Title: Merry Little Christmas
Pairing: Logan/Veronica
Rating: Teen
Summary: When Veronica's flight back to Neptune gets cancelled, her roommate invites her to spend Christmas with her family. Little does she know, someone else has been invited too. For the VMHQ's Holiday Fic Grab Bag Prompt Challenge.

Christmas Eve 2014

Veronica looks up at the flight information board with dismay, taking in the big, red 'Cancelled' sign flashing brightly next to the information for her flight to San Diego.

"Well, that's just perfect."

She looks around for an information desk to find out what's going on, but before she can do anything, an announcement comes over the PA system.

"We regret to inform you that due to the heavy snowstorm heading for the city, all flights out of JFK are cancelled until further notice."

"Shit." Veronica curses softly. "What the hell am I gonna do now?"

She's been planning this trip home to Neptune for months, having been unable to get back for a visit all year, her law school classes and summer internship keeping her too busy for any time off.

Pulling out her phone, she dials her roommate, Jess, hoping she's still in the parking lot and hasn't headed home yet.

"Veronica?" Jess answers quickly. "Everything okay?"

"My flight just got cancelled," Veronica explains. "I'm not gonna make it to California. Any chance you can give me a ride back to the apartment?"

"I can," Jess replies, sounding hesitant. "But Veronica, you can't spend Christmas alone in an empty apartment."

Veronica shrugs, letting out a frustrated huff of air as she looks around the hectic airport. "I don't see that I have any choice."

"That's stupid," says Jess. "Look, why don't you come back to my house for Christmas? My parents only live an hour away, and they have plenty of space."

"Thanks for the offer, but I couldn't," Veronica declines quickly. "I don't want to intrude on your family."

"Don't be silly. They won't mind at all." Jess's voice is firm. "I'll be at the drop-off zone to pick you up in about two minutes."

Ten minutes later, Veronica is bundled up in Jess's warm car, her suitcase in the backseat, as her roommate starts driving out towards Manhattan.

"Uh, Jess, we live that way." Veronica jerks her head behind them, in the direction of Brooklyn.

"I know that, but I thought we just established you're coming home with me?" her friend counters. "I told you, it's not a problem. In fact, the more the merrier. One of my brother's Navy buddies is staying with us too."

Veronica weighs her options. On the one hand, she could spend the holidays miserable and alone in the apartment, wishing she was in Neptune with her father and Mac and Wallace; or on the other, she could make the most of her friend's offer and at least try to make the most of an unfortunate situation.

"Okay, fine," Veronica relents. "Thanks."

"What are friends for?" Jess flashes her a smile. "Besides, I already called and told them you were coming."

Veronica just huffs a small laugh—she should have known—then pulls out her phone and dials her father's number.

"Veronica?" Keith's warm tone comes down the line. "Is everything okay? I saw the weather reports coming out of New York."

"Hey, Dad," she says. "No, my flight's been cancelled. I'm not gonna make it home for Christmas."

"Oh, honey, I'm sorry," he says. "There's no chance of getting back at all?"

"All the flights are grounded until further notice," she tells him. "But it's okay; Jess has invited me to spend Christmas with her and her family."

"Well, we'll all miss you here." There's disappointment in his tone. "But I'm glad you have such a good friend looking out for you."

"Yeah, me too." Veronica looks over to Jess who is concentrating on the road, and gives a small smile.

"I'll try to get home again soon, though," she swears. "Maybe for Spring Break."

"I know you will," says Keith. "Merry Christmas, Veronica."

"Merry Christmas, Dad."

"All good?" asks Jess when Veronica hangs up the phone.

"Yeah." She nods. "He was disappointed, but he understands."

"Don't worry," says Jess. "We'll do our best to make this a good Christmas for you."

They make it out to Madison, New Jersey, where Jess's parents live, before the snowfall gets too heavy.

"Okay, here we are." Jess gestures to the large family home before them as she pulls into the driveway. "Home, sweet home."

"Wow," murmurs Veronica as she gazes up at the picturesque house. "It's gorgeous."

Coming from Neptune, Veronica is no stranger to large, extravagant houses. She spent enough time around 09er mansions in her youth that she's not easily impressed, but while Jess's family home is no mansion, it's so different from those sleek modern buildings she grew up around. It's white, with pillars framing the front door and shutters on the windows; with the snow piling up outside and lights sparkling in the trees, it looks like something out of a Christmas movie.

"Eh, it's home." Jess just gives a shrug as she reaches for her door handle. "Come on, let's get inside."

After pulling their cases and bags from the car, Jess heads for the front door, Veronica following just behind. As Jess is about to push her key into the lock, the door opens, revealing a slim, middle-aged, auburn-haired woman wearing a friendly expression and a warm smile.

"Jess, honey, you made it," she exclaims, pulling her in for a hug. "We weren't sure if you'd get here before the storm really hit."

"Hey, Mom," greets Jess, returning the hug.

"And you must be Veronica." She turns to Veronica with a friendly smile. "It's lovely to finally meet you."

"You too, Mrs. Taylor." Veronica holds out her hand to Jess's mom, but Mrs. Taylor just steps forward for a hug instead.

"Please, just call me Lisa," says Mrs. Taylor as she pulls back. "Now, come on in out of the cold or you'll freeze to death."

Mrs. Taylor—Lisa—ushers them inside the warm house, and Veronica follows Jess as she places her bags down in the foyer.

"Matthew, your sister's here," Lisa calls through the house, before turning to Veronica. "He's recently come back from deployment, so we haven't seen him in a few months. I'll just take these upstairs for you."

She moves to pick up the bags as a tall, well-built man, maybe a year or two older than Veronica, with strawberry-blond hair, appears in the hallway. A wide smile lights up his face and his green eyes sparkle as he makes his way over to Jess, arms open wide.

"Pebbles!" He grins as he gathers Jess up in a tight hug.

"Good to see you, too, Weasel."

Veronica frowns at the nicknames, though she doesn't comment, instead filing it away to ask Jess about later.

Matthew pulls away from Jess and turns his attention to Veronica, sizing her up with appreciative eyes as he holds out his hand in greeting. "And you must be the roommate. I'm Matt. Sorry to hear about your flight being cancelled."

"Veronica." She smiles as she shakes his hand. "And thanks."

"I know it sucks being away from home for the holidays," he says kindly. "But don't worry, we'll give you a great Christmas."

"Thanks," she repeats. "I appreciate it."

Matt flashes her a grin before Jess interrupts them. "Hey, Weasel, is Mouth here? I haven't seen him in ages."

"Yeah, he's in the kitchen." Matt turns away from them and shouts down the hall, "Hey, Mouth, get out here! Pebbles wants her hug."

Mouth? wonders Veronica in bewilderment. What kind of name is that? Then again, what's with Pebbles and Weasel?

Just then a new figure appears in the doorway at the end of the hall and starts making his way towards them. He's well-built like Matt—his toned upper body only emphasised by tight, long-sleeved Henley he's wearing—though not quite as tall, with close-cropped, light brown hair, and a smirk playing on his lips. Veronica's heart starts beating fast in her chest, her eyes widening as she stands frozen to the spot. She knows that smirk.

Shit. She thinks in a panic, wanting to make a run for it, but having nowhere to go. Shit, shit shit.

He hasn't noticed her yet, his focus solely on Jess as he strides over to her and hugs her tightly, picking her up and spinning her around as he does so.

"How's my favourite girl?" he asks as he puts her down.

"Girl?" Jess swats his bicep. His very well-defined bicep, if Veronica does say so herself. That Henley certainly leaves nothing to the imagination. "I'm only two years younger than you, dork."

"Hey!" He rubs his upper arm in mock hurt.

"Oh, cut it out, you two." Matt rolls his eyes at Veronica, who's struggling to keep from hyperventilating. "Mouth, meet Jess's law school roommate—"

It's then that he turns, his smile freezing, eyes widening, looking much like Veronica's sure she does right now.

"—Veronica," finishes Matt.

She finds herself caught in his gaze as his eyes lock with hers.

"Veronica, this is Logan," continues Matt. "We're in the same squadron."

"Hi…" is all Veronica can manage, unable to tear her eyes away from him.

"Hey," Logan returns softly.

He looks like he wants to say more, his expression filled with confusion and questions, but Lisa chooses that moment to reappear on the stairs.

"Okay, who's hungry?" She claps her hands together. "Dinner awaits. Matt, Logan, would you mind helping set the table while I show Veronica to her room?"

"Sure, Mom." Matt gives his mother a smile.

"Of course," murmurs Logan, finally tearing his eyes from Veronica, who looks down at her hands.

The guys head back down the hall, Logan turning back to take one last look at Veronica before he disappears around the corner.

Beside her, Jess grabs her arm. "Okay, what was that?"

"What was what?" Veronica shrugs, avoiding her roommate's stare.

Jess just looks at her incredulously, gesturing down the hall. "That. With Mouth just now. You were staring like you couldn't get enough of each other."

"It was nothing," Veronica dismisses quickly. "You're imagining things."

"Jess, sweetie, I think your father would appreciate it if you said hi," says Lisa then, giving her daughter a pointed look as she gestures for Veronica to follow her upstairs.

Jess rolls her eyes. "Sure, Mom."

As Veronica reaches the top of the stairs behind Jess's mom, she turns to her.

"I just want you to know I really appreciate you letting me stay with you," she says sincerely. "But I don't want to intrude or anything."

"Oh, don't be silly, Veronica," Lisa says kindly. "We're happy to have you here."

She stops in front of one of the doors and turns the handle, pushing the door open.

"This'll be your room. You're welcome to stay as long as you need to."

"Thank you."

Veronica peers into the room—it's spacious and modern, though obviously only used as a guest room.

"Let me give you a quick tour." Lisa smiles, starting to walk through the landing. "The room next to yours is Jess's, then beside that is the bathroom. There are towels in the closet in there if you need them."

"Okay, great."

"That room is mine and Mr. Taylor's." She points to the door at the end of the hall. "Then we have Matt in here, and finally, Logan is staying in the room beside his."

Veronica glances at the door she's indicated as being Logan's, swallowing when she realises it's directly opposite hers.

"Well, I'll head back downstairs. If you'd like to freshen up, feel free." Lisa smiles warmly.

"Oh, no, that's okay, thanks," replies Veronica, still feeling shell-shocked by the fact that Logan Echolls is downstairs in this very house… and she has no idea how or why. "I'll follow you down."

Ten minutes later, Veronica has been introduced to Mr. Taylor—a warm, smiling man with a hearty laugh—and is now seated around a large dining table, with Jess's parents at either end. Jess sits beside her, with Matt opposite and Logan seated beside him and across from Jess.

Logan keeps shooting her curious glances, which she's trying her best to ignore, unsure how exactly to handle this situation. No one else seems to have twigged that they know each other yet, and she doesn't exactly know how to broach that subject… or whether she should even say anything at all.

"So, Veronica, how are you finding 3L?" asks Mr. Taylor as he digs into the steak in front of him. "I remember thinking my final year of law school was going to be a nightmare, but it was surprisingly calm."

"Yeah, same here, actually," Veronica agrees. "It's not going too badly at all."

"Yeah, it's kind of a breeze compared with last year," adds Jess.

While they've been talking, Veronica's noticed Logan looking at her inquisitively.

"You're in law school?" he pipes up then.

"Uh huh." Veronica gives a nod, swallowing in an attempt to relieve her dry throat. "Third year at Columbia. Jess and I are in the same class."

"And she's totally beating me in the class rankings." Jess shoots her a grin.

"Wow." Logan's expression is unreadable. "That's… impressive."

"Thanks," mutters Veronica, averting her eyes from him and stabbing a potato with her fork.

"So, Mouth," says Jess then, giving Logan one of her flirtatious smiles. Veronica frowns in response, an emotion she'd rather not name flickering in her stomach. "How was the deployment?"

"Long and stressful," he says, "but it was good."

Beside him, Matt snorts. "Yeah, if you can call being stuck on a massive tin can in the middle of the ocean for months 'good'."

"Where were you deployed?" Veronica asks Matt, refusing to look at Logan when his eyes snap to her.

"Well, we're not really allowed to say, but somewhere out in the Middle East region," he tells her, flashing her a smile that seems just a little more than friendly.

"And what do you do in the Navy?" she continues.

"Pebbles here didn't tell you?" He looks towards his sister in surprise. "She usually gushes about it to anyone who will listen."

"That was ages ago, Weasel." Jess shoots him a glare. "I've been a little busy with law school lately."

Matt just rolls his eyes, before turning back to Veronica with a proud smile. "I'm a fighter pilot."

"A fighter pilot?" Veronica's eyes widen. She didn't realise Jess's brother actually flew planes. "Really? Wow."

"Yeah, we both are." Matt gives a grin as he gestures to Logan.

Veronica blinks, turning to Logan in confusion. "You're a fighter pilot? In the Navy?"

"Uh huh." He nods, flashing her what she can only describe as a smug smile.

"Wh—I mean, how did you end up in the Navy?" The question is aimed at Logan, but it's Matt who answers first.

"I've always wanted to serve," he says. "Even when I was a kid, I would tell everyone I was going to be a fighter pilot when I grew up."

"And you, Logan?" Veronica holds her breath as Logan lifts his eyes to hers again and shifts, looking a little uncomfortable.

"My grandfather was in the Navy," he admits.

Veronica frowns. She doesn't recall Logan ever mentioning his grandfather being military.

"My mom's dad," he clarifies, obviously seeing her confusion. "I guess I always admired him for that. I was in a bad place in college and someone offered me a helping hand—the Navy seemed like a good solution."

He doesn't say anything more, which leaves Veronica wondering what exactly happened to him after she left Neptune.

"And now you fly fighter jets?" She tries to keep her voice light, despite the overwhelming tension between them. "That's pretty cool."

He regards her warily for a moment, before his lips tug up into a small smile. "Yeah, I guess it is."

The rest of the dinner passes quickly, and an hour later, Jess's parents head out to Mass while the rest of them settle in the living room with eggnog and bowls of popcorn to watch Miracle on 34th Street. Veronica finds herself next to Matt on one couch, while Jess claims the spot next to Logan on the other.

As they watch the movie, Veronica tries her best not to keep glancing over at Logan, particularly as Jess seems to be all over him, but it's hard not to look. It's so surreal that he's here right now—she hasn't even seen him in person since the end of Freshman year at Hearst, when she left town for her FBI internship and then transferred to Stanford without looking back.

Not only is he here, in New Jersey, but he's friends with her roommate's brother, and he's in the Navy. She can't quite get her head around that one. Since when did Logan Echolls, who grew up practically Hollywood royalty, decide to serve his country in the military, flying fighter jets, no less? The mind boggles.

She's trying extremely hard to appear unaffected by him, but it's pretty much impossible when he looks like that. What happened to the soft-around-the-edges, baby-faced Logan she knew all those years ago? The one who lived off his very large inheritance in a penthouse hotel suite and who had barely done an honest day's work in his life? She almost doesn't recognise this Logan… this calm, composed, handsome, chiselled… drop-dead gorgeous Logan Echolls.

"Hey," says Matt from beside her. "So I know this isn't the same as being with your own family for Christmas, but I'm glad you're here."

"You are?" She's not sure what to think of Jess's brother, can't tell whether he's just being friendly or is in fact trying to get into her pants.

"Yeah. Always nice to meet Jess's friends." He shrugs. "Some coincidence though, huh?"

"What do you mean?"

"You and Logan being here at the same time."

Veronica straightens, looking at him in surprise. "You know? He told you?"

Matt looks sheepish. "Not exactly. I mean, he's mentioned a Veronica before… and when you showed up tonight, it was pretty obvious from your reactions that you knew each other. I just put two and two together."

"Yeah."

She eyes Logan speculatively. He seems completely focused on whatever Jess is saying.

"How long's it been since you last saw him?"

"Seven-and-a-half years," she says softly. "We haven't seen each other since I left Neptune at the end of Freshman year of college." She glances toward Matt. "We didn't exactly part on good terms."

"So I hear."

Veronica frowns at that. "Exactly how much did he tell you?"

"More than he wanted to, I think," Matt confides. "He got pretty drunk one night during training a couple years back; kinda bared his soul. Not sure how much of it he remembers, though."

"Wow…"

"Listen, Veronica…" Matt leans in closer, and Logan chooses that moment to glance her way, his eyes narrowing as their gazes meet. Veronica quickly looks away. "He won't admit it, but I think for him, you're the one that got away."

"Really? I'm surprised." Veronica swallows harshly, her heart pounding at that. She certainly remembers his reputation with women back in high school. "He hasn't found anyone else?"

Matt shrugs. "He's dated… but it's never been anything that serious. Mostly just casual flings."

"That's Logan Echolls for ya," she quips, trying not to let the fact that Logan apparently still sleeps around affect her. "He and Jess haven't ever, uh… you know… have they? They're looking pretty cozy over there."

Matt pulls back, looking affronted. "God, no. He knows I'd kill him if he ever laid a hand on her."

"Good to know."

She gives a small smile as she turns her attention back to watching the movie, though she finds it almost impossible to concentrate, with Logan sitting just a few feet away.

Later that night, Veronica turns onto her back in the comfortable bed, hands resting over her torso as she stares up at the ceiling in the guest bedroom. She's been trying to sleep for the past two hours, but her mind is swimming; she's been trying to make sense of everything that's happened in the last few hours and is coming up empty.

How can Logan Echolls be here, at Jess's house in New Jersey? How can he be a fighter pilot in the Navy? How can he still affect her this way, even after so many years?

With a sigh, she turns over again, then pulls back the covers, sitting up. She's not gonna be getting to sleep any time soon. She stands, and pads across the room, tugging a thick sweater over her head then pulling on a pair of warm socks. Running a hand through her hair, she quietly makes her way out of the room and down the stairs.

The house is silent and she moves through it as stealthily as possible until she reaches the kitchen. Jess told her earlier that she was welcome to help herself to anything from the kitchen, and though she's not one to raid someone else's cupboards, she's in desperate need of a hot drink. Moving further into the dark room, she locates a small light just above the counter and switches it on.

The kitchen is bathed in a warm, soft glow, which allows her to locate a pan as she sets about making some hot cocoa. Steaming mug in hand a few minutes later, Veronica settles at the table near the window and looks out at the snow falling outside, which is only illuminated by streetlights, the moon nowhere to be seen tonight. Her eyes follow the snowflakes as they fall to the ground. As picturesque and festive as the scene is, she can't help missing all the Christmas traditions she was supposed to be sharing with her father tonight.

She glances at the clock on the wall; it's one a.m., which means only ten p.m. back in California. Maybe she should give her dad a call. Her phone's upstairs though, and she doesn't want to cause a disturbance by going to fetch it.

"Can't sleep either, huh?"

The voice from across the room startles her and she fights to stop the hot chocolate from spilling as she jumps in surprise.

"Logan?"

He's standing in the doorway, leaning one shoulder against it, an unreadable expression on his face. He pushes off the doorframe and as he takes a step into the kitchen, Veronica can't stop her gaze from roaming over his body. He's dressed in a US NAVY t-shirt that seems to hug his torso in all the right places, and low-slung sweatpants. She swallows harshly, averting her eyes when she realises he's watching her.

"Hey, Veronica," he says. His lips curl up very slightly as he gestures to the stove where the pan of hot cocoa is still sitting. "There enough for another mug?"

Veronica shrugs. "Go ahead."

He extracts a mug from the cupboard and fills it with hot chocolate, then carries it over to the table and takes a seat opposite Veronica. For a moment, neither of them says anything and they just sit there in awkward silence, taking small sips of their drinks.

"So, this is weird, huh?" Logan's the one who speaks first.

"Got that right," she agrees.

"I didn't even know you were on the East Coast, let alone in law school here," he says then.

"Well, I didn't know you'd gone and joined the Navy," she counters in response.

"Touché."

They share a small smile, one that Veronica's not quite sure how to interpret.

"So how did you—?"

"Logan, I wanted to—"

They speak simultaneously, then stop when they realise the other is trying to talk.

"You go first." Veronica gestures toward him.

"Okay." His fingers tighten around his mug as he leans forward a little. "So, how exactly did you go from PI to law school?"

"It's kind of a long story," she says.

He shrugs. "I have time."

He's looking at her intently, just like he used to, and she finds it unnerving. She looks down at the mug in her hand.

"I transferred to Stanford after Freshman year. I wanted… no, I needed a fresh start," she explains. "When I got there, I wanted to distance myself from, well, everything. I ended up majoring in psychology. From there, I don't know… law school seemed like a good idea." She shrugs and takes a sip of cocoa, before changing the subject. "But enough about me, I want to know how you ended up becoming a fighter pilot."

"Not what you expected, huh?" He gives a small smirk.

"Not exactly."

"That's also a long story," he says. "Short version: I got into some trouble at Hearst, got straightened out, and joined up after graduation. My grandfather was a pilot too, so it seemed like the right path."

"So, you deploy overseas?"

"Yeah." He nods. "Usually between six and ten months. This one was almost eight months. We just got back."

"And you're based near here?"

"Oh… no." He seems surprised by the question, as if it hasn't occurred to him that she might not know anything about the Navy. "Matt and I are stationed at Lemoore, you know, up near Fresno? We arrived into Virginia on the ship last week and Matt invited me to stay for the holidays… since, you know, I don't really have anyone to share them with."

"Oh," she murmurs, memories of his home life coming to mind. "So, what's it like… being a pilot?"

He smiles then, a smile that reaches his eyes. "It's pretty awesome."

Veronica returns his smile. "So, can I ask, what's with the nicknames? I mean, Weasel? Mouth? A little odd, you might say."

"Ah." He nods knowingly. "They're our callsigns." When she looks at him blankly, he elaborates. "Every pilot has a callsign that they're known by when they fly. You know, like Maverick, Goose and Iceman in Top Gun. Except in real life, they're usually not as cool."

"Okay…"

"Mine's Mouth… acquired because I kinda got into some trouble mouthing off to my superiors when I first joined up."

"What a surprise," Veronica quips with a grin.

He returns the grin before continuing. "Matt's is a little more complicated though. You notice he calls Jess Pebbles… well, he gave her that nickname when they were kids because he thought she looked like the kid in the Flintstones."

"Yeah, she kinda does," Veronica agrees. Jess certainly has the same fiery-red hair as Pebbles.

"And when they were a bit older, in retaliation, she started calling him Weasley, 'cause he had this awful bowl haircut just like Ron," he explains. "When the guys in training found out, they decided his callsign should be Weasel."

"They sound like nice guys," she comments, hint of sarcasm in her tone.

"It's all friendly, don't worry." He flashes a smile. "Military camaraderie and all that."

Veronica sits back, taking in everything he's told her about his life now. It's almost like he's a completely different person from the teenager she knew in Neptune all those years ago. "God, who would ever have imagined we'd end up here, huh?"

"I know." He smiles.

Veronica lifts the mug to her lips again, draining the last of her drink. She stands, moving to the sink and rising the mug out.

"Well, uh, I'm gonna head back to bed," she tells him. "It's good to see you again, Logan."

"You too, Veronica."

Veronica wakes on Christmas morning feeling groggy after having only got a fitful night of sleep. Seeing Logan again has put her off-kilter and she can't quite find her balance again. With a sigh, she drags herself out of bed for the second time in six hours and makes a beeline for the bathroom.

She's halfway along the hallway when the bathroom door opens and Logan steps out… clad in nothing but a towel, wrapped around his waist. He's using a smaller towel to dry his hair, his face tilted away from her. She freezes, sucking in a quick breath as her eyes involuntarily rake over his half-naked form, taking in the toned biceps and sculpted pectorals, all the way down to the defined ridges of his abdomen, and that trail of hair that leads to—

No, don't even go there, Veronica. She bites her lip, as her gaze makes the journey back up towards his chest. God. Where did that body come from?

"Veronica?" Logan stops in the hallway, finally noticing her.

"Oh." She shakes her head, snapping herself out of her daze. "Sorry. I was just, uh… going… in there."

He smiles, gesturing toward the bathroom door. "Be my guest."

"Thanks."

"Merry Christmas." He gives a small, half-smile.

"Merry Christmas, Logan," she murmurs in reply as she squeezes past him and ducks into the bathroom.

She exhales heavily as she closes the door and rests her head back against it. The room is still damp and steamy, and smells faintly of Logan's deodorant. She eyes the shower stall, images of Logan standing in there, wet and naked, just a few minutes ago, and closes her eyes.

Geez, get a grip, Veronica.

Once she's showered and dressed for the day, Veronica makes her way downstairs to find Jess and her mom in the kitchen preparing pancakes, bacon and eggs for breakfast.

"Morning," she greets, stepping into the room. "Merry Christmas."

"Merry Christmas, Veronica," greets Lisa with a warm smile.

Jess shoots her a grin over her shoulder. "Merry Christmas, Vee."

"Can I do anything to help?" she offers.

"Oh, you don't have to do that," Lisa says quickly. "You're our guest."

"Please, I'd like to," Veronica says.

"Well, if you insist, would you mind getting out the plates and cutlery and setting the table for six?" They're just over there." Lisa points towards the cupboards across the room.

"No problem." Veronica gets to work, pulling plates from the cupboard and knives and forks from the drawer. "So, where are the guys this morning?"

"Shovelling snow in the driveway." Jess jerks her head towards the front door. "It came down pretty heavy last night."

"Yeah. It did." Veronica looks out of the kitchen window at the large expanse of white covering everything. It looks to be about a foot deep. "One good thing about being stranded here: we don't get to see anything like this in SoCal. Unless it's fake, of course."

"Yeah, I bet." Jess nods. "Hey, we're almost done here. You mind letting them know breakfast is ready?"

"Sure." Veronica heads through the house, grabbing her winter coat from the stand beside the door, wrapping it tightly around herself. The biting air hits her face as she opens the door and she tucks her hands inside the arms of the coat. Mr. Taylor, Matt and Logan are a few feet from the house, shovels in their hands as they work to clear the path and driveway. Veronica observes them for a moment, before interrupting their work.

"Merry Christmas, guys," she calls out. At the sound of her voice, both Matt and Logan straighten, turning around to face her, as Mr. Taylor continues to shovel. "Breakfast is ready."

"We'll be right there," returns Matt. "And Merry Christmas to you, too, Veronica."

Before she has the chance to close the door, they're putting their shovels down and walking towards the house. Matt is the first to the porch, pulling off his boots and then stepping inside, followed by Mr. Taylor, and Veronica moves to let them past. Logan is the last in, and as he enters the house, he gives her a small smile and a nod.

"Hey."

As he passes her, pulling off his jacket, Veronica can't help inhaling the scent of his cologne, her eyes closing as it brings back a flood of old memories.

"You okay?" Logan's rumbling voice brings her out of her musings.

"Huh?" Her eyes snap open. "Oh, yeah. I'm fine."

After a delicious breakfast, they spend the morning in the living room, sitting around the plush Christmas Tree and exchanging gifts. Veronica feels awkward not having any gifts to give to anyone other than Jess—they already gave each other their presents a couple of days ago, though through some stroke of luck, neither of them have actually opened them yet, so at least she has something to unwrap. However, Logan seems to have planned ahead and has purchased gifts for the entire Taylor family, so Veronica ends up being the odd one out. The Taylors are completely understanding though, given the fact that she's a last-minute addition to their celebrations, and even manage to rustle up a small token for her, in the form of a box of chocolates and a hastily-written card.

When all the gifts have been opened and Mr. and Mrs. Taylor head back into the kitchen to prepare the Christmas Dinner, Matt suggests going outside to build snowmen.

"Geez, anyone would think you were eight, not twenty-eight" Jess rolls her eyes at him, though she follows Matt to the door and starts wrapping up warm.

Logan looks to Veronica, a crooked smile on his face. "Shall we?"

"Sure."

Ten minutes later, Veronica's bundled up in all the warm clothes she has with her—which isn't many, given she was expecting to be lounging in 75-degree weather today—and she and Jess are in the midst of a snowman-making competition against Logan and Matt. Veronica can't seem to stop herself from looking over at Logan every so often, watching as he jokes around with Matt.

After a couple of minutes, Jess nudges her. "Why are you staring at them?"

"What?" Veronica blinks, turning her attention to her roommate. "I'm not staring."

"Hmm." Jess doesn't look convinced. "You know, you and Matt looked pretty chummy on the couch last night."

"Me and Matt?" Veronica shakes her head. "No, that's not…there's nothing going on. We were just talking."

"So, it's Logan you're staring at then." Jess grins. "Can't say I blame you… he's fucking hot."

She feels curl of… something… in her stomach, though she's not quite sure she wants to identify it.

"I could say the same about you and Logan last night," she says casually, starting to roll snow for their snowman's head. "You looked pretty close."

"Well, I can't say I wouldn't… but he's not interested." Jess gives a sigh. "He just thinks of me like a kid sister."

"How long have you known Logan?" Veronica can't help asking, curiosity getting the better of her.

"About three years," says Jess. "He and Matt met at OCS training in the summer of 2011, and Matt introduced us at their graduation."

"OCS training?" Veronica knows next to nothing about the US Navy, other than the fact that lots of good-looking sailors descend on San Diego and New York for Fleet Week each year.

"It stands for, uh, Officer Candidate School, I think," Jess explains. "I don't know all the details, but it's the first training stage to become a commissioned Navy officer. It's held in Rhode Island and takes about three months. After that, they move to Florida and then Texas for about two years of flight school."

"Wow. Sounds intense."

"Yeah, pretty much."

Veronica wants to ask more, wants to know more about this 26-year-old version of Logan Echolls, but out of nowhere, a snowball hits her in the side and she spins around to find Matt grinning at them, looking completely unapologetic.

"Hey, watch it!" shouts Jess across the front yard. "You almost knocked over Mr Frosty."

"That was the idea," Matt calls back.

"What was I saying about him being an eight-year-old?" mutters Jess as she crouches down and starts making snowballs. "Help me get him back?"

"Sure," Veronica agrees quickly, grabbing a handful of snow and forming it into a ball.

"Hey, Weasel!" Jess yells at her brother.

When he turns, she lobs a snowball in Matt's direction, only it hits Logan's chest instead. Within seconds, he and Matt are retaliating, and Jess and Veronica have to scramble to both get away and make more snowballs for ammunition. They end up meeting in the middle of the yard, their snowmen forgotten as a full-on snowball fight ensues. It's all going pretty well for the girls until Veronica slams a snowball into the back of Logan's head, which subsequently ends up sliding under his shirt and down his back, and he reacts on pure instinct, tackling her to the ground.

"Oof," she grunts, falling backwards into the snow, her eyes widening as Logan raises his arm, a snowball clenched in his gloved hand. "Don't you dare, Echolls."

He grins—a wicked sort of grin that reminds her of when he and Duncan used to play pranks on her and Lilly when they were younger—and wiggles his eyebrows as he lifts his arm higher.

"Oh, I dare, Mars."

He takes aim and Veronica wriggles beneath him, trying to get free. When she realises her struggle is pointless, she closes her eyes, curling in on herself in anticipation of the freezing cold ambush… except no such ambush comes. Slowly, she opens first one eye, then the other… and finds Logan looking down at her with a loaded expression. His dark eyes bore into hers, and she finds herself caught in his intense gaze. A moment passes, then two, neither of them moving, until Matt clears his throat.

"If you two are done flirting, we have a competition to finish."

Veronica immediately averts her eyes, as Logan lets go of her and rises up onto his knees. Standing up, he holds out a hand to her.

"Help you up?"

She can't seem to make eye contact, even as she takes his hand. "Thanks."

Veronica's just about standing up again, when the snowball in Logan's hand ends up squished against her neck.

"Bastard!" She gasps in shock as the rapidly-melting snow drips down beneath her coat, then narrows her eyes at him. "Right. That's it. You're going down."

By the time they sit down for Christmas Dinner a couple of hours later, Veronica is feeling a combination of both exhilarated and exhausted, as the snowball fight, along with her lack of a good night's sleep last night catches up to her, and of course it doesn't help that she can barely look Logan in the eye now, the memory of his body pressing hers into the snow earlier burned into her mind.

The meal is delicious though, and while spending Christmas Day with Jess and her family isn't the same as being at home, it's about as close to a picture-perfect Christmas as she's ever gotten before. When the meal is over and everyone is stuffed, Mr. Taylor suggests they all retire to the living room for a drink. The guys trail out of the dining room, followed by Jess's parents, but when Veronica moves to leave too, Jess grabs her arm.

"What?" Veronica asks.

"Okay, you have to spill."

She frowns. "Spill what?"

"What's going on with you and Logan?" Jess demands to know. "First all that weird staring between you last night, then whatever that was when we were outside earlier."

"It's nothing." Veronica twists out of her friend's grip. "You're imagining things."

"No, I'm not," insists Jess. "There's something weird going on with you two."

"Okay, fine." Veronica gives a heavy sigh, sinking back down into one of the dining chairs. Jess takes a seat beside her. "Logan and I… kind of already know each other."

Jess looks taken aback. "You do? How?"

"We used to be friends… a long time ago," she says softly, then looks over at Jess. "Logan moved to Neptune from L.A. when we were 12. We went to middle and high school, and the first year of college together."

"You did?" Jess's eyes are wide. "How did I not know this?"

"I don't really like to talk about that time much," Veronica admits. "We… uh, we dated on and off in high school, and again in freshman year of college. But, it didn't work out. We broke up, and I transferred to Stanford. I haven't seen him since."

"Until now."

"Yeah…" She huffs a small, incredulous laugh. "To say it was a shock to see him here, of all places, is an understatement."

"I'll bet." Jess shakes her head. "So this is the first time you've seen or spoken to each other in, what… seven years?"

"Give or take."

"Wow."

"Yeah." Veronica sighs again. "I had no idea you knew him, or that he was in the Navy now."

"This is crazy," murmurs Jess. "I mean, talk about a coincidence."

"I know."

"So, what are you going to do now?"

"I have no idea." Veronica shakes her head. "We didn't exactly part on good terms, and now, seeing him again… it's so surreal."

"Well, I've seen the way he's been looking at you today," Jess confides. "There's at least something there, even if neither of you want to admit it."

"Maybe," Veronica agrees. She can't deny she's felt it too. "But, I mean how would anything between us even work? It's been years; we're not even the same people anymore. And besides, I live in New York; he's in California."

"I don't know," admits Jess. "But in the spirit of Christmas, maybe you should take a chance?"

Jess stands then, and heads for the living room, leaving Veronica wondering whether or not the last twenty-four hours have even been real.

When she enters the living room, Veronica takes one look at the only free spot left—right beside Logan on the couch—and decides she needs some fresh air.

"I think I'm gonna go for a walk," she announces to the room. "Take in the scenery."

When the majority of the room's occupants nod in acceptance, Veronica turns to leave. She's halfway to the door, when she realises someone's following her.

"Wait, I'll go with you."

Shit. It's Logan.

"Oh, you know, that's okay," she says quickly, reaching for her coat. "You don't have to—"

"I want to," he insists. "Besides, you don't even know the neighbourhood. What if you get lost?"

"And you do?" She raises an eyebrow. "You don't even live here."

"I've been staying her for a week." He gives a shrug. "I know it a little better than you do."

"Okay, fine."

They get suited up for the cold weather and Logan follows Veronica out of the house. They take a left out of the driveway and start walking down the street in silence. All too conscious of his proximity to her, Veronica avoids looking over at him, keeping her eyes trained on the houses lining the streets. The majority of them are decorated with various lights and statues and the whole effect, with the snow as well, is incredible.

"God, this is beautiful," she says. "All the lights… and with the snow too, it's just picture perfect."

"It is," Logan agrees.

"And to think I was supposed to be spending today in sunny, snow-free Neptune."

"I'm sorry you couldn't get home to see your dad," he says then.

"Yeah, me too." She nods. "I haven't been able to get back to Neptune since last Christmas."

"I'm sorry," he says again.

"But, hey, what can you do?" She shrugs. "If the flights hadn't been cancelled, I wouldn't have been able to spend Christmas here, with Jess and her family."

"And we wouldn't have seen each other again," he adds softly.

"No, we wouldn't." She takes a deep breath before continuing. "Logan, I—"

"Veronica—" he says at the same time, before chuckling. "We have to stop doing that. You go first this time."

"Okay," she agrees. "I just wanted to tell you how sorry I am for how we left things back then. I just… I couldn't stay in Neptune. Not after everything."

"It's okay," he says simply.

"It's okay?" she echoes, not expecting that answer.

"Yeah, I mean, I won't tell you I wasn't hurt that you didn't even say goodbye," he admits. "Because I was… hurt, that is. But you know, it wasn't like we were together then. You were with Piz. I had no right to interfere."

"Wow." Veronica blinks in surprise. "That's, uh… mature of you."

"I've done a lot of growing up in the last few years, Veronica," he says. "I've gotten some perspective on the whole thing. You're not the only one who's done things they regret."

"Yeah…" She recalls how his over-protectiveness, his jealousy over Piz, and his hot-headedness got in the way of their relationship.

"Look, I'm sorry, as well," he adds. "For everything I did to hurt you that year. For Piz. For Parker. And for, uh, Madison."

Veronica winces at the last part, even as she shakes her head in dismissal. "It's in the past."

She starts walking a little quicker, as if that will put some kind distance between herself and the topic of conversation. However, Logan reaches for her, his fingers curling around her elbow and halting her progress. She tries to extract herself from his grasp, but as she turns, she slips on a patch of ice and lets out a yelp of surprise as she feels herself falling.

"It's okay, I've got you," Logan's voice sounds in her ear as his arms come around her, holding her up so she doesn't tumble to the hard, frozen ground.

"Thanks," she mutters, regaining her footing and straightening up.

Logan's arms are still around her and she finds herself locking eyes with him. Even in the dim moonlight and flashing Christmas lights on the house nearest them she can still see the intensity in his gaze.

"Veronica…" he murmurs, so softly she's not entirely sure he even said anything at all.

"Logan, I…" she starts, but then trails off, not knowing what to say.

Her heart is pounding, but she's unable to look away. Her gloved hands rest against Logan's chest, over his thick coat, but she can still feel the warmth radiating from him. Logan's eyes flick down to her mouth, before his head lowers towards hers. She knows exactly what's going to happen next; he's going to kiss her. All she needs to do is pull away, take a step back… except she's frozen in place.

God help her, she wants him to kiss her.

Her eyes follow his mouth as it descends towards hers, powerless to stop it, powerless to do anything other than lift her chin and meet him halfway. As his lips brush gently against hers, it all comes flooding back, all the buried feelings, all the pent up emotions she's been trying to forget about for so long.

It's crazy, how just one simple brush of lips can be enough to make her throw all her reservations out of the window. A soft, strangled noise sounds in her throat, halfway between his name and a moan, and she rises up, needing to get closer. Her hand slips up, the material of her glove resting gently against his cheek as she kisses him back.

He feels amazing. He feels like heaven.

How could she have ever forgotten how it feels to kiss Logan Echolls? How kissing him makes her feel complete, like nothing else matters except the two of them, together.

His tongue darts out, sweeps across her bottom lip and she sighs, opening her mouth to him. The kiss deepens, but still somehow manages to remain slow and controlled, like they're both savouring every second of it, and when he finally pulls away with one, last gentle kiss to her lips, she practically whimpers at the loss of his touch.

"V'ronica…" When he finally speaks again, his voice is throaty, raw with emotion, and it sends a shiver down her spine.

"Wow," she manages eventually, trying to keep her tone light. "That was some kiss."

"Yeah…"

They just stare at each other for a long moment before Veronica realises what she's doing: practically drooling over him, and shakes herself out of her stupor.

"We should… keep walking…"

"Uh, huh." He nods. "We should."

She smiles. "You might want to let go of me."

"Right." He blinks quickly, seeming to realise he's still holding her. He takes a quick step back, letting his arms fall to his sides. "Good idea."

Veronica steps to the side and holds out a hand to him. "Come on."

She can't help the smile that stretches across her face when his warm, gloved hand slips into hers, his fingers tightening around hers.

As they walk through the snow-covered streets, their faces illuminated by the festive lights displayed on the houses they pass, Veronica decides that despite their history and the long years apart, there's nowhere else she'd rather be right now than celebrating a snowy Christmas with Logan Echolls.

End

Notes:

This was an amalgamation of a couple of different prompts with some of it being my own idea:

Logan and Veronica - they broke up, but now they meet at a Christmas party.

Veronica can't travel to see her family on Christmas, so she invites Logan, her grumpy loner neighbor.