Logan lay awake in his t-shirt and boxers, looking at the ceiling in the damp motel. He had chased a bounty up the coast and was positive his mark was now in L.A., trying to gather funds from old contacts for a run back down to the border, and now he found himself in a dive hotel, waiting for information. He missed Veronica, but the thrill of bounty hunting fed the same urge in him that being a pilot once did. Once they bought Mars Investigations, three-years-ago, he and Veronica had decided to try and only use his inheritance for their personal lives and make enough to keep the business going on its own. Thus, bounty hunting became a side-line that kept a good cash flow, and kept Logan busy during slow times between investigating. He closed his eyes and started to think about the reunion sex he and Veronica would have when he got home in a few days.

Just as he was going to take matters into his own hands, his cell phone started buzzing. Logan figured it was his L.A. contact with news on the whereabouts of his mark, and he answered it seriously. "Logan here." He said heavily.

"It's me, Keith."

Logan looked a the clock. 1:43 am. He bolted upright. "What happened?" Logan questioned, panic rising in his voice.

Keith took a deep breath. He sounded horse. "Veronica is fine. For now. But I need you to come home, son. Something has happened and I need your help."

Logan jumped off the bed, grabbed his clothes and started attempting to get dressed with one hand. "I'm in a hotel in L.A. Let me get my things together and I'll be on the road as soon as I can." He said.

"Good. Thank you, Logan. I'll let you get ready. Call me back from the road and I will fill you in as you drive."

"Will do, Keith. I'll get back to you soon." And he hung up. He did a sweep of the room and picked up the random objects he left around. He then bolted from the room, his stomach twisting at the thought of what he may find out.

The buzzing of the intercom woke Veronica from a sound sleep. With Logan gone for the night, she had elected to sleep on his side of the bed, to be near his smell, and had happily drifted off into a very deep sleep. The buzzing of the intercom interrupted that peace.

Opening her eyes, she looked at the clock. 5:00 am. "Fucking drunk frat boys." She muttered and hopped out of bed. As she crossed the loft to the main intercom, the buzzing started again. "I'm COMING!" She yelled and quickened her pace. When she got to the intercom panel, she hit the button that displayed a video feed to see who was ringing her doorbell. She froze when she saw it was her dad. He was leaning against the wall of the vestibule, his face full of stubble, looking dejected.

"Dad?" She pressed the 'talk' button and spoke softly.

"Can I come upstairs, Veronica?" Keith replied, looking into the camera. She could now see he had been crying.

"Come upstairs." She said and buzzed him in. She then quickly unlocked the doors to their stairway entrance and stood frozen at the top, waiting for her father to reach her. She watched as his defeated form pulled its way up to her. When he was two stairs away, he raised his head.

"What happened, Dad?" She asked hesitantly, not sure if she wanted to know the response.

"Come with me." He said quietly as he reached for his daughter's hand. He came inside and closed the door. He held her hand and led her to the big sectional couch by the window and they both sat down. Keith never let go of her hand.

"Honey, Leanne is dead." He finally said, watching for her response.

Shock washed a strange calm over Veronica. "How?" She said, in a small voice.

"She was murdered. At the Camelot." Keith responded, choking out the words.

"She was in town." She observed and looked out the window.

"It seems that she arrived a few hours prior." He answered.

Veronica nodded. Her head moving back and forth. Then her body started to rock. Keith watched as comprehension moved through her and finally, when she realized her mother was, in fact, finally, forever 'gone', did Veronica gasp and let out a wail. Keith wrapped his arms around his daughter and together they cried for the person they lost all those years ago.

She wasn't sure how long they were there like that, but she was shaken from her crying by the sound of the service elevator moving. She pulled back from Keith, wiping her eyes. "Logan." She said quietly.

Keith nodded. "I called him several hours ago when I found out. I thought you may need him back here." He leaned over and kissed her on the forehead.

Veronica watched as the elevator gate rose and out came Logan, looking around the loft for her. Veronica jumped up off the couch and sprinted her way across the expanse of their home. Keith watched as he opened his arms and Veronica threw herself into his embrace. Her tiny body shook with sobs. Logan stroked her hair and put his head down to her. He was scruffy from not shaving for a few days, and his stubble rubbed against her forehead. She looked up and their eyes met. He didn't have to say anything and she felt comforted, just by his presence. Quietly, he maneuvered himself to her side and led her back to the couch.

Seated again, Veronica kept one hand clutching Logan's. "Thank you for coming home." She said to Logan.

He leaned over and kissed her forehead. "Where else would I be?"

Anchored to the couch by Logan, she turned back to her father. "What happened?"

Keith took a deep breath to steady himself. He sat up straight, a sure sign he was in full 'sheriff' mode. "I got a call from Lamb in the middle of the night. They received a 911 call from a man that was in the room, saying he found a woman, unconscious and bleeding, and they needed to send an ambulance. By the time they got to the Camelot, the man was gone and your mother..." He trailed off. Taking a moment, he composed himself and continued. "Blunt force trauma to the head. Looked like a struggle."

Veronica sat silently, her mind clicking. "What was she doing here?"

Keith shook his head. "I don't know. The only reason I got a call was because Sacks realized it was Leanne and they couldn't get a hold of her next-of-kin."

Veronica's brow furrowed. "Me?" Keith shook his head. "Then who else was her 'next-of-kin"?"

Keith put his hand on her free hand and looked into her eyes. "Now...don't be mad..."

She scowled. "I hate when you start sentences that way."

Keith kept steady. "A few years back, when you were engaged to Piz, HE asked me to find Leanne, in case you wanted her at the wedding."

Veronica snorted. "Idiot." She intoned.

Keith continued. "I mentioned that it wasn't a good idea, but he insisted. Well, I found her. She was living a nice middle-class life in Seattle. She met a man during one of her stays in rehab. He's a restaurateur and he has two restaurants in Seattle, so that's where they settled." He took a moment and continued. "I talked to her, explained about you getting married, and she said that if you wanted to contact her, then it would be okay. But she didn't want to disturb your life." He looked from Logan to Veronica again. "After you broke off your engagement, I let her know, and she asked if I could send her updates in you, now that you were back in town, so she knew about your life now. I talked with Alicia about it, and we agreed to do it."

Veronica abruptly stood up, dropping Logan's hand. She crossed past their big oak coffee table and started to pace, nervously. "Of course it would be my responsibility to contact her. Why would she even try to contact her daughter? Why would she own up to her mistakes and try and contact me before it was too late?" Veronica voice started to rise in her throat.

Keith and Logan both stood up. "Veronica," Keith began. "Please, I know you are hurt..."

Veronica began pacing faster, her hands going up to burrow in her hair. "Because we all know the dirty little secret...if she wasn't in Neptune to see me or you...we know who she was here to see."

"Veronica, please let me..." Keith began.

"JAKE! We all know that is the only other reason she would be in town! It doesn't matter that she was remarried! It's HIM! He's the reason she was here and he's the reason she's dead!" Veronica was breathing hard and she felt a burning in her chest. Angry tears were now pouring from her eyes.

Logan moved towards her and put his hand out, trying to stop her pacing. "Veronica. You need to calm down and listen to your dad. Before you start speculating on Leanne's death, there is something else you need to know. But you need to calm down."

She stopped by his outstretched hand. Her chest was heaving and she felt like her whole body was vibrating. He brought his hand to her cheek and she dropped her head into it. He walked a step closer and wrapped her in his arms. She desperately wanted to close her eyes and go to sleep. Soon, she felt her breathing starting to mimic his, and she felt herself calming, in spite of her anger. After a few minutes, Logan was sure she wasn't going to pass out, and so he released her slightly. She pulled out of his arms completely and looked at her father. He sat down and patted the cushion next to him. She came and sat down.

"When they were searching the room, they found something. SomeONE." Keith started. "They found Leanne's son. He was hiding in the back of the closet."

Veronica gasped. "What?" She croaked meekly, unable to process this information.

"His name is Hunter. He's five years old. I met him almost four years ago when I first found Leanne, but he was too young to remember." Keith took a deep breath. "They think he was there when Leanne was killed. They don't think he saw it, but they don't know because he isn't talking because of the trauma. Lamb called Social Services and they are caring for him until they find his father or..." Keith collected his words. "...until another blood relative comes forward to take care of him until his father is found."

Veronica let the words sink in. "I have a brother?"

Keith nodded. "Half-brother; but yes, you do. And I think he may need you right now." He added quietly.

A dark cloud of silence hovered over their heads. Logan caught Keith's eye and then they both turned their attention back to Veronica. She was looking down at her hands. She had flipped them over on her lap and she was opening them an closing them slowly, suddenly lost in a memory. She was 5-years-old and she remembered holding her mother's hand. She loved holding her mother's hand back then. Her fingers were long and they seemed to wrap around her tiny hands like silk ribbons. Did she hold her brother's hand that way? Did she hold his hand when they walked up the stairs of the Camelot? Did he hold her hand when she hid him in the closet before her lover showed up?

"Okay." She said softly to her hands. "Take me to him."

Keith put his hand on her open hands and she squeezed them, hard. "I'm going to go home to get myself together and call Lamb. I'll come back and get you and Logan once you are dressed and ready, okay?"

Veronica kept her head down, looking at her father's hands in hers. She suddenly became aware that she was still in a pair of Logan's boxers and his ripped and faded "Go Navy!" t-shirt that she went to bed in. She let go of her dad's hands and he stood up. She felt him kiss the top of her head, but she didn't look up.

Logan rose with Keith. "I'll text you when we're ready." He said and walked to the door with Keith.

At the door, Keith clasped Logan on the shoulder. "Thanks for coming back, son. She's going to need you in the next few days."

Logan nodded his understanding and let Keith out the door, locking it behind him. He then turned toward Veronica again. She was still in the couch with her head down. He crossed back to her and sat down.

"Hey." He said quietly.

"Hey." She responded and leaned into his body. Her breathing was steady and shallow and she sat there, feeling calmed by the contact. Then, when she had the courage, she stated to speak.

"Logan?"

"Yeah."

"Does it get better?"

"Does what get better?"

"Losing your mother?"

He sighed. "No."

"Oh." She said, and wrapped herself around him to comfort them both.