A/N : So many reviews! All of you are awesome for your kind comments and support! Hope you like the new chapter just as much as the last :-)

Chapter 13 - Let's Hear It For The Boy

"Morning sweetheart" Keith greeted his daughter as she came from her room to the breakfast table in her nightwear and robe, stretching her arms above her head and yawning.

"Hey, Dad" she smiled, until she noticed all the paperwork spread out before him, "Not on a Sunday, Dad, we talked about this"

"I know, honey" he sighed, as she arrived at his side and he put an arm round her waist, "And I promise this is just a one time thing, honest"

"Okay" Veronica nodded, hugging her father, before walking around the counter seeking out something she might want for breakfast, "Are you hungry?" she checked.

"I had breakfast already" he admitted, "But a coffee would be great"

Veronica busied herself getting a drink for her father, as well as some cereal and juice for herself.

"So, how was the party last night?" Keith asked her, "I know I asked when you got home, but I barely got a 'cool, whatever' before you went rushing off to your room"

"It was late, I was tired" Veronica said definitely, keeping her back to her Dad as she spoke, "And the party was good, we had fun. There's not much to tell"

"A house full of underage drinking and debauchery, and you didn't come back with at least a shortlist of kids I can bust for minor crimes?" he checked, with fake shock, "Veronica, I'm disappointed in you"

"Ha ha" the blonde mocked a laugh at his joke, as she came to join him at the table, bringing first his coffee then her own breakfast, "It was all pretty average; Dick was an idiot, Madison was a bitch" she rolled her eyes as she explained.

"What about Lilly?" Keith asked with interest, "Was she there?"

"She was" Veronica admitted, pushing her cereal around with the spoon, but not eating for the moment, "Would you believe she brought Weevil with her?"

"Eli Navarro and Lilly Kane?" her father's eyes went wide at the prospect of it.

"Pretty shocking, huh?" Veronica smirked at his expression, "Apparently he was another of Lilly's secret affairs. I don't try to understand it, I don't want to anymore" she shook her head, focusing on eating her breakfast at last.

"Y'know, honey" Keith sighed, "As great as it was to see you being happy with Lilly, and Duncan for that matter, I can't say I'm completely sorry that you're not hanging around with the Kane kids anymore"

"Okay" Veronica frowned slightly, swallowing her mouthful, "I see why you would have a problem with Lilly, it's pretty obvious to everybody that she's not exactly the kind of daughter anybody would want right now, and people get tainted by association, I get that" she agreed, "But Duncan's not... Well, until he just stopped calling, and started ignoring me in the halls, he wasn't a bad guy"

"I know that, sweetheart" her father agreed, looking at her at first but then down more at his coffee as he continued, "In a lot of ways I know Duncan is a very nice, decent young man, but... I just think it's for the best in the long run that you and he don't see each other that way. For all their money and power, Veronica, the Kanes aren't the perfect family, even if they sometimes seem to be" he told her, "You should know that better than anyone"

"I do" she nodded as she got up from her seat and came to her Dad's side, "How could they be the perfect family, when the best father and daughter team are right here?" she smiled, hugging him tight.

Veronica didn't see, of course, the pained expression on her father's face as he hugged her back. Father and daughter. It's what they seemed to be, ought to be, but he knew very well that there was every chance Lianne's affair with Jake Kane had produced the cute little blonde in his arms. She might not be his daughter at all, and yet so far he hadn't had the guts to tell her.

"So, what's the plan for today?" he asked when they parted, "Staying home, going out?"

"I guess staying home" Veronica shrugged, "Wallace is busy all weekend, and Logan... well, I figure he'll have had enough of my company after last night" she said, feeling slightly awkward as she recalled the kiss the two of them had shared, actually, make that two kisses.

She could almost blush at the thought of it, if she were more the blushing kind. The one good thing that had come out of hanging out with Lilly and even Logan so much was that getting embarrassed just became a non-option. Veronica had learnt to let everything slide by her without a care, well, most things anyway.

"Oh, well, I thought Logan was quite enjoying your company last night" Keith said casually as he look down at his paperwork, "I never knew you take so long to say goodnight to Lilly when you and she were best friends..." he smiled as he glanced up at his daughter, her mouth having fallen open wide.

"Oh my God, you were spying on us!" she gasped in shock, "Dad, that's gross!" she complained.

"I'm the Sheriff, Veronica, it's my job to keep an eye on people" he told her smartly, "And since I'm also your father, that makes it doubly my job to keep watch over you" he said, making his little girl smile.

"You know I love it that you care" she reminded him, "Although, I'm afraid to ask what you think about the idea of me and Logan being... well, whatever we are right now" she said, somewhat awkwardly.

"Veronica, I like Logan" her father promised her, "He's not a bad guy, I never had to pick him up for anything. He has some questionable friends, or at least he did, but I know you can't always judge a person on their friends" he considered, "Thankfully from what I've seen he has more of his mothers traits than his fathers, and drinking aside, Lynn is at least a moral and decent human being"

"And the verdict after all the exposition is...?" Veronica asked, wondering after all the to and fro whether her father was actually going to object to her getting closer to Logan Echolls or not.

"Honey, if you're happy, I'm happy" he smiled at last and she did the same.

"Y'know, I really am" she told him.

"Then it's settled" Keith nodded once, smile never wavering, "You'll date Logan, we'll all be happy, and if he sets one foot out of line, I can shoot him"

"Dad!" Veronica complained at her father's joke, but she laughed nevertheless, before heading back to her bedroom to get dressed.

It was strange, she thought, as she pulled clothes from her closet and changed into them, to hear her father's words;

'You'll date Logan, we'll all be happy'

Dating Logan; it was a strange concept, and yet the very thought of it brought a smile to Veronica's lips. She never really considered the young Mr Echolls as dating material, well, not seriously... had she? As she thought more about it Veronica recalled a conversation that had occurred a very long time ago, between herself and Lilly...

4 years earlier...

"So what do you think of the new boy?" the thirteen year old daughter of the Kane empire asked her best friend as she stretched out on her bed, looking across at the blonde on the desk chair.

"Logan Echolls?" Veronica checked, quite pointlessly since he was the only new boy in town, "I don't know, he looks pretty much like his picture" she noted, flashing a page of the magazine in her hands towards Lilly.

"It's not all about looks, Veronica" she rolled her eyes, as her friend narrowed hers.

At twelve and thirteen the girls had just started to form a real interest in the male side of the population and as young teenage girls were wont to do, they pretty much only ever focused on looks, though Lilly was more guilty of this than Veronica, who had always been brought up to see the person behind the appearance.

"Okay, so a lot of it is about looks" the young Miss Kane giggled, "And Logan is pretty fine. He's going to grow up handsome like his Daddy, that's for sure"

"You think Aaron Echolls is handsome?" Veronica asked, with a look of distaste, "He's majorly old"

"Maybe I like older men" she shrugged.

"Well, Logan is younger than you" her friend pointed out, "So I guess he's of little or no interest"

"All guys are of interest to me, Veronica Mars" Lilly reminded her with a smile as she turned onto her side and propped herself up with her elbow, and her hand under her head, "So come on, give me an honest opinion on the younger Mr Echolls. Hot or not?"

"I guess hot" Veronica admitted as she looked down at the picture in the magazine, the boy she'd met a few hours ago as Duncan showed up to the girls soccer practice with a new friend in tow.

"Yeah, I could go for the cute but troubled movie star son thing" Lilly considered, "Could be good for my deal"

"Your deal?" Veronica laughed lightly, "Lil, do you even like him?"

"Sure" she shrugged, "He could be fun. Besides, with my brother making goo-goo eyes at you all the time, I don't think it's going to be long before you two are dating" she sighed, "And I've got to have someone for our double dates, right?"

Veronica answered with a nod and a vague 'yeah' as her focus remained on the magazine in front of her. Logan Echolls - he was hot alright, and from what she could make out from their brief meeting, quite sweet and probably fun. She was a good judge of character most of the time, she guessed it came from her fathers teachings. As a man of the law he had to be good at judging people, those he could trust and those that would lie without a care.

"Veronica?" Lilly tried to get her attention but she wasn't listening, "Hey, Veronica!"

back to the present...

"Veronica?" the person calling her name as she returned to reality was her father and the blonde shook her head to bring her completely out of the daze she'd found herself in, "Sweetheart, you have a visitor"

"Be right out" she called back, checking her appearance quickly in the mirror before hurrying out of her room and through to where her Dad was talking to the person who was apparently there to see her.

"Here she is" Keith smiled, "Look who couldn't stay away" he said, gesturing beyond himself to where Logan stood.

"Hey" Veronica greeted him, barely noticing as her father muttered something about leaving them alone, and slipped off out of the room, "What are you doing here?"

"Gee, Veronica, that's a nice welcome" Logan smirked, his hands in his pockets as he stood there looking a little awkward now, "Especially since I came bearing gifts" he said, stepping aside from the table where a sizeable parcel sat, badly wrapped in bright coloured paper with a bow on top.

It was quite obvious from the rough attempts at gift wrap that Logan had done this himself, which actually made Veronica feel all the more odd about taking the offered gift.

"It's not my Birthday" she told him, and he nodded his head.

"I know that" he assured her, "I'd be a pretty bad best friend if I didn't know when you're Birthday was. This is just... something you'll be needing"

With a dubious look in her eye, but a smile on her lips nonetheless, Veronica crossed to the table and carefully unwrapped the gift, opening the box beneath the paper and grinning as she pulled out the contents.

"Ice skates" she said, glancing at Logan, "Very good, I'm impressed by both your memory and initiative" she told him, "Ten out of a possible ten" she said, turning around, only to find he was now right behind her.

"Damn" he cursed, "I was trying for eleven"

"Sorry, you didn't quite earn it" she countered, trying not to let his closeness affect her but finding it difficult as her mind flashed back to last nights kisses, the very thought of those moments making her heart beat faster and her breath leave her.

"Maybe this will get me that extra point" Logan smiled, and Veronica anticipated another kiss, only to be surprised and a little disappointed when instead he produced a bunch of keys which he dangled in front of her face.

"Keys?" she frowned.

"Not just any keys" Logan assured her, "This key here" he said, selecting one and showing her, "Opens the doors to a new adventure for you, Miss Mars" he smiled, offering a hand for her to take, "What do you say? Do you trust me?"

Barely a second passed before she took the offered hand and nodded once.

"Yes, I do"

To Be Continued...