Chapter 1

As she made her way confidently up the stone pathway to the front door the agent reflected on the fact that the relatively modest home did not have a security gate - odd in this upscale neighborhood. The house itself did not fit the mold either. While still large by most standards it was not the sprawling estate one would expect to find at the end of a drive in this zip code. She took note of pristine landscaping and the well manicured lawn, but the bicycles laying in front of the four stall garage seemed out of place. Kids? Her pulse picked up a bit - it was never easy when kids were involved. In her nearly 25 years as an agent she had dealt with many difficult cases. The ones involving children were always the most difficult for her.

After a long and successful career with the FBI, Agent Mars had started offering consultant services when local law enforcement needed a bit of help. She had recently relocated to Southern California to tend to her father who had fallen ill, and she hadn't been back long when the SDPD contacted her. An anonymous informant had shared information indicating possible corruption in the Neptune DA's office. They couldn't yet turn to the local sheriff's department for assistance so they had enlisted Agent Mars' help to investigate the allegations. She'd been following up on leads for several weeks, and was quite sure that a fatal car accident from three years ago was connected to her case. Agent Mars had learned long ago to follow her gut and her instincts were telling her that maybe that particular car accident hadn't been an accident at all. She hadn't lived in the area for quite sometime and wasn't surprised that the names connected to the case were unfamiliar to her. A lot had changed in Neptune, California since she'd left more than 2 decades ago.

She rang the bell and waited. She was surprised when it opened to reveal, not a member of the household staff, but a teenaged boy. She drew in a sharp breath when he turned and she could fully see his face. She wasn't expecting to know anyone at the address, but the resemblance to her old friend was uncanny. So striking were the similarities that she found herself stumbling over her words. "Hello, uh, are your parents home?" The boy turned and yelled, "DAD! Some lady's at the door." Dad? Could it be? When the father in question came around the corner drying his hands on a dishtowel, Agent Mars suddenly felt woozy and light headed. She caught the stunned expression on his face just before the world went black and he reached to catch her before she slumped to the floor of the porch.

"Whoa! Dad, what happened?"

"Seems she fainted son. I'll carry her into the living room couch, pull the door shut will ya'?" He easily lifted her small frame into his arms. The action felt familiar even after all these years.

"Hey, she's got a GUN!"

"What? Oh, I guess she's still an agent then."

"Whoa! Like, a SPY? DUDE!"

His father chuckled, "Something like that. Why don't you go to the kitchen and get her a glass of water."

While his son was out of the room he tried to wake her. "Veronica?" He shook her shoulder gently. "Veronica, wake up!" He reached towards her face and brushed away a stray wisp of blonde hair. Her eyes fluttered open. "Logan? Wha-? Who?" she stuttered. Her eyes closed again and she drew a deep breath. It was evident she hadn't expected to see him here. His son returned from the kitchen with a glass of water, his younger sister trailing behind him.

"Who is she?"

"Did she wake up?"

Their father replied, "Just back up and give her some space, don't crowd around her. She'll be fine in a minute."

Agent Mars felt confused as she looked from face to face. This wasn't what she had expected at all. She'd spent two decades avoiding this meeting - although at the moment she couldn't remember why she'd been avoiding him. How did she not know that he lived here? She swung her feet to the ground and sat up gingerly. "I'm sorry about that, I'm a bit confused though, I was looking for the Bryant's - are they next door or across the street?"

"No silly!" the young girl responded with a giggle, "WE are the Bryant's. I'm Emily - who are you?"

"Hey kids, why don't you both go wash up and set the table for dinner. Set an extra place and I'll try to convince our guest to stay for dinner. It's just about ready."

"Ooh, you really should stay," this from Emily, "Our dad makes the BEST lasagna." She leaned in and whispered conspiratorially, "He doubles the cheese!"

Knowing that was the Keith Mars secret recipe, Veronica glanced at Logan and he gave her a wink as the kids made their way through to the next room.

"Logan? What's going on?"

"Well, Veronica, if you'd been around more over the last 15 years you may have already known that when I married I took my wife's name - I didn't want my family associated with Aaron in any way. It was my way of protecting all of them."

"Your wife?" she hesitated. "Maybe I should go, I would hate to intrude on your family's evening and disrupt your routine."

"It's not a problem Veronica. I always make extra. And if meeting my wife has you worried... don't be." A dark shadow passed over his face. "She was killed in a car accident 3 years ago."

"Oh Logan, I am so very sorry for your loss." She reached over and put her hand over his. The gesture was familiar and felt somewhat intimate even after all these years.

Veronica's thoughts went to the case. Oh no, thought Veronica, this is not good. Not good at all.

She did eventually agree to stay for dinner and enjoyed watching Logan interacting with his children who were polite and friendly. Emily had been correct, the lasagna was delicious. His son's name was K.C. and she learned that it was short for Keith Carson. This had her glancing at Logan with a question on her face - first the lasagna and now the name? He subtly shook his head, that was a conversation for a later time. After dinner Logan sent his children out to put away their bikes. Veronica helped him clean up the dishes.

"I would've expected you to have a full staff."

He chuckled, "I have learned over the years how to be a bit more self sufficient. No more room service! I want my kids to grow up knowing what it takes to be responsible and how to take care of themselves. I owe a lot of the positive changes in my life to Michelle and her family." At Veronica's confused look, he clarified, "My late wife. You would've liked her."

She nods, but at the mention of his wife is reminded why she is there. "Logan, I didn't just stumble upon your home by accident. I was sent here on a case and I think we need to discuss it, but not around the kids."

"Well, it might be easier for us to meet during the school day tomorrow then. What does your schedule look like? I have 2 planning periods back to back right after lunch tomorrow so I can be available from 11:30 to almost 2:00."

"Planning periods?"

"Oh yeah, I'm a teacher at Neptune High now." He gave a mock bow, "Mr. Bryant, English Literature teacher, at your service."

Veronica smiled. "I'm not surprised, that suits you. 11:30 sounds good. Here's my card with my office and cell phone numbers. Should I meet you at school?"

As he took the card from her he nodded, "Yes, just meet me in the main office."

As Veronica drove away he allowed himself to feel a bit apprehensive about tomorrow's meeting. What kind of case would've brought Veronica Mars knocking on his door? He shuddered to think that it might involve Michelle's accident. He wasn't interested in reliving that nightmare. It seemed that he and the kids were finally moving past their loss. It wouldn't be good for any of them to have to relive it all again.

Later, after the kids were in bed, he sat on the back patio with a glass of scotch reflecting on the day. It was so surreal to have Veronica stumble into his life again. She had looked amazing! Her hairstyle was a bit different, and her dark pant suit not as feminine as he would've preferred, but she really hadn't changed much at all. It had been a long time since he had really thought about her and he wondered now where her life had taken her. It didn't appear that she had married - although he realized he shouldn't assume that just because she was still going by Mars. The kids had monopolized the conversation at dinner and he couldn't wait to spend some time catching up with her. He wondered, not for the first time, how her dad was doing - and decided he should probably check in with him, it had been too long. Suddenly he realized he was really looking forward to seeing her the next day even if the circumstances were less than ideal.