Title: The One That Got Away
Characters: Logan, Veronica, OCs
Rating: Teen
Summary: While studying at Columbia Law, Veronica finds out about Logan's new career. Movie-compliant.
Author's Notes: For the VMHQs Milestone Follower 1000 Word Fic Challenge.
Veronica carried the tray of drinks over to the corner booth where her Criminal Law study group had taken up residence to study for finals
"Okay, here we go," she said, placing the tray on the table and handing out the drinks. "Café latte for Kate, cappuccino for Sandy and double espresso for Amy."
"Thanks, Veronica," Amy smiled.
"So, where are we up to?" she asked, sliding into the booth and reaching for her own drink: coffee with cream.
"The finer points of Juvenile Justice," said Kate. "Well, some of us are. Sandy's studying the scintillating pages of Vanity Fair."
"Hey," Sandy responded indignantly. "It's still lunch break. I'm allowed."
"Anything good?" Veronica asked, nodding toward the magazine.
Sandy grinned. "They've got a new '30 Under 30' list."
Veronica chuckled. "Scoping out your future husband?"
"You caught me." Sandy caught her tongue between her teeth, then turned her attention back to the magazine. She flipped the page, then gasped. "Oh, my God."
"What?" Veronica looked up at the sudden exclamation.
"Hello, number eight." Her friend licked her lips. "Someone's certainly made something of himself."
"Who is it?"
"Listen to this: After careening off the tracks a few years ago, this Hollywood wild child has straightened himself out admirably, gaining a bachelor's degree in Communications and enlisting in the Navy after graduating," Sandy read aloud, looking up at the others with a grin. "A Hollywood legacy from a notorious family, this bachelor is very much available having recently returned from a 6-month deployment flying fighter jets over enemy territory."
Veronica's eyes widened. Who the hell in Hollywood is flying planes for the military?
"Seriously, who is it?"
Sandy raised an eyebrow. "Get this: Logan Echolls."
Veronica felt like she'd been punched in the stomach.
No. No way.
Logan? In the Navy?
Get out.
"S-say again?"
"Logan. Echolls," repeated Sandy slowly. "You know, Aaron Echolls' son? The one falsely accused of murdering that girl."
Veronica blinked, trying to make sense of what she was hearing.
Logan's a fighter pilot? Seriously?
"Look."
Sandy held up the magazine, and Veronica's breath caught in her throat. It was unmistakeably Logan, with those dark eyes and close-mouthed half-smile, dressed impeccably in a white US Navy uniform.
Wow.
"Uh…" She swallowed, unable to form any kind of response, except, "It wasn't falsely."
"What?" Sandy frowned.
She shook her head, averting her eyes from the magazine. "Aaron Echolls. It wasn't a false accusation. He did it."
Amy looked up in puzzlement. "But he was acquitted, right? Didn't they say her brother did it?"
"Just because Aaron was acquitted, doesn't mean he was innocent," countered Veronica.
"How do you know?" asked Kate. "You weren't there."
"Maybe not, but I am the one who figured out who killed Lilly." Her heart was pounding now. "And it was Aaron."
"Wait, you knew Lilly Kane?" Sandy's mouth falls open.
Veronica nods. "She was my best friend. I found the tapes of her and Aaron together."
"You saw the mysterious, disappearing tapes?"
"Yep," she said. "They were in Lilly's bedroom. I grabbed them, but Aaron came after me. Almost killed me."
"No, shit." Amy's eyes were like saucers. "How did we not know this?"
She shrugged. "It's in the past."
"Hang on," said Sandy, looking down at the magazine again. "Logan was Lilly's boyfriend, right? And if you were her best friend, then you must have known him too."
Veronica cringed. "Yeah, I did."
"So, what's he like?"
"Seriously, Sandy?" Amy tutted disapprovingly.
"I'd rather not get into it."
Understanding dawned on Amy's face. "Oh my God, you guys dated, didn't you? You and Logan Echolls."
She sighed. "It was a long time ago. It didn't work out."
"And now he's a fighter pilot… in the Navy," Sandy gushed. "You should totally look him up again."
Veronica's nose scrunched up. "Why would I do that?"
"Why not? He's hot, and single. You're single…"
"That's not the point," she countered. "We broke up for a reason."
Kate studied her thoughtfully. "You still love him, don't you?"
"No," Veronica denied quickly, fingers playing nervously with a sugar packet. "That's not—"
Kate's eyes narrowed, her intuition spot-on as usual. "You're fidgeting."
Veronica sighed. "Okay, maybe I do still love him. But that doesn't mean we should be together."
"But you'd like to find out?"
"No," she protested, then stopped, dropping the pretense. "Yeah, okay. Maybe."
"So do something about it," added Sandy. "You still have his number?"
"No." She shook her head quickly. "Well, I mean, I have a number for him. But it's years old. Probably doesn't even work anymore."
"Doesn't hurt to try."
Veronica looked around at her friends, who were watching her expectantly. Contact Logan again? She couldn't. It would be such a bad idea.
"Okay, fine," she relented eventually, realising they weren't going to let it go until she did.
Heart pounding, she dug out her phone and scrolled down to Logan's name. Her thumb hovered over it for a moment, before she sucked in a breath and pressed the call button, bringing the phone to her ear.
Please don't be him. Please.
It rang once, twice, three times. No one picked up. Four times, five. She was about to hang up when there was a click.
"Hello?" came a deep, rough-sounding voice. One that was definitely not Logan's. A wave of relief flowed through her. Thank God. "Hello? Anyone there?"
Veronica blinked. She should probably say something. "Oh, I, uh…"
"You lookin' for Mouth?" came the voice again. "Hang on, he's right here."
Who the hell is Mouth?
"Oh, no," said Veronica quickly. "Uh, wrong number, sorry."
"Hey, Mouth, some chick's on the phone for you."
"It's really okay. Sorry to have bothered you." Veronica hung up quickly, heart beating fast in her chest. She looked up at the others. "Wasn't him."
"Sorry," said Sandy.
"Yeah, well." Veronica shrugged. "Probably for the best."
But even as she slipped her phone back in her pocket and turned back to her friends, she couldn't help feeling disappointed.
In his apartment at NAS Lemoore, Logan took the phone from his squadron-mate, glancing down at the caller ID. It was an unknown number. He frowned, lifting the phone to his ear.
"Lieutenant Echolls." Silence. "Hello?"
He shrugged, ending the call and turning to Cosmo. "No one there."
"Guess she hung up. Never mind, eh?" Cosmo clapped him on the shoulder. "Let's go get a drink."