Here it is. The last chapter!

Huge THANK YOU to bond and to a2l and kmd. You all inspired me, helped me, and kept me sane through this all. Couldn't have done this without you!

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Chapter 20

Veronica took in one long breath and prayed. She wasn't even sure if anyone was on the other side to listen, but she couldn't think of anything else to do. It seemed as if everything was moving in slow motion. Part of her wished the inevitable would just happen already so she could go as quickly as she could.

But instead of the sound of a gun firing, something hard and heavy fell on top of her. Her head hit with a loud crack against the small coffee table beside her.

She turned to see Weevil wrestling the gun out of Victor's hands. She clumsily stood and watched them in a daze. She saw Eli kick the gun away. It took her a moment to process what she needed to do, but she hazily stumbled to where the gun had landed and picked it up.

"Victor!" she screeched. His body went limp in Weevil's arms. She could hear sirens in the distance, though she wasn't sure if she was hearing things—her ears were ringing from the blow to her head—or if Weevil had called the cops.

"Veronica?" Eli's concerned voice asked. She couldn't see him anymore, and his voice sounded as if he were on the other end of a tunnel. Then everything went black.

vvVvv

Logan had decided to go surfing for the day. He couldn't sit around the house waiting for Veronica to return. He was still angry that she didn't seem to have any regard for her safety. After all these years, he had hoped her self preservation skills might have improved. Apparently that had been wishful thinking.

After a few hours of catching shitty waves, he decided he could use some lunch. He didn't bother to check his cell. Veronica would be home by now, but he wasn't ready to make peace quite yet. He threw his board down outside of the house and rushed off. There was a burger place just a little further down. He didn't even give himself a chance to look at the driveway.

vvVvv

"Logan?" Logan jumped at the sound of his name. He took another bite of his burger before turning to see Wallace rushing to his table.

"Has the little blonde one sent you to make a peace offering?" He smiled, but Wallace's wide eyes and angry expression stopped anymore sarcastic quips to escape.

"Dude, where have you been?!" Wallace demanded. "We've all been trying to contact you for hours!"

"What happened?" Logan stood and had to steady himself against the table; he knew where this conversation was leading. "Is she okay?"

"She'll be fine," Wallace reassured. Logan felt his legs buckling.

"What happened, Wallace?" he asked again, but Wallace just shook his head and motioned for him to follow.

"I'll explain in the car," Wallace said over his shoulder.

Logan followed, angry that his friend would withhold information from him.

Once they were in the car and on their way to what Logan assumed was the hospital, Wallace told him what had happened. The kids that she was investigating had had a dispute, and she ended up in the middle of it. Weevil, freaking Weevil, had saved the day.

"She's at her dad's," Wallace finally said. "She's shaken up, but she's okay. Just a minor head injury from hitting it."

"Is Weevil okay?' Logan forced. As much as it pained him to care about that thug, he knew Eli was the only reason Veronica was still alive and breathing.

"He made it out without a scratch. And the Victor kid's in jail."

This, Logan thought, is exactly why I was upset. I knew this would happen. It always happens!

Veronica's suggestion of going AWOL was sounding more sane by the minute…

vvVvv

Wallace had tried to remain calm when he received the call from Keith that Veronica had been involved in a gang related dispute. He felt as though he were reliving high school. He had hoped the years of being away from the family business had made her realize that she needed to be more careful. But of course not, this was Veronica Mars. She was one of the smartest and stupidest people he knew.

He had been instructed to get ahold of Logan who was apparently MIA. After hours of calling his phone, Wallace waited at Logan's house in hopes that he would come home. He watched as Logan sped away and followed him to the small diner. After getting off the phone with Keith, Wallace had worked the courage up to be the one breaking the unpleasant news to Veronica's boyfriend.

Driving Logan to see his mangled girlfriend made him wonder how many of Logan and Veronica's fights were not Logan's fault, but rather Veronica being irrational about her life and her decisions. The man next to him was a mess. Logan kept shaking his leg and running his hands through his hair. Wallace prayed Logan wouldn't cry. He wasn't ready to be on that level of friendship with the guy yet.

"She'll be okay. She's okay," Wallace repeated stupidly for the twenty-minute drive. He wasn't sure if he was trying to convince Logan or himself of that fact, but as soon as he pulled up to Keith's house, he felt more at ease. Logan practically leapt out of the car before it stopped, so Wallace came shuffling through the door after him.

Veronica was sitting on the couch looking embarrassed.

"Looks like your gentlemen have arrived," Keith joked. Something about Keith's calm and joking attitude made Wallace's anxiety leave in a sudden and welcomed rush.

"So they have," she smiled. "So," she said in mock seriousness, "is this where you make an ultimatum and I'm forced to choose between the two of you? This all feels very '90s teen TV drama to me."

"Veronica." Keith's voice held a warning. He must have sensed Logan's state of mind. Her face reddened; she clearly understood this was not the moment to be joking. As soon as Wallace saw that Veronica was her normal spit-fire self, his anxiety was replaced with anger. She might not care about her life and safety, but for the rest of them, going through this trauma over and over again was not fair.

"Guys," she said softly with concern, "I'm fine. Really."

"You could have died," Logan told her. Wallace nodded in agreement.

"I had Eli. Honestly, I was going to be fine," she tried to assure them. Wallace knew better; she was lying. He could tell by the slightly higher pitch in her voice and small, almost undetectable waver. Logan tensed beside him, and something told him that Logan had come to the same conclusion.

"Kids," Keith said suddenly, making them all start slightly, "I'll be in the kitchen with Mac making dinner. Feel free to stay, I'll make enough for everyone."

Logan made his way to the couch on which Veronica sat. Wallace didn't move, feeling very awkward—as if he were watching something intimate. Logan was uttering something softly to Veronica. She shook her head and became angry. Wallace took this opportunity to join Keith in the kitchen. Hurricane Logan and Veronica was brewing, and he didn't want to be caught in the inevitable storm.

vvVvv

Logan was less angry with Veronica than he was worried. The side of her head was bandaged, and she informed him she had to have stitches because she had cracked her head open on the coffee table. She refused to share any more detail than that, which infuriated him. She at least owed them an explanation of what had occurred.

"I guess I owe Eli my thanks," Logan shrugged before stuffing his hands in his pockets to keep them from fidgeting nervously.

"He's a good wingman," Veronica agreed quietly.

They sat in a deafening silence for a few minutes before Mac called to them, telling them dinner was ready in the kitchen. Logan watched as Veronica stood gingerly and limped toward the kitchen. Every hobbled step she took made him more anxious. How could he leave now? Everything he was worried about had happened before he had even stepped foot on his naval ship.

"You coming?" Veronica's voice was soft and timid and completely out of character. Logan nodded and gave her a smile, hoping that would put her at ease.

vvVvv

It took some convincing, but Keith had finally agreed that it would be all right for Veronica to go home with Logan. Veronica was secretly relieved. She couldn't imagine remaining under her dad's scrutinous watch any longer. The pained look in his face as he watched her made her uneasy. At least Logan tried to pretend that he was okay.

The first thing Veronica wanted to do when she got back to Logan's was take a shower. She felt dirty and she could feel the dried blood in her hair. Logan smiled and ran the water for her as she undressed.

"If you need anything," he told her, "I'll just be right here." He pointed to his bed.

She nodded, her head tired and heavy.

The moment she slipped into the shower and felt the hot water hit her face, she broke down. The tragedy of the day hit her like a train. Horrible images flooded her thoughts in quick succession.

First she saw Adrian, lifeless and lying in a pool of his own blood. She saw Eli's pale face as he struggled to get to her. The images were so vivid as if she were in the moment all over again. She could see his mouth moving, but she couldn't hear his words. Then she saw Victor shaking. Why was he shaking? She realized he was sobbing.

Then Veronica saw Lilly's mysterious smile. "I have a secret. I big one." Lilly's smiling face was interrupted with the image of her bloody friend, her eyes wide and frozen, staring into nothingness. Veronica tried to reach out to her, but then the room morphed into another memory.

Then Veronica saw her underwear on the floor of Shelly's guestroom. She shook the memory from her mind, but it was only replaced by another.

She saw Logan fall into her arms the night of the stabbing. She held him until she had heard a knock on the door. Veronica panicked. She knew the sheriff's department would find him there. She had tried to stay calm for Logan's sake even though she didn't know what the future held.

Veronica sobbed harder and found herself looking into the face of Cassidy Casablancas just moments before he stepped off the edge of the roof of the Neptune Grand.

Next came parker Parker, her head shaved, as she screamed. A sound that Veronica could never forget.

They were things she could never unsee—ghosts that would follow her for the rest of her life.

The weight of the day and the horrible images that were burned into her brain became too much and Veronica crumpled. She pulled her knees in close to her body and pressed her head against them. She let herself feel the grief, anxiety, sorrow, and anger. She had tried too long to hold everything in.

After what seemed like hours, the tears stopped, but she still couldn't bring herself to move. The water had become lukewarm, which made her shiver.

Move, she told herself, just move, Mars.

But she was frozen. Mentally and physically exhausted from all that had happened that day. Tired from everything that had happened in her life. The anxiety of not being enough or cut out for this job. Thinking about everything she had been through and everything she had put her loved ones through was too much. Everything was too much.

So this is why I avoid feelings, she thought wryly. She shut her eyes and continued to let the water run down her back. Her mind jolted awake when she felt the warm touch of a hand on her shoulder. She wanted to look up and see what was happening, but tears had begun to fall again. She knew it was Logan, and knowing he was seeing her this way was embarrassing. She was ashamed.

vvVvv

Logan sat on the edge of his bed listening to the water fall. Veronica's usual ten-minute shower had slowly turned to fifteen minutes, then twenty. When she had been in the shower longer than thirty minutes, the worry he'd been feeling had turned more acute, so he had slid into the bathroom as soundlessly as possible. He listened for any sign of movement, but when he only heard the constant drizzling of the water, he pulled back the curtain.

The sight of Veronica naked and shivering in the bathtub was almost overwhelming. His badass girlfriend looked so… human. He felt the water with his hand and quickly turned up the heat. After slipping out of his clothes, he stepped in and touched her shoulder. She didn't move.

"Veronica, come on, we need to clean you up," he whispered insistently. She didn't argue or fight when he helped her to her feet, but she didn't turn to see him. He poured shampoo into his hand and slowly began massaging it into her hair. He was careful to avoid her stitches. He turned her to face him so he could rinse out the shampoo. It was only then that she looked at him. Her eyes were red from crying. She bit her lip, and remained silent as he washed out her hair. As soon as he was finished she buried her face in his shoulder and wrapped her arms around him.

"I'm so sorry," she cried over and over again.

He tried shushing her and ran his hand down her back, but she couldn't be consoled. Logan was at a loss for what to do. It was a rarity to see Veronica this way.

He kissed the top of her head and lifted her face so he could look into it.

"Veronica, let's get you dried off and into bed."

She nodded in approval. Quietly they got out of the shower and wrapped towels around themselves.

Veronica was leaning against the doorframe of the bathroom when Logan handed her a pair of his fleece pajama bottoms and tee shirt.

"Thank you," her hoarse voice uttered as she grabbed them from him. He smiled, even if it was forced, and returned to his drawer to retrieve a pair of boxers from himself.

"You okay?" he asked. The concern in his voice could not be disguised.

She gave him a smile and nodded. "I feel a lot better now," she returned. Her voice was lighter and she didn't sound upset. Her ability to switch from one emotion to another astounded him.

"Okay," he replied, although still extremely cautious.

He felt uncertain until she had come to where he stood and gave him a deep kiss and earnestly told him, "I'm fine and I love you."

vvVvv

When she finally snapped out of her haze, Veronica knew she had major damage control to do. She had seen the fear in Logan's eyes. She knew that he was worried and scared for her. She put on her mask and decided to put on a show for him. She couldn't have him worried about her. Not when he was only weeks or days away from leaving.

After Logan and Veronica got dressed for bed, they headed downstairs and made hot tea. They sipped it and mindlessly watched TV between kisses.

As soon as they had made their way upstairs and had slipped into bed, Logan turned to face her and sighed. She knew the dreaded conversation was coming.

"What?" she teased.

"You know what."

"No, I actually don't… Okay I do, but lay it all out there, baby."

Her lighthearted prodding didn't seem to make Logan feel any better. He continued to peer into her eyes, sad, like she remembered he would all those years ago before and after their fights.

"You're going to wind up dead, Veronica."

"I won't," she protested. He grunted.

"You will if you keep this up. I thought things were going to be different!"

Anger began to bubble within her, but she remembered the shower and kept her voice calm when she replied, "We already had this fight this morning."

"You asked for me to lay it out for you," he reminded her harshly. She squeezed her eyes shut. Her head was pounding.

"I know… Okay, I know, Logan. I won't get into these kinds of cases again. I'll help dad with the cheating husbands and the lost dogs." She tried to hide the anger and the obvious sarcasm, but she knew he had caught on.

"Will those cases be enough for my action figure girlfriend?" he questioned.

"If that means you'll worry less, than I guess I can make a change." She wanted to mean it. She hoped that she did.

"I won't make you promise me anything, Veronica. I just want you to be safer. You can't keep ending up in situations where someone is dead and you barely escaped death by the scrape of your teeth. I won't be here to clean up the mess next time."

She winced at his choice of words. The mess. She had been a mess, but still the words stung.

"I'll be working with Dad from now on." She insisted. He nodded and she continued, "Any serious cases will be done as a team. I won't go off alone. I promise."

She knew that was all he needed to hear. He pulled her in for a kiss. Once they had broken apart he gently swiped hair away from her bandaged head.

"Since our date night was kind of a bust tonight, what do you say we try again tomorrow?" he asked her quietly. She grinned and gave him a small peck on the cheek.

"I would love that."

vvVvv

Logan had let Veronica sleep in the following day. He knew she needed all the rest she could get. Dick had called him a few hours after he had started making breakfast to tell Logan that he was grateful for his friendship and for his girlfriend's help. Logan had downplayed things, eager to get off the phone. Ever since Veronica had told Logan about the rape, he had a hard time thinking about Dick, let alone talking to him on the phone.

The smell of bacon must have eventually woken Veronica from her slumber, because she fumbled her way into the kitchen whilst yawning and rubbing her eyes.

"You sure know the way into this girl's heart." She smiled before sitting herself down at the table. Logan just wiggled his eyebrows in response and made her a plate of bacon and eggs.

"Your dad called. He said your doctor wants you to come in to have a follow up. Said he'll be here by twelve," he informed her. She gave a small eye roll, but didn't argue.

"I told your dad that you guys should spend the day together. I'll get the house cleaned up and make reservations for our date night tonight, okay?"

"But—" she began to protest, but stopped. "Okay, does Dad know when I need to be back?"

"I told him to have you back by five. That should give you enough time to get washed up before dinner."

Logan had been just as hesitant to have her be gone the entire day with Keith, but he knew how worried her dad was. Logan knew that Keith would never insist on his daughter spending the entire day with him, so Logan had pushed his own selfishness away to make sure she did.

"What time is it?" Veronica asked between bites.

"Eleven, give or take."

"Guess I better get ready… Thanks for the breakfast. It was very… domestic of you."

Logan smiled at her jab, knowing full well she meant it as a compliment.

"Well," he breathed as he scooted closer to her, "I like being domestic with you." He gave her nose a small kiss. He pressed his forehead against hers softly.

"Why, Logan Echolls," she whispered with a slight southern twang, "I told Pa I would make a good man out of you yet."

He couldn't help but snicker and pull her into a slow kiss. When they parted, he kissed her cheek and whispered in her ear, "Get used to it, you're stuck with the new and improved Logan Echolls now." He reached and took her plate and stood.

"You better head upstairs and get ready," he informed her as he turned on the sink. "Your dad will be here soon."

vvVvv

Keith had been all smiles in the car ride to the doctor's office. He had told her that he planned on grilling burgers for them for lunch. He skirted around the subject of the previous day's mishaps, but they were forced to face the reality of the day before once the doctor poked and prodded her.

"The hospital sent your records over. They said you had a mild concussion and a laceration on your forehead." The female doctor, Dr. Kapoor, paused and looked up from the chart to Veronica. Veronica nodded and she continued. "I just wanted to make sure I took a look at you today. Make sure you're still doing okay?"

"I feel fine," Veronica squeaked. She hated how unconfident she sounded.

"Have you had any nausea, fevers…?"

"No," Veronica lied. The truth was that she had felt sick on and off throughout the night and morning, but she knew it was only because of her concussion. There was no reason to fuss about it.

"Okay, well, let me run some tests. Make sure you're in a good shape to be running around." With that, the doctor left Keith and Veronica in the room alone. The silence was awkward, and Veronica knew Keith was trying his hardest to be positive.

"It looks like you're doing well. I'm going to guess that the doctor will just want you to come back in a week to remove the stitches." Keith wrung his hands as he spoke and gave a pathetic attempt at a smile.

"See, Dad, nothing can hold this bitch down," Veronica replied, pointing two thumbs at herself.

Keith gave her a bewildered look, but didn't try to start a fight.

A knock on the door made them both jump, and the doctor entered.

"Okay, Miss Mars let's get those tests done."

vvVvv

Veronica was relieved that Keith had hamburgers to keep him busy, because after the doctor's visit, neither of them were in much of a mood to talk. Keith scurried in and out of his house, occasionally calling to her asking questions like, "Want cheese on your burger?" or "Want a beer?"

After a while, Veronica couldn't stand the tension any longer, she joined Keith on his back porch where he was absentmindedly poking the meat.

"Dad we need to talk about it."

Keith looked at her like he had just realized she was with him.

"About what, Veronica?" he asked.

"About… it," she urged.

"Honey, if you can't even say what it is, then I don't think you're ready to talk." He must have sensed that she was getting frustrated because he added, "Which is okay. We'll talk about everything when you're ready."

It made her feel a little better, but she felt guilty that she couldn't just have an open and honest conversation with her dad.

"I'm sorry I made you and everyone so worried," was all she could reply. Keith didn't respond, he only gave a small shrug. "Dad." Keith finally made eye contact. "I'm going to play it safe from now on. I'm going to help you out at the office. You and me. I promise." As she looked into her dad's eyes she saw in his eyes all the anxiety he was hiding. "I promise," she tried again.

"I didn't want this for you," Keith lamented. "None of this. You were going to be a lawyer Veronica. You got out of here."

"I chose to come back, Dad. Nobody made me. It's home. It always will be."

"I guess it would be nice to have another pair of hands around here." She breathed an audible sigh of relief to which Keith responded with a chuckle.

"An old geezer like you, it's a wonder how you survived all these years without me."

"Sweet Daughter, you underestimate my power," her dad joked back.

For the first time in a long time, Veronica felt like she could breath around her dad again. And it was a wonderful feeling.

vvVvv

"So you and Logan have a date night tonight?" Keith asked his daughter. She had finished stuffing her mouth, and he saw this as an opportunity to pry some answers about her relationship out of her.

"Yeah," was her simple reply. Oh, how she was her father's daughter.

"You know what he has planned?" he pressed further. She quirked an eyebrow and smiled.

"Not what you're thinking, no."

"And what am I thinking?" Keith laughed.

"We haven't even talked about marriage. I'm sure when the time comes, if the time comes, you'll know before I do."

Well, that is a relief, Keith decided.

"So how are you guys doing? Are you moving into his place?"

"I don't know," Veronica began. Keith had to resist the urge to strangle her. It was like pulling teeth with this one. "Logan wants me to stay there while he's gone. He doesn't see why I would pay for a place when he has a perfectly good, empty home available."

"He has a point, Sweetie."

Veronica gave him a surprised look, and he had to admit that even he was surprised at his reaction to her moving in with Logan. "You think I should do it?" she asked, sounding uncertain.

"I think you need to decide that for yourself. But if it's my approval you're waiting for, I give you the green light."

He hated that his baby girl was now grown and far from being that blonde, wide eyed child he longed for. The little girl who had insisted on him learning how to do her hair because her mommy didn't like waking up in the mornings before school. The little girl who ran to him whenever she needed someone to bandage her scraped knees. But he was proud. Proud of the woman that she had become. The two of them had been through the storms of life together, and here they were, years later as victors. He had to accept that she would never get out of this place. She would always make her way back home. For years he blamed himself for her mistakes and for her decisions, but he realized now that, for better or for worse, she made her own choices. She had been making her own choices for a while now.

And regardless of what she chose to do—who she chose to be—he was going to be proud. He was going to be supportive. He was going to be her partner through the storms and through the calm like he always had been.

Because that's just who they were.

vvVvv

Veronica hoped that she hadn't eaten too much before Logan's big date night, but she couldn't refuse anything her dad ever cooked. Keith had driven her back home, and for once, Veronica felt at peace about the direction her life was heading.

She had decided that she was going to tell Logan that she would move in with him. He would be so happy. He had been dropping hints for a long time, every day, that he wanted her to move in. With her dad's blessing, she felt more at ease about doing it. She felt silly— needing her daddy's nod of approval, but there was something about his approval that meant the world to her.

"All your stuff is still in that spare room of mine," Keith informed her as she got out of his car. "Come by tomorrow and we can get it over here. Get you all moved in." He gave her a genuine smile.

"Sounds good." She began to close the door.

"Veronica?" She stopped and looked at her dad.

"Yeah?"

"I love you," he told her almost bashfully.

"I love you too, Dad. See you tomorrow." She slammed the door and tried not to rush to the door. She was overcome with giddy excitement for her and Logan's date.

"Honey!" she called in a sing-songy voice, "I'm home!"

When Logan didn't appear, she slowly shut the door and continued through the dark house.

"Okay, this is where you reply!" But there was no reply. Her pulse quickened and she became worried. She hurried up the stairs and burst into their room. She found him sitting on the end of the bed. His back to her.

"Logan?" she asked. He didn't turn. She took a step closer to him, and saw it. A white piece of paper in Logan's hand. And she knew exactly what that meant.

vvVvv

"Where are you going to be?" Veronica asked quietly. She had joined Logan at the end of the bed.

"I can't tell you that, Veronica," was his response.

"When are you leaving?"

"We take off two weeks from tomorrow, but I leave for my base in three days."

Three days, she repeated to herself. She only had three days left with him.

"Will I see you before…before..." Before you leave on a giant floating piece of metal for half of a year.

"Before we set sail?" Logan looked up. "There will be a send off that you can go to. Military wives and family members attend… to say goodbye." He looked at her with sad eyes but a smile.

"Okay." She didn't know what else to say.

"What are you thinking?" he asked seriously.

"I'm thinking?" she echoed back. She was still a bit shocked that the time for him to leave had finally come.

"Are you okay? You can still back out of this. I can tell you're freaked out."

"Freaked out? No… No I'm just trying to take this all in," she stammered.

He grabbed her hands but didn't say anything else. They sat in silence for a while. It had begun to rain, and the raindrops could be heard hitting the roof and the window.

"I'm moving in," she blurted. She wasn't entirely sure if this was the right moment to tell him, but for some reason she couldn't keep it in any longer. "I was going to tell you at dinner—"

"Dinner!" Logan jumped up and looked down at his watch. "We can still make it if we hurry."

"Are you sure?" she asked taken aback. "We can just call it off—"

"No," he cut her off. "No, I'm not calling off our last dinner date, Veronica. Get ready. A nice dress, but not too nice. How about that dress you wore to dinner with your dad? The black one?"

She smiled. "Okay."

Because "okay" was the only thing Veronica could manage to say without breaking down. But "okay" was the furthest from how she felt.

vvVvv

The following two days were met with frantic errands that had to be run, moving Veronica into Logan's house, and the occasional quickie. Veronica was frustrated that they hadn't had a really intimate moment together since the night they had received Logan's letter, but by the time they slipped into bed, Logan was exhausted and Veronica had to admit she was too. They spent most of the time together, yet it felt as though they had hardly said two sentences to each other.

On the night before he was leaving for his base, they had snuggled onto his couch and watched The Big Lebowski. Logan practically held onto her the entirety of the movie, and Veronica had a feeling that he was trying to hold on to every last moment they had.

Eleven hours, forty eight minutes, and thirteen, twelve, eleven seconds left with him. She pulled her eyes away from the ticking clock and tried to focus on The Dude's bearded face on the screen.

"Well, they finally did it," Logan was quoting along with Jeff Bridges, "They killed my effing car." Veronica snorted and he looked at her, surprised. "What?"

"Well, I appreciate you keeping it PG-13 for me," she laughed, "it's not like I couldn't hear the movie in the background."

"I'm delicate," he retorted sarcastically. He kissed her nose.

Veronica just laughed and pulled in closer to him, wishing it could always be this way.

"Hey," Logan said breaking into her thoughts.

"Yeah?"

"You know I love you, right?" he asked. The seriousness in his voice caught her off guard.

"Yeah, I know."

"Good. Never forget that. There will be a lot of lonely nights, Veronica. Just don't forget that I love you. Think of nights like these. It makes the days go by faster, I promise."

"Sounds like you have personal experience," she joked.

He turned her to face him. "I have. The last time I was deployed there were a lot of days that I felt very alone. But I just thought of home… I thought of you," he admitted, turning a bit red.

"Me?" she asked surprised.

"Yeah, I would think of the good times. Most of my good times in life included you." He rolled his eyes. "Don't look so surprised, Sugarpuss."

"Oh God, 'Sugarpuss'... that was an interesting day."

"I always had fun being one of your wingmen during your crazy acts," he told her. "Maybe when I get back home… Maybe I could help out a little. Pretend to be your fiancé again."

She smiled and gave a short laugh. "As long as your promise to never call me Sugarpuss again."

"Okay, Bobcat, whatever you say." His eyes twinkled mischievously.

"You're impossible," she scoffed jokingly.

"But you love me," he pointed out.

"Yeah, I guess I do."

vvVvv

The following morning, Logan woke early and slipped out of bed quietly. He showered and tried to keep his mind on the objective ahead of him: getting to his base. He tried not to think about his beautiful, blonde girlfriend who was asleep in his bed. He tried not to think about the days and weeks ahead that would be void of any communication with her. He tried not to think about the very real possibility that Veronica could at any time change her mind and decide that military family life was too hard and not worth it.

Logan brushed his teeth, his towel wrapped around his waist, and finished his morning bathroom routine. He tiptoed out of the bathroom, and found Veronica was still sprawled across the bed, sound asleep. He pulled his uniform out of the closet and slipped into it.

It was time. Time to wake her up. Time to say goodbye. Time to leave.

"You look creepy, staring at me while I sleep like that," Veronica's sleepy voice said. She opened an eye and smiled.

"Just trying to memorize how you look. Peaceful and happy."

"Don't go," she frowned as she sat up.

"It's 180 days, Veronica. What's a 180 days to us?"

A smile crept to her face. "I'm going to miss you," she whispered.

"I'll miss you too. But more than I'll be missing you, I'll be loving you."

"You and your epic love notions," she grinned.

"Yeah." He returned her smile and pulled her into a hug. "Besides," he pulled back, "I'll be seeing you at the sendoff in a couple of weeks." Her eyes were downcast, but she nodded in agreement.

"I'll see you soon," Veronica said before kissing him gently.

"Stay safe," he warned her. He hoped she would take him seriously.

"Promise."

"Before you know it, I'll be home. You'll see," Logan promised.

"Always come home, please? Always come back?" He knew was Veronica was insinuating. She was worried that once he left he wouldn't make it back.

"Always," he promised. Logan gave her one last kiss, picked up his bag and headed out.

vvVvv

Veronica had eventually made her way out of the house. She was reluctant to even get up and get ready, but she knew her dad was waiting for her at the office. Now that the hangover from Dick's case was wearing off, she knew they needed to get a move on in the new cases. Not only that, but taking on new cases would keep her mind off of Logan for the next couple of weeks before she saw him again at the sendoff.

It seemed cruel. That she had to say goodbye again. But Veronica knew how important it was that she showed up to see him off. So she pushed the impending goodbye from her mind and set her sights on the business proposal she had for her dad.

"Okay, hear me out," Veronica told Keith once she arrived at Mars Investigations, "Let me finish law school and take the bar exam here in California. That way you can have a legal team connected with your investigations. Mac has already expressed her interest in using her superior computer skills to help us here at the office. We can build a team. A kick-ass team that can really change this town."

"I think you could be onto something," Keith finally admitted with a sigh.

"Plus your wonderful daughter will still be taking the bar exam. It's a win-win."

"Okay!" Keith threw his hands up in defeat, "Let's do it!" He stuck his hand out to Veronica for her to shake. She felt weird shaking her dad's hand, but she took it and they settled it. She couldn't wait to tell Mac.

"So any good cases to solve? Cheating husband...a greedy wife looking to get paid?"

"Actually, things have been slow this week. I just have paperwork to finish up, and then I was going to head out."

Veronica wasn't worried that they didn't have any current cases to work on. It was Neptune—something was bound to happen at any moment.

It was the Neptune way.

vvVvv

Later that night Veronica was washing the dinner dishes when Keith's voice rang from the living room. "Veronica!"

Veronica rushed to his side. The sound in his voice was familiar—distress and annoyance.

On the screen was a face of a man Veronica did not recognize, forlorn and tired. "Please," he was saying, "I have never done meth and I have never sold meth a single day in my hard working life. I'm a father of two girls. I had a mom who raised me right."

Veronica glanced back at her dad. Keith's furrowed brow indicated he knew more to this story than she did.

"The police got the wrong guy. Or it's a frame job. I don't know but it wasn't me," the man, now identified as Alejandro Gomez, begged. The news flashed to the next story and Keith turned the volume down.

"That's the second guy who has been arrested who claims that the contraband used against them was not theirs," Keith informed her.

"Isn't that what they all say?" Veronica asked, not quite understanding what the big deal was.

"These guys are telling the truth." It wasn't often that her dad was wrong about his convictions. Veronica had learned to trust them.

"So, what are we going to do about it?" Veronica asked. "If he didn't do it then I'm sure the sheriff's department is behind it."

Keith's grunt and nod indicated that she was on the same trail of thought as he was about the whole situation.

Well, Veronica thought, I guess these next few months won't be as quiet as I thought.

Having Logan away from home wasn't ideal. Hell, it was downright unfair, but it was life. Soon he would be at sea, and just as quickly as he left, he would be back. He was off saving the world, and being here with her dad made her feel like maybe she could do a little saving of the world herself.

Neptune was still corrupt. Neptune was still full of evil people who needed to be stopped. It might not be the entire world, but it was part of Veronica's world, and if she could help, even a little, she felt like she was doing something good with her life.

Oh, Neptune. The seedy little beach town that she had tried to hate all these years had pulled her right back in. She had tried to escape. She had tried to run. But she came right back. It was where she belonged. It was where she became who she was. It was where she was going to do her best to do some good.

Neptune was messy. It needed some saving. But it was home.

vvVvv

vvVvv

Okay guys. It's done. Completed. Finished. I couldn't have done it without you. I could go on for days about how much you all mean to me, but I have a feeling you would stop reading halfway through.. haha

I can't wait to see what you thought about that ending. I avoided writing it for so long. I didn't like thinking about the fact that I wouldn't have anymore to post in this story. That I wouldn't be hearing from you amazing people anymore. I have plans for more stories. So many plans. Now they can go into action! This isn't goodbye, this is see ya later.

Xoxo,

Britt