A/N: Here's a little X-mas treat for LoVe fans. This will be my last update until 2006 because I have a term paper due and I have to get my ass in gear so R& R and remember, I love constructive criticism.

2 weeks after the Kane dinner...

Veronica stared at the Christmas tree in her apartment. In her opinion, it was a very pathetic tree. She had had to buy a real tree this year because her fake tree from Boston was too big for the corner of her apartment, or any part of her apartment for that matter. So a week before Christmas she had to go to a Neptune tree-lot. And this was the last tree there. It was about 5 feet high, and was missing some branches in certain places and it leaned to the left a little bit so Veronica put a chair over on the left side in case it fell.

She collapsed on her couch in exhaustion. Carrying the tree up the stair to her second floor apartment was hard. She sat there and stared at the only two presents under her tree. They were both from Duncan, both small boxes

Tomorrow was Christmas and she had no one to share it with because Duncan was in Aspen. Sure he had invited her along but that would of meant a week stuck sharing a room with Lilly. That definitely wasn't her definition of a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. She passed and decided to stay home by herself. Until yesterday when Duncan called her from Aspen with an idea. He suggested she go out and get a dog, a pit bull or a husky. He wasn't so keen on her staying home alone so much, even though she assured him she could kick-box and that she owned a taser that she kept in her bedside table. So today she was heading to the dog pound to get herself a dog. Duncan had given her his credit card and called the credit card company so she could sign for purchases just in case she didn't have enough money for the dog she wanted. He told her it was an extra Christmas gift that she could have early.

An hour after bringing her tree to her apartment, Veronica headed out the door to go to the Neptune Humane Society. When she arrived she told the manager there that she was looking for a big dog, a watch dog who could protect her. He brought her to a cage where a light brown pit bull was kept. The sign on his cage said ABANDONED - NO NAME. Veronica reached her hand into the cage where the pit bull licked her hand gingerly. Feeling her heart break to leave him, she turned to the manager and smiled

"I'll take him."

15 minutes later...

Veronica and her pit bull, who she decided to name Back-Up, where pulling up to her apartment complex. She led Back-Up out on a leash and collar which she had bought at the humane society. When they arrived to her apartment, Back-Up jumped onto her couch, making himself comfortable and almost knocking her pathetic tree over. She joined Back-Up on the couch and fell asleep watching Christmas specials on TV.

The next day...

Veronica woke to see that she and Back-Up had dozed off and that Back-Up left her a Christmas "present" by the door. She picked it up and decided that because it was Christmas morning, she would open up her gifts from Duncan and the Kanes. The first box she opened was one from Duncan. He gave her a pocket-knife that had Veronica Mars engraved on the blade. With it there was a note that read, 'Just in case' The next one from Duncan was a necklace with a candy cane charm on it. She fastened it around her neck and admired it in the mirror in the living room.

A week later...

It was New Years Eve and she was perfectly content with watching the ball drop until...

RING!

Veronica's cell phone began ringing and the screen read Duncan

"Hello?"

"Hey Veronica, its Duncan. There's a party at Logan's tonight, how about you go? We aren't getting back till Wednesday and you shouldn't spend tonight alone."

"I'm not spending it alone, I got Back-Up. Plus if you've forgotten, 98 of the 09-ers would walk over my corpse for free gum, including your sister." she countered

"Aw come on, Logan will watch you."

"Duncan, Logan probably drunker than hell right now, the last thing he will do is watch me."

"Please, Lilly broke up with him before we left for Aspen, he's probably bummed out and could use someone whose not an air head to talk to."

"Now Duncan, you aren't calling your friends air heads, now are you?"

Silence

"OK, fine, I'll go. But if someone pukes on my clothes, you're paying the dry-cleaning bill."

"Will do. Love you Veronica. Happy New Year."

Veronica hung up her cell phone and headed to her bedroom to get ready for the party.

An hour later...

Veronica was sitting in the pool house at the Echolls mansion. She was admiring the CD collection when she heard footsteps.

"Hello Logan."

"Hey Ronnie!" he slurred. She could smell the stench of alcohol on him from across the room. 'Shit, he's drunker than hell.' she thought 'If he pukes, Duncan totally owes me.'

"Logan, sit down. You're a bit tipsy." she coaxed.

"Well, 'ronica you'd be a bit tipsy if your girlfriend just broke up wit you." he sat down on the bed, both miserable and drunk. She sat next to him and stared at her feet.

"You wanna know why Lilly really hates you, Ronnie?" he asked coming out of his stupor.

"Why Logan? Enlighten me." she said sarcastically

With that Logan leaned in and kissed Veronica softly on the lips.

"Cause I like you."

---------------------------------------------------

Okay, I had to leave a little cliffy there to drive ya nuts. But I need ideas about what happens. So R&R quickly so I can write the seventh chapter!