A/N: Yay for so much lovely feedback - thanx all, you're awesome ;-) Now, on we go with the story and things are about to get even more interesting...

(For disclaimer, etc. - see chapter 1)

Chapter 7

Veronica Mars stood in the entrance hall to the hotel in which she had slept last night. This morning felt a whole lot brighter than yesterday evening had done when she was over-tired and entirely stressed out by the situation she found herself in. Of course she hadn't so much found herself in the situation as she had put herself in it, offering to play bodyguard and baby-sitter to a runaway teen who could no longer stand the jail-like conditions of his rich and plentiful lifestyle. A challenge was not always a bad thing and there were definite upsides to this adventure vacation she was currently sharing with Logan Echolls. Unfortunately, there were also downsides for Veronica, like being tailed by her ex and his buddy in their capacity as the Echolls security men, and practically having to keep Logan on a leash to prevent him causing or getting into trouble.

Right now he was at least in view, right outside the hotel using an ATM. He needed to draw out money to pay his half of the hotel bill, though Veronica had insisted she was quite happy to pay it all herself. He wouldn't hear of it and had gone out to the machine just as soon as they got down into the foyer to fetch his necessary money.

Veronica was glad she could see him else she might've been worried by how long he was gone. A simple transaction like getting money out of the machine should only take a couple of minutes and yet it was already more than five and Logan appeared to be punching the wall...

"That can't be good" said Veronica with a frown, just about to go and see what was up, when Logan suddenly came storming back in with a face like thunder, "What's going on?" she asked him as he reached her side, slamming his hand angrily against the counter top of the Reception desk.

"The ATM ate my card!" he complained, perhaps a little too loudly as he spun around and ran a hand through his hair in frustration, "I can't believe that, I had enough money in the account, my Dad must've moved it" he said definitely.

"I thought your parents were cool with you taking this trip?" said Veronica still wearing a frown that required no acting - she was genuinely confused at this point.

Last she heard Aaron and Lynn Echolls had agreed to let Logan run around a while, get this whole thing out of system or whatever. They were supposed to trust her, with the safety net of Leo and Sachs, to keep their son safe. She couldn't think what might've changed.

"One thing about my Dad" said Logan with a wry smile, "He lies like a pro. Daddy Dearest really is a hell of an actor" he muttered the last part under his breath and of course Veronica knew why, though she just pretended not to hear.

"Well, I can pay for our rooms, if it helps" she said kindly, already handing over her credit card to the girl behind the desk who stood waiting to make the final transition, "Hey" she said, putting a hand to Logan's arm in hopes of being comforting in some way, "You okay?" she checked.

"Sure" he smiled though the expression seemed less than genuine to the young woman trained to spot a liar at fifty paces, "Honestly, Veronica, I'm just... I guess it's always disappointing to be reminded how much my father doesn't trust me" he sighed.

Veronica opened her mouth to say something kind in the hopes of making him feel better when the girl behind the Reception desk, who bore a name tag that said 'Hannah', interrupted them.

"Um, excuse me, Miss" she smiled politely, "but your card has been declined"

"Declined?" said Veronica looking confused, sharing a look with Logan then that seriously made her wonder if Aaron had decided enough was enough and cut off her funding too, "I don't understand"

"Today is the first day of July" Hannah helpfully pointed out, her finger showing Veronica the Expiry Date on her card that was clearly June.

"Oh, great" said the blonde with a sigh, rifling around for cash she already knew she was likely not going to find.

A lot of her money had already got blown on gas and the last motel. She had intended to be staying with her Dad and making minimal purchases on her vacation. When she started this crazy trip with Logan, her credit card was the back up plan. Now there was no back up and she was seriously wondering how they were even going to pay for this night in a hotel nevermind whatever came next.

Thinking fast, she forced a sob that took very little acting, grabbing a hold of Logan's arm and leaning into his shoulder. Instinctively, his other arm went around her and he ducked down to her level, concerned something as really wrong.

"Just follow my lead" she said quickly and quietly when she'd got his attention, then turned back to Hannah showing signs of teariness, "Please, you have to take pity on us" she urged the girl, "We can't go back"

"Go back?" the poor girl looked entirely confused as her eyes moved from Veronica to Logan and back.

"Our parents don't understand" Veronica cried, acting like a pro and astonishing her accomplice so much he almost forgot he was supposed to be backing her up, until she squeezed his hand in hers a little too hard and made him wince.

"Yeah, we had to run away to be together" he told the bemused Receptionist, "Our folks just tried to tear us apart... y'know they want her to marry this other guy and, and I just couldn't let that happen" he said, turning to Veronica with such a passion in his eyes, there was no doubting he was the son of movie actors.

"He's my world" she said, gazing up at her man, "And I would rather die than live without him" she sobbed, praying that Hannah's eyes were still on them, that she was buying this over-acted Romeo & Juliet -esque scene.

"Wow" the girl gasped, "Well, er, I can't just let you not pay" she said, trying to be sympathetic, "but maybe if I get my Supervisor, there might be something she can do" she said gesturing into the office behind her where she had to go to fetch said Supervisor, the fake couple assumed.

"Oh my God" said Logan with a grin as he turned to look at Veronica the moment they were alone, "You are amazing" he laughed, almost unable to believe that they might actually get away with this.

"Not so bad yourself, Romeo" she joked, both realising at the same time that they were still holding hands even now.

It made them both feel strange for a few seconds, before they were forced to resume their act as Hannah returned to the desk with her Supervisor in tow.

"These are the guests, Miss Mackenzie" the girl explained, and Veronica's eyes went wide as saucers as she realised who 'Miss Mackenzie' really was.

Logan was of course oblivious to the fact that these two knew each other and neither said a word about it as Hannah was dubbed unneeded and sent away. The brunette behind the desk hammered away on the computer in front of her, apparently not caring to hear the sob story that Veronica and Logan had been spinning. In fact, it seemed so strange that he was about to ask what was going on when the woman glanced up and shot them both a smile.

"Okay, all fixed" she told the would-be couple, "Your rooms have been paid for"

"What?" asked Logan with a frown, "Did I turn over two pages at once?"

"Veronica and I go back a ways" said Miss Mackenzie, "To the High School years"

"Logan, this is Mac" the blonde grinned, happy to be recognised on this one occasion when usually she preferred to be completely undercover in all things, "We were friends back in High School like she said and she's kind of a computer whiz, but that doesn't..."

"Explain why I just got your rooms paid for, on paper at least" Mac rolled her eyes, "The hotel won't be down any cash and I won't get in trouble" she assured them, "but you're in a jam and you needed a hand. It's what we always did for each other, right?"

"You always had my back, Q" joked Veronica, the way she had so often years ago when they attended High School together.

"Happy to be of service, Bond" her old friend smiled, as Logan looked between the pair, feeling like he'd missed a joke somewhere, but at the same time just as glad to be out of the mess they had somehow gotten into.

It didn't occur to him of course that Mac knew more about their situation than she was saying. She wasn't as oblivious to Veronica's chosen career path as Logan was, and was pretty sure this whole thing was either a scam to catch the boy or to keep him safe. Either way, she knew she had to help, it was what they always did for each other, just like she'd said.

"Oh my God!" a gasp from across the entrance hall had everyone's attention in a second, as a couple of teenage girls pointed in Logan's direction.

He knew without question that they knew who he was and that was bad. Not only did that compromise him for the press spotting him or whatever, but it also might give his identity away to Veronica and her friend. He didn't know the little blonde was in on the secret and he planned to keep her out of the loop. Grabbing up her hand he attempted to drag her away from the desk.

"We need to go" he said with urgency and Veronica nodded he was right.

"Go unlock the car, pull around back" she told him, tossing the keys into his hands, "I'll be right there with the bags" she promised, watching him pelt over to the side exit and out into the street, "Mac" she said then, turning back to her friend, "The two guys staying in the room opposite mine and Logan's? I need them slowed down" she explained, "Any chance of one last favour?" she practically begged as she gathered up hers and Logan's belongings and began backing towards the door.

"You got it" nodded Mac, giving a thumbs up symbol that had Veronica grinning as she made her hasty exit at last.

Honestly, she didn't know why she was doing this. Giving the back-up security the slip was practically suicidal but she so wanted to get away for real. D'Amata was becoming a thorn in her side, and he and Sachs had the potential to ruin everything if they were allowed to get too close. Logan was smart enough he was likely to realise they were being tailed before long. Besides, given the stunt they just pulled and the fact his father was trying to cut this whole trip short by any means possible, Veronica was determined to make this adventure last as long as she could for Logan as the net slowly closed in around them.

The rush of being on the run was exhilarating, and Logan seemed to be feeling it too as Veronica flung their bags into the back seat, hopped in through the passenger door and barely got it closed before Logan put his foot down and sped off down the street.

Back at the hotel, Sachs rushed to the front desk, desperate to get the room he and D'Amata had stayed in paid for whilst his buddy started checking all the exits for which way Veronica and Logan might've gone.

Mac brought up the details on the computer and realised these were the guys she was supposed to stall. With a smile she was trying to hide, she told the one man, and then the other whom she was pretty sure Veronica used to date, that there was a slight problem with their payment method. Oh, she was going to enjoy this just a little too much...

To Be Continued...