Thanks to everyone who has reviewed, alerted and/or favorited!

jacedes, in response to your review: yes i agree with you about Jake in terms of his character on the show. but for the purposes of this fic this is how i am portraying him. he would still do anything for his children still, just like he had when he thought duncan had killed lilly. i havent changed that, ive just changed his character. he is more AU in this fic, just like Duncan is.

Author's note: I just wanted reiterate my authors note from chapter 16. This chapter will be a transitional chapter as well, with lots of exposition. But in this chapter you will finally hear from Veronica. And hopefully this chapter will seem a little lighter than the last one because I added a little bit of Dick being….. well…..being Dick.

I don't own Veronica Mars.

Logan

I was done waiting.

I was tired of sitting around hoping for a break, hoping that a miracle would happen. I'd gotten her back three times, technically four and this time wouldn't be any different.

I wasn't going to lose her now, not after she had finally opened herself up to me, not after she had promised me forever, hypothetical or not.

I went into the living room and stood in front of my friends, all of them still dealing with this in different ways. Mac was just working on her computer, Dick was trying to help Mac, Wallace and Weevil were discussing sentimental places that Veronica had mentioned during her time with Duncan and CW was on the phone. When they realized I had reentered the room they all looked at me, I think they weren't sure what to expect.

I'll be the first one to admit that I hadn't been handling it well. I'd gone from catatonic, to enraged, to disbelieving, to angry again, and then for the last three hours I'd just been devastated. So yes I had not been the pillar of strength, but how would you feel?

I just stood there as they waited for me to yell or cry or do something. I didn't have a plan yet but I knew one thing for sure, we weren't getting anywhere by just sitting here. So I did the only thing I could think to do, I took charge.

"CW, take Wallace and go back to all the properties that have already been searched. I don't trust Jake Kane, so I don't trust any of his employees, present company excluded." CW got up and Wallace followed, they didn't say anything they just walked out the door.

Next I looked at Mac. "Mac I want you to hack into the Kane Software network, search everything. I don't care how small or unrelated it looks anything will help right now and if nothing else we might be able to use the information as a bargaining chip against the Kane's later. Dick, stay here with Mac, we don't know if Duncan has Veronica hidden somewhere close, he could show up here and if he does I don't want Mac to be alone. You guys are home base, if you hear anything you need to call CW and I immediately. Got that?"

Mac did a mock salute and Dick just smiled and said. "Affirmative boss man."

And then I turned to the only other person in the room.

"You. Come with me."

Weevil

Let me make this clear.

I, do not take orders from anyone.

I don't care who it is, so when he ordered me to go with him I wasn't thrilled. In any normal situation I would have beaten the shit out of him. But this wasn't a normal situation and I'm fully aware of that, so I threw him a bone. I stood up and followed him out the door. And honestly, it was about god damn time somebody took charge of the situation, we weren't gonna find V by sitting on our asses and waiting for the phone to ring.

So as much as I hated to admit it I was willing to take the passenger seat and let pretty boy here call the shots.

I know how his mind works and I know how he feels about her, (and believe me I wish I didn't), but if anybody could find her it would be him. Because not only does she attract trouble, but she attracts Logan Echolls as well. He's definitely the moth to her flame.

We walked down the hall and out of the hotel in silence. Which was fine with me, the less I had to say to him the better, it wasn't the first time we have had to work together, but hopefully it would be the last. But of course when V is involved you never know.

We had to take my car since the psycho of the week had taken a little revenge out on his, so I got on the driver seat and he got into the passenger seat.

"Where are we going Echolls?"

He looked at me and he smiled.

"We're going to talk to Jake Kane."

Wallace

I have to admit that I wasn't thrilled when Logan paired me with CW.

Its not like he scares me, he just isn't the most pleasant person around, but it was for V, she's my BFF and I couldn't just not go.

I hadn't been handling the situation well. It might not be very apparent to everyone else because I hide my feelings well, but all I had really wanted to do was crawl into bed and pray for a miracle. I just had to keep reminding myself of what V would do and how strong she is.

When I saw Logan on the floor of her room I didn't know how to react. That was the moment that I stopped hating him completely. Sure I'd forgiven him for beating up Piz, and for hurting to V so many times, but I had never given up the hatred. But it was in that moment that I realized just how much he really loves her, that he cares for her just as much as I do. Maybe in different ways, but the point is that he had finally proven himself to me. Proven that he deserves her. So I guess what I am trying to say is that he has my blessing.

If anyone can find her its Logan and its not because he is the smartest or bravest or the most organized. No, its because he won't stop until he does. He will fight tooth and nail and even give his own life to bring her back to us, for once his fists of fury might actually be beneficial.

So there I was, in a car with Clarence Weidman, on the way to the first of 9 properties, while trusting Logan Echolls with my best friends life.

And you know what?

I wouldn't have had it any other way.

CW

Meg had sobbed all the way to my house.

It was a very uncomfortable situation for me, I am not by any means the touchy feely type.

I did not bother with any attempts at easing her pain, she had dug her own grave and it was time for her to lie in it. So I dropped her off at my house and returned to The Grand.

After seeing the files I knew without a doubt that Jake Kane himself had been covering for his son. As I said before, I'd had my suspicions, now I just needed proof. When I called him about the situation he had not seemed surprised in the least and he offered no personal aid, just the amenities the company had to offer. I do not believe that he is privy to the whereabouts of Duncan at this time however and that is why I still have not made my suspicions known to anyone else.

I was still waiting for a mistake to be made, if Jake didn't make one, Duncan would, it was only a matter of time.

I had wondered how long it would take for Mr. Echolls to pull himself together, I truly did feel for the young man. So although I would not normally take orders from such a young man, I was willing to hand the reigns over to him on that one occasion.

Why you ask?

Because I knew where he was headed and I believed he would be more successful than I would be.

Especially after he bugged Jake Kane's phone.

Logan

So Jake Kane knows nothing.

This is true on many levels.

First of all, he doesn't have a clue where Duncan is. He also has no idea that while he was pouring me a drink…I was bugging his cell phone. He was also oblivious to the fact that while I was keeping him occupied in the den….one Eli 'Weevil' Navarro was searching his office.

But most importantly, he doesn't know what Weevil found and that's too bad.

Because Weevil hit the jackpot.

CW

I'd been correct in my assumption that Mr. Echolls' conversation with Mr. Kane would be fruitful.

But what Mr. Echolls did not know was that Mr. Navarro was doing reconnaissance for myself as well as for him.

You see, I had grown weary of righting the wrongs of that retched family and with the information he retrieved I would be able to take down the Kane's once and for all.

You might ask why I would do that.

I have my reasons.

Logan

Not only did Weevil find the original files on Duncan proving that his father was the one helping him, but Weevil found us our first big break.

A list of 5 properties owned by the Kane's that we had not been aware of. Two of which were under the name Duncan Kane and all of which were located with in a hundred miles of Neptune and on the way to Mexico.

I'd immediately called CW and given him the addresses and Weevil and I were on the way to the first of the five.

It was midnight she has been gone for 12 hours, but it was only a matter of time.

I was going to find her.

Dick

Ok, so I know that it was like hours ago, but honestly.

Mac slugging Meg was like the hottest thing I have ever seen.

Don't get me wrong I'm still plenty freaked out about Ronnie, but come on. How could I not be turned on by my sexy smart girlfriend leveling some other chick? Especially a chick who deserved it.

So with everyone else gone I was hoping she might be willing to have a little fun. If I couldn't be out there doing something productive, I might as well be productive at home, right? And Logan did tell me to keep and eye on Mac. So that's what I intend to do.

I mean its like that Speed movie; you know people in intense life or death situations want to have sex and this seemed to me like a life or death situation.

I honestly didn't know if it will work nd there was a very good chance she might hit me.

But hey, I got her to join the mile high club didn't I?

So I was gonna go for it.

After all, I wouldn't be Dick Casablancas if I didn't .

Mac

Ok, first let me say, that it's really hard to concentrate on trying to hack into one of the best protected company networks in the world…when you have a very horny Dick Casablancas staring at you.

Ok, its hard to do anything when you have a very horny Dick staring at you. But I was trying to help V so he was just going to have to wait. He was just going to have to sit there and watch because I was almost done.

But of course he didn't want to do that and he was sitting right behind me nibbling on my earlobe and running his fingers through my hair.

Do you have any idea how hard it is to say no to Dick Casablancas?

It's near impossible, the guy is like a sex god.

Its like he's my own personal kryptonite, I don't know how to say no and this time wasn't any different.

I mean seriously, where's Clarence Weidman when you need him?

Dick

I am a sex god.

Or at least that's what Mac told me, it was by far the best compliment I'd ever gotten.

Although I don't think she actually meant to tell me.

Well that, and she didn't actually tell me, she actually screamed it.

I told you she was a screamer.

But anyways that's not the only reason I am a sex god.

The other reason…

The minute she climaxed and proclaimed my sex god status…

Her computer finished hacking into the Kane's company network.

Yes, that's right.

I am that good.

Logan

Against my better judgment we chose to stop for the night.

Well not we actually, I would keep going, they have chosen to stop.

I wasn't angry with them for this and to an extent I agreed with them, Weevil argued a good case after all. When we find her Duncan probably wasn't going to give up without a fight and we needed to be at least somewhat rested. Once again, that 'we' didn't really apply, I didn't see myself getting much sleep. But for Veronica's sake I was going to try.

So there I was, sitting in Weevil's car, at a rest stop 70 miles outside of Neptune. CW had taken Wallace to his house for the night and Mac and Dick were at The Grand. Weevil was asleep as I was sure the others were.

And I was just sitting there praying again.

I'm not a religious person, I'd never been a avid church goer. Sure, I went a few times when I was younger but it just never seemed to stick with me.

But for the last 15 hours all I seemed to have been doing was praying. Praying to God, Buddha, whoever was up there listening, because it had been 15 hours and we still hadn't found her. The first 2 properties were deserted, so I was praying that we'd find her at the third.

We had been doing everything that we could.

Mac had finished hacking in to the network and had been going through all of the files. Leo called 3 hours earlier to tell me that the border hasn't seen any sign of them and Wallace had called to say they were done searching 4 of the properties and were headed to the 5th in the morning.

So I was praying that one of us finds something, anything that might help us find her.

But most of all I was praying for her. Praying for her to be strong and to hold on, because every minute that we spent searching for her was another minute that he had her.

Another minute that I wasn't there to protect her.

Another minute that she was alone with him.

But I refused to lose faith.

I would find her, I didn't care how long it took, how much money it would cost, or how many enemies I'd make along the way. Because she was all that mattered to me and to be honest I didn't have to pray to know that I would find her. Because I knew that this was just one more chapter in our epic story.

One more chapter with a little bloodshed. One more chapter which would result in a few more ruined lives.

After all epic wouldn't be epic without it.

And we were for damn sure going to get our happy ending.

Veronica

When I woke up I didn't know where I was.

I was lying on a bed in the middle of a huge unfamiliar room, there was a large window that took up nearly all of one wall, it was almost dark outside and the light in the room was on making my head ache.

I moved to the edge of the bed and took in my surroundings, there was a bathroom connected to the room, two dressers, a couch and two chairs in the corner. The furnishings were nice, more than nice, high end actually.

I lifted myself off the bed and tried to walk to the window but when I stood up the room spun a little so I sat down. Not only did I not know where I was, I didn't know how I had gotten there. Confused iss an understatement, so I sat there for a second, trying to remember what had happened.

I looked down at what I was wearing and was immediately startled, I was wearing unfamiliar pajamas. Which actually wasn't true, they were familiar, I had just never worn them, Lilly had given them to me and I had never worn them for two reasons. First, they were a little to risqué for me. They didn't show a lot, just more than was really my style, just one of her attempts to bring me out of my boring shell as she called it. And the second reason, she had given them to me the week she had died, so I had put them in the back of my drawer, not to be forgotten but to hold on to, for sentimental reasons. So the fact that I was wearing them bothered me.

I pulled my fingers through my hair and noticed that my face hurt, a lot. The entire left side of my face felt like it was on fire and it ached. I didn't understand, so I tried to stand up again. I was able to barely make it to the bathroom before I had to clutch the side of the sink to keep myself from falling over. And when I looked in the mirror I nearly screamed, almost the entire left side of my face from the bottom of my eye to below my chin was dark red and turning purple.

I just stared at my reflection as it all started to come back to me.

I remembered getting home and taking a shower, calling out for Logan, but him not answering.

I remembered pulling back the curtain.

And I remembered….Duncan.

He was standing there, just staring at me only halfway hidden by the shower curtain and then he walked towards me. I remembered every single thing that had run through my mind before he hit me and then nothing.

I didn't know how long ago it was, what day it was, what time.

For all I knew I had been here for a week, because after he hit me I had no memory.

But I did know a few things for sure. My hair had been brushed and someone other than me had dressed me and that person was most likely Duncan Kane.

I shuddered at the thought. I didn't want to think about him touching me, what he could have done to me while I was lying there naked.

I leaned over and emptied the contents of my stomach into the toilet as a million different scenarios of what could have gone on while I was unconscious, ran through my aching mind.

And then I laid there on the bathroom floor and I started to cry. I didn't know what to do in that moment, I was scared and I felt lost.

I'd been in situations like this before, but for some reason this felt worse, I really didn't know if I would get out of this one.

What if I never saw Logan again, or my friends, or my dad? What if this was it?

My emotional break down lasted all of 2 minutes, because then I remembered something.

I am Veronica Mars and if there is one thing that I know how to do better than anyone else.

Its to survive.

I was going to survive this.

I was going to get home.

I was going to move in with Logan, graduate from college and marry him and no one was going to stop me.

Because in order to survive I had to get mad.

And in that moment...

I was fucking pissed.

So what did you think? Let me know. please!

Chapter 18 will revolve almost solely around what is happening to veronica while everyone is looking for her.

authors note: when logan says he has gotten veronica back 3 times technically four...obviously we know that he got her back at the end of their senior year, winter break of college (well she went to him but whatever), and at the beginning of this story. But logan considers getting her back into his life their junior year after torturing her for a year as the fourth time. even though they had not dated before, he still got her back