Title: Mutual
Author: Brendan/brencon
Pairings/Characters: Logan/Veronica, ensemble
Word Count: 1,567
Rating: PG-13, so far.
Summary: What if Logan and Veronica got together before everything went to hell?
Spoilers: Set pre-series, but will include some season one stuff soon.
Warnings: Minor cussing
Disclaimer: Veronica Mars belongs to Rob Thomas and the nice people at the CW
Authors Note: Thanks to Nikita for the beta. Italics represent Veronica's thoughts and/or voiceovers.

Two weeks had already passed and Veronica still wasn't comfortable with all the mutterings and angry stares that were thrown her way, mostly by Madison Sinclair and the rest of Lilly's bitchy gang. Even after the change in style and the sexy hair cut (as Logan called it), Lilly had still tried to take Veronica down to her level.

But Veronica didn't care. She had an awesome boyfriend and a brand new and even better BFF in the form of Yolanda and nothing was going to bring her down - which was why, come the first of October, Veronica would wash the slate clean. 'Tabula Rasa' was the saying and 'Tabula Rasa' would now be Veronica's motto.

Still needing the PE credit, Veronica decided not to drop pep squad, which Lilly had talked her into joining. Her pep squad advisor had just told the group of girls that they would be holding a car wash on the third and then revealed who would be working with who.

To Veronica's disappointment, she was partnered with Lilly.

"Crap," Veronica mumbled, blowing her fringe from her eyes. Across the table, Lilly didn't seem to be taking the news with much pep either.

"Ms. Stafford, are you sure that I have to be paired with her? I mean, Madison would be so much better, or Shelley."

"Lilly, why wouldn't you want to be paired with your best friend?" the blonde asked, before sighing and walking back to her desk.

"Ugh, whatever. Madi, do you think we could swap?"

"No way, Lil, I am so not going to be her partner!"

"Help me, won't ya Shelley?"

"Sorry Lilly, you're on your own there."

Sighing, Lilly marched over to Veronica and knocked her messenger bag to the ground.

"Listen, Mars, we may have to work together, but there is no reason for us to talk to each other, comprende?"

"Sure Lilly, because I really want you to hear about your fling-of –the-week," Veronica said, lifting her messenger bag up and closing it so nothing else fell from it.

"Like I'd tell you. You lost best friend rights when you started swapping spit my boyfriend."

Lilly turned to walk away when she felt Veronica's hand on her elbow. Veronica made Lilly face her.

"So, it's wrong for him to kiss someone else, but it's a-okay for you to have sex with different guys?"

"Duh," Lilly said, in her best Valley-girl tone.

"Wow, even as I spend less time around you, I still find out how much of a bitch you really are."

Lilly shoved Veronica's hand away, flipped her long, blonde hair over her shoulder and stormed back over to her stooges.

"Slut," she said, not caring if Veronica heard her or not, taking her seat between Madison and Shelley once again.

This is going to super fun!

------

Sitting in the quad with Yolanda, Veronica was startled when two hands covered her eyes. She could feel the person's warm breath against her neck and it gave her goosebumps.

"Where's my sugarlips?"

Breathing a sigh of relief, Veronica uncovered her eyes and kissed Logan on the lips quickly.

"You just got 'em!"

Yolanda's laughing drew Veronica's attention away from Logan's intoxicatingly brown eyes.

"What's so funny?"

"You two. You are both so cheese-tastic!"

Veronica feigned a gasp and covered her mouth with her hand. She turned to Logan, who was now sitting beside her with her mouth agape.

"Sweetums, are we cheese-y?"

"Definitely not, we are super fine."

"See? Cheese!" Yolanda laughed, eating more of her egg fried rice.

Laughter broke out and it felt like a normal thing to Veronica. To be, once again, laughing during lunch with her new best friend and boyfriend. Looking around the Quad, Veronica noticed the daggers that Lilly had been throwing her and smirked. She continued to look around and noticed the banner for Homecoming.

"So, Yolanda, who's the special boy that's taking you to Homecoming?" Veronica asked, slapping Logan's hand away from her egg rolls.

"Kelvin Moore asked me, but I still haven't given him an answer."

"Maybe it should be no," Logan said, taking out his cell phone. He didn't want to face the cafeteria food so he decided to order in.

"Why?" Yolanda asked, her voice curious.

"Because good ole Kelvin can't put down the pipe," Logan answered, hitting the number for the Chinese place on his speed dial.

"He's a pothead? Really?"

"He failed his drug test at the start of the year, which is why he won't be on the starting line for the football team."

"Thanks for the heads up then," Yolanda replied, a little shocked at the news. Kelvin had seemed so nice when he'd asked her out. Living in LA had taught Yolanda never to trust first impressions, but moving to small town Neptune, she thought that people were…friendlier. More honest.

That's obviously not the case here.

"What about you, Veronica? Any special boy calling out to you who wants to just sweep you off your feet?"

Smirking, Veronica fluttered her eyelashes. "Well, there is the one guy, but he would never ask me…mostly because he's a tad slow."

Hanging up, Logan turned to Veronica, feigning hurt.

"Baby, are you calling me stupid?"

"Yeah," Veronica said, laughing.

"I was going to ask you out tonight after the movie, but whatever."

"Just do it now, so that all the pressure and stress I know you've been feeling all disappear!"

"Fine, here I go," Logan said, taking a deep breath.

"Yolanda, will you go to Homecoming with me?"

Veronica playfully smacked Logan's shoulder as he chuckled.

"Fine, okay, I was kidding. Veronica, will you please go to the dance with me?"

"Are you sure it's me that you want to ask, not Yolanda?" Logan noddded his head. "Are you positive?" Again he nodded. "Okay then, I'll go with you." Veronica smirked.

She then cleared her throat and threw her arm over his shoulder, " Ok, I want a pink limo, and a pink corsage."

"Anything else, my sweet?" Logan asked, kissing her cheek.

You in a tux, wearing a pink dickey bow."

"Your wish is my command," he replied, kissing her again. Seeing the delivery man, he got up to get his food, counting the bills along the way.

"You two…you seem so well suited," Yolanda commented.

"Ya think?" Veronica asked, watching Logan from the corner of her eye. She had been thinking the exact same thing for the past few days, but kept it to herself. Having someone else not only to see it, but to say it out loud told Veronica that she was indeed not going insane.

"Yeah, I do. You two really are together as a couple, yet you both have no trouble with arguing over the stupidest things."

"That thing with the egg rolls was the first time, and Logan should know not to go near my food, and I'm…starting to get your point."

Laughing, Yolanda replied, "So, I see that Lilly is still acting as Queen Bitch."

"With extra bitchiness. And, to put fuel to the fire, I'm being paired up with her for the car wash thing on Friday. So, I was thinking, to get it out of my head, why don't we head to Java the Hut afterwards? Getting all jazzed up on espressos?"

"It's a good idea, only… my dad wants to a talk with me, and that's the only time that he can give it to me in his 'busy schedule'."

"Well, crap."

"You can hang out with me there though, you know, afterwards. That is, if you wanted to?"

"I do. And that'll give me a chance out of that hideous outfit they make us wear."

Logan finally returned with his meal, shoving his wallet in his back pocket.

"A month ago, you were totally gushing over it," Logan reminded Veronica.

"That was before I saw Lilly for what she was and before I started dating you…maybe I should just drop pep squad altogether."

Looking terrified, Logan gave out a little squawk, "But what about those hot short shorts?"

"Still wanting to go to homecoming with me?" Veronica asked, smirking.

"Yeah."

"Then shut up and eat your lunch like a little good boy."

------

Logan dropped Veronica home after school, but it took her almost fifteen minutes to get him to go back to his own house. Veronica was getting the feeling Logan didn't want to go home, but she didn't bring up her feelings to him.

She entered the house to the smell of lasagne cooking. Wandering into the kitchen, she saw her mother standing over the stove, looking out the kitchen window to the street outside.

Clearing her throat, Veronica walked over to her mother.

"Mom, are you okay?"

"Oh, Veronica, you're home, I didn't hear you come in."

"Yeah, Logan just dropped me off…mom, are you okay?"

Lianne's face was as deathly pale as if she'd seen a ghost, though a smile broke out on her face as she hugged her daughter.

"Oh Veronica, absolutely everything is fine, okay?"

"Are you sure mom?"

"Positive honey, now go wash up, dinner'll be ready in ten minutes."

"Okay," Veronica headed for the door, but stopped and turned to face her mother once again. "Mom, I love you," she said before continuing out of the room.

Lianne reached for the glass of wine she'd hidden behind the tissue paper. Downing it, she dropped the glass into the sink.

"I love you too, sweetheart."