9 DAYS

Logan paused outside the hospital room door, trying to find the right mindset for dealing with Keith Mars. Former sheriff? That wouldn't work. He'd never had much respect for the sheriffs of Neptune. Father of the daughter I'm… An image of Veronica naked with her knees pressed into the mattress popped into his head. Nope, can't go there now. He settled on commanding officer and followed Veronica into the room.

"I'm upping the stakes, kiddo - no more betting with pretzel sticks, I've saved my—" Keith abruptly stopped talking when he saw Logan. His surprise was evident, but he quickly recovered. "Logan," he said by way of greeting.

So much for Veronica's 'he wants to know when you're coming to see him.' Clearly Keith had no idea this visit was happening. "Mr. Mars."

Logan's gaze flicked to Veronica. Her wide-eyed innocent expression was simultaneously frustrating and hot as hell. "I was tired of beating you at poker all by myself so I brought Logan with me."

Keith eyed him speculatively. "Is he any good?"

She didn't say anything, but her posture changed and Logan knew what she was thinking - don't say it; no hints that you have ever seen me naked, remember?

Logan adopted an equally innocent expression. "I get no complaints from Veronica about my game." The slight flush blossoming up the back of her neck was gratifying. "So what are the stakes?" His eyes were on Keith, but the question was for her —and it wasn't about poker.

"High… you should be prepared to lose a pudding cup or two," she replied, tossing her jacket on the wheelchair in the corner.

She started to drag one of the visitor chairs closer to the bed. Logan stepped forward, reaching for it, and she allowed him to move it the rest of the way. Veronica gave his arm a gentle thank-you squeeze. "Has the doctor been here yet?"

As Keith answered, Veronica tidied - clearing off his tray, checking his water pitcher, refilling his glass, and putting it within reach on the nightstand. Keith frowned as he spoke, clearly not pleased with her cosseting. "Never mind the doctor, when are you going to spring me from this joint?"

"When he signs your release." She kissed his bald head. "I found a rehab facility near the house; they have a neurological and orthopedic physical therapist on staff, and offer massage therapy."

The joke —does it come with a happy ending— was right there. Logan swallowed it down, because this visit would NOT end happily for him if he said it.

"That sounds expensive, honey."

Veronica shook her head. "Insurance will cover it."

She was lying. Veronica didn't have tells. It was why she was a good poker player and a great detective. Hell, it would probably make her an excellent lawyer, too. Logan could definitely see her shredding some poor bastard on the witness stand.

Yet even though she didn't touch her face or fidget, wring her hands or stare, Logan knew when she was lying. It was instinctual; his brain responding to her casual posture and unconcerned tone. Logan smirked. Her tell was a LACK of tells, because nothing about Veronica Mars was ever simple.

"Now shuffle those cards and be prepared to lose," she said, taking a seat on the bed. "I've got a sudden hankering for lime green jello."

Keith did as instructed —another man helpless to resist Veronica— dealing each of them two cards and announcing, no blinds. Logan lifted his from the tray, took a seat in the chair, and glanced at his hand- pocket tens. "Do I need to hit the vending machines in the hall, or am I betting with IOUs?"

"I'll stake you." Rooting through her bag, she pulled out a package of Skittles, and tossed them over, then withdrew a king-sized bag of peanut M&Ms and set it next to her on the bed. Logan grinned - of course she kept the chocolate for herself. Wrinkling her nose, she stuck her tongue out at him and said, "No comments from you."

"Wouldn't dream of it- just don't eat all your money."

"Pfft, it's not like I'm going to lose any of it, playing with you two." To emphasize her point, she popped a handful of candy in her mouth, crunching them between her teeth, and then bet three orange ones.

Logan tucked his cards under his thigh to open the Skittles. The 'Long Lost Lime' limited edition bag made him smile. Her favorite flavor; she liked to eat them paired with the strawberry. "How many of these did you buy?"

"A few."

"Hundred," he mumbled under his breath. Logan saw Veronica's bet and raised, placing five grape-flavored candies on the overbed table. While waiting for Keith to call, he helped himself to one of the paper cups on the nightstand and started sorting the Skittles, putting the red and green ones in the Dixie cup.

Keith's frown returned, gaze swinging from Veronica to Logan and then back to his daughter. He put in his pretzel sticks and said, "I was sorry to hear about Carrie."

Logan inclined his head to acknowledge the sentiment, but remained silent, hoping to stave off further conversation about Carrie. Keith didn't take the hint. After Veronica called, he dealt the flop and asked, "Did you two date for a long time?"

"Two years." It was technically inaccurate. The correct answer was one, followed by a year of systematically destroying their relationship with separations and guilt (him); drugs and cheating (her); and, constant fighting (both of them). "Not all of it good."

"It's tough to love someone in a downward spiral; sometimes you have to walk away to save yourself."

Logan's head snapped up and he stared at Keith. Was he talking about him and Carrie? Or did he mean his own relationship with Lianne? Or —his eyes darted to Veronica— was he issuing a subtle reminder: my daughter once walked away to save herself from you.

Veronica started another round of betting, putting five M&Ms on the table, and forcing Logan to actually look at the flop - a two, king, and ten. Three-of-a-kind. He called, as did Keith. "So why the Navy?"

The urge to say something flip was hard to squash. "I wanted my life to be worth something." Logan smirked. "Other than blockbuster ratings on TMZ."

Not exactly sarcasm-free, but sincere enough to pass muster with Keith, who nodded and asked, "Do you like it?"

"It's got it's good and bad." Logan shrugged. "More good, I suppose, and… I get to fly planes really fast." That earned a small smile from Keith and Veronica snickered.

"Stationed in San Diego?" The casual, offhand questions were not idle conversation; they were leading somewhere, Logan was sure of it. Was Keith keeping an open mind, trying to see if he'd grown up? Changed? Or was he just looking for fault?

"No, sir. The carrier's homeport is North Island; my air wing is based at NAS Lemoore."

Keith dealt the turn card- an ace.

Veronica bet another five pieces of candy, an aggressive wager. The odds of her having pocket aces were 200-to-1; she could be holding a pair of kings, or maybe a queen and a jack? With the king, ten, and ace she'd now have a straight to beat his trip tens. Logan checked her face. A complete blank. Bluffing? He saw her bet and raised.

"That's pretty far away," Keith commented, calling the bet. "When's your next deployment?"

A frown marred Veronica's forehead as she answered for him. "In nine days."

It gave Logan a little thrill to realize she was keeping count and seemed saddened by the thought of him leaving. It also made him want to do desperate things to make her happy, like go AWOL. He put his hand on the bed next to hers, inching it closer until their pinkies touched. Veronica glanced down at the contact and smiled.

"How long will you be gone?" There was a hopeful —the longer, the better— lilt to Keith's question, which was discouraging. How fast would he be lining up better suitors for his daughter? Would he call Piz? Try to get them to reconcile?

"Six months." Logan forced himself to sound upbeat at the prospect, but the truth was his return was uncertain. The needs of the Navy superseded his need to be here with Veronica. That thought unsettled him. Normally, he liked being on a cruise. It beat shore duty, which felt like endless days of paperwork with very little flying. Now he was already lamenting his departure, and he didn't even know if Veronica WANTED him to come back to her.

"And your service commitment, when is that up?"

Logan watched Veronica as he replied, "Two and a half years." Her reaction was slight, almost imperceptible. A quick downward turn at the corner of her mouth, compressed lips, and stiff shoulders. His gaze fell to his cards.

These were things they should've talked about alone. His plans, hers, and if they included each other, or if this -they- were an aberration. Keith was busy ferreting out Logan's intentions toward his daughter, while Logan was busy trying not to have any. Beyond getting her naked, that is.

"What are your plans for after the Navy?"

"I don't have any" —a pointed look at Veronica— "yet."

It wasn't that he didn't want to discuss a future with her. Having a life with Veronica was his personal fantasy come true. But not if it was going to be just like old times. A relationship with distrust and constant suspicion, judgment and withholding- he couldn't do THAT again. It was too easy for him to completely invest, while she kept one foot out the door, ready to run. This time, Logan wasn't prepared to settle for scraps - he wanted ALL of her.

Keith dealt the river —king of hearts— and Veronica bet again. Could she really be holding cowboys? If so, her four-of-a-kind would beat his full boat. Fold and let one of them win? Veronica would see through that move instantly, and it would piss her off. Logan raised the stakes; no one folded.

"Moment of truth - let's see what you've got." Veronica looked at him with a smug smile. Maybe she wasn't bluffing? Logan laid down the tens and she blinked. "You won with the RIVER?" Her incredulity made Keith chuckle. "Why're you laughing, old man? What do you have over there?"

"Nothing that beats Logan," he said with a smile, tossing his cards on the table. He'd lucked into a pair of aces with the turn and stayed in the game. Stubborn like Veronica. "And I'm laughing at YOU, darling daughter."

She affected a pout and carefully put her cards face-down on the tray. Logan's hand shot out, grabbing them before they got mixed with the rest of the deck. "Hey," she complained, reaching for them.

Holding them aloft, he stole a peek. A queen and jack gave her the straight that would've won if he didn't get that final king. He smirked. "Fortune favors the prepared mind… Louis Pasteur."

Veronica rolled her eyes as she gathered the deck to shuffle. "Here's a quote for you; lucky at cards…" Leaving the sentence incomplete, she batted her lashes. Message delivered, received, and rejected. He could win every hand, and she'd still be in his bed tonight.

Logan waited for her to finish dealing and then offered her the Dixie cup. "A gift for my banker."

The bounty of red and green Skittles brought a smile to her lips. It was the wide, generous one that tugged down her cupid's bow and lifted the corners of her mouth to expose lots of teeth. A pink blush suffused her cheeks and her eyes sparkled. God, she's beautiful.

"Thank you." She tipped her body forward and kissed his cheek, surprising him. An open display of affection in front of her father. His brain scrambled to remember if it had ever happened before and decided, no, this was a first.

And he supposed a real kiss would be pushing it, but the idea was tempting. Almost as tempting as the woman herself. He smiled. "You're welcome."

Keith cleared his throat. "The bet's to you, Logan."

Poker, right. A glance at his cards -nine and five, suited- and he winked at Veronica, placing five of her favorite blue M&Ms on the table. She stared at the bet, eyes narrowing, and then lifted her gaze to study him.

"Mac came by yesterday" —Keith put in his pretzels and raised with a jello— "says you're still trying to get her to come work for us."

"I prom— Wait, does your change of subject mean the interrogation part of this conversation is over?" Veronica turned her appraising stare on Keith. A silent look passed between them and she nodded, grinning. "Good, because it's hard to read Logan's tells when he's sweating bullets. And I need to win back my M&Ms."