Love Letters from Yokosuka

Chapter 10

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Wanting to give her room to breathe and time to process but also fighting a losing battle with her self control, Logan waited exactly seventy two hours before he knocked on Veronica's door. Then, he realized belatedly, she had a job. Friday or not, he didn't think she'd drop everything because he forgot. So, for the hours until she'd be back, he walked around her neighborhood. Eventually, he stumbled upon the coffeehouse where he first spotted her.

He felt his face redden at the thought of how she reacted when she turned around and saw him. It was the eighth coffee shops in eight days he staked out after Dick gave him a vague target location to start with while he worked on getting more information from his source, whoever that was. After a week of failures, he certainly didn't expect to see her. Hell, she was probably as surprised as he was if her dropped drink was any indication.

Definitely not something that he had expected the first time saw her. In fact, he relegated that abysmal not quite contact and all the following near misses—that he was now beginning to suspect were too coincidental and convenient for her if she hadn't wanted to see him like she said—into the category of 'didn't happen' for the sake of his pride.

He had to admit, though, the fleeting glimpses he caught of her before she slipped away only pushed him harder in his quest. They teased him, tantalized him, made him want more, much like the dreams he had of her, alluring but not quite solid. He still wasn't sure whether or not they were just dreams, but she was oh so real.

After waiting until five and adjusting for her commute, Logan waited an extra five minutes after that before he could no longer restrain himself. Rapping three times on her door, he waited yet again for her to answer.

When she finally did, his enthusiasm deflated into concern. She looked like she hadn't slept in the few days since she was last with him. Again, he resisted the urge to reach out to her, fearing her rejection.

"Hey," he said instead, hands in his pocket, not knowing what to do with them.

Still in her work clothes and exhausted, she arched her eyebrow at him as if to tell him that his visit better be worth it.

"Are you free tonight?"

There was a tense moment where he wasn't sure how she'd respond. Then, her face softened into a small smile just for him, and she mustered up enough energy to tease him. "Am I free tonight, he asks." She mocked him tiredly. "You used to be a lot smoother, Echolls, and you brought presents. Losing your touch," she tutted.

"Oh, but am I?" From behind his back, he handed her a cup of pumpkin spice latte from what used to be the shop she frequented most. He'd originally thought she'd need something to sweeten her up towards him, but hopefully, it'd have enough caffeine to reenergize her somewhat for the date he had planned.

She only had to wait for the aroma to hit her, and she immediately knew. With considerably brighter eyes, she thanked him and said, "I guess you're okay. And, I guess I could be free but just for tonight."

"Just don't drop it this time," he teased.

She fell asleep by his side, exhausted, under the stars at Griffith's observatory in Los Angeles, where he'd taken her after dinner on the Santa Monica pier, an itinerary that Dick assured him was foolproof for something or other. Logan had tuned him out when he started making crude grunts over the phone and presumably gesturing in the same manner.

.

As it turned out, Veronica was free for a number of nights after their 'first' 'date.' The most notable one so far was when Mac had rushed into Veronica's apartment, screaming that Logan had amnesia, to which Logan could only wave at the intruder before being introduced. It was an awkward affair for all, but they chuckled about it afterward, Veronica did anyway while Mac sheepishly apologized. He let it slide, just happy that she was happy and was willing to still spend time with him. He had a feeling that this 'Mac' was Dick's informant anyway if she knew what he'd only told Dick and Veronica.

Regardless, none of their dates ended in sex to no one's disappointment. They understood that theirs was a fragile thing, treading cautiously and not wanting to overstep any boundaries that the other might have. Logan, in particular, was wary of it.

.

It was a weekend spent staying in when he dared broach the topic of her letters. They'd tried to be as honest with each other as possible. Veronica candidly told him of past memories—hers and his—,and he told Veronica of what he'd done since waking up an amnesiac.

Over hot chocolate and trying not to tiptoe around it, he bluntly asked, "How did your letters end up in the ocean?"

Veronica took a long drink from her mug, thinking about how to best answer him. She figured it was coming, so he didn't wait too long for a reply. "It made sense at the time. I'm going to assume you know why I was writing the letters."

Logan didn't have to even think to answer. He'd read her letters far too long to not know each word. "The Big B made you."

She snorted behind her mug at the nickname. "Uh, yeah."

"She told you to throw them in?"

"Not exactly…"

"Can you make this a little less like pulling teeth?"

"Quiet, you. I can either tell it right or I can tell you to shove it."

"Someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed today."

"Couldn't help it. There was this gigantic ass taking up all my personal space."

"Ooh. Lucky you."

She wrinkled her nose at him and stuck out her tongue. Their humor almost made the next part easy to admit. "As I was saying… Yes, 'the Big B' made me. And, around that time, I was practically having a bottle with each letter. Eventually, it got to the point where they were everywhere. Then there was this whole intervention thing. Yelling. Fingers pointed. Typical friends and family type gathering. And, when they left, I just looked around and really saw everything…. after having another drink.

"A week later, I tore through my entire apartment, and I found a few of the letters stuck inside the bottles. I didn't really think anything about them at the time, I just wanted the bottles gone, so I left them inside, and drove to the nearest recycling center… and…"

"And?" Logan prompted, wanting to know how she went from the recycling center to the ocean.

She gave a short laugh, thinking back. "And it was closed. It was midnight," she explained, holding her hand to her forehead.

"Then what?"

"Then… I still wanted them gone. So I drove around and ended up on top of this bridge near Neptune—where we grew up—, and I just dumped the entire box over the edge…"

He wasn't sure what to say. His curiosity was satisfied, somewhat, still feeling like he was missing something. Instead of staying speechless, he settled on telling her, "I'm glad you did," because he really was.

She returned his smile and decided not to tell him that it was the Coronado Bridge or any other details that would make him not so glad she found herself there, teetering. That would be a story for another day.

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Then finally, she showed up to his apartment after weeks of free nights spent together, telling him that she was taking him out. This shocked him for a couple of reasons. Firstly, it was a Monday and Veronica should be at work. And, secondly, he was not a morning person and was not at all presentable, bedhead included.

"Are you busy? I want you to come with me somewhere."

Still, he was able to gather a sufficient quantity of brain cells so early in the morning to yawn, "Mm… kay. Wa'a'com'in?"

Wisely, Veronica took it as an invitation to come inside and wait while he got ready. It was the first time she'd been in his apartment. He always came over to her area if he wanted to see her, and she hadn't take any initiative save for this.

"I'll drive," she said when she heard him come up to her.

"It's okay. You had a long drive up here."

She shook her head, "You can drive us back, maybe. Depends."

"On what?"

She shrugged and offered the tiniest smile as consolation. "Come on, princess. Took you long enough to get ready."

"Not all of us look perfect after rolling out of bed, Miss Mars," he told her with a toothy grin. Hoping to make her smile, he took her hand and kissed it.

She replied by widening her smile by a fraction of an inch, and he accepted it, not knowing what to make of her mood and seemingly spontaneous actions.

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It was December, and there was a slight chill in the air. A light fog blanketed the area during their early morning drive and hadn't cleared. Veronica ended up driving them to a cemetery, and while Logan desperately wanted to ask why, he kept quiet, honoring the solemnity with which she held herself.

He looked to her side, but the sunglasses she donned upon getting out of the car obscured his vision.

Then, little by little, a thought formed in his mind, overtaking all others with a sinking sensation.

He paused, and she noticed him not following her. She must have realized that he knew where she was bringing him because she walked back to him and grabbed his hand tenderly, holding it to her chest, trying to give him strength.

Still holding his hand, she led him deeper into the misty grounds. He squeezed her hand, letting her know he was still there.

They stopped abruptly at a small burial marker embedded into the grass.

Two things happened very suddenly for Logan.

One, he felt his breath stolen from him, confronted with what he knew but never truly came to terms with. Standing in front of his child—Hunter's—grave, it was far more real than he could handle, and he remembered, Veronica was mostly alone for this.

And two, he realized Veronica was testing him. He was mad and indignant as well as at a regretful, adding to the oppressive push he felt on his chest.

He wanted to wrap her up in his arms and never let go, but Veronica was no longer holding onto him. Instead, she had bent down to clear some of the grass and debris that had dirtied the headstone.

Then, she started talking.

"Happy birthday, love."

At first, he thought she was talking to him since he was the only one there, but it became clear that she wasn't. Painfully so.

"Sorry I haven't been back to see you since last month. Things happened. You remember that deadbeat father I told you about before? Well, he's here and not a deadbeat, so far as I know. He wanted to be here with us, but things happened," she repeated. "It's complicated. But, he's here now. And, he's going to be with us for a long time. Right, Logan?"

Silently, Logan kneeled down with her and nodded, "Always."

Swiping his thumbs under her sunglasses where tears had collected and fallen, Logan kissed her forehead, wanting her to know every promise he secretly made to her and intended to keep.

On the drive home, Logan was driving while Veronica looked out the window, sunglasses still on her face, she told him, "I visited him every week. It used to be every day, but…"

He tightened the grip he had on her hand unintentionally.

"I couldn't take knowing that he wasn't coming back."

Hastily, he pulled over, not able to hold himself back. He unbuckled his seat belt and instinctively gathered her into his arms, pressing her into him in an uncomfortable angle but one that was needed all the same.

Shaking slightly, she mumbled unintelligibly into his neck.

They didn't start up again until Veronica insisted they get back. It was late, and she stayed the night, taking the comfort he freely gave her and would only give to her.

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The next morning, she left a letter in the drawer next to his bed before waking him up with a kiss. He responded by throwing his arm over her, engulfing her, but she didn't seem to mind, only settling into him deeper than he thought possible.

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She was home, and he was back.

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Complete transcription of Letter no. 13

To Logan,

I'm going to make good on that promise one day. Wait for me.

Love,
Veronica Mars

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A/N: Well, then. Just realized I ended on letter number 13… Interpret that last line (before the letter) however you want. I'd never say you were wrong, I'd just say there's at least one meaning I was hoping to convey with that haha. ^^

It's been quite a ride, faster than how long I usually take to complete something, but slower than I wanted. I sincerely hope you all enjoyed this. And, it could've definitely been dragged out longer with how they interacted with each other afterwards, but I felt it wasn't as necessary. All my stories seem to be like that, missing parts I hope you can infer or fill in yourself.

There's really nothing much more to say than that. ^^ I already have thoughts for another oneshot, so there's that. Also, for another multi-chaptered fic, so that, too (the story I briefly mentioned before in a previous note). Not sure if it's wise to start those during the school year, but I really don't want to study…

Wait, also, I've been seeing the name 'Hunter' around the vmars fandom, and I was, like, wait, what, is he real? ._. Then I did a little research (re: googling) and realized that spoiler alert! he's V's half brother. Whaa? So, yeah… did not read the book yet (I know, it's a travesty), so… yeah. My oops in picking names. Baby Hunter was not derived from brother Hunter, just an odd coincidence… out of all the names. I see you, Rob. I see you.

This is a brief timeline for this story:

2007/06: Veronica and Logan get back together after freshman year of college, and Logan gets her the ring.

2007-15: Veronica and Logan get back together and break up and get back together at various points throughout this period.

2015: Veronica finds out she's pregnant in mid-July, conceived in May. Veronica tells Mac in September.

2015/12: The baby is stillborn on December 4th 2015.

2015/12: Logan loses his memories and tries to adjust.

2016/02: Logan goes back to the US. Then goes to Mexico to travel.

2016/02: Veronica is transferred to San Diego. Veronica is sent to therapy after botching the case. Veronica starts writing the letters.

2016/04: Veronica is cleared for work again after making marginal improvement but is advised to continue her therapy, which she does once a week with the letters and meets up once a week with the therapist for six months.

2016/06: Veronica tosses the bottles over the Coronado Bridge but not herself.

2016/07: Veronica stops writing the letters, but continues with the therapy session.

2016/09: Logan finds the letters before he goes to Vietnam and postpones his trip.

2016/12: After weeks of not finding anymore, Logan goes to Vietnam and works on writing the book while he's there.

2017/04-05: Logan gets the book published. People find out who Logan is and the scandals of his past come back. He finds out about his past life, and before he goes on tour, Dick shows up to support him.

2017/05-08: Logan goes on tour to promote the book.

2017/05: Veronica finds out about the book and writes him the letter.

2017/06: Veronica goes into 'hiding.'

2017/08: Logan returns to Mexico and finds Veronica's letter. Logan asks Dick to explain. Logan finally knows who the mystery woman is and hates himself. He pulls it together and returns to the US to find Veronica.

2017/10: They meet in the coffee shop. Two weeks later, they sleep together. He finds out about the key.

2017/12: They visit their son's grave on his birthday, and they sleep together for the first time since their reunion. Veronica writes one last letter to Logan.

Fun fact: This (and sugar kingdom falling) was more of a reactionary story to the happy endings I wrote in my previous stories (i'm looking at you, king of mars). I seriously cannot handle large doses/scenes of sugary sweet endings/stories, and yet…. D: I'm easily compromised and secretly a sucker for those sort of things.

/and they all lived happily ever after.

/ /the end.