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“But I’m always here, if you need anything,” Logan said, and kissed her forehead. “But you never need anything.” He went to turn away.
“Logan, no.” Veronica said softly, grabbing his arm.
“Veronica…” Logan trailed off.
“No, Logan,” Veronica said, more strongly. “I’m not going to let you walk away believing you don’t measure up. You have it all wrong.” Veronica insisted, looking him in the eyes, stepping closer to him so he could really see her sincerity. “You are not a disappointment to me, Logan Echolls. Who you are has never been a disappointment to me. Some of your choices have been disappointing, but never you. And I do need you. I don’t want you to sit on the sidelines, I wouldn’t love you so much if that’s who you were.”
Logan sucked in a quick breath. She had never really said it like that; rarely let herself be vulnerable enough to tell him that she loved him so directly. She had responded “yes” when asked the question but had never used the actual words.
“God, Veronica,” Logan said reverently, his hand going up to gently touch her cheek.
“I don’t want you on the sidelines,” she repeated. “I’m used to doing things by myself, that’s totally true. But knowing you have always been at my back making sure I’m okay? You have no idea what you mean to me. I want you, Logan. I want you with me.”
“Always,” Logan said, kissing her softly. “I’ll be with you always.”
“I know I’ve made all of this so difficult. I know I am difficult, but I love you,” she grabbed his face and looked into his eyes. “I really love you, Logan. And I love that you want to protect me. I’m so sorry I’ve been so stubborn,” she wrapped her arms around his neck. “Do you still love me?”
“Oh God, Veronica. Of course I still love you,” Logan pressed his forehead to hers.
“If it’s something else, if you don’t want me anymore, that’s another conversation. But if it’s really because you think I don’t need you, you’re wrong. If it’s because you think you disappoint me, you’re wrong. I have never needed anyone more than you. Well, other than my dad. But I don’t have any right to keep you if you don’t want to be kept.”
“I will never not want you, Veronica. I haven’t stopped wanting you since we kissed outside the Camelot,” Logan said, reverently. He closed his eyes and acknowledged to himself that regardless of now, or later, breaking up with Veronica would always be unbearable pain.
“There doesn’t have to be a survivable amount of pain now, or an unbearable amount of pain later. Those don’t have to be our options. We just have to get to the place where we can compromise, and be there for each other, and listen to each other when there are speedbumps. There doesn’t have to be any pain.”
Veronica breathed such a huge sigh of relief. She didn’t think that she had completely lost him. She held him closer and reveled in feeling his arms around her, their foreheads still pressed together.
“I’m willing to work on this, and work on being more open, less judgmental. Work on letting you stand with me, not on the sidelines.”
“I definitely have things to work on, too,” Logan replied.
Veronica hugged him, her arms wrapped tightly around his torso, and he hugged back just as tightly. He was so thankful she’d stopped him. He had been feeling sick thinking about breaking up with her, not having her in his life, not being committed to each other in a romantic way. He did believe that she was right. Pain didn’t have to be their outcome.
“Feel like ditching class the rest of the day and going back to your place?” Veronica said, pulling back slightly to look up at him.
“Always,” Logan said, as they slowly let go of each other. Veronica slid her fingers between Logan’s and snuggled up next to his arm as they started to make their way to Logan’s Range Rover.
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You could tell he was furious, but the way he approached her and gently pulled her into an embrace had her feeling teary even now. He tenderly kissed the cut on her eyebrow.
“Are you okay?” He had asked, his voice rough as gravel.
“I’m okay, Logan. I really am. He hurt me, but I hurt him worse,” she tried to lighten the mood.
“Let’s get her home, Logan. You want to take her, and I’ll stop by the store to get her some ice cream sundae stuff?” Keith said.
“Absolutely,” Logan said, gently leading her toward his Range Rover.
When they got to the Mars' apartment, she cuddled up in Logan's lap on the couch and told him what happened. She was definitely putting her money where her mouth is when it comes to including him, and not letting him sit on the sidelines.
“He grabbed and pulled my ankle so I landed on my face. That’s where the bloody nose came from.”
Logan was enraged. He sacrificed Veronica’s entire opinion of him in trying to defend Mercer. He could have lost her in revealing their alibi in Mexico, and the whole time Mercer had been a serial rapist. He befriended the guy responsible for drugging and shaving his girlfriend. He was horrified and sick.
“I scratched his face, he punched mine. And then guess what! I got to stab him in the leg with a unicorn horn!” Veronica said it so gleefully, Logan couldn’t help but smile.
“That’s my girl! Spreading sunshine and unicorns wherever she goes,” he said more cheerfully than he felt.
Veronica gave him a beautiful smile and he hugged her close and gently kissed her cheek.
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“Moe is the one that shaved me in the parking lot. I don’t think he ever planned on raping me. He was just providing an alibi for Mercer,” Veronica told her friends the next morning.
“Has Logan been by?” Mac asked.
“I haven’t seen him since last night. He showed up at the sheriff’s office right as my dad was helping me walk out. He brought me home, and the two of them built me one hell of an ice cream sundae. Can you imagine? Keith Mars and Logan Echolls working together to pamper me like a princess.”
Wallace, Mac and Piz smiled at the image.
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Logan knew this was a bad idea; he knew she would be upset. But he was going to get his hands on Mercer no matter what it took. He pulled up alongside the Sheriff vehicle, made sure the regular occupants of the car could see him, and started swinging the bat against the windshield.
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“Logan Echolls, what were you thinking?” Veronica asked, without anger. She looked at him through the bars. He was in a cell by himself, she had no clue where Mercer had been taken.
“I was thinking that the Grand was getting a little too comfortable and I needed a change of scenery, accommodations, and room service menu.”
Veronica couldn’t help but giggle. He was adorable. “How’s it to your liking, so far?”
“I think I could use an upgrade.”
“Dick is bailing you out, right now. Saks let me come in to see you.”
Logan approached the bars, and Veronica took stock of any injuries she could see. Other than his knuckles, Logan looked perfect.
“Wow...really let him have it, huh?” She asked, gesturing to his mangled knuckles.
Veronica was insanely attracted to him in any regular moment; but looking at him now, knowing he had purposely gotten himself arrested to beat up the man that assaulted her, she had never wanted him more. She didn’t even care if that was messed up.
“You really should see the other guy,” he joked.
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She rubbed his arm that was resting across her waist. “I personally think the accommodations of the Grand are superior to the jail.”
He smiled as they lay spooned in the bed of his suite. “And I think we’re already doing pretty great with the whole compromise thing,” he said, kissing her bare shoulder.
She smiled and linked their fingers together. “Oh yeah. I tell you in graphic detail what happened to me, and you get arrested just to beat up the guy responsible. Compromise.”
“You included me, you didn’t shut me out,” Logan said, seriously.
“I don’t want to shut you out anymore. I love you, Logan.”
“I love you, Veronica.”
She turned over in his arms. “Always,” she said, kissing him gently.