Chapter 36: Taking Control

******The Next Day******

Logan, Dick, Duncan, and Wallace met the next morning to go surfing. Wallace had gone a few times with Dick since that first lesson two summers earlier. Logan didn't surf as much as Dick since he and Veronica moved in together. Dick insisted he liked his cuddle time a bit too much. Logan didn't argue—it was true.

"So I'm surprised Ronnie allowed you to come and play with us with all this wedding planning madness she's got goin' on," Dick said as they carried their boards to the water.

"She doesn't control my every move, Dick," Logan said, giving Dick a good-natured shove.

"Really? She doesn't?" Duncan asked with a grin.

"Jealousy is unattractive, DK!" Logan said with a smug look.

"It's her wedding, man. She's got a right to be more intense than normal," Wallace said loyally. "It's not like she's laid back on a good day anyway!"

The guys laughed. "I can't figure out why you guys put off the wedding planning to the last minute," Duncan said.

"We just got engaged in October, dude. I didn't want to wait to get married. We agreed on New Year's Eve and pretty much told everyone, so we didn't think it was a big deal," Logan said with a shrug. "We wanted something simple and low key, so we knew it wouldn't be too hard to pull off."

"Are you going today to check out those locations?" Wallace asked.

"Yes, we're going after lunch to one and then the other tomorrow," Logan said. He stopped at the water's edge and dropped his board into the sand. His friends followed suit.

"So are you going to call your brother and invite him?" Dick asked.

Duncan and Wallace looked surprised at the suggestion since they hadn't heard the conversation about Charlie last night.

"I was thinking about it," Logan admitted.

"Dude, how do I not know you have a brother?" Duncan asked, dumbfounded.

"Oh, yeah. You were out of the country when that particular scandal broke," Logan said. He filled Duncan in on the highlights.

"Wow! A secret lovechild! Your life really is a movie of the week," Duncan said in bemusement.

"More like a soap opera," Wallace said with a snicker.

"Says the guy who found out his dad wasn't his dad," Logan said pointedly.

"He's got you there, dude!" Dick said, slapping Wallace on the back.

"Hey, that's the only scandal in my life," Wallace said.

"Really? Are you sure about that?" Logan said with a knowing grin.

Wallace looked uncomfortable. Veronica had become much more open with Logan since they'd begun living together. He loved that she was happy, but he forgot that when a couple became a unit and not just two separate individuals, secrets became a thing of the past. "Remember, you're marrying my sister. That makes us family, so don't start blabbing now or I'll make sure you sleep in the couch for a week!" Wallace threatened.

Logan laughed. "Don't worry. Your secrets are safe with me," he assured Wallace.

"Secrets? Dude, why don't I know all your secrets?" Dick asked, looking hurt.

Wallace sighed. "I'll tell you sometime. Not really that interesting," Wallace said.

"Can we stay on topic?" Duncan said. "Are you going to talk to your brother?"

"Do you think I should?" Logan asked his friends.

"Dude, if I found out I had a long-lost brother, I'd be over the moon!" Dick said. "I love you guys, but I'd love a chance to do right by a brother since I screwed up so badly with Beav."

"I wouldn't mind it either. It'd take some of the pressure off me," Duncan agreed.

"Well, I don't have any family pressure," Logan said dryly. "This Charlie guy is just a normal guy. A teacher. I got screwed over by the reporter and threw him to the wolves. He wasn't used to the limelight like I have been. I called and apologized on his voicemail, but he never called me back."

"A lot of time's passed. He may feel differently," Wallace said.

"He didn't seem to when I was shot and almost died. It was all over the news," Logan reminded them.

"Maybe he didn't want to be one of those guys who show up as the rich relative was dying," Wallace said thoughtfully.

"Maybe," Logan said doubtfully.

"Well, you should call him at least and see if he wants to talk," Duncan advised. "If he hangs up on you, you'll know he's a lost cause."

"True," Logan said. "I guess that wouldn't hurt."

"Let's surf," Dick said.

The guys grabbed their boards and hit the water.

*****Chicago******

Jazmin looked out the window of her room at the clinic she was in. She didn't know why she was anxious. Her brother wasn't in town yet, so she knew he wasn't going to visit her today. But today was the first day she was allowed visitors since she'd been admitted two weeks ago. She knew her parents would probably be by. Although she wanted to see them, she was dreading the looks on their faces. The kid gloves, the anxious fear in their eyes. Her dad tried to hide it, but she knew him too well. Her grandparents would be even worse. Her grandmother cried every time she saw Jazmin and held up her rosary to start praying for her.

The phone in her room rang. She grabbed it. It'd been too long since she'd talked to anyone but her brother. "Hello," she said.

"Hey, Princess," Eli said.

She closed her eyes at the sound of his voice. God, how she missed him. "I'm so glad you called," she said softly.

"Your brother told me last night you could get calls now. He gave me the number. It was kind of late when we got home, so I waited to call. I didn't know the times I could call," he said.

"Basically, between nine and nine," Jazmin said. "If the phone rings in my room and I don't answer, it means I'm not in the room. There's no voicemail. You'll just have to call back."

"Good to know," Eli said.

"So Jason tells me the wedding planning is in full swing now," Jazmin said, smiling as she pictured it in her mind.

"V's gotten a little bit crazed, I think. I'm hoping they end up choosing the Hyatt Regency 'cause they do most of the work for weddings in their place. It'll make all of our lives easier," Eli said.

Jazmin chuckled. "When I get married, it will take six months of planning at least," she said. "I won't be waiting to plan it the month of the wedding."

"Oh, yeah? Have you picked out a groom yet?" Eli asked, partly teasing, partly wanting to check they were still solid.

"Yeah, I have a guy in mind," she said, a smile in her voice.

"He'll be the luckiest guy on the planet," Eli said sincerely.

"I miss you," Jazmin told him, aching to be held by him.

"Yeah, I miss you, too," Eli said, his voice gruff.

"Are you going to come in with the girls next weekend?" she asked hopefully.

"No. I was hoping to come in for Christmas if that's okay. I can't afford to come in twice," Eli said.

"Christmas? Really? That'd be so great!" she said happily.

"Your brother told us the annual holiday party is next weekend. I'm glad you'll have V there to back you up," Eli said. "If that loser ex of yours bothers you, let V handle him."

"I can handle him, remember?" she reminded him.

He chuckled. "I do. Remember that when you're feeling weak. I don't want you to feel like a victim," Eli said.

"I was a victim," she reminded him. "I won't be again, though."

Eli was surprised but pleased at the determination in her voice. She sounded much stronger.

"No, you won't," he agreed. "So what exactly are you doing there?"

"We do a lot of talking. Group therapy. One on one counseling. Next week, I'm joining a rape support group that's at another location," Jazmin shared.

"So do you feel better?" he asked.

"I do. I still feel sick with guilt for taking all those pills and for lying to you, but I know I have to get past it. I'm working on forgiving myself," Jazmin said.

"You need to because I forgive you," Eli assured her.

"That means a lot to me," she told him earnestly. And it did. He'll never get how much his support and love meant to her. She wasn't sure how well she'd be doing without it. "I love you."

"I love you, too. That's never going to change," he said firmly. He couldn't imagine any scenario that would make him not love her. Even if he hated her and they one day parted ways (which was a fear of his), he knew that some part of him will continue to love her.

"Really?" she asked hopefully.

"Yes," he said. "I hope you'll do everything you can to get better and stronger so you can come back to Neptune."

"I will," she promised. She meant it. Getting back to normalcy was a goal of hers. They had her write down her goals the first day. They had her write down daily goals and then long-term ones. Her first goal had been to be able to sleep through the night. It had taken her a full week there to reach that one. Her second goal had been to go a day without crying. So far, she hadn't quite made that one. The counseling sessions were too emotional. However, she knew that next Saturday when her friends came to town that she'd finally have that goal reached. She couldn't wait.

******Later that Night at the Beach House******

Veronica and Logan were preparing for bed and discussing the pros and cons of the Wayfarer Chapel.

"It was so stunning. You can do the beach or the chapel service," Veronica said.

"Yes, but it doesn't have a place for a reception. I was kind of hoping we could have the wedding and then dance 'til midnight at the same location," Logan said, giving her a wolfish grin.

"True," she acknowledged. "But they will for sure have the time and space for us," she pointed out.

"And they do all the decorating and stuff. So that's good. Less work for you," he acknowledged.

"Well, that's not a plus," she said with a frown. "I kind of liked the idea of picking out flowers with Trina."

"Really?" he asked in surprise.

"Maybe my mom could drive down and help with that. She always liked flowers," Veronica said, remembering.

"I'm sure she'd love that," Logan said. "Why don't you call and ask her? Maybe she can go with you to a dress shop? You may find the perfect dress right here."

"That's true. I could," Veronica agreed. "Even if we didn't find the dress, I know she'd enjoy looking with me and watching me try on some."

"You should call her. Maybe drive down to L.A. and hit Rodeo drive," he encouraged.

"Are you going to call Charlie?" she asked as she crawled into bed next to him.

He put his arm around her. "Yes, I think I will. Duncan pointed out that if he hung up on me, I'd have my answer. I could at least do that," Logan said.

"Good," she said, snuggling up next to him. "I can't wait to meet him."

"Let's not get ahead of ourselves," Logan said cautiously.

"I'm sure he's just as curious about you as you are him," she said.

"Doubtful. There's been too many tabloids and news pieces about me and my life," he said glumly.

"Hopefully, the guy's too smart to believe everything he reads," Veronica said. "And since he's your brother, I know he's gotta be pretty smart."

Logan loved that she always managed to make him feel better about everything. She may not be a romantic like he was. She always saw the grays, yet she still managed to make him feel like he could do anything. Her love made him feel like anything was possible. "I guess we'll find out. I'll call him tomorrow," he said. He'd be disappointed if his brother hung up on him. However, he wouldn't be crushed. He had everything he could possibly want in his life now. He leaned over to kiss his bride to be.

*****Sunday******

Logan couldn't remember the last time he'd been so nervous. He looked at his cell phone again for the tenth time that day. He had decided to call his half-brother. However, he found it easier to say than do. He'd always wanted the connection that Veronica had with her dad. Now he felt that to some degree he had it with his sister. But there was a part of him that still longed for a big brother. It was a little boy dream that never quite left him. Growing up, he had thought maybe if he'd had a big brother his dad wouldn't have only had him to beat on. Of course, in his mind the big brother would be larger than life and so fiercely protective not even Aaron would hurt him.

Taking a deep breath, he dialed the number on his phone he never could bring himself to erase from his contact list. He hoped it was still a good number.

"Hello," a male voice said.

"Uh, is this Charlie Stone?" he asked.

"I hope so since you're calling his cell phone," the guy said with a laugh in his voice.

Logan liked him immediately for the small joke that relaxed him a bit. "This is Logan. Logan Echolls," he said.

There was silence so long that Logan thought the line had gone dead. He was about to pull the phone away from his ear and check when his brother replied, "This is a surprise."

"Yeah, well, you never returned my call after that mess I created for you, so I thought you wouldn't want to hear from me," Logan said cautiously.

"I didn't. Not then. I am just a teacher. I almost lost my job over all the sudden attention at my school," Charlie told him.

"I'm really sorry about that. I had a reporter pretend to be you, and I revealed too much to him thinking he was my newly found brother. I was pretty mad when I found out the stuff I said ended up in the papers," Logan said.

"Yeah, I read it online," Charlie said, a touch of sympathy in his voice.

Logan decided his reply was a good sign and ventured further. "Do you think we can meet up for coffee? Are your classes done for the semester?" he asked.

"High school doesn't finish as early as college. This Friday is my last day before break," Charlie replied.

"Do you think we can meet Saturday or Sunday?" Logan asked hopefully.

There was a slight pause before he answered. "Okay," he said.

They agreed on a meeting time and place before the call was over. Logan disconnected feeling very good about the conversation. This time he wouldn't screw it up.

*******Chicago*******

Jazmin was drinking coffee in the center's community rec room when a voice said, "Hello, Jazmin."

She looked up and saw Joseph, the last person she'd ever think would visit her. "What are you doing here?" she asked warily.

He sat down next to her on the sofa. "My mom heard from your mom about what happened to you. I had to see you to make sure you're okay," Joseph said, giving her a once over. She looked okay. He wasn't sure what he expected after the horrible tale he'd heard.

"I cannot believe your brother and that guy you're dating didn't protect you better," he said angrily.

"It's not always possible to be with others 24/7," she said tiredly. She didn't have it in her to fight with Joseph.

Joseph was taken aback by her lack of fight. Ever since they'd broken up, she'd always come back at him like a tigress. When he looked at her now, he didn't see any evidence of the tigress he so admired. She'd never before let him criticize her brother or boyfriends.

"Are you okay?" he asked quietly.

Jazmin was surprised by the real sympathy and concern she'd saw in his face. It'd been too many years since she'd really seen that in him. She was unable to shut him out. "I'm okay. I feel better now," she assured him.

"Is this guy who did it behind bars or dead yet?" he asked, his voice filled with rage.

"I don't think so. He's in Texas. I think his scholarship got revoked for next semester, so I'm not sure he'll be back, but it's not your concern, Joseph. I'm not your concern. I haven't been for a long time," she reminded him.

"Jazzie, you know that you and your brother are the only two people that ever mattered to me in my entire life. You may never forgive me for what I did to you, and I gotta live with that. But please let me do something, anything to help you," Joseph offered.

Jazmin looked at him closely and knew in that moment that she could get him to do what she didn't want her family or Eli to do. He'd kill David and not lose any sleep over it. However, she thought he could do something else she wanted; something she needed if she ever wanted to feel safe again. "There is something you could do to help me," she said carefully.

"Really? Anything. I will go to Texas and kill this guy for you. They'll never find his body. I swear it!" Joseph vowed.

"Actually, I need something else from you. You must promise me you won't tell anyone, especially my family what I'm asking you for," Jazmin said.

"I won't. I promise," he vowed.

"I'm not sure how much I believe your promise, but I guess I have no choice but to trust you," she said in resignation.

"What do you need? Name it!" he ordered.

"I need you to get me a gun. Something small and easy for me to use," she said. She would never be a victim again. Nor would she let anyone else fight her battles for her. She was tired of being weak. She was tired of being made to feel helpless. No more. Never again would anyone hurt her.

******Chapter End******

I hope you didn't mind me bringing Jazmin back into the story. She has been a central figure and her story isn't completely done yet.