Title: Mutual
Author: brencon
Pairings/Characters: Logan/Veronica, ensemble
Word Count: 2,088
Rating: PG-13, so far.
Summary: What if Logan and Veronica got together before everything went to hell?
Spoilers: Set pre-series, but is now including season one plot.
Warnings: Swearing.
Disclaimer: Veronica Mars belongs to Rob Thomas and the nice people at the CW
Author's Note: Italics represent Veronica's thoughts and/or voiceovers.
Author's Note #2: The third-to-last chapter.
"He actually came here, blaming Veronica for all of his family's problems? Like it doesn't have anything to do with their overpowering mother or their weak father?" Yolanda asked, her mouth hanging open in shock.
"Yeah, and then he started yelling so I just gave him some home truths, and he just shut up and quickly, slamming the door loudly. All in the space of the 10 minutes that you had gone to get us these pudding cups."
"Any news from your dear Ronnie?" Yolanda asked, smiling as she spooned more of the pudding into her mouth.
"Don't let her hear you call me that, she only likes it when I say it. And, no, no word from her. Mom called just before you got back though, saying that she and the Sheriff would be going to pack some of our clothes up before we moved in with the Mars'," Logan answered, twirling the spoon in the plastic cup. Reading his friends look, he added, "Don't worry, Keith and a couple of his deputies will be joining them. Mom said she was going to get a restraining order, so that he wouldn't be able to come near us," Logan finished, licking the plastic pot.
Clearing her throat, Yolanda moved on to a more light-hearted topic, "So, moving in with the girlfriend? Must be many a thought running through that twisted head of yours!" she joked.
"But of course, although most do end with me gaining a large bullet wound from a shotgun. But it usually comes after much macking on the couch and over-the-clothes heavy-petting, so we're alright there really, in the trade off – extreme pleasure to extreme death."
Laughing, Yolanda bowed her head to hide her tears of laughter. Basking as the chemicals and endorphins spread through her system, Yolanda sat back in her chair and raised her head to face her friend with a wide smile.
"Alright there, Yo?" Logan asked, smirking at his friends flushed face.
"Fantastic, Lo, it's just good to laugh, been along time since I have heard you wise crack."
"Aw, don't get all sentimental on me Yolanda, I'm not dead yet!" Logan replied, sitting up in his bed.
--
"I cannot believe you are even thinking of that, Celeste! We are not getting rid of our grandchild, how can you even say it?" Jake asked, exasperated to the point of an outburst of rage.
"Because the father of this bastard child is more than likely the man who put our daughter in this very hospital, into the coma that she may never wake from! We need to talk about this, Jake! Do you really think you'll be able to live with that kid in your home when all along they could be Aaron Echolls love child? Day in, day out, could you really, hand on your heart, say that you'd be okay with that… that child living in our home?" Celeste ranted, her right arm wrapped around her chest, her left hand waving through the air as she paced back and forth through their daughters private room.
Sighing heavily, Jake ran his trembling hand over his face, following it through his hair and as he arched his head back, pointing his face to the ceiling of the room, the neon light blaring through his eyelids as he felt his head throb just behind his eyes, he returned it to his mouth, covering it at the shocked gasp that escaped it at his wife's speech.
"I know that you want a grandchild, Jake, but Lilly is only 17 and if she had a kid now, she would be throwing her life away, do you really want that for your daughter? She hasn't even finished high school!"
"Have you forgotten that we are multimillionaires, Celeste? We can hire a nanny! You don't even work, except for meeting with the other housewives for brunch or when I have to make a press conference and I need my 'loving wife' to stand by my side."
"You expect me to look after that monster's child? After what he did to our Lilly? I cannot believe that Jake!"
"What else would you do?"
Grabbing her purse, Celeste moved to the door. Throwing a last, sorrow filled look at her husband, Celeste exited the room.
--
They'd been at the mansion for all of ten minutes and Lynn had not stopped trembling since they had parked in the driveway. Being led through her home to her room, flanked by the sheriff and one of his deputies, Lynn felt safer than she had in the year's gone bye.
Quickly packing her suitcase with fresh clothes, Lynn alerted her guardian that she was ready to move along. Draggling the trolley-suitcase behind her, she arrived at her sons room and as quick as lightning, opened the doors to his wardrobe and grabbed as many of his jeans and sweater vests and t-shirts as she could find and shoved them into the suitcase at her feet.
Finding his school books, Lynn packed a smaller case with them along with his material before once more alerting the deputy at the door that she had completed her task.
Hearing her heals clip-clop as she took each step; Lynn's breathe quickened in fear of seeing her husband. Her fears were realised as Aaron Echolls sauntered in from the kitchen, a bag of blue corn chips in hand.
"Oh hello dear, I didn't hear you come in. Aren't you going to give me a hug after my false imprisonment?" Aaron asked, reaching deep into the bag as he watched her rush down the stairs.
"Don't listen to him, Lynn, and don't answer back, its best not to take to our suspect during our investigation. Have you got all you need?" Keith asked, exiting the living room with Aaron's lawyer in toe.
"Don't antagonise her, Aaron. We may need her as a character witness," the lawyer warned, loosening his tie from around his neck.
Lynn's head shot up and she eyed the lawyer – a man in a dark brown suit, a pale beige shirt and a dark yellow tie, his glasses slipping down the bridge of his nose – and then turned to face her soon-to-be former husband.
"I will never, ever," Lynn emphasised, releasing the handle and stepping forward, her finger pointing at her husband as her hand shook with the anger and fear she was feeling, "take your side in any of your problems. You caused this, yourself and no one else! If anything, I'm going to be helping the prosecution!" In that moment, she felt a wave of power; a wave of confidence that she had not felt in the years since she married Aaron.
"Let's get out of here, Sheriff."
Nodding at his deputies, they began to lead Lynn from her former home and back into his vehicle. Facing the lawyer, Keith watched as the lawyer offered his hand. Hr looked at it for a second before trailing his eyes back to the lawyer.
"Mrs. Echolls will be filling for a restraining order in a number of days, and a divorce. Good luck. You're going to need it."
He smiled a tight smile as he made way to leave the Echolls home.
--
When did builders move into the house? And why are they drilling?
Veronica blinked her eyes open once; twice as they rolled back into place. Her nose itched from its contact with the carpet. Rolling onto her back, she winced as her head throbbed, as her elbow rubbed uncomfortably in its socket.
What happened to me?
Using her right hand, Veronica rolled onto her side and forced her body into an upright position. A sharp pain exploded behind her eyes and she collapsed to her knees, rubbing her temples in a circular motion.
A rattling from down the corridor drew her attention as she stood quickly.
"He,hello? Who's there?" she called out, patting her pockets for her cell phone. Finding none she released a groan of frustration as the intruder continued on their path back down the corridor.
And there he was. And she remembered it all. He hit her, Duncan actually hit her! She shook her head, groaning as her brain bounced inside her skull, as she tried to listen to what he was saying.
"… should stop the swelling. It's what you do, isn't it? Put ice on a,a… bruise," Duncan said, holding out the cloth that was wrapped around the ice.
Reluctantly accepting it, she moan as the wash cloth came in touch with the bruise that seemed to began beneath her eye and finished just beneath her ear. A burning sensation in her chest came as another sign of another injury she had recently received.
"What is it you're doing Duncan? First you come here, shouting your mouth off, blaming for what's happened to Lilly, hitting me and the next thing I know, you're being all calm and nice and worrying that I might bruise."
"I was just thinking that, now that we are back together that we need to start being nice to each other. I mean, I've said some things to you, you got back at me by buying with Logan, and then this happened. If we're going to have a second chance, we need to move on from the past so that our future can be bright. Although we just need to get out of Neptune, we need to get away from all that's happened here these past few months. It's the best thing we can do."
"You what? Get back together? When was this decided?!"
"Before, when we were talking. You agreed with me that we worked best together and that we should just get back together," Duncan insisted, his smile bright as he nodded his head in confirmation of his own explanation.
"I was unconscious! Which, by the way, was the only chance you ever had of getting back with me!"
His eyes widened and grew dark as he pushed himself off the wall, rushing at his ex-girlfriend, grabbing at her shoulders. He crashed his mouth to hers and kissed her with all the love he felt for her.
His hands tangled in her hair as he forced his tongue in her mouth and groaned at the heat of her mouth on his.
Kissing her felt he'd come home after a long trip. He'd had so many sleepless nights before, scared to his wits that he may be her half-brother and then his mother tells them they aren't related, but that he can't be around her because she's friends with the bastard who sent his only sister to hospital. And then no one was talking to him; neither the doctors nor his parents were willing to explain to him what exactly what was happening with his sister.
And then Veronica had returned to him, and it was like a new day had dawned and all that had happened between them in the past month was shallow water under a high bridge. And he was kissing her and holding her and then she was gone.
He could remember exactly how he from there to here, but he had, and everything was fine because they were kissing and hugging and groaning and grinding.
And then she pushed him away and he fell over his legs and she was shouting at him, telling him that there was not a chance in hell of them ever getting back together and that she was with Logan, in love with Logan and then she groaning and grabbing at her stomach and then she was gone from the room.
And then he was sitting against the wall, his arms around his knees as he bounced his head against the wall again and again and again.
--
Jake was holding a vigil at his daughters' bedside, one hand holding hers and his other resting on her stomach, where his grandchild was growing inside.
His mind had been reeling ever since the doctor had told them the news, and with his wife's reasoning behind destroying the life that was growing inside their daughter and his son pulling a disappearing act, Jake was trying to keep it together. He need to remain strong, for his Lilly.
He squeezed her hand, to reassure himself that everything was going to be okay and to relay the message to his daughter that she was loved and missed.
So you can see why it came as a surprise to him when he felt her squeeze back.