A/N: Sorry about the delay in updating, school started, and I've been super busy, and my computer crashed, which SUCKS. But here it is.

Disclaimer: I own nothing


Part III: Reunited

Winter 1998

Kelly Riley swallowed and took a deep breath. She was glad that Scooter was dead asleep and didn't know what she was doing. She grabbed the large folder and hopped into her car and drove for about forty five minutes. She took a deep breath and walked into the large Stamford house. She swallowed. She always had flashbacks to her first visit here when she came.

"Kelly?" Logan said walking over and hugging her and giving her a light kiss on the cheek. She smiled. "I was kind of worried when you called. Is everything alright?"

"Yeah," she said. "Logan, you absolutely promise that Scott won't find out that I did this?"

"Did what?" He asked. She sighed and pulled the folder out of her bag. "What is this?"

"He wrote a book," she said and handed it to him. "A really good book." He nodded.

"And you're giving it to me, why?" He asked. She looked at him. "Right, as unofficial brother watcher this is what I do."

"Something like that," she whispered. "I just thought, you could read it and give it to someone, or convince him to give it to someone?"

"I'll read it," Logan nodded. "Of course I will."

"Thanks," she said. "Anyway, um, I should get back, before I'm gone too long." He nodded and she turned around.

"Kelly," he said. She looked at him. "You have no idea how much he loves you." She smiled softly.

"Yes I do," she said. "Read it, that's how I do." Logan smiled.

"OK little bro," Logan said and sat down in his study. "Let's see what you did here."


Claire wandered into her office one morning and smiled, her slipped her wool coat onto a hanger and giggled, seeing the flowers sitting on her desk. She opened the card and nearly jumped a mile when she recognized the handwriting.

I know you'll hate me forever. But I'm just trying to be a good brother.
Logan

She swallowed. She hadn't seen or heard from Logan in years. And what did he mean he was trying to be a good brother? She popped her head out of her door.

"Debbie?" She said to her assistant who looked over from her desk, "um, those flowers, did they come with anything else?"

"Oh, um, yeah," Debbie nodded and handed her a large manila envelope. "It feels like a manuscript, but I figured the flowers were from Grant, and we all know if he wrote anything,"

"He wouldn't send it here," Claire rolled her eyes. She and Grant had just had this fight the night before. With a family as powerful as his in publishing, she didn't understand why he didn't push to move further than the obit desk. "I'll take a look." Debbie nodded and she opened it settling in. "Tell Me About The Girl," she whispered. "Great title." Four hours later, she was curled up in her chair and had blown her nose about four or five times.

"Hey you," Grant said. "What've you got there?"

"I think it's a best seller," she said. He nodded and sat down.

"Which agent sent it to you?" He asked. She looked at him.

"Oh, um," she said, "actually, an agent didn't send it." He raised his eyebrows. "Don't freak out."

"That's a promising start," he grimaced.

"Logan sent it to me." She said. He stared at her. "It's his little brother's, and it's really good." Grant nodded.

"I didn't realize you two were still in touch," he said. She sighed.

"We aren't," she said. "Yale has an extensive alumni network, as you know, he probably just tracked me down."

"Mm," Grant nodded. "Are the flowers from him too?" She sighed. "Claire, come on," he said.

"Yes, the flowers are from him too," she sighed.

"Red roses," he nodded, "it's classy."

"He always sent red," she mumbled, "because," she twirled the ends of her hair.

"I get it," he said shortly. "You're going to do this?"

"It's really good Grant," she whispered, "This could make my career." He nodded.

"And you don't think that it will be at all upsetting?" He asked. She sighed. "I mean, look according to Liam, this kid's an idiot." She laughed.

"You really need to listen more closely when Liam talks," she shook her head and kissed him. "He doesn't think Scott Vanderbilt is an idiot, he just thinks that his girlfriend is a hottie." Grant nodded and she kissed him. "I'll meet you for dinner later, I need to check with some people and then, well, I guess get in touch with Logan."

"Sure," Grant nodded. "I love you."

"I love you too," Claire smiled and kissed him. "Thank you for not freaking out."

"I try my best," he shrugged. "See you tonight."


Summer 1999

"You're looking at it too literally," Claire shook her head. Scooter groaned. "Look, I'm just saying throw some symbolism in. It won't kill you!"

"I bet no one told Hemingway he needed more symbolism," he grumbled.

"Oh sweetie," she laughed and shook her head. "You're not Hemingway. It's good, but A Farewell To Arms it is not." He laughed.

"Hey," he said after a minute of her scratching at the paper with a pen. "Um, listen, next week, Kelly's coming to visit and I thought you might like to have dinner with us."

"Sure," Claire said. "What night?"

"Well, we're doing dinner with my brothers on Friday," he shrugged. "You could double up. Plus you'd get to see Logan." Claire nodded.

"Uh huh," she nodded. "Uh yeah, I guess that would be OK."

"Great," he said, "I'll see you then."

"Sure," she whispered. He stood up and walked out. She sighed and stared at the phone for a minute and then picked it up, she dialed. She sucked in her breath as it rang and went to voicemail.

"Hello, you've reached Logan Vanderbilt, I'm not available," she closed her eyes, hearing his voice again for the first time in so long. "Please leave a message and I'll get back to you as soon as possible." It beeped.

"Hi, it's um," she closed her eyes, "it's Claire, Claire Fitzgerald. I'm sure Scott's going to tell you, but we're going to have dinner together this weekend. Stop by my office before, we have to talk." She hung up and closed her eyes.


Logan listened to the message over and over. She sounded the same, but different. She didn't sound like a girl, but she did sound like the woman he thought. He closed his eyes. At twenty he thought he'd be married to Claire Fitzgerald by now. Instead he knew nothing about her. A tiny part of him still hoped that he would marry her, and if she was calling…


"I think this is a bad idea," Grant said. Claire looked at him as she got dressed in her bathroom and popped her head out.

"Good thing it's not up to you," she said simply. "I'll call you when we leave the restaurant."

"Don't bother," he shook his head and took her hips, "just come over to my place OK?"

"Um, OK," she kissed him, "we haven't spent the night at your place in a while." He smiled.

"I know," he said, "but I have a surprise." She kissed him softly again. "I love you."

"I love you too," she said. "Try to write today baby, your editor isn't going let you miss deadlines every time just because you're Grant Nichols."

"Mm," he nodded. "Alright then, you look beautiful."

"Try to think of it as me looking beautiful for your surprise," she said. "And not for dinner with my ex, which is what I know you were thinking."

"I'll try," he smiled, "and I'll try to write also."

"Good," she said. "Have a good day." She walked out and swallowed.


Logan sat in the cab with Claire as they headed over to the restaurant. He looked at her.

"Fitz, I," he said. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have assumed,"

"That I'd be single?" She grinned. "No, you shouldn't have," she smiled. He smiled back, even if it had been awkward at first it was just so easy between them. "Oh come on, don't tell me that it's been five years since you had a girl Logan."

"Of course not," he mumbled, "there have been girls." She nodded. "Is it serious with this, reporter?"

"Yes," she said softly. "It never was, before, I mean with anyone else but you." He nodded. "Scott's really talented, Logan. "

"I know he is," he smiled. "I'm glad he found this. I'm glad you didn't ignore how talented he is because I was an idiot when we were twenty two."

"It's good for me too," she said softly. He looked at her. "A book like this, if it does well could change my entire career. And it will do well, I'm good at my job."

"I have no doubt," he said. She looked at him.

"What's Kelly like?" She asked. He laughed.

"She's great," he nodded. "She reminds me of you." She looked at him. "But Scott's a better man than I am. He fought for her." They sat in awkward silence again for the rest of the ride.


After dinner as they stood on the street kissing Claire forgot her whole world. When he whispered that he still loved her, she felt like there was nothing but the two of them, and she knew what she'd always known. She belonged with Logan Vanderbilt.

"I love you too," she said. He smiled the same too confident smile that he'd approached her with in that bar so long ago and hailed a cab. Once they were in the cab they could barely keep their hands off of each other.

"Remember senior year," he whispered in her ear, "after that Christmas party?" She giggled.

"Sure," she whispered, "are you going to throw up and pass out after we're done because you drank too much Jager?"

"You're so funny," he whispered. When they got to his hotel room he carefully slid her dress to the floor and then they landed against the bed.

"I missed you," she whispered.

"Not as much as I missed you," he shook his head.

After they lay in bed together and he played with her hair. She traced her fingers across his chest.

"Fitz," he said.

"Mm," she cooed.

"Tell me about him," he said, "Grant Nichols." She rolled onto her stomach and sighed.

"There's not a lot to tell," she said, "he's sweet and kind, and he's a writer,"

"I was never creative enough for you," he shook his head. "Is it serious?"

"Yes," she whispered, "it doesn't matter though." He looked at her. "I love Grant, I do, but," she closed her eyes. "He's just not you." He smiled.

"So does this mean," he said, "that we're back together?" She laughed.

"This means," she said, "that I'm going to have breakfast with Grant, and end things, and then I'll call you, and we'll talk about it." He rolled her onto her back. "Do you have a girlfriend?"

"No," he shook his head. "I work all the time." She laughed. "I'm serious Fitz, all I do is work, and pretend I'm not still in love with you." She kissed him.


The next morning Claire walked into Grant's apartment carrying two coffees. She heard the shower going. She sighed and sat on the bed and then looked around. She noticed a bouquet of flowers sitting on the end table and took the card.

Look in the drawer.

She swallowed and opened the drawer. She saw the box.

"Oh my God," she whispered and the shower turned off and Grant walked out. "Grant," she said softly.

"Hey," he kissed her, "oh, you found it."

"Yes," she nodded. "I'm sorry, I,"

"It's OK," he said, "look, I know last night was weird for you, so I figured you just went home, instead of coming over. But," he sat down, "Claire, I love you, and I want to be with you forever, I want to marry you."

"Grant, I," she looked at him, "last night, you," she closed her eyes. "Yes, I will marry you." He kissed her and she pulled close. She would tell him later.


"You're what?" Logan said. "You're engaged to him?"

"Not really," she said. "I just, I couldn't say no," he sighed.

"It's not like you don't have practice," he mumbled. She looked at him.

"That's not fair." She sighed and sat down. "I want to be with you, but this is so sudden. Just give me time." He nodded.

"OK," he kissed her. "But not a lot of time." She smiled.


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