TITLE: Just Business, Part 1; Start-up Costs

AUTHOR: arbailey

WORD COUNT: 5,605

RATING: PG-13 for language (possible R later, see author's note)

SUMMARY: In the wake of a PR disaster with his previous security firm, wunderkind film producer Logan Echolls is looking for some new blood to work the premiere of his latest blockbuster. But the new blood is actually old blood... And maybe even bad blood at that. But Veronica Mars knows security like nobody else, and after all, it's just business...

SPOILERS: The whole dang show. Future Fic.

DISCLAIMER: I don't own any rights to Veronica Mars, and this story is written as a tribute only. All borrowed dialogue remains the sole creative property of the talented writing staff.

Chapter 2

Outvoted by his partners, Logan reluctantly accepts the God of War Security bid, and although he does everything he can to avoid it, he is still forced into meeting with Veronica and her new COO for the West Coast branch. Casey and Connor are both smiling, enjoying Logan's suffering in a very unprofessional fashion.

As she walks into the conference room, she looks every inch the professional that she is widely proclaimed to be, and her West Coast partner is polished and assured in a way that is probably very reassuring for most of her clients. Logan, not so much…

He's wearing a suit, but it's still Weevil.

If he took of the charcoal jacket and rolled up the sleeve of his classic blue Oxford, you'd still find Lilly's name tattooed on his shoulder.

He's still a thug.

But then, that's exactly what they were looking for, wasn't it.

"Good afternoon gentleman. Allow me to introduce Eli Navarro. He'll be leading operations here in California after I return to the New York offices. Our VP of development, Mr. Stosh Piznarsky, sends his regrets. Piz has Emma today," she says as an aside with a smile to Logan, the only one who has been introduced to the gorgeous little creature.

Casey doesn't blink an eye at Navarro, but Connor scrutinizes him for a second, and his eyes go wide when he recognizes him from the poker debacle all those years ago. If he had been concerned about Navarro's ability to menace, all those doubts have fled in the wake of that memory.

"If I remember correctly, Mr. Navarro has something of a record," Logan says lazily, his arms crossed over his chest as he leans back in his chair. He glances to Connor and Casey who exchange worried glances.

"I'm not guilty of any of things I was convicted for," Weevil says. The expression is apparently meant to be a smile, but it's so wide his eye teeth show, and it comes off far more feral than friendly.

Veronica shoots Weevil a sharp look. "While Mr. Navarro does have a petty record, I trust him implicitly. I owe my life to this man, and he has been hired on to manage the West Coast branch. If you are uncomfortable with working with Mr. Navarro, than we must part ways here."

Casey and Connor exchange helpless shrugs while Logan waits with bated breath.

"No," says Connor, a little hesitantly, "We have no issue working with Mr. Navarro. Your word is recommendation enough."

Logan huffs in defeat, again. Navarro sends him the most insulting smile…

It's more than Logan can bear. "Hang on. This is going to be a big event for us. I'm not comfortable handing it over to someone who has never supported an LA premiere and Hispanic girl Friday!"

Veronica looks primly disapproving but Weevil's expression is murderous. But before he can do something that would make his employment untenable, Veronica sets a hand on his arms and he immediately stills.

"Fine. We are certainly unproven; I can't deny that. What would you suggest?" Veronica asks frostily.

Logan is momentarily silent, as he had no plan beyond poking the dragon.

Casey pipes up after a moment, "We could give you a trial run on the post-production wrap party and screening. That'll be Friday here in one of the studio ballrooms. It'll be mostly editors and stuff, but there are bound to be a few press looky-loos trying to get a scoop."

"Then," Casey continues looking pointedly at Logan, "In the VERY unlikely case that we are unsatisfied with your performance, we'll have a few weeks to secure another firm."

"Fine. We will provide security for the party – at a reduced rate – as a test run," Veronica smiles icily. "Well, if that's settled, than let's get down to brass tacks," Veronica says, smiling at the joined partners of DreamJob Productiuons, LEG. "Have you chosen a venue?"

Connor pipes up, "We're looking for a real Old Hollywood feel. This is going to be a classic must-see summer event movie, and we're looking to feed into that old school gritty glamour. Serials, swashbuckling, all that jazz. Think Indiana Jones sans Crystal Skulls. And with that in mind, we've decided to go with the Sunset Regent."

Logan's jaw tenses just slightly, and he sees Veronica cut her glance to him for a nanosecond, but she says without missing a beat, "Yeah, that is a fantastic old building. A real vintage feel. She'll be a wonderful spot for the premiere party…" and Logan is grateful.

He had been in on the decision to pick the Regent, ultimately, and he knew that that the location was solid. He'd felt no need to explain to Connor and Casey just why he didn't like the old hotel, and so he kept any objections he might have had to himself.

Just like DreamJob Productions would be unable to make a movie if they never hired anyone he had slept with, Logan would be virtually unable to leave the house if he never went anywhere where he had negative associations in LA.

Veronica is the picture of efficiency as she asks for information on the venue and guest list. She pulls out a basic floor schematic for the Sunset Regent, and he sees a couple other high end venues carefully labeled in her bag. She is the very picture of careful planning. He watches her scoping out blueprints and facility maps of the Sunset Regent with his partners, pointing out likely areas to establish checkpoints for guest credentials and detailing the best emergency evacuation routes.

It's annoying, but not surprising. He's never doubted she'd be good at this job, however much he argued that specific point. And even he, who is desperately looking for reasons to remove Veronica from his presence, cannot deny that she has a consummate understanding of her job. But then Logan's objections to Veronica have never been based on her competence at her job. If anything it goes the other way…

There were a lot of things that Logan historically resented about Veronica, and her work was pretty high up on the list. Not at the top of the list, though. That, naturally, was pretty much locked up by the disappointed looks she would always give him that made him feel like a worm. Still, her work ranked far, far above her penchant for speaking lines along with the movie.

He'd hated the way she threw herself into danger's path. He'd hated the way she never waited for back-up, canine or otherwise. He'd hated the way a case – ANY CASE – was a better use of her time then being with him.

In the background of his musings, he can Connor and Casey make a bunch of non-verbal noises of consent, nodding along energetically to Veronica's neatly sketched out plans. It's vaguely stomach-turning, but beyond a general antipathy to all things Veronica, he's having a hard time pinning down his displeasure.

"Well," says Connor, the picture of affability, "If we have the boring stuff out of the way, I wanna hear more about you! What you been up to? You just disappeared on us! You could have knocked me over with a feather when I spotted you at that dank little club in New York a couple years back."

Veronica seems taken aback and fidgety, and Logan is intrigued at her sudden reticence.

"I don't know if it's really appropriate to go into all that…" she hems and haws trying to beg off, but Connor and Casey are having none of it. Logan is also deeply curious, but he does his best to retain his careful look of practiced boredom.

And, of course, perhaps there are no words in the English language that do so much to guarantee that a subject will NOT be dropped.

"Well," she begins hesitantly, "I dropped out of Hearst after freshman year… It was that summer that I moved to New York."

Weevil keeps sending her pointed looks, but Veronica is studiously ignoring them.

"You may know that my father was running for sheriff at the time. I made a bad decision, and in covering for me, Dad was exposed to a lot of scrutiny," her face is wretched for just a moment before she schools her face into something more composed.

"After Dad lost the election, things were… strained… between us. He was gone pretty much constantly on various bounties. I kept my head down, just trying to make it through the academic year to my internship with the FBI…"

Connor breaks in, "Oh that's right, I thought you were going to be a G Man! Why aren't you still in the FBI?"

Veronica smiles, a little grimly. "I never joined the Bureau. I got as far as the physical at Quantico but no further. I received a minor injury a few weeks before I left Neptune..."

When he hears her says this, Weevil's brows beetle even more than usual and he sends her a low-slung, cutting glance, but he doesn't say anything. It looks like he is working very hard to stop his lip from curling in its signature style.

Unaware of the play of emotions on her new chief of security's face, Veronica wears a little residual scowl of her own, "They said they were benching me because of the injury, but that I should reapply in the future. That was just a bullshit excuse, though. You remember that Xena, Warrior Princess-type who was heading up Duncan's investigation?" She asks Logan, while Casey and Connor exchange bemused glances. "Guess who was also second string on heading up the interns program! I heard through the grapevine that she'd been moved to a babysitting assignment because of failures in the field."

She pauses to take a casual drink from the glass of water in front of her as the men in the meeting stare at her with varying levels of intensity... Logan and Weevil apparently both trying for first place. "And then you add the fact that I had been recommend for the internship by a man later convicted of murderer – and that I had been recently embroiled in a high profile altercation with the Russian mafia – and I guess I can understand why they decided to pass on me. In retrospect, I'm not sure I was ever federal material. There are an awful lot of rules to follow…"

Looking mildly spooked, Connor clears his throat, "Um, you want to bring us in on the Russian Mafia thing?"

She takes another sip of her water and looks genuinely surprised, "Logan didn't tell you? Wallace was under surveillance for this Hearst secret society, and Piz and I were accidentally filmed in a compromising position by this Russian mobster's kid who was heading up the pledge class… Although, seriously, is there even such a thing as a leaked make-out tape?"

"Anyway," she continues, unfazed, "Logan found out and kicked the shit out of the Bratva captain's baby boy, and said baby boy was found dead the next day. Piz was actually held in questioning for that murder, and Logan probably would have been brought in to, but he was too damn quick, weren't you?" She looks at him with a too cheerful smile, and Logan glances away uncomfortably.

She waves her hand dismissively, as if it had been no big deal, "His alibi was rock solid of course. After Aaron's death, the Neptune Grand went crazy bulking up its security. The cameras confirmed his whereabouts during the time of the murder." Her cheeks pink just slightly, and Connor and Casey can't possibly notice… But Logan does.

"Turns out that virtually the entire Sorokin clan was wiped out. Word got out that Gory had named Bratva secrets for his little skull-and-bones club. If Lev Sorokin's secrets were being spilled for the sake of some stupid networking exercise between West Coast Ivy pinheads and Silicon Valley code jockeys, it was plain that the other families could no longer support the risk the Sorokins posed."

All of the guys look astonished, but Logan looks vaguely ill. Weevil watches Logan with a barely disguised expression of disgust.

"So," Veronica says cheerfully, "It's almost like a fairy tale. It has a happy – albeit bloody – ending! And my former mentor was only FRAMED for murder, so really, I'm practically a girl scout," she says with a coquettish grin that looks almost genuine. It's probably working for Casey and Connor, but Logan – God help him – knows better.

Casey lets out a small, amazed laugh, "So… Then what? How did you end up in New York running private security?"

Her expression dims just a little bit, slightly bitterer, "I didn't have a lot left in Neptune to keep me…"

"What about that guy you cut from the flagpole? Whatever happened to… Willis? The basketball star. I know you guys were really close," Casey says, and Logan physically flinches.

He hadn't exactly kept up with Neptune gossip, but by virtue of their shared business – and maybe their shared guilt – he DID keep in touch with Mac…

"Wallace. His name was Wallace Fennel. Wallace is dead," she says quietly, stonily. All traces of cheer are gone, wiped away almost instantaneously.

Casey and Connor glance at Veronica with profound and obvious sympathy. Weevil's expression is unchanged, but he lays his clenched fist next to her elbow in mute solidarity. Logan doesn't look at her at all, unwilling to swallow that much of her pain in any one sitting.

"He was killed in a terrorist bombing in Uganda. He had joined the Forgotten Children program for the summer, and he was watching a soccer game in a roadside cafe during his off time. Turns out, the son of some local warlord was also there, and the lackeys of a rival warlord planted an IED hoping to take out the heir apparent. It didn't. The kid survived with just a few scratches. Wallace wasn't as lucky. They identified him by his dental records. He'd only been there a few weeks." A pained huff thrums through her teeth, and she looks at her hands clenched around the lip of the conference table. "He was angry with me when he left, and we didn't properly say goodbye."

"He thought I was treating Piz badly. And that was undeniably true," she says staring off into the distance, no longer really conscious of her audience or the potential for oversharing. Her gaze is hazily unfocused and her face is full of unvoiced anguish. Her guilt clearly swamps her, "I was treating him very badly. Very badly indeed." It's probably subconscious, the way her eyes slip unbidden to Logan for a fraction of a second before she straightens her shoulders and attempts a wan smile. "But I made it up to him. He forgave me, and he has been an absolute rock since then."

Logan tastes bile again. Maybe it's become a psychosomatic reaction to hearing Piz's name…

She gulps silently and glances to Weevil who nods almost imperceptibly, encouragingly. "A parent had gone MIA and my best friend was dead. Deja – fucking – vu. So I did what I did best then: I ran. I ran straight to New York. I needed some place new, some place not quite so choked with symbolism and import. Then, of course, I wanted to be the one to tell Jackie about Wallace. And Piz was already there for his internship with Pitchfork Media, so… And that's how I got into security, actually. You remember Yolanda?" she says, trying manfully to master her grief and continue her tale.

Casey nods, Logan shifts uncomfortably, and Connor blinks uncomprehendingly and shakes his head in the negative, but nobody interrupts.

"Well her dad, Bone, was producing a new hip-hop group and they were in the offices at Pitchfork for an interview. He had muscly security nine ways to Sunday, but that didn't prevent someone from making off with the MC's diamond studded harmonica chain. Piz mentioned he knew a detective and called me in. Bone recognized me and threatened his people if they didn't cooperate. A couple of hours later, the MC had his chain back, and I had my first angel investor in what became God of War Personal Security Services. It just kind of snowballed from there."

"And now you're back in South Cali! What brings you back home?" Connor says, awkwardly smiling, glad to move away from the less-than charming parts of catching up on her life story.

"Well, we were getting a lot of pressure to have bi-coastal locations from our New York customers. Bone is based out of LA, of course, and he was getting pretty noisy about the ungratefulness of a certain company he had invested in refusing to assist their original investor," Veronica says with a rueful smile.

"And Piz thought it was time I make use of some of my other West Coast connections to expand the business. Luke's working as an agent and talent scout now with the Boras Corporation down in Newport. I have a meeting with him tomorrow about maybe providing security for some of his clients. And you of course," she smiles at Connor, placing a friendly hand on top of his own, "Musn't forget my favorite client, the hugely famous movie star."

Logan's eye twitches involuntarily, and Weevil smiles – genuinely smiles with real joy – for the first time during the entire meeting.

"Plus," she continues, "On a purely personal note, we wanted Emma to get to know her family out here." Veronica says, the smile on her lips as it always is when she thinks on her little girl. Then her blue eyes go just a bit cloudy and her smile goes slightly wan, "It was just time to come home."

"Well," says Connor with his golden boy grin, "We are so glad you did."


Connor, Casey, and Logan stand and shake hands with Veronica and Weevil, everyone pretending that this is not the weirdest and most wrenching job interview they have ever sat through.

Connor and Casey invite him out to lunch with them, but Logan is wound a bit too tightly to fake his usual nonchalance with his partners, and he decides that today he isn't up to the level of evasion of that would be necessary to keep them from attempting to worm his issues out of him.

Logan has a therapist – this is LA, after all – but the good doctor was chosen precisely BECAUSE of his patent inability to make Logan open up.

He wanders the building aimlessly – which is apparently a part of this new, post-Veronica routine – only to realize he has circled back on himself, and the conference room.

It is an accident he comes across the two-old-friends-cum-new-business-partners. He doesn't MEAN to eavesdrop. That would be beneath his dignity. But it would be equally true to say that he is desperate to figure out the context of the little psychodrama that Veronica and Weevil just played out silently in the boardroom.

And it would also be fair to say that Weevil has always set his teeth on edge. Loving the same girl will do that to you, apparently…

And Veronica clearly has a whole NEW history with Weevil that he knows nothing about.

It isn't terribly honorable to listen at keyholes, but then honor has never been a virtue Logan claimed for himself. He leans silently against the hallway wall, his ear canted towards the corner, as he listens to their almost hilariously loud whispering…

"What the fuck was that, V?" Weevil bites out between his teeth.

"What the fuck was what?" She sighs wearily.

"I can't believe you're gonna come back here and act like that pendejo did nothing wrong!"

Veronica huffed a pained little laugh, "You're imagining hurts on my behalf now? He didn't do anything wrong. You know why I left, and he had nothing to do with it!"

"Ha," he barked angrily, "Pull the other one. A little injury, V!?"

"Fine. You don't have to believe me." She hisses frostily, "I know your issues with him precede me, so I guess I don't mind if you create imaginary reasons to hate him. But you keep it out of the business. I'm serious Eli."

Her voices softens, fiercely tender. "You know I owe you everything. I can't repay you for that, but I can get you a job with this up-and-coming security company. Your own team to manage. And you are the perfect hire for this firm. Eli, I need you at my back. Please, please work with me on this. Work with him," she pleads.

"And if he starts up his shit again?" Weevil huffs, subtly weakening.

"It's not like that," she scoffs, "What, am I supposed to turn down the multimillion dollar contract out of spite for him being mean to me what I was 16? This is just business."

"I'm not worried about the 16 year old asshole with the crowbar, though I can't say I'm a huge fan of him either. No, I'm worried about the 19 year old who left you blee…"

"ELI," she breaks in firmly, I'm fine, okay. You're just like your abuela, you worry too much…"

Weevil snorts ungenerously, angry, "I think we both know that YOU worry too little."

Logan can hear her shuffle closer to Weevil and imagines her placing a quelling hand on his arm and says softly, "I'm doing better. Ever since Emma came. Heck, I haven't been admitted to the emergency room since she was a year old," she says, jovially. But when Weevil's doesn't immediately respond, she lowers her voice, "I promise. I'm pulling back. She's helped me put things in perspective."

Weevil's voice is a little muffeled when he says, "Well thank God for that baby, then. I came so close to losing you. You know I've got your back, no matter what. But I don't ever want to see you like that again. You nearly killed me, V." Logan can practically see it; Weevil in her arms, his voice muffled in her soft blonde hair.

"You don't have to worry," she says into his shoulder.

"Like that's gonna stop me," Weevil murmurs back, "Alright, enough of this shit. I think I'm growing ovaries. I'll see you at the office tomorrow, so we can plan the little culo's party."

Veronica sighs elaborately, "God, Spanish is such a beautiful language…"

Weevil huffs a laugh and Logan pulls back around the corner as the man strides out of the conference room. Logan watches Weevil walk away with the same entitled swagger he used on the bridge all those years ago. Right up until he got kicked in the face. The thought is soothing.

Logan muses for a moment, listening to Veronica release a tense, whistling sigh followed by a sad little chuckle. He doesn't LIKE Veronica. He hasn't liked Veronica since late September back in 2003. He's felt a lot of conflicting things for the little blonde in the last 13 years, but friendship isn't really one of them. Still, there's no point in making their new working relationship any more difficult than necessary.

And it would be a bald-faced lie to say he isn't INSANELY curious about where she's been and what she's been doing for the last decade. Her CliffNotes version of events has posed more questions than it answered.

He stands in the doorway for a moment, watching her shuffle her papers around. It is a very bad idea to engage her in a conversation. Because it's never JUST a conversation between them. It's a conversation and an argument. A conversation and shotgun blast. A conversation and a broken lamp. A conversation and a night of passion.

But at the same time… He doesn't really feel like he has a choice. It's kind of mesmerizing. It's like staring at a sawblade until you just can't help it. You have to stick your hand in. It's inevitable.

"Ms. Mars," he nods to her when she finally looks up. Startled, she stares for a second before she composes herself.

"Mr. Echolls," she returns with a genuine, if tired, smile.

Which is a staggering occurrence all on its own. The last contact he'd had with her was the physical equivalent of a Dear John letter, and that was a decade ago. Her smile is doing serious damage to his resolve not to get sucked into another unwinnable morass of sticky, soul-draining emotion.

Still, he is determined to let NOTHING she does rock him. It's all water off a goddamned duck's back.

She has finally gathered all her materials together, and he waves a gentlemanly hand to offer her first exit. She steps close to him as he holds the door, juggling her bag, files and keys, and for one insane moment as he stares down at her, he is going to kiss her.

But he doesn't because his instinct for self-preservation, while severely weakened around Veronica, never abandons him completely. And today does not feel like a good day to die.

More than anything, he is helped by a nice metaphorical cold shower when he spots the heart-shaped picture frame keychain bearing her baby. And by extension, her baby daddy.

Her breath catches and her eyes widen in sudden confusion as she gazes up at him, and he realizes he's probably scowling at her. He quickly schools his expression into a gently mocking smile, and she seems to relax.

They walk side by side, carefully not looking at each other, as he walks her to her car.

"Wow," she says, playfully, "An escort from the head honcho. What did I do to deserve such an honor?"

"I don't want you nicking anything on your way out the door," he grouses, good-naturedly.

Veronica snorts, "You know me too well, Logan."

Oh God. Just hearing her say his name…

He reins it in quickly, "May be so… In fact only one part of your tale really surprised me... You're a college dropout!? Can't believe you wound up such a loser…" Logan says insouciantly, examining the fingernails he has just polished on his jacket lapel.

"I dropped out of Hearst, but then I TRANSFERRED into NYU. Granted, there was about a year in between those events." Veronica says, suddenly stopping abruptly in the hallway and turning to him accusingly. Her arms are wrapped around her files like a shield and one eyebrow is raised challengingly, "Meanwhile I was also working a full time job and trying to get God of War off the ground. Take the silver spoon out of your mouth so you can kiss my ass."

Logan rocks back on his heels, his hands clasped behind his back, and nods obligingly, "Fair enough."

She nods, satisfied, and they continue walking down the hall.

"How did you even find out we were looking for new security?" Logan asks.

"Connor asked me to submit a bid," she returns, surprised.

"So that whole 'OMG, I'm so shocked to see you' thing was a complete farce for my benefit?" he says, a little heat coming through in his tone.

"No, I think you misunderstood. I think he was HAPPY to see me," she catches sight of his skeptical expression. "It DOES happen you know! Occasionally."

Logan shrugs in mild disbelief, and Veronica snorts grumpily, but she is wearing a hint of a smile.

"Assuming it won't violate any intact or pending non-disclosure agreements, what the hell happened with the last guys?" Veronica says in a stage whisper.

Logan groans, pained, "Acheron Security? Oh it was a shit-show. We've got this aging diva, she's trying to put together a sitcom package. I didn't want to touch it with a thirty foot pole. But Connor's mom is a huge fan, so..." He gives the international shrug of put upon sons everywhere.

"Anyway, this lady is insane," he continues. "Hugely demanding. She has a rider for 5 minute interviews, for fuck's sake. Claims she requires a security detail at all times. Preferably young and handsome, naturally. Meanwhile, she has taken to leaking details of her own plans in hopes of drawing out the paps."

Veronica snorts derisively, and Logan nods, "Exactly. So her usual security guy gets this part. 'Thug in restaurant #2', but it's his big break, right? So they send out a new kid. Young, handsome, and inexperienced as fuck. Gets a little pushy with our diva's favorite paparazzi as he stands out by the gate. Diva comes out to 'mediate' and generally revel in the attention. Brings her dog. Ugly little thing with a smashed in face… Pekingese? Anyway, Young and Dumb shoves Favorite Pap. Favorite Pap stumbles off the curb, drops his Nikon D3 on the dog. Splat. She makes a big stink about him being studio security, PETA shows up out of NOWHERE, and we get the bills and the negative press."

Veronica cringes sympathetically, and then her face brightens in a smile. "Well, your loss is my gain!"

"Your compassion is overwhelming, Ms. Mars," Logan says dryly.

"It's all part of the God of War package," she grins, as they finally stop beside her car. Small, dark, unassuming. Convertible. Deja-fucking-vu. He is imploding here, and he must do something to stop it…

She speaks and breaks him out of the awful nostalgia. "I gotta say, you've really built something impressive here Logan. I was surprised…"

There, a perfect window… Logan breaks in glibly, though an edge of steel peeks out, "That I haven't drunk my way through ALL of Daddy Dearest's money?"

Veronica rolls her eyes and tightens her jaw just a little, "That you went into movies. You always seemed pretty down on the whole scene. As for the other thing… I'm not one to judge anybody for their vices."

"Wow. Now, that IS new," Logan says, his face a smiling rictus.

Veronica's teeth grind, but she manages to eke out a tight smile, "Deserved that, I guess."

And now HE feels guilty. So not everything has changed, then. That is a nasty little Jedi mind trick of hers, and further proof that it is a bad, BAD decision to get any closer to her then is absolutely necessary. The only way out of a conversational black hole like this is a sudden and abrupt change of topic.

"You and your band of Merry Men gonna be ready for the party on Friday?" Logan quips doubtfully.

"Oh have no fear, the place'll be locked up tighter than Friar Tuck's belt," Veronica says, her smile still tight

"Robin Hood puns?" He looks at her pityingly.

"You started it," she says, apparently genuinely affronted for the first time today.

"Any chance we're gonna get to see you do a leg sweep and taser somebody? You know, for a little light dinner entertainment," Logan asks, glib.

She shakes her head, ruefully, "Connor told you about that? No, Weevil's going to be running the show on Friday. He needs a trial run too, especially if he's going to be heading up our West Coast units. I'm just gonna be there with my usual arm candy," she smiles, and then it sets a touch. "And you're gonna be NICE, right? You and Piz: water under the bridge, correct? No bruising necessary."

"Please," says Logan disdainfully, "More than under the bridge. We've been through the water cycle twice."

"Fantastic. I'm holding you to that," she says with a smile that shows all her teeth, decidedly shark-like, as she tosses her armload of stuff into the passenger seat.

"Where you staying? Gotta be crowded with the whole family in your Dad's place," Logan says, fishing, for what he's not sure.

Veronica nods emphatically, "Yeah. Too crowded. And it's a two hour drive back to LA in traffic. And he's living at Alicia's now, anyway. Plus, Darrell's graduating in the spring and his friends are everywhere. And you know me… I like my space. We got a suite at the Sportsman's Lodge. Tax Deduction!" she cheers, throwing her arms up as if for a touchdown.

Logan ignores the outburst, "Who the hell is Darrell?"

Veronica drops her arms, chiding. "Alicia's son." This helps him not at all.

She looks a bit put out, "Wallace's little brother."

Logan raises an eyebrow in surprise, and Veronica shrugs.

"They got back together after... Everything. And that's great", she says, getting into her car, stiffening ever so slightly, "But I can't be hemmed in with them every night. It's just… Way too intense right now."

"But, on the other hand," she says, her enthusiasm returning, "Free babysitters. Dad and Alicia are going to be spending some quality time with Emma Friday. This will be the first time Piz and I will have had an evening out together in something like a year! It's hard work raising a baby and building a business at the same time. Still, Emma, this company… They've really grounded me." She appears almost… teary. "Gah, listen to me, the proud parent… Sickening!" and she shakes off the emotion.

She gives Logan a long appraising look, as she stares up at him from her perch in the car. Her hands grip the steering wheel tightly, and flex a little in what might be considered a fidget. "It was good to see you, Logan," she says, soberly, without even the hint of a smile. "I'll see you Friday."

And with that she roars away. Logan stalks off to his own car, his nerves jangling. He's not going to fall into the trap again and spend the evening in his office drinking.

He can do that at home.

A/N: I was so inspired by all of the kind reviews, story alerts, and story favorites that I couldn't help myself, and I have a new chapter for your just a week later. Thanks so much you guys! I can't make any hard and fast promises, but with this level of support, it's hard NOT to write a chapter a week. For those of you interested, I will be posting the "After Hours" version of the first chapter as its own story. I will probably post individual chapters with racy content there if you care to read them. And if you do not, DON'T WORRY. You won't be missing out on any plot points or vital information. As always, reviews and con-crit most gratefully appreciated.