Title: Could This Be Happening? Part 10
Author: christykq
Rating: M for language and innuendos mostly, some sex
Characters/Pairings: LoVe, ensemble
Word Count: 2687
Spoilers: Begins with 3.05 and goes through S3.
Disclaimer: I own nothing in the VM universe, it all belongs to the master RT. I also do not earn a profit from any one of the many brand names named in my story and no copyright infringement is intended. Transcripts from Indigo Mantoya at twiztv dot com.
A/N: Character's thoughts are italic.
A/N2: See a photo of the dress and jewelry at my livejournal account ( christykq dot livejournal dot com and that's a Q not a G.)
Part 10
VMVMVMVM
After 3.09 Spit & Eggs but before 3.10 Show Me the Monkey
Mid-December 2006: 10 weeks pregnant
"This is the one." Mac bellows from behind the curtain of the changing rooms in an upscale department store in Neptune.
"I get final veto power. Me…" Veronica points to herself. "…I'm the bride. You know, white dress, lots of flowers, unruly sister-in-law, sexy hubby-to-be."
Mac whisks back the dressing room curtain dramatically. "This is the one." She stresses.
She twirls for Veronica's verdict. The dress is a light blue satin strapless dress with an empire waist and a floor-length flared skirt. The details that set this dress apart from others are the square-cut neck, white scallop embroidered net bodice and a white bow set off-center. It was elegant, trendy, and most importantly, could be worn again to any formal occasion. The color matches Mac's eyes perfectly.
Veronica smiles at Mac's grin. "I love it. We're getting it." She turns her attention to a rack of jewelry nearby. "What kind of accessories do you think?"
Mac and Veronica made a day of shopping for "wedding stuff", as Logan would say. Veronica only had a few more weeks until the wedding to purchase her dress, accessories, shoes and lingerie; Mac's dress, accessories and shoes; attendant's gifts; Logan's wedding gift; and wintery clothes for their 4-day not-a-honeymoon to Aspen. She was beginning to feel the pressure and the bustling Christmas shoppers were not making her shopping experiences pleasant.
"Can't all the crazy Holiday shoppers order online like everyone else? I've got a wedding to prepare for." Veronica barks in Mac's direction as she shoves herself through the suite doorway. Multiple shopping bags in her hands and a garment bag slung over her uninjured arm were making her progress difficult.
Mac is following her into the suite a few paces behind, carrying more shopping bags and her own garment bag. "Bridezilla has arrived, ladies and gentlemen." Mac snorts. Her tolerance threshold for anything Holiday related had past hours earlier.
They drop their packages on just about every available surface in the living room with a sigh of exhaustion.
Dick strolls into the living area of the suite and stops. "Ronnie, I told you, your love is all I want for Christmas this year." He peeks into the shopping bag closest to him and pulls a slinky piece of white lace out of the tissue paper filler. "How did you know I like garters on my women?"
Veronica gasps and swats his hand. He lowers the unmentionable back into the bag and moves to the next bag of goodies.
She looks around the suite looking for any sign of Logan. "You didn't see anything and Logan better not find out about it either. You got it Dick!" She points her finger with each word.
"Yeah, yeah. Whatever." Dick is already bored with the girls' purchases and pads to the kitchenette. "White though, Ronnie? From the sounds of you and Logan going at it all the time, you're far from virginal." Dick says over his shoulder.
At that moment, Logan bursts into the suite with a small gift bag in his hands. "Shit." He freezes in his spot and tucks the gift bag behind his back. Mac and Veronica are sorting through all of their purchases of the day. Bags and boxes from various high-end boutiques and department stores cover both sofas and the coffee table.
Veronica's head snaps up and she turns to face Logan at the suite's entrance. She spreads her one arm out as if she could cover everything she bought. "Um… Please leave." She says quietly.
"What?" Logan smirks. "You want me to leave?" He steps one step further into the room.
"NO!" Veronica snips and holds her hand up in a halt position. Mac is silently pushing things into their bags and boxes hoping Logan didn't see too much "wedding stuff."
"Please just go into the kitchen for a few minutes. There are things here that you can't see." Veronica begs.
Logan has no intention of looking in any of the bags but Veronica doesn't know that. He steps closer to her again. "What kind of things can't I see?" He raises an eyebrow.
Dick strolls out of the kitchen eating a sandwich. "white, lace things."
Logan glances at Dick and back to Veronica with an 'explain please' expression on his face.
Veronica joins Mac in hiding the purchases away from prying eyes. "He walked in and started nosing around."
"You have five minutes." Logan backs out of the suite careful not to alert Veronica to his own purchase behind his back.
VMVMVMVM
Christmas Eve: 11 weeks pregnant
"Would you look at that, it still works." Veronica is sitting on the examination table in Dr. Keller's office bending her newly healed shoulder and wrist.
"It's a Christmas miracle." Logan snarks from the corner of the room.
Dr. Dan Keller just shakes his head highly amused by this young couple. "Veronica I am so pleased with the condition of your wrist and shoulder. When you came in here six weeks ago I really didn't think you would keep your shoulder immobile in the sling. I thought you would of taken it off the minute it got in your way, never to be worn again. I really am very pleased with your recovery." He examines her shoulder and wrist as he speaks.
"I was tempted many times but I knew Logan and my dad would make my life miserable if I didn't wear the sling and the splint." She whines.
"Did it kill you to listen to instructions for once in your life?" Logan asks.
Veronica glares at him. Dr. Keller chuckles.
"From here on out, Veronica, your shoulder will be a little weaker than your other shoulder. Don't do any handstands for a few weeks." The physician writes notes in his chart while he talks. "Begin the exercises I told you about and you won't need physical therapy in the future."
She smiles. He returns her smile and asks, "How do you feel? How is the little one treating you?"
"She's peskier than normal but I think that's because she's pregnant." Logan jokes.
Dr. Keller questions Logan with a straight face. "And the baby?"
"Oh, you were talking about the baby." He winks at Veronica. She narrows her eyes toward him.
"We're both fine. Tired but fine." She rubs her growing belly.
"Good to hear. No more flying leaps and you should be fine." Dr. Keller offers his hand to Veronica. "Miss Mars, it was a pleasure to meet you. I hope I don't see you in the ER again."
Veronica shakes his hand and beams. "I'm going to be Mrs. Echolls soon." Logan smiles at her.
Dr. Keller offers his hand to Logan. "Congratulations, Mr. Echolls. Protect this wonderful family of yours. Nice to meet you and have a nice holiday."
"She's never allowed to leave my side again, Dr. Dan. Thanks for everything." Logan states.
"See ya." Dr. Keller exits the room with a wave.
VMVMVMVM
Keith is currently working on so many cases that he barely has time to buy Christmas presents for his family, let alone decorate his apartment for the holidays. The Cyrus O'Dell murder case is taking much of his time and it is not going well. His apartment is now officially a lonely bachelor pad. Veronica only has a few belongings left in her room in which Keith claims as his home office now. He rushes into his apartment listing the things he has to do before he is expected at Alicia's for dinner. Shower, shave, wrap pres-… Keith smiles. He opens his cell phone and speed dials Veronica.
"When did you do this? Honey, this made my ole apartment so warm and Christmas-y. You're the best daughter in the whole wide world." Any form of greeting forgotten.
"Who is this?" She draws out each word skeptically.
"Sweetie, when did you do this?" He scans his apartment decked out with Christmas lights, a small tree decorated in Padres ornaments, garland, mistletoe, stocking, and a plate of homemade cookies on the counter, among other things. Backup even has a half-chewed large red bow around his collar.
"Dad, I know how much you've been working lately and I wanted your apartment to feel festive even though I'm not staying there anymore." She pauses. "Logan and I did everything this afternoon. I hope you like it because Merry Christmas, that's your only present." She sing songs the last part of the sentence. Can you say week long Padres fantasy camp? You're only present, yeah right. She thinks.
"And it's perfect. I love you honey. I'll see you and Logan at Alicia's. I have to go get ready."
"I'll see you there. Love you. Bye." They hang up.
Veronica looks at Logan wrestling with a piece of Scotch tape. "He thinks we have a future in interior decorating."
"Everyone Feng shui tonight." Logan says without looking away from his struggle. Wrapping presents is not his favorite thing. The way he sees it, you only buy presents at stores that gift wrap for you. Veronica wants to make this Christmas special so he is putting his best foot forward and silently cursing the fucking Scotch tape.
VMVMVMVM
Veronica is lying in their bed thinking over their evening at Alicia's. Logan climbs into bed and snuggles up next to her. They are lying on their left sides spooning.
"I can't stop thinking about how excited my dad was when he opened the box with the fantasy camp brochure in it. I think he loves you more than me now." Veronica smiles at the thought of her dad's role in Logan's life now.
"Oh no, I can never compare to his little girl." Logan stresses the last two words. "I can buy his love for the time being until I do something asshole-y then I'm right back in the dog house."
"You'll always be his favorite son-in-law."
"I'll always be his only son-in-law, Snookums. That doesn't count."
"I see you put your picture I gave you on your bedside table already." Veronica states about her gift to Logan. It is a picture of Logan and his mom taken at the last dinner party they attended before she died. Both mother and son are dressed impeccably, their arms are laced together and they are laughing and enjoying themselves.
"I love it. That's how I remember my mom. Dressed to the nines and laughing."
"Well, that's not the only gift I got you." She says softly.
He rubs her bump of a belly with his right hand. "I know and this child is the best gift you could ever give me. Ever." He kisses her shoulder.
"Santa's favorite blonde elf left something under the bed with your name on it." She grins.
Logan catapults out of bed in a flash and checks under the bed. "What the hell is this?" He slides a long, flat, misshaped wrapped package out from under the bed. Veronica rolls over to see Logan's reaction better.
He looks up at her and grins. She sees the twelve-year-old boy she met on the soccer field in that childlike grin.
"Are you going to open it or just look at the pretty paper?" She snarks.
"I'm opening. I'm opening."
He tears one main stripe of paper off the flat surface. "Cool. A new Burton snowboard. How did you know which one I wanted? I'm stoked for Aspen now."
"You weren't stoked for Aspen before?" She says calmly.
He looks up at her. "You know what I mean. Our not-a-honeymoon jaunt to Aspen is going to be great. I'm taking my new board even though I doubt we'll be leaving the bedroom for four entire days." Logan wiggles his eyebrows at her and returns his attention back to unwrapping the snowboard. "I can't wait to take you all over Europe for our real honeymoon once school is over and your dad and Alicia can babysit."
"Dick went with me and he showed me the snowboard, skies and surfboard you were drooling over most."
He is smoothing his hand down the pristine surface of the snowboard admiring it quietly. Veronica is dozing off to sleep still facing him in their bed.
Logan pushes the snowboard back under the bed and opens his bedside table. He pulls out a wrapped Christmas present and sets it in front of Veronica's face on the bed. He crawls up on his knees, leaning on the bed and moves the hair off of Veronica's face lightly. His gentle touch to her cheek makes her eyes flutter open. Once they are open, all she sees is a beautifully wrapped gift topped with an elegant white ribbon bow. She knows that bow from Logan's earlier surprise gifts.
"Santa's favorite naughty elf left something under the bed with your name on it." Logan smirks at Veronica.
"I don't know. Santa's favorite naughty elf, have I been good this year?" She says flirtatiously.
Logan locks eyes with his fiancé. "Oh you've been so very good." He leans in and kisses her lustfully almost crushing the present.
"Move aside." She breaks their steamy kiss. "I've got a present to open." She snatches the package off the bed and glances at Logan. He watches her expressionless.
She shakes, smells and hears the package then looks at its puny size. "It's too light to be a pony." She roughly rips the paper away revealing a light blue Tiffany and Company box. She pauses for a second to catch her breath before opening the box further. Her previous two Tiffany gifts were adorning her left ring finger and her neck respectively. Veronica lifts the lid of the box and admires the silver heart-shaped lock charm resting in the white satin lining. The charm has the word love, with an uppercase L and V engraved on the front surface. "Oh my gosh. It's beautiful." She whispers and looks at Logan.
"Will you do the honors?" She holds the charm in her fingers towards Logan as the tears roll down her cheeks.
Logan grins at Veronica as she sits and scoots closer on the bed and turns her back to him. She lifts her hair off her neck and he runs his tongue down her slim neck to make her purr. He unclasps the silver chain around her neck and snakes the LoVe lock charm on to the chain. "Its my pleasure." He gazes at her long, lean, bare neck in front of him. He returns the chain to it's place on her neck and clasps it again. He seals his completed task with a sizzling kiss to her neck.
Veronica's hand comes up to the charm and she pats it lightly. "It's perfect."
His kisses grace her shoulder. "It's the replacement for the engagement ring now that you can wear your rings again." He glances over her shoulder to the charm hanging from her neck. His gaze shifts from the charm around her neck to her cleavage.
Logan's hands brush under her silk pajama shirt at her waist and he rubs circles on the soft skin. Her breath hitches at his touch.
"It's Christmas, Sugarpuss. Everyone gets a present at Christmas." He seductively growls into her ear.
"Mmm. Presents. I love presents." Veronica purrs.
They had quite a few presents by the time the sun rose on Christmas morning.
/tbc