lilly"
Wallace
We'd been driving for almost 30 minutes and I hated to interrupt them but I needed to ask what the plan was. Mac had called and I needed to call her back.
"Hey guys?"
Logan looked at me, I think they had actually forgotten I was in the car. "Uh yeah?"
"Where am I taking us?"
"What do you mean 'where'? The hospital Wallace." Logan looked at me like I was crazy.
"Logan, do you think that's a good idea? I mean, if we take her there, they'll ask lot of questions and considering V's condition they'll probably call the police."
He didn't say anything, I think he realized I was right, but before he could respond Veronica interrupted. "What about one of the doctors that helped with Meg?"
He looked at her and smiled. "Ronnie you're a genius. Wallace take my phone and call Dr. Gates, I think he's in town for a few weeks to visit family. Ask him to meet us at my suite and tell him I'll pay whatever he wants as long as there are no questions asked."
"Will do."
I took his phone and made the call, when I hung up I called Mac back.
Logan
I had held her the entire time.
I swear I'd checked every inch of her body looking for scrapes and cuts and bruises and there were so many. She was still crying intermittently and clutching me, she wouldn't let go, but then I wouldn't either.
"Are you sure you're ok with this? We can take you to the hospital if you'd prefer."
"No Logan, Wallace is right, we can't go there. It'll raise too much suspicion and if you trust this doctor than I trust him too. I just want to get back to the Grand, back to our bed and get on with our lives, together."
"I do trust him and anything you want is yours...Veronica, do you want me to call your dad?"
"No, not yet. I don't want to ruin his trip, I'll wait till he gets back, until Duncan has been taken care of, I'm afraid of what he might do."
"Baby you're never gonna have to worry about Duncan again. I'll make sure of that. We all will make sure of that."
"I know you will, I trust you to keep me safe Logan."
It wasn't until then that I noticed that the sling on her arm was a ripped t shirt, her ripped t shirt and my heart sunk. I realized that I still didn't know what he'd done to her and the ripped shirt scared me. I pulled back slightly and pulled her face into my hand. "Baby, what happened? Did he?"
She started to cry and she wouldn't look me in the eyes. "I don't know Logan. I know he tried, but I was unconscious a lot of the time, he could have done anything."
I wanted to cry or scream, but most of all I wanted to rip Duncan's throat out, but then she finally looked at me and all of my anger was replaced with an insane need to keep her safe and heal her.
"Is that how your shirt got ripped?"
She just nodded.
"Baby we're gonna find out, ok? And no matter what the answer is you will get through this, we will get through this together. I'm not going anywhere. I'll pay for therapy or whatever. Whatever you need you'll get it."
She reached up and touched my cheek. "Thank you Logan, I love you. Do you know how much I love you? You were all I thought about. I thought about our life together, what we have now and what we're going to have. You got me through it."
I pulled her to me again, kissed her forehead and then worked my way down to her lips kissing every bruise and scrape. But as I reached them I tilted her head so I could see into her beautiful blue eyes.
"I'm buying you a ring. Fuck hypothetical. You're mine and I am gonna marry you. Whether it be tomorrow or in ten years, I don't care I'll wait. But we're making it official."
She smiled at me and kissed me. "So are you proposing?"
I felt like an ass, I hadn't even asked her really I'd just told her. So I smiled back at her and kissed her again.
"Veronica Mars, will you marry me?"
"Yes Logan Echolls, I will."
so what did you think? Review please!
Author's Note: I don't have a flash back for the time that leo and meg spent together before she died. I do however have a companion piece to this fic that is all about them and that summer. I have edited that as well and the edited version is now posted! Its called 'the one you're with' read it and review it please!