Disclaimer: Again, still not mine.

Author's Note: I am a bad person. I am so sorry to have abandoned you for three months. There's really no excuse, but if it helps any, I do have a bit of an explanation. Picking up my life and moving 300 miles away from where I've lived my whole life, and finally away from my family for the first time, has been a little insane. Add in job hunting and the craziest dreams I've had in my life, which led straight to insomnia that lasted for days...which I would have used to write, had I not been stumped by Writer's Block. I felt like I'd written myself into a very tight corner, and that my only path out was overused and cliche, but luckily, I had a friend to help me out, which leads me to...

Dedication:This chapter and all that will follow it are dedicated to my good friend Kelly, for fixing my three-month-long Writer's Block in about five minutes...while never having read this story. She presented me with an idea, which immediately evolved in my brain into a solution that I hadn't seen done before. I bow down to her genius, and hope against hope that she'll watch the third season soon so she can actually start reading this. Also, further dedication to everyone who reviewed, because the reviews truly are helpful for the Writer's Block, to make me remember that I'm not just doing this for me anymore.

Now, without any further delay...

Witness Protection

Chapter Ten

True to his word, Agent Michaels called the next day and, thanks to her dad's poking into his background, Veronica was actually willing to talk to him this time around. It also helped that he called at the moment she and Logan were preparing to leave their cabin in Humboldt to travel further north, and she would have done anything to delay that moment...even make a deal to meet up to sign papers that would release her from the Witness Protection program.

"Hello, Veronica. Agent Brett Michaels here," he greeted her. "I trust that you are still safe in the company of Mr. Echolls?"

Veronica was shocked for a moment, but recovered quickly. "How did you know that I'm with Logan?"

"Veronica," he said, his voice dripping with superiority, "it is my job to know where you are and who you are associating with. Please give me at least a little credit. Though you are covering your tracks quite well, and we can't seem to find you, Mr. Echolls' car was found at your apartment. As his body was not also found there, and he seems to have disappeared from everywhere else, it is simply logical deduction that he is with you."

"Well, I can see how you ended up working for the government," Veronica said, not entirely unkindly. She still didn't like this guy, but that didn't make him evil. Just annoying.

"Getting back to the point, I assume your father has told you that I'm safe to talk to?"

"Yep, you checked out fine. So I feel perfectly okay with telling you that I want out of Witness Protection."

Veronica figured that if Agent Michaels were a less composed man, he would have been sputtering into the phone. Instead, he took a moment to process that, and then responded with, "Are you sure that's the correct decision to make? After all, the Fitzpatricks are still very much a threat, and this program is not likely to hide you again if you find that a life on the run is not something you are capable of."

"I'm sure," she said, smiling at Logan. He crossed the room to hold her hand and place a kiss to the top of her head. "I'd rather run with someone I love than be stuck in a life where no one knows me enough to love me. I know it's a huge risk, but it's one I have to take."

Agent Michaels sighed. "There is, of course, not a lot we can do to stop you. We can hardly hold you against your will, though, in my opinion, it would be for your own good. You do realize we will have to meet up at some point, preferably soon, so you can sign the paperwork and release us from our obligation to hide you?"

"Of course I know that," Veronica replied, walking over to her laptop. It was always the first thing to get unpacked, and the last thing to get packed away again. She and Logan had already discussed where they would be for the next few days of traveling. They'd planned to drive to Portland that day, and then to Seattle the day after that. She quickly googled diners in Seattle and said, "How about...two days from now at Andy's Diner in Seattle. Say...3:00 in the afternoon?"

"That sounds acceptable. Will you be bringing Mr. Echolls with you?"

She had no idea why that mattered, but she answered anyway. "Yeah, Logan's not likely to let me out of his sight anytime soon. So I'll see you on..." She had to wrack her brain to remember which day it was. They'd started to bleed together since she was constantly on the move. "Wednesday? Yeah, Wednesday."

"Yes. I'm looking forward to officially meeting you, Veronica. Have a good day."

"Yeah, you too," she said before hanging up and looking at Logan. "Two days, and then all my ties to the government will be cut. I hope you're really serious about staying on the run with me."

Logan bent down to kiss her. "I'd rather run with someone I love than be stuck in a life where no one knows me enough to love me," he repeated her words back to her.

"Everyone knows you in Neptune," Veronica argued, her insecurities about this arrangement evident in her voice.

"But you're the only one that understands."

"Understands what?"

"Me."

On the drive to Portland, Veronica used Logan's phone to place her overdue call to Weevil. He answered exactly as she would expect him to answer a call from Logan. "Assface! How goes your search for our girl?"

Veronica smiled. "Hey, Weevil."

"V? Christ, girl, took you long enough to call. Four days late. I thought you were dead."

"Nope. Narrowly escaped death once again. But I'm sure you can understand why I was a little too distracted to call," she said.

"Why? Wait..." It then occurred to him exactly which number she was calling from. "Oh, so he finally found you. At least that means he'll stop his goddamn whining. I swear, V, a man goes out for a drink, he does not want his friend's ex crying on his shoulder about the one that got away. Leather and Echolls tears do not bond well."

"Crying, huh?" she asked with a sideways glance to Logan, a smirk crossing her lips.

Logan, for his part, faked outrage. "I never cried! I am far too manly for that."

Weevil heard him over the phone and let out a laugh. "I'm telling you, V, he cried like a little bitch. I always suspected you cut his balls off, but if I ever needed proof, it was right there as soon as he got a few drinks in him."

Veronica giggled. "I didn't cut them off! I like them right where they are."

Though he could only hear one side of it, Logan sensed the turn the conversation had taken. He held his hand out for the phone and Veronica handed it over. "Listen, Weevs. The times I have actually shed tears in my life are few and far between, and I remember every one of them. Having said that, I'm way beyond sure that you were never there to witness one of those occasions. Also, I will have you know that my balls are exactly where they belong, firmly attached to me. And Veronica can vouch for that."

Weevil gagged. "Thank you for that information. But one more mention of the two of you doing the nasty and I'm going to heave. Now would you kindly give the phone back to the brains of the operation, Echolls?"

Logan handed the phone back to Veronica. "Sorry about that," she said. "But you know how he is when you underestimate the size of his cojones."

With a snort, Weevil asked, "He told you about that?"

"Yes, he did. Anyway, back to business. You got anything new for me?"

"Glad to finally say that I do. I might have found something, or someone, who is willing to help us with that little pet project of ours."

By 'little pet project,' Veronica knew Weevil was talking about taking down the Fitzpatricks. Her heart pounded in her chest with excitement. Finally, a breakthrough. But, hearing the noise in the background, she could tell he was in a public place, so he couldn't exactly speak freely. They could never know who was listening. Weevil regularly checked his phone for bugs, but being out in the open exposed the conversation to anyone within hearing range, so they had to keep it general. But she couldn't help asking. "Oh my god. Who?"

"Can't say yet. Prying ears and all. And the help isn't anywhere close to guaranteed. But I promise to tell you later, as soon as I know more and I know no one's listening."

"Alright." Veronica was bursting with curiosity, but she wouldn't risk blowing it all because she couldn't wait. "I'll call you in a few days, after I'm officially no longer under government protection."

If Weevil had anything to say about that, he was kind enough to keep his opinion to himself. "Just be careful, V."

"You too. And don't you dare do anything stupid because of me," she told him, her affection for the reformed gang leader clearly showing for the first time in the conversation. She wouldn't have bothered saying that if he hadn't already. A few months before, Weevil had gotten very drunk and, apparently, very sick of his most loyal, though most suspicious, friend being unavailable to him. So he had stormed directly into the River Styx and demanded the patrons to 'take me to your leader.' Veronica still shuddered to think what could have happened had any of the higher ups been there. As it was, there were only drunk lackeys, who clearly didn't know who Weevil was, so they were content to just throw him out. Still, when he recounted the experience for her, she was shaken. Months later, the feeling hadn't left her. "Seriously, Weevil. Never again."

Hearing her concern for him, Weevil was once again reminded of why he had made sure to keep the pesky blond in his life. "Yeah, yeah. Anything else?"

"Yeah. Could you talk to Wallace and Mac and fill them in? I know they'll just worry, but they'll never forgive me if information like this doesn't find its way to them."

"You got it, V. I'll talk to you in a couple days, alright?"

"Alright. Later."

"Later."

Veronica hung up and looked at Logan. "Weevil's got a little hope for us. Someone who might be able to bring down the Fitzpatricks. But that's all he could say for now." She smiled. "But still, that's more than I've had so far. We might actually be able to go back someday. Or at least stop running."

Logan reached across the center console to grasp her hand in his. He wondered if she realized that she'd started to say 'we,' in moments when she would have said 'I,' just days before. Now it was about the two of them as a unit, not just Veronica The Island. Before, she had to run, and Logan was along for the ride. Now, they had to run, and hopefully, someday they would be able to stop. "We'll figure it out eventually, Ronnie. If anyone can bring down the Irish mafia, it's you."

She leaned across the seat to place a kiss on his cheek. "Thanks. But you know I'm no good without my friends. So it looks like you're finally going to get your chance to really help out on a case. You know, one that isn't centered around you."

"Hey, I would gladly get accused of murder again if it meant all this would go away. As long as you were by my side, helping to clear me," Logan told her.

Veronica couldn't help but giggle at the strangeness of their relationship. "Aww...you'd get accused of murder for me? That's so sweet."

"Hey, as long as I'm not getting accused of murder by you, I'd count it as a good week." The usual bite wasn't behind his words this time, so she didn't instantly go spiraling into defense mode.

"Never again," Veronica said as she kissed the palm of the hand she'd been holding before letting it go so he could have both of his hands on the wheel.

After they'd checked into their hotel in Portland, they headed down to the hotel bar to celebrate the hope they felt after the phone call with Weevil. Everything was going fine until Logan decided to order their drinks. He had to show his I.D., and it was just his luck that the bartender was a fan.

"Oh my god! You're Logan Echolls!" the bartender, Rachel, said excitedly. She wasn't exactly being quiet either. "I've seen you a hundred times on the Tinseltown Diaries. I can't believe some people actually thought your dad killed that girl. I was so sorry to hear that he died."

Logan looked at Veronica, his eyes clearly screaming, 'Save me!' but she was a little distracted by looking around, wondering how many people had caught onto Rachel's babbling, and how many were then able to recognize her or deduce her identity...which Rachel was getting around to doing.

"Oh, and you look so familiar too," she said, studying Veronica as if she were a particularly ugly bug on the bottom of her shoe. Five seconds later, and recognition began to dawn on her face. "I was always bad with names...but I wanna say you've got a planet in your name. Neptune, was it? No, that's the town ya'll are from..."

Veronica met Logan's gaze. Now it was her eyes that were screaming. But it was like they were watching a train wreck in slow motion. They knew what was coming, but they couldn't stop it, or even look away.

"Mars! Veronica Mars! Right?"

Veronica and Logan were over the border and into Washington less than an hour later.