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Veronica hums Mariah Carey’s ubiquitous ‘All I want for Christmas is you’ as she bustles around the kitchen of her dad’s tiny apartment prepping the duck for the oven. She can’t remember the last time she’d woken up filled with this much joy on Christmas morning.
Perhaps it was that last Christmas before Lilly died? No, it was the one before that, she remembers regretfully.
Lilly’s last Christmas had started with her mother hungover in bed after a very uncomfortable Christmas Eve drinks party at the Kane Estate.
Not only had her mom gotten ‘Tired and emotional’ so they left early, but Lilly had been a complete bitch and antagonised Logan to the point he’d swiped a bottle of Vodka off the bar when the hired help weren’t looking, secreted himself in a corner of the shrubbery and proceeded to drink himself maudlin.
Veronica and Duncan had spent the rest of their night splitting their time between trying to enjoy the party and discreetly slipping off to make sure he was still conscious.
Veronica had taken her vivacious friend to task about treating Logan so badly on the holidays.
Lilly had simply shrugged carelessly and explained to her outrage bestie that she wanted to be single and fabulous for her European vacation. Logan would come to heel when she got back from her adventures with all those exotic international boys, she'd finished airily.
And, like always, Lilly was right, Logan returned to the faithless blonde the week Kane’s jetted back into Neptune.
All it took to override Logan’s bitterly stated position that he was done with Lilly Kane, was the arrival of a sweetly worded postcard from Greece that included a picture of his wayward temptress in a scandalous red bikini, the words ‘wish you were here’ scrawled across it tantalizingly.
Veronica had vowed to wash her hands of both of them, but Lilly had laughed and teased her, “Oh Veronica Mars, that’s just how boys work, they need a bit of drama to keep them hooked!”
Veronica had been skeptical but Lilly was adamant, and Veronica couldn’t really dispute the evidence – Lilly was always drama and Logan seemed to need her like air!
But that was so long ago, a different life. It was also a different house, but for some reason this tiny apartment feels more like a home than the two story, white picket fence mirage she’d spent most of her Christmas’s in ever did.
And if she’s nit-picking, it was a different Veronica for that matter, she thinks.
The yellow cotton version of herself didn’t know a lot about life. She’d never experienced real pain, and she sure as hell didn’t know who she was!
This Veronica knows a lot now. Including how her dead best friends passionate and loving boyfriends large warm hands feel on her hips, she thinks with a smile, taking the opportunity to lean back against the solid chest that's now pressed up against her back with a small, contented sigh.
The smile widens, Logan’s sleep gravely voice whispering the chorus into her ear and pulling her even closer to him, hands sliding to wrap around her waist.
It’s a Christmas miracle thinks Veronica, a happy giggle escaping her. Logan Echolls, resplendent in his Frosty the Snowman themed footy pajamas is in her fathers house and not a gun to be seen!
“Really? I know I’ll never make the choir, but generally when I choose to serenade a girl, laughter isn’t the usual reaction.” Logan snarks gently, playfully tugging on her earlobe with his teeth, producing breathy reaction from the blonde who wiggles her ass suggestively against him, quipping back cheekily, “What about something to make the day extra merry and bright?”
While she’d already been ‘unwrapped’ by Logan once this morning, quietly, in deference to the still fragile acceptance Keith had of this new era of ‘sleep overs’, she’s hopeful there’s time for a quicky before breakfast.
“Hold that thought Bobcat,” Logan presses a kiss against her temple, “your dad’s already in the shower and I’m on thin ice as it is.”
Actually, Veronica’s not so sure about that. Since they reunited over Thanksgiving, Logan has been strategically winning her dad over. First he’d shown a previously unknown knowledge of baseball (discovering later that he’d had specialist training from Wallace!), then there had been the ‘Promotional Tickets’ to the Padres home game that Logan was ‘unable’ to use, “Would Keith like them? They'd just go to waste otherwise.”
The so called “PR” tickets just happened to be located right over the dugouts and must have cost Logan a fortune, Veronica thought when her dad phoned her later that night, giddy about being up close and personal with action. Mind you, with a reaction like that, given recent developments, she can't help but see the expenditure as an investment in Keith coming to terms with his daughter's on again, long distance relationship with her boyfriend.
Poor Keith, he’d almost had an apoplectic fit when Veronica hadn’t come home the night before Thanksgiving.
She'd still been tangled in Logan's sheets when she text Keith to break the news that not only would she not be home until dinner the next day, but when she did grace him with her presence, she'd have Logan in tow.
She’d then bravely turned off the device and tossed it recklessly into her bag, much to the delight of the besotted boy who’d been pressed up against her, reading over her shoulder, almost unable to believe the arrangement of characters on the tiny screen – Veronica Mars had all but admitted to her gun totting dad that she was spending the night with him and then was including him in her precious family holiday time the following day! Logan had made sure she was well compensated for her efforts!
Keith’s reaction had not, it’s fair to say, been in keeping with the thankful spirit of the holiday. The man had been politely restrained with a strong dash of approbation; however he’d mainly kept himself in hand.
That was until it was that time of the night where most guests would be uttering farewells…
Veronica, continued shaking things up, announcing to the shock of both men that Logan would be staying the night.
However, before either of them could utter a word against the plan, the determined blonde made herself clear. Taking the stunned brunette gently but firmly by the hand, she’d led him wordlessly down the short passage to her room, pulled him inside and resolutely closed the door on parental disapproval.
She was done hiding Logan.
Veronica had decided that the moment she’d landed unexpectedly back in his arms. While secrets might be sexy, they also sowed doubt, and for them to make this work everyone’s cards had to be firmly on the table, and Veronica’s deck was stacked with Logan.
Let’s hope Logan has laid down some serious permafrost with all his dedicated schmoozing of my old man, Veronica thinks to herself, pouring herself and Logan a couple of glasses of virgin breakfast eggnog, because she’s pretty sure her dad’s not going to take the next surprise particularly well.
It had been hard, but between frequent visits and marathon phone calls, somehow during the short 61 days, or nine months, if you went by Logan’s calendar, between Thanksgiving and Christmas, the turbulent couple have managed to nail this whole communication and intimacy thing.
So, today, after lunch, when Keith should be too full and content to do more than simply contemplate where he’d hide Logan's body, they’ll share their exciting news – Logan was moving out of Neptune and heading North!
They’d tried and failed him into Stanford so he could attend alongside Veronica. However, despite his high GPA, his prior poor attendance record this year had closed those hallowed halls to him for the meantime.
Logan had even gone 09er on them, strongly hinting that accepting him would secure significant funding for any legacy projects the campus might be considering.
Unfortunately, Stanford is not Neptune, the Echolls name and Hollywood cash unable to magically waive the high standards the prestigious school requires from its students. The admittance officer had politely but firmly rebuffed Logan’s less than subtle bribe, responding stiffly that Stanford currently had all the libraries it required thank you very much!
Fortunately, real estate agents have no such qualms and Hollywood money can easily buy a very tidy two bedroom condo in a sought after building not far from Stanford. The couple plan to spend the rest of the break moving in to their new place before Logan starts the spring semester as a Lit major at at nearby Palo Alto University.
They’d discussed various methods of breaking the news to Veronica’s overly protective father. Logan had optimistically suggested his tried and tested large red bow on key delivery method, arguing that at the very least the initial confusion might give him time to run and hide. Veronica had rolled her eyes and countered that it was unlikely a second Mars would find being offered a key to Logan’s home as endearing as the first had!
She was of the opinion that she could wheedle her dad around with tales of how much safer she’d be with Logan around to protect her and cold hard cash facts… living with Logan was going to be much cheaper than dorm life! She’s not optimistic, but it’s happening, so the old man will just have to deal with it she thinks.
All veronica can hope was that Keith would take the news of their pending cohabitation better than Dick had when they'd broken the news to the dopey blonde Christmas Eve!
That was a whole other story, but for the meantime, Veronica is content to enjoy the peace of this Christmas morning with the two most important men in her life.
Merry Christmas all!