Note: I don't own Veronica Mars. Just a big fan.

At the sound of her father's voice, Veronica quickly backed up from the boy she had kissed. She gave Logan a small wry smile and looked at her dad and Lynn standing by the front door. Lynn was smiling but Veronica could see waves of tension rolling off of her. Keith smiled but it didn't quite reach his eyes. "Hi," Veronica breathed out.

"Hello you two. I think we need to talk about whatever this was, but now we have bigger fish to fry," Keith replied. He gently took Lynn by the elbow and led her to the couch. He looked at the two teenagers and nodded his head to the couch's direction, motioning for them to sit down. Logan sat next to his mom, Veronica in the arm-chair and her dad perched on the coffee table.

Logan looked between his mom and Keith and asked, "What's going on?" Lynn looked at Keith and he nodded gently at her.

"Honey, I'm leaving your father." Logan's jaw dropped before he composed himself, chuckling sardonically.

"Yeah, like he'd let that happen." He glanced at Veronica, mindful of the huge burden he had confessed to her last night.

Keith blew out a breath. "We just got back from the sheriff's station. You and your mom now have a restraining order against Aaron. Your mom's lawyer is going to file the legal separation paperwork on Monday but for now, Aaron cannot live in the same house as you two. When he's released from the hospital, he'll have to go somewhere else."

"What makes you think he'll stay away? The restraining order won't stop him. He'll just pay off whoever to get the violation charges dropped." Logan raked his hands through his hair and Veronica put her hand gently on his forearm. She was silent but he could feel the tension leaving his body minutely with her calming touch.

Lynn finally spoke. "We're leaving too. I put a deposit down on house not far from here. It has a security gate and guards around 24 hours a day. Keith is going to get us some security for the house too. At least until things calm down. Your father... didn't take the news well."

"I'll just bet he didn't," Logan murmured sarcastically. He looked up at Keith and asked, "Why are you helping us?"

Keith watched the boy's face. He had suspected for a while that Aaron was abusive. Even when he was sheriff and could do something, Logan or Lynn had never reported the abuse. Now that he had found a way to help, he wanted them both to understand that Aaron was wrong. "No one deserves the way he treats you and your mom. You especially."

A moment of vulnerability flashed in Logan's eyes. Veronica tightened her grip on his forearm briefly, giving her dad an understanding smile. Keith could see the conversation getting awkward for Logan, so he brought the subject back to hand.

"The security guards will be at your new house in a few hours. You and your mom are going to back and pack whatever you need for the new few days. Aaron will be out of the hospital by Tuesday at the latest, so we're trying to get a moving company to come in today or tomorrow to get the rest of your things." Keith looked at Lynn and she nodded.

"I hope you're okay with this Logan. I don't necessarily want to take you from the home you've grown up in, but this will make it easier moving on." Logan didn't know what to say, so he kept quiet. "There's only two more days of school before Christmas vacation. While you're off we can go shopping for new furniture and make up your room any way you like it. Veronica can come with too if you want." Lynn gave Veronica a small smile.

Logan turned his body towards his mom and looked at her intensely for a few seconds. Just as Lynn was about to speak, Logan threw himself into her arms and hugged her tightly. Lynn gave a shuddering sob and ran her hand over his hair. Keith sat on the arm of Veronica's chair and put his arm around her shoulders, kissing her gently on the top of her head.

They watched the scene for a minute before hearing Logan clear his voice. "So we'd better be going if we're going to get everything done." He stood up and took his mom's hand, helping her stand. He looked at Keith and murmured, "Thank you for your help." He looked at Veronica and his heart tripped a beat. The last twenty-four hours have changed everything. He and Veronica went from enemy/sparring partners, to hearing her conversation with Duncan, to kissing, and now this. Although it was going to take some getting used to, he was ready to be a better man for her and for his mother. They needed him now like no one had ever needed him before. Saying their goodbyes, Logan and Lynn left the Mars' apartment.

Keith looked at his daughter. "So that was new. Right? I didn't miss a memo or anything about you seeing a new boy?"

She looked up shyly at her dad." Yes, it's new. We reconnected at the poker game and decided today to see where it goes."

"It's going to be a wild ride, honey. Especially in the next couple of days."

Veronica and Keith worked on things around the house for a few hours, each a little on edge waiting to hear how it went with the Echolls. Keith knew that Aaron wasn't going to let them go peacefully. Abusive men thrive on being in control and Aaron is definitely feeling out of control now.

During the bustle of the morning, Veronica nearly forgot that Mac had emailed her. She called Mac in the afternoon and found that she needed help investigating who was stealing money from her dad's work. If the person wasn't found, her dad would lose his job. Veronica asked her to get a list of all the employees and she'd start running background checks to weed out anything suspicious.

Nearing dinner time, Logan called Veronica to report that they had moved all the stuff they could into their new house. Both Keith and Veronica sighed in relief.

"It's only been a few hours, but I miss you," Logan said quietly.

"Isn't that strange? A week ago I bet you'd have eaten your own tongue before admitting you missed me."

"I've always missed you, Veronica," Logan avowed seriously. "I may have been a total asshole but I never stopped caring about you." She thought on that a moment, unsure of what to say.

"And then there was also the lusting after you…" Logan joked and Veronica laughed outright.

"Yes, the lusting. You totally dug my combat boots and ripped jeans," Veronica replied, rolling her eyes.

"That and so much more, Ms. Mars. You are so sexy," he insisted. Veronica blushed and cleared her throat.

"So what's the plan now? For you and your mom?"

"I guess the movers are coming in the morning with the rest of our stuff. We're going shopping after school, if you want to come with. I tried to get out of school but she's actually being a mother and making me go."

"You can't get by on good looks and fortune alone. You have to at least finish school," she chided playfully.

"I figured I'd be a stay at home husband, surfing all day and doing other fun things at night. Don't need college for that."

Feeling a bit uncomfortable with the conversation, Veronica cleared her throat and spoke, "My dad's giving me the week off from work before the holiday, so I can go with you guys."

"Perfect, this won't be as tortuous then. I'll pick you up for school in the morning." She thought of arguing that she could herself to school but she knew it was more practical to ride home with him. Suddenly, she was nervous about tomorrow morning.

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" she asked.

"Yes, why wouldn't it be?" Logan sounded bored.

"The whole school will know…"

"Good, let them know. I'm in this for the long haul, Veronica. I don't care what they think. I just want to be with you." Veronica was speechless. As the silence dragged on, Logan became nervous. "You want the same thing, don't you?"

"I… I'm just nervous. "

Incredulous, Logan fumed, "About what they'll say? I thought you were above that. You haven't cared the last year when people called you every name under the sun."

"You don't get it, do you? I did care. Too much. It hurt, Logan. I shut everyone out except for a select few because it hurt so much." Veronica's face was flushed now and her voice was tinged with anger and bitterness.

Logan was quiet, regret flowing through him. He knew there would be real challenges to work through if he wanted to have a relationship with Veronica. He didn't want to give her up, especially since he hadn't even really had her to begin with. He would, though, if that's what she wanted. "So where does that leave us?"

At the quiet remorse in his voice, Veronica's anger drained. "Let's just keep this to ourselves for a few days. After this past weekend, I'm not sure I could handle any more rocking the boat. Let's enjoy each other over Christmas break and see where it goes."

She's not breaking up with me, but she wants to keep it a secret and see where it goes. Could be worse, Logan thought. "All right. We'll do it your way. For now. But I reserve the right to try to change your mind."

Relieved, Veronica agreed," I would expect nothing less from you. I'll drive myself and you can pick me up here after school to go shopping."

"Now that that's settled, what are you wearing?"

Veronica barked out a laugh. "Good bye Logan. See you tomorrow." She hung up the phone and realized she was smiling bigger than she had in months.

Veronica arrived at school the next day still humming the ever classic "Hooked on a Feeling" which had played on the radio. She had seen Logan's car in the parking lot but he wasn't nearby. She walked to her locker and began getting her things ready for the day. Now that finals were done, they were coasting for two days until Christmas break started. Lost in her own thoughts, she didn't notice someone coming up behind her until they put their hands over her eyes.

"I've killed men for less, you know," she remarked. She smiled and turned around to face her admirer. Her face fell when she saw Duncan. "Oh… hi there," she greeted him awkwardly.

"Good morning," he replied brightly, apparently oblivious to Veronica's discomfort. "I was thinking about our talk this weekend and think we should grab some coffee or something. I think we need to finish airing out what happened before we can move forward." He smiled cheerfully at her.

"Move forward as what?" she commanded.

Eyes widening, he stuttered, "You know how I feel about you…"

"I know what you've felt about me for the last year. You ignored me, let the other asshats make fun of me, shut me out when my best friend died, and took advantage of me when I clearly couldn't make any decisions for myself. How do you expect me to feel about you after all of that?" She was angry now, her arms crossed and her eyebrows raised. His mouth was open, trying to find the words to say, when Logan came up behind her and gently laid his hand on her shoulder. He looked down at her inquiringly and she gave him a tight smile.

Duncan took in the scene and huffed out an angry breath. "Is he why you won't give me another chance?"

Veronica shook her head. "No, you're the reason I can't give you another chance. Any trust I had in you has been destroyed. I don't even know if it can be repaired."

"Fine. We'll talk about this later." Duncan stalked away from the two and Veronica turned to face her locker, rearranging the books she needed for classes.

Logan was quiet for a few moments before asking, "Want to talk about it?"

"Not especially. He wants me back, I can't trust him." She zippered her backpack, hefting it onto her shoulders, and turned to face him.

"That's it? You don't have feelings for him?" Logan asked unsure.

"No, not anymore. Maybe I never really did. It doesn't matter though. Too much has happened and I'm a different person now."

"Yes, you are. And as much as I liked the old Veronica, I really, really like this new one." He smirked and looked at her mouth. "I really wish you'd let me kiss you right now."

"Don't rock the boat," she whispered. He nodded and the warning bell rang. They started down the hallway towards their classes.

"See you at lunch?" he asked.

"Can't. Have a case to work on." She turned into her first class and gave him a small smile. He waved his fingers at her and smiled back.

The morning passed quickly while Veronica's mind was churning over all that happened over the weekend and the case that Mac needed help with. She sat down next to Mac in the computer lab and looked over her shoulder at the computer screen. Without saying a word or taking her eyes off the screen, Mac pulled out a sheet of paper and slid it across the desk to Veronica. It was a listing of names, social security numbers, dates of birth, addresses, and phone numbers.

"Wow, you work quick. This is perfect." Veronica smiled proudly at her friend. Mac gave a small grunt and began typing furiously on her keyboard. "Whatcha working on, Mac-attack?"

"There's this guy who has been emailing me, saying he's my secret admirer. I'm trying to figure out who it is." Veronica gaped at Mac.

"A secret admirer? How 1980's. Did he send you a note asking you to check 'yes' or 'no' to being his girlfriend?"

"Not so much. He knows things about me. My favorite band, that I'm a vegetarian. He said I should dye the blue streak in my hair purple because it's my favorite color. Who would know these things?" She was still typing furiously, sparing an incredulous look at Veronica.

"I don't know. I only knew one of those three things. And we've been friends for like ever."

"We've been friends for a month."

"That's like forever in high school years," Veronica replied sarcastically. "Maybe he's a stalker."

"No, I don't think so. I'll figure it out. More importantly, I need to figure out who is framing my dad at work." She stopped her frantic typing and turned to look at Veronica. "My family has a nice life but we're not rich. I don't know what would happen if my dad lost his job."

Veronica nodded and laid her hand on Mac's. "Don't worry. You hired the best teenage Private Investigator around."

"You're the only teenage Priv –"

Veronica interrupted, "Semantics, my dear Watson. Let the investigating begin." She turned on the computer she was sitting at and logged into the PI website her father subscribed to. She quickly lost track of the world around her while she dug into each employee's background. She made it through half the list before the warning bell rang. She looked up at Mac who was reading a book.

"Did you figure out your admirer?" Veronica asked while shutting the computer down and standing up to leave.

"I put an IP address tracker on his email account," Mac said nonchalantly. Veronica nodded in admiration and left the room to go to her next class.