Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters or situations. Made for fun, not profit.
A/N: I know I have a million WIPs to work on; I'm sorry. I write when the inspiration hits.
When Duncan hangs up the phone, he tries not to smile. Hearing that his order to kill a man has been carried out should not make a person smile. Not a good person at least. Duncan thinks he was a good person once. He thinks Logan was, and Lilly and his parents. He hopes Veronica still is. He wouldn't know. He smiles down at his daughter and is happy they got out of Neptune when they did. It's funny how she can barely move on her own yet and he already knows she's a good person. He bets Meg was like that from birth.
Veronica calls him the next day, and he doesn't bother to ask how she found him, because he never doubted for a minute that she could if she wanted to.
"Aaron's dead," she says and there's that urge to smile again.
"I know." He doesn't know how much to say; how much she knows.
There's a long pause before she responds. "Duncan, did you…"
"--Veronica." He interrupts. It's stupid, but he knows they don't have a future and he wants her memories of him untainted.
She doesn't continue. She doesn't want to know for sure, any more than he wants her to. Instead she says "A lot's happened."
"I heard about Beaver." I probably would have had him killed him too, if it had come to that, stays unsaid.
"Yeah. It was horrible."
"I'm sorry I couldn't have been there." It's times like this that Duncan hates his ability to maintain a detached monotone through everything. He wishes his voice would betray him and that she could hear just how true that statement is. But Duncan is responsible, if nothing else, and he knows that that would just make things harder for her.
"I know. I know you are. Duncan, I have to tell you…Logan and I are back together."
"You took longer than I thought." He holds his finger out and Lilly clutches it and he's so glad he has her to live for now. "It's okay. I didn't expect you to wait for me forever." He focuses on Lilly's touch and that quiet gurgling sound she loves to make.
"You're such a good guy, Duncan." Her voice breaks now, and he's glad she hasn't become as hard and cold as she sometimes seems. As he always is. And for a brief second, he actually is happy for her and Logan because if there's one thing Logan's good at it, it's expressing emotion.
"Am I?" He knows she knows now. About Aaron. He tries not to remember that girl in the pink dress who had looked up at him on the beach one night and said "You are so cool."
"You are," she says, her voice firm again. "I know you, Duncan."
"People change."
"Not that much."
He laughs. "Is it just me, or is this more real a conversation than any we had before I left?"
There's another long silence before she says "I don't regret anything, Duncan. I hope you know that."
Lilly tightens her grip on his finger and he realizes that he doesn't either.