Author's Note: Sorry it took so long... Enjoy!

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"You want to talk about it?"

She looked up. His eyes burned into hers, begging her to let him in. Begging her to be okay. To still be his. She shook her head, turning back to her Ben & Jerry's.

He started to shift after a few minutes. "Please?"

She sighed. "What do you want me to say to you, Logan?"

"I don't know. Every time I ask you, you clam up. I can't help you if you don't let me in."

She shifted, wishing that she was anywhere but sitting with Logan. Why had she invited him over again? Oh right... ice cream. And why had she allowed this topic to come up? "It's fine. I can handle it. Don't worry about it."

His face twisted. "Well, I do worry about it. It's upsetting being around you when you mope around all day in a snit. You don't even look at me. Do you know how that makes me feel?"

She glared at him. "Yeah, because this is about you."

He glared right back. "It is if you're moping around all day and I have to be around you. It's not good for you."

She slumped inside. She was tired of fighting. She wasn't even mad at Logan. She felt like a rag doll. If Logan picked up her arm right now and let it go, it would drop forlornly to the floor. She wasn't even angry, she was just so tired. She stared out the window into the distance.

He watched her face darken and wracked his brain to figure out what he could have done to cause this. The only thing he could come up with was Franks though. He moved cautiously towards her, reaching out to take her bowl of ice cream. When she didn't protest, he put it to the side and wrapped an arm around her. Maybe humour would get through to her. "So, is this the point where you tell me I'll never understand you and then break up with me?"

She didn't move for a few seconds, didn't reply, and he started to steel himself for another Veronica rage. Finally, she shook her head slowly. "Awfully hard for a girl to go to an audition without her pimp manager," she said softly.

He tried to suppress the smile stretching across his features. "Well, yes, there's that."

"But after that, who knows. You'll have to negotiate a new contract." Her face turned up towards his.

He kissed her softly. It was so strange. She'd go from completely happy and calm to uptight and angry in .2 seconds flat and just as quick back. He tried to shrug it off but he knew that eventually it would turn into something huge and nasty and that was not good when you were in a relationship with Veronica Mars and you tended to screw up every once in a while. He hugged her. He'd take whatever he could get from Veronica. He was just lucky that she allowed him anywhere near her.

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Veronica slid the stocking up her leg and adjusted it above her knee. She could feel Logan watching her with a mix of apprehension and lust. Apprehension because she wasn't dressing up for him, she was dressing up for the Tank's Christmas party auditions.

"You sure you have to do this?"

She smiled, even though he couldn't see it. "C'mon Logan, this is the only way we can get inside recon..."

He grimaced. "The only way? Or just the only way you know how to, Veronica Mars?"

She growled. "Don't patronize me, Logan. I know that this isn't the perfect way of getting the intel but right now it's all we've got. Dad's halfway across the country trying to get some witness that probably either isn't alive anymore or doesn't want to be found. So, either come with me or go home and leave me alone."

He exhaled loudly, knowing there was nothing he could do, nothing he could say. She was right. "Fine. But we're not going alone."

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"Lookin' good, Ronnie."

Veronica clutched the trench coat more tightly to her body and glared over at Logan. "Dick, Logan? You thought Dick would be a good choice for backup?"

Logan shrugged. "He's the biggest guy we've got." After she glared at him, he added, "I called Casey but he wasn't home. I left a message but he didn't call."

"Hey, what's Ghost World doing here dressed all slutty?"

Mac looked disdainfully at him over her laptop. "Believe me, if I could be anywhere else right now, I would. You're not my first choice either."

"You're auditioning?" Dick said, astonished. "Good luck. I mean, Veronica's got a chance but you?"

"Stick to being the strong silent bodyguard," Mac shot back. "You might give us away with your big mouth."

"At least I don't have a big-"

"Dick, shut up," Logan bit out. "We need all the chances we can get."

"Yeah, your ex-girlfriend was too busy dancing the poles at the club to join us," added Mac.

Logan smiled in the review mirror. Mac was more than a match for Dick. "We ready?" He parked and everyone got out. "Remember Dick, not a word," Logan reminded. He slung an arm over each girl's shoulders. "Ladies, shall we?"

They entered to find a plethora of sleaze. Girls loitered around, some looking up as they passed by but mostly keeping to themselves.

They must have looked very intimidating because the groups parted easily in front of Dick as he steered them towards the front. Coming up to the front table, Logan disentangled himself and leaning down on the table. "Hello, mah name's Vincent Felterbaum. I am the manager of Mizz Candy Cane and her sistah, Mizz Cindy Snow." His accent was even more elaborate as was his dress. His cowboy boots were now purple and his hat was yellow. When she'd commented that perhaps he was a little overdone, he'd brushed it off. "The more extravagant, the better."

She smiled prettily at the man then over at Mac. They both looked good, she had to admit. She was dressed in a Santa's helper costume while Mac was dressed in all white with fur trimmings. "We're here for the auditions?" she added in her most ditzy voice.

"We're ready to go whenever you want us..." Mac added, her voice surprisingly low and sexy. She slid an arm around Veronica and nuzzled her cheek.

Dick turned and stared at her.

Mac winked at him.

Veronica almost laughed at the check-in man's face and tried to keep her face from showing how impressed she was. Mac was 09er material after all.

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I'm starting to get over my writer's block... I'll try to update this weekend...