I know it's been a little longer than I've been updating lately, but I like to make sure I'm a chapter ahead, just in case I'm not able to write in a week, I'll still have something to give you all. So here's my next installment.

I'd also like to state for the record that although I know exactly where this story is going, I'm slowly losing my inspiration. I think a new batch of inspirational/critical reviews would be the cure (hint hint).

Individual responses are at the bottom.

Logan and I sat rigidly in his suite, still clutching each others' hand. We were going to be killed at an unknown time, in an unknown way by the end of the month. My mind was racing, back in PI mode, trying to figure out the safest, most logical way out of this one. I was drawing a blank.

The loud, powerful knocking on the door caused us both to jump at least a foot in the air. Logan unlatched our fingers to make his way soundlessly towards the door. Stopping to check the peephole he motioned for me. I took my stab at identifying the person on the other side of the thin door. Donned in his usual trench coat and hat, Clarence Weidman waited impatiently for the door to open.

Hurriedly I unlatched the locks and cracked the door enough for him to slip inside.

"Miss Mars," He tipped his hat, "In trouble again, I see."

"We don't have time for this," My voice was quivering, "We need a plan."

He nodded, understanding the seriousness of the situation, "I've got one."

We waited a few seconds and Weidman didn't answer, "Well, what is it?"

"You need to die."

Logan snapped. In one quick movement he had Weidman pinned against the wall, his hand clutching his throat, "That is not an option."

Just as quick as Logan had been, Weidman had slipped from Logan's grasped and reversed the situation, "If you would have let me finish, kid, you would see the whole plan."

"Stop!" I yelled at both of them. I pushed Weidman off Logan, and pulled Logan back to my side. I forced his arm around my shoulder so that it would take a split second longer for him to lunge again, "Talk, now."

Weidman walked farther into the suite, making himself comfortable on Logan's couch, "If you're already dead, the Sorokins can't kill you, can they? So what do we do?"

I had caught on, "We fake our own deaths."

"Now you're both crazy," Logan relinquished his arm backing a few steps away, "What we do is go to the cops. The FBI. Put these fuckers behind bars. That's what we do."

"You can't put the whole Russian Mafia behind bars in time to ensure your safety."

"He's right, Logan," I added my support to Weidman's argument.

"We could enter Witness Protection while they prosecute all those Russian scumbags," Logan countered the argument.

I shook my head, "They probably have people on the inside of every government organization. They'd know what we did and find us."

"If they think there's nothing to find, they won't be coming after you," Weidman quipped to my point, "Death, my way, is the only way out."

"But how? When? How?" Logan began pacing.

"A car accident. The car will have to explode. The bodies will have to be unrecognizable," Clarence revealed the big scheme.

"And then what? Where do we go from there?"

"On the run," I said numbly, subconsciously wrapping a protective arm around my stomach.

Logan shook his head furiously, "We can't go on the run. You're pregnant. We have a doctor's appointment next month."

"There are other doctors out there," I reminded him, "We can settle from time to time. But we can't stay in one place too long."

Weidman put up a hand, "I've got your destination all planned out. You'll need to create fake identities. You'll need birth certificates, licenses, passports and a marriage license. Any names you'd prefer?"

"I, uh," I stumbled. There was so much to think about.

"Alright, here's what we'll do," Weidman put me out of my misery, "You have one week and then we move forward. I trust you have someone that can get you the papers you need? Someone you can trust with your lives?"

I nodded. Luckily I knew lots of high people in low places.

"Good," Weidman stood up, "I'll get everything needed for the explosion ready. Next Wednesday you will drive on the PCH. You will stop at the new erected wall for that bus crash. There you will be picked up in a '57 Ford pick-up truck by Jake Kane. He will drive you to Mexico. Book a week in a resort down there with your new identity. From there you will reserve seats on a flight to Mollymook, Australia. When you're there you will contact a Mr. Kuncan. He's a real estate agent. Here's his number. Do all your dealings through him. Do you understand?"

I left out the breath I had been hold the entire time Weidman was giving his instructions and wrapped my finger around the business card he held out to us, "Yeah, I got it."

He tipped his hat again and disappeared out the door. Once he was gone I allowed my body to collapse on the couch. My whole body shook as it broke out in sobs. Logan was at my side, crushing me to his chest. I could both hear and feel him shushing me.

"I'm sorry," I choked, "This is all my fault."

He brought my face up to meet his gaze, "What do you have on them that is worth your life?"

I broke out in a fast pace about the Castle, the questioning torture session and ended with Gory's secret.

"That's what I have on them that's worth my life," I sobbed harder, "If I wasn't so goddamned nosy. If I was Veronica freakin' Mars!"

"Stop!" Logan cupped his hand over my mouth, "It's going to be okay. We're going to get through this."

I ripped his hand away from me, "Do you hear what you're saying? Did you not hear what we're doing? This is real, Logan."

"Veronica, we can't freak out," He squared my shoulders to him; "We need to get those papers. We need a new name."

I took a deep breath, "You're right. Got anything in mind?"

"You're the super sleuth, so you tell me," He shrugged and then leaned on his hands.

"I, I can't think right now," I shook my head, rubbing my temples, "Just start throwing things out there."

He pulled my hands away from my furious temple massage, "Well, your name will be my name so you need a say in it."

I had forgotten about the marriage license. Logan and I had just gotten back together and now we were going to be married in our new lives, "You pick. I'll reserve the right to veto anything lame. And no you can't be Tom Cruise."

"As if," He waved me off, "I've got more money them him anyway."

I didn't, no couldn't laugh at his attempt of a joke.

"I was thinking, and you can shoot it down if you don't think it'd be safe, if we could be the Lesters," His eyes began soft and scared, "You know, my mom's maiden name."

I saw how much it would mean to him to honor the one person that was there for him when his back was covered in welts and his body was covered in bruises, "That's perfect."

"And what about our first names?" His eyes were watering, "Do we have to change them?"

I nodded, "It's safer that way. But we could keep our first initial, if you want."

"No matter what your license says, you'll always be Veronica Mars to me."

"Nothing will change that," I whispered, still not believing the conversation we were currently having, "She's yours forever."

"I want to be something cool, suave," He stroked his chin, "How about Leonardo? Like Leo DiCaprio."

"A, Leonardo Lester?" I caught myself smiling, "And b, I kinda have an ex-boyfriend named Leo. That's kind of awkward."

Logan shuddered, "You're right. How about Lucas? Lucas Lester."

"Lucas Lester," I tried it out to see how it rolled off my tongue, "I can deal with that."

Logan clapped his hands once, "Okay, your turn!"

"I told you I can't think right now!" I flopped backwards on the couch, lying uncomfortably slumped in the crease of the couch.

"Okay, I guess I'll do all the work," He took a minute to think of names, "Velma!"

I shot him a disapproving look.

"Just kidding," He smiled wide. I didn't realize how much I missed that smile or how comforting it was to see after the crazy day, "How about Vanessa?"

"Eh," I cocked my lip. And then it hit me, "I used to want to change my name you know. I mean I love being V Mars; I just use to hate Veronica. In fourth grade I tried to change my name. Now don't laugh at me. But I always wanted to be Vaughn."

"Where did you ever hear that?"

"Alias came out that year," I replied sheepishly, "There was a character Vaughn. Michael Vaughn."

He began chuckling, "Michael Vaughn was a boy, honey."

"So what?!" I sat straight up, "It could be a unisex name. Come on, Vaughn Lester. It sounds like a spy name or something."

"Yeah, my wife the spy," Logan's voice dropped down and his face settled into a comfortable smile, "Whatever you want dear. I'm still calling you Veronica."

I shook my head, "Not in public at least."

"Alright," Logan agreed, "Lucas and Vaughn Lester."

I scoot across the surface of the couch so that I was right next to him and I nestled under his arm for both the comfort and the protection, "That was relatively easy."

"You know," He leaned back on the couch, taking me with him, "Since we're on a roll, we do have one more name to pick out."

Our daughter. She was suddenly brought back to the front of my mind. What was this going to do to her?

"Lily," I whispered, "It has to be Lily."

"I can't," Logan's tone matched mine, "I can't go around calling my daughter my ex-girlfriend's name. She meant a lot to me too, I just can't damn our daughter with that name."

He had a point, "How about as a middle name?"

"That I can live with," He agreed, "Speaking of middle names, don't we need them too?"

I shrugged under the weight of his arm, "It wouldn't hurt."

In the time we sat thinking, Dick burst through the suite's door. Again, we jumped, still on edge for the week ahead of us.

"Hey, kids, how's it hangin?" Dick flopped on the couch next to us, "What are we doing tonight?"

Logan and I exchanged a glance, "Actually," Logan spoke up, "We're talking about baby names."

"Awesome," Dick sat up, crossing his legs Indian style facing us, "You should name it Richard."

"It's a girl, Dick," I pointed out.

"Okay," He tossed his blonde locks, "Then name her, Richarda."

Logan coughed, camouflaging his escaped laugh, "Yeah, uh, we'll put that on the list."

"Sweet," Dick nodded, standing up, "Well I'll let you two ponder that. I got to get ready for a date. Gotta look my best to show off all I got to offer."

Once he had disappeared in his room and we heard the showering running we resumed thinking of our own middle names.

"Richard," Logan said, "Lucas Richard Lester."

I nodded, accepting the thought and love he was putting in his name. Why did my best friend's name have to be Wallace? Well I did have another best friend.

"Going with the best friend trend," I tilted my head up towards his, "Vaughn Mackenzie Lester."

I could see Logan's cheeks puff out in a smile, "You'll still be V M."

"Huh," I had to smile myself at how perfectly that worked out, "I guess I will be."

"Back to the little Lester," Logan rested a hand on my stomach, "Richarda Lily Lester. Kinda has a nice ring to it."

I elbowed him gingerly in the stomach, "This is not a joking matter. Give this kid a bad name and she will hate us forever."

"Well then, put your thinking cap on, woman," Logan's playful nature was anything but natural. He could try to keep up pretenses but I wasn't one to fake it.

I stood up from the couch, "I just need to take a shower or something."

"I'll come with you."

"No," I pushed him back down onto the soft cushions, "I just, need to be alone to think."

I stripped from my clothes and padded into the bathroom. The cold bathroom tile barely fazed me as I reached to turn on the faucet. I waited outside the shower, naked, until steam escaped from other the top. Hopefully the hot water would melt my problems away.

This morning I had described my life as blissful, perfect, and now…shot to hell. I should've expected it, anticipated it, cut it off before it could ruin everything I had fought so hard for. But someone, somewhere was being paid to make sure that I, Veronica Mars, was never happy. So far, they have won but I wasn't giving in this time. I was going to fight for normalcy. I was going to fight for the life I, we, deserved. If that meant killing Veronica Mars forever I would graciously become Vaughn Mackenzie Lester. But I couldn't rest happily until the Sorokins got theirs.

With my skin scalding, I turned the faucet to cold, giving my body a quick jolt before turning off the shower completely. I reached to the towel rack and pulled a towel off the top. I wrapped it around my body and walked into the bedroom to get changed.

Logan had moved from the couch to the bed. He was lying, face up staring blankly at the ceiling. I knew exactly how he felt. Still wrapped in my towel I crawled onto the bed and snuggled in as close as I could. He repositioned his arm beneath me and pulled me close.

"Just promise me," He whispered in my ears, "That you won't shut me out. We're in this together."

I nodded, "I need to go get those papers."

"Get dressed and I'll come with you."

"Logan," I sat up, clutching the towel close to my body, "I need to do this alone."

He too sat up to protest, "Well you need me to drive you."

I shook my head, "Sorokin's not going to run me off the road again. They've got our murder planned out. This is the safest time. I promise not to be long."

I hastily dressed before he could think of a reason to stop me. Logan had to face the fact that this was not an argument he was going to win. This was my area of expertise. I grabbed my purse, a rolled up bundle of Benjamins and Logan's Range Rover keys.

"Veronica, wait," Logan called after me as I ran to the door. He caught up, grabbing my wrists, "I love you."

His words brought a smile to my face, "Love you too."

"Excuse me, Deputy," I tapped the bell on the county to get Leo's attention, "I need to report a crime."

He shook his head with his big grin stretched across his face, "No, I do. You haven't come by to see me in like months."

"I'm here now," I walked around the counter, resting my hip on the corner of his desk.

"Which probably means you need a favor," He kicked his feet up to rest them next to me, his big boots thumping as he put them down, "So I'm going to have to insist you bring me pizza and keep me company the next time I work the night shift, just like old times, before I do anything for you."

If the next time wasn't in the next week it would be a promise I couldn't keep, "You're on."

He smiled again, taking his feet off the desk and leaned forward, "So what do you need me to do this time?"

I stroked my chin evilly, "Is my dad around?"

"Yeah, he's in his office."

"Awesome," I pushed off of his desk, "Thanks for the help, Deputy."

I could hear him laugh as I walked away. I would miss his friendship and eagerness to do favors for me.

Just as Leo promised, my father sat at his desk slumped over a pile of papers.

"Yo, Pops," I waltzed right in taking a seat in the chairs I had been in on multiple occasions.

Dad knocked on his desk twice, "Come in! Oh hey, Veronica. What can I do for you, dear daughter, whom I've taught manners to?"

"Sorry," I said sheepishly, "I was just wondering if Weevil's been through the station lately. Since he doesn't work at Hearst anymore I don't know where else to find him."

"Well, he hasn't been through here lately," He rubbed the bridge of his nose, "But I do know where to find him. You should check Mars and Navarro Investigations."

My mouth fell open. Weevil a PI? Weevil a partner to our firm?

"He had promise so I made him study hard and take the test," Dad shrugged as if this was nothing, "I figured you'd need help for a while."

I finally picked my jaw up from the group. My lips curved into a smile. At least someone would keep the business going while I was gone. And then the tears started welling up. Pull yourself together, Veronica, "No, Dad, that's great. I'm so glad you gave him another chance."

"He's a good kid," He brushed it off like he did this sort of things everyday, "He deserves a break."

"Well, sorry I can't stay and chat," I stood up dramatically from the chair, "But I have to go see a certain PI."

Adja: Well, I don't own the rights to the idea, just my take on it and my plot, so you can still include it in your S4. I'd be really excited to see what you do with it! And I do have a few more twists and turns planned for the last leg of the story so hopefully I can get you sitting around waiting for updates!

PlasmaBall: Hopefully I didn't use up all my genius juices and you feel the same way all the way until the end. Plus, your review, even though it was only 4 words, really got me motivated to get this update as well as the next chapter to get posted/written.

TSJorSydPip: That was one of the longest reviews I've gotten in a while, so thank you. In regards to Jake Kane's security, maybe it is up to date with CW but did you consider that Veronica is just that good? In my mind, Veronica Mars can do anything! But I'm glad I can still throw effective curveballs!

And to AmandaL, Sarahr85, Kathy0518 and distinctlyforbidden thanks for your encouraging words! I take everything you say to heart and your words keep me motivated to finish this story.