Note: I don't own Veronica Mars. I'm just a big fan of the show.

Veronica woke the next morning with gritty eyes. She hadn't slept well and it took her only a few moments of being awake before remembering all that had happened yesterday. She had spent the rest of the night snuggling with her dad, wrapped in the comfort only unconditional love could bring. As much as she wanted to stay home curled up in bed, she knew staying busy at school would give her something else to focus on. She got dressed and made her way into the kitchen where her dad was seated at the island, talking on the phone. Quietly, she poured herself a cup of coffee and started on a piece of toast. After a few minutes, Keith thanked the caller and hung up. She looked inquiringly at him and he gave her a grim smile.

"That was the local police where your mom's accident happened. They gave me some more information, but I need to go out there to identify the body and fill out some paperwork." He sighed and shook his head.

"Did they say what caused the accident?"

"She had been drinking, honey. Her blood alcohol level was double the legal limit. She came up on a curve too quick and hit a tree. They think she died right away."

"That's good at least. When are you going out there?"

"Today, I think. It's at least a five-hour drive. I might need to spend the night. I'm going to call Mrs. Echolls to see if you could stay there if I can't get back. I'm sure she'll be fine with it, so you should probably pack a bag to bring with you to school."

"No problem. What are we going to do about my car?"

"I haven't really thought that far yet. I don't want you driving it so I'll take you to school today. I was going to see if Leo or Sacks could come down and sweep it for fingerprints. I doubt Weidman would be dumb enough to leave prints on it though." She nodded. "Aaron is supposed to be released from the hospital today or tomorrow. I want you to be really careful and vigilant of your surroundings if you go out. He is not happy with me getting involved and who knows what he'll do. I trust the security company at their new house but things could always go wrong." He looked at her seriously and she could see the love and worry in his eyes.

"I'll be safe," she said quietly. She'd normally make a sarcastic remark but her heart was still hurting. Keith kissed her forehead and started clearing up the kitchen.

"Go pack a bag and we'll head to school." Veronica went into her room and packed some clothes for the night, plus her laptop and camera. She didn't know if they'd stake out her two suspects tonight but she wanted to be ready in case.

They left the apartment shortly after and the drive to school was quiet. Both father and daughter's minds were busy with the past events and thinks that needed to be done now. She kissed his cheek when he pulled up to the building and told him to drive safe. He told her he loved her and he would call her later.

Logan was almost immediately at her side when she got out of her dad's car. He pulled her into a hug and she leaned her head on his chest, breathing in his cologne. She tried to remember why she cared so much yesterday about the other students knowing she was dating Logan. In the scheme of things, it just didn't matter what anyone else thought. Life was short and she wanted to treasure it.

"Hi," she whispered.

"Hi yourself," he whispered back.

They looked at each other for a long moment before Veronica leaned up and placed a gentle kiss on his lips. She could feel his surprise but smiled when he kissed her back. The kiss ended and she moved back, picking up her overnight back which had dropped on the ground. He looked at it inquiringly.

"My dad is going to Arizona to deal with the accident stuff. He might not be back tonight, so he was going to call your mom and see if I could spend the night."

"It'll be fine. I talked to her last night and she said she'd help in any way." Logan picked up the bag and moved towards his car to put it in the trunk. They walked into the school together and Logan made a quick stop at his locker before leading Veronica to hers. She was shuffling books from her locker when Wallace walked up and stopped short at the sight of Logan.

"Hey V," he said cautiously. She smiled at him, less bright than usual. Wallace instantly became alert and focused on Logan. "What did you do?"

Logan looked affronted and began to say something caustic back before he saw Veronica shake her head.

"Wallace, he didn't do anything bad. He's my boyfriend." She put a hand on his arm and squeezed gently.

"Then why are you sad?" he asked, confused.

Veronica's eyes dimmed and she looked down at the floor. Logan wanted to alleviate some of the pain so he spoke quietly, "She found out last night her mom died." Wallace's eyes widened and he pulled Veronica into a big hug.

"I'm so sorry Veronica," he said softly. She nodded and muffled a 'thank you' before disentangling herself. All three stood around a bit awkwardly until the warning bell rang for class. Wallace cleared his throat. "I think we need to talk about this later but if you're happy V, I'm happy." Veronica beamed at her friend and Logan gave an internal sigh of relief. He didn't want to be on the bad side of a best friend. Logan walked Veronica to her first class and kissed her lips softly, murmuring that he'd see her at lunch.

Veronica got to the quad first and automatically sat at her usual table. She didn't feel like eating school food and hadn't thought to pack a lunch, so she pulled out a novel she'd been reading. She knew she should be thinking about Mac's dad's problems but she wanted to escape from her world for just a little while. Logan came up a few minutes later and straddled the bench she sat on. Veronica acknowledged him with a small smile but continued reading. He watched her, held by the way her eyes danced across the page and the way she twirled a shining lock of hair around her finger. He was content to sit next to her in this comfortable silence. He jerked up a few moments later when he heard someone yell his name loudly from across the quad. Logan sighed when he realized Dick was making his way to their table. Dick was a good friend but he was anxious to keep Veronica calm today and calm isn't usually Dick's forte.

Dick sat down with a thud across from them and gave Logan a 'what the hell?' look. "What's up, dude?"

"Dick," Logan acknowledged him with a nod.

"Soooo…" Dick trailed off, looking between Veronica, who was still reading, and Logan.

Logan sighed, resigned. "Veronica and I are dating. She's had a rough week so be nice. And order us a pizza. I'm hungry." He looked up to see Mac hesitantly coming over. Just as she was in hearing distance, Logan added, "And a second pizza with no meat. Mac's a vegetarian." Mac's eyebrows flew up and Dick nodded while pulling out his cell phone.

Mac sat down cautiously next to Veronica and touched her hand gently to her shoulder. She murmured a quiet "I'm sorry" and looked away when she saw Veronica's eyes tear up. Dick watched the interaction and started to ask what happened when Duncan came up behind Logan, hands clenched on his hips. Logan sighed again.

"Duncan," he nodded in his best friend's direction.

"What the hell is this?" Duncan gestured between Veronica and Logan. Veronica didn't look up but Mac noticed her mouth tighten.

"We can talk about this later. For now, my girlfriend and I are waiting to eat lunch with our friends," Logan replied, appearing bored.

"Girlfriend?" Duncan spat out. He rounded on Veronica and none too gently shoved her shoulder. Logan became furious but Veronica shook her head at him and turned around to face Duncan. His mouth was set in an angry line with two bright spots of color on his cheek. "You said we'd talk about our relationship and now you're dating him? Logan Echolls, of all people? You know he –"

"That's enough," Veronica said harshly. Duncan continued staring at her. It looks like steam is going to come out of his ears, she thought. She chucked softly to herself, which made Duncan even more upset.

"You chose him over me? After all we've been through, we're meant to –"

Veronica stood up and faced him square on, "I said that's enough." She didn't raise her voice but it rang with an authority that kept a furious Logan in his seat. "You lost all right to question me over a year ago. Now, please leave." Duncan looked dumbfounded that she would dismiss him so callously.

"Come on Veronica. You can't expect me to believe your dad would let you date him." Duncan just wouldn't quit. Veronica knew that he thought he still had a chance with her. Not only did the last year prove to her that she wasn't ever really in love with him, she also knew that they were too different to be anything but friends. Friendship, at this point, was also far off based on how well he was doing to piss her off.

"My dad has other things to worry about right now," she replied coolly.

"What about your mom? She never liked him." Duncan was looking smug and Veronica's face lost all of its color. She sat down on the bench heavily and Logan pulled her back into his side. He and Mac looked at Duncan with unrestrained hostility.

Mac spoke first. "You need to leave now."

Duncan looked at her like he just noticed she was there. "Who are you again?"

"Veronica's friend. You really need to leave now." Dick watched the scene and slowly made his way to stand next to Mac. He didn't know what was going on but he had Logan's back and it was clear that Mac did also.

Veronica finally found her mental footing again and looked up at Duncan, masking her face. "My mother is dead. She died in a car accident hundreds of miles away because your mother ran her out of town. So no, I'm pretty sure my mom doesn't care if I'm dating Logan."

Duncan's mouth dropped open. "Does my dad know?"

Fury filled Veronica. Logan could feel her tiny body tense with rage. "How the fuck should I know?" she spat at her ex-boyfriend. Before he could say anything more, the pizza delivery man showed up and Dick pulled out his wallet to pay. The tension was broken and Veronica turned around to face the table. No one noticed Duncan slinking away.

They all began eating their pizza in awkward silence before Dick said, "You're hot when you're pissed, Ronnie." She rolled her eyes and they all laughed, content to pretend it was a normal day and they were normal teenagers.

At the end of the school day, Veronica stopped by her locker to get the books she'd need to study over break. Mac found her and gently asked about the investigation. Veronica gave her the name of the two employees she thought were suspicious and promised to do some sleuthing either that night or the next. Mac was going to delve a little deeper into each employee's computer history on her own. Veronica asked about the IP tracker on her secret admirer but Mac told her she'd tell her later.

Veronica left the building and found Logan and Dick standing by his car. They were talking intently, which surprised Veronica, and she hesitated before walking up to them. Logan looked up to see her and his face lit into a bright smile.

"Are you ready to head out?" he asked. She nodded and shifted her bag on her shoulder, reaching inside it to grab her cell phone. She had a voicemail from her dad.

Logan waved goodbye to Dick and helped Veronica up into his SUV. She listened to the voicemail of her dad saying she was to spend the night at the Echolls and he would pick her up tomorrow when he was back from Arizona. She closed the phone and put it back in her bag. While Logan was driving out of the parking lot, Veronica asked, "What were you and Dick talking about?" He froze for a moment and gave her a mischievous smile.

"Dick has a crush. I, being the ultimate ladies magnet, decided to give him some pointers."

She raised an eyebrow. "I didn't think Dick needed help picking up girls."

"This isn't just any girl. She's a special breed."

Veronica thought that over for a moment before the lightning bulb went off. She whipped her head to look at Logan. He laughed at her expression and she narrowed her eyes. "Why do you think you have special tricks for picking up girls like Mac?"

"I landed you, didn't I?" He said and winked at her.

"I'm not sure if that's a compliment or an insult."

"Definitely a compliment, babe. Men around the world know how lucky they are to land a smart, beautiful, loyal, and fierce woman like you." Veronica's heart melted and she leaned over the console to give him a kiss on the cheek.

After a few moments of letting his praise warm her, she asked, "How long has he liked her?"

"Since the purity test debacle. He knew she'd never talk to him at school so he's been talking to her anonymously online. She's tried hacking into his computer to figure out his identity but if there's one thing Big Dick Casablancas knows it's home network security."

"So Mac doesn't know her admirer is Dick?"

"I can't be sure, but it didn't look like it today, right?" Veronica shook her head. "I've known for a few weeks. This is the first time they've been together in person."

Veronica thought for a moment and gasped. He looked at her, startled. "You knew she was a vegetarian! I didn't even think of it then, but you got a separate pizza for her!" He laughed and nodded.

"Yeah, Dick won't shut up about her. Apparently she's the next best thing since sliced bread. Of course, I disagree. You're way better." He waggled his eyebrows at her.

She laughed and looked out the window. "Thank you." He nodded at her in concession. She looked back to his face and repeated, "Really, thank you. I wouldn't want to go through this all alone." He reached over and took her hand, bringing it up to his mouth to press a kiss on her palm.

"You aren't alone," he whispered and she nodded.