Greatly Exaggerated

Chapter 3

Logan stopped for a moment at the living room doorway taking in the scene.

It was a small room with great natural light coming from a large picture window near the front door. Straight ahead was the back of a gray easy chair facing the short end of the tweedy gray sectional - both of which between Logan and the front door. The sectional bent into a modified L-shape - the long end of the L running along the wall to Logan's left. A large ottoman was pushed against the end of the short couch, turning it into a chaise of sorts. A coffee table was tucked into the intersection of the sectional, within reach of both couches and the chair. A small end table sat to the right of the easy chair.

Twin bookcases flanked the doorway in which Logan was standing, and to his right was a staircase. A 40" or so flat screen sat on a short TV stand on the staircase wall. Beyond the staircase, a skinny hallway led back to the bathroom, Veronica's office, and a room with a closed door. The hallway bent near the bathroom door, circling back to the dining room, in which Logan was standing. Straight behind Logan was a doorway to the kitchen.

Straight ahead, Veronica sat on the short couch, her feet up on the ottoman, little Logan on her lap, and Morgan snuggled up against her right side. As she pressed a kiss to each child's head, Logan breathed in the image, wishing that he could freeze it. It looked like a scene from an Afterschool Special. It was surreal and a little scary to think that this was the life he had left behind.

Veronica looked up, catching Logan staring at them, and offered him a nervous smile. He hesitantly smiled back, and she patted the couch on the other side of Morgan in invitation.

Logan walked over to the couch, flopping down dramatically next to her, and putting his feet up next to hers on the ottoman.

"Hi honey. I'm home." he said shyly smirking at her, and then touched his forehead to hers for a moment, closing his eyes.

"You're ok?" Veronica asked, her eyes full of concern.

"Yeah." He answered with a little nod. "I guess we've both had shocks today."

Morgan climbed up onto his lap.

"Welcome home, daddy." she said hugging him tightly.

Logan tentatively hugged her back. She couldn't possibly weigh more than 4 ounces and her hair smelled like bubble gum.

"I don't like saying daddy." Morgan said, after a moment. "It sounds too babyish. Can I just call you dad?"

"Yeah...That works for me." Logan answered, and then looked a question at Veronica, not sure how she wanted him to handle this.

Veronica's smile was warm and reassuring. She shifted, her right shoulder slightly brushing against his, and he leaned in just slightly enough to increase the point of contact.

"What would you like to call him, Lo?" Veronica asked the little boy in her lap.

The little boy took his time sizing Logan up with his eyes.

"Nothing." the child finally answered. "I just want him to go away. We don't need him."

Logan's eyes flinched slightly, and the little boy noticed, filing it away for later.

"Logan." Veronica warned. "He is your father, and you will treat him with respect."

The little boy turned away from Logan and threw his arms around his mother's neck.

"Logan can be a little…possessive sometimes," she told Logan, by way of apology.

"Yeah, but I've worked on being better." Logan smirked at her.

Veronica laughed quietly. "Yeah…" she said. "Morgan might look just like you, but Logan is you in every other way."

Logan looked at the little girl on his lap. Now that he knew she was his, he wondered how he'd ever missed it. Looking at her was like looking at one of the old photos his mom used to display in silver frames on her large dresser - big brown eyes that drew in the eye so that it was hard to describe the other facial features. Of course all of those photos had burned. These days, the only photos left of Logan as a child could be found in back issues of People Magazine.

"She does sort of look like me, doesn't she?" he asked, a tiny smile on his face. He searched Lo's face. Maybe...the shape of his nose was similar. Oddly enough, he wore his hair the same way. Was he using product? They sure started young these days.

"Is there anything you guys want to ask Logan...your father… and me?" Veronica asked the children.

"I told you guys he was coming back." Morgan smirked at them. "You guys should say sorry for not believing me."

"I'm sorry for not trusting in your infinite wisdom, Morgan." Veronica said fighting a smile.

"You should always trust my infant wisdom, mom, because I'm usually right" Morgan said, and Logan snickered.

Little Logan turned to face his father.

"Where were you?" he asked hostilely. "Mom had to do everything all by herself."

"Wow…" Logan thought. "Twist the knife, kid."

"I traveled around Europe for a while and then…"

"He was in Australia." Morgan said.

Logan looked at Veronica curiously. "Did I pick up an accent that I wasn't aware of?"

Veronica shrugged her shoulders in bewilderment. "Morgan, why do you think Logan - your dad - was in Australia?"

"I was eavesdropping when Uncle Cliff and Grandpa were talking about him a couple months ago. I tried to tell you and Lo, but you guys never listen to me."

Veronica laughed aloud. "And that was when you started begging me for a trip to Australia, you little sneak!"

"I wasn't sneaky. I told you he was there. You just didn't believe me." Morgan said, insulted.

"Can I ask a question?" Logan asked.

Veronica nodded.

"Why do you have my fingerprints in a photo album?"

"Oh, that." Veronica said looking guilty. "I had Leo steal them for Morgan."

Logan pretended shock at Veronica's thievery. "It's not like the PD didn't have backups." She said pointedly.

"My dad taught Morgan how to lift fingerprints, and she went through a phase where she wanted to fingerprint every item you'd ever touched. Considering that you left me everything you owned, that kept her busy for a while."

Logan grinned at the image.

"I'm glad you're amused." Veronica mock complained. "That dusting powder gets into everything, and it's hard to clean up."

"I bet you were just like her as a kid." Logan said, smiling at her.

"I was nothing like her. All I ever wanted at her age was to be like Lilly. Morgan wants to be extraordinary. She follows my dad around, trying to soak in everything he knows. He indulges her a lot."

"Are you going to be a P.I. when you grow up?" Logan asked Morgan.

"A cop." Morgan said. "No, I don't have to be a cop anymore, so I'll be a secret agent."

"Don't have to be a cop anymore?" Logan asked confused.

"She's always said she wanted to grow up and be a cop so that she could catch the bad guys who murdered you." Veronica explained.

Logan didn't recognize the emotion he was feeling. He was touched that Morgan cared that much about him so much, proud that he'd produced such an amazing child, and sad that somebody so young was concerning herself with avenging him.

"I think you'll be the best secret agent ever!" Logan told the little girl. "What about you, Logan? What kinds of things are you interested in?"

"Nothing." Lo said, not willing to give Logan the time of day.

"Do you want to tell your father about your surfing?" Veronica prompted Logan.

"Not really. We're late to Friday Night Dinner." little Logan said.

"Oh…" Logan said, disappointedly. "I can get going now. Can we?..."

Veronica interrupted him putting a hand on his knee. "You're not going anywhere, Logan," she commanded.

"Lo, your father just came back from the dead! I think we can skip Friday Night Dinner for once."

"But no!" Lo said. "I really wanted to go to dinner tonight!"

"I do too!" Morgan chimed in. "We should go and take our dad with us."

Veronica considered the idea for a moment, eyeing Logan. "You up for it?" She asked.

"I'm up for anything that you guys want." Logan said, having no idea what he was getting into.

"Last chance to back out." Veronica warned.

Logan gave a little headshake; he was not going to disappoint these kids.

Pulling out her cell, she dialed a number. "Hello Dick? I need you to set an extra place for dinner…no, what I mean is that I'm bringing somebody with me…no, not my dad. A date...Dick!...Dick!...Let me speak! You can't expect me to mourn Logan forever!" She flashed Logan a wicked grin. "…it's been six years! It's time for me to move on...Just set the extra place-setting and we'll see you when we get there." She hung up the phone grimacing.

"Ok, I thought things were a little off when you didn't rip into me. I accepted the fact that I have not one, but two bouncing baby five year-old children, but you going to dinner at Dick Casablanca's place? Uh-uh. This is Bizarro world, isn't it? Pinch me, please."

Veronica and Morgan both pinched him on the arm, giggling. He'd known Morgan for less than an hour, and he already loved the sound of her giggle.

Lo just scowled at him. "What's wrong with Uncle Dick?" he asked, belligerently.

Logan reached over and ruffled the boy's hair.

"Hey! Watch the hair!" Lo said. His scowl looked a little forced.

"So, you ready for dinner, Logan?" Veronica asked.

"Yeah, I wouldn't miss it." he smiled at her shyly. Why did he feel like he was 16 again?

The kids ran off to find their socks and shoes.

"Am I ever going to win him over?" Logan asked Veronica.

"Just give him time." Veronica said, reassuringly. "It might take a little while, but he'll come around."

Minutes later, the family was ready to head out the door.

"Want me to drive?" Logan asked opening the front door.

"Is that your Navigator?" Lo asked.

"It's a rental," Morgan said, as they walked to it.

"How do you know it's a rental?" Logan asked.

"Rentals have special plates." Morgan told him.

Logan looked at Veronica and she rolled her eyes.

"Do you like trucks?" Logan asked Lo. He shrugged in answer.

"I'll have to buy a new SUV once I 'come back to life'. Want to help me pick one out?" Logan asked him,

Lo shrugged again, noncommittally.

Logan opened the back door for the children and watched them buckle their seatbelts, before walking around to the driver's door.

"Where to?" he asked Veronica when he got in on his side. She gave him directions, and he put the vehicle in Drive.

"So, have any idea what the legal process is for reversing my death?"

Veronica laughed. "Not a clue." she said. "You should start by meeting with a lawyer. I hear Cliff may have a vested interest in this case."

An hour and a half ago, Logan had pulled up to the curb alone, hoping that Veronica would at least speak to him. Now he was pulling away from the curb with a truck-full of family. This was going to take some getting used to, but he had a feeling he was going to like it. If he could only get that stubborn son of his to speak to him.