The Last Year
By Misha

Author's Notes- I started this a long time ago and finally finished this. It's a series of Veronica Mars shorts, focused around Lilly, Duncan, Logan and Veronica and set during the year that Lilly died, twelve stories, one per month. These were written a long time ago, so only the first season irrelevant. That's all, I hope you enjoy!

Pairings- Veronica/Duncan, Logan/Lilly, mild Lily/Weevil.

Summery- Twelve months in the life of the fab four, as everything changes around them, including each other.

Spoilers- Up to "Leave it to Beaver".

Rating- PG-13

I. Young Love

January

"Are you happy?" Duncan asked Veronica over dinner.

It was their six month anniversary and so far the night was going well. Duncan had presented her with a bouquet of pink roses, her favourite and then taken her to the best restaurant in Neptune for dinner.

Veronica smiled brilliantly. "Of course I'm happy. This is perfect, Duncan. Thank you."

"Only the best for my girl." Duncan said, reaching for her hand over the table. He looked deep into her eyes. "I love you, Veronica."

Her eyes sparkled, this was the first time Duncan had ever told her that. She wondered if she could ever feel happier than she did at that moment.

"I love you too," she told him joyously, "forever."

Never for a moment did she doubt that she'd keep that promise.

II. Heart of A Cynic

February

Lilly hated Valentine's Day. She thought it was one of those stupid, fake holidays. Of course, if Logan had forgotten to get her a present, she would have felt differently, but that was just to keep him in line.

"What are you thinking about?" Veronica asked, coming up to Lilly's side.

They were at Madison's Valentine's Day party, held the day after Valentine's.

"How overrated Valentine's day is." Lilly told her calmly.

"Lilly how can you think that?" Veronica asked, fiddling with the bracelet Duncan had given her the day before.

"Because it's true." Lilly said, with a shrug. "Come on Veronica, it's all candy hearts and red roses and sugary sentiment, what does it really have to do with love?"

"I think it's nice, to have a special day to celebrate being in love." Veronica said optimistically.

Lilly just gave her a cynical smile. "Of course you do..."

III. Precious Moments

March

"Ooh, aren't they precious!" Veronica squealed, pointing to the panda bears.

"Yeah, they are." Duncan agreed, squeezing her hand, briefly admiring her turquoise nail polish.

Logan just rolled his eyes. "Can we leave yet?"

Lilly gave him a look. "No." The four of them were spending at the afternoon at the zoo, much to Logan's dismay.

He had lobbied hard for going to the beach instead, but the girls had wanted to go to the zoo and Duncan had agreed, because he hated disappointing Veronica. Besides, it was kinda fun, also Veronica looked so cute when she was happy.

"Having fun, baby?" He whispered in her ear.

She shot him a brilliant smile. "Yes, thank you for agreeing to come here."

"Anything for you." Duncan said, dropping her hand to wrap his arm around her waist. "Besides, it's kind of fun to watch Logan pout."

Veronica giggled. "Isn't it?"

IV. Not the Fairytale Type

April

"Just about ready to cut out of here, lover?" Lilly asked, pressing herself against Logan as they danced.

"What about Duncan and Veronica?" Logan asked, motioning to where the other couple was dancing in a world of their own at Neptune High's Spring Fling.

Lilly gave him a sultry gaze. "I don't think they'll notice if we leave, besides I had something... private in mind?"

"Oh?" Logan asked with a grin. "Lead the way."

Lilly just smiled. Dances were nice and all, but not really her style.

She'd come long enough to make an impression in her sexy gold dress, but now she was ready to leave. Ready for something more earthy, because when it came down to it, she wasn't the school dance kinda girl, that was much more Veronica's cup of tea and Lilly was willing to give it to her.

She had other pursuits that interested a Hell of a lot more.

V. Secret Lives

May

The 09ers were having a beach party. The PCHers showed up for a while and there was a bit of a tussle, but nothing huge.

Lilly stood by Logan's side, his arm around her waist, but her eyes were on Eli. He was looking at her in disgust, as if really seeing her for the first time.

She could see him wrestle with himself, as if wanting to confront her there and then, spill out all her dirty secrets. Part of her wanted him to, wanted it to all come out, so she could stop pretending, but...

Deep down, she liked the pretense. She liked playing with the bad boys, but not as much as she liked what she pretended to be. Luckily, Eli kept his mouth shut as he turned away in disgust.

Lilly breathed a silent sigh of relief, she'd gotten away with it. This time.

VI. Perfect Moments

June

Duncan ran his fingers through Veronica's hair. The two of them were in his bedroom, hanging out.

"I love you." He whispered in her ear.

"I love you too." She whispered back, her wide blue eyes shining with adoration.

Duncan drank in the image of her in her little yellow sun dress, her hair hanging loose over her back and wondered how he'd gotten so lucky. She was perfect, like a porcelain doll, or an angel and he knew he didn't deserve her.

He leaned over her and kissed her tenderly, she responded with a shy eagerness, like she always did. The kiss was tender and sweet and when it was over, they pulled away, both blushing slightly.

Duncan knew that Lilly and Logan were off having sex and he was male enough to admit that he thought about having sex with Veronica, thought about it a lot, but...

He was willing to wait, because he wanted it to be as perfect as she was.

VII. A Promise of Forever

July

"Happy birthday, baby." Duncan told Veronica with a warm smile, presenting her with her present.

"I can't believe you guys did this for me." Veronica said with a happy smile.

"It's your 16th birthday." Duncan told her. "We wanted it to be special, besides you know Lilly, any excuse for a party."

The two of them had ducked away from the party and were sharing a private moment.

"Well, its still very sweet." Veronica told him as she tore off the pretty silver paper off the small Duncan had handed her. She opened the box and gasped at the pretty gold heart locket laying there.

"Duncan, it's so pretty!" She exclaimed.

"Read it." Duncan urged.

"Duncan and Veronica Forever." Veronica read out softly.

"Because my heart will always be with you." Duncan said gently, putting the necklace around her neck and then leaning down to kiss her gently.

They were sixteen, they were in love, and the world was perfect.

VIII. A Foreign Kind of Love

August

"Duncan, stop!" Veronica squealed as Duncan teased her.

Logan rolled his eyes and exchanged a look with Lilly. "Do they ever stop." He asked, wondering how any two people could be so sugary and happy all the time.

Sure, he loved Lilly, but... That came with a lot of problems and he wasn't sure that he ever looked at her the way Duncan looked at Veronica.

Lilly laughed. "No, not that I've noticed, sickening isn't it."

"Yeah..." Logan agreed, unable to tear his eyes away from the laughing couple.

"Want to leave them to their cuteness and go make our fun." Lilly asked suggestively, running her hand up his thigh.

"Sure." Logan said finally, making himself look away. He stood up from the green picnic blanket and offered his hand to Lilly.

But even as they were walking away from the park, to go make their own fun, he couldn't help spare one last look at Duncan and Veronica, as they shared a sweet kiss. Envy shot through him as he wondered what it would be to like have that kind of sweet, pure love...

Logan looked at Lilly and realized that he'd probably never know, though, what they had certainly did have its advantages...

IX. The Sweetest Love

September

"Duncan!" Veronica squealed happily as Duncan finally managed to win her a cute pink teddy bear by throwing balls at bottles. It had taken him fifteen minutes and a lot of quarters, but he didn't give up.

"It would have been cheaper for him to just buy the stupid bear." Logan whispered in Lilly's ear, his arms firm around her waist.

Lilly smirked in agreement, but secretly she kind of liked the fact that Duncan tried so hard to win Veronica that bear. In fact, she was a little envious, not that she'd ever admit it, but...

There was something about Duncan and Veronica's sugar-sweet romance that she envied and wished she could find for herself.

Lilly was great at sex, but not so great at love and sweetness, things that Veronica and Duncan seemed to have down pat. They were that perfect, storybook couple and sometimes, Lilly envied that...

Because, she knew that she would never find that perfect love, she just wasn't that kinda girl...

X. A Broken Life

October

Veronica sat dressed in black, stiff as a board, listening to them eulogise her best friend.

Lilly Kane was dead at the age of seventeen. A tragic victim of a horrific crime. Veronica snuck a glance at Duncan, sitting stoic with his parents, seemingly in a fog.

She heard that he had barely spoken in days.

Then there was Logan, shedding the tears that neither she or Duncan seemed able to.

Veronica listened to them eulogise Lilly, watched the slideshow that represented a life that had been much too short.

Photos of Lilly danced on the screen, a tragic mockery of who she had been.

Veronica sat there, wishing she could be anywhere else in the world. Funny how only a few weeks ago, she'd been so happy, convinced that she had the perfect life.

Now it was all as lost to her as Lilly...

XI. Ruins of Another Life

November

Logan collects his yearbook when it comes in, the week before Thanksgiving, without enthusiasm.

He wants to throw it in the garbage, but instead he takes it home and locks himself in his room with it. He forces himself to look through it, to look a the pictures and remember.

Lilly beams up at him, more beautiful than life, but now she's dead and he has to forget that she was an unfaithful bitch. Then there's Veronica, so sweet and pretty, and now she's a traitorous bitch.

There's pictures of the four of them in the candid section, best friends forever, now completely splintered.

Logan stares at them until he can't see straight, thinking how happy they looked and wondering if it was always a lie or if it really had been like that once, before they screwed it up.

He's not sure which idea he likes better, that it was never perfect or that it had been and they'd broken it...

XII. Bittersweet Memories

December

Duncan went to church on Christmas Eve with his parents. He sat there, thinking of other Christmases.

Last year, when Lilly and Veronica had sat next to each other and gossiped the entire time, earning death glares from his mother.

Duncan blinked back the tears at that thought. How different it was, only a year later. Lilly was dead and Veronica was out of his life.

He'd caught a glimpse of her at the back of the church wearing a simple white dress, but he tried to look, because it hurt too much.

Christmas was supposed to be a time of joy and love, but all he could feel was grief as he sat their, not really listening to the sermon and trying not to think about his sisters.

The one who had died and the one he loved in a way you weren't supposed to love your sister. A year ago everything had seemed so much better...

- The End