A/N: First of all, thank you so much to all the wonderful, beautiful, articulate marshmallows who have reviewed this story so far. I appreciate your feedback and support more than I can say, and I love hearing your thoughts on the story and the characters.

I've finally reached the end of the story I had drafted before posting the first chapter, so updates might not be quite as regular going forward. I will really try to finish this story in reasonably good time. I'm sorry for any unforeseen delays! I really hope you enjoy this chapter.

Veronica dragged Logan away from his sister, feeling queasy.

Mrs. Echolls is dead. And Mr. Echolls…

Logan stopped walking. Veronica started to give his arm another tug, then froze as his face crumpled and he started to cry.

A hot blush burned her cheeks and she looked away. She didn't want to see him like this. She was pretty sure he didn't want her to, either. Veronica cleared her throat, hoping he'd remember she was there and pull himself together. Then she heard a sob wrench its way out of his throat and Logan bent over, bracing his hands on his knees as he cried.

Feeling unspeakably awkward, Veronica put a careful hand on his back. Her touch was light, and she expected him to shake her off. Instead, he leaned against her, his body warm and heavy and shaking. She started rubbing slow circles between his shoulder blades. His hand found her arm, gripping her painfully hard, and Veronica finally pulled him into a hug.

Twelve hours he'd waited for his mom to appear, and then Trina had shown up and made fun of him instead. That was one hell of a sucker punch.

"She's gone," Logan whimpered through his tears. He sounded like a scared little boy. "She's gone, she's gone…"

Logan's knees seemed to give out and he sank to the floor, forcing Veronica into an awkward half-crouch. She held him tighter, stroking his hair and making shushing noises, trying not to break down herself.

They'd never comforted each other after Lilly's murder. They hadn't been on speaking terms then – he'd broken up with Lilly and she'd broken up with Duncan, and they'd both picked their sides. Then Dad had accused Jake Kane, and that was it. She'd never once seen Logan cry. Now his tears were soaking the arm of her cardigan and his sobs were shaking her body and there was absolutely nothing she could do to help him. His mom was dead, his sister was a bitch and his dad…

Could they be true, the words Trina had flung at him? Cigarette burns and broken noses? Veronica had never seen Logan with burns or broken bones. But maybe she just hadn't been looking hard enough.

Had Lilly known? Did Duncan? Veronica bit her lips, blinking back tears. Did it matter? She knew now, and she couldn't do a thing about it.

As soon as Logan's sobs trailed off, Veronica got him back on his feet and hustled him out of the lobby. They were getting weird looks from the hotel staff and guests, and she knew Logan would hate that more than anything.

He folded over again on their way to the parking lot. Veronica looked around helplessly before dragging him to a bench in the Regent's front garden.

She sat down and pulled him toward her, still half-expecting him to resist. But for once, Logan didn't have any fight left in him. He slumped into her, his forehead pressed against her collarbone, his arms tight around her waist.

Veronica wrapped her arms around him again, one hand cradling the back of his head. His hair was surprisingly soft under the gelled tips. She took a deep, steadying breath, and his familiar smell – chlorine and ocean and peppery cologne – triggering a deluge of memories of her old life, of sunbathing and boat trips and cookouts, of giggling over issues of Sassy with Lilly and sneaking her first sips of champagne in the Echolls' pool house. She ran her hand up and down his back, blinking back tears as his body shuddered against hers.

After a while, Logan sniffled himself to silence. As his breathing steadied, the awkwardness of the situation returned full force, making Veronica's hands stall in his hair. She felt Logan's body tense and she loosened her arms, letting him untangle himself. He sat up, wiping his face on his sleeve and avoiding her eyes.

He gave a wet laugh.

"Guess you told me so."

"I really thought we'd find her," she whispered. And she had. All of her PI instincts had told her it was crazy, but she'd wanted to believe that Mrs. Echolls was alive. Must be her gooey, marshmallow center.

"Yeah, well." Logan gave her a tight, miserable smile. "Thanks for trying."

His face was wet and puffy and his eyes glittered with tears. After all the times he'd made her cry, she couldn't believe how much it hurt to see him like this.

"Let me give you a ride home," she offered, but Logan was already shaking his head.

"So I can be in the loving arms of my family?" He laughed, looking up so that fresh tears wouldn't roll down his cheeks. She knew that trick. "No thanks. Anyway, I've got a room here. I'll drive home in the morning."

"I don't think you should be alone tonight."

He smirked and she braced herself for some crack about her switching from PI to prostitute.

"Pretty sure suicide's not genetic," he joked instead, and that was so much worse.

She hesitated for a moment before putting her arms around him again. He didn't pull away, but he didn't hug her back either. After a couple seconds, she let go.

"Do you want me to call someone? Duncan?"

"No," he said quickly. "Let's just… let's pretend it never happened, okay?"

Pretend what never happened, exactly? Tonight? The whole case? Us being nice to each other? The fact that you promised to pay me?

"Sure," she said.

She stood up. It didn't feel right, leaving him here, but what choice did she have?

"See you at school?" she tried.

Logan scrubbed at his eyes. She could tell he was about to start crying again, and it was obvious he wanted her gone.

"Can't wait," he muttered into his palms.

She gave a pointless little wave and headed for her car.

With Logan's case finished, Veronica threw herself into her two others: Meg's secret admirer and the Russian bride's missing Tom Cruz. It was almost enough to keep her worries about Logan at bay.

Unfortunately, driving around Neptune in search of Tom Cruz and his dog Steve didn't take much brainpower. More than once, she found herself toying with her phone, wondering if she should call Logan. Twice, she almost finished dialing his number before hanging up.

She couldn't stop herself from replaying the events of last night. Seeing Trina. Finding out that Mrs. Echolls really had killed herself. Logan's breakdown. Holding Logan. Feeling him cling to her. Trina's awful taunts about Mr. Echolls hurting him.

On the way home, she'd decided to go straight to her dad about what Trina had said. If even half of it was true, Mr. Echolls should be behind bars, and Veronica would gladly throw away the key.

As her drive wore on, she'd had time to reconsider. Logan hadn't actually confirmed what Trina had said. Veronica had no proof, and even if she did, she hadn't asked Logan's permission to tell anyone about it.

But now that Trina had got her thinking, Veronica couldn't help wondering why Logan really swam with his shirt on, or remembering how he used to excuse random injuries with tales of surfing wipeouts and drunken mishaps.

"My boyfriend is such a klutz," Lilly would say, rolling her eyes before kissing his scrapes and bruises. But that wasn't true, Veronica realized. Logan was reckless and violent, but he was never clumsy. Whether he was groping Lilly or beating the crap out of someone, he always seemed so sure of himself and his body. It was one of the things she used to find distressingly sexy about him, back when they were dating each other's best friends.

Had Mrs. Echolls known? Had she ever tried to stop it? And could her failure to protect her son be part of the reason she'd killed herself?

Veronica didn't have many memories of Logan's beautiful, movie star mother. She wasn't like Mrs. Kane, always hovering; when Logan had friends over, Mrs. Echolls would say hello and leave them alone. Veronica might have chatted to her briefly at a birthday party or a movie night, but her main impression of Lynn Echolls had been of someone elegant and sweet, like the good queen in a fairy tale. So much for the happy ending.

Inevitably, Logan's failed quest to find his mom made Veronica think about her own. At least she knew Mom hadn't killed herself, but did that make it any more likely that Veronica would ever see her again? It certainly didn't make her disappearance any easier to understand.

So when it turned out that Tom Cruz was in Witness Protection and his blushing Russian bride was a mafia princess sent to kill him, it hurt Veronica more than it should. Then she found out Duncan was crushing on Meg, and it damn near broke her heart.

Ah, the quintessential high school scene: girl with crimped hair and fake eyelashes crying in her car outside the big spring dance. And Wallace said she had no school spirit.

It wasn't like she was in love with Duncan. He might be her brother, a fact that still made her dry heave when she thought about it too much. But sometimes it really sucked to see other people move on while she was stuck on pause. Sure, she'd kept living since losing Lilly and Mom, but nights like this made her realize how much she was just going through the motions. While other girls got flowers from cute boys and gushed about the big dance, she was holding her breath, waiting to find Lilly's killer so Mom could come home and she could get back to her real life. But this was her real life. And sometimes, it really sucked.

She was settling in for a serious crying jag when a tap on her window nearly made her heart land in her mouth.

Duncan? Logan?

Leo.

She popped open the car door and looked up at him: rolled-up blazer, bouquet and all. Her knight in shining armor. So why did the sight of him make her heart sink?

"What's wrong, Veronica?" he asked sweetly.

She gave one last sniffle and climbed out of her car. Leo didn't press for an answer.

"Are you ready for a total eclipse of the heart?"

He held her hand on the way to the gym.

"I want you to know I borrowed this outfit from Sacks," he told her. "I'm not that old."

"Who said the '80s didn't look good?" she joked, bumping her shoulder against his.

He gave her a shy grin. "No one who saw you, that's for sure."

She laughed. "A cop, a musician and a smooth talker?"

His grin got wider. "I told you, I'm trying to tick all the fantasy boxes. How am I doing?"

Veronica smiled. "I'll let you know."

If Leo felt uncomfortable being in a high school gym filled with streamers and disco balls, he didn't show it. He'd put on the costume, he'd bought the flowers, and he'd asked her to dance. Maybe life on pause wasn't so bad, after all.

"Heads up – Risky Business at twelve o'clock," Leo said.

Veronica followed his gaze. Logan was near the stage, staggering around in socks, sunglasses and a dress shirt, screaming at everyone to Wang Chung tonight.

Well, at least he'd made it back to Neptune in one piece. And it looked like he'd been drinking ever since. She was kind of impressed that he'd managed to remember the '80s theme for tonight, although Tom Cruise's outfit from Risky Business was probably less of a costume and more of an attempt to get suspended.

The music was still playing, but no one was dancing anymore. The crowd of students drew back from Logan like his humiliation might be contagious, leaving him standing alone in all his drunken, pants-less glory.

Veronica chanced a look at Duncan. He still had his arms around Meg, and was looking at Logan like he didn't even know him. Veronica was surprised to feel a hot burst of anger. Some best friend.

Logan staggered out of the gym, clearing a path through people that refused to meet his eye. Leo sighed and headed after him.

"I cannot escape Tom Cruise," Veronica muttered before following Logan and Leo.

"Excuse me," Leo called as Logan shambled down the hallway, bouncing off lockers and students.

Veronica hesitated before putting a hand on Leo's arm. He stopped and looked down at her.

"I sort of know that guy," she confessed. "It's Logan Echolls."

Leo's eyes widened in recognition.

"He's been going through a pretty rough time… mind if I deal with this?"

Leo sighed, glancing at Logan where he'd ended up slumped against a wall of lockers.

"Look, I'm not actually on duty," he said. "If we can get him home without kicking up a fuss, I think I can let him off the hook."

Veronica closed her eyes and smiled.

"Thank you," she breathed. When she opened her eyes, Leo was grinning and Logan was trying to stand up.

"Logan!" She hurried over to help him before he hurt himself.

He looked up and grinned.

"Hey, it's Manila Whore Barbie!"

Veronica choked on a laugh. "That's right! And her date, Deputy Sheriff Leo, so watch your mouth."

"Man, this party is lame," Logan complained, finally making it to his feet. He pushed himself off the lockers and stumbled into Veronica, grabbing her hips for balance. She noticed Leo's eyes narrow and forced Logan back out to arms' length.

"Yep, it is!" she agreed. "So why don't you let me drive you home, and the nice deputy will forget all about this?"

Logan held up a finger, like he was thinking about it.

"Umm… No!"

He made a break for the dance and ran smack into a wall. Veronica sighed and followed him.

"C'mon, Logan, give me your keys." She tried to grab them but he turned away from her, hiding against the wall. "Leo, can you follow us in your car?"

"No," Logan giggled, spinning around and keeping the keys out of her reach. "No… No… No! Tonight I'm gonna party like it's 1999."

Veronica rolled her eyes at Leo. He smirked and shook his head.

Remind me again why I miss being Logan's friend?

"Wait, who's this dude?" Logan asked, acknowledging Leo for the first time.

Veronica sighed. "As I have told you now three times, this is the friendly officer of the law who is going to overlook your public, underage drunkenness."

Logan was giggling to himself again.

"Crockett or Tubbs?" he asked. Well, at least the "officer of the law" part had penetrated.

"Logan, when did you stop wearing pants?"

Veronica turned to see Trina standing in the middle of the hallway. She was still wearing Mrs. Echolls' coat. Fantastic. Veronica really hoped Logan and Trina had worked out some of their issues since the Sunset Regent, because a drunken rematch with his sister was exactly what Logan didn't need right now.

"What are you doing here?" Logan demanded. He staggered toward Trina and ended up nearly running into Leo.

"My first night back home and I get the call: 'come get Logan; he's wasted.'" Trina laughed. "It's like I never left." Her eyes lit up as the music changed. "Is that Kajagoogoo?"

"There's no point in you going in there, Trina," Logan slurred. "Entertainment Tonight is not covering it."

Trina made a face. "Bummer. Well, I guess I'll just drag your sorry little self home."

She grabbed his sleeve and he jerked away. She reached for him again and he twisted out of her grasp. Veronica was about to offer to drive him home herself, but Logan was already following Trina toward the door.

"Long as you let me puke in your car," he grumbled.

"Of course, just like old times."

Logan looked over his shoulder. He was wearing sunglasses, so he could have been looking at anything. He could have had his eyes closed. But for some reason, Veronica felt her whole body tingling, knowing that he was staring straight at her.

"A promising young man," Leo remarked.

Veronica tore her eyes from Logan with a start.

"Thanks for showing up tonight." She smiled. "I assume I have Meg to thank for getting you here?"

Leo grinned.

"She called. But I came because I wanted to see you."

Smooth and adorable, as always. So why didn't it feel like enough?

"Wanna go back?" he asked after a moment.

Veronica stepped closer to him and peered toward the gym. Somewhere in that sweaty, glitter-encrusted room, Duncan was slow dancing with Meg.

"Uh, no. Here's not so bad."

She looked at Leo, feeling the heat of his body on her bare arms. His dark eyes dropped to her lips. She felt a tiny squirm of excitement in her stomach and grabbed at it.

"Are you gonna kiss me?" she teased.

"I was thinking about it."

Then he did.

The kiss was sweet and warm, like Leo. Not too pushy. Nice.

She leaned into it, trying focus on Leo's hands and Leo's lips, and not on whether Duncan really liked Meg, or if she should have insisted on driving Logan home herself. She almost managed it.

They broke apart and Leo grinned at her. Her heart gave a little thrum and her cheeks flushed with warmth. Maybe this was enough.

"Cool," she said, and waited for Leo to kiss her again.

A/N: Reviews are the best motivation there is. Please let me know what you think!