A/N: Hey guys! Sorry, I knew the update took a bit longer this time. And I apologize beforehand for the sorta-cliffhanger at the end of this chapter. But I hope you enjoy. And please leave reviews; they will inspire me to update faster :D.


For the second time in less than five hours, Veronica Mars woke up in the arms of Logan Echolls. But she wasn't complaining.

His arm was wrapped around her waist, his chest pressed against her back. Slowly, trying not to wake him, Veronica shifted and turned around, facing Logan.

Wriggling her arm out from under the blanket, she reached out, and gently stroked his face. Veronica drank in every single inch of it, having a hard time believing that Logan was truly right here, next to her.

Suddenly, Logan opened one eye, and looked at her as a smirk made it's way across his mouth.

"Enjoy what you see?" Logan asked, teasingly.

Veronica's lips curved into a gentle smile. "Immensely."

Logan's smile became softer. "This is nice," he said quietly, the tiniest bit of sadness making it's way into his voice. Although he had imagined holding like this very often (more like every night when he went to sleep and every morning when he woke up), nothing compared to the real thing.

Veronica snuggled closer, finding comfort in the fact that she was able to do this now. (She totally didn't imagine this every morning and every night, too).

"I love you," Veronica said into Logan's chest. She was still a little scared of the words. But she was Veronica Mars. If she could face gang members, rapists, and murderers, then she could face this too.

Logan's smile grew even wider upon hearing her words. He had waited for a long time to hear those words coming out of her mouth, and now that she seemed more comfortable saying them, Logan felt happy in a way he hadn't in a long time. "I love you too".

They remained there in blissful silence for another ten minutes, until a knock sounded on the hotel room door.

"I'll get it," Logan said reluctantly. He got up, putting on his pants and shirt. Then he leaned over and kissed Veronica, before heading towards the door.

"I'm going to the bathroom!" Veronica yelled, and Logan gestured to show he had heard her. Veronica walked to the bathroom, with a bounce in her step and a huge grin on her face. She didn't remember the last time she'd been this happy.


Logan walked to the door, expecting someone from the hotel staff to be disturbing them. To Logan's surprise, when he threw open the door, he was greeted with the frustrated face of his friend Rhandy.

"Dude, you said you would call me. Instead, you ignore FIVE phone calls from me?" Rhandy immediately said. "You had me worried."

Logan lifted an arm and ran it through his hair. "I'm sorry. I um... got uh... a bit mmmm... distracted."

Rhandy took in Logan's disheveled appearance, along with the stupid grin that wouldn't seem to leave his face. When he realized exactly what Logan meant, he snapped.

"Did you even THINK before you jumped back into bed with her? Don't forget that I met you a year after you guys had broken up, and you were still a drunk and pathetic excuse for a human being. When I finally convinced you to join the Navy, you managed to fix yourself. But Logan, you can't do that to yourself again. You've grown so much these past eight years I've known you, and I won't watch you throw away everything you've accomplished just for that bitch. I don't think I'll be able to pick up the pieces this time when she leaves you again."

Upon hearing Rhandy's words, Logan's demeanor instantly changed. His eyes grew cold and unwavering, his smile flattening.

"Don't you DARE talk about her like that. I've told you everything about my past, and you know as well as I do that both of us were to blame for the explosion of our relationship. She's more important to me than you'll ever know. I don't care about our painful past, I don't care that she's hurt me. NO ONE is allowed to talk about her like that, understood?"

Rhandy gave a slight nod, having the decency to look a bit ashamed.

"Furthermore, it's been nine years, Rhandy. Nine years we've been apart. Nine years that we've had to grow. Neither of us are the same as we used to be. We've only reunited for a few hours, but I can tell she's not the same. Just like she can most certainly tell I've changed, too. I'm a full grown adult. I can make my own choices. I don't need you babysitting me. If you want to help me, then please just give us some time and space. That's what we—what I need right now. You can go ahead and head back to Neptune without me. I'll go back when I'm ready. I'll see you, ok?"

Rhandy let out a small sigh. He knew that he couldn't win this battle. "Fine. If that's really what you need."

Logan's mouth curved into a tiny smile. "Yeah, it is."

"Ok, I'll text you when I reach Neptune, then. See you."

With a mock salute, Rhandy turned and headed towards the elevator. Logan returned the gesture, and closed the door. He let out a relieved sigh. He was glad that was over. He turned around, about to head back to the bed. Except when he turned around, he was met with the empty, blank expression on Veronica's face. His heart sank. He knew she must've heard everything.


Veronica came out of the bathroom, and heard voices coming from the outside the bedroom. She went into the main part of the suite, and saw Logan standing at the door of the suite, his back towards her. He seemed to be in an intense conversation with whoever was at the door. She tiptoed closer, trying to catch a snippet of the conversation. When she reached the middle of the room, she was finally able to hear some of the conversation.

An unfamiliar voice said, "Don't forget that I met you a year after you guys had broken up, and you were still a drunk and pathetic excuse for a human being."

Veronica froze. She knew that her leaving had hurt Logan, but she had never really thought about exactly how much it must've affected him. She had been the only person Logan had left, and yet she walked away, just like every other person in Logan's life.

"-and I won't watch you throw away everything you've accomplished just for that bitch. I don't think I'll be able to pick up the pieces this time-"

She couldn't breathe. The words hit her hard. Whoever was at the door, he was right. She was a terrible person. She only ever brought Logan pain. She... she had destroyed him. The agony of this realization overwhelmed her, and she fought hard to blink back tears.

"-I don't care that she's hurt me. NO ONE is allowed to talk about her like that, understood?" she heard Logan say.

The words only made the pain worse. Even after all she had done, he was still trying to protect her. He'd always tried to protect her. And she didn't deserve it. She didn't deserve... him.

The thought resonated through her mind, and she came to a decision. This time, SHE would protect him. This time she would make sure she didn't destroy his life. This time she would make sure that he got the happiness he deserved.

She took a deep breath, and pushed all the pain into the back of her mind, keeping the tears at bay. She could break down later, when she was alone. As Logan closed the door, Veronica schooled her features into the practiced unfeeling masked she had perfected over the years.

Logan turned around, and she watched as he took in the expression she had plastered on her face. Gathering her courage, she said the words that she knew she had to say in order to protect Logan from herself.

"We can't see each other again. Ever."