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Logan stood waiting in the Sunset Regent lobby, questioning whether he should be upset with how long Veronica is taking to get there, as he struggles to feel anything other than desperate hope as he teeters between remembering the jump caught on video and the red convertible rental caught on his mom's credit card records. Well, maybe that isn't the only source for his feeling. He’s certainly grateful for Veronica, for her willingness to help him, for not making it weird after they've spent a year bickering and biting after each other. So, maybe it makes sense he's not upset.
Veronica arrives in short order, announcing her presence to the lobby with a Valley Girl accent and a peck on Logan's lips, already under-cover. She walks them over to the front desk and pulls out the thickest scrap book Logan's ever seen, complete with a big white bow on the cover, to try to push the manager towards showing off his more expensive rooms. As Veronica flips through the book, Logan can't help but wonder where she gets such props, because surely Keith doesn’t have a storage room or costume department for moments such as this. As he considers the re-blossoming friendship of Meg and Veronica, he thinks for a minute it could be hers, when he sees a picture of Veronica's face taped over a bride's on a page getting passed by. There goes one possible answer, being exchanged for a whole lot of questions.
Even as a kid, when they were 12-year-olds still playing co-ed soccer, Veronica had rarely if ever been the girly type. She’d let herself be pulled by Lily into shopping trips and makeovers, but Veronica’s idea of a good time was more about getting dirty (as she's grown, the dirt she digs up has largely been of the metaphorical variety, but her love for it is still the same), than playing princess. Logan would've guessed that also meant she was unlikely to play bride, but apparently not. He supposes it fits the crafting hobby that came in useful as a cheerleader making spirit boxes, and as a PI connecting clues by strings of yarn.
Logan watches as Veronica successfully identifies his mom's room, a $1200 charge, his face crumpling as the manager cuts off any chance of easy access or communication with her. An inconvenience without doubt, but not an insurmountable one. Logan has time. And maybe even reading material, he thinks, as he swipes the scrapbook from the counter.
"How long you been preparing this book for, Veronica? Just waiting to need an in for a honeymoon suite?"
"Hotels, florists, bakeries. The wedding industry is filled with potential sources."
"And I'm sure if I were to look through it, there'd be no moony eyed pictures of you and Duncan, right?"
"Absolutely none! You're my fake fiancé, after all. I'll have you know I'm very thorough."
Flipping through the pages, Logan finds Veronica true to her word. While most of the pages feature pictures of flowers, wedding gowns, and venues, there are the occasional headshots of Veronica next to big white dresses and updo hair styles, with Lilly’s cropping up next to blue and pink and silver bridesmaid dresses. He reaches a page with a groom (these wedding things are half about them, aren't they? It was getting hard to tell) and sees his own head pasted on top of the magazine photo. He looks about the same as he does now but doesn't recognize the picture. This wasn't some copy out of the yearbook, this had to be from her personal stock. "Thorough, huh? Are you sure you haven't just been waiting for this moment, honey?”
"Oh, snookums! How'd you guess?" Even with a teasing nature, Logan is reminded of the more genuine moment they'd shared in the hallway earlier. As he'd put his hand on her shoulder and looked into her eyes, wanting to say so much more than just "thanks." Trusting then that Veronica heard him. Trusting now that he's right to see care in Veronica's actions, not mere business. Still unsure how, or whether, any of this ought to be voiced, Logan turns the page again, and is greeted with proof of Veronica Mars being wrong.
"No photos of Duncan, huh?"
"No photos of moony eyed Duncan, that is best man Duncan."
"Hmm. Are you sure about inviting exes to the wedding? Might be a bad call."
"Well, it’s not like we can stop Lilly's ghost, so might as well let Duncan come, too."
And if that wasn't like a bucket of ice poured over Logan. How could he go through sleeping with Caitlin without the hint of remorse, but just talking with Veronica had him feeling guilty, wondering what this meant for Lilly's memory. Wondering what it means, that rather than mourning her, he’s been spending more and more time remembering the easy friendships of their quartet, rather than the time he and Lilly spent behind closed doors. Because even before hiring Veronica, he couldn’t help himself from mourning her lost friendship, not just Lilly's death. These feelings only left Logan confused, firing at Veronica stronger, because he knows it's wrong. It must be. Thinking of the girl who threw his relationship under a bus, who abandoned the family of her best friend, who was so incredibly strong she kept bouncing back after everything he had thrown at her. Who was so kindhearted to help him when he needed it. It feels like cheating on Lilly in a way nothing else has, to feel this way for Veronica Mars.
Logan remembers when he first met the tiny blonde, even smaller than she is now, but without half as much of a height difference. He wasn't lying on homecoming when he said he thought she was hot. Anyone with eyes could see that Veronica has always looked good. But maybe it was a little unique that Logan wasn't really thinking "hot" until he saw her kick a guy in the shins for calling her a bitch. The kid started screaming for a red card, and a referee came over to check out the situation. And that's when Logan found out Veronica was not someone to be trifled with. She took a deep breath and let out a tear as she faced the ref. "He called me, he called me a b-word, sir," whispering the word, like she was afraid to even say the letter. "He says girls shouldn't play soccer, and that he'd get me kicked out. Please, sir. I didn't do anything." And the referee bought it, because how could he not? How could such a polite, sweet looking girl do something so horrid? Obviously, the answer was she couldn't. Logan was hooked, eager to see what this girl would do next. So eager to see her next victim, he was halfway to volunteering himself just to see her put someone else in their place, see this force of nature do that again.
After the game ended, Logan went up to Duncan and Lilly, the only kids he knew in Neptune, ready to get the scoop on the little life ruiner. Before he even had to ask, he watched as Veronica ran up to them, and hoped beyond hope that he had somehow piqued her interest from the sidelines as she had his from the field. Not unused to disappointment, Logan's face still fell as he realized she was there for Lilly; not having learned to control it yet. Not having Veronica there to teach him yet. Fortunately, this disappointment was short-lived. As Logan got used to being in Neptune, he got used to being with Veronica Mars. Her quietly feisty nature, her devotion to her friends, her body in a swimsuit. Her body next to Lilly's in a swimsuit. Logan couldn't lie, there was a reason he found himself in a relationship with Lilly time and time again, something about puberty and the letter C, which, when coupled with Duncan's crush on Veronica, turned out to be the right move. Of course, it’s pretty easy to fall in love with the girl you're dating when you do it as long as Logan and Lilly. And once you're in, turns out not even death can pull you out of love.
"Unless you wanted to get a proton pack, then I guess it'd be fair to leave Duncan out," Veronica adds, pulling Logan out of his own head.
"No, you're right. Lilly can't be stopped. How long have you had this scrapbook, anyway?"
"Oh. Awhile, there are some earlier photos in here, too. You know, for slide shows or whatever," she says, flipping back to the beginning, stopping on a page with photos from when they were maybe 13. There's one of the four of them, and one of her and Lily, and one more. It’s his pool house, he has wet hair, tips yet to be frosted, one hand holding a game cube controller, the other on Veronica's shoulder. Veronica, with even wetter hair, her own controller in hand, and her eyes looking straight into Logan's with the softest smile.
It’s the same smile Logan sees when he looks up, closing the book and asking him how he wants to play this. Whether she should find a maintenance entrance. He shakes his head, opting to wait her out in the lobby, clear view of elevators ahead. He gives a last look to Veronica as he begins his stakeout.
Maybe death can’t pull Logan out of love, but since when could death beat Veronica Mars?