Love Works

During supper, Logan looks at Veronica and asks, "Have you thought of when would be a good time for us to get married?"

Her immediate looks of surprise tells Logan she hasn't given their wedding day any real thought. He would be upset except that he knows that the fact she that she even agreed to be engaged is a big deal for her. He points out, "It would be easier to plan my next project if I knew when I would be taking time off for our honeymoon."

Seeing his point she agrees, "I guess."

Logan asks her about how much time she has built up for vacation and is not surprised to find out that she has a lot of time banked. Interested he asks, "When was your last vacation?"

She looks a little embarrassed and admits that she has only taken a few days off here and there since she started in the FBI. She meets his gaze and shares, "Mac and I discussed our tendency to focus on work. At first I thought it was because for many years Dad and I couldn't afford to take time off work." She shrugs her shoulders and adds, "Mac grew up with her family taking yearly camping vacations but she doesn't take vacations from work either." Pausing she says, "Wallace is way better at balancing his life even though he is working hard at his dream job." Meeting Logan's gaze she finishes, 'I know I get too focused on work. I think you are good for me. I want to take time from work to spend with you. You help me to be more balanced."

The tall young man looks at the woman he has known since they were twelve and he is so very impressed. She is looking at herself and is being open and honest about her tendencies. He reaches over and gently brushes her hair away from her face and tells her, "You have always been driven. Even at twelve you wanted to finish your chores and schoolwork before you had fun." Teasing he adds, "You drove Lilly to distraction with your responsible attitude." Thinking about it he adds, "I think that is why DK and I worked as friends and why Lilly and you were so close. We balanced each other out." Carrying on with his thought, he adds slowly, "I also think that is why Lilly and I were not good together dating and perhaps why you and Duncan were not good for each other when you dated."

She leans her cheek into his hand as she thinks. She knows Logan likes being a part of her family partly because of how stable and steady it is. He didn't have that as a child so he values having a mother and father who are always there and supportive. She, on the other hand, needs a little fun in her life. Logan is more impulsive and he pulls her out of her usual pattern of work and home to eat and sleep. He knows how to enjoy life. Agreeing she says, "I can see why you think we all balanced each other out." She ponders aloud, "It also explains why you were so wild, so angry after Lilly died and you didn't have Duncan or me anymore."

He drops his hand down from her face and takes her hand. He adds, "You and DK just focused on school and chores." He says, "We both needed to come more to the middle."

Nodding slowly she thinks aloud, "You began professionally writing and started your Foundation. You got yourself back to middle ground." Looking down at their joined hands she admits, "I worked hard at my career but I didn't get balance until I moved back to California and reconnected with my dad, Alicia, Wallace, Daryl and Mac." Squeezing his hand she adds happily, "Now I have you and you are good to me and good for me."

Pleased at her praise he lifts her hand and kisses the back of it, "I am so much happier now we are together."

Agreeing she says, "Oh, me too."

He smiles at her and asks, "Have you given any thought to what kind of wedding you might want?"

She ponders for a few seconds and then shares, "Not really. I think I would like a small wedding."

Logan immediately reassures her, "I want that too." He adds carefully, "I was thinking that going to other people's weddings is often more of a chore than a fun time." He adds, "I have watched some of my friends get married and it seems to be more stressful for the couple and their families than a celebration."

She can see his point. Most often Saturday weddings kind of interfere with the weekend and many times the bride and family are stressed out about the day. She looks at him and can tell he has a plan. She asks, "What are you thinking?"

"I was thinking we should have a family vacation and then combine it with our wedding." Logan explains his idea and after listening, Veronica smiles.

She points out, "That sounds expensive."

Shrugging Logan admits, "Well Casey and I could fly everyone there in our jets and we could think of it as treating our family and friends to an all expense paid vacation instead of spending money our wedding." She smiles at the way he is spinning the price. He adds, "Irene will handle most of the details with the resort, the invitations, getting someone to officiate, booking a club or band and dealing with the press." He adds happily, "We would just have to get your dress, my tux, bridesmaid and groomsmen gifts and of course clothes for our honeymoon. We could have fun with our families and friends a few days before the wedding and then after the ceremony, we could just all have a great dinner together and go dancing. Then our guests can stay another week and relax and you and I can head off on our honeymoon."

He takes her hand and adds, "Everyone would have fun, relax and it wouldn't cost them anything. The resort has lots of outdoor activities for them to do. Plus there is a great spa there for anyone who wants to relax and be pampered. There are lots of restaurants and nightclubs for going out during the night. Our friends and family could all have a fun vacation, watch us get married and get away for a couple of weeks. Best of all it would be private for us and non stressful."

She gets up and sits in his lap and agrees, "I think that is a great idea. If we give everyone enough warning, they can take the time off of work."

"My preference would be to get married soon," Logan shares. He watches her carefully and sees that she is not freaked out at the idea he wants to get married soon. She gently caresses his cheek as she thinks about what is happening at work and their lives and when they would have time to get married. Turning his head he kisses her palm and says, "You don't seem upset that I want to get married soon."

She turns his head so that they gazes are meeting head on and reminds him, "Moving in together was the commitment for me. I am already all in."

He smiles and agrees, "Me too but I am excited about the piece of paper. She smiles back at him but does not comment. They both know that the paper doesn't mean that much to her and that he needs it. He brings her out of her thoughts, "I was thinking of the beginning of January. I checked and Daryl doesn't have to be back at college until mid January. I looked at the resort and they are not busy in early January. I can book the cabana area and security thinks with enough staff, they can keep the area private."

Looking at him she exclaims, "That is only a few months away!"

Carefully looking at her, he asks, "Is it the short time frame or the marriage that is the issue?"

Meeting his gaze, she reassures, "Logan I am not worried about getting married. I just think a wedding is a lot of work and January is only three months away."

Smiling he says, "Irene plans huge functions for the Foundation so she will have no trouble getting everything organized by January."

Veronica nods her agreement. Irene is very organized and she will make sure everything goes well. "Ok, I will put in for vacation tomorrow at work. I think I can get a month."

Logan runs his hands up her arms slowly and says, "So we are getting married in January?"

Returning his smile she nods and agrees, "We are." Leaning in she kisses him. She had been worried that with all his contacts, he would need to have a large, public wedding. She is so excited at the idea of having a vacation wedding. Her dad, Alicia, Wallace, Mac, Daryl, Brad, Jeanne, Irene, Derek, Connie and perhaps some of the guys she works with could enjoy the time together and it wouldn't cost them anything. It's wonderful!

Veronica sits at Logan's desk and finally opens the drawer that contains his home files. She hesitates and then takes out the file with her mother's label on it. Slowly she opens the file and looks at the information. Her mother is living in an apartment in a rundown area of Phoenix. She is working as a waitress in a small, out of the way café. She is still drinking. Her bank account has less than two hundred dollars in it. She doesn't have a cell phone or a car. She rides the bus or walks to work. Every month, money is deposited into her account from Jake Kane to help her pay her bills. She has gone from job to job mainly fired because she goes on binges and doesn't show up for work. Veronica looks at her picture and feels the tears prick behind her eyes. This picture doesn't even look like her mother. This woman is a thin, pitiful shell of the woman Veronica remembers. Her hair is limp and her beautiful skin is an unhealthy pale color. Most of all, her eyes look dead. This is much worse than she thought.

Logan comes home to find Veronica in the kitchen setting the table for the dinner that Mrs. H. left heating up in the warmer. When he walks closer he can see she has been crying and his heart skips in his chest. Immediately he asks, "Veronica, what's wrong?" He rushes to her side.

The petite blonde turns from the cupboard where she has been getting out the things she will need to set the table and reassures her worried fiancé, "Nothing is wrong." She looks up at him and admits, "I read the file on mom."

He puts one arm behind and gently rubs her back as he stands waiting to hear her thoughts and feelings. After a few moments she tells him, her voice quiet and rough, "She looks sick." He isn't sure what to say. He knows nothing will make her feel better so he just hugs her.

Being in Logan's arms seems to release the hold she has on her emotions and she cries. Pushing her face into his chest, she wraps her arms tightly around him and lets out her emotions. After a few minutes, she finds Logan has picked her up and they are sitting together on the couch. She snuggles into this arms and just sits quietly thinking about the horrible picture of her mother. Finally she asks quietly, "Will you come with me to see her?"

Without letting go of her he answers immediately, "Of course." He kisses her forehead and continues to hold her.

During supper, Veronica tells Logan that she got her vacation time in January and that she sent Irene her final list. She adds quietly, "I talked to Wanda and Jessica and they are going to make my wedding dress and Mac's dress."

Logan smiles and shares, "Irene booked the whole cabana area. Security sent David over to the resort so he can work with the hotel security on how to keep the wedding private and everyone secure." He takes a bite of the delicious beef enchiladas and after he swallows, he continues, "Irene has my list and Casey has agreed for us to use his plane to get the guests to the resort."

"How many people did we end up inviting?" she asks.

Logan tells her that he invited his friends which is about thirty guests in total. As well he invited Irene and Catherine, Scott Cummings, Steve from next door, and most of his board members. He adds, "I also invited Roger Blackmore."

Immediately Veronica smiles, "I'm glad." Roger sponsored them to be members of the private gun club he belongs to. Logan immediately got a permit and bought himself a nice handgun. He could see the value in becoming a good shot and of course spending some time with Veronica was always welcomed. he was truly reassured when she saw how good a shot she was. The couple have met Roger at the gun range monthly. They have a standing bet picking a range or scenario with the losing score buying dinner for the winners. Roger has yet to buy dinner but a few times has been beat by Veronica. One afternoon they invited Keith and surprising everyone, he beat Roger's score on the human targets. Roger had been very impressed and had insisted on buying Veronica's father lunch. A few months later, he sent Keith a new handgun for his birthday. Keith had been overwhelmed at how beautiful the gun was and Roger had immediately invited him to the range to use it. Veronica invited Scott as a guest when Keith was there. The three older men really enjoyed their time at the range and supper had been a happy, boisterous affair with Logan and Veronica getting teased about being outshone by the older generation. The truth was Veronica and Logan outshot most of the other members and held their own against the older men. Roger was very pleased at how well Logan and Veronica were doing at the gun range. They both needed to be able to protect themselves once he put his retirement plan into effect. He really enjoyed his time with the younger couple, Scott and of course Keith. Keith and Scott were good men and were positive influences on the young couple. Roger had arranged to donate a million dollars to the Lynn Foundation. It would give Logan a good start on the building for his second site. Gratefully Logan had thanked him for his generosity. Roger had been touched when Veronica baked him some cookies and sent them over. Now when he went against Veronica at the gun range, he offered up her favorite wine and she offered up a batch of her wonderful snicker doodles as the prize. Logan merely laughed at the two of them.

On Veronica's guest list she included Derek and Connie as well as Brad and Jeanne. Jeanne had thankfully gone into remission. She and Brad could use a good vacation. Logan made a mental note to phone both couples and encourage them to come.

Wallace and Mac were going to stand up with Veronica at the wedding. Logan had a harder time picking his groomsmen. He wanted Dick and Casey but Dick was against his relationship with Veronica and it just didn't seem like a good fit to have him in the wedding party. Finally Logan and Veronica decided to just have one attendant each. Wallace would escort his mother up the aisle and then sit with his family.

Logan as they eat updates Veronica on the other plans he and Irene have finalized for the wedding. They have booked the officiate for the wedding, the outdoor area for the wedding ceremony as well as an indoor ballroom for the ceremony if it is too windy or cool. He describes the dinner and the club he booked after for just their friends and family to dance the night away. After he finishes updating her, he looks at her closely and sees that she is pleased with all he has done. Curious he asks, "Should I be concerned that you are not concerned about the flowers, decorations, dinner and other details about the wedding?"

Unsure what he is asking she says, "What do you mean?"

Meeting her gaze he points out, "Sometimes you react to the plans as if it was just a Foundation event."

Immediately shaking her head she explains, "No Logan, that is not it." She sighs and tells him, "Honestly I just want you to have the wedding you want. You are good at planning and have impeccable taste. Plus you know what you want. It works for us because I am not really that good or interested in planning parties so I am content and relieved that you don't mind doing it." She reassures, "It's not that I am not looking forward to our wedding, it's just the little details don't matter as much to me. A lot of flower arrangements and dinner setting arrangements are beautiful. To me no one really remembers the type of plates, crystal, silverware and the centerpieces. The important thing will be that you and our family and friends will be there and we will have a special memory together and with them."

Listening to her and watching her body language for clues reassures Logan that Veronica is actually content to let him do most of the planning. He has to admit that when he or Irene ask her to make a decision or do something, she does it right away and without complaint. She sent Irene a piece of the material in Mac's dress and they have been using it to plan the color scheme and the coordinating ties for his and Casey's suits. She has her dress, shoes and the rest of her clothing picked out. The resort has a well renowned chef so the meal will be wonderful and he sees her point that the type of crystal and plates used is not what most people will remember. He relaxes and decides not to worry about Veronica's happiness to let him make most of the plans. They are not a regular couple but they work together. She's right; the details matter to him so he might as well plan them.

Logan drives into the garage and parks. When he gets out of the truck and unties his surfboard he hears noises from the pool area. Listening he hears the happy shrieks of children and the tell-tale splash as someone jumps off the diving board. He smiles. They have company. He imagines it is either Derek and Connie or Weevil and Carmen with their children. Instead of going upstairs to shower, he heads towards the back yard. He is already in his swim trunks, he might as well join in.

As he passes through the kitchen he sees Carmen working at the counter making sandwiches and Connie is cutting up vegetables and fruit. He notes that they are in their bathing suits with shorts on. He greets them happily going over to give both of them a quick hug. They smile at him and tell him that both Derek and Weevil are working this weekend so they talked to Veronica and decided to come over and have playtime together.

Teasing he says in fakes horror, "Please tell me that Veronica didn't agree to babysit."

Carmen laughs and tells Logan that Veronica would never leave them outnumbered by children; she has recruited help.

Logan looks outside and sees Brad and Scott in the pool area. He laughs and says, "Wow she called in the FBI and LAPD." Reaching over he steals a carrot and then adds, "That might not be enough!" Both women laugh at the idea that their children are too much to handle. Logan and Veronica love to have them over and often offer to babysit so they can spend time with their respective spouses.

Logan goes to the fridge and gets a water. Looking out he smiles as he sees that Brad might be a bigger kid than the children. He has recruited Veronica to be on his side and they are having a water soaker fight with the children.

Truly amused he says, "It looks like the adults are over matched, I should go out there and help them."

After he leaves, Connie looks at Carmen and points out, "He will cause pandemonium out there."

Laughing Carmen agrees, "He know how to have fun." Sure enough the screams increase as Logan grabs a water soaker and joins in the fun.

The door to the garage opens again and the two women turn to see Casey coming in. He happily greets Carmen and is introduced to Connie. Looking outside, he laughs as he sees the huge water fight. Turning to the women he says pleadingly, "Can I help you make lunch?"

Laughing Carmen sends him outside to help the adults. She turns to Connie and explains, "Casey never had any brothers or sisters. This should be an experience for him."

Sure enough, he doesn't even make it off the stairs to the pool deck before he is sprayed by one of the older boys. Laughing Logan also sprays him as he runs by chasing the boys.

Veronica on the other side of the pool yells at Casey pointing to the extra water guns. He goes over and gets one and tentatively joins in. Soon, he is making as much noise and having as much fun as the children.

A few minutes later when the two women start to carry out lunch, the pool area looks like a hurricane hit it. Sitting in the shade on the deck, Jeanne is laughing hard. She is watching Derek and Connie's youngest child as he sleeps in a portable crib beside her. It is good to see the sparkle in her eyes as she watches her husband and friends have fun.

The warm day and exercise has made everyone hungry. They all sit down to have lunch. Brad helps Jeanne to sit at one of the tables on the deck and he goes and fills her a plate. Veronica after helping one of the children to fill his plate, fills her own plate and sits next to Jeanne. She makes a show of looking around to make sure that no one is watching and she hands a folded napkin to her friend under the table.

Surprised Jeanne looks down at the napkin and opens it. She starts to laugh when she sees a small bar of chocolate. Although she has been very good about following the diet that the doctor gave her, she does crave some empty calories from time to time.

Brad looks over at the two conspiring women and asks suspiciously, "What are you two plotting?"

They both look at him with identical innocent looks and say together, "Nothing."

Knowing they aren't going to admit to anything, he mumbles, "Nothing, my ass," causing Logan to laugh as he fills his plate beside him. The tall young man pats his guest on the back as he heads over to sit next to his beautiful fiancé. Just before he sits down he notices their neighbor coming out of the surf. Logan whistles loudly and waves at him as he walks up the beach towards his house. Scott immediately changes direction and heads up the pathway towards Logan and Veronica's mansion. Logan puts his plate down and then heads down to open the back gate for his friend/neighbor.

The kids are sitting together enjoying their lunch and the adults are enjoying the respite from excited, wound up children when Logan walks up to the pool area with Scott. They are talking about the surf today. Logan is telling Scott he should have joined he and his friends at Seaside Beach. Scott tells Logan that he had to work on the boat for a few hours in the morning and when he got home, he decided to surf for a while before lunch.

When they get to where their guests are, Logan introduces Scott to everyone. He then asks Scott if he wants some lunch. Scott is agreeable and heads over to where the food is. When he comes back he sits by Logan and says a friendly hello to Veronica.

The two families decide to play on the beach in the afternoon. Scott, Casey, Carl and Jeanne head home with their stomachs full. Before Carl and Jeanne leave, Logan is very open sharing that he and Veronica want them to come to their wedding. He hands them a brochure that lists all the resort/spa has to offer. He assures them that the jet will fly them there and back and that the resort is all inclusive so they should eat, drink, enjoy the beach and be pampered. He says, "You two deserve to have a nice vacation and you are family to Veronica. We would like you to be there to see us get married." Teasing he adds, "Besides you don't know how hard I had to work to persuade Veronica to take a chance on marrying me. I need as many witnesses as possible."

Carl laughs as he does know how anti marriage Veronica has been. Veronica frowns at Logan. He takes her hand and tempers her annoyance with, "I fell in love with her when we were twelve and knew I wanted to marry her since I was fifteen." Kissing her hand he adds, "I feel like I have been waiting a long time."

She shakes her head at him but the couple watching can see that she is not really upset with him. Carl really appreciates that Logan has personally invited them. The doctor has given Jeanne the go ahead to travel and it would be really great to get away and just focus on them with no doctors, no worries about getting to the hospital for treatments and no worries about paying bills for two whole weeks. They both need this.

Veronica looks at her friends and adds, "We have to rent the whole cabana area to keep it private from the press and curious public. You might as well use one of the cabanas and enjoy yourselves." Hugging Jeanne she whispers in her ear, "Carl has been working hard and he will have lots of fun jet skiing, surfing, kite sailing and boating. You can enjoy some time in the spa; have a massage." Pulling away she adds quietly, "Please think about it."

Jeanne hugs her back and agrees, "I will."

Logan wraps his arm around Veronica after they watch the couple drive off. He says, "I hope they come." Veronica nods. They walk together into the house and head towards the beach. They are both looking forward to spending time with their friends and their children.

The following weekend, Logan and Veronica flew in the jet to Arizona. They picked up lunch and some groceries and walked up to Leanne's apartment. Today is her day off. When she opened the door, she had been shocked to see them. Thankfully she was wearing a simple pair of dress pants and blouse when she answered the door. During the uncomfortable lunch, Logan kept the conversation going by telling Leanne about their lives and updating her on the family news. She told them briefly what she had been doing completely ignoring her relationship with Jake Kane and her drinking.

Veronica had stiffly answered her mother's questions about her life and had shown her the engagement ring that Logan bought her. At one point during the visit, she looked at Logan gathering strength from him. She opened her purse and pulled out the invitation to their wedding handing it to her mother. She explains that it is going to be a small wedding and how everyone is going to enjoy an all expenses paid vacation. Logan meeting Leanne's gaze assured her that his assistant would arrange for the jet to pick her up and bring her to the resort. He says, "The resort is all-inclusive. The room, meals, use of the spa and all the facilities are included." He adds quietly, "We hope you will come."

During the visit, Logan surprised his fiancé and Leanne by taking the conversation to a topic that mother and daughter did not feel comfortable talking about. He looked at Leanne and offered to pay for rehab if and when she chooses to go. He didn't wait for her to give them platitudes about her drinking or the idea that she could quit on her own. He just handed her information on a couple of rehab facilities in Phoenix and some in Los Angeles. Then he changed the subject to the possibility of her visiting them in LA. He explained that he could send the jet for her and he would put her up in a hotel. He told her that they have drivers that can pick her up and take her where she wants to go. He ends by suggesting that if she gets a few days off in a row, they would love to see her.

At the end of the visit, Logan handed her a phone. He tells her that he wants her to have it. Logan sits next to her on the couch and shows her how to use it including where his and Veronica's numbers are in it. He meets her gaze and says, "The monthly bill will be covered. If you have any problems with the phone you can press number 9 and a tech person will talk you through it. He takes a deep breath and says, "If you press number 1, you will get the head of my security team." Meeting his hopefully future mother-in-law's gaze he adds, "#2 is the number for my assistant Irene. They will help you with any problems you have." Leanne looks at him in shock. This Logan is not the troubled young teen she remembers. He is strong man who cares for her daughter and will take care of her as well. Her daughter looks uncomfortable with her but when she looks at her fiancé, she looks at him with love. Leanne knows they dated on and off in high school and college. It looks like they didn't make the same mistakes that she and Jake made. They both waited until the time was right for them.

Logan puts his hand over hers on the phone and brings her out of her thoughts, "You don't have to be away from us. If you want you can be part of our family."

Leanne's eyes fill with tears and she whispers, "I would like that."

Nodding Logan says, "Good." He smiles at her and adds, "With this phone you can keep in touch with us." He reiterates sincerely, "I hope you will take advantage of our offer to come to our wedding and to visit when you can. I will send the jet for you, our driver will take you wherever you want to go."

Veronica sits watching in shock. She and her mother have so many issues between them that they can't really communicate. Logan doesn't have any negative emotions with her mother and he was able to make the visit a positive one. The young woman looks in wonder and love at her fiancé. He has given her mother a way to get help and a way to include them in her life if she wants.

On the drive to the airport Logan talks to Veronica about her mother and almost reluctantly shares, "I wish she would stay in contact with us but..."

She finishes, "You aren't going to hold your breath."

He smiles a little that Veronica can follow his train of thought so easily, "No, we both know what a hold alcohol and drugs can have on a person."

The tiny blonde nods and looks at her hands. They both do know how substance abuse can ruin families. He looks at her to see how she is handling the visit. He points out, "Now she has a phone, we can contact her and of course, we can trace it to see where she is."

Looking back up at him she says, "Thank you so much for finding my mother, arranging this visit and giving her the chance to be a part of our family."

His brown eyes are soft as he looks at her and tells her genuinely, "You are welcome."

He turns to face her and takes both her hands. Quietly he brings up a topic he wishes he didn't have to, "If your mom comes to visit us, we can fly her up but security recommends that she stay in a hotel while she is visiting."

Veronica looks at him in question. Obviously uncomfortable he says, "While she is drinking she is not trustworthy in our home. There is temptation to takes objects and sell them as something belonging to Aaron or Lynn Echolls." He adds reluctantly, "Or sell pictures of us and our home to the tabloids."

Frowning she says, "I guess I can't argue with that. She did take the check for my college fund."

He looks at her in sympathy. He shares, "Her staying with us would increase the risk of a reporter finding her and getting an interview." Putting his forehead against hers, he adds, "I don't care if there are stories about her in the papers. I just don't want you to be hurt."

Veronica frowns as she thinks about the headlines if reporters ever find her mother and talk to her. She knows she has nothing to be embarrassed about but she would like her life to be private. Logan's parents and their issues are out there. He seems to handle the stories about them and his childhood with grace but Veronica doesn't want to deal with questions about her mother, Jake Kane, her drinking or anything like that. She closes her eyes and takes a deep breath in to relax. She is a grown woman and an FBI agent but visiting her mother today, she felt like that hurt, damaged teenager again. She pushes her face into his neck and moves closer to him. He immediately wraps his arms around her holding her; rubbing her back gently. Logan is her rock. He knows her feelings about her mother and yet he is helping her to accept the small role her mother can have in their life at present. Unless she is willing to quit drinking, she will always only be a minor player in her life. She can see that now.

After a few minutes Logan interrupts her thoughts pointing out, "I am really grateful that neither of us has followed in the substance abuse footsteps so to speak. Life can be hard enough without an addiction to complicate it."

The petite blonde pulls back and looks in surprise at her boyfriend. She hadn't really thought of it that way. Children of alcoholics are more prone to becoming alcoholics themselves. She smiles at him and says, "You are right. We are lucky that we haven't added an addiction to our issues."

He pulls her close and tells her quietly before he leans down to kiss her, "Well I am addicted to you."