9 Years Ago; July

Neptune was soon to be a memory. That much was clear to Veronica as she hung the phone up with admissions at Stanford. She had just verified that the University would honor all of her credits and grades from Hearst, and all she had to do was find housing and get her schedule lined up for the fall.

She felt a thrill go through her as she thought of all that was to come; all the potential she had riding on this decision to move on and away from Neptune. Away from all the turmoil that seemed to chase her as much as she chased it. Her father might actually be able to rebuild from the rubble that was caused by her and her rash decisions. She would be able to hold her head up high, without wondering what everyone thought of her, her past would be HERS and hers alone, no one would ever have to know of her baggage. A fresh start, one in which she could put her P.I. badge in the drawer and just be an average student, with average goals. The world was hers!

With a small amount of dread, she thought of all she would be putting away along with the badge. Her best friends, who knew so much of her…Wallace, who was as loyal as one could possibly be and Mac, who had been through enough with her to make them friends for life. Wallace and Mac were happy enough at Hearst; they had goals that could be met there. It would be a test on their friendships because Veronica had to leave. Because to not leave would equal….Logan.

Logan. She closed her eyes, and took in a breath. He was a large part of why she knew she had to leave. The longer she stayed in Neptune, the more their pull to each other seemed to ruin those around her. Piz had dumped her at the end of their spring courses, and not surprisingly. They had both witnessed Logan's "revenge" on Gory and after that, there had been no question in Piz's mind that he was maybe too much of a nice guy for Veronica. He was the one that stayed safely off the edge of anything dangerous, and Veronica's past once again got in the way of her future. He couldn't get past it, and truthfully, Veronica knew she would probably never get past it either, if she stayed in Neptune.

But Logan…Veronica wasn't even sure how to explain to Logan her decision. They hadn't really been in contact, but it hurt her heart to even think about leaving without as much as a word of explanation that he would never see her again. And there really was no need to see him again, she knew. But to just cut him out…although, she had warned him during that last argument at the suite: that he was out of her life, forever.

The internship in Washington had helped to keep her mind off of the things at home, but that had gotten her thinking hard about what she wanted out of life. A few phone calls and emails later, she was officially a student at Stanford. It amazed Veronica how fast everything changed. One decision was changing the course of her year, and her whole future.

How to explain that to her friends? Her dad wasn't a problem, she knew. He had never really wanted her stuck in Neptune for the long term. She knew that her decision to go to Hearst had made him happy with an undercurrent of worry. Happy, because she was close to home, but worry about where it would eventually lead her. With all the drama of the spring and his run for sheriff, he would likely welcome the chance to live a life without cleaning up after her all the time. Keith was nothing if not supportive, and she had mentioned to him already about looking into Stanford to see what they could do for her. He wouldn't be surprised by her decision at all.

So the challenge was how to break the news to everyone else. It would have to be done soon; she would only have about 2 weeks between the FBI internship and classes starting up, and she would be busy finding lodging and doing all that was required for moving…and could she really face her friends and stick to her decision?

She finally settled on writing a generic email. Veronica settled in at her laptop, and began to compose:

Hi, all,

This is really hard to write. I have been really trying to decide how to begin this, so I am just going to pull the Band-Aid off:

I am transferring to Stanford in the fall. I am not continuing at Hearst . Due to the events during last semester, I have decided that it will be easier for everyone if I get out of Neptune for a while. I will miss you all, but I have to do this just to get a fresh start. I don't know how else to make that happen.

Veronica

She looked at the email, cringing at the words typed there. Mac and Wallace would understand that she had to send this email as a blanket email to make it more about herself than about Logan. She would call them and explain it to them herself. But at least Logan would know what was going on without her having to see him…

9 years Later

"I need your help, Veronica." His voice was so familiar, with its hint of reluctance, achingly so.

She took a breath, felt her walls come up. "I…don't really do that….anymore…"

"Look, just…hear me out, ok? I…well, I'm sure you've seen what I have been up to lately on TMZ. Hell, the whole world knows. I have been getting bombarded with lawyers, claiming to want to represent me. I need your advice on which might really want to help me and who just want their name on the 'National Enquirer' cover this week. Please, Veronica? Just think about it. I can book you a flight and you could be here and gone before you would even have to look at me much. Just a quick extended weekend."

Closing her eyes, she could see Logan as he was in college, as he was when she had last seen him in person. Her heart was beating wildly in her throat, her brain pleading with her voice to not give away how his voice weakened her resolve about the past nine years. How could she even think of going back to Neptune, even for a few days? And yet, with this phone call, she could feel herself being pulled back in. She shook her head. "Logan. How can I really help you? I haven't seen you in—"

"Nine years, 4 months, and 3 days. Yeah, I know. Let's cut the specifics. No need to get all nostalgic-like. I know you're a lawyer now, I know you know how the system works around here, and I trust only you. No one around gives a shit about me, they just want a fall guy. Please."

Please. "Look, I'm finishing up a job interview today. And, by the way, I'm not officially a lawyer yet. But I can't just jump on a plane-"

Logan cut her off. "If you jumped on a plane, you would be finished with what I need from you by tomorrow night at the latest. I'll pay for your ticket—and you can have a leisurely weekend with your dad. A job interview? That means you wouldn't have to take off work. It's the middle of the week—they wouldn't hire you to start this week anyway. Just come out, and you could leave on Saturday or Sunday, your choice, on me. Please."

Veronica closed her eyes, picturing her dad and a nice little "getaway" from her reality. It sounded…fun? A little bit, actually. "Logan…." Breathing in, she slowly let the air out of her lungs to calm her nerves. "Of course, I'll come….I can't just….leave you out to dry. Have you made appointments with any of the lawyers?"

Logan breathed out an obvious sigh of relief. "If you would be available to fly out tonight, I'm sure I can get them all here tomorrow. I could reserve the day for that, and you could spend the rest of the weekend with your dad—even go to the Reunion on Friday."

Veronica felt the bubble of laughter catch in her throat and she coughed, "Uh, yeah, sure. Perfect."

He didn't seem to catch her sarcasm. "Great, I'll text you the details. I'll work on getting you a flight, what time will you be available to leave and which airport? I hear you're in New York now." Logan paused. "No sunny California for you, huh?"

She chose to ignore that. "I am in New York. I should be wrapping this up within the hour, I will need to pack and tie up some loose strings….I don't know, maybe 3 here? La Guardia or JFK, it really doesn't matter. Just make sure I know which one to go to."

She got back to the apartment at noon. Logan had text her with the flight information and according to the schedule, she would be to San Diego by 7 that night. Not exactly how she had planned the rest of her week, this morning, she figured she would be spending the evening with Piz celebrating a possible job offer and now…Neptune.

Piz was quiet as she explained the phone call and her choice to return to California. The look on his face told her he wasn't pleased, but wasn't going to try to stop her from the choice she had made. He gently reminded her of the last time HE had seen Logan-and wished her a good trip. He stood outside their apartment and bid her farewell with a soft kiss. And then she was off.

The plane ride was smooth. As she checked in, she was handed a First Class ticket, and as took it, she couldn't help but roll her eyes in amusement. Most of her trips of late had consisted of being as far to the back of the bus as possible, with no amenities to speak of. But Logan would offer nothing less than the best. She leaned back and settled in, preparing herself for what was to come.

Veronica hadn't seen or spoken to Logan in 9 years. She had spent those years forgetting her "roots" and reverting back to what she called "Pre-Lilly" and moved on with her life. She kept in contact with Mac and Wallace of course they were her solid ground to reach for when she looked back to those previous times. Her dad was her dad, and he was the cheerleader on the sidelines of her life and never questioned her reluctance to turn back to Neptune.

About a year before, she had resumed her relationship with Piz. They had run into each other at a fundraising event and they exchanged numbers. The month they ran into each other was a month that Veronica had been having doubts about staying in New York-she had been feeling a little caged in and bored with the routine of law school, but when Piz came along, it felt like a sign to stay put. Within a few short months, they had fell into a comfortable pattern that was familiar and easy, and Veronica felt like a relationship was just what she had needed to fill the gap she had been feeling previously.

The few times she had been back to Neptune was for only a day or two, and as isolated as she could manage. Mostly, everyone came to see her. And they never mentioned Logan first. Never. It had been a good two years previous, when Mac was visiting, since Veronica brought his name up. She had seen his name on the cover of a tabloid in a grocery store aisle as they were waiting to check out, and she pointed it out.

Mac had smiled a knowing smile, and confirmed the story about Logan dating "Bonnie Deville." "It's Carrie Bishop, you know, Bonnie Deville is just her stage name. I wonder how real the relationship is though—he is a fighter pilot for the Navy now. Never home, from what I hear—he lives with Dick Casablancas on the beach in one of those pristine beach houses only the Uber-Rich can afford. Dick surfs all day and Logan pays the bills and flies. "

Veronica's walls had definitely come up with that information, and she fought hard to keep her face impassive while saying, "That doesn't sound like the Logan I know."

Mac had just given her a hard stare, and then quietly said, "We're all a lot different than we were then, you know? It's been 7 years since all that went down—thank God. Logan had to grow up some time. He mooned over you for the whole of 3 years while we finished out Hearst and finally got his act together and found a calling. I think it's good for him. It works." She had pulled out her wallet to pay the checker, "Him and Carrie are not like you two were. They don't quite fit somehow. He's too straight and narrow for her."

That had caused Veronica to pause. Logan, on the straight and narrow? Never would she have pictured those words in the same sentence with Logan's name. And now she was about to see just how much he had really changed.