A/N Yay for all of Anne of Green Gables love! Gilbert Blythe was probably my first love. He's like a Canadian Lloyd Dobler.

Thank you, as always, for your wonderful reviews. Hope you all enjoy this chapter. This was a fun one to write. :)

Chapter 4

Although he'd arrived at the Mackenzie house with a group, Logan quickly found himself alone. Duncan and his sisters had gone looking for Meg, and Conner had headed right for the buffet- which just happened to be set up directly across from a pool full of bikini-clad women.

It wasn't long before Logan spotted Veronica. She was standing on the outside patio, talking to the girl with the blue streak in her hair again. Veronica was dressed casually, in a dark green sundress and sandals. Her hair, which was much lighter in the sunlight, was pulled back into two messy pigtails. Logan could only see her in profile, from where he was standing, and he was struck with a sudden desire to see her more clearly. Without giving any thought to why he cared, he found himself moving closer to where she stood.

He pretended to be studying the food at the buffet; but after a few seconds he moved down the table so that he was only a few feet away from where she was standing. She was talking animatedly to her friend, her eyes glittering with mirth as she spoke. Logan could see black bikini straps peeking out from below her dress; he wondered if she'd be joining the others in the pool. He thought about what she'd look like in a bikini, and he was momentarily unaware of everything else around him…

A high-pitched shriek brought Logan out of his reverie. He looked up to see Lilly, laughing and splashing water at a boy who was chasing her across the pool. Gia quickly intervened on her twin's behalf, grabbing the boy around the waist and dunking him backwards into the water. When they surfaced, Lilly snuck up behind him and yanked his swim trunks down. She and Gia giggled uncontrollably while the boy hurriedly pulled them back up again, his face a solid shade of red.

Veronica watched her sisters with a frown. I need to talk to Dad about the twins. They're getting far too wild for their own good. She looked around, hoping none of the other partygoers had seen her sisters' bad behavior. Only one person appeared to have noticed. Of course. Logan Echolls. He glanced over at her and she lifted her chin, refusing to show any sign that she disapproved. She turned back to Mac, annoyed that he'd caught her looking at him.

But Mac was distracted by something off to their right. She glanced at Veronica, a smile on her face, and nodded her head in that direction. "Meg certainly seems to be getting along well with the new boy."

Veronica followed her gaze. Duncan and Meg were sitting at a table with his two sisters, on the wooden deck that adjoined the stone patio. Although neither was talking, they kept glancing over at each other when they thought the other one wasn't looking. Veronica smiled to herself.

"Do you think she likes him?" Mac asked.

"Are you kidding?" Veronica laughed. "I think she's in love."

Mac watched them for a moment, then turned back to her cousin and shrugged. "Yeah? It's hard to tell."

Veronica frowned. "Really?"

"Well not for you, probably. You know her better than anyone. But if she wants to seriously date him, you may want to tell her to be a little more obvious about it. It's not every day someone like that comes along."

"Why Mac, are you jealous?" Veronica teased.

"No, of course not. I'm just saying… If I had a Duncan Kane interested in me, you'd better believe I'd let him know I was interested in him right back." She sighed heavily, casting her eyes downward. "Especially if it was the only way I could stay off the streets," she muttered.

Veronica looked at Mac sharply, catching her sudden mood change. She had a feeling she knew what her cousin was referring to, but they'd never spoken about it so openly before. "Is it that bad?" she whispered.

"It's bad," Mac confirmed grimly. "Bad enough that we could lose everything."

Veronica's eyes widened in surprise. She'd known that her uncle Sammy, Mac's father, had been having some financial trouble lately; but her mother and aunt kept assuring her that everything was fine. His ex-partner had gotten into some trouble with the IRS, several years earlier- so he'd helped himself to a big chunk of their money and left the country. Since then, her uncle had been forced to invest in smaller movies, and they hadn't had much commercial success. She patted Mac's arm sympathetically, and her cousin continued.

"We both know that my mom likes to spend money just as much as your mom does," Mac began. "This party was her idea, of course. And Dad…" She glanced at her father, who was speaking to a group of people on the other side of the pool. Mac lowered her voice. "I overheard him talking to someone on the phone the other day. He said his last three movies have all lost money. He said he put every cent he has left into this new film, and it's already going way over budget. He said if it doesn't do well…"

Veronica looked at her in concern. She was about to say something when Mac shook her head slightly. Veronica was confused, until she noticed that Logan was walking by. She prayed that he hadn't overheard any of that. The last thing Sammy needs is all of the bigwigs in Hollywood whispering about his money problems. Logan glanced at her as he passed, then continued over to where Duncan and Meg sat. She watched him briefly, trying not to think about the fact that he looked just as good in casual clothes as he did in a tux.

Mac looked from Logan to Veronica with a smile, happy to change the subject. "He's been looking at you since he got here, you know."

Veronica turned back towards her. "Yeah, well, he's probably just trying to think of another way to insult me," she remarked dryly.

"Oh I'm not so sure about that," Mac said, glancing back and forth between the two of them. Although Logan was now seated at the table with his friends, he was still facing them and continued to look in their direction. She glanced back over at Veronica, who hadn't dated anyone seriously in months. "If he wants to look at you, we should give him a show."

"Huh?" Veronica asked distractedly.

Mac grinned mischievously and pulled on one of the ties of Veronica's halter sundress. It slipped off before she had time to catch it, and she suddenly found herself standing in just her bikini and sandals, dress around her ankles. A couple of guys in the pool started clapping and whistling suggestively. Mac glanced quickly at Logan, to check his reaction. He was staring at Veronica intently, his mouth slightly open. I thought so.

Veronica shot her cousin a venomous look, but made no attempt to pull the dress back up. Instead, she stepped out of it, then folded it up carefully and handed it to Mac. She bent down and undid the straps on her sandals, kicking them off to the side. "I wanted to go swimming anyway," she informed Mac coolly.

Mac laughed. "Good. I think Casey needs a partner."

Veronica turned back to the pool. Gia and a boy she didn't recognize were attaching a net across the pool, and Casey was climbing out and heading her way. "Oh no," she groaned. She looked over at Mac, who was silently shaking with laughter. "You wait, Mackenzie. I'll get you back for this."

Casey arrived, dripping with water and (Veronica had to admit) looking fantastic. He grinned down at her. "I see you're in your suit. Are you finally ready to play?"

She looked back up at him, fully understanding what he was really asking. But she couldn't seem to say no; and before she knew it, Casey had picked her up and jumped into the pool with her in his arms. She swam to the surface and pushed her wet hair out of her eyes. "A little warning would have been nice."

Casey just laughed, his eyes sweeping over her body appreciatively. "Climb on board," he said, patting his shoulders. He bent down at the waist to make it easier for her.

"Fine," Veronica agreed. "But if you start getting frisky with those hands, Casey Gant, you're getting slapped."

He gave her a sly smile. "You've never complained before."

She stuck out her tongue at him, but dutifully climbed up onto his shoulders. The next thing she knew, they were involved in a very competitive game of water volleyball.

Mac watched them play for a few minutes, wondering why Casey was even there- he was the only guy in their group who hadn't gone down to Cancun with Dick. It's not like he can't afford it... Did he stay in Neptune just so he could have Veronica all to himself? Eliminate the competition? Dick would lose his freaking mind if he saw the two of them right now. It's probably a very good thing that he's not here.

She glanced back over to where Logan was sitting, to see how he was reacting to Veronica and Casey's aquatic activities. But Logan was no longer at the table. She was surprised when she spotted him walking directly towards her.

Logan put out his hand when he reached her, getting right to the point as always. "Hi, I'm Logan. I don't think we've met."

Mac transferred Veronica's dress to her other arm and shook his hand. "I'm Mac. Well- Cindy. But everyone calls me Mac. This is, um, my house." She knew she sounded like a babbling idiot, but Logan had such an intense look in his eye that he was making her feel flustered.

"Nice to meet you," Logan said quickly. He glanced over at the pool, where the game was now in full swing. Veronica seemed to be a skilled player; the guy whose shoulders she sat on looked thrilled to have her as a partner. But maybe that's because he's got his hands wrapped around her thighs. He glanced over at Mac, who was also watching the game with interest. "Looks like fun," he commented.

"It is, for athletic types," Mac agreed. "Have you ever played before?"

"No. I live in New York. We keep things a little more traditional. Football, soccer, skiing." Logan knew he was pretty terrible at small talk, so he decided not to waste any more time trying. He nodded at the pool. "I think I saw that girl at the ball last night."

Mac shot him a look. She knew they were both well aware of the fact that he'd not only seen Veronica there, but he hadn't had the nicest things to say about her. "Yeah," she replied dryly. "That's my cousin, Veronica. We were both there last night."

Logan caught her tone, but he just nodded. I probably deserved that. "And that guy she's with," he continued nonchalantly. "Is that her boyfriend? I saw them dancing together last night."

Mac hid a smile. She liked how direct he was, but she was surprised that he was showing such blatant interest in Veronica. For someone who claimed to find her so unattractive, just last night, he's certainly been absorbed in her every movement since then. "That's Casey Gant. They used to date. But she broke it off with him, a few months ago."

He watched them together for a moment, feeling something strangely like relief at hearing they were no longer a couple. They were clearly comfortable with one another, moving in sync and talking easily. It seemed the ex-couple had actually managed to stay friends. But then Casey started to slide his hand up Veronica's leg, and she playfully smacked it away. Logan's eyes narrowed. "Did she get around to telling him that they were broken up?" he asked Mac, attempting to keep his voice even.

Mac just looked at him, feeling a bit defensive on Veronica's behalf. Is he implying that she's a big flirt? That she likes to toy with men? And why does he even care? Unless he's trying to find out if she's easy… She continued to observe him as he kept looking straight ahead, towards the pool, and she realized something interesting. Logan hadn't taken his eyes off of Veronica for a single second. Not since he'd first asked Mac if Casey was Veronica's boyfriend. She smiled to herself. Or is he just… jealous?

"Why do you say that?" she finally replied, trying to keep the curiosity out of her tone.

He shrugged. "It's pretty obvious he's still into her."

"Yeah," Mac confirmed. "He is." Once upon a time, she'd had a crush on Casey herself; and she'd thought that he'd shown interest in her, too. But ever since he'd kissed Veronica at a party the previous summer, he'd only had eyes for her. After months of pursuing her, Veronica had finally agreed to date him. It hadn't lasted long. She'd broken up with him abruptly over winter break. And he's been trying to get her back ever since.

"Pretty much every guy at our school wants to date my cousin," she added quietly, more to herself than to Logan. She glanced over at him. "Hey, you want a drink or something? We have water, soda… beer, wine…"

Logan didn't answer her right away. His attention was still completely focused on Veronica. Mac wasn't surprised at his lack of response- she was used to it by now. Having grown up with five beautiful cousins so close in age to herself, she'd long since stopped trying to compete. She knew she was a decent enough looking girl, and that she had a lot to offer. But everyone else sort of seemed to fade into the background when a Mars' girl was around. Mac had made her peace with it. Mostly.

"No thanks," Logan finally said vaguely. "I'm good." He ran his hand through his hair a couple of times, continuing to stare at the pool. Then he turned abruptly, and walked into the house.

Mac watched him go. Interesting. Very interesting.

xxXxx

Sometime later, Mac found her cousin sitting by herself on the beach, in the shade of the deck above them. She took a seat next to her. "So. How was your game?"

"Fun," Veronica replied. "We won, so…"

Mac wasn't going to let her get away with it that easily. "You and Casey looked friendly," she remarked, nudging her in the side.

"Yeah," Veronica said with a sigh. "I think I may have gotten a little too carried away with the game."

"Meaning?"

Veronica stretched her legs out in front of her and gave Mac a wry smile. "Meaning I was flirting with him. And I shouldn't do that. It's not fair." Veronica knew that Casey wanted to get back together with her- he hadn't exactly kept that fact a secret. And while she liked him, and genuinely wanted to keep him as a friend, she just didn't feel the same way about him that he did about her. As soon as she'd realized that, she'd ended things with him.

But she'd known Casey for years, and she was comfortable with him. And there's definitely still a physical attraction between us. It was hard to keep her pact with herself not to lead him on, sometimes. Especially on those occasions when she'd had a few drinks at a party… and he'd come up behind her and start massaging her shoulders, or telling her in a whisper how sexy she looked… Veronica wasn't proud of it, but she'd had a couple of weak moments since they'd broken up. And of course, all that did was convince him to try harder.

"Have you had anything to drink today?" Mac asked with a knowing smile.

"Yes," Veronica admitted. She groaned and put her face in her hands. "Keep me away from him, Mac."

After their water volleyball win, she'd spontaneously given Casey a victory hug. But when she'd tried to break away, he'd held her to him tightly and suggested they find a secluded spot on the beach. Veronica had made a non-committal reply and gotten out of the pool quickly. She'd taken her dress from Mac, grabbed her shoes and gone to the bathroom to change. When she'd come back outside and seen Casey waiting for her, she'd slipped around him and gone to hide below the deck.

Mac laughed, but patted her on the back sympathetically. She wanted to tell her that Casey was the least of her problems, if Logan's earlier interest in her was any indication, but she didn't want to freak her out more.

Movement out of the corner of her eye made her twist her head to the left. Lilly and Gia were hauling something down the wooden steps of the deck, whispering and giggling. Mac took a closer look at the object, and realized it was one of the coolers from the party.

Veronica stood up and walked over to them. Without a word, she stepped in front of them and pointed up the stairs.

Lilly rolled her eyes. "Oh come on. I totally saw you drinking a beer before."

"Yes. One beer, Lilly. Not a whole cooler full of beer. And I'm two years older than you."

"Oh whatever," Gia said, hands on her hips. "Like you didn't sneak beers when you were fifteen."

"Don't worry about what I did. You guys get out of here before Dad or Sammy figures out what you did. And leave the cooler."

The twins sighed heavily but set it down and headed back up the stairs. Mac got up and walked over to Veronica, grabbing one handle of the cooler. "Here, I'll help you get this back up there."

Veronica hesitated, and they exchanged looks. "Just one?"

Mac laughed. "Okay," she agreed. "But if we run into Casey, you're in trouble."

xxXxx

A little while later, Logan watched Veronica and Mac walk up the stairs with the cooler, pausing frequently and laughing. There she is. The thought popped into his head before he could stop it. He'd convinced himself that he didn't care where she'd disappeared to. And yet, he'd found himself wandering aimlessly around the party, walking inside and out of the house.

He'd thought, at first, that she may have slipped off with the guy from the pool. But then Logan had spotted Casey by himself on the deck, looking around him with a frown on his face. After a time, Veronica's two younger sisters had come over to him and dragged him down to the lower patio to play cards.

Veronica and Mac had finally reached the top of the deck. They set the cooler down, and Veronica pushed it with her foot to the corner, glancing around her to see if anyone was looking. She turned to Mac. "After all of that work, I think I need another beer."

Mac laughed and shook her head warningly. "Do I have to baby-sit you all day? I thought Lilly and Gia were bad. C'mon, let's grab some food."

The girls walked over to the buffet, and Logan continued to watch them unnoticed from his spot by the railing. For the life of him, he couldn't figure out what it was about Veronica that was so fascinating to him. Originally, he'd written her off as just another carbon copy California blonde. And while he'd always been a sucker for blondes, he normally dated brunettes. But there was something about her that was different, and he'd been trying to identify what it was all day.

She wasn't drop dead gorgeous. If he were to compare her to Meg, for instance, Meg was clearly the prettier of the two. If someone were to see a photograph of the two of them side by side, Logan was pretty confident they would come to the same conclusion. But in person, when you really look at her… Somehow she was more attractive. There was a fluidity to her movement, an expressiveness in her mannerisms and facial features, that just made her seem so much more alive.

Logan continued to look at her with a critical eye. He was attempting to analyze her with detachment, as though she were a math problem. He focused on her body. Physically, she wasn't his usual type. He tended to go for women who were a bit curvier. And taller. Yet earlier, when he'd seen her in just her bikini, he hadn't been able to stop staring. Logan had a vivid imagination, and his mind had instantly been occupied with a whole slew of scenarios involving him and Veronica…in the pool, on the beach, atop the buffet table, plates of food swept violently onto the floor to make room…

Just as he had earlier, Logan forced himself to look away from her. He turned towards the ocean for a moment, taking a few deep breaths and trying to compose himself. This is ridiculous. I don't let people get to me like this; I just don't. He stared at the water angrily, trying to regulate his heartbeat. I'll just stay away from her. We're going back to New York in less than a week. I think I can manage to avoid her until then.

No sooner had the thought crossed his mind than did he hear the sound of chairs scraping across the deck behind him. He turned around to see Mac and Veronica, plates of food in their hands, about to sit down at the table not five feet from where he was standing. Veronica looked up and noticed him at the railing. Once again, she frowned at the sight of him; and once again, Logan found himself very disappointed in her reaction.

"Let's go inside," Veronica suggested quickly, looking back over at Mac. "I'm thirsty."

"There are plenty of drinks out here," Mac replied. "What do you want?"

"Just water. But I, uh- I think I need to get out of the sun for a minute."

Mac looked at her, confused. But then she spotted Logan, and she suddenly understood the request for a change in venue. "Sure," she agreed amiably. "Let's go."

They walked into the house. Veronica was careful to keep her eyes straight ahead as they skirted around Logan, vowing to avoid him for the rest of the day.

Yet Logan made that close to impossible. Wherever she went, he seemed to show up. And although she never looked directly at him, she was sure he was watching her. But why? He made his feelings about me perfectly clear. Is he keeping tabs on me, making sure I don't try and go after his friend? He should be far more concerned about Meg.

Duncan and Meg had long since disappeared onto the beach, deciding that it was a beautiful day to take a walk. Trina and Madison had agreed and followed them, oblivious to the fact that the two of them wanted to be alone. Duncan and Meg were both too nice to say anything. By the time they got back to the party, the sun was starting to dip down into the ocean.

As soon as it began to get dark, a deejay arrived and started to set up. The catering staff swiftly began to rearrange the furniture on the lower patio, making room for a dance floor. An afternoon of drinking had made the guests relaxed and loose, and before long most of the partygoers were dancing. Duncan and Meg were among them. Veronica watched her sister from her vantage point on the deck, grinning to herself. She'd never seen Meg look so happy.

Logan, meanwhile, found himself involved in a conversation with Sam Mackenzie. He seemed like a nice enough guy, but Logan was barely listening. He had just spotted Veronica, standing by herself at the railing. He tried to force himself not to look in her direction; but once again, his eyes betrayed him.

She was looking down at the dance floor, smiling to herself. He realized, suddenly, that he could no longer see the bikini straps peeking out from beneath her dress. Well that makes sense. She probably didn't want to put her dress on over her wet bikini. Oh, Jesus, does that mean she's not wearing anything at all under her dress? He swallowed hard and focused on what Sam was saying, desperate for the distraction.

"…so we'll have to film the big surf competition that takes place at the end of the movie in Hawaii, because the waves in Neptune just aren't going to cut it. And you know how expensive Hawaii can be, I'm sure. Plus the crew gets so distracted by the native women, they just don't want to work anymore." Sam chuckled. His attempt to get Logan interested in the film was failing, he could tell. The young man had barely returned two words to him, and he was clearly not paying attention. I'll have to try again another time.

Sam cleared his throat. "I'm sure the last thing you feel like doing is talking shop with me. You should be down there, dancing with all of the people your own age."

Before Logan could reply, he was once again distracted by Veronica, who was moving towards them. She'd just spotted Lilly dancing rather inappropriately with the son of one of her uncle's friends. He looked to be at least twenty-five; and he either didn't know or didn't care that he was dancing with a fifteen year old. Veronica was guessing he didn't know. Lilly had matured quickly, and she loved telling people that she was much older than she actually was. Veronica was heading quickly in their direction when she felt a tap on her arm. She turned, surprised to see her uncle standing with Logan. I thought he was far too important to talk to any of us lowly peasants.

"Perfect timing!" her uncle exclaimed with a smile, throwing an arm across her shoulders. "I was just telling Logan here that he should go have fun and dance, and you appeared like magic. And who could pass up the opportunity to dance with my beautiful niece?"

Veronica suppressed a smile and glanced quickly from Logan to her uncle with a raised eyebrow. "You'd be surprised," she replied dryly.

Sam thought Veronica's response a bit strange, but he'd never completely understood his niece's sense of humor. She takes after her father, in that way. He did, however, notice that Logan was looking at her with some interest, so he decided to try again. "Well, it's my job as host to make sure everyone is having a nice time tonight. And if that means forcing people to dance, well so be it," he laughed. "Have you two met?"

Logan put his hand out, but Veronica pretended not to see it. "Briefly," she replied curtly. She saw Logan withdraw his hand out of the corner of her eye, and she was slightly ashamed of her rude behavior. Just because he doesn't have any manners, that doesn't mean I should stoop to his level. She ducked her head to get out of her uncle's grasp, but gave him a kind smile. "I'm actually on my way to speak to Lilly. She's, uh, talking with your friend Walter's son. I wasn't going out there to dance."

"Don't be silly, of course you should go dance. Why else did I spend money on a deejay, damn it?" he joked. "Look, Meg is talking to Lilly right now." He smiled at Logan and Veronica benevolently. "You guys go have fun."

Veronica finally looked up at Logan a bit hopelessly, not sure what she could possibly say to get out of the situation. To her surprise, he was regarding her with a slight smile on his lips. He nodded in the direction of the dance floor, without breaking eye contact with her. The pink lights of the pool had turned her blue eyes violet, and Logan was mesmerized by the sight.

She couldn't seem to look away either, caught up by the intensity of his stare. She found herself trying to figure out what was going on behind those dark eyes of his. He almost looked as though he were challenging her. But when he finally spoke, his voice was light. "Do you want to…?" He glanced towards the patio.

As soon as he looked away, Veronica found her voice again. She took a silent breath and forced a smile. "Thank you, but I'm not really in a dancing mood tonight. Excuse me." She hurried away, feeling incredibly flustered. For a minute there, I almost said yes. What was I thinking? I'll never dance with him.

Logan watched her leave, smiling despite himself. He couldn't remember the last time someone had turned him down. Come to think of it, I don't think anyone ever has. He was more intrigued by her than ever.

Sam excused himself, telling him that he had to get back to his other guests. Logan wandered over to the spot by the railing where Veronica had just been standing. He spotted her mother on the dance floor, being twirled around by a balding man with a big grin on his face. Is that her father? Not what I expected. After the story Trina had told him, he'd expected Mr. Mars to be some long haired degenerate with tattoos up his arms. Not a chubby, middle-aged man in a button down shirt. Lianne's face was pink, and she was sloshing the contents of her drink on the floor while she danced.

Logan looked away from them, scanning the patio for Veronica. He noticed her walking rapidly past the dance floor, towards the sliding glass doors of the house. She was intercepted by Casey, who immediately took her hand and tried to pull her towards the dance floor. She smiled at him but shook her head, gesturing towards the house. He bent down and whispered something in her ear, simultaneously running his hand down her arm. Logan unconsciously gripped the railing of the deck as he watched them. I'm going down there.

He turned to leave, startled to find Madison standing directly behind him. She smiled up at him, handing him a glass of champagne. He accepted it, but didn't take a sip. "I bet I know what you're thinking," she said.

"I seriously doubt it," he replied dryly. Logan glanced back at the dance floor. Casey was standing in the same spot, looking a little aggravated, but Veronica was nowhere in sight. He felt inordinately relieved that she'd refused Casey too. He didn't think his ego would have been able to take it if she hadn't.

Madison laughed. "I think I know you better than you give me credit for."

"All right," Logan said. "What am I thinking about?"

She smirked at him. "You're thinking that you'd rather have a hot poker put through your eye then to have to spend another second around these people."

Logan smiled. He had to admit, that was very close to what he'd been thinking the previous night. But now, the only images he could seem to conjure were of Veronica- kicking off her shoes confidently when she'd found herself in only a bikini, spiking the volleyball over the net and throwing her hands up in victory, giggling with her friend Mac as she'd come up the stairs… All the while with that playful, mischievous look in her eye that had captivated him all day.

"Actually," he corrected her, "I was just thinking that there's nothing quite as beautiful as a pair of blue eyes."

But my eyes are hazel, Madison thought, slightly annoyed. Doesn't he know that by now? Yet Logan wasn't even looking at her; and she suddenly realized that he was speaking of someone else. "Who has blue eyes?" she asked, trying to keep the disappointment out of her voice.

"Veronica Mars," Logan replied, looking down at the dancers again. He still couldn't see her anywhere.

Madison's mouth dropped open. "Veronica Mars?" she repeated incredulously. She caught herself, quickly feigning disinterest. "Does she? I hadn't noticed."

Logan turned back towards her, setting the glass of champagne down on the empty table behind her. "She does," he confirmed. "Excuse me." He touched her arm lightly as he moved past her. Madison stared after him in dismay. She picked up his untouched glass of champagne and took a deep sip, sinking down onto one of the deck chairs as she scowled into the darkness.

xxXxx

Veronica sat at the piano in her uncle's study, feeling a bit unsettled. She very rarely let people dampen her mood. But her last interactions with both Casey and Logan had shaken her up a bit. I let my guard down for five minutes with Casey, and he's convinced I'm in love with him. And Logan… what the hell was that about? One night he calls me a charity case, and the next night he asks me to dance?

She reached up and shuffled through the sheet music, looking for something happy to pull her out of her mood. Not finding anything suitable, she decided to play the theme from Peanuts, which she knew from memory. When she'd finished, she smiled to herself, feeling much better. It works every time. She heard a chuckle from behind her and she jumped slightly, spinning around to see who it was.

Logan leaned against the door frame, a grin on his face. "You put Schroeder to shame."

Veronica frowned. "You shouldn't sneak up on people like that."

"I'm sorry. I heard the music, and I thought someone left the TV on. You play really well. I only wish I knew how to do the Snoopy dance, to show my appreciation."

Veronica couldn't help smiling at that image. She relaxed slightly. "My sister Mandy is the real virtuoso in the family. I just play for fun."

"Well that's the best way to approach any hobby, isn't it?" he asked, raising an eyebrow and walking farther into the room. "For fun?"

She was surprised at his efforts to continue the conversation- just as she'd been surprised when he'd asked her to dance earlier. It was difficult for her to reconcile this relaxed, teasing version of Logan with the hard, unpleasant Logan of the night before. She wasn't sure why this sudden change had come about, or what game he was playing. But she did know that the last thing she wanted to do was leave herself open to further humiliation. When she'd looked into his eyes earlier, she'd almost forgotten the awful things he'd said about her. But I won't let myself forget that again. I need to regain the upper hand. And the best defense is a good offense.

When Veronica wanted people to leave her alone, she'd discovered that speaking quickly and using proper grammar was often incredibly effective. It always has Dick suddenly needing to go refill his cup. She decided to try out the tactic on Logan. She closed the cover of the piano and turned to face him with an easy smile. "I suppose some of us are more at leisure to engage in hobbies solely for the sake of fun," she replied. "While others, myself unfortunately included, consider any skill that's acquired a potential source of income."

"So are you planning on opening up a piano bar, one day?" Logan asked, without missing a beat.

"No," she conceded, grudgingly impressed that he'd followed along so easily. "But I may one day get called upon to do a duet with Elton John. You never know."

"True enough. Sometimes life takes you in unexpected directions." He smiled slightly and moved closer. "Of course, you could always pursue a Pro water volleyball career instead."

Once again, Veronica was taken aback. She hadn't seen him watching her play earlier. But she recovered quickly. "I sincerely doubt that would be lucrative enough for me."

"Is that because you have expensive tastes?" he asked, crossing his arms over his chest.

She smirked at him and stood up, taking a step closer to him. "Not at all," she replied. "I often find the most expensive items to have little real worth, when you examine them more closely. Most of the time, people are just paying for the name. And I've always believed that a rose by any other name does smell as sweet. Excuse me."

Veronica walked out of the room and didn't look back. If she had, she would have been surprised to see the satisfied smile on Logan's face. He'd expected her to be lively and entertaining, just based on the way she'd interacted with everyone throughout the day. What he hadn't expected was her wit and intelligence. It was a welcome surprise, and it made her even more attractive to him.

Her veiled insult about his lack of real worth hadn't escaped him, however. She's implying that she doesn't care who I am- that she's not impressed with my name, or my money. Logan brushed it off. Of course she's going to say that; that's what they all say. But I have yet to meet the woman who isn't impressed when she finds out I can make all of her dreams a reality.

Logan smiled confidently to himself and left the room. It was only after he'd reached the door to the patio that he remembered his pact to avoid her. He stopped in his tracks and stared at the wall. What the hell am I doing? I've wasted my entire day thinking about this girl… and for what? This can't possibly go anywhere. And why would I even want it to?

He opened the door and stepped outside, relieved to see Duncan, Connor and his sisters standing by the pool. He walked over to them quickly, keeping his eyes facing forward. Duncan smiled widely when he saw him. But before he could talk, Logan spoke up. "We're leaving. Right now."

Duncan frowned, but nodded his head. He knew it was pointless to argue when Logan got into moods like this. He'd already said goodbye to Meg, who had just left with her own family, so he silently followed Logan down the stairs and around the front of the house. The others walked behind them.

Logan didn't begin to relax again until they were in the limo and headed back to the house. He stared out the window, oblivious to the conversation around him. It's just a stupid attraction. There's nothing about her that's different from any other girl. By the time they'd reached the house, he almost had himself convinced. He started to become more aware of his surroundings as they walked towards the house.

Duncan was chatting happily with Trina. "I'm so glad you invited her. If I'd done it, it would have sounded weird. Are you sure she really wants to come?"

"Definitely. She's super excited about it. She said she just needs to clear it with her dad first, but she's supposed to give me a call in the morning," Trina replied.

"What are you guys talking about?" Logan asked.

"Oh, I invited Meg to come on our little yachting adventure with us," Trina told him.

"Just Meg?" he asked quickly.

"Of course," Trina replied, looking at him like he had two heads. "It's not like I'd invite anyone else in that family."

Logan nodded and pushed the door open. He headed upstairs quickly, telling himself over and over again that it was relief he was feeling. Not disappointment. But when he got to his room, Duncan and Trina could hear the sound of his door slamming all the way from outside the house.

A/N Thanks for reading, please review!

You guys have probably noticed that there are some characters here who don't have a Pride & Prejudice equivalent- namely, so far, Weevil, Wallace and Casey. I decided that keeping the VM universe intact takes precedence over sticking strictly to the story. Basically, I love those characters too much not to include them. (And I adore Casey.)

This will be the last chapter I'm going to post of this until I get Chapter 19 of Knowing the Difference done. I apologize to readers of this story who aren't following KtD; but it's been quite awhile since my last update on that story and people have been waiting very patiently. If anyone is wondering where it is, I've just been finding it difficult to write that because of some real life stuff. Also, I hit a snag about halfway through the chapter, and I couldn't settle on which direction I wanted to go in. But I woke up at 4:30 this morning and figured it out, so I will be moving forward.

I hope it doesn't take me too long to get back to this story, but I apologize in advance for any delay. I promise, there is some really fun stuff coming up :) Hope you stick with me!

**Edited 4/13, to fix some things I wasn't happy with.