Sorry for the late delay on updating this story. Work and college kind of took over there for a while:)

Anyway, I hope everyone enjoys!


The minute people fall in love, they become liars. - Harlan Ellison

Rain streaking wildly down the windscreen of her car and the wind howling furiously outside, the depressing state of the weather seemed oddly fitting as Veronica battled to secure herself a parking space in the crowded parking lot of the airport. The journey to the airport had been intolerably slow, the roads clogged with the usual glut of weekend traffic. Visions of the two murdered girls sprawled out on their beds weighed heavily on Veronica's mind and their lack of progress on the case was worst than maddening. She should be there, she knew. Regardless of the fact that Mac was one of her closest friends and that this was her engagement party. (Not to mention the fact that she hadn't took an evening off in weeks.) But Veronica hated having to relinquish control of a case, even if it was only for a few hours. She should turn off her cell phone, she knew, turn off her phone and concentrate on having normal fun for a change. Her finger hovering over the power button, Veronica was about to turn it off before reconsidering and dropping the cell phone still on into her bag. Wallace would kill her if he knew.

Her hands clamped protectively over her head, Veronica raced through the miserable, freezing rain but even so was practically soaked to her skin by the time she slipped gratefully through the sliding doors to the building. The airport was the usual Friday chaotic hell. It was too hot, too noisy, babies and children squalling furiously, indignant of having been forced to suffer through the seemingly endless check-in queues that snaked around the crowded hall.

"Hey, Veronica," Wallace greeted her warmly, the oversized duffle bag that had been slung casually over his shoulder now discarded on the tiled floor as he pulled his friend into a warm, familiar hug. "How have things been with you?"

"Good, you know, the usual." Veronica shrugged with deliberate casualness, tossing her blonde hair lightly over her shoulder. "Meeting the girls for lunch, getting my nails done, shopping and all that jazz. And yourself?"

"The same," Wallace joked, jokingly admiring his stubby nails.

"Seriously, Wallace, what's the news with you?" Veronica demanded excitedly, her mood already infinitely brighter just being in the vicinity of her BFF. "Please tell me you are not still dating that crazy stalker girl, Jess?"

"What can I say?" Wallace shrugged sheepishly, flashing Veronica an indulgent smile. "She has it hot for me and who am I to say no? And anyway, stalker is a little strong don't you think?"

"She rang you twenty-seven times that one night when we were in the nightclub." Veronica retorted with a teasing grin, steering him away expertly from a gang of overexcited teenagers, their luggage trundling wildly behind them.

"She was just worried you wouldn't be able to resist the Fennel charms, that's all." he countered distractedly, his attention temporarily diverted by a passing tall and stunning brunette.

"For a girl who seems to be so obsessed with you, she doesn't know you very well," Veronica replied, a mischievous glint in her eye.

"Funny, Veronica," he replied distractedly narrowing avoiding collision with a wayward child skipping excitedly away from her red-faced mother. "I'll remember that when you're looking to introduce me to some asshole of a boyfriend. Speaking of which, have you heard anything from Logan?"

"No, and that's what I want," Veronica replied reassuringly, though the false optimism was blatant in her voice. "I haven't time to put up with his shit what with work and everything. Working with the FBI takes up all my energy and I swear most nights I have barely the energy to have a shower and make myself something to eat much less have to provide the extra duties being a girlfriend requires.

"Glad you're not my girlfriend," Wallace retorted in mock-horror, giving Veronica an incredulous look. "You make being in a relationship with you sound like so much fun.

"You know what I mean, Wallace," Veronica protested laughing as the pair stepped tentatively through the sliding doors, bracing themselves for the stormy backlash of rain and wind before running towards Veronica's car.

--

"Sheesh Veronica, there was no need to go such an effort on my part," Wallace commented wryly, tossing his bag on the floor and surveying the untidy bordering on chaotic mess that was scattered throughout the compact space. Waiting-to-be-ironed shirts were draped carelessly over the various pieces of furniture and piles of case files were heaped untidily on the much abused coffee table.

"Cleaning the apartment was penciled in for Wednesday afternoon but when those two bodies turned up, it sort of put my cleaning schedule out of kilter." Veronica retorted with a bright smile, gathering up the assortment of shirts in an untidy bundle in her arms before tossing them abruptly into her bedroom.

"I saw that on the news," Wallace replied distractedly, rummaging through his bag and pulling out an untidy jumble of clothes onto the floor. "What a waste," he concluded grimly, zipping up the bag and kicking it lazily into the corner. "Those girls were hot."

"I'm going to pretend that I didn't hear that," Veronica commented lightly, shaking her head in disapproval as she continued her rampage of the kitchen, practically flinging crumb strewn plates and coffee stained mugs into the already heaving dishwasher. "You heard we're invited to the Mars-Fennel household for dinner tomorrow?"

"Yeah, how are the happy couple?" Wallace cut in curiously, wandering into the narrow kitchen behind her and pulling open the door of the fridge.

"Happy," Veronica responded with a shrug, scraping the sad remains of a salad into the garbage before running a damp cloth lazily over the now cleared surfaces.

"Not too happy, I hope," Wallace retorted darkly, his disapproving tone prompting a smile to widen across Veronica's face. "Veronica, where's the food?"

"Actually, Wallace, grocery shopping was the other job I had scheduled for Wednesday," Veronica replied wryly, running her fingers distractedly through the stringy lengths of blonde hair. "But there might be some crackers in the cupboard." she chanced hopefully, immediately rummaging through the pathetic display of canned tomatoes and abandoned packages of spaghetti on the otherwise empty shelves.

"Might," Wallace groaned dramatically, clutching his stomach in mock-agony. "What happened to the Veronica who used to bake me cookies and hide them in my locker, like the good BFF she was?"

"Here," Veronica proclaimed excitedly, triumphantly producing a pack of Oreos from the deepest recesses of the cupboard. "Now, I've got to go shower so I'll look someway normal for tonight," she sighed, gesturing disparagingly at her rain sodden clothes and limp hair.

"You're a goddess, Veronica," Wallace declared happily, pouring himself a glass of milk as he munched eagerly into cookies.

--

Smoothing a hand over her carefully arranged chignon, Veronica tucked her arm through Wallace's as they strode into the elegant foyer of the hotel, the pompously suited doorman stiffly saluting them in welcome. Decorated solely in a warm mixture of creams with a magnificent chandelier dominating much of the space, the hotel lobby exuded a sense of good-taste and wealth. Veronica recognized a few of the guests vaguely as some of her previous classmates from Neptune High but she felt no desire to start making spontaneous small talk with people she considered virtual strangers.

Back in her stuffy apartment, the dress Veronica had chosen while posing uncertainly in front of the mirror, had seemed sophisticated and appropriate for the occasion. Now, gazing at the expensively dressed guests milling around the foyer with glasses of champagne in hand she wasn't so sure. Engrossed in a crime scene, surrounded by mangled corpses and pools of blood, Veronica felt perfectly at ease but here, in this hotel, having to smile and force conversations with her better-dressed counterparts, she felt slightly sick.

"Drink?" she suggested to Wallace brightly, the flutes of champagne and strawberries being circulated throughout the crowd looking increasingly attractive.

"That girly looking drink," Wallace exclaimed in joking indignation, gesturing horrified towards the table of strawberry bedecked drinks. "Drinking that would be a direct attack on my masculinity

Completely disregarding his concerns, Veronica plucked two glasses of champagne from a passing waiter and passed one with a bright smile to Wallace. "I wonder where Mac is?"

Her eyes roving over the foyer, Veronica's gaze settled on a group of exquisitely dressed women were gathered in a tight bunch in a corner of the room, gushing theatrically over what was presumably the bride-to-be's ring.

Although Mac could hardly be described as the shy and retiring type, she was however, not one for purposely drawing attention to herself and Veronica could only imagine the tortured expression on Mac's face as she would be forced to rehash the story of the engagement with Brian for the umpteenth time.

Wallace must have shared her sentiments for he turned to her with a bemused smile. "That girl needs our help," he declared with a dramatic sigh, dragging Veronica over to where Mac was surrounded by the tight clique of cooing, chattering blondes.

Her dark hair curled loosely around her shoulders, Mac regarded Veronica with an expression that could only be described as sheer relief as she pulled away from the overeager crowd of women.

"It's so good to see you, guys," Mac smiled gratefully as she took a long sip from her champagne cocktail. "What the hell took you so long. If I heard the word tulle one more time, I was going to kill somebody,"

"Somebody decided to spend too long at the mirror,"Wallace retorted jovially, gesturing playfully towards Veronica before pulling Mac into a congratulatory hug. "Now am I supposed to look at your ring and say it's lovely and all that?" he wondered in sheer bewilderment to the looks of sheer amusement on Veronica and Mac's faces.

"Please don't," Mac begged, a beseeching smile spreading across her face as she dragged Wallace and Veronica over to the furthermost corner of the room. "After the conversations I've been having tonight, I never want to talk about weddings again."

"Where's the famous Brian Matthews?" Veronica demanded curiously, taking a careful sip from the glass of champagne.

"At the bar, getting my father horribly drunk drinking whiskey," she replied with a disapproving shake of her head. "He's dying to meet the two of you. I'll have to introduce you two to him in a minute after we've had a chance to properly catch-up."

"See thats where I should be," Wallace grumbled only half-jokingly as he glanced disparagingly at the glass of champagne still clutched in his hand.

The conversation descended into the familiar lighthearted banter reminiscent of their high school days and Veronica finally relaxed for what felt like the first time in days. Plucking another glass of champagne from the tray of a pass waiter, she took an eager sip surprised at how quickly she was rendered slightly lightheaded from the small amount of alcohol. No more champagne for you Mars, she determined wryly, placing the still full glass on an adjoining table. Hangovers and work weren't a mixture Veronica was willing to experiment with at the moment.

Glancing up, Veronica noticed Mac and Wallace's conversation had inexplicably dried up and their gazes were centered on her

"I know, I know, I need to get a life," Veronica declared, before stopping when she realized the focus of their attention was not directed towards Veronica herself, but rather on a lone figure standing at a distance behind.

Logan, Veronica realized belatedly, goose pimples rising on her skin at his mere proximity. She hadn't seen him in months, naively believing that the enforced separation would ultimately rid her of her feelings for her ex-boyfriend. Unfortunately, if anything the break had had the opposite effect on Veronica, making her yearn all the more for Logan and for how things had been between them. The weeks apart had been sheer torture but Veronica had persevered in a fashion reminiscent to a soldier braving bootcamp. She had ignored his phone calls, avoided all the places she knew he'd be and had in the most part been successful but Veronica hadn't counted on this, on meeting him when she felt so out of place and insecure and on territory that definitely favored Logan's rich boy status. They had so much to say and this hardly seemed to be the place to do it.

"Go talk to him," Mac urged her, sensing Veronica's reluctance to initiate conversation with Logan but understanding the importance of her doing so, if only to get closure on their relationship.

Wallace wasn't as encouraging, the tight expression on his displaying his exact feelings towards Logan Echolls. But he kept his mouth shut all the same,

"Come on, Wallace, let's get you a proper drink," Mac declared brightly, quickly deciphering the situation and pulling him away in the direction of the bar leaving Veronica standing awkwardly in front of an equally apprehensive Logan.

In the initial aftermath of the break-up, Veronica had bitterly rehearsed the millions of cutting, scornful jibes that she would throw at him the first opportunity she got. But now, standing there in front of him, Veronica could say nothing, the words she had so carefully concocted, rendered frozen in her throat.

"You look good, Veronica,"

Picking up the abandoned glass of champagne, Veronica took a long eager drink already resenting Logan for the ease with which he had initiated conversation. Charm had always been Logan's modus operandi in defusing a difficult situation.

"How have you been?" he continued seemingly unperturbed, though he ran a hand self-consciously through his newly shortened hair.

"Good," Veronica smiled brightly, though she felt nervous as hell, praying that the faint quiver in her hand wouldn't betray her as she took another guilty sip from the champagne. "I've been busy, you know the usual?"

"You mean work has been busy," Logan corrected her knowingly and Veronica felt like punching him in the face. Work had always been a sore point between them. Veronica never considered Logan committed himself enough to his job, while Logan believed Veronica was truly obsessed. Lying in bed, the pair entangled in one another, Logan used moan bitterly when Veronica's cell phone would regularly ring, disturbing what was often an impassioned lovemaking session.

He wasn't drinking, Veronica noticed, a glass of water perched in place of what was usually an alcoholic drink of some kind. It suited him. He looked good; better than he had in a long while. The blue of his shirt brought out the blue of his eyes and his abstinence from alcohol had done wonders for his skin.

Even more than the demands Veronica's job placed on their relationship were those of Logan's drinking, which was often excessive, especially after one of their numerous fights. By the time Veronica had been ready to walk out, that was all they had seemed to do.

"You're not drinking," Veronica observed with deliberate casualness, and Veronica could feel his eyes

"I think I've done enough of that, don't you?

Veronica on her part didn't answer. She had Logan weren't a couple anymore and as such his drinking habits weren't a concern of her hers anymore. "Why are you here anyway?" she pressed him curiously, running a hand over her blonde hair and gazing at him expectantly. Logan and Mac had never been particularly close and engagements parties definitely weren't Logan's scene. Especially when he was sober.

"I came to see you," he shrugged, slightly flustered and at the bluntness of his reply, Veronica almost died. She'd suspected as much when she first saw him shuffling awkwardly at the door but hearing the words coming out of Logan's own mouth made it all the more unnerving.

Taking another nervous drink from the glass of champagne, Veronica could feel Logan's eyes boring into her skin. His effect on her was staggering and Veronica knew she had to distance herself from him quickly. Just seconds of being with Logan and Veronica's resolve was already failing. All the reasons she's so carefully crafted as to why she was better off without Logan suddenly seemed utterly meaningless and Veronica was certain that if she carried out this charade for any longer, she'd end up back in Logan's bed. Back to where she swore she would never return. And the past few months of hell would have been for nothing.

"I should go," she stated reluctantly, placing the glass of champagne on the table and backing away towards the small clusters of guests milling around the bar.

"Please, don't," Logan implored of her, catching hold of her hand and pulling her close. "We need to talk."

"About what?" Veronica demanded frustratedly, though she had to admit she enjoyed the press of his hand closed so tightly around hers.

"About us," he pleaded and the look of utter desperation on his face was heart wrenching. "You won't take my calls. You ignore my messages. I don't know what else to do."

"So you follow me to an engagement party and what, try and get me into bed with you?" Veronica retorted incredulously, though inwardly her steely resolve was beginning to soften.

"Exactly, though without the whole falling into bed together thing. Though, if it's on offer," Logan returned slyly, the frankness of his reply prompting a small smile to spread across Veronica's face. With all his flaws, Logan always did know how to lighten a situation.

"I miss you, Veronica," he admitted quietly, his cheeks slightly reddening though he managed to maintain eye-contact with Veronica. "And I know I fucked up but I would do anything to put things right. You've got to believe that,"

Logan wasn't the only one who'd fucked-up, Veronica knew, but she kept quiet, afraid of what she'd say if she actually dared to put voice to her feelings. So engrossed in her job, Veronica had neglected their relationship dreadfully, letting things slide to the point that when she eventually realized there were problems between them, they had seemed almost impossible to surmount.

"I've missed you too," she finally relented, horribly aware that the space between them was rapidly diminishing. His lips were on hers then, his arms wrapped possessively around her slim frame and the world just seemed to fall away as Veronica returned his advances eagerly.

"What are we doing, Logan?" Veronica sighed uncertainly, when they finally broke apart, her head still reeling from the intense emotion that was behind his embrace.

"I thought we were kissing," Logan replied with that familiar, cocky expression on his face, though behind it all, Veronica could sense that he was worried. "And then, after that, we could see," he added with a playful wink.

"I just think we shouldn't rush into something we might regret later," Veronica replied with a shrug though she struggled to come up with a single reason as to why they should stay apart.

"That's the thing about you, Veronica, you always think too much about things," Logan chided her, with a teasing shake of his head as he pulled her down into the plushly covered seat beside him. "You should be more like me. You know, a feet first, head later kind of thing. You'll find, it's a lot more fun,"

"Yeah right," Veronica snorted in exasperation, though she couldn't help smiling at the teasing expression on Logan's face.

"You want to get out of here?" Logan asked her suddenly, Veronica's heart beating a little faster at the suggestion when the unwelcome ring tone of her cellphone intruded on the moment.

"Hold that thought," Veronica instructed him with a smile, her heart plummeting when she saw Burke's number light up in the display.

"Mars," she barked in the phone impatiently, wishing for a second that she'd turned of her cell phone as she'd originally planned.

"There's been another murder," Burke informed her hastily, an uncharacteristic excitement immediately evident in his voice. "And you're not going to believe this but it's our guy,"

"Already," Veronica gasped in shock, a faint shiver of apprehension already creeping over her skin. "Are you sure it's the same guy?" The blood of the first victims had barely dried.

"Definitely. He's left the same bracelet he left on Amy Philips on this latest victim."

"Fuck," Veronica exhaled slowly, letting the information sink slowly into her head. "Okay, I'm coming down there. Give me the address and I'll leave now,"

Scribbling down the address on the back of a crumpled drinks receipt discarded on the table, Veronica ignored the look of bitter disappointment on Logan's face as she took a few further details from Burke before hastily signing off.

"I've got to go, Logan," she informed him apologetically, already on her feet in her haste to get to the crime scene. "Duty calls,"

Logan looked as though he was going to disagree before apparently changing his mind at the last minute and instead taking her hand gently in his. "You can go," he allowed with a slow smile, pulling her down to him and sneaking a final kiss. "Once you promise, you'll come to dinner with me next week,"

"Agreed," Veronica promised, not even thinking, as she bounded through the crowded foyer to say her goodbyes to Mac and Wallace before rushing out the door into the cool darkness of the night.

-