A/N: Hello everyone :) Happy days to everyone...enjoy! Thanks to Bond as always, even though it's been a long time, I still super appreciate your help and encouragement.

NEVER HAVE I...

Chapter 20

Now that the threat was over everyone could all go back to their regularly scheduled lives. Mac could return to work at Kane Software, Dick could resume whatever it was he did, Bunk could go home to Seattle, Logan back to the Navy, and Veronica….

Back to what?

Not New York. Never again. In her heart, Veronica knew that New York was just a memory now, something she would never return to. Not with Keith recuperating and now that Neptune had found its way back into her heart. It sickened her to even think of leaving. Her place was here.

The others all stood around her, waiting for her to come to a decision. She held the keys to the Le Sabre, jangling them back and forth in her hands as she mulled it over.

They'd all been planning to take at least one more day for this to wrap up. Logan looked exhausted. Mac and Dick had taken time off from work. Bunk's crew was at the cabin.

So…what was the harm?

"Let's meet at the cabin." She said it hurriedly, before she lost her nerve. "We've got to get Bunk back there anyway and it would just be nice to hang out without the cloud of uncertainty." She looked around at all her friend's identical looks of shock. "Come on. It could be fun?" She said the last with the lilt of a question, leaving it open ended for the others to refuse if they wanted.

The truth was that there was any number of ways for Bunk to get back to his men, including the rental which Logan had driven into Neptune. Although at the moment about fifty police cruisers in the alley where Logan had left it earlier were likely boxing it in, but besides that, Bunk had hired men who could come and get him. Veronica purposely didn't mention any of that. The truth for her was that she wasn't ready to say good-bye to any of these people yet. Including Dick.

She cast a furtive glance over at Dick and then Mac, who stood abnormally close to each other. The two of them seemed chatty tonight, even, dare she acknowledge it…flirty with each other.

Man, she must be tired. Not flirty. Just…friendly. Maybe all this reconnaissance had changed something between them. Hmm.

"Are you sure you wouldn't like us to take you back to your dad?"

Logan's voice broke her through her thoughts. She immediately thought of her dad and how he'd looked earlier when she'd left him. She shook her head. "The doctor said the best thing for him was to rest. I'll go first thing in the morning. Tonight I just need to unwind. I think we all do. You, my friend, should probably pop some pain meds and head straight to bed."

Logan's expression was hidden by the darkness. She strolled past him, looked up to him briefly, and then headed to the driver's side of the Le Sabre. With a smile she said, "Last one there is a dirty bird."

****BREAK***

There was no rush in the drive to Carrie's house this time. There was no fear of being followed—no doubling back or second looks. Veronica and Mac drove together while the men followed in Dick's Jeep.

At the gate of the house, Bunk's men met them and cheered with the news that it was over.

But Veronica felt doubt.

Morrison hadn't been implicated yet, not really. Though Lamb had mentioned Morrison's name on the covert 911 call that Logan had made, Veronica knew that it wasn't enough. Unless Lamb cracked, Morrison would go on living his life by undoubtedly turning a blind eye to the whole debacle.

Once inside the house, Veronica took the bag that Wallace had packed for her and trudged up the stairs. She let herself into the guest room that she now considered hers. She dropped the bag heavily onto the bed, and stared vacantly down at it for a moment before she slowly unzipped it and pulled out a pair of shorts and a tank top. She fingered the soft material of the shirt, her mind churning.

It was good to see something familiar, something that was hers. Exhaustion hadn't quite hit her yet, but she knew it was coming.

A knock from the open doorway shook her out of her reverie and she turned to see Mac, smiling softly, leaned against the jam. "Hey. Dick is insisting on a victory drink downstairs. You game?"

The thought of a drink actually was extremely appealing. Veronica set the pajamas down on the bed. "Yeah. Sure. Just one."

****BREAK***

Logan shut the fridge door and handed Dick a beer.

"Thanks, dude," Dick said, popping the top and taking a deep swig. He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and belched. "After a day like this, I needed that."

"How was it like being followed all day?"

"We only saw the one car at the house, man. I don't think Mac and I are interesting enough."

"Good thing Van Lowe thought you were interesting enough. How did that go?"

"That guy's bogus, man."

They walked into the living room and sat down. Dick propped his feet up on the coffee table and spread himself out. "How's your face feeling?"

Gingerly, Logan touched his bruised cheek and grimaced at the pain. "Like my eye fell out and I stuffed it back in."

Dick's face contorted. "Shit, why'd you let Lamb get that close, man?"

"I don't think I had much control over it, man." Logan kicked aside Dick's legs to go past him and sat down in an overstuffed chair. "When an insane lunatic wields a gun at you, you kind of just let him keep talking and go with whatever happens to keep yourself alive."

He took another deep pull from his beer and then leaned over to set it on the coffee table. "I feel like a fuckin' steam roller blasted through and ran me over."

"You look like a fuckin' steamroller ran you over," Dick agreed with a smirk. "What does the other guy look like?"

"Like he got dropped out of an airplane and then steam rolled," Veronica quipped as she and Mac came in through the doorway. She motioned at the guys' beer bottles. "Where's ours?"

Logan's eye connected with Veronica's and he felt his heart thud in his ear loudly. He blinked heavily, his breathing shallow.

After what must have been a long, pregnant pause, Dick popped to his feet. "At your service, ma'am. That's my department."

"Uh…I think I'll go with you." Mac followed Dick out of the room, leaving the other two alone and staring at one another.

***BREAK***

Veronica felt awkward and unsure of herself. She stepped further into the room and was surprised when Logan stood up and crossed the expanse of carpet to meet her half way. He looked down at her as she gazed up at him. She felt breathless when he reached up his hand to tuck a piece of her wayward hair behind her ear.

He smiled, and she couldn't help noticing how attractive he looked, even bruised. "Hey."

"Hey."

Logan dropped his hand and took a step backwards. "I have to admit that I'm surprised it all worked out all. I was a little worried there for a while."

Veronica gave him a reproving look. "What happened wasn't in the plan at all. You weren't supposed to go with him! But we adjusted, and I'm just so grateful Mac thought to have the rental tracked."

"I'm glad you insisted I take your dad's gun."

"That's the beauty of forethought I guess." She brightened. "You were amazing, by the way. Calling 911? Brilliant. The operator stayed on the line the entire time. How did you think to do that?"

"I read somewhere that 911 operators won't hang up on you until they know the caller is safe. I took a chance and hopefully it will pay off. Lamb said some pretty incriminating things that they ought to be able to use against him and Morrison."

She frowned. "It will at least prompt the investigation. I doubt Lamb will spill."

"Yeah…" Logan gazed at her and Veronica's breath caught.

She bit her lip. "I'm glad you're okay."

He nodded slowly. "Thanks for saving me."

Making small talk was useless. Veronica pitched herself forward and wrapped her arms around him. She tucked her head beneath his chin and pressed her ear against his chest. "I don't know what I would have done if we'd gotten there one minute later. You could have been shot! God, Logan, I don't know what I would have done!"

He wrapped his arms around her and rubbed her back lightly. "Hey, it's okay. Besides, I've already been shot this week and you were fine with that."

"Stop it," Veronica ordered, her voice muffled against his shirt. "I was not. Quit making jokes of your life."

Logan gently pulled her away from him so that he could look down at her. He cupped her chin in his hand. "Hey. It's heartening to hear you say you don't want me to drop dead."

"Logan." Veronica felt the threat of tears burning the backs of her eyes and she shut them, fiercely combating their emergence. "Oh, god, Logan."

She didn't care anymore what anyone thought. She didn't care anymore what he thought. Logan was alive and Veronica was done fighting the truth that was within her.

Not taking any more time to think about it, Veronica stood up on her tip toes and tilted her lips up to meet his. She tasted his momentary surprise, but then his lips became pliant under hers and allowed her to make her way into his mouth with her tongue as her arms tightened up and around his neck. Her fingers threaded through the fine strands of his short hair and she pulled him closer into her and pulled herself closer into him. Logan's arms held her loosely, and Veronica had the sudden realization that maybe he was in pain and so she pulled herself reluctantly away from him.

She was nearly panting when she dared herself to finally look up at him. Her body felt flushed and she was sure he could probably see the desire that was coursing through her. Meeting his eyes, she laughed nervously and said, "Sorry."

"Where the hell did you go?" he growled, grabbing her arm and pulling her back to him. "I wasn't finished, you know." He dipped his head and met her lips again and this time it was Logan who pushed past her lips with a blistering kiss, his tongue kneading its way methodically into the recesses of her mouth. Veronica heard herself moan and she melted against him, forgetting her worry over his injury. Her body moved against his and she felt a familiar tug of longing that she only ever associated with Logan.

Logan trailed a kiss along her cheekbone to her ear. She cradled his head in her hands, reveling in his ministrations to her earlobe, sighing her approval. He kept his injured arm at his side, but his other was wrapped around her back, his fingers feathering into her hair lightly.

It felt so good and so right, but when she felt his hand drop lower to the edge of her shirt and then his warm fingertips on her skin, her mind cleared enough for her to breath. "Logan….Logan…we should stop."

"Mmm…" was his response, his lips against her throat. "Why?" But after a moment, his fingers dropped lower from Veronica's shirt to give a light tap on her rear end before his hands were off and he reluctantly stepped away from her.

She was pleased to see that she wasn't the only one breathing heavily. She smirked at his mussed look and the pulse at the base of his throat thumping wildly. His brown eyes were still searching hers when Mac and Dick returned from the kitchen with beer bottles in hand.

Mac handed one to Veronica and gave her a sideways look with raised eyebrows. "What have you two been chatting about?"

Veronica knew she looked guilty when she took a long pull from her beer. After a beat, she shrugged wordlessly and looked over to Logan for help. She shook her head with a smile when she saw that he had moved over to a side table and was flipping through a book of photographs, studiously ignoring the conversation. Amused at his nonchalance, Veronica brushed past him to flop herself down on an overstuffed chair and then took another swig of her beer.

"You know," Dick, oblivious to the exchange, said, "Being at ol' Neptune High stirred up all kinds of memories for me. Pirate points, basketball games, crashing slumber parties." He sat down on the couch and made himself comfortable. "There were many a slumber party I crashed, watching all those hotties in their barely-there short-shorts and teeny tanks playing truth or dare in the midst of a pillow fight. Ahh," he sighed, "those were the days."

Veronica rolled her eyes. "Horny toad Dick."

He grinned broadly. "I never denied I enjoyed the view, did I? That's just not in me. Besides, I don't seem to remember you throwing very many pillows around."

Talking of being scantily-clad only reminded Veronica of being in Logan's arms just moments before. Veronica shuffled uncomfortably in her chair, hoping she didn't look as guilty as she felt. "No one wanted to see that, Dick."

From his post at the side table, Logan snorted.

She ignored him and said to Dick, "And don't even get me started on the Truth or Dare part of those evenings." Veronica smiled reminiscently. "However, there was a variation of that we used to play…remember that Logan?" She slid a glance at Logan, seeing if he remembered. "Coming home hung over to the Kane's estate and getting glared at was always such a pleasure, but some of those secrets we got out of Lil and Duncan were sure worth it."

Finally, Logan turned around and joined the conversation. He stepped over Dick's feet that were now propped on the coffee table and sat heavily down next to his friend on the couch. He gave Veronica an intimate smile. "Never have I ever forgotten Lilly's look of glee at pissing her mom off like that." And he took a swig of his beer.

"Ah the 'Never Have I Ever' game of truths!" Dick hooted beside him, a spark of interest in his blue eyes. "Hell, we all have a bottle in our hands, what's stopping us having a little game of 'Never Have I' between good friends? Huh?" He looked around at the group and tipped his beer at each of them in a mock salute. "Come on! Just between friends! Just a little hurrah for making it through the past few days."

Neither Logan nor Veronica replied. Mac, who had been silently watching from a corner of the room, now sauntered over, and, giving Veronica a suspicious look, spun around and then sat down on the floor. "Dick," she said, resting her back against the chair Veronica sat in and crossing her legs. "No one wants to play a stupid game of truth or dare from high school with you. Look around. It's not eagerness you're seeing."

"Come on, Mac, you spoil sport! This is no lame game of truth or dare. I mean, really! Alcohol is involved. Everything is more fun with liquor! Why can't we have a little fun?"

"What secrets are there left to tell?" Veronica supplied in exasperation. "I mean, really, Dick, we're not eighteen anymore. Our lives are relatively boring compared to all our past life's teenage-ridden angst."

"Precisely my point, my dear!" Dick crowed, scooching himself more comfortably into the couch. "I mean, come on! Think of all that you could find out. There are nine years to catch up with! Come on! No holds barred!"

"Fine!" Veronica agreed with a sudden revelation and she sat up straight. "I'll go first. Never have I ever had a relationship with a lesbian." She cast a covert glance over at Logan.

Dick grinned and again tipped his beer toward her before bringing the bottle to his lips for a long pull. He gulped and said, "See, now how hard was that?"

Below her, Mac laughed. "Dick, you know that if you drink that means you've done that? Prove it."

"Well, hell, yeah, I have," Dick gloated. "There were these two girls once in college I didn't know knew each other until they proved me wrong by locking lips…and I was forced to watch through a locked sliding glass door! It was torture! I would have gladly been the cream filling to what I can only assume would have been a delicious Oreo sandwich. Numero Uno, lesbian. Numero dos, I call that a 'relationship'."

"Of course you do. And that you brag about," Mac grumbled. "Why am I not surprised? You're off to a great start to this game. You'd better get more alcohol. You'll be drunk in no time."

Veronica quit paying attention Mac and Dick's banter because she was waiting for Logan's response. She knew what she had just done by starting this risky game of Never Have I Ever and judging by the rock sitting in the pit of her stomach, she was sure she maybe should have thought it through a little more. Here she and Logan had been on a path leading to…well, she didn't really have a definition of where they were headed. But if the heat in their last encounter was any indication, she may have just screwed up big time. Her heart was now pounding loudly in her ears as she waited on bated breath for Logan's reaction.

He stared down at his beer with hooded eyes. Veronica couldn't read anything of him until he slowly drew his eyes up and met her gaze head on. With a small, ironic looking smile and a raise of his eyebrows, Logan lifted the bottle to his lips and took a sip.

Their eyes stayed locked on one another's and Veronica sat back in her chair with a whoosh of air. She'd suspected the truth but hadn't dared believe it could be true. During her many searches online, Veronica had typed in Carrie Bishop's name when all other inspirations had failed her. Carrie's murder had been the top most hits on the Google search, but after scrolling down a bit, Veronica had eventually found a link to Carrie Bishop aka Bonnie DeVille's very own Wikipedia page.

The site contained typical Wikipedia information: early life, career, personal life, et al. Veronica had clicked immediately on 'personal life' and had found it to be lacking of any real information that she could glean from. According to Wikipedia, Carrie had come from a very devout, very large, very traditional Catholic family. Carrie fell smack in the middle of a family of seven (strange that Veronica had no real recollection of Carrie's siblings while at Neptune High).When Carrie debuted herself as Bonnie DeVille, her parents had stayed out of the limelight but had still been a driving force in her life.

Much had been made in the Wikipedia article of the death of Carrie's good friend Susan Knight. Veronica knew of the recent revelation that Carrie had been involved in some type of cover-up in her friend's death, and it had ultimately destroyed her.

For the past few days, Veronica had wondered just how close the two friends had actually been. Suppose Carrie and Susan had been lovers, and then Susan had died in a drug-induced hazed, which Carrie had then helped to cover-up. Mourning, Carrie began writing and releasing music, suddenly gaining fame. Not wanting to be put in the paparazzi's camera lens, Carrie had enlisted the help of her friend Logan Echolls, who had his own reasons to hate the media, to one-up the paparazzo and deceive the world in the cleverest of ways. And along the way, the connection to Logan kept Carrie's own parents content that their daughter was in a healthy, happy, traditional relationship, regardless of the state of her drug and alcohol problems.

Veronica barely noticed how Mac and Dick were still bantering back and forth as she kept her eyes locked on Logan, lost in thought. Her heart was still pounding absurdly and her mouth had gone dry. She licked her lips nervously and Logan's eyes zeroed in on her mouth. In that moment, Logan had never looked sexier to her. He looked relaxed, wearing a button up shirt and jeans that were faded in just the right spots, his hair still mussed from her fingers. His eyes were dilated and his lips were swollen from their recent kisses, and she wondered what her own mouth might look like in this moment. She wouldn't be surprised if her need was stamped across her forehead for the entire world to see.

"All right, all right…whose turn is it next?" Dick said loudly, breaking into Veronica's thoughts.

She broke the spell that had been cast between herself and Logan to address Dick by stupidly saying, "What?"

Dick looked at her like she was a moron. "Who gets to go next?"

"I'll go," Logan volunteered, raising his bottle and taking yet another drink. "Never have I ever…" he stopped, thinking, and then grinned over at Dick, "been married for less than twenty-four hours."

"Harsh, man! Harsh!" Dick took a chug and the women gasped incredulously. "Telling all my secrets."

Logan shrugged. "You started it. I think that means you ought to pay for it more than the rest of us."

Dick glowered. "Yeah, well, maybe I need a break once in a while."

"It's only beer," Logan reasoned.

"Yeah but it's no fun all alone," Dick whined. "My turn."

"No, no, no," Mac objected. "Veronica went first, Logan next. My turn."

"And by what hare-brained logic reasoning says it's your turn?"

Mac smirked at him. "Because it's my turn, so just cool your jets already." She sat up straighter from her position on the floor and cleared her throat. "Never have I ever…been put into the back of a police cruiser."

"Ah, seriously, come on!" Dick chortled with a glower and took a chug along with Veronica and Logan. He swiped a hand over his mouth and then said, "Now it's my turn." He smiled and looked at each of them in turn. "Hmmm, what should I say? Never have I ever…smuggled something over the border."

Logan chugged.

"Okay, okay," Veronica said over their laughter. "I'm next. Let's see….never have I ever… streaked."

Dick glowered and took a swallow.

Logan didn't even wait for Dick to lower the bottle before he said, "Never have I ever believed in the Berenstain Bear conspiracy theory."

"That shit is real, man!" Dick took another gulp and then looked down the neck of the bottle with one eye. "Shit, I'm already out of beer."

***BREAK***

"What the hell is the Berenstain Bear conspiracy?" Mac asked, passing a freshly opened beer over to Logan to hand to Dick.

As he took it from her, Logan explained, "Do you remember the Berenstain Bears?" At her nod he asked, "How do you spell Berenstain?"

"Uh…B..E..R…E..N…S…T...E…I..N."

Beside Logan, Dick nodded emphatically and poked Logan with his elbow. "Further proof, my man."

"Proof of what?" Veronica asked, obviously holding back laughter.

"Well," Logan gave Dick a look and then turned back to look at the women. "There is a small population who believe that they've found proof of time travel all based off of the spelling or misspelling of the Berenstain Bear books. Apparently, half of our generation remembers the spelling of the name how you just spelled it, Mac, and the other remembers S-T-A-I-N."

Mac was unimpressed. "So?"

"So, how sure are you that it's S-T-E-I-N?"

"One hundred percent sure." Mac said with conviction. "I loved those books growing up and remember wishing that it was S-T-A-I-N because then I'd know how to say the last name."

"And boom goes the dynamite!" Dick said animatedly. Seeing her odd look, he shrugged. "You're proving the theory right now. Go back and look at every Berenstain Book you've ever read and check it out. They're all S-T-A-I-N."

She didn't believe him. "That's not true."

"Well, I'm not gonna argue with you, but the fact of the matter is you're wrong. Or maybe you're right. Either way, me and my fellow Berensteinites know this can mean only one thing: someone went back into time and changed history."

Both Veronica and Mac exploded with laughter. "That's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard."

"Maybe, but you also sounded pretty convinced of the spelling of the name."

Mac shook her head. "All right. I believe you. My turn. Never have I ever believed in time travel."

Dick popped the top off of his newly acquired beer and took a swig. "And proud of it, baby. We're living in a parallel universe."

"Believe me, Dick," Veronica said. "If that were true, everything about my life would be different."

Dick ignored her comment. "Now it's my turn. No more of this silly arguing back and forth. And I'm done being the lone drinker."

"You're not the lone drinker," Logan supplied with grin.

"Oh, right, you and Ronnie have gotten in like one sip in each. And Mac-a-roonie over there is sober as a school girl."

"I just don't have anything to top all this," she waved her hands around the room. "It's more fun being the witness to all of your debauchery."

In fact, Mac had been having fun, but mostly it was the flirty back and forth volleying between her and Dick that had been the most enjoyable.

"Hmm, well, we'll get a secret out of you yet," Dick promised with a wink. "You're looking awfully thirsty."

She laughed and took a drink. "Lack of secrets has yet to stop me from my tasty beverage."

"Well that's good, I'd hate for you to get dehydrated."

They shared a secret little smile that was broken when Veronica cleared her throat and Mac realized that many moments must have passed by. Embarrassed, Mac took another sip of her beer. "Okay, Dick, pick a good one."

"Oooh, get ready. Hmm…" He caught her eye and cocked his head to the side, thoughtful. "Never have I ever….had sex with someone in this room."

Mac froze at attention and felt her eyes bug out of her sockets. Her heart began beating heavily and there was definitely a bead of sweat suddenly trickling down her back.

This was the moment. This was it. The way that Dick was looking at her told her that he remembered they'd slept together and was testing her reaction.

And reacting she was. Behind her, she heard Veronica's awkward laugh, and next to Dick, Logan was already chugging his beer. Neither of them seemed to notice the frozen stare between her and Dick.

She caught her breath, trapped with indecision. Dick, on the other hand, bounced his eyebrows up and down a few times before tipping his beer toward her and drawing it to his mouth in a silent question, taking a long pull. What harm would it do now? she reasoned within herself. He obviously remembered what had transpired between them all those years ago. Her denying it now would only tell Dick that she didn't choose to admit that it had happened.

She flashed through all of the events of the past few days. Dick meeting her at her apartment, the reunion, the 09er, Santa Anita. The long drive to and from the cabin today. So much had happened between them in such a short amount of time.

But she'd enjoyed it all. Not even grudgingly, she admitted to herself. She'd even kind of looked forward to some of it. Okay, all of it. Mac liked being around Dick.

It was like a therapy session, Mac thought ironically. The pros and cons of why to admit that she remembered sleeping with Dick vividly and in full Technicolor. Although she could only think of the reasons to admit it. Yes, Dick Casablancas was fun to be around. He made her pulse quicken. She already knew what he was like it bed. Terrific. Outstanding in his field of expertise. And expert he was because even after all these years later, she still remembered how it had been. Her heartbeat accelerated as she thought about how it would be now. There was no doubt he'd only mastered his skill.

All this flitted through Mac's head in a matter of seconds before she gave in and took a long pull from her beer, her eyes locked on Dick's. His blink of acknowledgment was all he gave her, but it was enough. Something changed between them in that moment, a live spark of electrical undercurrent that hummed between them now that only they were aware of.

Why had she fought this for so long? The light-weighted feeling of absolute freedom was coursing through her, an excitement of mutual acceptance of the unknown future between them. But it didn't alarm or scare her. Instead, it was as though anything was possible now, because there was Dick. The secret little smile he gave her now only assured her more fully. She was more certain than anything in the world that what she was feeling he was feeling as well. It was the strangest sensation but Mac knew it intuitively.

"Okay, okay, my turn," Veronica interrupted Mac's thoughts. Mac looked guiltily up to her friend, who was shaking her head and looking reprovingly at Dick. "That was just a sorry excuse for a 'Never Have I'. We all know the answer to that."

Mac held back a smirk when Dick's Adam's apple bobbed up and down and he said, "Yeah, just a gimme. I think I should go again since that was such a no-brainer."

"Oh, no." Veronica pushed back her sleeves and sat forward. "Gimme's still count, and it's my turn. You snooze, you lose, dude."

They went around the room a few more times, each person getting a little more humorous with their suggestions until it was finally Logan who put an end to their fun. After Dick had taken a deep pull for "Never have I ever kissed a transvestite", Logan stood up set his beer down on the coffee table. "I think this should be my limit. Booze and meds don't mix."

"Nah, man, booze and meds l is the only way to go, man. You won't remember anything in the morning."

"That's precisely why I should stop, Dick. I think I may need to remember this night."

In the chair behind Mac, Veronica moved around her and stood up. "Yeah, I think I may need to turn in myself. Long day tomorrow."

And with that, Dick and Mac found themselves alone.

A/N: I had fun with this chapter. I hope you enjoyed it! Have a great weekend, and if you have a minute, a Review is always welcome. Thanks for reading!