If You Needed Me

Prologue

Veronica's breath came to her in a rush and her eyes shot open. Her vision blurred for a moment and she clawed a hand through her matted hair, feeling grimy and exhausted. She came to her feet, frantic to discern dream from reality. The plane that carried her father… had it really exploded? Cassidy coming clean about raping her, then trying to kill her, only to be thwarted by a noble appearance of a lost love? Was her father dead?

She staggered down the hall, calling out his name in a hopeful yet grief-stricken voice. "Dad? Dad!" When Veronica stumbled into the kitchen, she saw him and a moment of complete joy made her heart swell. He stood over the oven. By all appearances, he was cooking breakfast. But her joy was crushed when the man in her kitchen turned to face her, and she was met with the sympathy-filled face of one Logan Echols.

"I'm sorry, Veronica," he muttered, grabbing her shoulders and crowding her into his arms. Something deep inside her came unwound, as if there were a ball of yarn that had been unraveling since Lilly died. And in that instant, the last strand fell apart. She rested her full weight into Logan, only because she sincerely couldn't hold herself up. She saw the ruffled pillows on the couch and his bedhead and realized that he'd slept over, to comfort her.

"All of it…Cassidy?"

"Jumped," Logan confirmed with glassy eyes.

She felt filthy. Her skin crawled with the weight and grief of the last 24 hours. She pawed at her hair, trying to get it to lay flat. Logan's hand stilled hers and brought her knuckles to his lips.

"I know you probably don't want to hear this right now, but you'll get through this. I'll be here, to help you, and…"

Veronica stopped him by gripping him fiercely and sobbing into his shoulder.

When the tears seemed to run out, at least for a moment, Veronica sighed and turned her death-grip on Logan into a hug of appreciation. She felt his chest rise and fall against hers and she drank in his vitality, his warmth. Even in her grief, Veronica's heart swelled with love and appreciation of Logan.

"I need a shower," she muttered, pulling away from him slightly.

"Oh, um, OK. I'll be out here when you're finished."

Veronica clasped his hand in hers. "Don't leave. Just…I can't be alone right now." His eyebrows shot up in a way that was so Logan. Veronica would've laughed, if her heart wasn't breaking.

"You want me to shower with you…?"

Veronica smiled brokenly at him before kissing him on the cheek. "Just sit in the bathroom with me, OK?" In the bathroom, she commanded him to look away while she undressed, less than two feet from him. His eyes closed obediently as she slipped into the shower. The hot water hit her skin and she sighed, purposefully pushing thoughts of her father's death out of her mind and heart.

The smell of burnt popcorn filled the apartment. Veronica emerged from her room wearing her night clothes and drying her hair with a towel. The sun streamed through the living room window, illuminating the scene she walked in on. Logan opened the microwave, plucked the piping hot popcorn bag out, and flung it onto the counter. With a half-grin, he stuck his burned thumb into his mouth.

"Ouch," he laughed, slamming the microwave shut. "I figured we could watch a movie, shoot the breeze, and relax for the rest of the day. Apparently," he said with a sigh, "we will be doing all of the above, but without popcorn." He leaned on the counter, smiling at Veronica with his glinting brown eyes. She offered him a smirk before she connected with his chest again and the tears began anew. He combed his fingers through her damp hair and smoothed his hand over her back.

Logan pressed quick, dry kisses to her forehead while she expelled all of the grief inside her.

Short, yes. A sampler. I am incredibly new to the Mars fanfiction scene. Before now, I've never read/written a single Veronica Mars fanfiction, because it seems incredibly dorky.

Well, folks, call me the biggest dork of all. I just missed these characters so much. If I were the writer for the show, this is how things would've gone down.

Haven't you ever wondered…. How would Logan and Veronica's relationship change if she relied on him to get through the toughest time in her life?

Hmmm, we'll see.

If it sucks, remember… I'm new to this. Tips are welcome.