Who: Veronica Mars and Logan Echolls What: Arrival Where: A corridor near medical When: this afternoon Warnings: mentions of character death, grief Status: complete
Much of the past six months were a blur for Veronica. Losing Logan right after their wedding nearly broke her and if it wasn’t for her dad and Wallace, she might not have made it. Some days were better than others and her primary focus was keeping Mars Investigations up and running. Part of her had been prepared to lose him through his Navy service, or at least as prepared as you could ever be for that sort of thing, but the fact that he died in an attack intended for her was far more difficult to process.
So when she woke up in a strange place, allegedly the TARDIS, and was given a physical immediately, Veronica assumed she was having an incredibly vivid dream. Upon her release, she aimlessly wandered the halls, hoping that she would wake up soon, though she was curious about her surroundings.
Veronica turned a corner and froze. This was not a dream, it was a nightmare. Or a long overdue psychological break from reality. Standing a hundred or so feet ahead of her in this corridor was Logan. Her dead husband.
“Oh, no,” she murmured, shaking her head. “No, no, no. Wake up, Veronica. Come on.”
Logan didn’t know what the fuck happened. He and V got married. They went home. Veronica’s car needed to be moved, which he gladly did for his wife. But…then the car exploded. Certain death would follow quickly and suddenly.
He found himself. Blinking. And…in the condition he’d been in before the explosion. After an explanation that Logan found himself on the TARDIS, he thought perhaps he’d go in search of a drink or coffee. Really, he needed time to wrap his mind around everything.
Which, it turned out he didn’t have, because a moment later, Logan turned the corner and saw V. Who looked like she spotted a ghost.
“V?” Logan didn’t make any sudden movements, because he didn’t know from when Veronica was, but based on this reaction? After his death.
Veronica screwed her eyes closed and put her hands over her ears. “This isn’t happening,” she said to herself. “You’re going to wake up, in your bed, and take Pony for a walk. You’re healing. This is just a dream. It’s just a dream.” If she said it enough times, maybe she would finally wake up and be out of this nightmare.
It was weird though. Usually if she knew she was dreaming, she would wake up right away and this time, she couldn’t seem to pull herself out of sleep. She tried to remember what she’d eaten the night before. Did she drink? Or maybe she took a sleeping pill. Whatever was preventing her from waking up, she hoped she could overcome it soon. Standing here and seeing her husband in front of her was torture.
Logan slowly walked over to his wife and wrapped her in his arms. “I am really here, V. I promise.” Shit. So it had obviously been more than five minutes since he died. God, she smelled the same and Logan wanted to do everything to reassure her he was there and it was okay.
Truthfully, if their roles reversed, Logan might be saying and doing the same things as V.
“I don’t know how, but…I’m not dead.”
When she felt his arms around her and breathed in his scent, Veronica let herself believe that this was somehow real. Maybe that was the trick to waking up. Although she didn’t want to wake up now. She sagged against him and buried her face in his chest.
After a few moments, she looked up at him, her eyes wet with unshed tears. “I want this to be real,” she said. “I miss you. I love you. And I am so sorry.”
He kissed the top of her head. “I promise it’s real. I don’t know how. But it is. I love you too.” His arms tightened around Veronica.
“The explosion? It’s not your fault, V. I promise. Moving your car? Was my choice. You didn’t set the bomb.” Logan didn’t want Veronica to have guilt on top of grief.
“It was meant for me,” she said, swallowing hard to clear the lump in her throat. Veronica was on the verge of sobbing uncontrollably. If this was a dream, she needed to wake up right now because otherwise, she was going to believe that somehow, against all logic and reason, she was actually on the TARDIS, hugging her dead husband.
Veronica lifted her left hand, still adorned with her rings, and touched his cheek. “Logan?” she whispered his name, terrified that he would suddenly disappear.
“Just because someone intended it for you doesn’t make the explosion your fault, V.” Logan looked her in the eyes when she asked. His heart broke for everything she went through.
“I’m here.” His hand covered hers, the other arm still wrapped around V’s waist. “I promise,” he whispered.
Veronica stopped fighting the tears. This sure as hell felt real so she was going to roll with it. So what if it made no sense for her to be on a fictional time traveling vessel in the arms of the man who’d died six months ago.
When her tears subsided she said, “I don’t even know what to say. I thought I was never going to see you again. And I certainly never thought I’d be on the TARDIS.”
“I don’t think either of us expected to be on the TARDIS. I feel like somewhere Wallace is jealous of us,” he joked. Wallace might play like he wasn’t a nerd, V’s best friend definitely had nerd tendencies.
He sobered up and kissed Veronica’s forehead. “I don’t know how we’re here. Or why. But, I’ll take it if I get more time with you.” Their relationship hadn’t always been easy, but Logan loved Veronica and wanted as much time with his wife as possible.
For the first time in a long time, Veronica actually laughed. “Mac too,” she said. She was afraid to step away from him, afraid that if she let go, he would dissolve in front of her and she would discover that this wasn’t real.
She did lift her free hand to wipe away her tears as she sniffed a few times, wishing for a tissue. “It’s been six months,” she told him. “The hardest six months of my life.” Which was saying something considering all the things she’d gone through in the past.
“Mac would admit to it though.” The conversation made him miss Dick and suddenly Logan hated he wouldn’t see his best friend again.
He helped wipe away the tears and this time Logan looked down. “I am sorry V. I thought our forever would last longer.” The fact he left her when so many others had tore at his own heart.
“It’s not your fault,” she said. “We both know who’s fault it is and I’d rather not even think his name, let alone say it.” Veronica inhaled deeply and slowly exhaled. “I guess we should have known that we weren’t the happy ending type.”
They were making progress, as individuals and a couple, working through the myriad of issues that plagued them both for so long. She thought that maybe they could have even been really happy and functional at some point. Maybe they would have that chance here. However it was possible they ended up on the freaking TARDIS.
“He doesn’t deserve our words or thoughts.” Logan wouldn’t say his name either. He cupped his wife’s face. “Maybe not, but if we get a chance here? Maybe we should take it.”
Logan kissed V’s temple and just relished being near her again. He wanted the two of them to be functional and happy. Perhaps they’d get even luckier and find a therapist to continue on the path towards functional.
Veronica’s eyes were still wet, but she was giving her husband a weak smile. She covered his left hand with her right one and ran her thumb over his wedding ring. Her left hand went to her neck and she furrowed her brows in confusion. “I… don’t understand this,” she said, pulling the chain around her neck out from under her shirt to show him his wedding ring hanging from it. “How are they both here?”
How was any of this possible? And did she really care about the how or why? All that mattered was that it was and they were here together.
The weak smile was better than no smile. Logan didn’t want to let go of Veronica yet. When she ran a thumb over his wedding ring, Logan brought her hand to his lips, and placed a light kiss.
“I don’t know.” It was in V’s nature to ask questions. Today, though, Logan just wanted extra time. He breathed in deeply and slowly.
“Should we go look for food? Or a place to sleep? Or we can stay here.” Logan wanted V to have options.
“I guess we should see if we can find any people,” Veronica said. “We can’t be the only ones here. Maybe we’ll get to meet one of the Doctors. That’d be fun.” She wasn’t enough of a fan to have a favorite, so she would be happy with any of them. And maybe she could convince him to use the TARDIS to prevent Logan’s death.
Veronica stepped back a bit and took his hand, threading their fingers together. Physical contact was going to need to be a thing for a while.
Logan needed the physical touch too. “Finding people is probably wise.” He didn’t care what they did, as long as they were together.
“I would be up for meeting any of them.” Logan squeezed V’s hand as they went to find others.