"Logan, I don't think I can do this," Veronica said, her voice shaking. She looked at him in terror from the passenger seat of the car.

"Of course you can Veronica," he replied. "You are the bravest person I have ever known." He leaned over and kissed her. "Besides, I am right here." She nodded and got out of the car. Logan walked around the front of the car and grabbed Veronica's hand giving it a reassuring squeeze.

"Here it goes," Veronica replied. "I don't know why I am so nervous. She's my mother after all."

"You're scared?" Logan asked rhetorically. "Afraid you'll get hurt again."

Veronica nodded. "Yeah," she said, "but she can only hurt me if I let her."

"That's my girl," Logan said supportively leaning over and kissing Veronica's cheek. "Ready?"

"Ready," she said firmly as Logan opened the door to the coffee shop. Veronica glanced around nervously. "There she is," she said nodding to a table in the corner where her mother sat. Lianne waved to her.

"Want me to come over right away?" Logan asked. "Or, I could order us some coffee first."

"Maybe you should get us drinks, and I can greet her first," Veronica said.

Logan nodded and began to let go of Veronica's hand. When she didn't release it, he said, "You have to let go of me first."

"I know," she said taking a deep breath. She squeezed his hand before releasing it. She walked cautiously toward her mother. "Hello," she greeted formally and stiffly.

"Hi darling," Lianne said standing and offering Veronica a hug. Veronica unconsciously stiffened. She felt bad but couldn't help it. "Was that your boyfriend or…?"

"Yeah, my boyfriend," Veronica replied sitting down opposite her mother at the table.

"He looked familiar, but I didn't get a very good look at him just now," Lianne said questioningly.

"It's Logan, Mom," Veronica said. "He spent enough time at our house that I'm sure you remember him."

"Lilly's Logan?" Lianne asked.

Veronica bristled. Something about Logan being referred to that way bothered her. "We dated a bit in high school and college," she explained. "Then we got back together over a year ago."

"He always seemed to be a troubled boy, but I guess people can change," Lianne replied.

"If Dad doesn't have a problem with him, I really don't think you are in a place to talk," Veronica snapped.

"You're right," Lianne agreed. "Are you happy?"

"I love him, and he loves me. He proposed to me this summer." Veronica glanced at where Logan stood patiently waiting for their drinks. "He didn't even have to ask what I wanted to drink," she said quietly. "I think that means something."

Lianne nodded slowly. "You're getting married?" she asked.

Veronica bit her lip and shook her head. "Not yet," she said. "It seems I'm a bit screwed up in that arena." She hadn't realized just how much anger she had towards her mother until this conversation began.

"I'm sorry, Veronica," Lianne replied. "I didn't mean to hurt you the way I did."

Veronica studied her mother's face. She saw genuine sorrow there. "I know you didn't, but it did still hurt."

"Will you tell me about the rest of your life?" Lianne asked. "I have wondered everyday for the past ten years."

"I went to Hearst for college," Veronica began as Logan walked toward them.

"Hi Mrs. Mars," he greeted Lianne. "Can I still call you that?" he asked realizing she might have changed her name.

"That's fine Logan," Lianne said shaking his hand. "It is nice to see you again."

"You too," Logan said. He grabbed a chair from the next table and sat down, setting Veronicas drink in front of her. "Don't let me interrupt," he said. He took Veronica's hand under the table and squeezed it gently.

"So college," Lianne said. "What did you major in?"

"Criminal Justice," Veronica replied. She stopped talking and took a sip of her coffee. She was feeling a bit shaky.

"Logan, how about you?" Lianne asked, trying to give her daughter a moment.

"Creative writing," he replied. "I'm an author."

"You didn't follow in your parent's footsteps then," Lianne replied.

"No," Logan replied concisely. "It wasn't of interest to me."

"So how about after college?" Lianne asked Veronica.

"I was accepted to the FBI academy," Veronica answered. "I've worked as an FBI agent for five years now."

"That is wonderful. Your father must be very proud," Lianne replied. "So you two have been together over a year now. Where are you living?"

"We just bought a house together in San Francisco," Logan replied. Veronica smiled at him quickly.

"We have a dog too," she added. Talking about their life made her realize how happy she really was with Logan.

They talked for another thirty minutes, including Lianne filling Veronica in a bit on her life. Eventually, Veronica said they should probably leave in order to get back to Neptune before it was too late. Lianne said goodbye to them and hugged Veronica. She told her she hoped they could stay in touch.

As she and Logan drove back to Neptune, Veronica fiddled nervously with a button on her jacket. "How are you feeling?" Logan asked placing a hand on her knee.

She placed her hand on top of his. "Um," she said. "I guess okay. It was weird. I mean she's my mom, but I hadn't seen her in ten years. It just felt like she was some other version of her."

"Yeah?" Logan asked. He wasn't quite sure what Veronica was getting at, but he didn't want to push her to explain.

She did anyway. "Like I have this picture of my mom before she left the first time. That is the woman I think of as my mother. Then there is the second version, the one who left again. This was like a whole other version. It didn't even feel like she was really my mother."

"That makes sense," Logan said.

"I felt like I was filling a stranger in on my life," Veronica said.

"Do you think you will stay in touch with her?" Logan asked.

"Honestly," Veronica replied. "I don't know. Part of me wants to, wants to have a mother again. Another part of me knows, she will never be that woman again to me." She sighed. "It seems like it might be easier to just cut and run." She paused a moment. "She did," she added with finality.

Logan heard the crack in Veronica's voice and glanced at her out of the corner of his eye. He didn't overlook the tear that escaped and ran down her cheek. He pulled the car off the side of the highway. There was a turn out, where you could see the ocean. He put the car in park. "What are you doing?" Veronica asked surprised.

"It is okay to cry," Logan said reaching out and rubbing her shoulder with his hand.

"I'm fine," she said casually. He just looked at her. Suddenly, she felt herself break under his gaze. Tears instantly began to stream down her face.

Logan thanked god for Veronica's petite frame as he unbuckled her seatbelt and pulled her over the console and into his lap. He enveloped her in his arms. When she finally stopped crying she looked at his shirt. "I got your shirt all wet," she said quietly.

"It'll dry," he responded simply. "Do you feel better?"

She nodded and scooted back to her side of the car. After a moment of silence, she asked, "Logan, do you think I'm like her?"

"You're mother?" he asked.

"Yeah. When I was a kid, everyone compared me to her. They would say how like Lianne I was. I mean, people compare me to my dad more now, but is that just because she left?"

"I think you're like her in some ways," he replied. "I remember when we were kids your mom was always really nice to me. I think she knew things were rougher for me at home than I let on. She had great compassion like that," he stated. "You have that too." He smiled at her. "But in other ways, I don't think you're like her at all. You'll do anything for the people you love, but you would never leave them, even if you thought it was to keep them safe. You would find another way. You have too much, I don't know, dedication I guess."

"Yeah?" she asked. "Even after…" She was going to ask about the number of times she had essentially left him.

"Yes," he said firmly cutting her off. "I think you are more like Keith. Strong willed and loyal, almost to a fault. You'd sacrifice yourself for those you love even when they wouldn't want you to. You have this crazy drive for the truth. And an amazing capacity for love, even if you don't want to admit it sometimes."

"I wish I saw me like you do," Veronica whispered to him.

"That's what love is isn't it?" Logan asked. "Seeing someone better than they see themselves?"

"That's a nice way to think about it," she replied. "I was never that good at doing that for you, I don't think."

"You are now," Logan said. He paused for a moment. "Do you think I'm like either of my parents?" He realized it was something he always wondered about. He so often only thought about the bad in his family.

"Yes. Both of them in ways," Veronica said. At the look on Logan's face, she added, "but very unlike them in others."

"You have that intense passion, which I saw in your father too. You just direct it in much better ways than he did. Your mom was an amazing person. She just…" Veronica trailed off, unsure how to word what she wanted to say about Lynn.

"Wasn't very strong," Logan finished for her.

"Yeah," she agreed. "But she loved you so fiercely. You do that. Sometimes the ease with which you seem to love me scares me," Veronica admitted. "I think you got that from her. That ability to love."

Logan smiled at her slowly. "Wow," he said softly. "You definitely see better in me than I do in myself. Do you really believe all that?"

"Of course," she replied. She fell into silence, thinking again about her mother. "Logan, do you ever worry that I'll run away like she did?" she asked.

"Like Lianne did?" he asked. "No."

"Why not?" she asked.

"Because I need you and you know it," Logan replied with a smile. "And admit it or not, you need me." His smile transformed into a smirk.

"I'll admit it," she said with a laugh. "I'm not scared to admit that anymore."

"Good," Logan said leaning over and kissing her.

Logan was in his office one evening when Veronica came home from work. He looked up from his computer when Taser noticed her standing in the doorway of the office and, jumping up from his dog bed, bounded over to her. "So," she said leaning against the doorframe. "I got an interesting offer today."

"Really?" Logan asked as Veronica moved into the room.

"You know Mandy, the woman who owns that art studio by my old apartment?" she questioned, sitting down on the edge of Logan's desk. He nodded. "She wants to put up a couple of my photographs," Veronica explained.

"Wow," Logan replied. "That's great Veronica." She sighed slightly. "Is it not great?" Logan asked.

"I haven't done much with my photography since college other than messing around on weekends and when I go places," she explained. "I don't know that I deserve this."

"Of course you do," Logan said encouragingly. "You take beautiful photographs."

Veronica smiled at him. "You have to say that," she stated.

"I don't have to," Logan replied. "I am saying it because it is the truth. You're going to do it right?"

"Yeah, I think so," Veronica replied. "I don't see any harm in it."

"Good," Logan said pulling her into his lap.

"I heard from my dad today," she said changing the subject.

"Yeah?" he asked.

"They'll be here the evening of the twenty-third," she said.

Veronica and Logan had decided to host Christmas now that they were settled into the new house. Her father and Linda were coming up. Mac's parents had decided to take a cruise, so she and Kevin were coming over as well. Oliver was also coming over for part of the day.

"That sounds good," Logan replied. "Turns out the publishing house holiday party is the same day as the Bureau's," he stated. "Do you know which you'd rather go to?"

"I guess the FBI party," she said. "We'll know more people. Last year the publishing house's party was huge."

"Sounds good to me," Logan agreed. "Next week I said I'd help at the Winter Carnival the Learning Center is putting on for the kids," he added. "You can come if you want, but you don't have to."

"I'll come," Veronica said. "I liked the Halloween Dance. Well up until… you know." She stood up from his lap.

"Yeah," Logan agreed, following her into the bedroom, where she began to change out of her work clothes.

"What does this carnival entail?" she asked pulling on a sweatshirt.

"Games and stuff I gather," Logan replied sitting on the edge of the bed. He grabbed Veronica's hand when she began to walk past him and pulled her to him. "We've got quite a busy holiday season," he said.

"We do," she replied leaning in when he moved to kiss her.