I hope you're not losing respect for me by me having Logan not tell Veronica right away about Hannah. I see Logan as being all about keeping her happy, and he knows she'll be upset. Not so much because she will feel threatened, but because he will be working so closely with Hannah. After Madison, Veronica has proven to Logan that she won't always give him the benefit of the doubt. She's worried enough about Gory. Logan is looking for the right time. He did invite her to eat with them, but she wasn't feeling well. He is thinking when she's feeling better he'll fill her in. He's not trying to deceive her. Guys are good at justifying things—even the smartest ones. Anyway, I hope this won't disappoint.

Chapter 9: Taking a Test

******Monday Evening*****

Mac and Dick headed over to the Sinclairs for dinner with Mac's newly acquired family. So Jazmin decided to call her brother and Eli and invite them over for dinner. She prepared her grandmother's lasagna. As she was preparing it, she realized that she didn't even know if Eli liked Italian food. It made her a little sad to realize that. Even though they had gotten a little bit closer over the summer, there were still so many things she didn't know about the enigmatic man. While she was getting the ingredients out, her phone beeped. She read the text message. It was from her brother. He had invited Wallace to join him. She shook her head. Typical. Guys didn't understand the work that went into preparing and cooking a home cook dinner. To be on the safe side, she decided to prepare two lasagnas. If there were any leftovers, she figured they could take it home.

An hour later, Jason and Eli arrived. Jason brought a bottle of red wine that he knew his sister liked. Since their grandparents owned a winery, drinking wine with dinner was something they had been allowed to do much earlier than was legal. However, neither of them ever overindulged. Or rather they rarely did.

"Oh, great! You brought some wine. I never remember to buy any. Parker and Mac aren't really big wine drinkers. I don't want to drink an entire bottle by myself," Jazmin said as she took the bottle from her brother.

"Something smells great," Eli said smiling at her.

"I made lasagna," she said. She felt a bit nervous to have him eat her cooking, but she was glad he was here. "Do you like Italian food?"

"Who doesn't?" Eli replied. "I can't say I've ever had homemade. Just the frozen kind. My grandma's a great cook, but she doesn't cook Italian dishes."

"Wait 'til you try it, E! It's our grandmother's recipe. It's so good!" Jason exclaimed. "I'm glad I invited Wallace 'cause he's always bragging about his momma's cooking."

"Hasn't he had your cooking before?" Eli asked Jazmin.

"No, I never cooked for him. We always went out. You guys grilled those steaks that one time," Jazmin said.

The doorbell rang. "That's him now, I bet," she said. She went to open the door. Wallace was there with his roommate David.

"I hope it's okay that I brought David. He looked all sad when I told him I was going to dinner at your house," Wallace said with a grin.

"I sure miss my momma's cookin'," David said. "Boy, does it smell good in here!"

"No problem. When Jay told me you were coming, I went ahead and prepared extra lasagna so there should be plenty. There will be a salad, too," Jazmin said to Wallace. "Glad to have you, David."

Eli was not happy that Wallace had dragged his cowboy roommate with him, especially since the guy had a thing for Jazmin.

"Hey, Weevil. David, I don't think you've met our friend Weevil. Or rather Eli Navarro. Weevil's a nickname," Wallace introduced. "Weevil, this is David Lane, my new roommate."

"Hey," Weevil said.

David held out his hand in a friendly way, forcing Weevil to be polite. "Good to meet ya. I saw you yesterday at the commercial you guys made. That was a lot of fun," David said. Eli took his hand but didn't say anything.

"Sorry, I was too busy laughing at Dick and Trina to introduce you to everyone," Wallace said.

"I'm sure you figured out that Eli is my brother's roommate and business partner. They've opened that P. I. business with our uncle that the commercial was for yesterday," Jazmin shared.

"Wallace didn't really explain that you guys actually owned it. So you're both private investigators, huh? Aren't you guys kind of young for that?" David asked.

"We're old enough," Eli replied sourly. He was so not liking this guy.

"My best friend Veronica learned how to be a P. I. from her dad Keith when she was just a teenager. She was always getting her friends out of trouble," Wallace shared.

"Did ya'll keep her busy?" David asked with a friendly smile.

"You wouldn't believe!" Wallace exclaimed with a grin. "She kept me on the basketball team once when I was wrongfully accused of using drugs. And she got both Weevil and her boyfriend Logan out of jail more than once. Not to mention herself."

"I didn't realize Neptune had such a criminal underworld," David said with a laugh.

"It has some, but most of the problem in high school was the inept Sheriff. Now that Keith is back being Sheriff there hasn't been too much trouble," Wallace said. Then he added as afterthought, "Well, not in almost a year."

"Excuse me, boys. I'm going to go make the salad," Jazmin said.

"Can I help? My momma always had me making the salad back home," David offered.

Jazmin smiled. "Sure. Come on," she said. David eagerly followed after her.

Eli's eyes darkened in anger. He did not appreciate the guy's good manners. "Why'd you have to bring him?" he asked Wallace in annoyance.

Wallace held up his hands in a defensive gesture. "Hey, man, he's my roommate. He's new to town. I can't be rude."

"I don't like the way he's panting after Jazmin," Eli said.

"You just don't like seeing another guy interested in her," Jason said with a grin. "You know what you can do about that."

"Shut it!" Eli said, giving Jason a dirty look and then told him what he could go due to himself.

Wallace laughed at Weevil's annoyance. It was pretty obvious that the guy was jealous. They hadn't really talked about it, but he knew that Weevil had a thing for Jazmin. He couldn't blame the guy. "Don't worry about David. Jazmin has turned him down twice," Wallace said.

"But it hasn't stopped the guy, has it?" Weevil pointed out.

A few minutes later, Jazmin told the boys to come to the kitchen. Everything was ready. Jason opened the wine. He poured everyone some. The lasagna was passed around. The guys sighed in ecstasy.

"You're too cruel, Jazmin!" David complained after he took his first bite. "You can't cook like this and refuse to go out with me. Now I'm gonna wanna marry you!"

Eli gave the man an angry glare while Jazmin smiled happily at the compliment. "Thanks!" Jazmin said. She was oblivious to Eli's growing anger.

"My sister will make some man very happy someday," Jason said, giving Eli a pointed look. Eli took another bite without comment. He wanted to slap Jason's smug face.

"Ain't that the truth!" David agreed.

"How come you never cooked for me when we were dating?" Wallace asked Jazmin.

"Maybe I would've if you hadn't been busy kissing your ex," Jazmin reminded him.

He winced while David snickered. "Ouch! She's got a long memory. I'll remember that," David said.

"I don't think you need to remember anything," Eli said, finally addressing the man.

David gave Eli a puzzled look but didn't say anything. Jason smoothly stepped into the awkwardness. "Yea, Jazmin's pretty easy going until you piss her off," Jason said easily.

"She slaps pretty hard, too," Wallace added with a twinkle in his eyes.

Jazmin flushed in embarrassment. "Okay, that's enough. Unless you guys want this to be the last time I cook for any of you, I suggest we change the topic," Jazmin ordered. "So congratulations, David. I heard you won your first scrimmage."

David grinned. "Yes, ma'am, we sure did! Coach says I can start Friday on our first home game," David shared.

"Oh goody," Eli said sarcastically.

Jazmin gave him a sharp look, finally realizing that Eli was not happy with Wallace's new roommate. However, she did not appreciate his rudeness. "Yes, that is good news," she told him. "We'll be there cheering you on."

"Your good luck kiss did the job just like I knew it would," David said happily.

"You kissed him?" Jason asked, giving Eli a concerned look. Eli just continued to glare.

"On the cheek," Jazmin explained.

"David knows how to charm the ladies," Wallace boasted. He looked at Weevil in concern. Eli seemed to be getting angrier every second. It was obvious to Wallace that Weevil did not appreciate David's admiration of Jazmin. Suddenly, Wallace found himself wishing that dinner was over.

David, for all his appearance of congeniality, was not oblivious to Eli's angry looks. In fact, he was getting a bit tired of the man's dark looks. He didn't want to upset Jazmin, so he tried to ignore the guy.

Conversation paused for a few minutes while the guys filled their mouths with the lasagna. Finally, Wallace said, "Good salad, David."

"Thanks," David replied.

"He wasn't lying. He had the salad together in no time," Jazmin said smiling at him.

"Now that's a skill to be proud of," Eli said, the sarcasm obvious.

"What's your problem, man?" David said in annoyance, putting down his fork. "You've been glaring at me since I got here."

"You're my problem," Eli said without preamble.

"Eli!" Jazmin admonished, upset at his rudeness.

Jason elbowed him.

"Look, man, my momma raised me to not cause a scene at the dinner table. It's rude to the cook," David said.

"And you are such the gentleman, I'm sure," Eli said sourly.

David had enough. "Okay, that's it," he said. He got up. "We should go," he said to Wallace.

Wallace looked sadly at the few bites left of his dinner but sighed in agreement. "Okay," he said.

"No, don't go. Eli's just being grumpy. He'll apologize," Jazmin said. She looked angrily at Eli. "Apologize!" she ordered.

Eli took a sip of his wine. "I'm sorry you have to leave," he said to David.

David's eyes flashed in anger. He bit back a retort. "Thank you for a lovely dinner," he said to Jazmin. "I'm sorry I crashed it."

"And I'm sorry our friend is being such an ass!" Jazmin said, looking pointedly at Eli who shrugged unapologetic. She got up from the table and followed David and Wallace to the front door, apologizing all the way.

"That was smoothly done," Jason said dryly.

"The guy was out of line with the way he looks at her," Eli said without apology.

"You were out of line. You need to apologize to Jazmin. You embarrassed her and ruined the dinner," Jason said. He finished his lasagna and began to clear the table.

Jazmin came into the kitchen. She was so angry that it took her a moment to say anything. "How could you? How could you be so rude?" Jazmin demanded.

"Look, I didn't mean to upset you or ruin your dinner," Eli said.

"Well, you did," Jazmin said. "And I want to know why. David is very nice. He is polite. He is new in town. He in no way deserved your rude behavior. I was new here once. I know how that feels. You made him feel unwanted."

"He is unwanted. I don't want him to be around you. He was flirting with you right in front of me!" Eli yelled, getting up from the chair.

Jazmin took a step toward him until he's close enough to touch. She poked him in the chest. "You cannot mark territory that isn't yours!" she yelled back.

Jason decided to make a tactful retreat and give them some privacy.

"If you want me, Eli, you just have to say the words!" she informed him, her eyes daring him to reach out and take what she was offering. Her heart raced both with the anger she still felt and excitement that he'd finally tell her what she longed to hear.

However, Eli remained silent. He opened his mouth to give her the words she wanted him to say. The words he'd been wanting to say for so long. She was standing there with her cheeks flushed in anger looking so beautiful. He wanted her so much. But for some reason, he couldn't bring himself to reach out and take what she was offering. Even though he knew she finally wanted him back, he felt unsure and ill-prepared. He was on the right path, but he didn't know if either of them was ready for the kind of relationship he wanted from her. What if it didn't work out? The thought of failing when he'd come so close shook him to his core. He closed his mouth without speaking. "I'm sorry," he said softly. He gave her a look that begged her to understand, to be patient. Then he turned and walked out the door.

Jazmin stood there immobile for a full minute. She could not believe he just walked out on her without saying what she wanted him to say. His pathetic attempt at saying sorry made her anger come rushing back. Who did he think he was? He got all angry and possessive when another guy spoke to her or liked her, but he didn't want to step up and make her his. Well, she'd show him. She picked up the phone and called David.

******The Next Day******

Dick and Duncan are sitting at a table in the food court in between classes. Dick had been telling Duncan about his mess up with Mac.

"You're lucky that Mac is so patient with you," Duncan said. "I hope you appreciate her."

"I do! Believe me!" Dick said.

"So what do you plan on doing about your dad?" Duncan asked. "I know what it's like to have an overbearing father."

"How did you deal with him?" Dick asked.

"I left the country with my baby and became wanted by the F.B.I.," Duncan said with a grin. "Not necessarily a path I'd recommend!"

Dick returned his smile. "Yeah, I don't think I can follow your primo example, dude," he said. "Oh, look, there's Sean Sorokin."

Duncan looked up with interest at the guy Dick was indicating. "I think it's time we met, don't you?" Duncan said to Dick with a slight smile.

Dick laughed. "Absolutely, dude! Let me be the one to introduce you," Dick said. Dick and Duncan got up.

"Yo, Sean!" Dick yelled with a wave. Sean heard and turned toward him. He gave Dick a friendly smile.

"Hey, Dick. What's up?" Sean asked.

"Well, I thought you might want to finally meet Duncan Kane," Dick said carelessly.

Sean looked with interest at Duncan. "So this is the guy," he said.

"Yes, I am. Since you came to Hearst hoping to fulfill some mysterious vendetta, I thought I'd let you know that you're wasting your time," Duncan informed him.

"Oh, yeah? You think so?" Sean said with an easy smile. "Well, it's my time to waste."

Duncan took a step closer. "If you follow your brother's example and hurt anyone I care about, you'll regret it," Duncan warned.

"Is that a threat?" Sean asked, his eyes narrowing. The careless, friendly air disappeared.

"It's a promise. I don't want any trouble, so you better not be in town looking to start any," Duncan said sternly.

Veronica, Daisy, and Jason had entered the food court not far behind Sean. They all had left their profiling class at the same time. Both Jason and Veronica had instinctively occupied Daisy's attention so that she couldn't follow after Sean. Veronica was worried that Daisy didn't fully get how dangerous the Sorokins could be. She didn't want Daisy involved with the guy. However, she knew she couldn't actually say that to Daisy without Daisy digging her heels in.

Daisy knew what the two of them were trying to do and was amused. She let them think they were keeping her from Sean. He was kind of dull, so it wasn't like Daisy wanted to follow after him all the time. However, it was more fun not to let them know that. When she spotted Duncan walking up to Sean, though, she knew there may be a problem. Without telling her friends why, she walked off from them and headed to Duncan and Sean. Veronica and Jason quickly saw what held her attention and trailed after her.

"Now here's a sexy image," Daisy said, going up to the two guys who looked like they were about to come to blows. "I love seeing two guys getting all worked up. It's so hot!"

Both guys turned toward Daisy in surprise. Daisy reached out and rubbed her hand down Sean's chest. "Are we boys playing nice?" she asked with an innocent smile.

Sean smiled at her and instinctively put an arm around her, deflecting the tension and stepped back from Duncan. "Duncan Kane was just introducing himself. Such a friendly place," Sean said with just a trace of sarcasm in his voice. "Well, I need to grab a quick lunch and get to my next class. I'll see you soon, Daisy." He looked at Duncan. "You, too, Duncan." He smiled about both of them and walked off.

"That was fun," Daisy said with a grin.

"What did we miss?" Veronica asked as her and Jason joined them.

"Not much. Dick introduced us. I warned Sean about causing problems or hurting anyone I cared about," Duncan said.

"He put him on notice," Dick added with a pleased grin.

"So what have you found out about Sean?" Duncan asked Daisy.

"He's not as smart as he thinks he is," Daisy replied.

"I could've told you that!" Jason said with a frown.

"No one was asking you!" Daisy snapped back.

"Can we stay on point?" Duncan asked.

"Well, he's tried to subtly ask me about you all," Daisy said with a grin. "It's so easy to talk circles around him. He's not much of a challenge!" She was obviously very pleased with herself. "I just ramble and ramble until his eyes start to glaze over. I say a lot without telling him anything. It's a lot of fun."

"Oh, I love doing that to guys!" Veronica said laughingly.

"Guys are so easy," Daisy said.

"Some," Veronica agreed with a nod.

"Ladies!" Duncan admonished in annoyance. "Can we focus?"

"Sure," Daisy responded with a saucy grin. "Anyway, I didn't tell him much. But I don't think he has quite realized that yet. I don't think the guy's going to make a good lawyer."

"Learn anything relevant?" Duncan asked patiently.

"Not much. He plays it close to the vest. He's definitely not here for the classes or the scenery, though. You should be on guard," Daisy advised.

"You should be on guard," Duncan warned. "Be careful. Don't cross any lines."

"Dudes, I gotta go to class. I'll catch you later," Dick interrupted.

They waved at him. "I need to go, too," Duncan said. "Let me know if you do find out anything."

"Will do," Daisy said.

"I'm going to grab a drink. Do you two want anything?" Veronica asked them. They both declined.

When Veronica walked off, Jason put a hand on Daisy's arm. "Duncan's right. Please be careful," Jason said.

"Why, Jason, I didn't know you cared!" Daisy said facetiously.

"Of course, I care!" Jason exclaimed, annoyance coloring his voice. He took a deep breath and pushed it aside. "Have dinner with me."

Daisy raised an eyebrow and contemplated his request. Then she shook her head. "No, I'm busy," she replied.

"Every night?" he asked in disbelief.

"Too busy to date you," Daisy clarified. She turned to leave, dismissing him.

Jason refused to let her leave. He reached out and grabbed her arm and pulled her back. Before she could voice her outrage at his manhandling, Jason pulled her up against him and kissed her furiously. He doesn't give her time to do anything, overwhelming her with his unexpected passionate display. Just as she began to respond, he broke off the kiss. Daisy looked at him without speaking, somewhat stunned by his surprising actions. Their gazes were locked for a full moment before Jason finally spoke. "Think of that the next time you're with Sean," Jason said. Then after giving her one last heated glance, he walked off.

Veronica came back to Daisy's side to find her standing there in a daze. "What did I miss?" Veronica asked curious.

Daisy shook her head, trying to clear it. Then she took a deep breath, trying to calm her racing heart. "The man plays dirty!" Daisy remarked in annoyance.

"Who Sean?" Veronica asked.

"No, Jason. He asked me out to dinner, and when I refused and tried to walk away, he grabbed me and kissed me," Daisy shared.

Veronica looked dreamy for a moment. "I love it when they do that!" she exclaimed, remembering her first kiss with Logan.

"I don't think that's ever actually happened to me before," Daisy admitted.

"So what are you going to do?" Veronica inquired.

"Keep tormenting him, of course!" Daisy quipped with a grin.

Veronica laughed. Then her laugh was cut off as she was hit with a sudden bout of queasiness. She grabbed her stomach. "I'm feeling sick. I gotta go!" she said frantically and made a dash to the bathroom.

Daisy followed her into the bathroom as Veronica once again dry heaved. Daisy looked concern when Veronica came out of the stall. "Are you okay?" Daisy asked.

"I honestly don't know. One minute I'm fine, the next I'm not. I have no energy. It's becoming annoying. I told Logan I'd go to the doctor, but I haven't yet," Veronica said.

"Do you think you're prego?" Daisy asked.

"I'm beginning to wonder, but I'm on birth control," Veronica shared.

"Well, the pill isn't full proof," Daisy said. "Especially if you get sick and take antibiotics."

"What?" Veronica asked in alarm.

"Antibiotics can decrease the effectiveness. Didn't you know that?" Daisy asked.

Veronica covered her face with her hands. "I don't know! Maybe. No. I don't think anyone's told me that. My mom took off a few years ago. Mac is my closest girlfriend, and she's not one to talk about these kinds of things," Veronica admitted.

"Well, there's only one way to find out. Time to suck it up and take one of those little tests. The only one a gal is happy to fail. At least then you'll have some idea," Daisy said.

Veronica knew she couldn't put it off any longer. "You're right. I will. Please don't say anything to anyone," Veronica said.

"Don't worry, Barbie, I won't. Keep me posted!" Daisy said.

******At the Beach House******

Veronica felt guilty sneaking into her house a few hours later. She was relieved to find that no one was home. She went into her bedroom and opened up the package she bought. Two pregnancy tests were in the bag. Veronica was three weeks late, tired all the time, and sick to her stomach. It didn't take an ace detective to figure out she'd gotten herself knocked up. Without giving herself time to equivocate, she followed the direction on the box and placed the sticks on the bathroom counter. Now she had to wait for a stick to turn blue or pink. In a fog, Veronica felt like time was going in slow motion as she waited for the stick to change.

*****Chapter End*****

Now don't think I'm trying to write Veronica as being stupid for not thinking this sooner. However, she has no sisters or extended female relatives and her mom left her before she became sexually active. She's on birth control that is 98% effective. Sometimes the most observant people are not so when it comes to themselves. We've seen Veronica on the show constantly see things in others that she refused to see in herself, so I hope I'm not beyond the realm of reality with this storyline or Veronica not suspecting this immediately!