Sometimes You Can't Make It On Your Own
Chapter 8: The Love Story of ViLan
Logan – Day Two – Flying J Truck stop – Eloy, AZ
The tan or taupe or beige or whatever color car serving as Logan's temporary prison was a complete piece of crap. Logan had no idea of the make or model. It wasn't even worthy of an identification. It had two doors, cheap vinyl interior, and glue giving-way on the headliner so that it bubbled and draped over his head. Fast food bags littered the floor, some of them not empty - if the smell was any indication.
Logan was handcuffed to the hinged grab handle on the ceiling behind the passenger seat. He hoped that the hardware on the handle was as cheap as everything else in the car as he strained against it. The guy had a gun, but Logan had a feeling that good behavior wouldn't exactly earn him a reprieve. If he was going to go down, he wanted to go down fighting. It was a shame that it had taken him a few minutes to figure that out. Long enough for the guy to get the handcuffs on him.
How the hell was he supposed to get out of this situation? He'd vowed to keep Veronica and Duncan alive, and it hadn't even been twenty-four hours before he'd been taken out of commission. Could they get away? Would they get away? The old Veronica would never have left him behind, but this new version was unpredictable. Had her loyalty to him returned as quickly as his loyalty to her? He hoped it hadn't. He wanted them far away from here. Safe. Could Veronica handle taking care of Duncan? Who would take care of her? No matter how big her bark, she was still a tiny little thing who could be easily overpowered. Fuck. He was not ready to die. He was not ready to leave Veronica and Duncan alone.
So much for me not failing them. All because I forgot the disguise! How could I be so stupid?
Logan's captor was of average height. His face was ruddy and his dark hair was long overdue for a haircut. He wore jeans and a white wife-beater. The guy obviously worked out. A lot. Logan thought he could take him, though. He was taller, and what he was lacking in muscle, he certainly could make up for in endurance.
He suspected his captor was neither a bounty hunter nor a cop. If this guy had to make a living using his wits, he wouldn't be making much of a living.
The Celtic cross tattoo on the man's left bicep was a clue, but he confirmed Logan's suspicions when he pulled out his cell, and leaned back against the driver's door to make a call. Logan stretched out across the backseat, attempting to kick the man through the window, but he couldn't reach.
"Liam...You're never going to believe this. I stopped to get gas and the Echolls kid literally walked right in front of my car...Yeah, I have him...In the backseat...He's cuffed...Flying J truck stop in Eloy, AZ next store to...um...The Care-eye-age Motel...I don't know where the other two are...Yeah, they could be...No, no sign of the backpack either...Who cares about the backpack?...Oh...Fine. OK, I guess I'll see you in about an hour...We're parked behind the store...Later."
"Well kid, looks like Liam wants that backpack. Why don't you just take me to it, and maybe he'll go easy on you when he gets here."
"Why don't you just go fuck yourself?" Logan said sweetly.
"Aww, don't be that way, kid. We don't have to get violent here. Well, my cousin Liam might get violent, but I'm usually a pretty easygoing guy." the man grinned.
When Logan ignored him, he shrugged, and snagged a porn magazine from under the passenger seat. He leaned against the driver's door again, flipping through the pages. Occasionally he would hold up a page for Logan's benefit. Apparently, Fitzpatrick goon #1 liked busty blondes.
"Whadya think about this one?" He asked, holding up a picture.
"Looks just like my ex-girlfriend. You may have heard of her, Lilly Kane?"
Although the motel room was within his sight line, Logan avoided looking at it. He didn't want to call the man's attention to Veronica's location. Instead, he kept his eyes on the truck stop. Unfortunately, the man had parked the car at the back side of the building. Only an employee door and a row of dumpsters were visible. Logan prayed that the garbage filled up quickly.
"Damn. You dated Lilly Kane? Lucky guy. Must be a hard act to follow."
"More like impossible. Let's cut the bullshit. How much do you want?"
"How much what? Money?"
"Yeah. My dad will pay any ransom. Ask for ten million. He'll pay."
"Sorry kid. You don't seem like a bad guy, and I'd love to ransom you, but this is personal for my cousin Liam. He wants you dead. You and your friends." The man looked regretful at having to miss out on that kind of money.
"You would pass up a chance at ten million dollars for revenge?"
"You don't know Liam! He scares the hell out me. Sorry kid." The man tossed his magazine face-down on the passenger seat, fished a folded map from the door pocket and walked to the front of his car, spreading the map across the car's hood, and leaning over to look at it, tracing a route with one of his fingers and snacking on one of Logan's Boston Cream donuts.
You hold me at gunpoint, and now you're stealing my donuts?
About five minutes later, a girl rounded the back corner of the truck stop. Her black, jaw-length hair was straight and glossy. She wore a short-sleeved, white, button-up shirt, a plaid schoolgirl skirt with a matching necktie, white knee socks and black heels. Logan felt his heart skip a beat as the girl strolled across the parking lot toward the motel.
Knee socks!
God Logan! You've been captured by one of the Fitzpatrick goons, you're handcuffed in the backseat of a car, and you're thinking with your dick now of all times?
Still, he couldn't take his eyes off of the girl. Her outfit was one of the hottest things he'd ever seen. She didn't just walk, she strutted. She strutted as if it were her inalienable right for every eye be turned upon her. This was a girl who knew exactly how hot she was.
As she strutted past the car, she noticed the man looking at the map. She turned back around and approached the car.
Veronica? How could I have not known it was her. I would know those knees in my sleep. And when did she realize how hot she is?
Veronica's hand was inside of her bag. She was obviously prepared to taser the guy. The question was, could she get close enough? Logan began exerting more pressure against the grab handle. If he survived this, his wrists were going to be raw.
What did she do, circle around the front of the truck stop? And what the hell is she thinking? Who's going to take care of Duncan? What if she gets herself killed
"Hi." Veronica said, tilting her head to the side, "I couldn't help but notice your map. Could I possibly look at it for a moment? I'm on my way to Phoenix, and I seem to have gotten myself lost." Her voice was almost unrecognizable, breathy and ditzy.
The man looked up, and Logan saw his eyes bug out in appreciation. "Hi." he said, flustered. "Absolutely. I can help you out. I'm Danny. Danny Boyd." He held out a hand. He obviously had no idea that the girl in front of him was Veronica Mars.
"I'm Amber." Veronica giggled, visibly relaxing, and removing her hand - empty - from her bag before shaking his hand.
"I don't need to know your name honey, just tell me you're eighteen."
Veronica's smile tightened.
"Oh, who's kidding who? Like I care?"
"So, what are you? A cop or something?" She walked over to the driver's door, peering in at Logan. She grinned while he looked at her angrily. How could she take chances like this?
"No. Actually...I'm a...booty hunter." Danny said proudly. He joined her at the driver's door, to her left, leaning over on his forearms.
"A booty hunter? Is that like a bounty hunter?" Veronica giggled.
"Bounty hunter. Yeah...that's what I said. I'm a bounty hunter." Danny said.
"What did he do? Is he dangerous or something?" She leaned further into the window, flashing Logan a warning glance.
"This kid right here may look young and innocent, but he's actually a cold-blooded murderer."
"Really?" Veronica pretended shock.
"Yeah, he stabbed a man."
Veronica gasped, putting a hand on Danny's arm, trying to pretend that contact didn't make her skin crawl.
"Wow. We're so lucky there are brave men like you to get dangerous criminals like that off the street."
Logan glared at her. She was going to get herself hurt, and he couldn't do a thing about it.
Danny Boyd preened at her flattery. "Would you like a donut, Amber?" He returned to the hood of the car and held out the box of donuts for her inspection.
And now she gets a donut too?
"Boston Cream? Those are my favorites!" Veronica gushed, plucking one from the box.
"Mmmmmmmm" She moaned, closing her eyes in pleasure. "The chocolate is so rich." She scooped out some Bavarian Cream with her tongue. "The cream is so…perfect."
Logan groaned. He'd seen Veronica do that dozens of times. It had been part of their little game – she took all the food and rubbed his nose in it, before sharing the last couple bites. It was even sincere – she did actually get that much pleasure out of good food. But now, of all times?
Stupid, Veronica! This asshole doesn't know our inside joke. He doesn't know how you used to tease me when you got the last donut! You flash tongue, he thinks you're offering him a blowjob!
Just as Logan suspected, Danny misinterpreted Veronica's signal. She smiled at him, tilting her head flirtatiously, and Danny closed in on her, putting his hands on the car on either side of her, and leaning in.
"Don't even think about it, asshole." Logan growled.
"Excuse me?" Danny said, stepping back to look at Logan. "What did you say punk?"
Veronica slipped out of Danny's arm-span, and Logan wrapped both of his hands around the grab handle he was cuffed to. He hoped that by holding the handle, he'd be able to swing his legs out further if he could lure Danny closer.
"I said, keep your damn hands off the girl. How will Liam feel about you picking up a girl when you're supposed to be watching me?" Logan answered.
"What's it to you? Jealous?"
"As a matter of fact, I am. The least you can do is cuff my hands in front. I've always had a thing for knee socks."
Danny smirked at him in the universal guy language.
"You're disgusting." Veronica said.
Logan shrugged. He had to keep this guy's hands off of Veronica.
"But seriously." He said. "You go back to that girl's room, I'm out of here. I will pull until I rip this handle right off the ceiling, and you'll have to explain that to Liam…And I seriously doubt she's going to blow you right in front of me. But if she does...I ask again, will you please cuff my hands in the front?"
Veronica looked sullen. "I'm glad you're locked up like an animal."
"Says the slut trying to pick up a complete stranger."
Danny Boyd, leaned into the window to take a swipe at Logan, but Veronica grabbed at his arm before Logan could kick him in the face.
"Forget about him, Danny, he's nothing. So, about that map?"
"Oh sure. Of course." He said, dismissing Logan and returning to the hood of the car.
Logan sighed in frustration. He'd come so close, and Veronica had to ruin it.
Danny leaned over and began running his finger along the map again. "You're going to pick up I-10 around here. Then you're going to…"
Veronica reached into her bag and pull out a small zip-lock baggy. She tugged at the zipper seal, pulling out a folded cloth.
What the hell is she up to?
Logan watched warily as Veronica leaned over the map next to Danny. She put her left hand on Danny's neck, and with her right shoved the white cloth in his face.
Danny Boyd, struggled against the cloth for a moment, before sliding bonelessly to the ground.
"Having fun, Logan?" Veronica asked with a grin, while digging through Danny's pockets for his keys.
"I am now," Logan said. "Where the hell did you get Chloroform?"
"At the office. My dad took it off a bail jumper. Thought it might come in handy."
Veronica climbed into the back of the car, belatedly realizing that Logan was stretched along the entire back seat. In order to reach the handcuffs, she was forced to have to sit on Logan's gut.
"Oof!" Logan grunted. At Veronica's look, he grinned. "Just kidding. You weigh like three ounces." He pulled hard on the grab handle and managed to drag himself to a sitting position.
Oh my God, knee socks!
Breathe Logan, it's Veronica. Duncan's true love. Lilly's best friend. You can't act on this. Pretend that she's not sitting on you with her cleavage right under your nose. Quit thinking about licking that little spot of chocolate off the corner of her mouth. She's off-limits. As she's always been.
"So this is the extracurricular activity you were talking about yesterday when you wanted to borrow my handcuffs?" Veronica teased.
"It is now. If you've ever wanted to have your way with me, now would be the time to do it." He waggled his eyebrows.
Veronica snorted and went to work on the handcuffs. "Yeah...I'll get right on that."
Please?
He heard the click of the handcuff opening, and his left arm dropped heavily. Veronica unthreaded the cuffs from the handle, allowing Logan's right arm to drop as well. She lifted Logan's left arm and began massaging it.
"Numb?" She asked.
Logan nodded, not trusting his voice.
Clenching his right hand was the only thing preventing him from wrapping both arms around Veronica - crushing her to him and never letting her go. She could have died today. And yesterday. He could have died today. What would it hurt to hug her?
She'd never let me hug her. And just admit it Logan, you don't want to hug her. You're such a fucking girl. You want to hold her. You want to bury your face in her neck and just be for a while. You're freaked out over almost dying, and you think Veronica can make it all better.
He unclenched his hand when Veronica dropped his left arm and reached for his right. She unlocked the cuff and began massaging the second arm, while Logan watched her. He thought the black hair looked amazing in contrast to her pale skin and blue eyes. Like a tiny Snow White. Not for everyday - nothing beat her natural blonde hair - but as an occasional change-up, it was hot. His left hand rose to touch the wig.
"Logan..." Veronica warned, without looking up.
"Sorry. Just wanted to see what it felt like. It looked silky."
"Satisfied?"
"Almost." Logan answered, dropping his left hand to rest on her knee.
"Do your wrists always get this raw when you play your handcuff games?" Veronica asked.
Logan's fingertips ghosted across the skin of her knee.
Satisfied now.
His hand left her knee and rose to her plaid necktie.
Veronica's teasing grin faltered when her eyes finally met Logan's. Whatever she saw there caused her to freeze, her massaging of his arm trailing off.
Logan's thumb idly stroked the material of the necktie, as his heart began to speed up and he stopped breathing.
Just one little tug on this tie could pull her mouth to mine. Brazen women have been doing it to men for a hundred years. Why should they have all the fun?
Logan sighed and looked away, dropping the necktie and running his hand through his hair.
The eye contact broken, Veronica, realized the precariousness of her position, dropped his right arm, and scrambled off his lap and out of the car.
She felt it too! And it's about freaking time.
Logan laughed out loud, and Veronica looked in at him as if he were crazy.
Good! I can exploit this. No reason for me to suffer alone.
Logan climbed out of the backseat of the car and stretched. When he turned around, Veronica was eyeing him warily. Smirking, he leaned over and wiped away the bit of chocolate at the corner of her lips and then sucked his index finger.
"You're right, that chocolate is rich." He smirked.
Veronica's eyes widened and then narrowed. She put her mask back up, as Logan leaned against the car, watching her with a self-satisfied grin.
"He's working for Liam Fitzpatrick." He volunteered unnecessarily.
"We'll need to get him back to the motel room." Veronica said. "We'll tie him up there so that we can get away."
"We'll have to do it quickly. Liam told him he's only an hour's drive away. About thirty minutes ago."
Logan grabbed Danny under his arms and pulled him into the back seat of his piece of crap car.
While Veronica slid behind the steering wheel, Logan returned to the hood of the car and grabbed the coffee and donuts, setting the box and the cup holder down on the passenger seat.
"Meet you back at the room." He said, snagging a Boston Cream and walking away.
Veronica pulled up next to him a moment later.
"What are you doing, Logan?"
"Walking to our room." He didn't stop, and Veronica rolled the car along next to him.
"Why?"
"Number one? You are NOT taking this donut from me." Logan took a large bite, chewed, and swallowed before continuing.
"Number two? I'm pissed. He could have killed you."
"Ever hear of gratitude Logan?"
"You shouldn't have risked it. The only reason this worked is because that guy is as dumb as a box of hammers."
"But it did work."
Logan finished his donut and reached out a hand. Veronica handed him his cup of coffee.
"Still somewhat warm at least." He said after taking a sip. "Remember what I said last night? If anything happens to you, it was all for nothing."
"Logan…"
Logan stopped walking and turned to face Veronica. "How do you think Duncan would feel…maybe…fifteen years from now, wearing an orange jumpsuit in a prison cell: 'I did it for a girl, but she took stupid chances and got herself killed two days later anyway.' I know. He didn't have to kill the guy, but he's messed-up any chance he could have for a normal future. Don't make his sacrifice for nothing."
Logan handed Veronica his cup of coffee and started walking again. It took a few seconds before she rolled up next to him without speaking.
"Thank you." Logan said, finally. "For rescuing me."
"You're welcome. Took you long enough to say it."
"You were pretty good back there, Amber. " Logan didn't see the proud grin on her face. "But it scares the hell out of me that you have chloroform."
"Good. Does that mean you're going to start treating me with respect?"
"That's crazy talk." Logan smirked at her. "Well, we're here. Thanks for the rolling escort, but I think I can take it from here."
Veronica snapped several photos of Danny Boyd, before Logan wrapped the man's arms around the base of the toilet and snapped the handcuff on his right wrist.
"Let me have it." Logan said.
"Have what?"
"You're about to go off on me, right? Lecture me about how cruel it is to handcuff an unconscious man to an unsanitary motel toilet with his own handcuffs?"
"Not really. Actually, my only suggestion would be that we strip him naked and throw away his clothing. That'll slow him down longer."
Logan's eyes shot up at her. "Who are you, and where's Veronica? You used to lecture me that I acted too cruel sometimes."
"And now I can match you in cruelty." Veronica answered. The detached way in which she made the statement gave Logan a chill, but he remained silent.
He turned away to pull the wife-beater over the head of the unconscious man. A thick angry scar ran across Danny Boyd's belly. The stitch work was clumsy, unprofessional, obviously not done by a plastic surgeon, like all of Logan's stitches had been. Logan looked back at Veronica, but she hadn't seemed to notice the scar.
She's checking out his six pack! What the fuck?
"Would you like some private time to eyefuck our hostage?" Logan's words were clipped, annoyed.
Veronica's eyes gave away that she'd been caught, but she recovered. "Just cuff him and finish undressing him so we can get out of here." She rose and left the room.
While Logan packed up the Explorer and got Duncan buckled in, Veronica went to the office and paid for one more night in the room. Then she followed Logan in Danny Boyd's car to the nearby shopping center. She hopped into the Explorer, leaving Danny's car in a tow-away zone, and took the keys.
Veronica – Day Two – Interstate I-10 East - Arizona
Veronica took the first turn driving while Logan worked on setting up the refrigerator. He sat in the front reading the manual, and then slipped into the back.
"Tada!" He said enthusiastically, after a few minutes. "It works! I can feel cool air."
Veronica kept her eyes on the road while she listened to Logan add cans and bottles to the refrigerator.
"So, will this thing be draining our battery all night when we're in the motels?"
"Nope!" Logan said, sliding into the passenger seat, with a proud smile. "It has an AC adapter also. We can take it inside with us."
"You really have no concept of 'roughing it', do you?" Veronica laughed.
"Um...did you see the dive motel we stayed at last night?"
"You realize it's not practical to stay at the Ritz when you're on the lam, right?"
Logan may have suffered a reversal of fortune, but he was going to fight downgrading his lifestyle as long as he could. As long as he wasn't burning though their cash, she wouldn't say anything. He wasn't hurting anybody by being in denial.
Logan reached behind Veronica's seat and checked the refrigerator. "Nothing's cold yet."
"It's been five minutes, Logan."
"Well, how would I know how long it should take?"
Veronica found the entrance to I-10 and eased onto the freeway. Fiddling around with the bells and whistles on the steering wheel, she found the Cruise Control and set it to 73 miles per hour.
Logan slipped into the back seat, taking a seat next to Duncan, and digging out a nutrition drink and a straw.
"Hey DK. Ready for your breakfast? I've got a treat for you. Chocolate nutrition drink! Cool, huh? Can't believe it's only nine in the morning. So much has happened already."
Logan shook up the drink, removed the lid, and slipped the straw in between Duncan's lips.
"Drink, Duncan." Logan said. "Good. So when Veronica got in the shower this morning, I went out to get us coffee, and on my way back, this dude pulled a gun on me. Drink."
The straw momentarily darkened and then went clear again.
"Good. So this guy ends up being Liam Fitzpatrick's cousin, Danny Boyd. I know, right? The pipes, the pipes are calling. Anyway, so he handcuffs me to one of those handles on the ceiling. What do they call them, 'oh shit handles'? It was one of those ones that swivel a bit on a hinge. He calls Liam, and tells him that he has me, and Liam was only an hour away. Drink."
"Good. So I'm sitting there, contemplating my impending doom, when this girl walks up in this hot little school girl outfit. And it took me a minute to stop staring at her legs long enough to look up and realize that it was our own little Veronica Mars in a wig. Take a sip."
"So she's like 'Hi, I'm Amber! Show me your map big boy.' Logan changed his voice to imitate a ditzy girl, complete with giggles.
"Logan." Veronica warned from the front seat.
"What? You were totally doing the dumb blonde voice! So anyway, she's like 'Oh, you're such a brave, handsome man to get criminals like this punk off the street.' Take a sip. Then she licked all over this donut, so old Danny Boy thought he'd be getting some."
"I did NOT lick all over a donut!" Veronica objected.
"Right...So he tries to pin her to the car door. I start making an ass of myself, trying to lure him closer, so I can kick him in his face. And Ronnie ruins it for me, pulling him away at the last second. Drink."
"So I'm freaking now. How am I going to get out of this? How is Veronica going to get out of this? Then she's leaning over the car hood next to him, and I'm not sure what she's doing. Her tiny little skirt is riding up, and I'm thinking that if I'm going to die today, and least I'm going to catch a glimpse of Veronica's undies first. And suddenly, she's Chloroforming the fucker. Drink."
"Can you believe it? Little Ronnie Mars, badass Supergirl. Drink."
"So then she climbs in the backseat and sits on me. And she's like 'Oh Logan, you're so hot. And now that you're handcuffed, I can finally have my way with you!'
"Logan..."
"So we made out all over the back seat. And I made her moan without even using my hands."
"LOGAN!"
"What? Hey! I thought he'd wake up and punch me in the face for that. It would have totally been worth it."
Veronica stared at Logan in the rearview mirror. She tried to look very stern, but she was afraid that her eyes might be twinkling in amusement.
God I've missed you, you big asshole!
"Drink Duncan"
Logan shook the drink. "Wow, you drank it all."
Before moving back to his seat, Logan prodded Duncan until he was facing sideways with his feet up on the seat.
"What are you doing to him, Logan?"
"Don't people get bedsores if they're always in the same position? I think we should rearrange him every couple of hours."
"OK Duncan, well I'm going back up to the front to admire Ronnie's knee socks. You could admire them too, if you would just..you know...wake the fuck up."
Bored, Logan pulled out his Nintendo DS and began playing a video game. He looked up twenty minutes later when he heard Veronica laughing. "What's so funny?"
"You do realize you only need your thumbs to play that thing?" Veronica asked.
"Huh?"
"You use your entire body. You lean, and twist, and make faces. It's hilarious."
"I'm glad to be such a source of amusement to you." Logan said, snapping the DS closed and shoving it back in its case, obviously bored with it. He pulled his left knee to his chest so that his foot was on the seat. "I wonder if anybody's found Danny Boyd yet."
"We can only hope not." Veronica answered.
"I kind of feel sorry for the guy." Logan said. "Naked, cuffed to a toilet. Car towed away."
"He was going to kill you, Logan. He would have killed you if he'd known where Duncan and I were. I have no sympathy for him. I could have done a lot worse to him."
"God, you're such a hard bitch." Logan said, a hint of admiration in his eyes.
"Just the way you made me." Veronica said smugly.
"The way I made you?" Logan asked. "Hmm...I think you're giving me credit that I haven't earned."
"Sure you have." Veronica said. "I'm the girl I am today because of you."
"I can't wait to hear this." Logan said. "Please...proceed." He swung his arm out in a matching hand gesture.
"Well, to begin with, you weeded out all of my false friends for me."
"I live to serve."
"You pointed out all of my weaknesses, and I eliminated them."
"I'm a great guy that way." Logan said, nodding.
"You found all of the chinks in my armor, and I covered them up. Made them bulletproof."
"Well I guess that explains why I rarely get a decent reaction out of you anymore - except for that moment this morning. That was one for the vault."
Veronica glared at him. "You taught me that trust is to be earned, not given freely."
"Well you're going to have to get over that one."
"Why would I do a thing like that?"
"Because we're all we have now - the three of us."
"Which means that things are pretty damn dire."
"You forgot: made you learn a little bit faster, made your skin a little bit thicker, and made you that much smarter." Logan pointed out helpfully.
Veronica snorted. "I'm disturbed at your knowledge of Christina lyrics, but yes Logan, thanks for making me a fighter."
The car was silent for a few minutes, all parties lost in thought.
"You want to know what really pisses me off?" Veronica asked.
"No, but I'm sure you're about to tell me."
"The fact that you feel sorry for Danny Boyd, a thug sent to kill us, but you never felt any sympathy for me - one of your best friends - when you were trying to ruin my life."
"You wouldn't have wanted any sympathy." Logan said.
"No, but I wanted you to stop it."
"Well it's a good thing I didn't or you wouldn't have learned all of those valuable life lessons you were just talking about."
Veronica looked at Logan in disgust, and he had the decency to look abashed. He disappeared to the back of the truck for a moment. He returned a moment later, waving a chocolate chip cookie under Veronica's nose.
"What do you want, Logan?" Veronica said.
"Peace offering?" He said, flashing the puppy dog eyes. He waved the cookie back under her nose.
She pounced.
"Mmmm…" She said, savoring the chocolate and pecans. "More!"
Logan held the cookie back up to her mouth, and she demolished it in two more bites.
"Feeding me?" She gestured to herself. "Good peace offering." Veronica said after she'd swallowed.
"Want another?"
"Do you even have to ask?"
After three cookies, Veronica was in a better mood.
"So, you think you would have reunited with Caitlin if we hadn't run?"
"Not a chance in hell." Logan looked at her as if she were crazy. "She cheated on me with that Chardo dude."
"You always took Lilly back." Veronica reminded him.
At the look on Logan's face, she instantly felt guilty. "Sorry, I shouldn't have gone there."
Logan was silent. He turned to look out the window.
"Really. I'm sorry." Veronica said, touching his forearm. She hadn't meant to strike a nerve. She was stuck with the guy, she didn't want him turning all emo on her.
"I wonder what it is about me that screams 'cheat on me'." Logan mumbled.
"How would I know? I barely know Caitlin. I couldn't tell you what was going through her vapid mind."
"Well, as somebody who hates me, I'd think you'd relish the opportunity to get your digs in."
Oh God, no! Not the broken little boy face. I'm helpless!
"You're an asshole, Logan. You're a psychotic jackass. You were a horrible friend to me. You're a hundred other negative things, but you were always a good boyfriend."
Logan looked up in surprise. "You think I'm a good boyfriend?"
"Well, yeah. You're faithful - at least 95% of the time. I'll give you the fact that Lilly was already cheating when you kissed Yolanda. You're affectionate. You're protective. You're devoted. You're supportive. You love with your whole heart. I don't know why they would cheat on you."
"Thanks." Logan mumbled, looking at his shoes. He was suddenly feeling shy.
"Unless...maybe you're crappy in bed?"
Don't think of the sex tape, Veronica. Don't even imagine it.
"Crappy in bed?" Logan asked, incredulously. "Crappy in bed? I'd be happy to give you a demonstration of exactly how NOT crappy I am in bed."
"Yeah, I'm going to have to take a pass on that offer." Veronica said.
"OK, your loss. Then let me draw your attention to those videos from the poolhouse. As you pointed out yourself, my bimbos were very very satisfied."
So much for not thinking of the sex tape. Not imaging Logan's mouth kissing up that girl's back…Ugh!
"I think with Lilly, it had nothing to do with you."
"How could it not have anything to do with me?"
"Lilly really loved you. But I don't think one man could ever be enough for her. She was a hedonist. She lived for pleasure and sensation and variety. It wasn't you, it was her."
Logan breathed in a sigh. "Yeah…" He said. "That was Lilly. But what was Caitlin's excuse?"
"Easy, she's a skanky bitch." That one got a laugh out of Logan.
"I do have to wonder why you pick girls like that to date, though." Veronica asked.
"I only date the ones who check the 'unfaithful' box on the application?" Logan answered.
"I loved Lilly, but you had to have known that she was a bit of a mean girl before you started dating her. You did know. We talked about it. Same with Caitlin. You ever consider dating a nice girl?"
"Considered? Only once. Typically, nice girls don't do it for me."
Considered...once.
"Cause they won't put out?" Veronica's words came out more sharply than she'd intended.
"That has nothing to do with it." Logan snapped back.
"Don't you want to be happy Logan?" Veronica asked in frustration.
"Why should I be?" Logan's voice rose. "Lilly doesn't get to be happy. Duncan isn't happy. You sure as hell aren't happy. So why should I get to be?"
It always comes back to the four of us.
"So is that why you turned against me? Could bear the idea of me being happy if you weren't?"
"No." Logan answered without elaborating.
"So why did you turn against me?"
Logan remained silent.
"Why does it come back to the four of us, Logan?"
"Huh?"
"You counted me in your unhappy people list."
"So?"
"So. We're not four anymore. You left me behind. It's you and Duncan - Two. I'm alone."
Logan looked at her as if she were dense and pointed at each of them in turn. "One. Two. Three. I count more than two here."
"We can't just pretend the last year didn't happen, Logan. If I'm unhappy, it's because of you."
"We're back to the ostracising thing again? My points remain the same. You could have made friends with any of those people."
"I didn't want any of those stupid people. I wanted you!" Veronica burst out, surprising Logan. "And Duncan...and Lilly...You were supposed to be my family. My support system. You were supposed to be my best friend after Lilly." She added more quietly.
She watched Logan clench and unclench his jaw as he stared out the window.
I just don't understand this guy. What is he trying to hide from me? What did I do that he feels so strongly about?
"You're right, Logan. None of us are happy. And you know what?"
"What?"
"Lilly would be so damned pissed at us!"
Logan looked up surprised, a grin reluctantly spreading across his face. "Wouldn't she?"
Veronica returned a tiny smile.
"But how much would she love us being on the run like this?" Logan asked.
"Oh God! I can practically hear her voice cheering us on." Veronica laughed.
"What's she saying?"
"What do you think? 'You need to live Veronica Mars! Experience this country! Go sightseeing. Eat the most scrumptious food. Dance at the hottest clubs. Wear your shortest skirts, and never call it a night before three boys have fallen in love with you.'"
"Sounds just like Lil. You going to listen to her?"
"If I did any of those things, we would get us caught. If this was a roadtrip instead of running for our life? I'd play the 'what would Lilly do?' game."
"Liar." Logan smirked. "You couldn't handle 'what would Lilly do?'"
"You wanna bet?" Veronica asked belligerently.
"You know what Lilly would do? Lilly would be naked. In the back seat. Someplace with a high risk of getting caught. No matter how badass you are these days, you're not that girl."
Veronica felt the onset of a blush coming, and forced it away. She wasn't even shocked, it was just always her first reaction when conversations turned to sex, and she was sick of it. She met Logan's eyes and held them for a moment before returning her eyes to the road.
"Was that a challenge, V?"
"No. Just an acknowledgement. Lilly did love sex, and would probably be having it right now if she could. No, I'm not Lilly. No, I'm not going to hop in the back seat and take my clothes off. Nor am I going to act like the blushing schoolgirl every time the topic of sex comes up. I'm immune now to your attempts to embarrass me."
Logan gave Veronica a slow clap. "Nice speech Ronnie."
"Thank you."
"So...uh...you wanna have sex? There's this thing I can do with my tongue that will have you humming for hours."
Veronica blushed deeply.
Logan broke into a fit of laughter, while Veronica glared at him.
"You are no Lilly Kane." He said after he got his laughter under control.
"And she was no Veronica Mars, but she thought I was something special."
"That she did, Veronica." Logan acknowledged.
Logan grew serious. "You're going to think I'm crazy if I tell you this."
"I already think you're crazy. You can't do any more damage." She softened her words with a small grin.
"Lilly led me to you. At the park. I had already pulled away, when I saw her in the rearview mirror. When I got out of the car, I saw another glimpse of her running through the gate where you were."
Veronica stared at him for a moment before returning her eyes to the road.
"What if I hadn't followed her, Veronica? What if I'd written it off, or blamed it on heartburn or something? You'd probably be dead."
Logan covered his face with his hands for a moment, while Veronica stared straight ahead.
"You think I'm crazy?" He asked, peeking between his fingers.
"If you are, then we both are. I see her now and then also."
"And she leads you to places you're meant to be?"
"No, nothing profound. She mostly just tells me what to wear."
Logan looked Veronica up and down. "If she told you to wear that, she has my sincere gratitude."
Logan - Day Two - Interstate I-10 - Arizona
"Keep an eye out for some kind of jewelry store." Veronica said.
"I'll be sure to make that a priority. Why do we need a jewelry store?"
"Well, since you turned out to be right about the engagement ring thing, I need to find a more...practical...replacement."
Logan remained silent for a minute, and finally came to a decision. He stepped to the back of the truck, dug through the inner pocket of his duffel for a moment and then handed Veronica a ring.
"If you promise not to lose it, you can wear this ring. See if that fits." He watched Veronica slip it onto her finger.
"It fits perfectly. Of course I won't lose it, but where did you get it? You weren't planning to propose to Lilly, were you?"
"At fifteen years old? Um...No. Actually, it's my mom's. I took it to remember her by."
"You stole your mom's engagement ring?" Veronica asked, her voice rising. "What were you thinking?"
"Not the one she wears now. She hasn't worn this one in years. It isn't worth much, and she won't even notice it's gone."
When Logan had visited his mother's room for a memento, he hadn't anything in particular in mind. When he'd idly flipped open the lid of her jewelry chest, the ring box had caught his eye, reminding him of a better time when his parents had been in love, and Aaron had still been his 'daddy'.
Logan could split his life into two parts: Breaking Point and Before the Breaking Point.
Before the Breaking Point, Logan remembered having a real family. Two devoted parents. A father who read him bedtime stories every night. A mother who took him to the playground, and took pride in raising him without a nanny. They'd been in love. Often when Logan entered a room, he'd catch them making out like teenagers.
Back in those days, though well-known, Aaron and Lynn had been known as Indy darlings. They'd only accepted scripts they felt passionate about. Aaron had already won his first Oscar, and Lynn had been nominated.
At some point during his eighth year, things began changing. His parents began whispering about somebody named Trina. They began having more discussions about how they would pay for the exclusive private school he attended. His father was of the opinion that public school would be fine for both of them. He'd attended public school, after all. Logan's mother insisted he remain at private school. She wanted him to have all the advantages in life.
The first time Logan ever heard the words Breaking Point coincided with the first time he'd ever heard his parents argue. Lynn accused Aaron of selling out. Aaron argued that it would pay for private school. Lynn argued that it was teaching Logan the wrong kind of lesson.
Days later, Harvey Weinstein sat at the patio table with Aaron and Lynn, while Logan played with his cars on the ground. "For God's sake, Aaron, get your wife a proper engagement ring. You're A-List now. You have an image to project."
"I love the ring I have, Harvey." Lynn insisted. "It may be small, but it was given to me by the man I love."
Nevertheless, a week later, Lynn's engagement ring was retired, and she began sporting a three-carat rock.
Not long after that, things began changing. The family cars disappeared. Beemers and Jags arrived. Aaron acquired a driver. Lynn acquired a housekeeper. One morning, he went to down the kitchen for breakfast, and was served by a cook.
With the new staff, Lynn freed up several hours a day.
It started with a trainer. If she could just tighten up a bit, she might be offered more roles. Spa trips became a regular occurrence. Collagen appeared in her lips. Silicon appeared in her breasts. A simple desire to be more fit gave way to pursuit of perfection. Maybe she knew even then that she could never hold Aaron's eye.
Trips to Rodeo Drive increased. Trips to the playground decreased.
The first time Aaron struck Logan, he cried as hard as his son, cradling him to his chest and whispering "Never again." and "I swore I'd never be like him."
Logan was eight years old, and his parents called him down from his room.
"Logan, we have to talk to you about something important." Aaron began. "Before I met your mom, I used to be married to another woman named Barbara."
Logan was stunned.
"Barbara was a lot older than I was, and couldn't have a baby. She really wanted to have one, though, so we adopted a baby girl. Her name is Trina, and she's twelve years old now."
Seeing how unhappy his mother looked made Logan upset.
"Logan, yesterday, Barbara was in a car accident. She didn't survive. So your sister Trina is going to be coming to live with us now."
Logan looked to his mother for confirmation. She nodded, her lips tight.
"I don't want some stupid girl to come live with us! I don't want a sister!" Logan yelled, and ran away.
"Logan get back here right now." His father commanded.
Logan stopped and turned around, but didn't come back. Aaron rose and walked to Logan.
"I want you to apologize right now. That behavior will not be tolerated."
"I don't care! You shouldn't have married some other lady. And you shouldn't bring some stupid girl to our family! I hate you!"
One minute Logan was facing his father, the next he was flying through the air until he hit the wall.
Aaron stood over him, anguish on his face, and scooped him up into his arms.
"I'm so sorry."
"Never again."
"I swore I'd never…"
The next day, Aaron took Logan to Toys R Us and told him to pick out anything in the store. Logan was the first kid he knew to get the first generation Sony Playstation.
Aaron kept his promise for several months, but things were changing. Breaking Point had been so successful that Aaron was being rebranded as an action star. He needed to be tanned and manicured. He needed a trainer and martial arts lessons. He was never home anymore, and when he was, he was constantly on-edge. It was only a matter of time before he hurt Logan again.
Thus began a cycle of abuse, contrition, and bribes. The more severe the beating, the larger the bribes: video games, jet skis, dirt bikes, laptops, anything Logan asked for, he received.
Logan couldn't remain unchanged. The formerly happy little boy became angry and sullen. He had to be worthless. Why else would the father who had promised to always keep him safe turn against him? Why else would the mother who used to revolve her world around him begin dropping out of his life when he needed her the most? Why did she smell funny when she came in to kiss him goodnight? He withdrew and quit playing team sports. He developed a vengeful side, purposely embarrassing his parents in public. If he was going to be beaten anyway, might as well get some enjoyment out of it.
Logan stopped accepting Aaron's apologies. "You're not sorry at all. If you really loved me, you wouldn't hurt me." Aaron stopped apologizing, and started making excuses: "You walked right into that cigarette." Sometimes Logan thought Aaron actually believed his excuses. Maybe it helped him sleep at night.
Logan began recognizing the cycle. He worked out that sometimes the rewards outweighed the pain. He learned to manipulate the system.
Having no kids his age in their neighborhood to hang out with, Logan begged his parents for months to move to Neptune where Duncan lived. After being expelled from private school for the firecracker incident, and the subsequent hospitalization caused by Aaron's beating, the Echolls closed on a house within the city limits.
The XTerra was the result of another manipulation and hospitalization.
And he still sometimes liked the bastard. In the weeks between beatings, Aaron could be charming, caring, almost the father he used to be. Logan hated how he would fall under Aaron's spell, thinking he'd changed only to be blindsided all over again. That's why this was the best thing that had ever happened to him. If he was lucky, the next time he saw Aaron, he'd be eighteen and no longer under his control.
Veronica – Day Two – Interstate I-10 – Arizona
Logan was unusually quiet and beginning to look depressed. Lilly again? Or thinking about his parents?
"So you think this engagement ring will be more believable?" Veronica asked, to snap him out of it.
"Huh?" Logan looked over at the ring on Veronica's finger. "Yeah, it's real, but it doesn't scream 'look at me' like the other one did.
They were quiet for a few moments, and then Logan broke the silence. "We still need to work on our story?"
"Our story?"
"Our love story – Nolan and Vickie."
"Love story?" Veronica snorted.
"Umm…people do usually get engaged for love. Unless it's for sex, but I'm still a bit young for a trophy wife."
"You're a bit young for any wife."
"We're talking about Nolan here."
"Right. OK, so how did we meet."
"Soccer field. Twelve years old. Went with a friend and there you were."
"That's how we met."
"Don't they always say you should have elements of truth in your cover story? So you don't get tripped up?"
"You watch a lot of movies, Logan, but yeah, that makes sense. So we've been together since we were twelve? Ten years, according to our fake ID's."
"No." Logan said. "It was love at first sight, but we didn't get together until years later. You dated my best friend…what should we call him?...Dick?"
"Just the idea of dating Dick Casablancas makes me nauseated."
"Well, we can't call him Duncan. The first thing people will think of is Duncan Kane, and then they'll connect the dots. So, I went with the name of my second best friend."
"Fine, whatever. I dated your best friend Dick, who just happened to look like Duncan. Why does it have to be love at first sight?"
"Because it's romantic." Logan answered.
"If it was love at first sight, why didn't we just get together at the time?"
Logan was silent for a minute, staring out the window. He sighed and ran his hand through his hair before answering her question. "Because I didn't want to ruin you. I was damaged and you were perfect. I thought your halo was pretty, and I didn't want to tarnish it."
"Wow, you put a lot of thought into this story." Veronica laughed. "You're making things way too complicated. What is this? As the child of two actors, you think your character needs to have a motivation? Forget about the angst. Simple stories are more believable."
"Simple how?"
"Simple, like you wanted to fuck my best friend…Lucy. Plain and simple."
Logan slammed his hand down on the top of his car door. "It wasn't even like that!"
"What wasn't?" Veronica asked innocently.
Logan sighed. "...Nolan and Vickie. I just...don't want to be saddled with an asshole backstory. It wasn't like that for us. Getting laid was never my motivation. I wanted you to stay clean and pure, and Lucy was just…a better fit. She already had her issues. I couldn't ruin her."
"So what? We snuck around? Met in mop closets?"
"Nah…My girl wouldn't do that. I may have mentioned a halo." Logan grinned. "No, she began dating my best friend. Became a perfect little Stepford girlfriend. Lost her spunk. And I dated Lucy. Until the day we found out that Lucy and Dick were cheating on us. With each other."
"That's disgusting!" Veronica said.
"Sheesh, Veronica. I said Dick and Lucy, not Duncan and Lilly. Try to keep up."
"Whatever." Veronica laughed. "So, finding out about our cheating significant others brought us together?"
"No, that's your basic 'pair the spares' plot. Too easy. We had to work our way to each other."
"How?"
"I haven't worked those details out yet."
"So you somehow got over your Madonna complex?"
"No, not quite."
Veronica arched an eyebrow. "So how did we finally get together then?"
"I dirtied you up."
Veronica almost choked before turning to stare at Logan.
"I knocked you off your pedestal, and set it on fire so that you could never climb back up."
It was a moment before Veronica could find words. Her voice sounded shaky to her ears. "And what exactly did that accomplish? If you liked my halo so much…"
"It turned out I liked your devil horns even more." Logan said, and for some reason Veronica felt a tingling in her belly.
Remember Veronica, we're talking about Vickie and Nolan here.
"So I had to come down to your level to be worthy of your attention? Why couldn't you work on rising up to my level?"
"That's what I'm trying to do now - be a better man. Driving with you across the country, taking your poor crazy brother to the looney bin."
"So when did we get together?"
"When we were sixteen. We had to work together on something - maybe a school project, or some kind of community service. We argued a lot. And then you kissed me."
"I kissed you? Why do I have to be the one who made the move?"
"Because, in any good redemption story, it's the girl's ability to believe in the guy's inherent goodness that makes him strive to be a better man. Her faith, without any proof, is what changes everything."
He's cute with all of his movie parables.
"So how many years does that make us?" she asked, calculating the math in her head.
"About six years." Logan said.
"Scary." Veronica said. "Six minutes seems like too much. So when – and why – did we decide to get married?"
"Why? Because we're in love. When? Let's say about a year ago."
"How did you propose? Never mind. You're Logan Echolls. Let me guess: you did it on the jumbotron at a baseball game."
"No." He scoffed.
"You did it in skywriting?"
"No, Nolan isn't rich. Plus, what if it's windy?"
"Umm…ring in a champagne glass."
"God no! Cheesy cliché."
"Ring hidden in a piece of cake."
"You'd probably choke on it. I've got one."
"What?"
"Ring in place of the cherry on a hot fudge sundae."
Veronica's eyes shot up to Logan's. "With whipped cream and extra nuts."
I'm like one of Pavlov's dogs. Hot fudge = Logan. Always has. Always will.
"It has a certain…Logan/Veronica vibe to it." She admitted. "But aren't we talking about Nolan and Vickie?"
"All good cover stories have elements of the truth." Logan reminded her. "We even have a cool couple name."
"We do NOT NEED a couple name! What is this, Junior High? What? Nockie? NoToria?"
Logan grinned. "No, not Nockie. ViLan."
"As in: chillin' like a...?"
"ViLan."
Veronica grinned. "Well, it does describe at least one of us."
"Yeah, but if you try really hard, I'm sure you can be redeemed."
Veronica rolled her eyes. "NoToria is kind of cool too. It's weird when they come out sounding like a real word."
"That's weird? Then I guess you never sat around thinking about what ours would be."
"Ours? Why would I?...VeGan? LoRonica? LoVe? Oh..." Veronica looked straight ahead, and tried to keep from blushing. "Yeah, weird."
"Lilly got a kick out of that one." Logan said.
"I bet." Veronica said dryly.
"She wanted me to have a love triangle with you and Madison so we could be MadLoVe."
"Need to pull over. Going to lose my breakfast now."
"You and me, both.
"Lilly would never want you to date Madison."
"It's not Madison she wanted me dating." Logan said under his breath.
Did I just hear that? Moving on...
"OK, so we have our complicated love story all worked out." Veronica said. "I still don't know why we can't just say we got together when we first met. It would make things so much simpler."
"Don't you ever watch movies, Veronica?"
"Not enough to compete with your extensive knowledge of chick flicks, Logan. Why?"
"Why? Because first love is idealistic and always ends up disappointing you. It can't live up to expectations. But second love? It's rooted in reality. It's second love that lasts forever."
A/N: This was another giant chapter I had to cut in half, and then the first half grew back to the size of the uncut chapter. Took me forever to finalize the final draft of this chapter. Every single time I sat down to work on it, I'd doze off. Not sure if that's because it's super boring, or because I haven't been sleeping since my central air broke. I hope it's the latter. Let me know if I put you to sleep reading it.