Sedona
Disclaimer: I do not own Veronica Mars. Warner Bros, Spoondoolie & Rob Thomas do.
Summary: What if Veronica had been the one in the car during 04 x08: "Years, Continents, Bloodshed"
Pairing: Veronica/Logan
Rating: T to M (for later chapters if there are any)
Author's Note: Bits of dialogue are taken directly from the episode.
"It was weird. He was gloating," Veronica says as she rummages through the open medicine cabinet in the bathroom. She's packing for the honeymoon she and Logan were finally going to have.
"Acting like going to prison was all part of his plan like he had won. He kept talking about the eventual true crime documentary, and saying if I'm still around I should stop by prison so he could gloat."
She gathers a few more items from the medicine cabinet before she slams it so hard in frustration, the glass rattles.
"Hey. Easy on the cabinets," Logan quips," If you keep that up we'll never get our security deposit back."
"You're the one who punched a hole in the one in the kitchen." Veronica says, as Logan finally looks up from his phone.
"Is that the only thing you remember from that night?" He asks, as he unbuttons his shirt, turns on the shower, and waits for it to warm.
She smiles as she pulls his crisp white dress shirt down off of his shoulders and tosses it onto the bathroom floor.
"No," she replies, as she pulls him closer, "I also remember the hair pulling and the speaking in tongues."
Logan chuckles, leans in to kiss her, "Stop distracting me. I'm trying to plan our honeymoon."
He leans against the doorjamb wearing only his pants. Veronica can't help but stare at him as she stands in the bathroom, still in her wedding dress.
She's so happy. She doesn't think she's ever been this happy. She didn't think it was possible to be this happy. She and Logan are finally married.
She can't help but smile as she listens to Logan going on about Sedona.
"Sedona's main attraction is it's array of red sandstone formations."
She looks at him and smiles," Second thing we'll do once we get there."
Or maybe she hasn't stopped smiling since she and Logan said," I do."
He smiles too as he steps up behind her close enough she can feel his warm breath on her skin between her neck and her shoulder.
"It's a seven hour drive. We'll leave here by six. Get there by two a.m."
"It's eight hours, Einstein," she jokes, holding back yet another smile.
"Plus one, because they're on Mountain time, "he reminds her, "So there." He says as he kisses her temple.
"Oh shit. You're right," she says smiling again.
It feels as if the smile is permanently plastered to her face.
His phone buzzes seconds after he steps into the shower.
Veronica grabs it and looks at the alert on the screen.
"Babe, I'm moving the car," she shouts loud enough that she thinks Logan will hear her over the sound of running water.
"What?" he shouts back, "Veronica?"
"I'm moving the car," she repeats as she walks out the front door. "Wait a minute. Arizona doesn't do Daylight Savings Time. What's the time difference in Fiji?
"I don't know. Google it."
Because he knows she will. His wife was like a dog with a bone.
His wife.
He loved the sound of that.
Veronica Mars was finally his wife.
As he stands in the shower something keeps running over and over on a loop in his mind.
Why the hell is Veronica asking about Fiji? Does she want to go there for the honeymoon instead?
After a moment it clicks. Penn's limerick. Midday round Fiji. Heroes upon whom we're doting.
Logan's breath catches in his throat as he realizes what's about to happen. He runs out the front door with a towel wrapped around his waist as the clock in the bedroom changes from 4:59 to 5:00 pm.
The rest happens simultaneous too fast and in slow motion.
Veronica opens the driver's side door as Logan shouts her name in panic.
"Veronica!"
The bomb explodes. Logan is thrown back several feet but he collects himself and takes off running in the direction of the car.
Or rather the direction of where the car once was.
Or what was left of it.
He tries to block all those thoughts from his mind. He couldn't think about the car. Because he knew the car was in pieces. And Veronica was in the car. If the car is in pieces somewhere deep down he knew that Veronica could be too.
His wife Veronica Mars in pieces was the worst thing he could imagine.
Worse than his mother being dead.
Worse than Lily being dead.
Worse than being trapped on an air-craft carrier in the Persian Gulf.
He puts the thought of it out of his mind and keeps running toward the remnants of the burned out car.
The driver's side door is open. He reaches inside the car, ignoring the pain as his skin burns and blisters from the heat. He pulls Veronica into his arms thankful that she hadn't put her seatbelt on. If she had it would've melted to her body. He ignores the sound of tearing flesh as he pulls her out of the leather seat, which has stuck to her body.
"I've got you, Veronica. You're okay. I've got you. Stay with me."
He pulls her burned and mangled body against his naked chest. Her once pristine white wedding dress is now black with soot. He wants to touch her face. Her beautiful face is burned. He knows touching her might hurt her but the pain might also rouse her into consciousness. He needs to hear her voice. He needs to know she's all right.
He brushes his fingers gently against her cheek. She turns her head towards him.
"Logan," she croaks her voice hoarse from the smoke in her throat, "I'm sorry. It my fault. I didn't figure it out sooner. I love you. Tell my dad …
He shakes his head, holding back tears, "Hey … No, It's not your fault, Veronica. I love you, too. I'm not telling your dad anything because you're gonna tell him yourself. I'm not letting you go that easily. Help is coming. Just hang on. Do you hear me? Hang on."
In truth he has no idea if help is coming. He'd run out of the apartment without his phone. All he could do was hope someone had heard or seen the explosion and called for help.
A naked guy standing on the beach holding his burned barely conscious wife. Now there's something you don't see everyday.
She's silent for so long he thinks she's lost consciousness again. But then he hears her voice.
"Logan … I'm tired …"
Her voice trails off.
"I know, Ronnie. Just hang in there a little bit longer for me."
The only person that ever called her Ronnie is Dick. Logan knows she hates the nickname but he'd used it hoping it would annoy her into staying awake long enough for help to arrive.
"Isn't it supposed to be warm in Sedona?" she asks, her breathing labored.
"Yeah," he agrees, wishing he could take away her pain.
"Can you wake me up when we get there?
She reaches for his hand and he takes hers.
He hears the ambulance sirens in the distance.
"There's our ride, Mars," he quips, as he kisses her hair, trying not to choke on the smell of smoke instead of the familiar scent of her shampoo.