The airport was busy when Sylva arrived, and, after struggling to find a parking spot, she sauntered into the arrivals lounge, glancing with an expert eye over the monitors. A seasoned traveller as a child, Sylva's years in the spotlight had only accentuated the ease with which she handled the crazy chaos of the busy terminals, and she soon found the flight she was looking for.
"Down but not quite unloaded. That's good, I'm in time." She told herself. "I just hope I'll be able to find him. I suppose I could just stand and shout 'Logan!' at the top of my voice, but that wouldn't be very classy, and I do have a public image to uphold. Oh dammit," as she heard someone whisper her name. "I've been rumbled. I knew I should have worn my shades..."
"Sylva! Sylva, can I have your autograph!" A twelve year old girl was suddenly bouncing in front of her, eagerly waving a notebook. Before the young musician knew it, she was surrounded by people, as word caught on that there was a celebrity in their midst, and, as she signed autograph after autograph, her gaze flitted anxiously to the gate.
"I hope I don't miss him." She muttered, as she made out a message to someone called Tansie. "It would help if I knew who I was looking for."
At that moment, a stream of people began to emerge from baggage claim and, excusing herself delicately from the group of people, Sylva made her way across the lounge, scanning the faces of each person for someone who, at least vaguely, fitted Logan's description. The first guy she saw she quickly dismissed, for he was obviously with friends, and Copper had made it clear that Logan was flying from Milwaukee alone. The next fair haired guy she saw was greeted passionately by a brunette at the gate, and the one after that had a small three year old boy hoisted up on his shoulders. Looking at him, Sylva found herself thinking of Jack Miller, and his little girl, Courtenay.
As the stream of people began to taper off, Sylva began to worry that she had the wrong flight. Then, at the end of the group, she spotted a man of about the right age, with sandy hair and a blue case. Hoping against hope that she had found her man, she slipped forward to meet him, tapping him on the shoulder and meeting his confused look with a hesitant smile.
"Are you Logan Matthews, by any chance?" She hazarded.
The man's expression became more confused, and he nodded.
"That's me." He agreed. "But..."
"I'm Sylvina Martescu. Sylva." Relief flooded Sylva's expression. "I'm your ride - Aaron was working and Copper got tied up at the florist, so I'm afraid you're stuck with me. Aaron didn't want you to be abandoned at the airport, and I said I'd help out."
"Oh!" Comprehension entered Logan's hazel eyes, and he grinned. "Sylvina, huh? Say, you're one of those Jewel chicks that Aaron's girl plays with, right?"
"Yes, that's right." Sylva agreed.
"Hardly recognised you." Logan looked sheepish. "Thanks for coming to meet me, though. I haven't a clue where Aaron's apartment is - it's in a part of the city I don't know at all, to be honest - and I did wonder if I'd find a taxi okay."
"Well, my taxi awaits." Sylva dimpled.
"You're going to the wedding, then?"
"Oh, for sure." Sylva nodded. "Aaron is a good friend of mine and Copper is like a sister, almost. I wouldn't miss it for the world." She grinned. "In fact, I'm one of Copper's maids."
"I've not met this Copper girl." Logan admitted, as they crossed the parking lot towards Sylva's waiting vehicle. "Hey, nice wheels!"
"Thank you. I like it too." Sylva unlocked the car with some pride, sliding into the driver's seat as Logan followed suit the other side. "And yes, Copper said she hadn't met you. She and Aaron are so right together, though. It's pretty much an eventuality waiting to happen, this wedding. We're just thrilled that it finally will!"
"I'm both thrilled and petrified to be his best man." Logan grinned sheepishly. "Mind you, the guy better watch his back. I have all the high school dirt on him, and I do have a speech to write..."
"Oh, sounds juicy." Sylva's eyes twinkled. "You knew him through High School, then? I wondered how you'd met."
"Grew up with the guy. Went to junior high and high school with him." Logan nodded. "Then I went to college in Milwaukee - b-ball scholarship."
"I didn't realise you played ball."
"Not anymore." Logan looked rueful. "I wrecked my knee in freshman year. I mean, I can walk on it and all that, and I don't limp, but it destroyed any chance of going pro. Ligament damage. I had to find something else to focus on, and it wound up being computers."
He wound down the window. "I forgot how hot Cali gets, even in March!"
"Oh, sorry." Sylva looked sheepish, flicking on the air conditioning. "And that sucks about your leg. Were you good?"
"Well, people used to say so." Logan nodded. "But hey, academic now." He shrugged. "It's cool, it doesn't bother me. I admit that I didn't expect to settle in Milwaukee, though. I always thought I'd come back to California after I'd done school."
"Well, why didn't you?" Sylva wondered. "Cali's like no place on earth!"
"The job came up and I took it." Logan replied. "Would like to move home though, sooner or later." He grinned. "Truth to tell, I've missed the old city."
"You're stopping at Aaron's, right?" Sylva asked. Logan nodded his head.
"Yeah, that's the plan." He agreed. Sylva pursed her lips.
"You do know, I hope, that he has a psychopath staying there too at the moment?"
"Psychopath?" Logan looked interested. "I don't think he mentioned that..."
"Yeah. Girl called Stefana." Sylva grimaced. "She's a bitch, and she hates us as much as we hate her. Watch out for her, Logan - she doesn't have ethics or morals or anything like that, and she messes people up bigtime, if you let your guard down."
"Interesting company he keeps these days." Logan laughed. "Does his fiancee know about this girl?"
"Oh, Copper's cool. She trusts Aaron." Sylva dimpled. "I'm just warning you for your own safety."
"Well, I'll bear it in mind." Logan eyed his companion keenly. "What about you? Where do you stay?"
"Me?" Sylva looked startled, then, "I live with Copper - at least, till she moves out."
"Far from Aaron's?"
"Not really." Sylva glanced at him from beneath her lashes, then, "Why d'you wanna know? Hoping you might get invited in for coffee whilst you're in town?"
"Well, I wouldn't say no." Logan grinned at her. "If you had no objection."
Sylva pursed her lips, then,
"I'll think about it." She said at length. "And this is Aaron's street, so we're almost there. You have a key?"
"Nope, you?"
"Not at all." Sylva shook her head. "So you'd better hope Miss Psycho's around and in the mood to let you in." She eyed him thoughtfully. "Though if you're not all that tired from the flight, I should probably take you home and give you that coffee, rather than leave you alone with her. Don't want anything happening to you between now and the big day."
"No objections here." Logan laughed. "It's been a while since I was last in LA - I'm not a bit tired. Just excited to be back. And it'd be cool to meet Copper and some of her friends."
"Well, unless Nancy and Sadie got back from the studio, and Topaz woke up, you won't have anyone but little old me for company." Sylva said. Then, noticing his expression, she frowned. "What? That prospect chill you or something?"
"No." Logan shook his head. "Not that at all, I promise. Just you said Nancy - Aaron's sister Nancy?"
"Yeah. Why?"
"I didn't realise she was involved in this band setup of yours." Logan admitted. "I know the girl doesn't view me high on her list of favourite people, and I don't want to cause a problem. Maybe I'd stand a better chance with your Miss Psycho after all."
"What did Nancy do to you to make you scared of her?" Sylva demanded, curiosity burning in her blue eyes. "Don't tell me that miss 'My life is music' has a deep dark secret past in there somewhere?"
"Well, if she does, it's her business and I don't know about it." Logan shrugged. "There was just some bad blood between us in school, that's all. Nancy was...well, a quiet kid. You know her, so you probably know as well as anyone that people aren't really her thing. Some of the girls on the cheering squad played a prank on her and I was kinda involved. Not willingly, I hasten to add," as Sylva's eyes widened, "But they settled on me as the 'other half' in their little matchmaking scheme. I had a girlfriend at the time, and Nancy was clearly not amused by the whole business. I think she half thought it was my fault it all happened, in truth. She never took it well, when the popular girls started bitching on her and stuff, and she pretty much seemed to hate all of Aaron's friends with venom. The killer was, though, that kids would laugh and joke at her in the corridor about it for ages after. Since then, she sent me the blackest looks imagineable whenever we met, and I'm sure when I moved to Milwaukee she cracked open the champagne. She's an odd kid...I don't think she ever forgot."
"I see." Sylva looked thoughtful. "I wondered why she was less than enthusiastic about you coming to LA. But hell, Logan, I was a cheerleader. I was one of the popular crowd at school, and Nancy ripped on me to begin with, as I did on her. But I suppose now we've shaken down and we're almost what you'd call friends, most of the time. We've gotten used to each other, and she's mellowed. She's not half so defensive or sarky as she used to be - I think you'd be safer with her than Stefana. Trust me."
"Well, if you say so." Logan grinned. "I'm all yours."