Greatly Exaggerated
A/N = I'm not sure if I can keep up the pace for the next couple of days. Looming project deadlines at work mean that I'll probably be putting in extra hours in the evening. Will still try my best to update as quickly as I can. Only the first four chapters were pre-written (somewhat), so everything now is being written from scratch.
Chapter 6
For what was probably the 568th time in his life, Logan leaned over and drew "L + V" in the wet sand near the surf. It was something he'd done ever since their first kiss. He'd done it while they were together, and he'd done it while they were apart. He'd done while he was dating other girls, and while she was dating other guys. It had become his after-surf ritual; his way to call an end to the day. Often, he would stay to watch the waves wash it away. Today though, the world felt full of possibilities, so to change things up, he drew a heart around the initials.
He found a large weathered piece of driftwood to sit on while he waited for Dick and Logan to come in from the waves. The weather was perfect, warm but with a hint of cloud cover.
Lo had inherited his mother's ability to compartmentalize. "Logan the Surfer" did not seem to offend the child the same way that "Logan the Father" did.
Dick and Logan had taken turns working with and coaching Lo. The child had been attentive, taking any advice and applying it without complaint. He seemed to want to soak up any knowledge he could get. To be honest, he hadn't needed much work. As Dick had said, the kid was a natural.
Logan watched Dick and Lo approaching his resting place. Had he been that scrawny as a child? He was pretty sure that he had been. Logan's limbs were so skinny that they looked like they could snap like twigs. A strong wave…he couldn't let his brain go there. Dick dropped down on Logan's right, leaving a place on Logan's left for the little boy.
"You're still writing your initials in the sand? That's so adorable," Dick said slapping Logan on the back.
Logan shot Dick a glare.
"So? What did you think about Little Dude here?" Dick asked.
"I think you did amazing, Lo." Logan said. "You really are a natural surfer."
"I think he could go pro someday." Dick said.
"Probably." Logan agreed.
"How come you never went pro?" Dick asked. "You're good enough."
"Because I'm an entitled rich boy?" Logan asked.
Dick looked confused. "Who isn't?"
"Honestly, I never wanted that." Logan said. "Going Pro meant the press and notoriety and endorsement deals. I've had enough press and notoriety to last a lifetime. I surf because I love it."
Lo looked at Logan inquiringly. "What does all that mean?"
"OK. Let me explain." Logan said. "The Press are people with cameras. They try to get pictures and videos of famous people to put on TV or in magazines. They get paid a lot of money when they get good pictures. Notoriety is when everybody knows who you are; famous people have notoriety. Endorsements are when a company pays an athlete a millions of dollars to say they use the company's product. Like a brand of surfboards or wax or wetsuits. People who read surfing magazines want to know what products the pros use, so that they can use the same stuff."
Lo looked at him as if he were crazy. "Those are all good things."
"Yes, for a lot of people those are good things." Logan acknowledged. He thought for a moment, trying to formulate his words. He probably didn't want to mention anything about murder or suicide. The kid was too young for that.
"Things were a lot different for me when I was a kid." Logan told his son. "My mom and my dad were movie stars, and people were always trying to take my picture to put in People Magazine or US Weekly. Strange people would wait outside the gates at my house wanting to see my father. It was annoying, honestly. I started to hate people pointing cameras at me, and I hated being famous."
"I think it would be cool to be famous." Lo said.
"Hey, a lot of people love being famous, it just wasn't for me. But there's no reason why you shouldn't go Pro someday." Logan told Lo. "If that's what you decide to do, I know a lot of people who could help make it happen for you. When you're older, of course"
"I'm going to be the best surfer ever." Lo said. "I'm going to win everything."
"You've made a great start at it." Logan said.
"Because you had Uncle Dick as your teacher and your dad's talent." Dick said, giving both of them high fives.
Three girls in string bikinis walking by, noticed Logan.
"Logan Echolls!" The tall, curvy blonde in the middle said excitedly.
"Hey." Logan waved halfheartedly.
"Remember me? Sabrina! Rams' cousin. We went out a few times Junior year."
"Sure. How've you been?" Logan asked, not really caring to hear the answer.
"Great! Thanks! Where've you been all this time?"
"Dead?" Logan said.
The three girls tittered.
"We should hook up sometime." Sabrina said, flirtatiously. "I'll give you my number."
"No thanks." Logan said.
"What does that mean?" She asked, obviously taken aback.
"No thanks? Typically means thank you for your interest, but I'm not interested." Logan answered.
"You don't have to be rude about it." One of the girlfriends chimed in.
"I think it's rude to try to pick up a guy in front of his kid." Logan answered, eyes hardening. "But what do I know?"
"OK, nice seeing you." Sabrina said, embarrassed. She pulled her two friends away, and the girls wandered off whispering among themselves and looking back at him.
"Dude! What did you do that for?" Dick asked. "That girl was hot! I know you and Ronnie haven't gotten back together…yet."
"And we won't if I let myself get distracted by other girls." Logan said.
"Don't you want to get your fun in before you go and get all whipped again?" Dick asked, cracking an imaginary whip.
"Not really. Let's just say I'd rather buy a Beemer than rent a Ford Fiesta." Logan answered. "And this conversation is hardly appropriate right now."
"Why? No shame in being a chick magnet." Dick said.
"Did you see that Little Dude?" Dick said turning to Lo. "Someday you'll be a chick-magnet like your dad."
"I don't want to be a chick-magnet." Lo said. "Girls are gross."
"Girls are gross?" Dick asked. "What about Lilly Kane?"
Lo blushed. "She's a girl."
"But you like her." Dick sing-songed.
"Ewww." Lo said.
"Lo, go ahead and tell your dad the lines I taught you."
"Lines, Dick?" Logan asked, giving him his do-I-really-want-to-hear-this-look.
"Yeah, tell him, Lo. Get some more practice before you use them on Lilly."
Lo sighed heavily. "Fine..." He sulked.
Lo looked at Logan and recited: "Hey baby, is this swing taken?" Dick nodded in encouragement. "What's a nice girl like you doing at a playground like this? Can I buy you chocolate milk?"
Logan pinched the inside of his wrist hard to keep from laughing. "Dick? You taught my kid pickup lines?" He asked putting on his best indignant face.
"Well...Not the good ones…yet." Dick said. "Somebody should get some use out of them, now that I can't use them anymore."
"Lo listen to me, whatever you do, don't ever take girl advice from Uncle Dick." Logan said.
"Why not?" Lo asked, offended on Dick's behalf.
"You know what used to happen to Dick when he used his cheesy lines on girls?" Logan asked.
"No, what happened?" Lo asked.
"Dick got his face slapped. Often."
"Yeah, but for every five face-slappings, I got one date. It's all in the numbers, baby."
Lo laughed at the image of five girls slapping Dick.
"Dick, he's my offspring." Logan smirked. "He won't need pickup lines. The girls will come to him."
Dick fist-bumped Logan.
"Chick Magnet Genes, bro!"
"Jeez, why are we having this conversation? He's five years old!" Logan said, shaking his head.
"Sorry, Lo." Logan apologized. "You're absolutely right. Girls are 'Ewww'! Very ewww! You should probably wait until you're at least sixteen to start liking girls."
"He's just saying that because he has to." Dick said. "Keep practicing your lines Dolphin Dude. Lilly Kane will be eating out of your hand."
"Not if she's anything like her predecessor." Logan grumbled.
"Aint that the truth!" Dick said.
"Dick, have you and Mac found out the sex of your baby?" Logan asked.
"Yeah man, we're having a little girl!" Dick said excitedly.
"Oh. Poetic justice!" Logan laughed.
"What does that mean?" Dick asked.
"It means that for the rest of your life, you'll have to worry about guys just like you using bad pick-up lines on your daughter." Logan smirked.
Logan almost laughed at the stricken look on Dick's face. Almost. Until he remembered that he also had a new daughter. That wiped the smirk off his face quickly. He suddenly felt sick to his stomach.
Logan swung by Veronica's house to pick up Morgan, and then took both twins to Amy's for ice cream. Now that he had traded "Logan the Surfer" for "Logan the Father", Lo had retreated into his shell. What was it going to take to make the kid like him?
Logan and Morgan both ordered chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream cones, while Lo chose mint chocolate chip.
"Thanks for coming back to get me." Morgan said. "Ice cream is my favorite food in the whole world."
"You and your mother both." Logan said. "What's your favorite food Logan?"
"I don't know." He said.
"His favorite food is pizza." Morgan said.
"Mine too." Logan said. Lo shot him a dirty look.
"It really is!" Logan laughed, hands up. "Promise! I'm not trying to copy you."
Lo worked at his ice cream cone, having nothing to say.
"So what did you and your mom do today?" Logan asked Morgan.
"We went to Java the Hut for cocoa and then made cupcakes at home."
"Did you save one for me?" Logan asked.
"Yeah, mom said your favorite color is green, so I put green sprinkles on all of mine, for you."
"That was very nice of you! I bet the green ones are the yummiest of them all!" Logan said. "Do you like baking?"
"It's OK." Morgan said.
"So how come you don't surf, Morgan?" Logan asked.
"Because it's dumb." Morgan said.
"It is not!" Lo said.
"Have you ever tried it Morgan?" Logan asked.
"No."
"Would you like to? I can show you how."
"Maybe someday" Morgan said, noncommittally.
"So what else do you do, Morgan?"
"I'm a secret agent."
"Oh, right. The camera and the fingerprints. Do you ever do secret agent stuff, Lo?"
"No."
"So do you two have anything in common?" Logan asked them.
"We have the same birthday." Morgan said.
Logan laughed. "What I meant was, is there anything that both of you really like a lot?"
They were quiet for a moment.
"Pirates." Morgan said. Logan nodded in agreement.
"I'm glad to hear that, because pirates rock!" Logan said.
"Pirates rock!" Morgan agreed.
"Know what else rocks?" Logan asked. "Clean faces." He got up and grabbed a handful of napkins. Those kids had more ice cream on their faces than in their bellies.
There was a strange vibe in the air when Logan brought the twins home. He could tell that Veronica had something on her mind.
"Hey." Logan said.
"Hey." She said, with a small smile.
"So, I should probably get your phone number so I can get in contact with you." Logan said. Why was he so nervous? It wasn't a pickup. He had a valid reason to ask for her number.
"Logan." Veronica said. "Go get your stuff."
"What stuff?"
"Your stuff at the Grand. You can stay here."
"Veronica…I don't want to impose on you."
"Logan, if a relative were coming to town -or Wallace- I would have them stay here. You're the father of my children. It's hardly an imposition. At least stay here for now, until you figure out a more permanent solution."
Logan looked at Veronica, unsure.
"Plus, how am I going to teach you how to be a parent, if you're over on the other side of town?" She smiled.
"Well, if you put it that way, I'll accept." Logan said.
"Good. Now go get your things." Veronica said.
"Oh yeah. I remember how this works now." Logan smirked.
"What does that mean?" Veronica asked.
"How high?" Logan smirked and then jumped out of the way when she smacked at him.
Before checking out of his hotel room, Logan took a long shower. He dressed in jeans and a long-sleeved black t-shirt that was identical to one that Veronica used to love him in. He spent more time than usual fixing his hair. He wasn't sure what exactly he was doing, but he figured it was about time for that "talk" Veronica had mentioned.
He wasn't completely anxious. Veronica would not have asked him to stay at her house, if her plan was to tell him to stay the hell away from her and the children. That didn't mean that Veronica would be willing to jump back into anything again, though. He imagined that they had a long road ahead of them if they were ever going to get back to what they had before. A long road of trying to convince her to lower her defenses. But she still thought he was hot. There was that.
Logan turned in his keycard, checked out of the Grand, and jumped in his rental to head back to Veronica's.
Permanent solution? You have no idea, Veronica.