For Chelsea, Logan Echolls was, in her words, a 'phase' - a passing concern that disappears just like baby teeth or PMS or annoying baby brothers. When she's over it, life goes on.

Veronica's cursor hovers over the Echolls family fanfiction archive. A phase - could she say the same for herself?

V3nd3tta: Hi!

She welcomes the intrusion with a small smile.

M2r5hM2ll0ws: Someone's all perky today.
V3nd3tta: Must be the sugar
M2r5hM2ll0ws: From what?
V3nd3tta: Marshmallows :D

She can't hide her grin. Who flirts so shamelessly online?

M2r5hM2ll0ws: Are you trying to flirt with me?
V3nd3tta: Define flirting
M2r5hM2ll0ws: Flirting - behave as though attracted to or trying to attract someone, but for amusement rather than with serious intentions.
V3nd3tta: Ah, says Noah Webster
M2r5hM2ll0ws: Nope, says Google. Haven't met my best friend?
V3nd3tta: I'm pretty sure I did since freshman English. Forgive me, but he's a fool.
M2r5hM2ll0ws: Well, he's pretty knowledgeable for a fool
V3nd3tta: Fine
M2r5hM2ll0ws: :D
V3nd3tta: He's an ass then

She rolls her eyes.

M2r5hM2ll0ws: Calling names now?
V3nd3tta: He's a loser?
M2r5hM2ll0ws: What have you against my best bud?
V3nd3tta: He disrespects women
M2r5hM2ll0ws: Right...and you don't
V3nd3tta: Never!
M2r5hM2ll0ws: Not convinced
V3nd3tta: He says that flirting is 'for amusement rather than with serious intentions.' I NEVER act without serious intentions.
M2r5hM2ll0ws: Yeah, sure. And what do you intend today?
V3nd3tta: Just one little thing
M2r5hM2ll0ws: ?
V3nd3tta: To make you smile :)

She could smack him on the face for how much he actually did.


V3nd3tta: Hey!
M2r5hM2ll0ws: Good evening, sir
V3nd3tta: My, my, madame, aren't we fancy tonight.
M2r5hM2ll0ws: Well, I am feelin' pretty opulent
V3nd3tta: Finally found that pot of gold?
M2r5hM2ll0ws: Maybe. Had a Christmas present in mind for my dad. Totally unaffordable, but gonna pocket 5 grand by tomorrow.
V3nd3tta: Wow, that's a pretty hefty sum. Last time I checked, you were volunteering at soup kitchens.

So she's offered an unusual collage of 'facts' about herself here and there. Who hasn't?

M2r5hM2ll0ws: Yeah, walked in on some fools playing poker. Gonna beat them at their own game.
V3nd3tta: Ah...I always knew you had a dark side
M2r5hM2ll0ws: Scared now?
V3nd3tta: Very :)

She leans back against the pillows with a peacock's pride.

V3nd3tta: Good luck on your game
M2r5hM2ll0ws: Thanks :)


M2r5hM2ll0ws: You there?
V3nd3tta: Yeah
M2r5hM2ll0ws: Merry Christmas! Or, happy holidays, if you prefer.
V3nd3tta: Nah, Christmas is fine. We all need a god.
M2r5hM2ll0ws: ?
V3nd3tta: Sorry, not really feelin' it tonight.
M2r5hM2ll0ws: It's fine. You had a good Christmas?
V3nd3tta: I'm alive. That's good.
M2r5hM2ll0ws: Okay...

She ponders for a moment whether or not to ditch him for another trip to the cookie tray outside.

M2r5hM2ll0ws: Are you okay? Need to talk?

He takes so long to reply that the cookies almost win.

V3nd3tta: I'll be fine. No need to ruin your Christmas.
M2r5hM2ll0ws: Are you green and skinny and lives North of Whoville?
V3nd3tta: Lol. More like short and fat and lives South of hell.
M2r5hM2ll0ws: Gotta be warm over there. I'll send over an iced tea.
V3nd3tta: Are you buying me a drink?
M2r5hM2ll0ws: Cuz I'm just that awesome of a friend :)

"Veronica! I'm going to finish this!" Her father's stern warning echoes warmly throughout the tiny apartment.

V3nd3tta: Yes, you are :)
M2r5hM2ll0ws: Anyway, you okay?
V3nd3tta: Yeah, feel better now. Thanks.
M2r5hM2ll0ws: No prob. Dad's calling. G2g soon.
V3nd3tta: That's fine. Congratz on the poker win.

She furrows her brow for a split second.

M2r5hM2ll0ws: How did you know?
V3nd3tta: Cuz my girl always comes out on top :)
M2r5hM2ll0ws: I prefer to take that as a compliment rather than innuendo.
V3nd3tta: Of course ;)

"Veronica!"

M2r5hM2ll0ws: Merry Christmas :)
V3nd3tta: Merry Christmas :)


The next time she logs on, she's keeping a spare eye on the Time Square ball on their tiny television screen.

V3nd3tta: Happy New Year
M2r5hM2ll0ws: Wow, you're early
V3nd3tta: Yeah, still trying my chances before the year ends
M2r5hM2ll0ws: Chances for what?
V3nd3tta: You know how you try to mention the next holiday to remind people that they'd missed the last one?
M2r5hM2ll0ws: I did greet you, mister
V3nd3tta: But I'm still waiting for my iced tea.

She stifles a laugh, gets an eyebrow-raise from her dad, and shrugs.

M2r5hM2ll0ws: The delivery boy must've taken it.
V3nd3tta: Gasp...you had a boy deliver my drink?
M2r5hM2ll0ws: Oh, sorry, but they charge extra for exotic Asian chicks
V3nd3tta: You so do not know me
M2r5hM2ll0ws: Oh yeah?
V3nd3tta: I happen to have a strong preference for petite blondes with short hair and a quick wit. You know anyone like that?

She almost burns her tongue with her hot chocolate.

M2r5hM2ll0ws: Where did you get that idea?
V3nd3tta: What idea?
M2r5hM2ll0ws: You know, blondes and all...
V3nd3tta: A guy can't have his type?

She reels herself in, mentally cursing her unreasonable reaction. He doesn't even know what she looks like, right?

V3nd3tta: For the record, I think all women are created equally beautiful.
M2r5hM2ll0ws: Says all desperate men
V3nd3tta: You got me ;)
M2r5hM2ll0ws: :)

To her right, an exaggerated baritone of Keith-Mars-on-holiday joins the crowds on screen counting down. She humors him with a smile and counts softly along.

"Five, four, three, two, one. Happy new year!"

The parent and child embrace before resuming their former positions, ready to doze off to the voices of bored reporters. She lifts her laptop screen.

V3nd3tta: You know, if we were next to each other in Time Square right now...
M2r5hM2ll0ws: I wouldn't try your luck, bud ;)
V3nd3tta: Okay, okay...

She smiles. It's refreshing to be preferred for your personality, sometimes.

M2r5hM2ll0ws: Fine. Appease you with a Christmas gift?
V3nd3tta: Would you?
M2r5hM2ll0ws: Not the iced tea again
V3nd3tta: Nope, something more realistic
M2r5hM2ll0ws: ?
V3nd3tta: An update to your story? :D

She bites her lower lip for a fraction of a second.

M2r5hM2ll0ws: Sure :)


The hallways echoed with the thunder of ten thousand footsteps while the high school students marched out in triumph.
Keeping herself below average eye level, Amber weaved through the crowds to her locker, slightly amused by the study sheets being torn left and right.
There were few days more liberating than the last school day before Christmas.

Quickly and deliberately, she organized the items in her locker, mentally checking which books to take home. After all, she wasn't the party type. If the rest of her schoolmates preferred to waste away their lives on underage drinking, she'd gladly contribute to the other column on the statistics sheet.

The crowds trickled down to a handful of students before she - finally satisfied - pulled up straight with books in hand.
Her head almost hit his arm.
"Sorry!" Logan called out, his right arm still poised above her on the locker but his left quickly flying to her aid.
She pulled back an inch at the realization of his identity. She looked up tentatively.

"Are you okay?" His voice was soft, disarming.
She nodded. "You need something?"
He shook his head before straightening up. She kept her gaze level.
"I was thinking that you did."
At her questioning look, he lifted a small box between them.

She slowly reached up and fingered the edges of the simple white box and its bright red bow.
"This isn't a trick?" She asked calmly, firmly.
He almost laughed and shook his head.
Without removing the box from his hands, she gently lifted the lid.

A smile wandered on to her face as, one by one, she flipped through her childhood photos in the box. There was one of her with her parents, another one with her best friend, and several with Logan. She looked up.

"Sorry it took that long. I - I had a lot of junk to sort through."
She smiled. "It figures."
They exchanged another glance before he handed the box over and retreated down the hall.
"Thanks, Lo." She called out without turning.
He whipped around with a smile. "No problem."

Veronica sits still as she re-reads her new post. Surely, no one's going to hate that scene, right? She shuffles uncomfortably before refreshing the comments page yet again. When school kept her busy, she could go a day without checking her e-mail. And by the time she does, her inbox would be flooded with notifications of new comments.

But when on Christmas break - every silent second feels like a silent rejection.

Veronica licks her lips and stretches her neck from side to side. Now she's acting like an addict.

She shivers at the thought.

"Veronica, honey," her father's bald head pops in her open bedroom door. "I'm headed to Tijuana for another bail jumper. Don't wait up, okay?"

One more reason to wallow in self-pity and rejection.

Veronica smiles. "Sure, Dad. And please inform Pablo that I've decided to run away with him after all. Alfredo simply wasn't exciting enough."

He grunts and walks over for a goodbye peck on her scalp.

The moment the front door swings close, she feels an unforgivable sense of loneliness. The moment her laptop beeps, she perks up like a prairie dog.

"Sooooo excited to see where this is going. Lamber forever and ever!" - cinnamongypsy
"Great job! Surprised they didn't mention the kiss. You must be saving it for another time." - yamito

She is?

She forces herself off her seat for a bathroom break. She's back within a minute.

"The subtle development between them is beautiful. There is nothing more precious than a rekindled friendship. I love your work, always." - PerfectPrincess

Now that's a comment after her own heart.


M2r5hM2ll0ws: Liked your birthday present?
V3nd3tta: Told the whole world. Didn't see?

She arches an eyebrow and navigates to the comments page.

"Good, solid update. Amber's being considerate. But what's up with Lo? Gotta man up, dude. No wonder he can't get the girl ;)" - V3nd3tta

Veronica rolls her eyes.

M2r5hM2ll0ws: So you ship Lamber, huh?
V3nd3tta: Maybe? :D
M2r5hM2ll0ws: Why?
V3nd3tta: Why I think the main guy should end up with the best girl in the story? It's common sense, really.
M2r5hM2ll0ws: Best girl?
V3nd3tta: You don't think so?

Sure - but she's not one to boast.

M2r5hM2ll0ws: I mean, Amber's cool and all. But she has her flaws.
V3nd3tta: Yes, she's vindictive and stubborn
M2r5hM2ll0ws: Okay...
V3nd3tta: But that just makes her even hotter

A foreign blush stings her cheeks.

M2r5hM2ll0ws: Vindictiveness is hot?
V3nd3tta: Ever noticed my username?
M2r5hM2ll0ws: :D
V3nd3tta: ;)


School starts, and life resumes normality. Well, normality without Logan Echolls, that is. For some reason, mister hollywood just hasn't been up to much recently. She hears rumors that he's banging Madison Sinclair and pointedly ignores them. Homework and cases pile up fast.

But for tonight? She finds herself done by 8:30, wrapping up a Skype call to Yolanda Hamilton, and wondering if all her choices in life really were as right as she'd thought at the moment of decision.

A knock on the door interrupts her train of thought.

She pulls back in surprise at the guest on her porch.

"Logan, what are you doing here?"

"I want you to find my mother."

And she lets him in.


Ten minutes later, she leans back against her pillows, laptop in hand. Logan's words replay on a haunted loop in her mind: "I just need to know she's okay."

She closes her eyes and sighs.

M2r5hM2ll0ws: Are you there?

She waits five minutes.

M2r5hM2ll0ws: Message me when you're online

She wakes up the next morning to a blank screen.


She juggles two cases - Mr. Rooks's and Logan's. When it comes to Lynn, she finds herself being much more hopeful than she should be. Between the facts and her unexpected partnership with Logan, one optimist is far more than enough.

V3nd3tta: Hey there

She looks up, surprised. After a series of unfortunate events involving Miss Stanton and Sondra Bolan, she's stopped expecting life to get any better.

M2r5hM2ll0ws: Hey...haven't heard from you for a while.
V3nd3tta: Yeah. Sorry. You know, real life.
M2r5hM2ll0ws: Yeah :)

He doesn't reply

M2r5hM2ll0ws: Are you okay?
V3nd3tta: Barely
M2r5hM2ll0ws: Oh. Real life?
V3nd3tta: Yeah

She sighs. No one can catch a break.

M2r5hM2ll0ws: Share a hug?
V3nd3tta: I guess
M2r5hM2ll0ws: Hug
V3nd3tta: Hug back
M2r5hM2ll0ws: :)
V3nd3tta: :)

She swallows her hot chocolate. Oh, what the heck.

M2r5hM2ll0ws: I know this friendship has been governed so far by a mutual avoidance of real facts. But...if you need it...I'll listen, okay?
V3nd3tta: Okay. Thanks.

Guess that's a 'no.'

V3nd3tta: No, I mean it. Thank you. I just...don't want to bother you with all of real life's problems.
M2r5hM2ll0ws: Well, we can start with something silly
V3nd3tta: Yeah, I guess...like volunteering at soup kitchens?
M2r5hM2ll0ws: Fine, full disclosure, I don't do that
V3nd3tta: And full disclosure, I'm not short and fat
M2r5hM2ll0ws: Darn it. I knew it was too good to be true.
V3nd3tta: hehe

She almost smiles.

V3nd3tta: So what do you do? You know, IRL.

She hesitates for a sliver of a second.

M2r5hM2ll0ws: I solve cases. I'm a private eye.
V3nd3tta: Cool.
M2r5hM2ll0ws: You?
V3nd3tta: Dream = professional surfer. Reality = bum.

She giggles.

M2r5hM2ll0ws: You sound very sophisticated for a bum
V3nd3tta: Why, thank you, mademoiselle.
M2r5hM2ll0ws: Hobbies?
V3nd3tta: Video games, surfing, and chatting with mysterious creatures online
M2r5hM2ll0ws: Writing, photography, and trying to figure out strangers online
V3nd3tta: Good one. Favorite snack?
M2r5hM2ll0ws: Ice cream
V3nd3tta: Hot fudge
M2r5hM2ll0ws: Siblings
V3nd3tta: Uhm...half sister
M2r5hM2ll0ws: None
V3nd3tta: Cheater
M2r5hM2ll0ws: :D

The questions go on for another half hour.

V3nd3tta: Pet?
M2r5hM2ll0ws: Bulldog
V3nd3tta: Fish
M2r5hM2ll0ws: Favorite Disney character
V3nd3tta: Seriously?
M2r5hM2ll0ws: Fine :D

They stretch from trivial to introspective.

V3nd3tta: Biggest regret
M2r5hM2ll0ws: Choosing to shun a good friend
V3nd3tta: Turning against the kindest creature I've ever known
M2r5hM2ll0ws: Wish to be described as
V3nd3tta: Trustworthy
M2r5hM2ll0ws: Loyal
V3nd3tta: Ideal day of leisure
M2r5hM2ll0ws: Horse ranch
V3nd3tta: Beach

From past to future.

M2r5hM2ll0ws: Childhood when-I-grow-up-I-wanna-be
V3nd3tta: Movie producer
M2r5hM2ll0ws: Reporter
V3nd3tta: Favorite parent
M2r5hM2ll0ws: Dad
V3nd3tta: Mom

Then three questions later, he hits home.

V3nd3tta: Name?

She panics.

M2r5hM2ll0ws: Amber
V3nd3tta: Brad

She crosses her fingers.

V3nd3tta: Wait a sec...Amber? So the girl in the story...it's you?

No such luck.

M2r5hM2ll0ws: No, of course not. It's just a name.
V3nd3tta: Lol. And you tell me you don't ship Lamber.
M2r5hM2ll0ws: I don't ship anyone!
V3nd3tta: And you say you didn't like Logan. Haha.
M2r5hM2ll0ws: It's true!
V3nd3tta: So, let me get this straight...you are spending hours and hours of your time - away from sleuthing and hobbies galore - to write thousands of words into a story between you and Logan Echolls because you don't care for him?

She bites her lower lip.

M2r5hM2ll0ws: Depends what you mean by 'care,' you know?
V3nd3tta: Ah...you mean like a friend, like a brother, like every other cop-out clause
M2r5hM2ll0ws: Hey, I could mean it, you know.
V3nd3tta: Mean how much you care for him?
M2r5hM2ll0ws: Well...it's not that I don't at all
V3nd3tta: Go on...
M2r5hM2ll0ws: But it's...it's not necessarily in the way that everyone thinks I do, you know
V3nd3tta: Cuz you didn't ever plan the story to be a romance
M2r5hM2ll0ws: Yeah exactly
V3nd3tta: So...guess you've changed at least some thoughts on mister mood swings in your story?

She chuckles just a little. Sometimes she forgets what's she's written into these things.

M2r5hM2ll0ws: Maybe?
V3nd3tta: Fair enough


A/N: Thank you so much to everyone who continues to read this silly little story. I know this chapter was slightly darker, but I needed it to ground their relationship. The next review is going to be the 100th review. Do let me hear from you! :)