A/N: All you need to know is that this takes place during junior year and i do not own anything.

"I need your help Ronnie."

"No."

There it was-that simple. No. No, I wouldn't help the guy who used to be one of my best friends but made it his life mission to make the last year a living hell. No, I wouldn't help the guy who used to come over to my house and help me take care of my mom when she was hung over, reassuring me everything would be ok in the end but then decided to tell the whole school about my mom's love affair with alcohol. No, I wouldn't help the guy who knew my boyfriend of two years never got past second base but told the whole school I pleasured both the boys and girls soccer teams, all in one afternoon.

"No? Why not?" He looked like a puppy that had been kicked and if I was still the Veronica of last year I would have probably caved but too much had went down between us. I just couldn't forgive and forget, I'm not made that way-not anymore.

"I-I just can't Logan."

"YOU CAN'T OR YOU WON'T?" His anger quickly growing as he realized I wasn't as big as a pushover as he assumed.

"Logan, I have a lot going on right now. And…and…I just…I can't." I kicked the puppy again. Way to go, Veronica.

"Please?" He asked flashing me those deep brown puppy dog eyes. When I didn't answer right away he let out a deep sigh. "Listen we aren't exchanging friendship bracelets and going to hang out at the arcade after school. This is a case. I'll pay you. Please Veronica."

I could really use the money. Since dad got booted from being the sheriff, money isn't as abundant as before and if I wanted the chance to get out the black hole of Neptune I would need to build up my college fund a.s.a.p.

"Fiiine," I relented. "Meet me at my dad's office at six. I'll hear your case and see what I can do for you. No promises Logan."

"Great. It's a date," he said giving one of his trademark smirks that made me want to slap it right off his face.

My plan was simple. I would hear out his case and decide that with my busy schedule there was no way that I could take on anything extra but give him Vinnie Van Lowe's business card. Vinnie would basically do anything for money.

Or I would see that case was real simple and could be solved within a day. I would then drag it out over a week, solve the case, and charge him double for all my hard work. As I see it, this case would be a win/win for me.

I was busy working on some statements for my dad when Logan walked in. I can't really say I expected him; in fact I was hoping he would let this thing drop or figure it out on his own.

"You know, I usually avoid buildings with stained glass."

"That's why you haven't come to visit," I said adding in my trademark head tilt for show.

Logan let a small smile form on his face and if I hadn't looked at the right moment I would have missed it completely. I could tell he was anxious. Usually Logan let off a cocky, confident vibe. Douchebag, if you will. Not now. It looked as if that damn puppy not only got kicked but ran over and his chances of surviving where a googolplex to one.

"Why don't you sit down Logan and tell me what's going on?"

Logan studied the office for a while. I wanted to grab him by the shoulders and forcibly make him sit down but something told me he had to work up to whatever was going on. I didn't like Logan like this, he made me nervous. Last time Logan danced around something, he snuck into my house and showed me how his dad "punished" him. I cleaned the blood from his back and let him stay with me until his dad cooled down.

"Logan." I didn't know what else to say.

He walked around and stopped in front of my desk. "Ronnie."

Ahh Ronnie, Logan's nickname for me. Lilly would call me Veronica Mars. Duncan would call me just Veronica or baby or any variation of a term of endearment. But Logan always called me Ronnie unless he was mad at me then it would be Veronica or nowadays bitch.

"What's going on Logan?" My eyes pleaded with him to let me in.

"Why did you cut your hair?" He said as he fell back into the chair in front of my desk. "Don't get me wrong, it suits you Ronnie -the new you. This fiery, sassy pixie who gives as good as she gets. But you've always had long hair since I met you and then you go and chop it all off." He finished on the soft side which tugged at my heart.

He was stalling I know this but the question caught me off guard. What was I supposed to say? When you turned your back on me? When I was raped at Shelly's party? When I realized I would never be that Veronica anymore? "I was ready for a change." That is true. I was always seen as Lilly's doppelganger but that wasn't me anymore. "I'm not that girl anymore. This is the new me," I said throwing his words back at him.

This time he let a smile come to his face and stay there for a while and I had to admit it was really nice seeing Logan like this, talking like this. It had been too long since we said anything to each other that didn't have an insult or jab connected to it.

"Logan what's going on?"

He leaned back in his chair, rubbing his hands over his forehead and down his face. "I-I need you. I need you to find my daughter."