Then...
Really Lily? Fleet Week?
"Come on, Veronica Mars. You're delaying the gratification of the many sailors! They are waiting for me, they just don't know it!"
Another day, another adventure in the friendship of Lilly Kane and Veronica Mars.
"How does Logan feel about our little excursion, Lilly?"
"Logan who?" Said the blonde. She was wearing barely there jean shorts and a red and white striped halter top that showed off her... assets.
"Are you arguing again, Lilly? Why don't you cut him some slack?" Veronica said, rolling her eyes as she pulled her long hair back into a pony tail. It was going to be hot and windy down by the water in the sun and she didn't want to deal with it. She was wearing a jean skirt and a white polo with a flag scarf around her neck.
"It is Fleet Week, Veronica! I can't have a boyfriend during Fleet Week! This way we're both single!" Lilly referenced Veronica's break up-or lack thereof- with her brother in an offhand way that made Veronica wince. Duncan had simply stopped talking to her. No explanation and Lilly claimed not to know. She was an accomplished liar. though not usually to Veronica. Evidently Lilly had decided that Fleet Week was the best distraction for Veronica.
"Alright, let's go."
"Finally!"
The Navy Air Station was packed with people and the girls started walking towards the ships and crowds of people. Lilly stopping and taking pictures every few steps with cute military guys. Veronica pulled out her camera and started taking pictures. There were kids running around waving flags and eating ice cream, pretzels and hot dogs. Ice cream. Where did they get that?
"I can take you on a tour of our ship if you want. You can see our big guns." Veronica overheard one of the sailors tell Lilly. Veronica rolled her eyes and pulled Lilly away.
"Let's head this way, I think there is ice cream." Veronica said. While she was talking, there came a loud rumbling sound that grew louder and louder. Veronica shaded her eyes and then quickly brought her camera up to try to capture the fighter jets flying directly overhead. The flyby caused a loud cheer to sweep the crowd as everyone stopped to watch.
Veronica wandered a bit away from Lilly as she tried to pull Veronica into flirtation with yet another group of sailors. Lilly's beauty and personality always garnered attention and Veronica was used to being in the background. She liked it, actually. Being unnoticed allowed her to observe other people. Veronica was fascinated by the group of what had to be pilots standing by a line of jets on the air field. "Lilly, look, Fighter pilots!" This got Lilly's attention and she immediately sauntered over to them.
Veronica was distracted by a little blonde boy, who looked about five. He was studying the plane and having a very animated conversation about the missiles, engines and paintings on the plane with what looked like his dad. The kid was jumping back and forth and grinning like nothing else mattered. Veronica snapped a picture trying to capture the joy and excitement of the kid.
She was so focused on the picture that she didn't notice someone in her way until she slammed into him.
"Logan! What are you doing here?" Veronica exclaimed. She hoped Lilly was done flirting with the pilots or that she could steer Logan in the opposite direction. It really wasn't nice to have your ex flirtation shoved in your face.
"Oh, you know. Bored. Just thought I'd come check out the planes. They're pretty badass. I wonder what it'd be like to fly one." Logan said. Then he looked around. "Where's your evil twin? How many sailors has she picked up so far." He said it without much emotion, but his hands were shoved deep in his pockets and his shoulders were hunched.
"How'd you know she was here?" Veronica tried to ignore his question.
"Where you go, she goes. Where she goes, you go. Plus, I don't think coming here was your idea. Even if there is ice cream." Logan's hand came out of his pocket and started playing with the ends of her scarf.
"Well, it doesn't matter anyway, I'm not in the mood to deal with her. See you around, Veronica." Logan turned and walked away into the crowd of people.
Veronica sighed. She wished her friends would stop hurting each other. Or rather, she wished Lilly would stop hurting Logan. He didn't deserve it.
"Veronica Mars! Come meet these lovely men." Lilly called from the crowd behind her.
Veronica rolled her eyes and smiled. Well, it was Fleet Week after all.
Now...
The last time Veronica had been at Fleet Week, she'd been with Lilly. She'd been wearing a flag scarf and she'd run into Logan staring at a fighter jet.
How things had changed. Today she was wearing a cupcake dress, as Logan liked to call them. Blue with big white polka dots on the skirt and a red blouse that showed just a hint of skin. She had a brief flashback to a little blonde boy talking animatedly about missiles and engines. But that was what she was listening to at the moment. "They go so fast, Veronica. So fast. And they are so loud! I saw one once fly by and it shook the whole building!" Her brother, Hunter, was talking so animatedly and so fast that Veronica had to concentrate on what he was saying while still heading in the direction of the planes he was so captivated by.
"You'll have to ask Logan all about them." Veronica grinned down at him. Having a half-brother had taken a bit to get used to, but he was a good kid and his excitement over the planes and ships was contagious. She loved when he was able to act like the kid he was. He'd experienced too much negativity in his short life.
"There he is!" Hunter shouted and let go of Veronica's hand. He ran at Logan who crouched down to talk to him on his own level. Wearing his flight suit, Logan looked very official. And HOT. Veronica couldn't hear them yet, but she could see Logan's grin. He started walking around the plane pointing things out to Hunter. Veronica pulled out her camera and took some shots of two of the most important people in her life. She smiled at the display on the camera and then went to join them.
"Hey, Sugarpuss." Logan leaned over to give her a brief kiss. "Nice dress." His eyes skimmed up her body and lingered a bit on her neckline.
Veronica grinned at him. "Hello, flyboy. Hang out here often? Can I see your big guns?"
"Anytime you want," he smirked at her. Hunter grabbed his attention and asked about the markings on the plane. Veronica listened intently as well. Sometimes it was still hard to believe that Logan was in the Navy. Even though they'd been through a deployment and day to day military life for a while. Then again, she couldn't really imagine him today without the Navy either. It was such a huge part of him now. He loved his jets. She remembered the conversation that she and Logan had that day so long ago.
Logan caught her small smile and looked questioningly at her.
She shrugged, "You were right. The planes are pretty badass."
He smiled and threw his arm around her shoulders and squeezed as he continued to answer Hunters endless questions.
Hunter turned to Veronica after a while. "Can we get ice cream?"