A/N: I officially have too many fics and too many activities, which is why updates are a little slower than I'd like. Sorry, folks, but I hope you're sticking with me on this ride! Appreciating the fab reviews soooo much! :-)
(For disclaimer, etc. - see chapter 1)
Chapter 17
Logan was beyond tired, but knew damn well he was never going to sleep. As if an afternoon spent with Trina wasn't trying enough, all she seemed to want to talk about was her birth parents ad nauseum, and the always tricky subject of Veronica Mars.
As if Logan needed to spend anymore time distracted with thoughts of the ex he still wished wasn't, Trina seemed to be quite happy to give her opinion on all things Veronica. This included, but was not limited to, the fact she really should've allowed her name to be used in The Aaron Echolls Story, and Logan being a complete ass for screwing things up with her. Each time he tried to change the subject, 'little brother' was told in no uncertain terms that he was a fool and that Veronica Mars was nothing less than an angel, apparently. As if he didn't know all the good points about the blonde he had been in love with in some form or other since the age of twelve! His adoptive sister seemed oblivious to that right now, and only determined to go on and on at him, requiring merely nods of agreement from Logan whenever she looked his way.
It was now almost midnight, the journey home having taken longer than planned. How a car had dared to flip over on the freeway when Logan wanted to get home, he hadn't an idea, but he had hoped that arriving back home at last with a large bucket of take out fried chicken and fries would make him feel better. It didn't.
So far his appetite seemed absent and every time he considered getting his butt off the couch to go to bed he realised he would never sleep with so many thoughts swirling in his head. He had opened a beer and drank it down, followed by two more, not that it really made any difference. It took way more booze than that to get him drunk these days.
Running a tired hand over his face, Logan sighed. How had his life become this? Sitting alone in a hotel suite because he had no fixed address, with no girlfriend, hardly any friends either, and a best friend he was about to more-or-less lose thanks to his knocking a girl up and then falling for her. Dick was perhaps the only person with a more backwards love life than Logan, but at least the blond seemed happy.
As if on cue, Dick's bedroom door opened then. Logan was just about to get up and fetch another beer for his friend when he realised the figure emerging into the suite was decidedly female.
"Oh" Mac looked appropriately startled as she turned to find Logan staring at her, mouth open.
It was embarrassing enough that she had been caught coming out of Dick's bedroom like this by his friend/room-mate, but to be seen in just her panties and one of Dick's T-shirts made it all the more uncomfortable.
"Hey, Mac" Logan tried to greet her normally and to keep his eyes on her face though it wasn't exactly easy.
She was really more of a pants person than skirts, so Logan had no idea Mac had been hiding such a pair of legs all this time. Under the baggy T-shirt, a person could not tell she was pregnant at all, only curvy in all the right places. Logan would have to be blind not to notice she was hot, even Dick had said so, though focusing on it could not be good right now.
"Hi" she answered, even now blushing furiously.
"I'm sorry, did I wake you?" asked Logan thoughtfully, wincing at the idea he had done such a thing.
"No, you didn't" she assured him, "Honestly, I wouldn't've come out here like this if I'd known you were here" she laughed nervously as she shifted from foot to foot by the door, "I got hungry is all. Pretty sure that's what woke me up" she admitted, smoothing her hair out with her hand as she caught sight of herself in the mirror on the other wall.
"Well, I've got enough here for at least four people" said Logan, gesturing to the food spread out on the table that he had hardly touched, "Pretty sure there's enough for you, me, and baby makes three" he smiled.
Mac almost argued, saying she couldn't possibly, especially the way she was dressed. The trouble was the food did smell good. Fries appealed, all greasy and salty, and though she had always been a vegetarian and even a vegan for a while, it was becoming clear the baby wasn't either of those things. Mac was practically salivating as she moved closer to the couch and the smell of chicken hit her nose. It was too much to resist, and pushing all thoughts of cute little chicks from her mind she sat herself down on the other end of the couch, tugging the T-shirt she was wearing down as far as it would go.
Logan smiled at how awkward she was. Feeling a little bad for her, he went and fetched a blanket from the closet full of clean linen. Mac was grateful and it showed on her face as she accepted the covering with thanks, and curled herself up in the cushions underneath the soft fabric.
They ate in silence to begin with, Logan separating out the food and encouraging Mac to tuck in, which she did with vigour. Of course they could only go so long without speaking, without him wondering or asking questions about her being here so late and undressed in such a way.
"So, you and Dick" he said, barely glancing at her to save her blushes more than his, "I didn't know you were..."
"We're not" Mac cut in immediately, until she caught the look of disbelief on Logan's features, "Well, we weren't" she amended, "Not until today, and then it kinda just happened and... y'know, I actually have no regrets" she smiled, feeling a little foolish explaining this, especially to Logan, but then he was the only one here and she did at least trust him not to laugh at her and to keep any secret she might tell.
"You might actually be the first girl to say that after sleeping with Dick" he commented easily, not even thinking how it might sound to her.
"That's not a nice thing to say about your best friend" she frowned a little in response, though if she'd thought about it more than a second, Mac might've realised the truth of it.
"Unfortunately, the truth rarely is" Logan noted, pulling apart a chicken wing and licking the grease off his fingers, "but then they all dated the old Dick. You got the new improved model" he explained, popping a piece of meat into his mouth.
Mac stared at him a long moment, looking very serious, before she finally spoke.
"You think I've changed him?" she checked, "In a bad way?"
Logan had to wonder where she got that impression from. She had to have noticed herself that the father of her child had evolved a lot these past few weeks. Mind you, as he understood it, pregnant women worried about just about everything when their hormones went crazy and all. He didn't want her thinking she had made Dick a worse human being or a less good friend, because that wasn't the case at all.
"Changed him? Yes" he confirmed, around is mouthful of food, "Bad way? No" he assured her as he swallowed, and wiped his mouth and fingers on a paper napkin, "I mean, Dick was always a good guy, a good friend and everything, but not big with the taking responsibility" he explained, eyes flitting to his friend's bedroom door, just a little wary of having him walk in while they were talking about him, "Now he has to be a man and everything, and he's really stepping up to the plate" he smiled almost proud of his friend that had been more like a brother recently, "You might just be the making of the man, Miss Mackenzie" he told her, somewhat amused by the way she coloured at the comment.
Mac didn't really take compliments well, especially not from guys, she just wasn't used to them. Of course that didn't change the fact that Logan meant what he said. Being around her was making Dick a better man, and he wondered if it all had to do with the baby at this point. He seemed to be making a real commitment to Mac as a woman too, and that couldn't be a bad thing at all.
"You ever think a good woman will be the making of you, Logan?"
That question got his attention and no mistake. Mac hadn't meant to shock him, she wasn't even entirely certain the question was supposed to exist outside of her own head, but there it was, out in the room now and no going back. The look in Logan's eyes was surprise at first and a little pain before understanding crept in. They both knew that neither of them were thinking hypothetically of some random woman. There was only that sprung to mind in the moment.
"How is Veronica?" he asked, trying not to seem desperate to know, which Mac had to admit he did pretty well given the circumstances.
"She's good" nodded Mac, "Mostly, anyway. I think she was going to see Piz today" she admitted, watching to see how Logan took that news.
"Good old reliable Piz" he muttered, tossing his balled up napkin into the pile of trash already on the table and throwing himself back into the couch cushions a moment later.
Mac half considered telling him they weren't exactly going on a happy date or anything, but then thought better of it. She was venturing into territory that was really none of her business, and it was likely neither Veronica nor Logan would thank her for it.
"Reliable's nice" she said instead, smiling as he glanced over at her, "but it's not everything" she told him, just a little cryptically, though she did hope he understood.
Whether he did or not became irrelevant as someone moved behind them, and both turned to see Dick now framed in his bedroom doorway.
"Hey, Echolls" he said to his friend, with expression of faux-annoyance, "Are you tryin' to steal my woman?"
He looked and sounded like some kind of John Wayne-esque cowboy as he mosied over to the couch, making Logan break out in a grin. He knew his friend was kidding, after all, even if the rest of the world had pretty much screwed them over, these two were like brothers and trusted each other implicitly.
"Your woman?" asked Mac with a mixture of shock and distaste evident n her tone as she peered up at him over the back of the couch, "Seriously? That's what you think you're gonna call me now?"
Dick grinned then as he leant down close to her.
"How about, my sweet Macky?" he suggested as he moved in for a kiss and she happily obliged him.
Logan thought it was sweet, for all of thirty seconds. Then it just became awkward, uncomfortable, and a little gross.
"Get a room" he told them with a smirk that was meant to cover the fact he actually kind of loved seeing the couple so happy.
"Got one, bro" Dick reminded him as he grabbed Mac's hand and encouraged her off the couch and to follow him, "Headin' back to it as of now"
"Goodnight, Logan" called Mac as she was returned to her rightful place and didn't mind the fact the room or bed in question belonged to Dick.
"Goodnight" the young man left behind echoed, laughing hollowly, "I wish it was a good night" he said to himself then as he tossed the food he had been about to put into his mouth back into the container.
He wasn't hungry, and seeing a happy couple like Mac and Dick had become only made him lose his appetite all the more. It wasn't their fault and honestly he was pleased for them, it was only that their togetherness reminded him altogether too much of how alone he was.
Right now it was likely that Veronica and Piz were enjoying similar activities to their friends Mac and Dick, and that put a knot in Logan's stomach that just wouldn't shift. Torturing himself with it was ridiculous, but then that was what Veronica had done when it came to his own 'affair' with Madison Sinclair. He understood now what she was suffering. Even he had to admit, if only to himself, that his beating Piz to oblivion before the Summer was not all because of the camera that had filmed the two of them 'getting acquainted' and much more to do with the naked acts being performed.
Dumping the remainder of his mostly uneaten food into the trash, Logan headed to his room, hoping for sleep but not really expecting to get any when his mind was so full of thoughts.
Logan woke with a start as the doors to his room were unceremoniously flung open.
Sitting up in bed, he was surprised, but not exactly unpleasantly so, to see Veronica stood there at the foot of his bed, hands on her hips and eyes flashing anger. It was like the last time she came busting into his room, ready to tear his head off for beating on Piz, or any of the many other times she had decided he was the devil incarnate.
"Well, welcome back, Miss Mars" he greeted her amiably though they both knew it was faked, "What did I do this time? I haven't even seen you in months..."
"Don't even try that with me Logan" she snapped at him, "You know what you did"
"No, I really don't" he said as he hopped out of bed, making use of his height advantage as they stepped towards each other, "So, why don't you tell me?"
There was an extreme moment where nothing was said, green eyes vs green eyes, locked in an intense battle. She had something to say, she needed to just come out and say it, and so she did.
"You made me so in love with you, I don't know how to stop" she confessed, immediately launching herself into his arms.
The force was enough to almost knock Logan off his feet, but he didn't complain. His swirling mind was as preoccupied as his lips and hands as he kissed the only woman he could ever love this much, carrying her the few necessary steps to his bed. It had been too long since he heard those words from her or felt this way. Making love with Veronica Mars was like nothing else in the world to Logan, having her back in his arms was Heaven itself as he drowned himself in this moment that he never wanted to end...
There was a resounding thud as Logan rolled over and straight out of bed, landing on the carpet with his limbs caught up in the linen, and more throbbing pain than had been caused by the landing. No, Veronica wasn't here, and she didn't love him anymore. It was all a dream... again.
To Be Continued...