The feedback I'm getting is such an ego booster. Had I known I would still have this much of a following, I would've definitely worked harder to get my muse back. I really appreciate everything from those that have reviewed, added me or the story to your alerts or just merely clicked on the story. I'm getting slightly nostalgic because with all of my FanFics I can see how much I've grown as a writer. And though I do not regard these as the best work I've ever done, it's definitely been the most fun. With graduation approaching, it's nice to see where I came from.

Please let me know how I'm doing. Individual reviews are at the end.

"Hey, babe, I ordered you the vegetable lasagna," Logan informed me as I walked over to our table towards the back of the restaurant. He took one look at my face and second guessed himself, "If you want something else I can run back and tell them. Or you can have both."

I didn't want to be there. I needed to be upstairs. We needed to be upstairs. But I was at a loss for words. Had my father really just shown up at our resort on the other side of the world.

"Really, V, what do you want?" He broke the silence, "I have to tell him fast."

"Logan…" I whispered and the sheer fact that I dare used his real name in public visibly shook him.

"Okay, now you're scaring me. What's going on?"

My lip quivered and not even all of my practice could put on a solid face forward. I gnawed my bottom lip and suddenly, Logan was right next to me.

"Can't talk about it here?" I shook my head in response, "Well let's go upstairs. We can order room service instead."

He cradled Brittlynn in one arm and wrapped the other securely around me as we walked out of the restaurant and back to the lobby. I watched my reflection in the elevator door as I fought back the tears that were inevitable. My dad was here.

After a grimacing eternity the elevator doors opened and we stepped inside. Logan took his arm away just to push the button for our floor but I beat him to it, instead pushing the button for my dad's room. He stared at me, searching for answers I didn't have the strength to communicate but he didn't press the issue any further. He knew in time, and in privacy he would find out just was had gotten me so twisted up.

As the doors revealed the hallway I gently led the way back to where my father was waiting. I used the key card I didn't realize I was still gripping. As we ushered ourselves in the room, I reached for Brittlynn for comfort. I held her close, her tiny, soft cheek to my tight, wet one.

"Oh, she's beautiful," My dad finally commenting, checking to see who had come through his door.

Realization hit Logan like one of the many times Weevil and his gang had sneak attacked him. And then the familiar panic set in.

"What? How…" Logan ran a nervous hand through his hair. "I just…we have to go. We can't stay here."

My father stepped closer to us, "Calm down, son."

"Calm down?" Logan flashed with anger, "How could you come here? How could you ruin everything? You put us all in danger!"

He had startled Brittlynn with his outburst and I rocked her to soothe her. The same thoughts had flown through my head as well.

"Let me explain," My father just let Logan talk to him like that. Had this been a year ago, Logan would have been cuffed and in jail for the night after an outburst like that, "Everyone, and I mean everyone, in Neptune thinks you're dead. Your friends are still mourning. I…I was asked to take some time. If anything, a vacation halfway around the world was exactly what I needed. But now, you have to tell me what is going on."

Logan massaged his temples and I moved to sit on the couch. I could feel myself panicking and the last thing I needed was to pass out because of my erratic breathing. The two most important, read only, men in my life followed suit.

Logan squared his shoulders to my dad, "I want to know how you found us first."

My dad nodded, "I started explaining to Veronica that I knew something was up when Clarence Weidman was at the scene of the explosion. I found it even stranger that Jake Kane showed up to the funeral. I questioned Jake and he told me to just leave it alone. That I should let my daughter rest even though I didn't let his. It just didn't feel right.

I asked all your friends if you guys had been acting strangely, if they knew something that they weren't telling me. Besides Veronica being extra hormonal, there was nothing. But Eli, he told me you had gone to see him just a few days before the incident. I pried and threatened that if he didn't tell me what had transpired he'd be fired, jailed. He thought I was testing his client-confidentiality.

He told me you were looking for fake documents. So after I knew who I was looking for, I could only hope that the aliases were really you two."

Logan and I shared a glance, our fear and panic was mirrored. "And you're sure you weren't followed?"

"By who?" He countered, "Now you two need to tell me what is going on."

Logan exhaled heavily, "This is all my fault."

I placed a light hand on his forearm, "You know that's not true, so just stop right there."

"I don't care whose fault it is. I just want to know how I can fix this."

"Weidman is taking care of it." I promised.

"But I'm your father. I want to help you. I want to take care of it. I want you back in my life." He turned a few shades darker than I'd ever seen him, even after hours in the sun without any protection. He meant business, "I don't care how selfish that sounds. But why couldn't you just come to me?"

I sucked my bottom lip into my mouth and bit down. I knew he was just angry at the whole situation but I just wished he could see my perspective. This has been the hardest obstacle yet. Only because, for once, I didn't have my dad by my side all along the way.

"She didn't want to put anyone in danger." Logan spoke for me, "She didn't want to put you in danger."

"But from what? From who? I need a little more than what you're giving me!"

I cleared the lump from my throat. "You have to promise me that you won't go near this. Let Weidman handle it and don't get involved. It's big."

"What did you get yourselves into?"

"Promise me."

"Veronica, you know I can't do that. And even if I did you know I'd be lying."

It would be painful to explain all the gory deletes to my father, especially regarding the inciting incident. Admitting to your father that you have a pseudo-sex tape out there is not something you look forward to even though it was fairly obvious now that I had been sexually active. The thought made me shudder but it was part of the story. Knowing my father, and being a PI myself, I knew he'd want every last detail no matter how awful and uncomfortable they were.

"Do you still have a copy of the Castle recordings?" He finally asked after we brought him up to the present.

I nodded, "I always keep collateral. Even though this was definitely not something I was ever going to release."

"I need it." He stated firmly, "The more ammunition I have the better."

"But Dad –" I tried to refute him but he put a firm hand in the air.

"I'm not saying I'm going back to the States fists blazing, but I need something to do in all my spare time. I can promise you I won't do anything rash."

I sighed, "I worry about you, Pops."

"I know you do. And thank you," He reached out and placed a hand on my knee, "Maybe I'll even work with Kane and Weidman. See what they've got going for them."

I cocked an eyebrow, "I don't know what's scarier: the Russian mob or the three of you joining forces."

"Veronica, we're all grown adults. We can work together just fine." He said in a way that seemed as if he was trying to convince himself of his own words. "Now let me see that gorgeous granddaughter of mine. Got all ten fingers and toes?"

"Yessir. She's absolutely perfect." Logan beamed as my dad took Brittlynn from my arms.

He touched her chubby cheeks and tapped her little button nose, "She's got good genes."

"Maybe from your side of the family," Logan replied.

I stood and excused myself. I walked down the hall of the suite and entered the bathroom. There was just so much to process that it was a sensory overload. I sat myself on the toilet and retraced the day's events. My father was here, in Australia. He knew the truth. It was easy to see the change in his demeanor. He had started off as the grieving father but now, his color and jovial attitude had returned. It was so easy for him but why was I still not me.

I crossed the small gap from the toilet to the sink and braced my arms on the counter. I leaned forward and examined my face. I looked relatively the same. Sure my hair was longer and my face was still slightly rounder with the extra pounds it had hung onto. Sure I was a few cup sizes bigger than I had been the entirety of my life. But the aesthetics shouldn't have changed my insides. I was Veronica freaking Mars. I didn't take things lying down. I didn't forgive or forget.

So what was so different now?

The familiar hungry whimpers found my ears. That was what was different now. She was what was different now. It was my job to protect her.

I jumped head first in keeping my baby girl safe but what kind of life would she have if we were always on the run. Hiding could only last so long. Somehow, things would fall apart like they always do. Instead of being reactive, I needed to start being proactive. The only time we'd be truly safe was with the Sorokins wiped off the map. It would even prevent them from hurting anyone else.

Why had my vision been so clouded previous to this encounter? Why wasn't I doing what I do best?

I exited the bathroom with a new determination in my step. I took the full-on crying Brittlynn from my father's arms to silence the baby so we could plot. Strategically, I positioned Brittlynn on my breast before we were finally able to talk.

"I don't like that look," Logan commented, upon my arrival.

I softened my expression; "We will never be safe until they are all gone. I can't live my life looking over my shoulder every second. It's driving me crazy."

"She's right, Logan."

"So what do we do?" Logan knew it too but he posed a very logical question. If we had all known what to do, we wouldn't be sitting in a hotel halfway around the world.

"I'm not exactly sure," Dad started, "But it's has to be something big. We don't know how many there are but we have to get rid of enough of the big guns so the whole organization crumbles."

Logan was obviously doubtful, "That's easier said then done."

"You're right. That's why we have to be careful. We have to strike when the time is right. We need to get them to turn on themselves."

Logan shook his head. "I don't like the sound of this. Why don't we get the FBI involved? I'm sure they'd love to bust these lowlifes. We could just turn over the recordings Veronica has."

My dad disagreed. "If only it were that easy."

"It is that easy!"

"If we do that, everyone involved with the Castle goes down." I explained.

Logan jumped up from the couch, "So what? If it means that my family is safe I say we do it. Let all the sick bastards that let this happen fry with them."

"What about Jake Kane? I know I haven't always seen eye to eye with him, but look at all he's done for us." I pointed out, "And all the other notable people who joined this secret society in their youth. They don't deserve to be dragged in as accessories to murder."

"I just…" Logan collapsed back down on the couch in defeat. "I just want all of this to be over with."

"I know, Logan," I tried to place a reassuring hand around him but it was awkward with Brittlynn attached to me, "And it will be. I promise I'll figure something out. But we can't be stupid about this."

"Okay," Was all he could croak out. It was as if, in the bathroom, I had rid myself of all the weight of worrying and instead it attached to Logan even though I was sure he had been just as worried the whole time, if not more so than myself. Maybe I was just clouded by my own worries and fears to see that he was stressing out too. I was more sure than ever that this had to end soon for the sake of all of our sanity.

"Well it's obvious the solution isn't just going to pop out of thin air," I broke the awkward silence that had fallen upon us. "But I'm starving. Who wants room service?"

distinctlyforbidden : Glad to see you're still with me! Thank you for all your feedback throughout this journey. I've been rewatching VM and this chapter reminded me of the episode in the first season when Veronica is trying to prove that Weevil didn't take out credit cards in the Echolls' name. I love Keith and all of his characters.

firecracker93 : Hope what's coming keeps up the momentum for you. There are some twists that still need to be worked out and I can't wait to see how you react.

krazieneko : I'm glad you found me. Though I probably would have died of happiness if you reviewed every chapter, I wouldn't have been able to post anymore. If you did all 27 chapters in one sitting you deserved a break anyway. About the Jake Kane thing: Both Veronica and Logan were constant fixtures in his house pre-Lilly death. He even thought Veronica was his daughter. So I had always hoped that Jake had a heart and would bury the hatchet and do the right thing. As I mentioned in another individual review above, I've been watching all of the seasons and the scene reminded me of the episode where Veronica clears Weevil of credit card fraud in season one. I'm glad you stuck with everything even though there were things to turn you off about the plotline. I hope what I have planned for the end holds up to the rest of the story for you! Looking to hear more as we go along.

Nerdyesque : After reading your comment about Veronica's voice, you're right. I'm currently in season two and she's softer in that season. But thanks for pointing it out because I was really frustrated with the voice. And about Logan and Veronica's relationship, I just felt that being in hiding, it wouldn't be wise to get close to anyone else because of fear of messing up their covers. That would be just my luck if I ever had to witness protection or something like that. Hope you keep enjoying the story as it starts to wrap up!

Jd: Totally a typo. Good catch. She doesn't really say that. Their identities are still intact.

CGirl2009 : I'm missing all the Neptune drama myself. I wish I had started the whole thing in third person so I could switch between the locations but I really like being able to write the inner monologues. But don't worry there is more to come that I think you'll approve of by the end of this journey.

To the anonymous reviewer a.) I really like responding so I hope you see this. If you review next time, it would be awesome if you included some kind of identification even if it's just abcd or something plain like that, if not I'll live. b.) I'm definitely feeling like she's softening up. I'm going to say it's motherhood but really, I think I just lost it. I do see parrallels between my Veronica and the Veronica from season 2 but it's still not as strong as the voice in some of my favorite stories on here. I give props to those writers, she's a complicated character to emulate. But I hope you keep with me and maybe your opinion of Veronica will change by the end.