Logan's Plan
A long while later, Veronica and Logan are under the covers just laying together. Veronica is dozing in his arms and he is content just to hold her for a while. They have been apart so long. He knows she has a lot of questions and they have a lot to discuss but as far as he is concerned, he and Veronica are going to be together from now on. They will have to live abroad for a while but that is not a problem for him. He has been giving this day a lot of thought. Mac helped him find Veronica. He knows that he can trust Mac. Very few people even know that Logan knows Mac and only Mac and Logan know how good of friends they have become. In fact, Logan left Lariot with Mac. Lariot will ground Mac and protect him. Mac will be forced to go outside in the real world and take Lariot for walks. Mac was unsure at first but has grown really fond of Lariot; he is so well trained and so loyal.
Logan's plan is that they will travel for a while and then settle. He has enough money that none of them need to work again. He and Veronica are coming thirty and they have been apart long enough. It is time for them to be a couple. They will buy a place somewhere remote and secure and they will be together. Veronica has done enough for society and he has left the FBI. Truly Logan is not concerned about where he is and what he does as long as he does it with Veronica.
Later the two of them are sitting in a quiet corner of the pub eating a late supper. Logan is wearing his beanie. He has a small dark goatee. He looks very unlike himself. Sitting next to her, he leans closer to her to listen as she tells him her concerns about moving. "Dad made a home here Logan. He met someone and he is happy."
Nodding he says, "He won't come with us then."
"I was the one who caused him to uproot his life," she says passionately, "I can't leave him again."
Logan smiles and points out, "Your uprooting him caused him to meet a woman he could love."
Veronica looks at him in surprise and admits, "True."
He reaches over and takes her hand, "Ronnie, you said you were going to move out to give him privacy anyways. Now you are going to move away and we will send for him to see us on his vacation every year. He will be safer away from you. The hired killers won't be looking for a man his age, alone; they will be looking for him with you."
Her mouth hangs open a little as she looks at him. He has to smile at her as he gently pulls up on her chin closing her mouth. She blushes a little at her bad manners and then says, "I hate to leave him though."
Nodding his agreement, he points out, "If the FBI had rated him as safe, you would have left him in Neptune when you left though."
There is a short silence as Veronica thinks about Logan's plan for them. He watches her eat, a small smile on his handsome face. He has missed her; everything about her from her love of food to her inquisitive nature. She is so beautiful to him!
The tiny blonde chews her food almost absently. She is amazed and almost overwhelmed. Logan sat through almost a year of desk duty. While he sat there, he planned their future. He hired a security team to protect him on the way to and from work. He didn't make any attempt to leave the FBI and kept himself as the only target left in California. While he was at his desk, he dreamed of the day he would be leaving. His tech guy, 'Mac' found Veronica, got him her class schedule and her picture ID. He helped him with a few new identities for them both as well as Keith. He helped him transfer his money into accounts that aren't traceable and he helped him get credit under all his new identities. Logan patiently had mustaches and small beards made for when he travels to match each identity. He has a supply of beanies and clothes to match each identity. This one is a student so he has a small goatee and darker hair. While in California, he kept himself clean shaven knowing that pictures of him this past year will be what everyone thinks about when they think of him. Now that he is away from Neptune, he will grow a beard and mustache until a time comes that the danger to him and Veronica has lessened.
But he tells her that their sacrifices will all be worth it because as of today, they are going to spend the rest of their lives together. Their names don't matter; the place doesn't matter; what they do for a living doesn't matter. What matters is that they will be a true couple.
Veronica looks at him and sees his determination. Logan is not leaving her again; he has been clear about that. The truth is that she doesn't want to be alone again. If she and her dad leave, her dad will have to say goodbye to a woman he loves because of her. If she tries to force Logan to leave, he won't. If she leaves, she won't see her father again so she might as well leave with Logan. He is really forcing her hand and she finds she is not as upset and she would have been a year ago if he did this. She has been unhappy and lonely and faking this life has been hard. Her new friends don't know her and they can't really ever know her. This life is not a lot better than the life she faked the last three years prior except now her father knows she is not a criminal. She has to start over in college. She is lying to everyone she meets. The sad truth is, she is not happy.
She points out, "I will finish up this semester so no one will suspect I am missing." Pondering she says, "I like your idea of telling my friends, Dad's girlfriend and employees that I got a scholarship overseas. No one will suspect I am leaving with you and Dad can feed them whatever story he wants while I am gone. They won't wonder why he never sees me."
Logan nods listening to her thoughts about his plan. He has given her leaving a lot of thought. If Keith was leaving with her, she and Logan would leave and Keith would close down the shop and then leave. If he is staying, then she would get an internship in England, finish her semester exams and leave. In a year when she would supposedly graduate and come back, Keith would tell his girlfriend that Veronica got a great job over there. He would be sad but make plans to go see her when he can close the rescue center. Perhaps he could come and see her alone the first time.
Veronica looks at Logan and asks, "Where will I finish up my degree?"
Logan looks at her in exasperation. He tells her, "You already graduated college years ago. You don't need a degree in Photography. You can use your knowledge of photography in the real world taking photos as we travel. You are wealthy and I have more money than I could ever spend in my lifetime. We have both sacrificed and worked enough. Now we are going to enjoy life."
Looking shocked, Veronica realizes that Logan is right. She doesn't need a degree in a fake name. She doesn't need a career. She can relax and enjoy life for a while before she decides what to do with the rest of her life. Smiling she tells him, "I'll arrange supper with my father tomorrow. Olivia is the vet on call and has to stay at work in case someone brings in a emergency."
Logan smiles and tells her, "I will check out of the hotel in the morning and take a drive. Then I will pick you up from class at one."
She smiles and teases, "My father is staying with Olivia tonight. He won't suspect if I stay with you."
"Even better," he says easily.
The next day, Veronica walks up to her home. Logan steps in front of her and knocks on the door. When Keith answers the door, he looks at Logan in surprise and then consternation. Logan smiles and steps aside allowing Veronica to be in Keith's view. Keith immediately understands that Logan has found them. He sees by the look on both their faces that Logan is not leaving. He moves aside and says, "You better come in."
Logan puts his hand on Veronica's back and encourages her to enter. He then follows her in.
Once they are in the kitchen, Logan looks around. It is a nice bungalow. Veronica has clearly painted it and decorated it. The furniture is leather and masculine. He sees her guilt that she pulled her father away from his home and friends. She tried to make him very comfortable here. He meets Keith's sharp gaze and sees that Keith knows what he is thinking. He says, "Nice weather here."
Keith frowns at the younger man and then looks at his daughter. He sees her meet Logan's gaze before she talks to him. In that moment he knows that they are together in whatever they have to tell him. Keith suggests, "Let's sit down."
Logan gently pulls Veronica to sit next to him on the couch and then sits back to listen to the Mars Family discussion of the problem and solutions.
In the most open and honest manner, Veronica lays things out for her father. Although initially surprised, Logan comes to realize that Veronica has misled her father in the past and used his fatherly reactions to her advantage in her sting operation but now she is not going to have deception in her relationship with the only person in her life who knows her. In this new life, she has to lie a lot every day, but she doesn't to her father. The young man who has had issues in the past with her walls and her deceptions, is very relieved and uplifted to hear her talk. This conversation, more than anything, tells Logan where Veronica's head is. She is putting the past behind her and she is determined to treat her father fairly and respectfully. She used him in the past but she is not going to be a deceptive child any longer.
Keith listening to Veronica talk about her life now and how lonely and disconnected she feels from everyone except him, notices Logan's reaction to their conversation. He sees that Logan is pleased at Veronica's openness. Keith is dismayed his daughter is unhappy with their new life but deep down, he felt it would take time for her to be happy. He honestly hoped that after she graduated, she would get a job and perhaps make a life for herself. Now he sees that she needed Logan Echolls.
He looks at Logan and asks the one question he needs to know. It isn't if Logan truly loves her because he can see he does. No, his question is Logan's plan. As he listens to Logan's story about the past year and what he has set up for their travels, he sees that Logan is very organized and ready. He has multiple identities for them all and he has ways to travel that they will never be on any travel list. Keith listens carefully to Logan's belief that Roscoe will lose power in the next few years and how he will not have the reach to get to them overseas. Keith sees that Logan wants to relax after the year he has had as a target on desk duty. Truthfully, Keith is impressed at the depth of the plan. It has been over a year in the making and every step has been meticulously planned. John Engbloom is going to unwittingly help Logan travel. He thinks that he will be helping a frat buddy of Dick Cassablancas to travel for his marketing business. He helps buddies of Dick a lot and in turn, Dick's wealthy friends are not put out at paying the large cost of private air travel. Logan now has an account with John's airline for use of private jets set up in a fake identity. He will never travel on a regular airline. He will not be seen by any facial recognition software.
Concerned that Logan can be tracked through his best friend Dick, Keith listens as Logan explains that anyone trying to track him through Dick Cassablancas would have an impossible task. Dick Cassablancas became the president of the Frat in college and he has a lot of contacts from the Frat and through his lifestyle. In addition, Dick hasn't seen Logan for over a year. Logan met with Dick around the same time he met with Wallace Fennel and Cindy MacKenzie. He explained to each of them the dangerous situation. He was honest with Wallace and Mac telling them they likely would never see Veronica again. They were both disappointed, upset and proud of her. He told Dick that it was for his safety that their friendship appears to die. Dick did not understand Logan joining the FBI but he accepted what he was told. He and Dick kept in touch through cheater phones in a safety deposit box. Dick made the arrangements for Logan to get out of the country on a private jet. Logan left ten cheater phones in Dick's safe in his home. They will keep in contact through them. Logan had a box of cheater phones for Keith if he didn't decide to come with them. He bought a safety deposit box yesterday and put the phones, new identities for Keith and money in it. Before he and Veronica left, Keith would go to the bank with Logan and sign in as the second person on the box.
Keith could see that if he stayed behind, he would be able to keep up his identity. He would be proud of his daughter Anne getting to take a year of schooling abroad. Then after the year, she wouldn't come home; she would take a job overseas. The first visit, Keith would go alone but after that, he could take his girlfriend without any issues. He realizes they will all be safer as he will not be travelling with Veronica. On vacation, his new girlfriend could meet Logan and be told that Veronica met him overseas.
Veronica would be far away from the United States and she would be protected by a former FBI agent. The only downside safety wise is that Logan is recognizable but he has quite a few false identities he can use complete with mustaches, hair color changes and wardrobe changes.
He is not happy that Veronica is going to leave him but he is happy for her. He isn't going to leave his new identity. He has met a woman he could marry and be happy with the rest of his life. He loves his new job rescuing animals and training helper dogs. It makes him feel like he is making a difference. He has made a few new friends and he feels comfortable and at home here.
After the late lunch, Logan walks out to Veronica's care with her. Keith sees that Logan is done being apart from his daughter; he is going to spend the rest of his life with her. Keith watching Logan assist her into his car and then drive off finally smiles. He is really sad Veronica is moving away but he is really happy that she will be far from any danger. Logan will protect her.
The next day, Douglas tells his girlfriend that she is invited to a celebratory dinner at their house. Anne, because of her excellent grades, has been accepted for a year at Royal Holloway, University of London. She will graduate there. Douglas is so very proud of his daughter. Naturally Olivia is thrilled for Anne and she is very sympathetic that Douglas will miss her.
Veronica attending the dinner keeps her part of the charade going. She frets about keeping her grades up through finals so she doesn't lose this wonderful opportunity and is very excited about travelling. She has never been out of the US and this is a great opportunity. Wondrously, she tells Olivia about how her photography professor recommended her after a student dropped out of the program. She excitedly tells them that she is going to be able to take summer session there as well. She talks about how another student is going as well and they are going to rent an apartment together. Olivia talks about never visiting England but she visited Paris. Anne listens to her stories about travelling and tells her that she would like to take some tours while she is there; there is so much for her to see and do. She helps clean up the lasagna her father made and she hugs him thanking him for the great dinner.
Keith hugs her back. Veronica says regretfully, "I feel bad though. You moved to be near me in my last two years of college. Now I am leaving you alone after only one year here."
Keith smiles at her and shares, "I am so proud of you." He walks over and puts his arm around Olivia and adds, "Because of us moving here and starting this business, I met Olivia." He looks at Olivia and says quietly, "She is so caring and special; she makes me so happy."
As Veronica watches, Olivia blushes at Keith's words and she looks at him and says, "I am so grateful you moved here. This is the happiest I have ever been."
Veronica slides out of the room leaving them alone. This is a moment for them and she feels choked watching their obvious love for each other.
That night she studies in her room and talks to Logan on her burner phone before she goes to bed. When she brings up transferring some of her money out of her account, Logan immediately vetoes it asking her if her Dad has his name on the account. When she tells him he does, Logan casually says, "Then just leave the money for him. The less transfers of large amounts of money, the better."
When she mentions that she will need some of her money, Logan laughs and says, "Our identities are of married couples. Your name will be on whatever accounts we are using. We will have lots of money." He adds and she can tell he is smirking, "Besides your father deserves the money from Jake more than you do. He is the one that put up with your mother all those years and he is the one who had his career and marriage ruined by the Kanes."
There is a long silence and then Veronica admits, "You know, that is true." She adds, "Are you sure that you are OK with me leaving all my money behind?"
"Although we won't legally be married Veronica," he tells her, "I will consider us equal partners in love and life."
Veronica is so very touched by his words. She answers back, "Me too Logan. When I left, sometimes I dreamed of a day we could be together and other times I hoped you moved on and found someone who could make you happy."
Now it is Logan's turn to be touched. She loved him enough to wish he could find happiness even if it wasn't with her. He knows they can never marry under their real names but he has looked up traditional wedding vows and he wants them to have a ceremony. He wants them to have a ceremony with Keith there, using their real names. It won't be legal but it will be real for them.
A couple of weeks later Veronica finishes her last exam and when she walked out towards the parking lot, she texts Logan to let him know she is done. Logan gets her text as he leaves the jewelers.
He has been very careful wearing a disguise when he is out of his hotel room. It would not be good to bring any attention to where Keith lives. In a few days, he and Veronica will be out of the country. He has been content to stay in the long stay hotel he found on the outskirts of town. The maids only come in once a week. There is no breakfast downstairs and no one keeps track of his comings and goings.
He finds a park that has a wonderful gazebo and view of the ocean. He takes Veronica there and tells her he wants to have a small private ceremony with just Keith and them. It won't be legal but it will be the day they commit totally to each other. Veronica buys a short white dress and Logan picks up the flowers. Keith looks at the vows that Logan gave him and he agrees to lead the unofficial ceremony. He knows that they will probably never use their real names again but this is important for them.
A week later Keith arrives home from supposedly driving his daughter Anne to the airport for her trip to London. To his surprise, Olivia is waiting for him having cooked him supper. His heartache eases a little when he sees her love and concern. She is there for him knowing that he is sad today. The truth is, he is sad but seeing the excitement in Logan and Veronica's faces was really wonderful. Today they are leaving to start their lives together. Yesterday they had their wedding service. Watching Logan and Veronica say their vows was touching. They clearly love each other and belong together. They will protect each other. Keith wraps his arms around Olivia and says, "Thank you for being here." He was touched and surprised when Veronica left all her money for him and then when he went into the safety deposit box and saw the phones, identities and the money Logan left for him. He is set financially and he can run if he has to. He and Olivia will be able to travel, enjoy life and work together to help the abandoned animals and the people they can partner with. He can tell Olivia that he sold his lucrative business to move here with Veronica. It will explain the money and she won't suspect anything.
In the small jet, Logan and Veronica sit closely and hold each other. The day they have both been dreaming of is finally here. They are starting their life together. The first stop will be London. Veronica will take background cover pictures of an apartment, neighborhood and the university. She will take pictures of some of the buildings, especially the ones she could be taking courses in. She will pictures of the library and any place else she would hang out like the cafeteria. Then she will take a lot of pictures of London. She will send some of them to Keith over the next few days and then over the next few months to go along with things she is supposedly doing in England. Keith will be able to use them to show Olivia and keep their story intact. The truth is, Logan and Veronica will be leaving London after a few days. Logan is thinking of travelling for a few months and then perhaps settling in Australia or New Zealand. They will communicate over the burner phones and make arrangements for Keith to come and visit them once they are settled.
Veronica held securely in Logan's arms looks at her new rings. Although the ceremony was not legal, it was wonderful for them both to commit to a life together using their real names. It was special for her to have her father there. They got married at sunset and it was absolutely beautiful. She set up her camera to take pictures of the ceremony and then they posed together after. The pictures will probably never been seen by anyone else but they are important for them as a couple. Saying goodbye to her father had been hard but Veronica was excited about the future. She looks up at him and when she has his full attention she tells him seriously, "Thank you for finding me and not taking 'no' for an answer. I love you so much."
His smile lights up his face and his eyes as he tells her, "I love you too." He leans down to kiss her and she wraps her arms around his neck responding to his touch. This is where she is supposed to be; in the man she loves life and in his arms. Finally.