Thanks for all of the extra alerts and favs that have been added! Even if the story is done – if you want to know when the sequel is posted, put an alert on this fic and I'll announce it here. I don't anticipate a huge gap before I start, since I already have the story mapped out.

Only a couple more chapters to go. Lots of stuff happening in this one and I am praying you don't want to kill me after you read it (some of you no doubt will). Events that occur here will drive the sequel, so I had to do it. Hope it keeps you on the edge of your seat. I should warn you though, this is a long one so bring snacks.

Anyway – as usual, thanks for reading – I really appreciate the reviews and look forward to them every time I post.

CHAPTER 37

The moonlight reflecting off the water cast the otherwise dark bedroom in an otherworldly glow.

Veronica rolled off of the bed and admired the floor-to-ceiling windows. She walked to the edge of the room then placed her forehead and hands against the cold glass to look at the beach below.

"I really hate it when you do that," Logan said, as he sat up in the bed and ran a hand through his mass of rumpled hair, messing it up even further. "What if the glass comes loose and you fall?"

She turned around and leaned backward on the glass wall, exposing her naked form to him. "How's this?" She lifted her foot up and rested it behind her. "Better now?" she asked, with mischief behind her eyes.

God, she's beautiful. I'll be so pissed off if I wake up and none of this is real.

"Oddly...yes." He grinned indulgently at her as he imagined the things he'd like to do to her up against that wall.

Veronica smirked and he could tell she was reading his thoughts. "You know, you're all 'concerned' about my safety until the opportunity presents itself to fuck me up against something new. I'm almost positive you'd roll me into a ravine if you thought the sex would be hot there."

Logan crawled to the foot of the bed and sat opposite her. "Would there be sloped walls in this ravine? Perhaps a large rock I could bend you over?" He reached forward and pulled her away from the wall until she was standing over him. He grasped her ass and pulled her legs flush against his knees, then buried his face into her stomach and wrapped his arms around her torso. "That's better."

I could die right in this spot.

He could feel her fingers twining in his hair as he exhaled warm air into her bellybutton.

This is it. This is the feeling I've been looking for my whole life, and it's just as amazing as I thought it would be.

"Don't you dare move, Ronnie."

Her stomach bounced lightly with laughter under his cheek as pale dander tickled his nose. "Logan, you know we have places to go, people to see, programming genius friends to rescue from cutthroat Ukrainian oligarchs..."

"Your dad said Leo was about to get Mac out of there. That means we can stay just...like...thissss..."

Veronica leaned over and kissed the top of his head a few times. "While you are a tempting little morsel, the answer is still no."

Logan tightened his grip around her waist. "Sorry Bobcat, you know I've never been able to take no for an answer, and I'd hate for you to think I've moved you in here under false pretenses."

"Ah, but I don't see any of my things here yet, do you? The moral of the story has something to do with chickens hatching and counting and..."

"Your stuff is downstairs," he murmured into her belly. "I had a courier bring it over while you were asleep."

Had to do it before you changed your mind. I'm not stupid.

Veronica tipped his head up to look at her through his half-lidded eyes. "How did you manage that? We've barely been back a day."

"I'm rich, remember? Rich people can get whatever they want whenever they want. It's one of the perks of the job," he said, squeezing her behind for good measure. "Anyway, It's not like you had much stuff, and – shockingly – it was all still packed in your suitcases. I guess you like to travel light, makes life easier when you need to bolt in the night," he said dramatically.

She dropped her hands from his head. "Hilarious."

Logan lifted her hands and placed them back on the sides of his face. "You didn't let me finish. I was about to suggest that you buy yourself a whole new wardrobe now, since you're staying for good this time. You can't very well walk around Southern California wearing tweed suits like you're on the X-files, though Scully always did look surprisingly sexy in them."

Veronica snorted and wrapped her arms around his neck. "Yeah, I'll get right on it, right after I pay the electric bill and rent at my office with my 'profits' from this month. Kinda hard to earn a living when you spend nearly a week trapped in the dank basement of a megalomaniac."

"I'll take you shopping."

Yeah, there's no way she's going to go for this, but I wouldn't be me if I didn't try.

Her face dropped and her could feel her body tense in his arms. "I don't want to go shopping, Logan. It's a kind offer, but I think you know me well enough to understand that I'm not going to take your money."

Forcing her down into his lap, Logan nuzzled her ear. "Our money. We live together now, remember?"

The room was quiet, except for their breathing as an unasked question hung pregnant in the air like an oversized bubble waiting to be popped.

She shook her head slowly and stared out at the inky ocean through the glass wall. "It's your money, Logan. We aren't married."

He swallowed thickly and smoothed his hand over her naked arms, goose-pimpled from the cold night air. "We could be..."

FUCK. I clearly need a new verbal filter if it lets gems like this slip through. God, I won't be surprised at all now if I wake up tomorrow morning and the only thing left of her is the imprint of her body on the mattress and a skid mark from one of her boots next to the front door. It took eight years on-and-off of wooing to get her here and I'm going to undo the whole thing with one dumb fucking slip of the tongue. Smooth move, Echolls.

A long hiss of breath escaped Veronica's lungs. "That...that is a conversation for another time." She cradled his head, and then kissed his temple once before standing up to leave.

Fuck fuck fuck. This is it. It's over. I know it. You had the moon, asswipe, did you really need to shoot for the stars so soon after?

Logan watched helplessly as she floated away from him and toward the staircase, like the material world's most vivid apparition.

As Veronica's foot sank down onto the first step, she abruptly stopped. "I love you, Logan," she whispered in a just audible tone without turning, but by the time it registered in his brain, she had already vanished.

From across the street, Keith watched Leo skirt the perimeter of the Red Room Club with his gun drawn up against his chest.

"Nothing on this side, chief. Anything at the back?" Leo said through his earpiece mic.

Keith checked out the back door of the club through high-powered binoculars. "Nothing he...wait a second..."

The door opened half way and then promptly fell closed again.

Come on comrades, show yourselves. Give me something to work with.

Keith's eyes narrowed, and he leaned in for a closer look.

The door opened once more and two suit-wearing goons appeared from inside, supporting an incapacitated Dick who was struggling to walk.

Hello? Tall, blond, barely able to stand – yep, kind of fits the description to a tee. Man, it's nice to get good news every once in a while to keep the spirits up.

Keith let out the breath he was holding and pressed the button on the walkie. "Leo. They're loading what I think is Casablancas into the back of a black Escalade. Can't see their plates yet, but I'm going to follow them," he said, squinting hard to make out the face of the man being carted into the vehicle like chattel.

Dick stumbled as he crawled into the back seat and winced as the door shut behind him.

Yikes. That kid needs a hospital, yesterday.

"He's injured, but alive," he reported, smiling widely as he climbed over the center console into the driver's seat. "If you don't hear anything from Mac in another two minutes, I want you to get her out of there. I'm deploying Sacks to back you up. He should be there in 10 minutes. Roger?"

"Roger that" Leo's voice echoed on the other end of the radio.

Keith turned the key, and the engine sputtered for a moment before purring loudly as he gunned the gas pedal. He put the car into drive and pulled onto the road.

A fully-dressed Veronica crossed the beach house foyer with her keys in hand.

"Oy!" Logan called out as he emerged from the kitchen holding two bright-red MacIntosh apples. He tossed the larger one to her, which she caught in mid-air.

Veronica tilted her head in question and examined the piece of ripe fruit. "The answer is yes." At his strange look, she clarified. "You are the fairest."

He sidled up to her and she curled into his embrace. "Take a bite, me pretty" he said, lifting her own hand to her mouth. "We don't need you getting dizzy again."

She locked eyes with Logan and sank into it. He felt his dick twitch at the crack of her teeth against the apple, juice trickling from the side of her mouth.

Just fucking kill me now. Either this is the sexiest apple I've ever seen or she is doing things to my brain that should be illegal. If I don't learn to pace myself I'm going to break her in half by next week...if she's still around then, that is.

He bent his knees to lower himself to her height and slowly licked the apple juice from side of her mouth. Veronica's eyes fell closed and she accidentally dropped her handbag. "Oops" she said with a goofy smile on her lips.

Don't say anything, dude. Keep your mouth shut. If you don't bring it up, you can pretend it never happened.

Logan combed the hair out of her face. "About before..."

What the hell is wrong with you? Stop talking, man!

Veronica's eyes reopened and she cupped the sides of his face. "It's okay, Lo. I know you didn't mean..."

Yes I fucking did, and I can tell by the look on your face that you don't believe a word coming out of your own mouth.

She stood on her toes and pressed her mouth against his, effectively ending the awkwardness between them. "Come on, Valentino. Crime waits for no man." She tried to pull away, but he held her against the wall.

"Is it a crime, to fight, for what is mine?" Logan kissed Veronica on either side of her neck. "That was Tupac."

She tickled his sides and he immediately loosened his grip on her, collapsing into giggles. "He also said 'I don't mean to sound sleazy, but tease me, I don't want it if it's that easy'" she said in her best hip-hop impression, as she slipped out of his grasp and scurried over to the console table to grab her keys, only to discover one, long-stemmed, ivory rose lying on top of them.

Veronica flashed that secret smile that belonged only to him. "You're pretty amazing, you know that?" She lifted the flower to her nose to inhale its scent, inadvertently knocking the note that accompanied it onto the floor. "I don't know how you manage to do half the things you do – and don't say it's because you're rich, because most men in general aren't even 10% as romantic as you are."

Shit. How long has that been in here? How could they have bypassed my security system? The farthest they've ever gotten before is my car. This is worse than I thought.

"Maybe you just inspire me?" He pulled her tight up against his body and covertly punted the note under the console with his foot.

Logan heart thumped wildly in his chest, but he forced himself to appear calm for her sake. She didn't need another problem to worry about. Not right now, anyway.

He ushered her to the front door and pulled it open for her. "After you" he gestured with the apple still in his hand.

Veronica took another bite of her apple and started across the driveway toward the car. Once she reached the door, she noticed he wasn't with her and turned back. "Aren't you coming?"

"Yeah. I, uh, forgot my wallet. Be back in a second." Logan shouted from the doorway, before disappearing through it.

He placed his untouched apple on the table then quickly fell to his knees and groped frenetically under the console to retrieve the card. Once in hand, he fell back onto his elbows and unfolded it.

My dearest Logan,

Freedom isn't free

No matter how far you run

Pain is eternal

- Always watching

Logan looked around the room as he shoved the note deep into his back pocket, then wondered for a moment if it was wrong to be impressed that his stalker knew their way around a threatening haiku. Surely other stalkers put less craft into their work?

This person has a flair for the dramatic, so I guess I shouldn't be too surprised they're obsessed with me, all things considered.

Veronica held the phone to her ear and watched Logan approach the car with apprehension.

Logan wrenched open the passenger side door and climbed in.

"Yes, of course I promise. I'll let you know as soon as I talk to him, okay? Bye" she said as she ended the call.

"Talk to me about what?"

I'm not sure I want to do this. No, scratch that – I'm not sure I CAN do this.

"Why would you assume that you're the 'him' I'm referring to?" Veronica asked.

Logan's face darkened. "Enlighten me, then. Who is the other 'him' in your life?"

She momentarily held his gaze in a game of chicken and then broke away. "You're the only 'him' I want. You ought to know that by now."

The rear-view mirror slammed into the windshield as Logan practically dove over the console to maul her.

"Logan!" Veronica shrieked as she playfully pushed him off of her. "I'm wearing my gun, genius!"

He stole a few more kisses from her and retreated to his own seat. Her eyes darted to the passenger's side of the car and she shook her head. "Animal."

"Most definitely, but you love it." He grinned his most winning smile. She knew more than anybody how much these small declarations of faith and fidelity meant to him. They were everything.

Especially when you shut the poor guy down when he dared to bring up the M word. You know you're not hiding from this thing forever. He's not going to suddenly forget he wants to spend the rest of his life with you.

Veronica wanted that too. She wanted to build a life with with Logan, filled with beachfront houses, Italian food and lots of canine companions. She just wasn't sure she needed – or wanted – the complications that often accompanied getting legally married. Shouldn't wanting to be together be enough? Why does he always need to make such a big deal out of things?

You know why. He wants it for the exact same reason you don't.

I'm not going to leave this time!

You say that now, but what happens when he slides that ring on your finger? It may as well be a pair of shackles. And then there's the kid thing, which you don't have the balls to bring up again.

I do so!

I'm arguing with my self now? Is this the first sign of dementia?

A smile crept across her lips. "Possibly."

"Possibly, my ass," he said, and leaned over to kiss her lips gently. "Now tell me who that was."

Dammit! I thought he would drop it.

As if. You knew he wouldn't!

Veronica reached over and grabbed Logan's hand. "It's a whole thing, and we need to get to Mac. It can wait."

"Famous last words," Logan grumbled under his breath, then thankfully was distracted. "Why are we in the Saturn again? How did this happen?" he asked with disdain.

She brushed the underside of Logan's chin with the head of her rose. "Many people are drawn to the Saturn. It's a collector's piece."

"A piece of sh - -"

"Silence!" she said, plopping the flower on top of his head.

He snatched the rose out of her hand and examined it closely from stem to bud.

"It's called a 'rose', Logan. No doubt you've sent thousands of them in apology bouquets to your various conquests throughout the years."

Why am I starting with this shit again? Bad Veronica!

He rolled his eyes at her. "They send me roses, Ronnie."

"This one is mine" she said, snatching her flower back. Just as she was about to turn the engine key, Logan swiped it from her, yanking it roughly out of the ignition. "Give me the key, Logan."

"Who was on the phone?" he asked. "We said no more secrets."

Why do you even bother? He's not Dick Casablancas, he's obviously going to ask followup questions.

Veronica's face softened and she let her head drop against the headrest, then gripped the steering wheel tightly with both hands. "You really want to do this now?"

Logan moved his seat back and placed his feet up onto the dashboard, crossed at the ankles. "Regale me," he demanded, with the arrogance of a bored, Roman emperor.

She knew she wasn't winning this round, it was clear he intended to entrench until she ponied up the information he wanted.

"That was Duncan," she said in a measured tone, knowing full well she would still be met with a look of unease. "He called to let me know that he managed to cut a deal with the DA."

Logan's face lit up. "Yeah? That's great news. Why were you acting so Mars-like then?"

She cleared her throat and stalled for time. "He's doing six months upstate as part of the deal."

He ran a hand over his mouth, then rested his chin in his palm. "Shit. How far upstate?"

Veronica shrugged. "Not sure yet. Could be LA, could be farther up."

He turned to her and curled up on the mostly reclined seat. "Maximum security?"

"No, thank God," she said, prompting his sigh of relief.

"Good, because I cannot say I really recommend those, and I like to think of myself as a connoisseur."

And now for something a little different...honesty!

"That's not all." Veronica licked her lips and cleared her throat one more time. "He wants us to take Lilly while he's gone."

Logan looked at her blankly, barely registering a reaction. "And?"

"And...he wants her to live with us for six months while he's in prison," she explained, as he hadn't heard.

"Yeah, I got that. So, you told him yes, right?" he asked.

Veronica sat up straight, her face screwed into a look of incomprehension. "No, of course I didn't! I told him I needed to talk to you first."

He shrugged. "Okay, we've talked, so now you can call him back and say yes."

Say what?

She brought both hands to her head and pressed, feeling as if her head might explode if she didn't provide enough counter-pressure. "Don't you think we should, you know...actually talk?"

Logan sat up to face her. "What's there to talk about, Veronica? Lilly needs a place to stay. Celeste is too sick to take care of her properly and we're not going to let her stay with your mom and Jake."

Oh God. I wouldn't leave a plant with my mom at this point, much less an innocent child.

The mere mention of her mother prompted a fresh wave of nausea and Veronica felt like the car was starting to run out of oxygen. All she could smell was the cloyingly sweet scent of the rose and her own buttery perfume filling the limited atmosphere. She brought a closed fist to her mouth to hold back the dam. "No. But there has to be another option."

His expression pinched with disbelief, and she instantly felt like the worst person in the world. "You're really considering saying no?"

YES!

"I don't know? I don't know, Logan. It's a lot to ask, okay? It's a huge commitment!"

Am I crazy or did we accidentally switch bodies? Funny, I don't feel like a 12 year old boy...

"I know how fond you are of those," he spit acridly.

Seriously? I can't win today. I have to get out of here. I need air! Oh God, I want to get out of this car more than I've wanted practically anything else in my life, but I know if I step one foot out of this door I've fucked things up with him for real.

Veronica's head was light and she could feel her throat start to close, so she quickly pushed open the driver's side door to get some much needed air.

Just opening the door a crack. I won't go anywhere, I promise. Just a crack.

"You're leaving?" Logan asked, his spine snapping to attention.

Her head whipped around violently. "I'm not leaving, but your confidence in me is humbling. You know, Logan, if you keep assuming that I'm going to abandon you, it only gives me less of a reason to stay." She crossed her arms over her chest, then turned away from him to stare out of the window in silence.

Bitch move Veronica, and you know it. Way to hit him where it hurts.

She knew he was behind her, she could sensed his presence before she'd even felt his breath on the side of her neck.

"I'm sorry, Veronica." He leaned forward and planted a soft kiss on her cheek. "I'm an idiot, okay? Of course we should talk about it. You're totally right to want to think this through, it's a big decision."

Logan left another kiss on her cheek, and this time Veronica leaned into it before turning around to face him. He slid his warm hands up the sides of her neck and pressed their foreheads together. Just feeling his touch seemed to ground her.

Oh thank God.

"I'm sorry too" she whispered. "For what I just said. Of course you're not driving me away. I don't know what came over me."

He kissed her tentatively, then pulled away. "Whatever you decide is fine with me, Bobcat. I mean it. It's your call, and I'll back you up."

Veronica smiled. "No. You're right. Of course we'll take Lilly. We love her."

We do love her, that much I know.

Logan grinned and kissed her again. "I'll call Duncan on our way over to let him know."

"Why are you so happy about this?" she asked, unable to keep the smile from her face either.

He exhaled and smoothed his hands down the sides of her hair. "I don't know why, but I'm kind of excited about having another little girl in the house."

Veronica socked him in the arm. "I'm petite."

Mac sat gingerly perched on the edge of one of the scarlet-colored couches that flanked the walls of Petrenko's office, staring blankly into the ether as Alexei worked on his laptop.

Like an oasis in the desert, the mogul's personal space posed a stark contrast to the rest of the the dank basement. Lush furniture with gilded edges filled the tasteful room, and the textured, fabric walls were lined with scenic oil paintings from the old country. It was something out of a Chekhov play, a well-appointed study housed in a nobleman's country estate.

"Cindy, you look upset," Alexei said, genuine concern laced in his voice.

Ya think?

Her gaze refocused, and she leveled her now-frigid eyes at his. "Well Alexei, as a matter of fact, I am a little bit upset. More than a little actually."

He spun around in his $2,000 ergonomic office chair and his brow creased with empathy. "I don't like to see you so upset. What can I do to make you feel better?" he asked, rising out of his chair to join her on the couch with his computer.

Not that.

"I wouldn't mind proof that Dick made it safely to the hospital," she said.

Alexei checked his watch. "They should be getting there right now, if they haven't already." With the stroke of a few keys, he pulled up a live video feed from the inside of the van transporting Dick. "Your wish is my command."

Mac leaned forward and peered intently into the screen. There was no sound, but she noticed a long fitful-looking figure at the bottom of the screen stretched out and writhing uncomfortably across several seats. "Audio?"

With a few more keystrokes, the sound of Dick's moaning filled the room. Mac winced and turned away.

Alexei wrapped his free arm around Mac's waist and planted a kiss on the top of her head. "He'll get there soon, darling."

He had better, or I will make it my mission to infect every single computer at Alexicon Software personally.

"Can I offer you a cordial? Some port perhaps? It works wonders settling the nerves."

She tried to hold back her venom, knowing full well that the key to her freedom would not be won with antagonism.

"No, thank you," she said, and forced a small smile.

The van onscreen screeched to a halt outside of the hospital ER. One of the men hopped out of the car and yanked the sliding door open, as the driver climbed into the back seat and pulled Dick from his makeshift bed.

"Oh fuck!" Dick shouted as the man inside the van hitched him up against his side and dragged him off of the seat. "Ahhhh. Fuck, that hurts!"

Mac felt each scream of pain reverberate through her core like the stroke of an axe, and she slapped her hand over her mouth to keep from cursing.

If something happens to him...

The man inside the van rolled Dick's ailing body out of the van, letting it drop to the ground with a sickening thud.

Oh God!

Mac gasped and leapt to her feet. "What the hell was that?" she screamed angrily, pointing at the screen. "What was that?" she shouted at Alexei.

Petrenko soothed her arm with his palm and pulled her back to the couch by her hand. "We had a deal. Take him to the hospital. He's there now, yes?"

Her face scrunched in anguish for a moment, then immediately relaxed into a smooth visage as she reminded herself that Dick would be getting the help he needed soon.

Panicking won't help him – or you. Calm. Down. Now.

The last thing she saw before the men slammed the door shut, was a flash of Keith Mars dashing in front of the van to collect Dick from the ground.

"Get a doctor now! He's a gunshot victim!" she heard the sheriff faintly scream before the vehicle peeled out of the hospital driveway at top speed.

Thank you, thank you, thank you...

"See? Your friend is going to be fine," Alexei said in a tone as sweet as a bag of cotton candy that had been left to rot in the sun all day.

She nodded, and then looked up and him fearfully. "I guess it's my turn to hold up my half of the bargain, huh?"

Am I supposed to strip or let him take my clothes off? Do we do it here? I have no idea how this works, I'm Q, not Pussy Galore.

"You will," he said with a knowing smile, as he stroked her cheekbone with the back of his hand.

She swallowed thickly. "Here?"

Alexei looked at her quizzically. "Here...what?"

"You know...are we doing this here?" she asked.

"What on Earth are you talking about, Cindy?"

THE SEX!

"Uh...the...I assumed you wanted to..." She could tell by his expression that he had no idea what she was talking about.

He finally caught on and began to laugh. "Cindy, my love, of course I want to, I mean, you're a beautiful woman, but I'm not a monster."

She was astonished and truly at a loss for what to say.

Alexei tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear and cupped her face with one hand. "I'm not in the habit of forcing women to give themselves to me. Back in the day, I used to have to force them not to - that is to say, I do okay for myself. If you'd like to be with mer, and I hope you will one day, I'll be waiting. If you don't, you don't." He shrugged and poured her a cordial from a nearby decanter nestled on an antique silver tray. "Drink this, darling. You're looking a little pale."

Mac's mouth fell open and she could feel her tongue run dry. He held the glass to her lips and she took a long sip. "Thank you."

And I really mean that.

She finished the drink and handed it back to him. "But Alexei, if you didn't want that, then what did you mean when you implied you wanted me to stay here?"

"I meant...here." He waved his arms in a semi-circle. "In the greater sense. At Alexicon, as my chief programmer. I'll have a corner office cleared out for you."

"Oh." Relief flooded Mac's veins and she started to laugh giddily as he body released it's tension.

Petrenko watched her with amusement and a hint of something else, and scooted closer to her.

"I feel like such an idiot. I can't believe I thought that," she said, running both hands through her shaggy.

Alexei ran a finger down her bare arm and she felt her body shiver. "Well...you weren't entirely wrong. Just because I'm not planning to force you to be with me, doesn't mean I won't get what I want. I always do. Besides, if you could be bought that way, you wouldn't interest me...and you do interest me, Cindy. A lot."

Stay cool. He's just a guy who wants to get in your pants. You dealt with a million of them on a daily basis at Hearst. Just find a good time to leave and excuse yourself.

Petrenko quickly covered Mac's mouth with his own, leaned forward to deepen the kiss and pulled her closer to him by her waist.

Oh, crap.

Veronica and Logan walked briskly toward the front door of the Red Room Club.

Logan turned to his girlfriend. "What's your plan, exactly, Bobcat?"

"No idea, but I'm sure it will come to me by the time I get to the front door," she said with conviction.

"I know this isn't going to win me any Brownie points with you but, maybe we should call your dad?"

"Not necessary." Veronica pointed to Leo, who was slowly approaching the front door and ran to catch up.

Hello you! You are much easier to manipulate than my dad.

She folded her arms and cocked a hip out. "Of all the vodka joints in all the world, you had to walk into mine."

Leo turned around and smirked when he saw her. "I knew you wouldn't be able to keep away. I mean, there's actual danger involved, which I know is a big Mars family turn-on."

"Don't use 'Mars family' and 'turn-on' in the same sentence ever again, Leo. Just...yuck." Veronica wiggled her nose.

The deputy laughed and threw an arm around her shoulder. "If you're a good girl and hang back until I bring her out, I might even let you flick on the siren for the ride back."

"Oh goody!" she said with fake enthusiasm, then put an index finger pensively to her lips. "On second thought, I'm gonna pass."

Leo placed one hand on each of her shoulders and stared her down. "This is police business, Veronica, it's not Federal – not that you're a Fed at the moment anyway."

Drat! He's right. I have no authority here.

She looked at him with the saddest frown she could muster. "Can I at least stand in the foyer and look tough?"

"I'll give it some real thought," he said with a wink.

Before either of them could walk through the doorway to the building, Mac walked briskly past them into the parking lot. The first person she noticed was Logan, and threw herself into his arms.

"Woah! You are just the droid we're looking for." He wrapped his long arms around her and whispered something into her ear that made her instantly relax.

"Mac!" Veronica screamed and ran to join her friend.

Mac had barely finished hugging Logan when Veronica pull her out of his arms and into her own. "Oh God, I know you must be scared shitless if you're willingly letting us all hug you like this, in public no less."

"I could have really used those sharp skills of deduction an hour ago, Bond," Mac said curtly.

Veronica was taken aback. "I – I'm sorry. What happened? Are you okay?"

I let her down? I knew I shouldn't have taken that nap!

Veronica shot Logan a look that said as much and he skulked sheepishly to the other side of Mac.

Mac rubbed her forehead with the heel of her hand and exhaled roughly. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean that. It's just been...I found Dick. He's alive, but he's...he was really hurt."

"Yeah, the sheriff radioed that he caught up with him at the hospital about ten minutes ago. He spotted them loading Casablancas into an unmarked van and tailed it all the way to the intake driveway of the ER. When he knows anything more about Dick's condition, he's going to let me know," Leo said.

"Great. That's just...that's great." Mac looked exhausted and a little weak.

Veronica could tell her friend was starting to lose it and thought Mac could use a moment to get it together. There was no way Leo would be getting a coherent statement from her friend in her current state. "Hey Logan, maybe you could walk Mac to her car and Leo and I will drive down in mine to meet you at the front of the lot? I parked kind of far."

"I thought we agreed this was a police matter, Veronica?" Leo said, tightly.

You agreed.

"She's a friend. Just give her a few minutes to collect herself and you can interrogate her then. It's not like she's a flight risk," she said.

He nodded. "Yeah, okay. There's kind of something I need to talk to you about anyway."

Veronica wrapped her arms around her friend one more time. "Everything is going to be peachy keen from now on, Mac."

Logan glanced at Leo then laid a bracing kiss on Veronica's lips. She rolled her eyes and held back a smirk. "You're incorrigible."

"All I heard was that I'm encouraged. And I will." Logan said, then placed a kiss on her cheek. "Officer," he said to Leo with a salute before casually draping an arm around Mac as he ushered her toward her car.

Veronica observed Leo for a moment, looking so professional and competent, and even though she had nothing at all to do with his success, she felt a little proud.

He was a good person, and those were hard to come by in Neptune. In fact, she was pretty sure most of them were currently standing in the parking lot of the Red Room Club.

Veronica watched him out of the side of her eye as they walked in silence.

Leo stopped walking for a moment and held her arm. "Hey Veronica. I seem to remember a promise you made a long time ago to me, about scratching my back."

"Did I?" she asked coyly. "It was so long ago, everything is just sort of a blur."

"Mutual backscratching, is what I believe you called it."

Her eyes narrowed in thought. "Wait...it's coming back to me..." She snapped her fingers angrily. "Nope. I lost it."

He humored her with a fraternal look and threw a muscled arm around her shoulder. "Between you and me, I always knew this backscratching thing was a one-way street."

He's right. They're all right. Was I always so selfish or did it come on gradually?

Veronica's hand crept around Leo's back, and raked it up and down a few times gently. "See? I always keep my promises."

For the most part, it's true. At least I can hold on to that.

"That, you do, Mars. But you know me, I'd still be here, even if you didn't," he said with a shrug.

"Has anybody ever told you what an asshole you are, Leo?" she asked, hand on hip.

"Not since the last time you came to town," he quipped, before noticing Veronica's teeth chattering. "You're like an ice cube," he said, running his hands up and down her bare arms, the face of his watch reflecting the yellow glow of the nearby street lamps.

"It was not a well-planned ensemble, but then again, I am wearing mostly my boyfriend's clothes," she said, looking down at her oversized t-shirt.

Leo took off his jacket and perched it on top of Veronica's shoulders. "Give me your keys."

"Am I being mugged?" she asked jokingly.

Leo exhaled his impatience. "Give me your keys, before we both freeze out here. My legs are longer than yours, so I can get there faster. I'll bring it around to the front. Why don't you warm up a bit in Mac's car while you wait?"

Leo D'Amato truly is the nicest guy on the planet.

"I thought you wanted to chat?" she asked. "I'm fully prepared to scratch your back like a lotto ticket."

"We can do it once your body temp has returned to a balmy 98.6" he suggested.

Veronica smiled at him, touched by his never-ending well of goodness. "What...an asshole you are."

"Maybe I should try to be though, right? Just a little bit? The ladies don't seem to go for the guy in the white hat."

She tilted her head and considered his statement. "Nope. You've got this knight in shining armor thing down pat, so it would be silly to change now. It's important to know where your talents lie. Besides, your hat is beige, Leo."

Leo took his hat off and looked at it for a second. "Guess that makes me somewhere in-between, huh?" He replaced his hat and winked at her. "Your chariot awaits," he said with a grin, then took off in a light jog toward the Saturn SUV.

Veronica watched him leave, then turned around and shoved her thin arms into Leo's jacket sleeves, and marveled at how much bigger he was than her. It was easy for even her to forget how tiny she was, when she was wielding such an enormous mouth.

She pulled the sides of the standard-issue deputy jacket tightly across her body and shoved both hands in the pockets. As her hands sank deeper, a curious look passed over her features.

What the hell is this?

A bus locker key with the number '88' embossed on it was sitting in the left side pocket. She ran her thumb back and forth over the numbers and her forehead creased.

In my experience, no good thing can be found on the inside of an unregistered bus locker. Hopefully Leo hasn't gotten himself into anything too sticky.

She figured it would be easier to talk with him alone about this than out in the open where anybody could overhear something. Normally, she'd suggest they meet at a private location, but the cloak and dagger routine never really was Leo's style.

Am I overreacting? Is it stupid to worry about him because of this? It's just a key, it could mean anything...though he did say he needed to talk about something.

From 100 yards back, she watched him unlock the door to her car. Convincing herself she was making too much of the situation, she turned around and headed toward the front of the lot again.

No. Go with your gut, Mars. Gut instincts are probably what you do best.

"Hey, Leo!" No sooner had Veronica turned her head to the right, than a blinding electric light exploded from the edge of the lot, followed immediately by a loud canon-like boom, that sent her flying through the air several feet until she smacked the ground hard in a prone position, smashing her knees and hands into the pavement. Splinters of tinted glass and flaming shards of metal liberally rained down from the sky.

Leo?

Disoriented by whiplash and gasping for air, Veronica painfully flipped onto her back and watched what was left of her 2nd car smolder into a pile of toxic, greying ashes. She was too shocked to cry, too shocked to speak, and even too shocked to merely listen – which she wouldn't be able to do anyway, since the explosion had most likely damaged her eardrums.

Everything seemed to move in slow motion around her as she attempted to stand up and walk toward the burning wreckage, passing everyone around her as they ran in the opposite direction.

Leo!

She didn't think she was crying, but Veronica still brought a hand to her face to wipe away the tears she could feel dampening her cheeks. When she looked down at her palm though, there weren't any tears, only blood.

That's when the real crying started.

She tried to shout for Leo but no sound managed to escape her lips, no sound that she would be able to hear anyways. By the time she reached her parking spot, the heat from the fire was the only thing holding her back. She swayed, woozy from the onslaught of uneasy sensations and the thick black smoke that choked her lungs, and nearly tripped over an object in her path.

"Leo..." she just managed to croak out in a rasp that she couldn't hear, then her attention was drawn to the object at her feet.

Veronica shook violently and collapsed to her knees next to a severed arm - Leo's arm – the same one that was kindly warming her shoulders only minutes ago. The face on his wristwatch had been shattered, marking his time of death.

How could everything have happened so fast?

The scent of gasoline, incinerated twisted pieces of plastic and burning flesh overcame her. A few more wet coughs followed by dry, aching sobs wracked her frame and she knew she wouldn't be able to hold on any longer.

Veronica forced herself to look down at Leo's arm once more. That blast was meant for her, and by taking advantage of his kindness once last time, she had all but signed his death warrant.

The least an executioner can do is look a man in the face before she slits his throat. It's only right to give the condemned a last measure of respect before their light has been snuffed out.

The ground was spinning and she felt her consciousness slipping away, like a rolling soccer ball always just out of reach. She willed herself alert with one last gasp of resolve and tried to crawl closer to the car. As her body faltered and began to tank, the last thing she felt was a pair of strong hands grabbing her just before she hit the floor to pull her into a tight embrace.

A/N - Do I need to go into hiding? Don't hate me! You know Veronica is always at her most interesting when she's in vengeance mode.

Let me know what you think...(Do I really want to know? I'm scared). Please review!

PS - As usual, Silverlining2k6 is the shizznit. Thanks for giving this chapter the once-over :)