A/N - I started working on this a while ago, and was initially hoping to have it all completed before I started posting but decided I didn't want to wait that long because I miss you all so much. Unfortunately that doesn't mean I have an abundance of writing time either, so it could still take a while to complete it. I did at least make myself finish off Gravity and Marshmallows & Moonlight before I started posting this so that I only have 2 WIPS going now. I do plan on finishing off Rocky Shores as well, and really do wish I had more free time but life doesn't always give you what you wish for.
Despite the title, this should be a fairly fluffy, slow burn LoVe story. And as always, special thanks to Bondopoulos for finding the time to beta this for me!
Disclaimer: All original VM characters belong to Rob Thomas.
"He proposed!"
A broad smile broke out across Veronica's face as she tilted her cell phone momentarily away from her ear to protect herself from the high pitched squeal that came down the line. She wasn't terribly surprised. When you've known someone practically half your life—even if you'd only been an official couple for a small fraction of that time—once you admit your true feelings, a wedding proposal wasn't exactly earth-shattering news. His birthday had been the week before and he'd whisked her away for a romantic weekend to celebrate after having a larger party the weekend before. Of course that was the perfect time to pop the question.
"Congratulations, Sabrina," Veronica responded, genuinely happy for her college roommate.
"We're having an engagement party next weekend, and I was really hoping you could fly out for it," Sabrina continued. Even though Veronica couldn't see her face through the phone, she could picture Sabrina's expression—head titled, big pleading blue eyes—a look she was also a master of.
Veronica let out a soft sigh. "Not all of us can just jet off across the country at a moment's no—"
Sabrina interjected before Veronica could continue. "I'll pay for the ticket, Vee, I just really want you to come out."
"I'm not a charity case," Veronica objected immediately.
"That's not—"
Before Sabrina could say anymore, it was Veronica's turn to cut her off with a caustic laugh. "Although the fact I've moved back in with my dad and started working part time for him isn't the best argument against it."
"How about if the flight wouldn't cost either of us anything?" Sabrina tried again, switching to a persuasive tone with just a hint of mischief that Veronica was also very familiar with.
"I'm not stowing away in some cargo hold," Veronica teased with a chuckle.
"Remember I mentioned Sterling's friend from Cambridge? The travel writer with his own private plane?"
"Ummm… yeah… you sent me links to some of his articles to read, right? One of Sterling's wealthy British buddies?"
"Right, Linden Endicott. He's actually based out of San Diego currently and he's flying back to Massachusetts for the party, so you could come along with him."
"Yeah… I don't think flying over six hours alone with some rich, stuffy British guy—no offense to Sterling—sounds all that appealing. Look, I'll gladly save up and fly out for the wedding, but I can't just drop everything and fly out there for every little pre-wedding event, Sabrina. And I'm sure, knowing you, there will be quite a few of those."
"Well, his girlfriend will probably be coming too, so you won't be alone with him. You can sit in the back and read a book… or work on an article if you have a story you're chasing down now."
"Unfortunately, that's a no on an article right now."
"Sorry, Vee."
"Thanks." She tried not to sound too frustrated, but was sure Sabrina had probably caught the sentiment in her reply anyway.
"Sully will be there and he'd really like to see you too. If not for me, will you at least do it for him? Puhleeease?"
"Oh sure, bring your brother into this," Veronica replied a smirk tugging at her lips.
"You forced me to bring out the big guns," Sabrina countered playfully. "I'm sure your dad can do without you for a couple of days, right? And you can stay at the house with all of us. So free transportation and lodging, and you get to hang out with your favorite set of twins."
"You're the only twins I know, so that's not saying much."
"But you love us anyway. Please say you'll come."
Veronica let out a loud sigh. She had to admit that getting out ofNeptune for a few days actually did sound nice after the last couple of months she'd had. And if anyone can get me out of a discouraged slump it would be Sully. "Fine. Text me London's information."
"Linden," Sabrina corrected. "And I can't wait to see you!"
Veronica pulled her suitcase out of the backseat of her car after she parked in the lot at the small private airport. She hadn't been sure how bad traffic might be driving down from Neptune to San Diego and hadn't wanted to be late since she'd already felt like she was inconveniencing Sterling's friend, so she'd left early. Luckily traffic had been light and she'd had time to stop and grab a second coffee and a scone before arriving at the airport. Flying on a private plane, there certainly wouldn't be meal service, and she'd started to wonder whether she should have actually planned a bit better and packed some snacks. Sabrina had better treat me to an amazing dinner when I finally make it there.
Sabrina's directions had been a bit vague, but luckily it was easy enough to spot the hanger where she was suppose to meet Linden and his girlfriend. Veronica hadn't cared enough to ask much about them, and as she walked toward the hanger, she started to wonder if the girlfriend would be some wealthy British socialite too. Neptune High 09ers, British Edition—oh goodie. At least she should be able to hide in the back of the plane and be as antisocial as she wanted since she couldn't imagine they'd care much at all.
The small but expensive looking jet was already outside of the hanger. Veronica spotted a bit of movement in the window, although being short, she couldn't see much from the ground.
"Hello?" she called out, nearing the open door of the airplane.
"I'll be right ou—"
Veronica was sure the surprised look on her face had to have matched the look on the face staring back at her.
"Veronica?" Logan stammered as he shook his head slightly, apparently in disbelief, before walking down the small set of steps to stand on the ground in front of her.
"Um… yeah…" Veronica answered, glancing around quickly to see if there was anyone else around. Where the hell is—"Wait,You're Linden?"
Logan looked a bit perplexed as he nodded slowly. "And you're Sabrina's college roommate?"
It was Veronica's turn to nod. "Well this is... unexpected," she said as a nervous chuckle bubbled out before she started rambling anxiously. "I definitely wasn't expecting this. I had no idea you changed your name. It's probably going to be tough to remember to call you Linden, but I'll give it my best shot."
Logan furrowed his brows as he tilted his head, clearly thrown off a bit by what she'd just said. "I um… I only use Linden for my articles. Everyone who knows me calls me Logan. Didn't Sabrina tell you that?"
Veronica let out an irritated huff. Of course my devious ex-roommate didn't tell me that. Why did I think to give her the benefit of the doubt for even a second? "Um, no, she didn't happen to mention that."
Logan gave her a small almost apologetic smile. "Can I, um…" he mumbled as he gestured to her suitcase. "Get that for you?"
"Yeah… sure, I guess."
Logan quirked an eyebrow at her as the corner of his mouth curled up slightly. "Not having second thoughts about being trapped in the sky with me, are you?"
Veronica let out a nervous chuckle and slowly shook her head, realizing that there wasn't much conviction in her response.
"I promise I'm a good pilot. I could show you my flight logs if that'd make you feel better."
Veronica laughed a little harder and shook her head again in an attempt to appear more convincing. "I believe you."
He looked at her skeptically but didn't press her. He took her suitcase and then turned to climb back into the plane. She stood there, not quite sure what to do—completely bewildered by the current turn of events. She'd occasionally wondered what it would be like to run into him some time in Neptune when she'd moved back there after college. This certainly hadn't fit any scenario she'd ever imagined. She'd worried sometimes about what sort of trouble he may have gotten into, but never saw his name pop up anywhere. While the situation may be incredibly awkward, it was nice to finally get a little closure about where he'd ended up and what he'd been doing since they parted ways.
Logan returned a few seconds later, glancing toward the parking area while he grimaced slightly. "We're just waiting on…" he trailed off, seeming a bit uncomfortable.
"Your girlfriend," Veronica finished for him with a tight smile. Yeah, this isn't going to be weird at all. I'm so going to kill Sabrina. I guess I won't have to worry about flying back out for her wedding after she's dead.
"Yeah." Logan glanced down at his watch. "You're a little earlier than I expected. I arrived early to get the jet all ready to go. She prob—" He stopped abruptly as the sound of a cell phone rang through the air. "Excuse me," he said as he pulled the phone from his pocket and paced a few feet toward the hanger.
Veronica tried not to eavesdrop, but it was virtually impossible not to hear his end of the conversation from where they were both standing.
"Hey, how's traffic?... Oh… yeah no… yeah, I understand… It's fine, Paisley." She heard him let out a loud sigh before he spoke again. "Yeah… I think I'm headed off again a few days after I get back… well, maybe we'll get a couple hours at least… Yeah, catch dinner and a show... I'll call you later tonight... 'kay, bye."
The smile he plastered on his face as he turned back toward her seemed ingenuine, but she certainly wasn't going to call him on it.
"Well, looks like we won't have to wait after all. Paisley—my girlfriend—works for a cable news network in LA and needs to fill in for another reporter this weekend."
"Great," Veronica replied flatly, realizing as the word left her lips that probably was the farthest thing from a proper response for the situation. "I'm sorry she can't make it though," she added, hoping she sounded sincere.
"Yeah, thanks," Logan said briskly, walking by her toward the plane again. "I've got to take care of a few more things and then get cleared for an earlier flight time. There's a couch in the hanger if you want to hang out there until we're ready to go."
Given how dismissive he sounded, she decided she'd take the couch option. "Sounds good," she said as she turned and headed into the small building. It will give me extra time to plot my vengeance against my traitorous college roommate.
"So, Emerson, huh?" Logan asked after they'd been up in the air for a while. "I never would have expected you to go there. Although ironically it was my first choice when I decided to leave Hearst—well, before I decided to give another continent a try."
Veronica huffed out a soft chuckle before replying. She certainly didn't want to get into fate or long ago professions of continents and epicness. "Yeah, after my internship with the FBI, I came to the realization that I like exposing the truth more than following bureaucratic processes, so I decided to pursue a career as an investigative journalist instead."
"And how's that going?" Logan asked, glancing in her direction for a moment with a raised eyebrow before returning his gaze to the plane's controls.
This time it was a bitter laugh that proceeded her answer. "Not as well as I'd hoped. Even though I'd decided to stay back East after finishing my internship in Virginia, by the time I graduated from Emerson, I'd started missing Dad and California a lot so decided to pursue career opportunities out there. I got a gig writing for a small paper in LA shortly after moving back, but after a couple of months they closed up shop. I guess in hindsight it was good that I'd only signed a month-to-month lease on a tiny apartment in LA. I ended up moving back in with my dad while I looked for a new job, which has extended much longer than I ever intended. I've written a few articles for the Neptune Register and a couple random online papers, but I haven't had a lot of luck getting something better yet. Given my abundance of free time and an un-abundance of funds to pay off school loans, I've been helping Dad on cases again." She paused and caught her breath for a moment. "Sounds like you've been doing pretty well after Cambridge?" Ever since realizing that Linden was actually Logan, she'd tried to recall everything that Sabrina had ever mentioned about him. She kicked herself now, realizing that the frequency of those mentions had steadily increased in the past few months and she'd never even stopped to question why.
"Well, I don't know that I'd say that," Logan replied. She wasn't sure if it was reluctance or modesty that laced his tone. "It's all who you know, right?" He took a deep breath before he started again. "The magazine I write for is owned by Gant Publishing, so it wasn't too hard to get Casey to give me a chance. Luckily, I guess, the editor of the magazine didn't hate my stuff, so I've stayed on with them."
"Yeah, Sabrina sent me a few of them to read. You've always been a good writer, Logan. I can see why they'd keep you."
Logan looked slightly uncomfortable with the compliment, which surprised her a bit given how cocky he could be in the past. Starting the moment she'd walked into the hanger to wait for him to finish prepping the plane, she'd been wondering how much different this four-year older version of Logan might be. Being less cocky certainly hadn't crossed her mind. Although maybe she'd just been distracted with thoughts of how he seemed to be in noticeably better shape than he'd been when she last saw him.
"It's fun work at least. I get to travel around to interesting places. I try to pitch locations that I can actually fly my own plane to, but they've requested several places it's just not feasible to travel to with the range I get on her."
"Her, huh?" Veronica laughed, teasing him.
Logan laughed as well and shook his head. "It's not like I named her or anything."
"Sure you didn't," Veronica giggled back as she bit on her lip, feeling that old familiar feeling for the first time that day of how much she'd missed being able to tease him.
Logan looked at her for a few seconds as he rolled his eyes then turned his attention forward again.
"I bet you call her some name sometimes don't you?" Veronica continued, pretty sure her intuition was right. "Maybe it's not her official name, but I bet you have some cute little pet name for her."
Logan let out a defeated sigh and shook his head for a second before shooting a devilish grin her direction. "Well, when she's being a pain in my ass I do call her Bobcat."
After short stops in Colorado and Indiana to grab some food and refuel the plane, Logan and Veronica finally landed at Hanscom Field, a small airport located between Concord and Bedford. Veronica had been to Concord several times when she was going to school at Emerson in Boston. Sabrina would drag Veronica out to her family's large colonial home that was located just outside of Concord over long weekends when Sabrina needed a break from the city.
It had certainly been a surreal day flying across the country with Logan. Even though he really was a great pilot, Veronica was still excited to be on solid ground again. Including the stops, it had taken about eight hours for them to make the full trip. There had certainly been more than a few stretches of awkward silence, although Logan seemed to eventually fill them by sharing some trivia about the state they were traveling over. Veronica couldn't help but notice that when they had talked about things that had happened to them in the last four years, that they'd stayed very focused on the what and not so much the why. To her it felt like it was one step above trying to make small talk with a complete stranger on a normal plane ride. At least it wasn't as uncomfortable as it could have been given things weren't very good between them when she'd left Hearst and they hadn't spoken since then.
Logan had called Sterling during their stop in Indiana to give him an estimate of when they'd be landing so they could meet them at the airfield. Veronica spotted Sabrina and Sterling waiting by the hanger that Logan taxied to after landing. Veronica had never met Sterling in person, but Sabrina had sent her plenty of pictures of the two of them over the past few months to be able to instantly identify him. Sabrina could easily pass for Veronica's sister. Both women were petite— Sabrina having an inch or two on Veronica—with blonde hair and fair complexions. Sterling fell somewhere between them and Logan. Several inches shorter than Logan, with light brown hair and, from at least what Veronica could tell in the pictures, green eyes.
After killing the jet engines, Logan opened the cabin door and helped Veronica get her suitcase off the plane as they greeted the newly engaged couple.
"Smooth flight?" Sabrina asked, eyebrow raised and the slightest hint of apprehension in her tone. Veronica was certain now that Sabrina hadn't just accidently forgotten that the two of them used to date. "Vee used to go on and on about the turbulence when she'd fly back from visiting her dad. Hopefully you had clear skies coming out?"
"Yep," Veronica replied, smiling gratefully at Logan. "I think this was the smoothest flight I've actually had out here yet."
Logan smiled and nodded at the compliment. "Well, I've got to do a few things in there." Logan gestured with his head as he turned to head back into the plane.
"Need a hand?" Sterling offered, immediately following Logan into the plane, leaving Sabrina and Veronica alone next to the jet.
"I'm so glad you're here," Sabrina squealed as she wrapped Veronica in a huge hug.
"You are in sooo much trouble!" Veronica scolded before Sabrina had even released her.
Sabrina gave her a mischievous smile as she stepped away. "When am I not?" she asked with a laugh.
"I can't believe you intentionally planned to trap me for nearly half a day on a plane with my ex-boyfriend and his girlfriend."
"Well to be fair, I seriously doubted she'd come along. And I was right, so there's that."
Veronica let out a frustrated sigh and glanced back at the airplane to be sure that Logan and Sterling were still on board. "I'm still pissed at you. Why didn't you tell me who Linden really was?"
"I didn't think you'd come if you knew," Sabrina replied, sounding slightly chagrined at least. "And I really wanted to have you here."
Veronica narrowed her eyes at Sabrina, sure that wasn't the only thing that had motivated her.
"And I didn't think it would hurt for you to bump into him again," Sabrina added with the mischievous twinkle back in her eyes. "Let's face it, you're love life could use a nudge."
Veronica glanced at the plane again before continuing, although she did lower her voice just in case the guys were coming back out. "Let me speak slowly so you can understand. He. Has. A. Girlfriend. I'm pretty sure we already covered that part."
"Psha, it's not like they're married, and I really don't think she's the right woman for him."
"Somehow I don't think your opinion is what he cares about, and you'd better not be planning any more meddling." Before Veronica could say another word, she heard Logan and Sterling's voices getting louder as they climbed out of the plane again.
"Who's ready for Italian food?" Sabrina asked loudly as she wrapped her arm around Veronica's shoulders. "Papa Razzi," Sabrina sung out happily, coaxing Veronica toward the shiny new BMW SUV that was parked next to the hanger.
There was certainly a different dynamic throughout dinner with all four of them instead of just Veronica alone with Logan. Since this was the first time Veronica had met Sterling, she was able to focus on getting to know him better rather than worrying about how to fill the awkward silences the airplane with Logan. Not surprisingly, their conversation frequently turned to their recently completed college years, and Logan seemed more than happy to share slightly embarrassing stories about Sterling with the two girls. Veronica couldn't help but wonder what sort of embarrassing stories Sterling might be able to share about Logan, but for whatever reason he didn't retaliate. As Logan jovially shared the many tales, Veronica couldn't help but think back to the more carefree guy that Logan used to be when they were younger—back before so many things darkened their lives.
Veronica was already well aware of how Sabrina had met Sterling years ago so none of that really needed to be rehashed at dinner. When Sabrina was younger, her and her twin brother, Sully, frequently visited their maternal grandparents who had moved to England shortly after the twins were born. Once they were school age, the twins would spend a large chunk of each summer there. Sterling's family had moved into the estate next to Sabrina's grandparents when they were all twelve and the three quickly all became good friends. It wasn't until Sabrina had visited the summer after graduating from college that she and Sterling had finally admitted their true feelings to each other. Sterling ended up coming back to the US with Sabrina at the end of the summer, and they'd been inseparable ever since. Most of the stories Sabrina had told Veronica about Sterling when they were going to Emerson together were of the time they spent together when they were younger, so it was nice to learn more about what grown up Sterling was like from the stories that Logan shared with them.
Given the time difference on the East Coast, it was nearly midnight when they finally made it to the house. Sabrina's parents had already turned in for the night, so Sabrina quietly showed Logan and Veronica to two guest rooms on the second floor and then headed to her own room with Sterling in tow.
Dinner had provided a distraction from thinking about how strange it was seeing Logan again, but alone in her room, those thoughts popped back into Veronica's mind. As she settled into her bed, the fact that Logan Echolls was actually just on the other side of the wall from her was boggled her mind. She wondered if he'd already crashed after the long day but then heard what sounded like drawers opening and closing on the other side of the wall from her.
Sabrina had sent her Linden's number in case an emergency came up and Veronica needed to reach him before making it to the airfield. Veronica bit on her lip for a second before grabbing her phone. Even if he has a girlfriend, that doesn't mean we have to act like strangers. She typed a message and hit send before she could change her mind.
'I don't think I ever thanked you for offering me a ride, so thanks - V'
Veronica could hear the sound of a mattress shifting and felt an odd feeling course through her knowing he was probably reading her message right next door.
'Anytime. It was nice having someone to keep me company. - L'
She knew she could just leave it at that, but she'd missed him and the banter they used to have back when they were younger—before things had gotten so ugly. Maybe some of the stories Sabrina had shared at dinner had left her feeling a bit nostalgic too.
'I'm also thankful you fly better than you drive'
She could just barely make out a laugh from the other side of the wall. Her smile at hearing that sound was involuntary and she was thankful that's all she could hear and that his girlfriend hadn't come along. Of course, since she'd had some time to kill while she was waiting for him in the hanger, she'd googled 'LA News Paisley' and had easily found the woman who Logan was likely dating. It hadn't been terribly surprising that she'd been tall, gorgeous and voluptuous. Veronica had already been through the torture of listening to him with another woman from the other side of a wall once before and didn't want to relive that, ever. She was glad the sound of her phone beeping provided a distraction from dwelling on that unpleasant memory.
'You'd better be nice. It's an awful long bus ride back to Neptune.'
'Okay, okay. Let's not get crazy. You're the best pilot I know.'
'Sterling might take offense to that since he's a pilot too."
Veronica had forgotten that Sabrina had told her that at some point. Not that she would have changed what she'd written.
'Is that how you got into flying?'
That had been too close to a 'why' question to ask on the way there, but now that he was safely in the room next door, she felt a little braver asking more personal questions. At least that one didn't seem too dangerous.
'Actually yeah. I knew after the first time he took me up and turned over the controls to me for a few minutes that I wanted to get my license too.'
'You didn't offer to let me fly your plane.'
'Well my Eclipse is a bit more advanced than the Cessna he took me up in.'
'Maybe you're the second best pilot I know then.'
'I'll be sure to check the bus schedules tomorrow. I wouldn't want you to miss it.'
She couldn't help but laugh at him. Before she could write a reply, her phone beeped.
'It's really good to see you again. I'm glad you didn't follow your first instinct and bolt at the airfield in San Diego.'
'Me too. Good night Logan.'
'Sweet dreams Veronica.'
Veronica wasn't sure if the clicking sound she heard was actually a door opening or just part of a dream, but then when she felt her bed jostle from a body plopping down next to her, she knew it was real. She slowly opened one eye to find a mischievous blue eye twinkling right back at her.
"Rise and shine, pork-ee-pine."
"Too early," she groaned as she rolled onto her back and covered her face with her bent arm.
"It's already after eight," her very amused interrupter of sleep replied. She didn't have to see his face to know the expression she'd find there.
"Not in California," she countered sleepily. "And didn't I lock that door?"
A wordless scoff was the only reply she heard. She'd actually almost dozed off again when she felt the covers pulled off of her. Before she could drop her arms to protect herself, wet lips attacked her stomach and started blowing raspberries against her belly.
"Stop!" she protested through giggles. She tried pushing Sully away, but he was too strong and even though he was laughing now too, he wouldn't relent.
"Is everything okay in here?" Logan's loud voice boomed through the room, causing Sully to stop and both of them to look toward the doorway. The scowl on Logan's face definitely matched the tone he'd just used.
"Yeah, Sully's just trying to wake me up," Veronica answered quickly, tugging the edge of her sleep shirt back over her exposed skin.
"Um… Mom and Sabrina said breakfast was almost ready. There's coffee," Sully told Logan as he pushed himself up to sit next to Veronica.
Logan nodded stoically before disappearing down the hall.
"Sorry," Sully said as he flopped down on the bed next to Veronica again. His wavy blond hair fluffed up around his head on the pillow.
"Well it's not the first time you've woken me up rudely," Veronica replied, turning onto her side again so she could see him better.
"No, I meant… about that," he said, pointing at the open door. "I don't think your ex was too pleased with the scene he just witnessed."
Veronica narrowed her eyes at him. "You knew too!" she exclaimed unhappily. "And you didn't think—" She lowered her voice to sound more like a guy before she continued, "'Hey, maybe I should call Veronica and tell her that her ex is going to be Sterling's best man.'"
"Well, I hadn't heard he picked Logan as his best man," Sully replied with a smirk. "And I only found out at Sterling's birthday party a couple weeks ago that Sterling's friend from Cambridge was your infamous ex. Besides, Sabrina said she'd tell you."
"Well, she didn't," Veronica informed him angrily.
"Oh," Sully glanced back at the door. "I take it the Ice Queen didn't come with him this time. I didn't hear frozen stilettos impaling the hardwood."
"So, I guess you don't like her either?"
"Oh no, she was lovely," Sully replied as he rolled his eyes. "I call everyone who's lovely by royal titles you know."
Veronica huffed out a laugh and shook her head at him.
"She was here that weekend too but only stayed one night and then got some urgent assignment and had to fly back to LA, abandoning Logan here with us."
"Well, you are a terrible bunch to be abandoned with," Veronica retorted with a smug grin, but then she looked at him more seriously. "It must not have bothered him at all… they're still together."
"True," Sully agreed as a broad grin spread across his face. Even if he looked angelic to strangers, Veronica knew there was actually a very devious personality behind his innocent looking exterior, much like his twin sister. "And all the better for me because I don't want to have to share your attention with anyone else."
"And whom am I sharing your attention with this weekend? Sabrina said you didn't come out last night because you had some big date. Guy or gal this time?"
"Gal," Sully replied with a smug grin. "Our second date actually."
"Ah, so I'm the second blonde you've been in bed with this morning then," Veronica teased.
"She was strawberry blonde, actually."
"Wow, changing your core demographic dramatically," Veronica countered deviously with a chuckle.
"No one can compare to your awesomeness though, Sonica," Sully volleyed back with a smirk as he leaned forward and placed a loud kiss on her cheek.
"You know I hate that nickname," Veronica reminded him trying to pin him with her most threatening glare as he rolled back next to her on the bed.
"Too bad for you," he teased, the mischievous twinkle back in his eyes again. "We'd better get down to the kitchen before all the bacon's gone," he added, springing up from the bed and holding his hand out to her.