Chapter 17: Best Laid Plans


Lying there on the sand next to Logan begins to feel more and more intimate, especially after Veronica's impromptu astronomy meets mythology lesson ends. Veronica becomes overly aware of every place they are touching, a flare of warmth marking each spot. The quiet is broken only by the soft rush of the water as tiny waves tumble just offshore. It might be five minutes, it could be fifteen before either speak again.

In that time, Veronica remembers her last visit to this stretch of sand. She remembers the sensation of coolness flowing around her as she entered the water. The thrill that fired through her belly at doing something new, something out of the norm. Something Lilly would do. She felt close to Lilly as she dove underwater and the world disappeared, muffled for a moment. As she rose back out of the water, the feel of it racing down her bare back made her giddy. She laughed, and it was Lilly’s ringing laughter that filled the air.

Veronica’s reverie is broken by Logan's voice, coming from very close to her and startling her slightly. His words tumble out as if they had been bouncing around in his mouth looking to escape for awhile now.

“I have an idea.”

Veronica's stomach clenches, some combination of nervousness and excitement roiling there. She sits up a little, elbows nesting in the soft, fine sand. Turns her head and looks back at him, eyebrows lifted in acknowledgment.

He doesn't look at her yet, eyes still traveling the sky and stars.

“Are you sharing this idea or I am just supposed to stay real quiet ‘til it goes away?”

Logan snorts a little before continuing. His voice is anything but casual, however. “Let’s get out of here.”

A little shiver runs through Veronica's body. The cool evening breeze off the ocean and the sound of sudden need in Logan’s voice are a combination made to generate goosebumps.

"You're cold."

"You know what they say: cold shoulder, warm heart."

“That’s not actually what they say, Veronica. And I can feel you shivering."

Veronica realizes once again just how much of her body is pressed against Logan’s, even in her semi-reclined position. "What can I say, this outfit not really suited for nighttime beach lounging, it seems."

"So, let's get out of here." Now it is the lighter edge to his words that makes Veronica wonder as he repeats his suggestion. She has the distinct impression that Logan really does have an idea of some kind. She can’t quite decide how to react to that fact.

"Where to, Logan?" Veronica fights for a carefree tone, pretends she spends every night on a random path of kisses and half-hearted insults with her former friend/enemy and now something as yet undefined. The chart of their relationship reads a like a heart patient's who needs his medication adjusted. It’s all peaks and valleys, each one more precipitous or dramatic than the last.

"Well, you have a point. That outfit's not made for the beach, but it is made for something else.”

Veronica’s eyebrows shoot up. “Choose your next words very carefully, Echolls.”

Chuckling, Logan sits up, hands dangling loosely between his knees. He looks back at Veronica, bottom lip caught in his teeth. “I don’t know where your mind just went, but I was suggesting the dance.”

"You can’t be serious."

Logan just smirks at her.

Oh my god. He’s serious.

"What? It could be fun."

Veronica blinks twice, and stares at him. "It's an 80's dance. At school."

"Right. Why not?”

“It’s an 80’s dance. At school..” Veronica nods her head, speaking more slowly, trying to make Logan listen.

“Well, you were going to it tonight, weren’t you?”

“But I was being blackmailed. I would never have-“

“By who?”

“By what?”

“No, who. Who blackmailed you?”

Veronica cringes slightly. She glances away, embarrassed. “Meg.”

“Meg? Sweet, innocent Meg?”

“Do not let her flaxen curls deceive. That girl can be mercenary.”

“That’s a lesson I’ve already learned from another girl...” Logan glances at Veronica, eyes twinkling a bit as he pointedly looks at her blonde hair. “But Meg? Really?”

Veronica shrugs. “Nah. But she did me a favor, so I had to pay her back.” She gestures broadly at her outfit. “This, sadly, was part of the payback.”

Veronica realizes she does not really want to get into the favor Meg did, since a discussion of Logan and kissing was part of that chat. "Well, I guess it can't hurt - much - to just drive by and see what's going on. But if I hear anything by Tiffany or Lionel Richie when I walk in, I'm going to turn right on my heel and leave.”

“I'll be holding the door for you.”

“As long as we understand each other.”

Veronica stands up, hands going to brush the sand off her butt. Logan also gets to his feet and follows suit. They turn and nearly crash into each other, eyes locking for a moment. Veronica looks away first, and heads in the direction of the car. She cannot figure out how every single time Logan looks at her, he makes her body temperature change. The intense look he just gave her is pushing the mercury up, up, up.

And out of the frying pan we go.

As she is walking, Veronica feels something solid banging against her ribs from inside Logan’s jacket. Patting the fabric, she realizes that Logan's flask is still tucked away in the inside pocket.

He notices her action and lifts one eyebrow. "Thirsty, Veronica?"

She shakes her head, hand moving away. "No, I just noticed it." She ducks her head and keeps walking, coming to an abrupt halt when she walks into Logan’s hand as it slips inside the jacket. His fingers nimbly reach into the pocket as Veronica holds her breath, trying to ignore the way his hand across her stomach is lighting her up like the Fourth of July. He withdraws the flask and unscrews the lid with practiced ease. Veronica starts to breathe again, her first breath a louder exhale than she meant. She can see Logan look at her from the corner of her eye, but she studiously ignores him, as if the most interesting possible thing is happening in the sand at her feet.

She lifts her eyes as Logan starts to walk again. Only he has changed direction, heading to the water. Something in his demeanor makes Veronica hesitate to follow him. He stands, shoulders rigid, facing the water as he takes a sip and then replaces the lid. The flask cradled loosely in his hand, he looks down at it briefly. Abruptly, he winds up and throws the flask as far as he can into the water. It makes the quietest of splashes, disturbing the placid surface for only a moment.

Logan stays there, hands hanging by his sides. She can see his shoulders rise and fall with a heavy breath and then he turns his back on the water, returning to her side without a word. He stands there for a moment, looking down at her.

“It was hers.”

And now, as he is haunted by grief and some beginnings of acceptance, his gaze serves to chill her through. She would like Logan to take his hands off her thermostat because the rapid swings are making her feel decidedly off-balance. And that is a feeling she has not been comfortable with in a long time. Keeping things even and steady and moving forward. That's how she has tried to live since Lilly died. She doesn't always succeed and when forces of nature like Logan Echolls appear, she fails more than she would like.

She breaks the look with a short nod and they arrive at the car without another word exchanged. The quiet of the beach seems to have penetrated their skin, soaking them in salt and silence. Veronica speaks and her voice is too loud, even to her own ears. "Get in, Logan. I just need to get these boots back on." Logan pulls the door open and slides in. Veronica tries and fails to tug the boots on standing up. Finally, she picks them up, opens the driver's door and plops down into the seat. With her feet hanging out of the car, she works on getting the sand out from between her toes and unlacing the boots. Logan's jacket keeps falling forward and getting in her way, so she tugs it off and reaches behind her to hand it to him.

"Thanks. I'm okay now."

"Yeah." Logan takes the jacket, eyes glued to the expanse of ivory skin that is Veronica's back. The delicate blades of her shoulders shift under that skin as she gets back to her task. The black fabric of the bustier stands in stark contrast to her fair skin and Logan swallows hard before he even recognizes his mouth has gone dry. He's always known Veronica was cute. Hot, even. But the repeated evidence coupled with her nearly inexplicable willingness to stay with him is wreaking havoc on Logan.

In a good way.

Veronica looks at the crumpled tights in her hand. The mental image of what it would be like to struggle back into them with Logan sitting two feet away boggles her mind. She tosses them in the back seat and yanks the boots on her bare feet. Reworking the laces takes a bit longer, but soon she is ready. She turns in her seat suddenly and closes the door. From the corner of her eye, she can see that Logan is half-turned in his seat, watching her. The look on his face is one of those that turns up the thermostat, spinning it like a roulette wheel.

Where it stops, nobody knows.

Veronica smacks her lips together, fumbling the key from her bag and into the ignition. She puts the car in gear without looking at Logan again. As they pull away, she glances at the beach and the water beyond in her rearview mirror. The thought crosses her mind that she and Logan are negotiating a path, whether on purpose or by accident, through some seriously rough waters. Their past keeps swelling up to push them apart with a sudden surge and then just as quickly toss them back together. Veronica is just glad she has always been good at keeping her head above water.

She sneaks a peek at the human storm surge next to her and sees he is fiddling with the cuffs of his jacket, eyes cast downward. Eyes back on the road, she moves closer to the next stop on their strange journey.

“You’re sure about this? It’s never too late to back out, Logan.” Veronica grimaces as she re-enters the school parking lot, noting that it is still two thirds full. Logan's answer is to fling the door open as soon as they park, nearly denting the ride of a fellow classmate. He unfolds from the car in record time and is leaning against the trunk when Veronica gets herself out to meet him. She rifles through her bag, digging out the earrings and necklace she took off earlier. "Might as well be authentic," she says with a shrug. Her extreme lack of enthusiasm does not dent Logan's interest one bit. He stands up straight, jutting his elbow out. Veronica stands there, confused. Logan rolls his eyes. "Hasn't anyone ever offered their arm to you, Veronica?"

"Anyone? Yes. You? Never."

"Well, I'd say my father raised me to be polite to girls, but that would be a bald-faced lie, so let's just say I've seen a lot of old movies."

Veronica nods, stepping carefully around that landmine and sliding her arm through Logan’s. With every step they take towards the school, Veronica feels it right in the center of her chest. Logan doesn't seem to notice the tension as it builds in her, tightens her back as they approach the doors. When they come within ten feet of the front door, Veronica stops walking, letting her arm slide out of his abruptly.

"I'm not sure this is such a good idea, Logan."

Since the barbs of her classmates rarely penetrate her toughened skin anymore, Veronica can only think that Duncan on the other side of the door, arms around another girl, is what bothered her the most. She didn't want that to be the case, but it clearly was. He was moving on and she thought she had, too. The way her heart was currently pounding gave a repeating and painful indication she could be wrong.

“What?” Logan looks at her and then the school and back again. Suddenly, he remembers how he found Veronica earlier tonight. Tears welling as she bolted the school. "I'm...an ass. You don't want to see..."

He hesitates, afraid the wrong word will actually bring those tears back. For some reason seeing Veronica cry is not only no longer something he strives for, but it's something he is desperate to avoid. One basketcase at a time. He is counting on her steady self, her fuck the world attitude to replace his right now. Logan simply can't afford to have her lose it. Not tonight.

Veronica turns away from the door, wrapping her arms tight around her body. It makes her look smaller, which Logan would not have believed possible. The raucous noise of a group of classmates crashing by causes him to tug Veronica abruptly through the doors and into the nearby side hallway. Out of sight of the crowd in the semi-dark hall, Logan faces Veronica. She leans back against the lockers, looking up at him. The sound of heavily synthesized music filters down the hall to them.

“Veronica...” Logan pauses, unsure exactly what he wants to tell her right now.

Veronica’s arm cross on her chest, defensive shell in place. She steps to the side of her main issue. “It's just that...Meg and -"

Logan finds his way clear now, mouth twisted up slightly in a smirk. "Listen, Veronica. You and Meg are over, you just have to accept it." His voice is light, injecting a playful tone into the tension, but she hears what he is telling her. "She doesn't deserve you."

Her breath catches a little, the underlying message shifting a little. She plays along, the seriousness of what he's implying making her heartbeat pick up the pace.

"Yeah, it looks like she's happy now." Her arms loosen, eyes cutting toward the sounds of the dance.

"So, doesn't it seem fair that you would be, too?"

“Damn, Logan. You're practically an honorary girl. Gonna tell me to wash that Meg right outta my hair?"

“I’m more likely to suggest you get wasted and hit on someone new to take your mind off it." His eyebrows quirk upward on the word 'new,' which is not lost on Veronica. "This is why I don’t dispense relationship advice."

She half-smiles, half-grimaces, brushing by his ‘suggestion.’ “I don’t know, Logan. I'm thinking it’s a hidden talent of yours."

It's not exactly an invitation, but when Veronica’s arms uncross and drop to her sides and her eyes stay on his longer than they have since they arrived, Logan decides it is the closest to one he might get. He braces his left hand on the locker by her head and leans a bit closer as he talks. "She's a spoiled, rich kid who doesn't know what he - she's missing."

“Veronica?" The questioning voice freezes them both, Logan's mouth within six inches of Veronica's. They both turn their heads in the direction of the voice to find a suddenly embarrassed Meg standing ten feet away.

"I...um...I thought you left?" She twists the strap of her purse around her hand as she takes in the position they are in. Logan's arm partly blocks her view of Veronica. "Hey, Logan."

She tries so hard for nonchalance it is almost painful. Veronica can see trying to pretend that seeing the two of them together in the hallway, nearly kissing, is something she sees all the time. But it’s the faint look of guilt on her face that bothers Veronica the most.

Veronica straightens up slightly to better see Meg. Logan doesn't drop his arm. "I - we came back. Are you leaving?" She tries to keep the flare of hope out of her voice.

"No...just - the ladies' room."

She glances to the left, sees the door to the ladies' room just past them. "Oh."

Veronica tries to keep the frost out of her tone. Tries to remember that she's the one who put Meg into Duncan's arms tonight. Tries to remember that he is not hers and hasn't been for a very long time. Makes a special point of remembering that Duncan didn't seem to have any interest in being hers anymore and wishing for the opposite might just be a bit pathetic. When she feels Logan's right hand close over hers, hidden from Meg’s view, she is abruptly yanked into the present. Her eyes fly to Logan's, which are surprisingly sympathetic. He knows the way a Kane can wrap you up in their world.

"So!" Meg goes to her old standby, perkiness. "You two are coming to the dance, then?" Her eyes betray her tone with their nervous flitting.

Logan interrupts Veronica right as she opens her mouth to answer. "Nah. I think Veronica's ready to get out of these uncomfortable clothes. Aren't you?"

She gapes up at him, her right hand tightening on his in what she hopes is a crushing grip. "I'm in no particular rush."

He looks her up and down. Twice. "Well, it's not like I'm complaining. I don’t mind a woman who makes me wait a little." With a wink, he continues. “Especially if the payoff is worthwhile.”

Billy Joel was wrong. It’s not only the good that die young. In Logan's case, I think an exception might be in order.

Veronica's hand squeezes his, her eyes expressing her displeasure. Logan just laughs lightly. "Is that Karma Chameleon I hear? Better hurry, Meg.”

"Um, right. Bye, you guys. See you Monday." Meg walks past them down the hall. Veronica waits until Meg enters the ladies' room with one last look over her shoulder, before yanking her hand out of Logan's and shoving him in the chest.

"What the hell was that all about?" She wavers between flustered and angry, choosing the latter for now.

“What can I say, Veronica? You’re just irresistible.”

“Logan.”

His tone stays light, but his eyes betray him. They are studying her face with what she can only describe as affection, some glint of possessiveness. “I just didn’t want her to leave Duncan alone for long. His attentions are so fickle.”

Veronica looks away, toward the dance, and back to Logan again. The moment hangs there between them. She realizes Meg is going to be coming back out in a moment and slides out from between Logan and the lockers. “I think we better go.”

And the trophy for surprising Veronica Mars once again goes to Logan Echolls. Is there no end to the depths of this shallow boy?

He follows her without a word as they return to the parking lot. They stand by her car, the tension growing awkward. Neither seems sure what to suggest next.

What exactly is the protocol when a guy deflects the pity of the girl dating your ex with sexual innuendo? A kiss? A slap? A hearty pat on the back?

“This is...” Veronica lets her voice trail off.

They look at each other, questions passing back and forth in a glance.

“Yeah.” Logan half-smiles, ducking his head. “Do me a favor?”

“Sure.” Veronica agrees readily, something she rarely does.

He looks up at her, smirk in place. “Take me to my car?”

Veronica tries to fight off a small wave of disappointment. For someone who doesn’t like to spend time around Logan, she is not happy the evening seems to be ending. She glances around the lot, but doesn’t see the Xterra.

“Where is it?”

“Not here. I was drunk, remember? But you’ll give me a lift?”

“Yes, I said I would. So, where to?” As the last words leave her mouth and Logan’s face lights up further, Veronica’s mind finally catches up.

No way. Don’t you dare say it. Don’t you dare say...

“L.A.”




To Be Continued...