Veronica yanked on the door once again and cried out in frustration. She didn't think her day could get any worse then how it started but now that she was standing in a broom closet, covered in pink foam, on a floor that was sticky with God-knows-what she was rethinking the evaluation.

She pounded on the door again and shouted but she knew it was pointless. The music outside was too loud. She kicked the door and pushed her hands through her hair.

It had all been for nothing. She had ruined everything for nothing.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

12 hours earlier….

"Logan," Veronica said, rolling him onto his back. "Logan, can you hear me?"

But his head only sagged alarmingly to the side. Veronica looked up at Troy.

"Call 911," she said, trying to keep the panic out of her voice. "He's out cold."

Troy nodded and stepped toward the phone then stopped.

"Veronica…."

She looked up at him and her eyes were wide with fear.

"What? Call them!"

"Veronica, if we call 911 the police will come. They can't find me here."

Veronica stood up and said in a deadly voice: "Your problems mean so very little to me right now."

"I realize that," he said calmly. "But currently they are your problems too. Do you really want all this to be for nothing?"

Veronica grabbed at the phone but Troy snatched it away from her.

"What!" She screamed at him. "Do you expect me to leave him here unconscious on the floor?"

Troy shook his head. "We'll take him to the hospital ourselves. Tell them he fell. It'll buy us some time."

Veronica felt angry tears stinging the back of her eyes.

"Do you have any idea how much I loathe you?" She whispered.

"Yeah," he said with a nod. "I kinda do."

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

Veronica looked down at Logan, lying still as a corpse in the hospital bed, and the same thoughts that had been swirling in her head for hours continued their relentless whirlwind in her mind.

He's going to wake up and he's going to hate you.

As long as he wakes up, another, darker voice responded.

It's just a slight concussion.

Then why hasn't he woken up yet?

Veronica shook her head and ran a hand through her hair. The doctor was having the same thought, she knew. When they'd first arrived he'd only been in the room long enough to assess Logan and then he disappeared. But three hours later when Logan hadn't woken up he'd come back several times.

The second time, he personally questioned Veronica on how Logan got injured and it was clear he was not convinced by her explanation of Logan tripping over his own feet and hitting the table in her living room.

Veronica leaned over and brushed the hair away from Logan's forehead.

"Please wake up," she whispered. "How can I explain everything if you won't wake up?"

He wouldn't forgive her if she had been cheating on him. That she was certain of. But she hadn't been. And for the hundredth time she cursed herself for letting Troy twist her into his plan. And then she cursed herself again for letting him sleep on her couch when his parents came home from Europe unexpectedly.

You should have let him sleep in his damn car.

She ran her fingers up and down Logan's arm.

He wouldn't forgive me for cheating on him but he will for all of this. He'll understand why I did it. He has to understand.

"Veronica?"

Veronica stiffened and she didn't turn around. If she actually looked at Troy he was going to be needing a room of his own.

"Veronica, we have to go."

"He hasn't woken up yet."

"You've been here for hours."

"And he still hasn't woken up."

"He's in the hospital, they'll take care of him."

She felt his hand on his arm and she yanked it away from him.

"I have to explain everything to him. He thinks I'm sleeping with you."

"You can explain later. We have to go."

"If I'm not here when he wakes up he'll never believe me. He'll shut me out completely."

"And if we don't leave now he could spend the next ten to twenty in prison."

Veronica turned slowly toward Troy. "You would really do it, wouldn't you?"

"Veronica, I wish I were less concerned about my own self preservation then I am but it's just the kind of guy I am." He scooped up her arm again. "We have to go."

Veronica jerked her arm away from him and pulled a notebook out of her purse. She scribbled a hasty note and then laid it on Logan's chest. She leaned over and pressed a quick kiss to his forehead then she turned and left the room with Troy.

As soon as she left Logan opened his eyes. He sat up carefully and his head protested in agony. He pulled open the note Veronica had left and read it.

Logan, I swear on Lilly's grave that I am not cheating on you. Please believe me. I will be back soon. Love, Veronica.

Logan curled the note in his fist and tossed it aside. Then he carefully slid out of the hospital bed.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

The warehouse was enormous and still it seemed like it was brimming to capacity. Hundreds of people were writhing to the music that was pumping like a pulse throughout the room. It was dark and hot from the body heat and colored lights splashed across the mass of people making them look like a turbulent ocean. A cry of appreciation rippled across the room as pink foam suddenly glopped from the ceiling and people raised their arms and shouted.

Troy and Veronica surveyed the party from the entrance.

"How are we supposed to find anyone in this?" Veronica asked.

"With diligence," Troy replied.

Veronica turned and looked up at him. "If she isn't here then it's your problem from now on, got it? I'm out."

"She'll be here," Troy said, casting his eyes over the crowd. "This is exactly her type of party."

"Lovely."

Troy offered her his hand and with a scowl she took it. The DJ said something about going old school and a cheer went up when the song started playing. Veronica grinned sourly.

"They're playing your song," she shouted to Troy, now that they were in the thick of the crowd.

Troy tipped his head and listened.

A street kid gets arrested, gonna do some time

He got out three years from now just to commit more crime

A businessman is caught with 24 kilos

He's out on bail, and out of jail and that's the way it goes…

"Wicked, Veronica Mars. You are wicked."

As they had done at the beach party they danced as a way to case the place. They made their way around the dance floor scanning the crowd. Veronica didn't see anyone she knew until Troy spun her around and she landed awkwardly on Wanda Sykes foot.

Wanda's protest at being stomped on stuck in her throat when she recognized Veronica.

"Veronica," she said, "I wouldn't have expected to see you here."

"Neither would I," she replied cooly and she turned back to Troy.

"Friend of yours?" Troy asked.

"Not exactly," Veronica replied. "Let's move over to the other side."

They danced for another hour and it was beginning to work on Veronica's nerves. She wanted to know that Logan was all right, not be at a borderline orgy with Troy.

"I'm going to call the hospital," she shouted to Troy, just as a stream of foam poured down over her head.

Troy gave a whoop of delight and Veronica covered her head and made a dash for the door. Once outside Veronica took a deep breath of the cool night air. The suspiciously scented air inside was starting to give her a headache. And a craving for White Castle.

She pulled her phone out of her pocket and saw that she had twelve messages. She quickly scanned through them and noted that every single one of them was from Duncan. It suddenly occurred to her that the last time she spoke with Duncan was when Logan walked into her apartment and he'd probably heard the entire scuffle. He was probably worried as hell.

She was contemplating whether to call the hospital or Duncan first when she suddenly tuned into a conversation a few feet away.

"Yeah, I can totally help you out." A blonde in a short shirt and beaded tank top was saying to a guy who was clearly already strung out. She glanced up and saw Veronica looking at her. "Let's go inside where it's more private."

Veronica put her phone back in her pocket and followed them inside. She stayed a comfortable distance away from them so she wouldn't spook them and she glanced around for Troy. She couldn't imagine what she was thinking leaving him alone in this crowd. She'd never find him again.

The strung out guy walked passed her and her eyes shot back to the blonde. Veronica smiled brightly and walked over to her.

"Hey, can you help me out too?"

The blonde looked at her suspiciously.

"With what?" She snapped back.

"She's looking to buy what you've got to sell Shawn baby." Troy said from behind Veronica.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

Author's note: I know I said that this would be the final chapter but it turned out much longer then I anticipated so I broke it in two. I'm sorry for the long wait. I tend to procrastinate toward the end of a story, not wanting it to end. The final chapter is done so it'll be up soon. Promise.

P.S. Season two tonight! Can't wait!