This is a little gift for Bondopoulos :) Hope you enjoy!

Logan stares down into the tumbler sweating condensation onto the high gloss of the hotel bar. It's full of dark amber liquid and it's calling his name. Has been calling his name for the past twenty minutes while he tries to work up the courage to read the email sitting at the top of his inbox.

From: Cliff McCormack
Subject: Mutual Friend

It's been in his inbox for two days. Forty-eight hours of back and forth, open or don't open. Logan's pretty sure it's an admonishment for his 'stunt' with the baseball bat or possibly worse, that the DA has changed her mind and will be filing charges. Either way, it's just another reminder that he isn't good enough for Veronica. He's pretty sure that the day he broke up with Veronica, Keith threw a party. Cliff probably celebrated with him.

But Logan is nothing if not a masochist, so he finally picks up his tumbler of scotch and walks to a small table that looks out at the bunny hill. He pulls out his phone and opens his email.

From: Cliff McCormack
Subject: Mutual Friend

He takes a deep drink from his glass and opens the message.

Mr. Echolls,

I happened to run into a mutual friend of ours today and I may have let slip some information about the unfortunate beatings of Mercer Hayes and Moe Slater. And that the sheriff's department had received a generous donation for new patrol cars.

Being the investigator that he is, you can imagine that he was aware of what you did. And why you did it. Though much to my surprise, and I'm sure to yours as well, he wanted me to offer you his sincere thanks, Logan.

As your legal counsel it is my job to pass along all such communications and to remind you that what you did was beyond idiotic and you are lucky you aren't being charged with aggravated assault. But I know, and now so do you, that there are quite a few of us who appreciate what you did.

And I know I'm going to regret this but a certain PI let slip that she misses you. I'll deny it if you ever repeat that. And you know full well, she'll never admit it. I don't know what happened between you two but maybe just call her. She hasn't been her Christmas cheery self and I am really feeling the lack of snickerdoodles.

All the best,

Cliff

Logan stares at the message for so long his vision goes blurry. It's New Year's Eve and after that email Aspen is the last place he wants to be. He stands so abruptly that he knocks over the chair he was occupying.

"Logan Echolls!" a familiar voice whines from behind him.

Logan takes a deep breath and his senses are invaded by the smell of prickly pear lotion. He feels bile rise in the back of his throat. Madison Sinclair. He turns. "Hi Madison. I was just leaving."

"Oh, but you can't go! I just got here and we haven't seen each other since graduation." She wraps her taloned hand around his bicep and if Logan doesn't get away from her soon the smell of her lotion is going to make him lose his lunch.

"Yeah, well, I guess if we had anything to say to each other, maybe we would have. I mean, I thought for sure you would have shown at Cassidy's funeral, you know, since you and Dick were so close…" Logan knows he shouldn't go there but Dick was a mess and despite what they all think of Madison, Dick could use the support.

"Whatever, Logan. Who are you here with?" she asks flipping her hair, apparently undeterred by his obvious disinterest in continuing the conversation.

"No one. I'm leaving. See you around, Madison. Or you know, not." Logan fires a finger gun at her and pivots, heading for the door. An hour ago and he might have considered having a drink for old times sakes and letting her horrid pear lotion punish him for ever thinking he could be happy. But, and he never thought this would be possible, Cliff McCormack, romantic at heart, has given Logan a reason to not self-destruct in Aspen. If he's fast enough he can catch a plane back to San Diego and maybe surprise Veronica with a huge tub of ice cream before the ball drops.

Thank you to Marshmallowtasha for the beta :)