I sped into the parking lot of the local coffee shop, glancing at the clock which blinked '12:43' – it was exciting to be on time for once. I grabbed my cell and shot a text to Wallace letting him know I was here.

I walked inside and saw that he was there as well, with a familiar brunette beside him. Happiness overtook my face as I was met with my friend Cindy Mackenzie.

"What is this?!" I exclaimed, hugging my long-lost friend.

"Istanbul had its perks, but I missed the Mars charm." She joked as the two friends hugged.

"You couldn't have given a girl a warning?" I asked my other best friend as I finally let Mac go from the embrace.

"What? And miss your face? Absolutely not." He smirked. "What are the ladies having?" He asked as he stood from the table.

"Iced vanilla soy latte please." Mac smiled.

"Just a black coffee will do." Wallace nodded and headed to the counter to place their orders.

"So how have you been?" Mac's face fell slightly and a look of concern washed over. She and I hadn't been able to be in much contact while she was in Istanbul, and while she was made aware of the tragedy, the time differences always thwarted any plans of a phone conversation between us.

"I've been…" I trailed off, I wasn't sure how I felt with the way things abruptly ended with Logan and how quickly I jumped into the arms of someone else; it was almost my signature move. "…indifferent." I finished; it was the best way to explain how I had been feeling.

"That word is extremely vague and while it's not as passive as the typical 'I'm fine' Veronica comeback, it's equally as dissatisfying."

"I miss him Mac, I miss him every second of every day and I have a lot of regret that my detective skills were lackluster that day and I didn't find the bomb in time and…" I shook my head, intense stinging behind my eyes made me realize if I continued, I would be crying in the middle of the coffee house. Mac reached her arm around my shoulder to comfort me as Wallace walked back with our drinks.

"What did I miss?" He questioned as he slid our respective beverages in front of us. I inhaled sharply and willed the tears to stay inside.

"Girl talk, the kind of stuff that your genitals cut you out of." I sneered and Mac laughed.

"I'll have you know I was your only friend til this girl walked up in your life and changed our dynamic." Wallace playfully glared at Mac. "I was once part of the girl talk." I reassured her. I sipped at my coffee and figured these two should know what I had been up to the past couple of days.

"I know I' have been MIA for far too long and a lot of it had to do with Logan and what happened, and I wasn't dealing with it correctly. I cut a lot of people out because a part of me was afraid that if I ever worked a case again, someone else I loved would die. I almost lost my dad too many times to count and after I lost Logan for good, I would never forgive myself if I allowed the same thing to happen to either of you." Silence fell over the table.

"I can understand where you're coming from." Wallace spoke.

"I can too…" Mac started. "But I think I speak for both Wallace and myself when I say that I'd rather meet a bomb than keep wondering if you're alright or not. I think they call this 'ride or die'" she air quoted the last statement and I smiled.

"I won't keep you guys out of the loop anymore; I promise. In fact, I am working a new case now." Both looked at me with shocked expressions.

"Do you really think…" Wallace started, and I realized he was trying to figure out the right way to address what he was going to say, and he started over. "Do you really think it's in your best interest, emotionally, to get involved in something so soon after Logan died?" He questioned lightly, walking on eggshells, perhaps afraid I might get defensive.

"I don't think it's ideal, no. But it's for a friend…" I trailed, my eyes dropped to my steaming mug and Mac sensed the tension.

"You have… another friend?" She faked betrayal and I smiled; leave it to her to lighten the situation. Should I tell them about whatever was going on with me and Weevil?

"I'm just as shocked and hurt as you are." Wallace chimed in, which met with a playful punch to his shoulder.

"Sorry to say, but yes, I do." I grabbed both of their hands as if to comfort them from the blow. "His name is Eli and I've known him for several years; he used to be the king pin of Neptune's criminal element, and shit… he may still be." I sat back against the chair.

"What happened now?" Wallace asked, stirring some sugar into his drink.

"He was arrested for selling drugs to 09ers at the high school. The police really didn't have any hard evidence on the fact other than one of the guys overdosing and giving his name to the office at the hospital." I shrugged and took another sip. "It's not that I don't believe him, it's just that this is going to be very hard to prove because I think the actual dealer is part of his group of people, maybe even family."

"That's insane, how can you take on a case like that when you have no idea what he's up to or has been up to?" Mac questioned.

"Well, I have a pretty good idea what he's up to now; it's everything previous to then that is a little fuzzy." Wallace raised his eyebrow.

"Did you put a tracking device on Weevil?" He questioned, I nearly snorted. That was something that high school Veronica would have done without hesitation, now, not so much.

"Not quite. He may or may not be living in my living room for the time being." It was Mac's turn to raise an eyebrow.

"So, he asks you to take on his case, and then moves in with you." She sipped her beverage through a straw. "Do you date everyone you solve cases for? Or just verified criminals?" She joked. I smiled lightly; the timing was not perfect, but it was either now or never.

"Just the good-looking ones, you know that." I winked. Wallace and Mac both exchanged a glance at each other and looked at me with peaked interest.

"That was an interesting response. Should I be blatant and ask if you jumped into bed with Weevil just weeks after Logan died?" Wallace asked; rather accusingly. Mac slammed her fist into his thigh as if to say, "shut the fuck up, dude." I shuffled my feet underneath my chair, basically looking for any escape now since my friends seemed to be less than enthusiastic about this; I didn't blame them. I spent years convincing them how great Logan was, and how much he had changed, and how much I loved him and wanted to spend the rest of my life with him, and now here I was, caught in this situation with Eli that I couldn't even explain to anyone, because it didn't even make sense to me.

"I think people heal different ways when traumatic events happen to them." Mac added, breaking the silence and my inner monologue. "I don't think there is a one size fits all way to grieve or repair your brain and heart after they go through something like that." She shrugged and put her hand on my shoulder. "If there is something going on with you guys, I think you owe it to yourself to see it out – just because you lost Logan doesn't mean you lost your only chance for happiness." She reassured me. I felt the tension fall from my shoulders, but when I looked over at Wallace, I could only see disappointment in his face.

"Thanks Mac." I started and stared down at the almost empty mug in front of me. "I don't know what it is or what it could be, but I'm becoming more open for different opportunities." My eyes met Wallace's. "I will always love Logan, I married him, I loved him since I was 17, there is no changing that. And I'm very grateful that you let him into your life and became friends with him and allowed him around Shay and Noah; but I can't give up on finding happiness in other avenues." I defended myself. I realized how quickly things had happened, how quickly these feelings arose (or returned, if we were being honest), how easily it was to fall back into old patterns with Eli, and how easy it was to be around him. I'd known him as long as I had known any of these guys, and I think that just added to the comfortability.

"I promise I just want your happiness, V. I'm just kind of shocked it happened this soon after things went down the way they did." I felt relief; I didn't want Wallace to hold a grudge because I was trying to move on too quick. I nodded and smiled. My phone broke the awkward phase of the conversation and I realized it was Matty. School wasn't quite over yet, but I was glad to hear from her.

"One sec guys, it's a call about his case." I stood up and walked towards the door of the café. "Hey Matty, do you have any good news for me?"

"Veronica, I think this is going to be a lot bigger of a deal than you thought it was." She spoked quietly. I wasn't sure if she was afraid of someone listening in, or if she was hiding somewhere to call me.

"What do you mean? Were you not able to find out about the guys that sell at your high school?"

"No, that wasn't the problem. I found out their real names and one of them, Junior, his name you'll definitely recognize."

"So, do you want me to guess or are you gonna come out with it?" I asked, anxiously.

"His name is Liam Fitzpatrick. Liam Fitzpatrick Jr, to be exact." I was instantly confused.

"Didn't you tell me that the guys selling were PCHers?"

"I did, and they are. Except Junior. He's not a PCHer but he's, not not a PCHer? It's complicated, I guess. He works closely with them; I think they have some type of agreement but that's not something I am privy to. I just got that vibe when I talked to him earlier."

"Alright so you know what that family is capable of, so I will now ask you kindly, to never speak to him or any of the drug dealers again and continue on with your adolescence."

"Did that work when your dad told you to stop getting into stuff?" I sighed; it never did. It probably prompted me to get more involved if anything,

"It didn't, but I would appreciate it if you told me you would be safe, in the very least."

"I can do that; I can be safe. But now I'm curious as to what's going on and how I can be of more help." The girl pried. I had to hand it to her, she resembled my drive at that age, and I couldn't hate her for it.

"If I need more information on from the front lines of high school, you'll be the first to know. I promise." I smiled and closed the conversation. I walked back to the table where I saw my friends gathering their stuff. "I wasn't on the phone that long guys." I joked.

"You weren't, but I gotta get home before Shay goes to work and I think Mac here is gonna follow you home, or the office, or wherever it is that you girls do what you do."

"You sure you wanna roll with the Mars family again?" I questioned as I grabbed my bag from the chair.

"Working with you guys is one of the best jobs I have had. Not pay wise, definitely not pay wise." She reiterated. "But job satisfaction wise, and I'll take that for right now."

"Well there is a lot to research, so let's head to my place." I spoke as I gave Wallace a hug goodbye and ushered Mac out to my car.

"Damn girl." She said as she ran her finger over the front bumper of my car. "Are you rich now? What did I miss?"

"Let's just say that you will actually be getting your paychecks this time around, maybe even a raise." I winked and got into the car.

When I pulled up to the house, I realized that my dad's car was in the driveway and I immediately panicked; I hadn't gotten around to telling him the details of Eli's case, or the fact that he may be crashing in our living room for the time being.

"Everything okay?" Mac questioned, I'm sure my face went ghost white when I saw my dad's car in the drive.

"Well, at least you're here with me so when my dad inevitably kills me for inviting Eli to live with us temporarily, there will be a witness." I smiled as best as I could before I got out of the car and went up to the door. Instinctively, I pressed my ear against the door to see if I could hear anything. It was far to quiet. Without missing a beat, the door opened, and I stumbled into the living room.

"Good afternoon, may I ask what the pleasure of the eavesdropping is?" my dad greeted me, surely very happy to see me stumble in upon my own curiosity.

"I wasn't eavesdropping." I lied, and casually leaned against the door frame. "I was just leaning, leaning and looking for my keys."

"Those keys?" Keith pointed at Mac who had them in her hand.

"You may or may not have left them in the ignition." She shrugged and suggested quietly. I grabbed them from her and threw my hands up in defeat.

"You win, I suck, can I come in now?"

"Those are the magic words, come on in." He stood aside from the door and let me inside. "You're back!" he exclaimed and welcomed Mac with a hug.

"Something about you Mars folk – it's like a planetary pull or something." Mac was extremely pleased with her joke, even I snickered.

"Honey, can I speak with you in the kitchen please?" my dad asked gingerly, I glanced over to the couch and saw that it was absent. I didn't see any lingering signs of Eli here. I checked my phone quickly and realized I had several unread messages, all from Eli. I didn't have time to go through them now, so I met my dad in the kitchen.

"What's up pops?"

"I feel like I shouldn't have to ask to be informed when there will be a criminal on my couch when I get home from a case."

"So, he was here earlier?" I interjected. Realizing that I was tattling on myself at the same time.

"Eli? Yes, he was. Mind telling me why he was sleeping on our couch?" He asked more concerned than anything else.

"I took a case of his, it's been ongoing, but it just turned pretty serious. It involved drugs and laundered money and I don't think he's capable of the crimes that they came after him for."

"None of that explains to me why he was here earlier, that just tells me he's in trouble with the law as usual." He deadpanned.

"In order to find the real person who is dealing these drugs to kids, I told him he had to get away from that life for a while. The person isn't going to stop dealing because Eli isn't around, they're gonna keep getting their money from the rich kids. This will keep him out of the spotlight so I can investigate the real person behind it. Some kids have died from the drugs that have been sold." He sighed and took a beat. He looked around the kitchen and didn't seem to want to meet my eyes.

"You can't change a tiger's stripes, Veronica." He shook his head. "If this is what you want, I understand that the client comes first. And if he remains a client, I have no issue with him staying here while you figure things out for him. But just know, even if he isn't guilty of these crimes, it doesn't mean he isn't guilty of something." He walked away towards his bedroom. Mac was trying hard to pretend she wasn't listening.

"I don't think he's gonna get your dad's blessing any time soon." Mac tried to lighten the situation and I appreciated it.

"Doubtful, but it only took Logan 10 years, maybe it'll only take Eli 15." I shrugged. "My laptop is in my room; I'll run and grab it. I'll give you the information that Matty gave me about one of the kids that sells at her school if you wanna do a deep background check?" She nodded enthusiastically. Apparently Istanbul hadn't been much fun in the research and hacking areas that Mac preferred. I headed towards my bedroom and pulled out my phone. I opened the messages from Eli.

Coulda warned a guy that your dad was coming home

Told him about the case, conveniently left out all the good stuff ; )

I'm starting to think your dad isn't a fan of me, this is gonna be tough

I need to get out of here for a while, I feel like your dad is trying to kill me with his eyes, call when you can.

I called his number and he picked up rather quickly.

"Hey you."

"Hey, sorry about my dad. I have no idea he would be home so soon. We haven't really kept in touch since I took your case." I paced the floor in my room.

"I get it. Should I be looking for somewhere else to stay?" He questioned.

"No, he was pretty accepting of the fact that to solve this case you shouldn't be involved in the on goings of the house you live in." I left out a lot of the negative stuff he said; why ruin this so soon.

"How much or how little did you tell him about my case?"

"Like for real about the case or the other stuff not at all case related?"

"I'm positive you told him every detail you knew about my case." He laughed.

"I didn't tell him anything else, he's… not exactly receptive to the fact of you staying here if there was anything else going on." Silence filled the airwaves.

"I'll head back there shortly."

"Don't let him spook you, this arrangement is only temporary and if he learned to love Logan, he will get to the point where he tolerates you." I joked even though I don't think he cared for it.

"See you soon, V." he hung up quickly. I knew this wouldn't be easy, I knew this was ill-advised and was gonna take a lot of work, but I hoped it was worth it. I grabbed my computer and went downstairs to meet Mac.

"Did you still want these?" a gentleman asked Eli as he put his phone back in his pocket and looked at the floral arrangement he had picked out to bring to Veronica, in hopes that she had told her dad and it was time to win him over. It seemed pointless now.

"My situation has changed but I appreciate your help." Eli nodded to the gentleman behind the counter and headed back to Veronica's house where he wasn't sure how the dynamic would be now that Keith was there.