Title: There and Back Again
Word Count: 2,012 prologue only
Rating: PG-14 for language may change in the future
Warnings/Spoilers: If you know that Veronica and Logan broke up, Logan asked Parker out and Cassidy Casablancas' role in the second season, you're more than good to go.
Summary: On the second anniversary of Aaron Echolls death, Veronica and Logan decide to finally set their issues to rest, at the Echolls' cabin, with six of their nearest and dearest friends.
Official Disclaimer: All Veronica Mars characters and plots belong to Rob Thomas and the CW. I do not hold stock either the man or the company. Veronica Mars, Logan Echolls, and any other character featured are NOT mine.

Prologue

8:15 am
Friday, June 8th 2007

Despite the fact that he argued with her for at least an hour the night before, Logan now knew why Veronica had felt the need to pack up his Range Rover the night before. When he added up the time it took him to actually get out of bed after his five forty-five wake-up call, the half an hour that he spent in the shower and the forty-five minutes it took to get Dick up and out of bed, they would have been a little over two hours behind schedule had they not. And that didn't count the stop at Burger King on the way to Veronica's or the twenty minutes they spent mulling around the living room while Keith pretended that camping trips with her ex and his mentally impaired best friend was something his daughter did every weekend. Finally, when Veronica emerged, Logan was allowed to stop studying the spot on the wall that he had met personally two summers ago.

"Sorry I'm running late." She slipped past him on the way to the kitchen, and deposited a glass and a plate in the sink before turning to her father and running a hand through her hair. "Phone numbers are on the cork board in my room in case I don't answer my cell." She told him slowly, losing speed as she pulled a folder out of her laptop bag and read over the contents. "Wallace and Piz are picking up my car sometime around noon, so don't be worried if you come home for lunch and it's gone." She still hadn't actually looked up at anyone yet, and Logan had to curb the urge to laugh at her. "And – "

"We went over all of this last night honey." Keith Mars had to be one of the most understanding parents on the planet. Then again, Logan shook his head, if your daughter had become the social pariah her sophomore year of high school, chopped all of her hair off and started running a PI business from her locker, you'd have to learn to cope somehow. Keith kissed the top of his daughter's head and then smiled. "Just go on your trip and have fun."

For half a second it seemed like Veronica didn't know what to do with herself.

Logan grinned as she did her best fish impression and reached for her laptop bag. "This all you need?" He asked quickly, pointing to the bag.

"I packed a pillow last night, right?" She asked slowly.

"And we have four from the suite." Logan confirmed. He didn't think that he had to inform Veronica that Dick had confiscated all but the one from Logan's room for the backseat. "The munchies and the cooler are in the SUV and we gassed up last night after we went to the store."

For half a second, Logan actually thought that he had answered all of the questions that Veronica could come up with. Then she stopped. "Where are the board games?" She threw at him slowly.

To someone who hadn't been drilled for two hours about the proper use of code words, Veronica's question would have seemed like just another one of her 'we must have everything before we leave' quirks. Thankfully for Logan, he had paid attention as she outlined everything for the trip one hundred times. "One suitcase is at the bottom of our stuff in the SUV." He reminded her. "And the other is coming up with Mac and Parker."

Seemingly satisfied, Veronica stepped up and kissed her father on the cheek. "I'll be back next Monday." She reminded him, grabbing her messenger bag off of the chair and pointing to the door. "Let's go."

Seating arrangements had been something else that they had discussed the previous night. Dick was in the back seat before Veronica had time to open the passenger door, and she double checked the contents of the cooler as Logan double checked the trunk. When he finally climbed into his own seat, Logan took a moment to just stare out the windshield before starting the car. "We good?" He asked slowly, looking to Veronica. On her nod, he turned his attention to the back seat. "Do we need a bathroom stop before we get on the road?"

For half a second Dick looked confused. This of course was why the question was directed at him. "I'm good." He answered quickly, shifting in his seat.

Logan allowed himself another second of staring at his best friend before firing up the SUV, jamming it into gear and backing out of the parking space.

10:00 am
Friday, June 8th 2007

Awake? Check. Last final of the semester taken? Check. Hyper-happy roommate buckled into the front seat? Mac looked to her right and shook her head. Double Check. And as her blonde counterpart continued the babble that she started the second she met Mac in the quad Mac wished she and Veronica added duct tape to the list. Or at the very least a set of ear plugs.

"How long do you think the trips gonna be?" Parker asked quickly, running a hand through her hair and rolled down the window. "Are we gonna get there first?"

Yes, ear plugs would be nice. Mac shook the thought from her head and focused on pulling out of the Hurst main parking lot. "Logan and Veronica left earlier this morning." She informed the blonde, checking her mirrors one more time. Parker's mouth started moving again and instead of listening, Mac wondered if they should stop for something to eat before getting on the road. She wasn't too sure what Parker packed as snack food for this trip.

"Mac?"

Shaking her head, the brunette turned her attention back to her roommate. "Huh?"

"I asked if you were sure that leaving your boyfriend alone for a week was really a good idea." Parker only looked mildly annoyed at the fact that Mac wasn't paying attention. This was a step up from her annoyance at the Grande the night before as they loaded up the vehicles and discussed directions and discretion. Then again, when you're banished to the living room with Dick and Piz while everyone else talked exit strategies there isn't much left for you to be but annoyed. "I mean, I know he's your first boyfriend, but you have to have learned something from your friends."

For half a second, Mac wished that she could correct Parker. Bronson Pope, as sweet and loveable as he was, was definitely not her first boyfriend. Although, now that she thought about it, admitting to your roommate of a year that your first boyfriend not only raped your best friend, but killed a bus full of your classmates and threw himself off the roof of the Neptune Grande while enclosed in a moving vehicle for at the least five hours was probably not a good idea. She and Veronica had agreed never to broach the subject of Cassidy Casablancas in their lifetimes for reasons such as that.

Instead, Mac just smiled. "His family's taking their annual trip to the south of somewhere." She pointed out. "We'll be back before he is."

Oddly enough that answer seemed to satisfy Parker, who took a sip of her mineral water and kept going. "So tell me about Veronica's friend."

To any normal person, there could actually be five correct answers to that question. Yes, Veronica Mars only had a handful of trusted friends, but only one that Parker would be interested in. "Just an old friend of hers." She responded slowly. There wasn't much that she could divulge to her roommate. Veronica had even nixed the usage of said friend's name until they reached the cabin.

"Does she have a lot of those?"

There weren't too many places this conversation could go that would lead Veronica to still speak to her at the end. "You'd have to ask Veronica." She cut off quickly. "So, where to for breakfast? I just finished my last final and I feel the need to eat grease."

12:46 pm
Friday, June 8th 2007

"Dude, I can't find my iPod!"

Wallace shook his head as he let himself into the Mars apartment. Veronica had been nice enough to give him the spare house key, but as usual with his miniature blonde friend, she only had one car key at her disposal so he had to steal it from the house. Theirs was an interesting friendship. "Double check the car, we've got to be at the airport in half an hour."

"Why couldn't Veronica just do this herself?" Piz was halfway down the stairs by the time he was done mumbling, and Wallace made a beeline back to Veronica's room to relieve her bedside drawer of her car keys and packet she left for him. He opened the folder and double checked the contents. Drivers license, passports, two credit cards and an ident-a-kid card. Suddenly Wallace was glad that he wasn't footing the bill on this one.

"Wallace?"

Shoving the contents of the folder in his back pocket, Wallace grabbed the right by ten piece of paper with a name on it and headed back into the living room. "Hey Mr. Mars." He offered quickly.

"Grand theft auto on your list of things to do this weekend?" Keith asked offhandedly, pulling a salad out of the fridge. If Wallace were a betting man, he would have guessed that Veronica had prepared a weeks worth of lunches and dinner for her father before she left.

"Breaking and entering to start the day." Wallace held up Veronica's car keys and made sure to keep the blank side of the piece of paper facing the sheriff. Coolest father of the year or not, Keith Mars shouldn't be privy to every single time his daughter broke the law. "She couldn't give me the keys last night."

Keith nodded as he shoved another forkful into his mouth. "Sounds like my kid." He said thoughtfully.

"Come on man, I thought we were on a deadline." Piz stumbled into the room with a huff, crossing his arms against his chest and sighing. "We have to be at the – "

There were days when Wallace wished his roommate was born with an ounce of forethought. Announcing your best friends' plans in front of her sheriff father was not a good idea. "Cabin before seven." He cut in, glaring at Piz as he smiled at Keith. "You find your iPod?"

Holding it up, Piz smiled. "Mr. Mars."

Keith didn't even move to acknowledge the boy. He just kept his eyes on his daughter's best friend. "Drive carefully." He reminded Wallace, like the true father he was. "And have Veronica call me when you kids get settled. I like knowing my child's alive."

"You got it." Wallace palmed Veronica's keys and shoved Piz out the door. "You just shouldn't speak." He warned the man, unlocking the car as soon as they were down the stairs. Thankful for Veronica's foresight and the fact that she and Logan had packed everything that he and Piz had brought to the suite the night before, they were now as ready as they could be to get going. "Check the glove box for the flight information." He started the car and pulled out of the space, double checking the mirrors as they went.

When Piz held up her another envelope, Wallace tore into the packet and read over what Veronica laughingly labeled as instructions. "North Gate. United Airlines." He read aloud, grinning at how she wrote it out with spaces so even someone as slow as Corny couldn't have trouble understanding it.

"She even included a picture, dude." Wallace shook his head and turned his attention back to the road. "Cute."

"Yeah." Wallace shot off a quick text message to Veronica, telling her that her car had been picked up and they were more or less on schedule before pulling off on the Neptune Airport exit.

Veronica's response was quick and probably thought out.

Be careful.

This is just the Prologue. If you want to see more, click the little button on the bottom that says Review