January 29th, 2016

Veronica arrived at the Albacore Club at 6:00 p.m. on the dot. She hadn't wanted to be early and risk getting stuck being grilled about the wedding by Lilly or watching Logan and Philippa be cutesy again. No thank you. After what they'd pulled last week, they were lucky she'd come tonight at all. But she'd committed, and here she was.

Veronica scoped the parking lot for familiar cars upon arrival. Duncan's car was noticeably absent and she'd been immediately annoyed. He promised he'd be on time. As if on cue, her phone vibrated in her purse. There he is—my dependable, prompt fiancé. She smiled, appreciating that she could count on him.

"Well, hello," she flirted, her voice overly-sultry.

"Hello to you too," he replied, all business.

"You don't know how happy I am to hear your voice right now," Veronica sighed

"You too. I can't wait to see you tonight. I'm headed to the car right now."

Veronica was instantly alert. "What? Where are you?"

"Twentynine Palms," he replied as if it were obvious.

Her heart sank. "Palm Springs? You're supposed to be in Neptune right now!"

"For what?" he replied.

"Dinner. With the old crowd. It was your idea. 'Bonding and nostalgia' were your exact words if I recall correctly."

"No, that's not until later. Hang on." Veronica waited while Duncan fumbled with his phone. "My calendar says eight." Another pause. "Oh, here I see it. Lilly texted to tell me the time was changed to six, but they don't allow phones on the course. I didn't get it until now."

"But the time was always six," she said through gritted teeth. "We talked about it. I had to leave work early to get here on time and I went to work at 4:30 a.m. to prepare everything so the paralegal could do all the grunt work tonight."

"I know we talked about it. I handed my phone to Logan to set it up, remember?" he questioned.

Logan! Veronica immediately popped out of her car and searched the small lot. No sign of Lilly's car. Logan's car, however, was parked right near the entrance. That's it!

"I'll talk to you later, Duncan," she said and disconnected the call.

By the time she reached the slip that held the Kane yacht, she was fuming. The captain smiled as he saw her approach and reached a hand out to her. She sheathed her anger enough to be pleasant as he helped her onto the vessel.

She excused herself, pulling off her black Louboutin heels and throwing them down next to the couch along with her suit coat and purse. She'd never had the best sea legs, and heels and waves didn't mix. Veronica took the stairs two at a time as she climbed up to the main level. She saw him standing at the bar, his back to her.

"Logan Echolls, you swine!" she called out, unable to contain herself any longer.

He swung around at the sound of her shout, and she paused for a moment. God, he looked good. His suit shirt was unbuttoned at the top, showing off a bit of his chest. He looked relaxed and altogether too innocent. Much too innocent. So innocent that it was almost decidedly rehearsed. He was a jackass, even if he was hot. She clenched her teeth at the direction of her thoughts.

Dammit, Veronica, focus!

"What?" he asked. She had to hand it to him, he looked genuinely surprised to see her upset.

"You know very well what. Can you explain why my very dependable and punctual fiancé is two hours away playing golf in Palm Springs right now?"

Logan looked nervous for a moment, but he rallied quickly. "He should be done by now. No one takes that long to play eighteen holes," he snarked, swinging an invisible golf club and then looking at her sheepishly.

His playfulness wasn't getting him out of this one. "Wonder what's keeping Lilly," she retorted, curious as to how he planned to get himself out of this one.

"She and Phil got caught up at the seamstress." Logan at least had the decency to look guilty. But it was more than that. There was an air of challenge in his voice and a glint of mischief in his eyes. He looked ready for a fight.

But Veronica didn't want to fight. She took a deep breath and wilted, willing herself not to cry. There was only so much fight in her. How was it that everyone was against her? Even her friends. No one was on her side. She'd simply taken a step to secure safety and security for herself with someone nice. Someone wholly unlike the man standing before her whose shoes, she was convinced, hid his cloven hooves.

Logan was everything she'd wanted when she was younger, and nothing she needed. She'd accepted it. She'd moved on. She'd made a decision. People should be happy for her. She should be happy. Veronica moved over to the bar and poured herself a tumbler of Lagavulin 21. Nothing about this wedding was working out how she'd planned. She'd become a spectator in her own life, and it hurt.

"So what was the plan anyway? To get me alone on a boat and do what exactly?" she asked accusingly. But the fire in her was gone. "Is this to get me away from Duncan so you guys can lecture me again? No, then Lilly would be here too." Veronica paused dramatically, tapping her finger on her chin for dramatic effect. She waited for a second and then gasped, "I know! We're trying to catch Duncan in another lie," she declared triumphantly then paused and narrowed her eyes at him. "Oh wait, this time it was you who lied or we wouldn't be here alone right now."

"It wasn't like that—"

"Then what is it like? I'm so tired, Logan. I know you were blindsided by the announcement, but this isn't some asshole off the streets. I'm marrying Duncan Kane! He's your best friend; he's Lilly's brother. I can't for the life of me figure out why you guys are constantly getting in the way of this." Her speech had begun in a yell, but by the end, she had deflated once again.

Logan was at a loss as to what to say to her. She was acting like a stranger again. A moment ago she'd been feisty and he'd caught a glimpse of the Veronica he'd grown up with, but now she was back to being an enigma to him. It had made him angry for days—weeks, really—but now that she stood before him, he just thought she looked...sad. It bothered him. And it bothered him that his reaction to her these past few weeks had been anything but compassionate. He'd contributed to the sadness he saw in her eyes now, and she didn't deserve it.

Veronica had saved him in high school. The Marses and the Kanes had practically made him members of the family, and it had kept him honest and happy and...alive. The more time he spent away from home during his adolescence, the better. He couldn't imagine the state he'd be in if it weren't for the constant companionship of Lilly, Duncan, and Veronica.

Logan had largely grown up and grown out of the self-loathing tendencies of his youth, but he was feeling them again a hundredfold in this moment. Tonight had been about isolating her from Duncan so that they could have it out and then he could win her over, but maybe that wasn't what Veronica wanted. He wasn't ready to come clean about why they were on the boat. Not yet. He'd have to circumvent.

"Hey listen, something's been bugging me—something I regret," Logan said, breaking the awkward silence.

"Just one thing?" she huffed.

"Please just hear me out. I'm trying to apologize."

That got her attention. She looked utterly shocked. "Don't tell me you're actually going to start being nice to me about Duncan," she commented, unbelieving.

"No," Logan laughed and raised his eyebrows as he spoke. "Nothing like that. But it's about something that Duncan said the other day when we were at the tux shop."

"Oh, yeah?" she asked, her tone was harsh, a glimpse of feisty Veronica. She wasn't going to make this easy, and somehow that made him feel better.

"Duncan said that you went dress shopping with Celeste," he said plainly, and then cringed when she flinched a little bit and turned away from him. He took a step toward her, but she shifted so that he couldn't see her face at all.

"What about it?" she asked, facing the railing.

"I'm sorry. That must have been...hard," he finished lamely.

"It wasn't hard. Celeste has excellent, if very expensive, taste," Veronica returned with a tiny laugh. It rang false.

Logan reached out for her arm and turned her to face him.

"I didn't say that she isn't capable of picking out a dress. I just meant...I know that's something you'd want to do with your mom." He felt Veronica tense up—stand up a little straighter.

"Well, my mom's gone, Logan," she gasped. "Do you expect me to just call her up and say 'Hi, I know you haven't had anything to do with me for the past decade, but do you want to go shopping?'" she shouted, choking on the final words and then swallowing audibly.

Logan took her by the shoulders and forced her to look up at him. "No, of course not, I just wanted to say I'm sorry. That experience is supposed to be a fun and exciting moment that you share with the women you love. I know you're tough. And I know your mom left. But I also know you well enough to know that you must have felt lonely and that you must have missed her. And I feel like I should have been there..."

"At the dress shop?" she scoffed.

"Maybe! If that's where you needed me. Or I could have picked up the phone any of the numerous times that you called that week. You avoided me and then I avoided you. If you'd wanted to talk about it or needed me...Veronica, you were always there for me, and I can't help feeling like…"

"Logan, I'm fine. It was fine."

"It should have been better than fine. It should have been…something special," he pressed.

"It was what it was." Veronica rolled her eyes and thew her arms wide. "It wasn't ever going to be special, so I took Celeste and we knocked it off the endless list of things to do before a wedding."

Logan sighed. "Exactly! I—" he began.

"Enough, Logan." She placed her hand on his chest and looked into his eyes for the first time of her own accord that evening. "It was fine." The words were quiet—almost a whisper.

He couldn't think straight when she looked at him that way. But his plan of comfort had backfired. If anything, she looked more miserable than before. "Okay, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you upset. My intention was to make you feel like you had someone to turn to in this, and to apologize for being a shitty friend when you needed me." He reached down and brushed the hair off of her cheek. "Now I feel like I've just made you sadder."

She fixed her gaze on the floor. "It's not you. I just don't like talking about Lianne."

Lianne, not Mom. Interesting. She sounded like him in regards to Aaron. "Then we won't. We can talk about—"

"The truth is that my mom has moved on, Logan. She has a new family. New husband, new kids, new life. Far from Neptune. Far from me." Veronica's tone was bitter, and Logan could tell she was fighting back tears.

Logan forced himself to hold in the gasp that threatened. "What...what do you mean?" Logan reached for her, but Veronica ducked out of the way and resumed her place on the railing, looking out toward the ocean.

"She's Lianne Scott now, wife of Tanner Scott...mother of Hunter and Aurora Scott. Resident of Tucson." She said the word as if it held some importance, but Logan couldn't imagine what it could be. "She's sober, Logan."

"Veronica," Logan began, placing a hand on her shoulder.

Veronica sniffled and then checked herself. "She made her choice. I've accepted it. She can take Aurora to shop for wedding dresses."

Veronica took a step away from him and he tried to catch her hand to stop her. "Don't, Logan. I'm fine," she insisted, turning to walk away from him.

Fine! There was that word again. Logan hated it. Veronica was anything but fine and he was sick of hearing her use it. "You're not fine! Stop saying that!"

"When the going gets tough, the tough get going," she snarked, settling herself on a loveseat facing the Neptune skyline.

And now she was lying to both of them. Why didn't that make him feel better?

He knew he couldn't get anywhere with her when they were both upset. Chiding himself for bringing Lianne up at all, Logan plopped down next to her and forced himself to let the subject go.

Logan settled down next to her and she instinctively felt a shiver run down her spine. Ah, the Logan Echolls butterflies. She got them every time. Even when she was sad and nearly brought to tears over her damn mother. Even when she was mad at him. She'd always felt a pull between them, something that told her there was something more than friendship between them, but they'd both been busy with other people in high school and a complete mess in college. She'd have to file these feelings in the 'could have been' box. But dependable was good too. Duncan was dependable. And then there was that pesky problem that Logan wasn't single.

"Are you cold?" he asked.

She stifled another shiver as he put his arm around her shoulders, pulled her tightly to his side and began rubbing a hand up and down her upper arm.

"I'm okay," she replied sleepily as she leaned into him. Bearing her secret had worn her out. "The view is worth it."

"That it is," Logan said, following her gaze to the city lights across the shore. He looked back at her and whispered, "Can I tell you a secret?"

Her breath caught for a moment and she could only nod in response.

"I miss Neptune. I never thought I would, but sometimes I do. So much bad shit happened here, but then…sitting here with you like this. Well, all I remember are the good times."

"Yeah, I know what you mean," she replied wistfully. "Homecoming and lazy summers by the pool…always the four of us."

"Not always the four of us. The two of us, too." He gave her a little squeeze. "College and late nights studying at the library or Java the Hut."

"Yes, but I was there to study, you were just there to copy my homework." Veronica poked his side playfully.

"Not always." He looked down at her tenderly.

She threw him a skeptical glare. "I guess it's easy to miss Neptune when you're wearing whatever rosy-colored glasses you've got on."

"Wanna borrow them?" he flirted, nudging her.

She shook her head and then rested it on his shoulder, sighing contentedly. "We did have some good times, didn't we? I don't want to lose that, Logan. Things have been so tense lately. It feels like a lifetime since we've just hung out."

"I know." They both sat in silence for quite some time before Logan spoke up again, quietly this time. "Remember that time Dick and his frat brothers threw that bonfire on the beach? You were so angry at them after you found out about Sexfest, but I convinced you to go anyway."

He looked down at her, his face tender and handsome. It momentarily took her breath away. No one ever looked at her like that anymore. She managed a nod. How could she forget that night? She didn't know why he was bringing it up now when he hadn't ever before. She couldn't manage any words.

"Then, you told Dick off and stormed down the beach," he recalled nostalgically.

**Begin Flashback**

Veronica, still fuming, marched off with purpose, needing to put some space between her and the testosterone surrounding the beach bonfire. She knew that Logan would follow her eventually, once he made nice with Dick and his friends and she cooled down a bit. She walked until she could only hear the music from the party, found a dry spot of sand near the cliff wall and sat down. It was dark where she was, but there was just enough moonlight that Logan would be able to find her later.

She couldn't believe Dick and those guys. She'd only agreed to come tonight so she could warn the female population of Hearst when she got there. None of the girls had seemed to care much, however. She didn't understand them. How could they not be appalled by drunken frat boys having sex en masse and keeping score? It was revolting.

She watched the waves as they rhythmically crashed against the shore and it calmed her a bit. The ocean always did. She shut her eyes and let herself get lost in the sounds. A little while later she heard footsteps approaching and looked up to see Logan a few feet away, one arm laden with what looked to be blankets, the other a six-pack of bottled beer.

"Sorry," she said before he could say anything.

"No you're not," he replied with a grin.

"You're right, I'm not!" she agreed proudly. "Screw them. Did you raid the party?" She indicated the things he held.

"No, just my car," he responded, setting out one blanket next to her and dropping some towels and the beer on top of it. "Mind if I join you?" he asked, smirking sheepishly. Innocently. It made her nervous, so she feigned nonchalance.

"Suit yourself," she grinned with a shrug, moving to sit on the blanket. He plopped down next to her so that their shoulders were touching, and uncapped two beers, handing one to her. She leaned into him as they both took long pulls off their bottles and stared off into the ocean silently. After a moment, Veronica nudged him with her shoulder and said, "Thanks for coming after me, Logan." As his arm came around her, she rested her head on his shoulder. "Sorry if I embarrassed you, but they make me sick."

She felt him turn his head and then he lightly kissed her on the top of the head. "They're pigs. And all too drunk to remember that you even came tonight at all, let alone yelled at them," he snickered.

"Still felt good though!" she admitted with a smile as she finished off the last swig of her first beer and reached for another. They sat that way for a long while, just drinking silently and watching the moonlight over the ocean. Before she knew it, there was only one beer left and Veronica was thoroughly relaxed.

Feeling warm, she flipped onto her back and settled with her head in Logan's lap. He looked down at her and her breath caught. No one looked at her the way Logan Echolls did. He always looked at her like she was the only person in the whole world. Before she thought the better of it, she reached up to push back a stray strand of hair that had fallen over his forehead. "Drunk on the beach reminds me of Homecoming," she giggled.

"We could play Never Have I Ever. Ya know, like old times, if you're feeling nostalgic," he said.

"No need. None of my answers have changed," she sighed, letting her hand fall away from his face.

"Not possible," he said with a snort. When she didn't respond, he adjusted to look at her more closely. "It's been three years. Nothing's changed?" Logan questioned.

"I didn't say nothing's changed. Everything's changed. Just none of my answers." She began ticking things off on her fingers. "Still haven't skinny dipped…still a virgin…still—"

"No way!" he interjected.

"What?" she asked, giving him side eye. "Have you seen me dating lately?" she inquired.

"How have you not skinny dipped? Lilly said she'd remedy that. I always assumed you guys—"

"No! Girls don't sit around naked braiding each other's hair, Logan."

"Well they should!" he said resolutely with a smirk. "Often."

She rolled her eyes.

"I dare you!" he goaded.

She laughed out loud. "You don't have any hair to braid!"

"Very funny. Come on. I dare you to skinny dip right now."

She threw her arms out wide. "That water is like sixty degrees." He was crazy.

"Then we won't stay in long," he reasoned.

"We?"

"Of course we. I wouldn't miss this for the world. You and me, kid!"

How drunk must she be that she actually was considering this right now? She decided to draw the focus back to him. "How drunk do you think I am?" she asked instead.

"Not enough to drown, but just tipsy enough to consider it?" he guessed, waggling his eyebrows hopefully. "Live a little! I won't tell anyone. It'll be our little secret."

He stood up and held out his hand to her, a gleam of challenge in his eye.

Veronica quickly glanced down the beach. They were far enough away that no one from the party could see them. A smile spread across her face as she reached up and took his hand. His grin was wide as he quickly stripped down to his boxers, so she did the same, glad that she'd shaved and put on a cute bra and matching cheekies that morning.

"I can't believe I'm doing this!" she laughed, waiting a few seconds to gain the courage to go full monty.

"You ready?" he asked.

"No!" she emphatically replied.

He laughed maniacally. "Go!" he called out, dropping his boxers in one swift moment and running off toward the water.

She hastily removed the rest of her undergarments and followed along behind him more slowly, cracking up the whole way.

"Oh my god!" she giggled, watching Logan's naked ass disappear into the darkness.

He stopped for a split second at the water's edge and called out, "You'd better be following me!" before he splashed into the waves.

Laughing heartily, Veronica squealed at the cold water touching her toes. She waded in to mid-calf, still tip-toeing despite the fact that she knew eventually she'd have to dunk herself.

Logan turned around at the sound of her screech and laughed at her standing there. She couldn't quite make out his expression through the darkness. The moon shone brightly behind him, so she couldn't make out his face. A second later it dawned on her that if the moonlight is shining East from behind him, that meant he had an excellently illuminated view of…with another shriek, she dove heedlessly headfirst into the waves.

When she sputtered to the surface, Logan was there laughing. She tried to play it cool. "Enjoy the show, Echolls?"

"What show? I couldn't see anything."

"Bullshit," she replied, as a wave caught her and bobbed her up and down.

Logan grabbed her hand and pulled her closer to him so they were out of the breaking waves, but she couldn't touch the ground anymore and had to tread water next to him. "I'm serious. Your shadowy silhouette is hot, Mars, what every man dreams of," he teased. "That's all I saw, I swear."

Veronica found herself oddly disappointed but relieved all the same.

They splashed around in the water for a few moments before her teeth began to chatter. "Feel free to run up there and bring me back a towel, Echolls."

"Oh no, you were a willing accomplice in all this. We end the way we started…together," Logan insisted, grabbing her hand and laughing as he towed her toward the beach. When they got close they rode the breaking waves to the shore.

Hand-in-hand they made a break for the blanket. Logan threw her a towel when they arrived, and then wrapped another around himself. "Wow, that was cold. Whose idea was that anyway?"

"Very funny!" she snorted. "Where are my clothes?"

They spent a few moments sorting out each other's belongings and dressing discreetly under towels, and then they flopped back onto the blanket.

"So it seems awfully convenient that you just happened to show up here with a blanket and two towels," she ventured. "Did you plan this?"

"No!" he vowed. "I swear this was what was in the Rover. I doubt the towels are even clean," he joked.

"As long as Dick didn't use this one last." She looked down at the towel wrapped around her shoulders in disgust.

"I think you're safe," he said, pulling her into him and running his hand up and down her arm to help warm her.

They shared the last beer, quietly taking turns. Eventually it warmed her up again, and she sighed contentedly.

Veronica looked down the beach. Things at the bonfire were dying down, and the music from the party was easier to hear. The opening notes of Sway by The Perishers rolled down the beach on the breeze and made her smile.

"I really love this song." She smiled slightly as she dragged herself to her feet. "Dance with me?" she asked, holding out a hand to pull him up.

His answer was a crooked smile. He hesitated. "What is it with you and dancing?"

"What is it with no one wanting to dance with me?" she countered. After a pause, she continued, "Come on, please? Tonight is magical. We're here together and it's perfect and I just did something daring, and now you're going to dance with me."

He was silent for a moment and she wondered if he was actually contemplating it or if something was holding him back. He surprised her though by grasping her hand in his and pulling himself up to standing. He didn't hesitate at all pulling her into his arms, and she naturally looped her arms around his broad shoulders. Their faces were mere inches from each other. Then he leaned forward slightly until their foreheads touched.

She suddenly was overcome with the need to kiss him. To be kissed by him. She looked up into his big brown eyes and stopped breathing. Unsure how to react to the intensity she saw there, Veronica closed her own and just let herself feel everything, memorizing the moment so she could keep it close.

When his hands disappeared from her hips, she instantly and acutely felt the loss. She let her arms drop and opened her mouth to protest, but then she felt his fingers brush the top of her shoulders, the skin of her collarbone suddenly awake under the feather-light weight of his thumbs. She dared not open her eyes for fear that it was all just a dream, and she forced herself to keep her breathing even. His fingers skimmed across her skin as they blazed a trail up her neck, and she'd have sworn her skin was on fire. Logan cupped her face and gently tilted it up slightly. She made no protest, she was too tingly to think, but her eyes remained closed until his lips found hers. The first contact was a light brush, and when he pulled away her eyes popped open of their own accord to find him gazing through her—into her very being. He raised his eyebrow in a silent question, and Veronica, feeling the loss of contact acutely, rose up on her toes to press her lips lightly against his again.

Logan moaned into her mouth softly and intensified the kiss, adding tongue as his hands slid down her sides and back to her hips as he pulled her midsection tightly against his. He then wrapped his arms tightly around her back, securing their connection. Veronica's hands found their way back up around his neck, and she held on tightly, afraid that her knees would give out at any moment.

Eventually, the need for oxygen was undeniable and she let herself fall back on her heels, breaking the kiss. She was relieved to see that he was panting as much as she was, and she giggled nervously, reaching up to push the same strand of hair back off of his forehead again.

Logan instantly loosened his hold on her. "Veronica, I—"

"Shh…" she whispered, closing her eyes and leaning into his chest. He rested his chin on the top of her head and they just stood there together until their breathing and heart rates returned to normal. Unwilling to lose proximity, Veronica took ahold of his hand as she moved to sit down on the blanket, taking him with her.

When he sat down, she lifted herself up to kneeling in front of him and renewed the kiss, this time letting her lips explore as she nibbled, kissed and licked her way to his earlobe and down the line of his jaw to settle on his neck. He tasted salty from the ocean water, but he still smelled like himself. She let herself get lost in him—the feel of him, the smell of him, the taste of him. Her senses were on overdrive, and his heavy breathing spurned her on. He groaned and pulled her onto his lap so that she was straddling him, his erection pressing into her center made her gasp suddenly as did his lips on the base of her throat.

Veronica's hands made their way to the hem of Logan's henley, and he reluctantly pulled away from her mouth as she eased his shirt over his head. He looked as lost as she, but his eyes were filled with the same intensity as before along with something else. Longing? Lust? She couldn't be sure, and she wished for more than just moonlight so she could study him. A small, shy smile spread across his face as she pulled off the shirt she'd recently just put back on. She felt powerful when his brown eyes took on a darker tint and his Adam's apple bobbed as he audibly swallowed.

Instead of pulling him back to her, Veronica slid off him, her eyes never leaving his, and settled into the large blanket. Smiling up at him, she stretched her arm out to him in an invitation. He hesitated only a split-second before taking it and shifting until he was lying on top of her, the skin of their chests pressed together. They both moaned with pleasure at the intensity of feeling each other's rapid pulses.

"Veronica?" he panted. It was a question.

"Do you have anything with you?" she asked him, kissing him once more and then looking up at him as she ran her hands down his bare back.

He gave her a long look, obviously taking her in and trying to gauge her lucidity and then nodded. "Of course, but, Veronica, are you sure?"

She nodded up at him before she reached around to unclasp her bra and work her arms out of it. She could see Logan fighting to maintain a clear head; he kept his eyes locked on hers. "Are you sober?" he asked.

She smiled and nodded again, her hands pushing him a few inches off her to work at the button and fly of his jeans. He reached down and stopped her hands with his larger one.

"Veronica?"

"I promise, Logan," she whispered as she pulled her hands away from his and brought his head down to kiss her again as they began to remove each other's clothes.

It was wonderful. Perfect even. Tender. Veronica felt light and heavy all at the same time. She felt and heard everything more vividly than normal: his skin flush against hers, the waves crashing, the whispers of Sia's Breathe Me spilling down the beach from the waning party.

It was magical.

**End Flashback**

"I'm glad I danced with you that night," Logan whispered.

"You didn't seem to want to at the time. Why did you hesitate?"

"That night?" She nodded. "Veronica, I was tipsy and had just seen you naked...call it self-preservation."

She jokingly socked him on the arm. "You said you didn't see anything."

He chuckled hard. Pulling her tighter, he whispered, "I lied. I saw everything!"

"You jerk! You swore!"

"I lied!" he shrugged. After another moment of silence, he spoke again hesitantly. "Veronica, that night I…" Logan sighed loudly, at a loss for words.

They'd never discussed that night, but there'd been so many times she'd wanted to. The alcohol was making her bold again. "You what?" she asked. "We never talked about that night, Logan."

"You never brought it up, so I...well, I was scared to. I was worried that…" After a moment's silence, Logan reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone. For a moment she was worried that he was going to call someone and break the spell, but he didn't. Suddenly he stood up and held his hand out to her. "Can I make it up to you?"

She smiled shyly. "What did you have in mind?" she asked.

"Dance with me," he said plainly. It was a statement, and she couldn't refuse him. She instantly put her hand into his and let him pull her to her feet.

"But we don't have any—" he pressed a button and suddenly the sound of The Perishers filled the night air.

She fought back the tears that burned the back of her eyes as she slid into his arms. Logan held her gaze as he leaned forward until their foreheads touched. His look was intense just like it had been that night so many years ago, and she fought the urge to kiss him.

This moment was every dream she'd ever had and everything she'd ever wanted. She was dancing with him. And she felt passion. Passion and longing and heartache. Everything she'd convinced herself she wasn't capable of feeling. Everything she'd pushed back to the realm of fantasy when she'd settled for reality. He was so different than in college. So self-assured and strong. She'd have taken him how he was back then, but this was so much better. And now he wasn't hers to have. She hadn't told him, and he'd found someone else. Someone else to take dancing lessons for. Someone else to take to Florence.

"Philippa's a lucky girl." She managed to not choke on the words somehow.

She saw him blink for a moment, seemingly confused. He shook his head and then nodded at her, pulling his head away from hers.

She regretted her words immediately. She spell was broken.

"Duncan's a lucky guy," he said quietly, slowly. "Hey, what's you two's song?"

"Who? Me and Duncan?" She laughed lightly. "You know Duncan doesn't dance. We don't have a song."

He nodded and looked past her at something over her head. "Yeah, well I should probably be magnanimous and say something smooth like 'the two of you can have our song on loan until you find one of your own', but I won't. I've never been good at sharing. And this song's magical."

Once again she had to work hard to resist the urge to kiss him, just as she had done all those years before. She couldn't do that. She couldn't give in to temptation the way she had when they were teenagers. That was a lifetime ago when magical nights could afford to be stolen—and shared. Though her actions couldn't be bold, her words could. She took a chance. "For the record, I think that more than the song was magical that night."

At his stunned expression, Veronica's confidence faltered. She hastily looked away from his face, fixing her gaze off into the distance over his shoulder. "At least it was for me, I mean," she said, barely above a whisper.

"Veronica," he prompted, trying to get her attention. She kept her eyes firmly locked on the horizon. "That night…" he trailed off, at a loss for words for once. They'd never discussed that night. Not once. She was ready for excuses and placations. She was ready for him to brush her off—make some snarky comment. It would, she hoped, help her move on.

"I know, I know, Logan. It was one of those one-night things, beer, moonlight...nudity," she teased. "You were drunk."

"I wasn't that drunk," he responded quickly. Too quickly. "That night," he clarified, "I wasn't drunk." He bent down to catch her eye and she found that she couldn't look away. "Veronica, that night meant everything to me. Everything. I—"

"No!" She pulled away from him and placed a hand on his chest to keep him at arm's length. She kept her eyes averted for a moment and heard his sudden intake of breath. Veronica couldn't look into his face anymore—his eyes that saw through her. She pulled him in closer and buried her face in his shirt to hide as she blocked out his words for the time being. She would think about them—obsess about them, surely—at length later when she could replay the moment in her head and desperately try to make sense of it all. But right now…right now it was too much.

Apparently Logan didn't think it was too much because he went for the kill.

"Veronica, please tell me why you're marrying him. Make me understand." His intense gaze was fixed on hers—uncomfortably so, but she couldn't tear herself away.

"Logan—" she sputtered.

"Just one good reason and I'll leave you alone," he whispered, his face inches away from hers.

Veronica gulped past the lump in her throat, desperate to recall anything past the feeling of being in his arms. Of being close to him. Her mind went back to the day she'd accepted Duncan's proposal. There were reasons, based on logical and pragmatic reasons. Lots of reasons.

"I can give you twelve…" Or was it ten? She'd thought of at least five? She'd made a list.

"I'll take your top three," he smirked, reaching forward to brush the hair off her forehead. An involuntary shudder rolled through her.

With him looking at her like that, Veronica couldn't, for the life of her, think of a single reason for marrying Duncan that she'd come up with back in the fall. And it had been so important at the time. Life-changingly important. And now…

"Um...he's dependable."

"Dependable?" Logan's brow quirked with skepticism.

His doubt in her jostled Veronica back onto the defensive. "Yes, dependable. What's wrong with dependable?"

"Because it's not you. You want passion and—" he countered, but she cut him off.

"You know what, don't answer that," she huffed, sliding her arms from around his shoulders to take a step back."It was rhetorical." He caught her forearms a split-second later and returned them to around his neck, holding them in place there. The gesture was sweet, but the challenge in his face was undeniable. It spurred her on. "Passion is fleeting, it's overrated, it's unstable. Look at my mom...your mom...Lilly."

Logan huffed, closing his eyes momentarily.

Veronica pulled her arms away from his completely. "Duncan's dependable—"

"You already said dependable," he deadpanned.

If she didn't know him as well as she did, she'd think this was a casual conversation. Again, his eyes said differently.

"You keep interrupting me!" she pointed out and cleared her throat. "He's—"

"If you say dependable one more time, Veronica, so help me god…" Logan's hands buried themselves in his hair as he turned away from her and took a few steps.

Veronica was seething again. How dare he. "...stable. He's hardworking. He listens to me." She took a step toward him with every sentence.

He spun back around to face her, his arms up in exasperation. "Would you listen to yourself? You sound like you're describing a poodle!"

His tone matched her own and Veronica wondered how they'd gone from fighting to dancing and reminiscing back to fighting again in a matter of minutes. Now they stood there, both vibrating with frustration and anger. It just confirmed everything she'd always known about herself and why she couldn't be with the man before her. It confirmed that she'd made the right choice.

Veronica forced herself to take a calming voice. There wasn't any point in beating this dead horse. There wasn't any reason for staying on the yacht with him either, though.

"The poodle's looking pretty good right now," she commented as casually as she could as she turned and made her way to dock. Thankfully her shoes and purse were still there waiting for her. She gathered them up hastily, but in a manner that she hoped appeared unharried. Calm.

As she stepped off onto the pier, she couldn't help herself. Veronica sneaked a look over her shoulder at Logan. He was watching her, regret coloring his features. At least she hoped it was regret. He looked as if he wanted to say something, but luckily for Veronica, Logan hadn't ever been one to say the right thing when she was running away. To try to fix things when it counted.

She released one last, lingering breath and then began her ascent to the main pier, her shoes in her hand to speed things up.

Of course, Veronica's luck being what it was, she soon realized that she wouldn't be able to escape so easily. Someone was waiting behind the locked gate at the end of the pier. Two someones, she noted as she got closer. She recognized the voluptuous form of Lilly, and Philippa's taller, willowy silhouette beside her. Deciding she had the upper hand for once, Veronica paused a moment to pull herself together. They weren't children anymore. As much as she wanted to throttle Lilly with her bare hands, Veronica was determined to be the bigger person.

"There you are," Lilly called out. She smiled, clearly testing out the water to gauge Veronica's mood.

"Yes. Hello, Judas," Veronica returned evenly, keeping her face passive as she threw her arms out with a shrug. She kept a tight hold on to her shoes and purse as she did so. The last thing she needed was to fish something important out of the water with an audience when she was attempting to make a dignified escape.

Veronica watched Lilly's smile melt away, but her gaze was steadfast. Veronica was ready for it. This was classic Lilly—she did whatever she wanted to and then charmed her way through the aftermath. Veronica had seen it a thousand times. She'd even been on the receiving end of it more times than she could count. But this time it felt different. It felt personal. And she was just so damn tired.

Veronica shifted the items into one hand so that she could turn the handle of the large, metal gate.

"Erm...sorry we're late," Philippa started. At least she had the decency to look contrite.

"We—"

Veronica didn't wait for Lilly to finish the well-rehearsed lie.

"No need to explain," she said, passing between them. She was concentrating on keeping her feet moving, determined to not engage. Veronica didn't want to say something she'd regret later. In a few years they'd all laugh about this, right? A girl could hope.

"Veronica, don't go. We can still—"

"I'm not really in the mood for reveling in the glory days right now, Lil."

"You don't have to run. I've already sat through the lecture from Duncan," Lilly droned. "I get it, okay?"

Veronica could sense Lilly's eyes rolling, but decided to turn around so she could get the whole picture. Lilly fidgeted a little, tugging at her perfectly highlighted locks with one hand and then wrapping the strand around a finger.

Her friend, as usual, had missed the whole point. "This isn't about you, Lilly. For once, this is about me. It's me getting married. It's me who has no support from her friends. It's me who has to work late next week because I left early today so I could play your little game—whatever this is." Veronica paused, once again gathering her wits. "And it's me who's over it."

Lilly's hand paused and she dropped her hair, but her expression didn't change. "For what it's worth, I'm sorry," she said, looking Veronica in the eye.

Veronica believed her. Lilly was sorry. Sorry that she'd hurt her—maybe even sorry for ruining her night. But Veronica knew that Lilly ultimately still thought she was right. And she wouldn't give up.

"Thanks, but it's not enough this time, Lilly. The wedding is a few weeks away. If you want to be a part of it, let me know. I love you and want you to be there. But if you can't accept…" Veronica turned away and swallowed hard past the lump in her throat, knowing her voice was on the verge of breaking, "Just lemme know, okay?"

Veronica was proud that this time she had the mental fortitude to get to her car and drive out of the parking lot without a backward glance, deciding to call Duncan on her way back to the office. She needed to escape, and working seemed to be her only respite these days. For now at least.

Sorry for the delay...life got crazy! I know a few of you still really don't dig this story, but I hope this went a little toward making you understand her. Or at least what I was trying to do.

I'll try to get back on my update schedule, but the Christmas story and my kid's huge dance competition got me a little more behind than I'd anticipated! Turns out I have to sleep at least a few hours a night...who knew?! ;)

Thanks to my betas, kmd0107 and brit. And thanks to Lisa, RBraquel, and Kereli for the quick heads-up on the formatting issue!