[Holiday Season - Logan, Duncan, and Veronica's 8th Grade Year]
It was time for the Echolls' annual Christmas party and everyone was going to be there. Everyone that mattered anyway. The Kane siblings were already bickering with their parents about whether they could or should remain with the adults at the party or join Logan in the poolhouse for a much smaller party of their own.
"But dad!" Lilly was protesting, "How am I ever going to meet and mingle with the masses when all you ever want to do is hide me away?! I'm fifteen now! Fifteen and fabulous," she declared with a spin in her glittering gold dress that made her look far more than fifteen. Then she suddenly changed tacts and quickly moved to kiss her father's cheek, begging with her cat-like green eyes, "Come on, daddy! You know I've got it. Now I wanna flaunt it!"
Jake Kane groaned and shook his head at his out of control daughter. Looking toward his son, he saw Duncan shaking his head, "No way, dad. Don't look at me like that! I am NOT gonna be Lilly's babysitter. If she wants to throw her life away and treat herself like trash, that's up to her. I'm staying out of it."
Celeste put what was supposed to be a comforting hand on her son's shoulder and said quietly, "Hush now, Duncan. We both know your father would never do that," she added, a harsh and warning glare tossed in her husband's direction to accompany her words.
Hesitating only a moment, Jake tried to appease them all as he always did. "Lilly, sweetheart, you'll be allowed to come to the main house when the food is served. I'm sure you'll have plenty of time to make a big impression then."
Lilly pouted and started to protest but Jake held up his hand, "And Duncan, what you said was inappropriate and uncalled for. Lilly is your sister. It is your duty to look out for her and protect her from herself if need be."
Duncan rolled his eyes and groaned but didn't say anything further. He knew that when his father had made up his mind, there would be no way to change it. Before he knew what was happening, Lilly was linking her hand through his elbow and was practically dragging him toward the Echolls' poolhouse.
"Come on, Donut," she muttered under her breath, "If we can't be with the grownups, we can at least make the most of this."
Her brother had no idea what she meant until she burst into the poolhouse and deliberately pulled his hand up to use it to twirl herself around as if she were performing an expertly executed dance move.
He saw Logan look up from his video game and smirk at them from his seat on the bed. There was something different about Logan's gaze, though, as his dark eyes followed Lilly. It was as if he'd just realized she was a girl and a nice-looking one at that. Duncan frowned and glanced between the two. Slowly, it dawned on him that Lilly knew exactly what she was doing. She was bored and annoyed with not getting to mingle with the celebrities and super models. When she said she was going to make the most of this, she had meant that she was going to make the most of this time with Logan.
The thought made Duncan uncomfortable. He knew his best friend had liked Veronica pretty much since the moment he had met her. It had puzzled him endlessly as to why the generally confident and cocky Logan Echolls had never asked the sweet and pure Veronica Mars to go out with him. Now, though, it occurred to him that this could be a good thing. Perhaps Logan's attention could be diverted and Duncan could finally have the opportunity he'd been waiting for to silently slip in to show Veronica how chivalrous and steady he could be, things he was sure she both needed and desired.
The evening went off without a hitch. Of course, there was no Veronica around so while Logan was distracted with Lilly's antics, Duncan was concocting a plan. When they went inside the main house to gather some food for themselves, Lilly took the opportunity to mingle while many of the adult guests greeted Logan like a long lost nephew or beloved godchild. He was smooth and tolerant of those who forced their attentions on him but Duncan chuckled softly, knowing how his friend hated the fanfare.
At one point, Duncan spotted an older elegant lady pulling Logan down so she could kiss his cheek. He missed Logan's reaction because he'd spotted the cause of the sudden assault. Logan was in an open doorway and there was a sprig of mistletoe hanging from its center. The mistletoe gave Duncan an idea. He would have to consult with Lilly before the planned slumber party at the Kane Estate for New Year's.
On the way back to the poolhouse, Duncan reached for Lilly's arm. She yanked it back from him and snapped at him in annoyance, "What do you want, Donut? The best part of my evening has just past and now I'm over it. So hurry it up before I'm over you."
"Lill," Duncan said urgently before Logan could manage to catch up to them. He threw a glance back over his shoulder to make sure they weren't going to be caught and he added, "I've got a plan and I think you're gonna like it. Make sure we get a chance to talk before the New Year's Bash, ok?"
Lilly rolled her eyes but when Duncan blurted, "It's about Logan and Veronica. I have an idea for how to make them ours," Lilly's gaze darted to his and she pursed her perfect lips.
"Well well, Donut, maybe you are a Kane after all!" she quipped as she skipped and spun her way ahead of him.
Later that night when they were back at their own home and supposed to be in bed, the Kane siblings talked in low tones and whispered back and forth, conspiring for what they both thought would be to their best friends' benefit.
When the time came to greet Logan and Veronica upon their arrival for the New Year's slumber party, both Kane children had a strange gleam in their eyes. Duncan's was a gleam of excitement and hope while Lilly's was a gleam of wickedness and desire. Lilly had long since lost her virginity, or rather demanded that it be taken from her, and since that time there had only been one boy to tell her no. Being told no was something that Lilly Kane would not stand for. She was determined to get Logan Echolls to say yes to her if it was the last thing that she did. Besides, if she could get the son to say yes, perhaps she could get the father to take note.
Duncan, oblivious to his sister's more nefarious scheme, waited anxiously for Veronica to arrive. He had been dreaming of this day for so long it was as if he may as well have erected a shrine in her honor. The Fair Virgin Veronica. She was blonde and beautiful, good and kind in every imaginable way. She'd always been nice to him and the few times she'd caught him staring at her, he'd blushed and she'd blushed, and they'd both turned away. He loved her. He knew he did. He also knew that she would love him if only she'd give herself the chance.
Seeing her father's cruiser pull up their long drive, Duncan felt his heart race and his hands grow clammy. Under his breath, he said to himself, "It's now or never, DK. Now or never."
Lilly must have heard him because she rolled her eyes and giggled but as soon as she saw that Logan, too, was exiting the cruiser, she frowned and a look of determination formed on her face. She gave Duncan a nod and echoed his thought, saying again, "Now or never, little brother." Those words said, she exited the house and bounded down the stairs with her long legs arcing in the air as if she were dancing or prancing. She twirled and whirled and gathered Veronica's hands into hers and danced them off with a wink and a promising pucker thrown in Logan's direction for good measure.
"Lilly?" Veronica laughed, "Where are we going? What are we doing? I thought it would just be the four of us tonight!"
"It will be, silly, but not right now," Lilly said in that tone that told Veronica her friend had a luscious secret.
Veronica groaned and asked with dread, "What in the world are you planning, Lilly Kane?"
"The best night of your life, Veronica Mars!" came the answer that Veronica had hoped not to hear.
Several hours later, the girls were dolled up. Lilly had insisted that Veronica bring her best dress and while Lilly had rolled her eyes at the Easter Egg pastels, she hadn't forced her friend to change. There would be time enough for that later. For now, Lilly wanted to be the one to stand out, to shine and win the night, and there was no way she could do that if her best friend looked better than she did! So for now, just for tonight, the pastel pink and baby blue were just perfect.
Lilly, on the other hand, was wearing crimson velvet and her lips were painted the same daring shade. When she was sure that they were both perfectly prepared for their premiering roles, she grabbed Veronica by the hand again and dragged her toward the stairs.
"Where are we going now, Lill?!" Veronica protested.
"To show the boys!" came her response, "They may not be much but they're all that we have and we simply MUST have SOMEONE to appreciate our fabulousness!"
Giggling tolerantly and shaking her head, Veronica allowed herself to be dragged down the stairs and to the cozy den. The boys were already there, playing video games as usual, or at least they were until Lilly cleared her throat and pulled the plug.
Both boys protested angrily until they turned toward the culprits and each lost their breath. Duncan couldn't take his eyes off the angelic Veronica and Logan looked severely conflicted as his eyes darted from the devilish minx to his friend who no longer looked at all like the tomboy he'd met on the soccer field.
"Wow," was Duncan's reverent response while Logan's was a much less sophisticated impression from several less than mature movies he'd seen recently, "Whoa!" He quickly stood with a flourish, bounding over the sofa to offer a hand to each of the girls. When they accepted the outstretched hands, Logan immediately spun them inward toward himself and gave them a roguish embrace. Then he spun them outward, inspecting them again with a spark of appreciation in his dark eyes.
"Ladies," Logan said smoothly, his newly deepened voice causing a tingle to run up and down Veronica's spine, "You BOTH look spectacular this evening."
Scrambling up from where he'd been glued to his seat upon seeing the girls, Duncan came to join them and shyly offered Veronica his hand. "You do," he agreed quietly. Veronica rewarded him with a bashful and uncertain smile as she took the hand, blushing as he leaned over it to kiss her knuckles in a gentlemanly manner.
Unwillingly, Logan loosed Veronica's hand and frowned but forced himself to pay attention to the girl on his other side with the womanly figure. Teasingly, he grinned and asked, "What do you say, Lilly-kins? You want all that fawning bullshit your brother is spewing or are you up for something a little more exciting?"
The sparkle in Lilly's green eyes was answer enough and Logan instantly began dancing and twirling her around the room, only to finish with an effervescent dip and grin. Lilly laughed out loud in delight. Neither noticed the sad little look of resignation in the deep blue eyes of one Veronica Mars as she watched. If Logan decided he liked Lilly, she thought, there was no way she could compete. Lilly was spectacular, more alive than anyone else Veronica knew. Veronica herself was plain and not at all feminine when it came down to it, or at least she didn't think she was.
Logan and Lilly were Veronica's best friends. She didn't know or remember when Logan had come to earn himself that title or begun to share the title with Lilly, but Veronica knew that it was true. Then she thought, maybe they deserved each other. Maybe Lilly and Logan were meant to be. Each of them was fabulous in their own right. Their passion and their spirit certainly seemed to mesh well, Veronica thought as she watched them continue to laugh and dance playfully about.
Maybe Veronica was more suited for the quiet, reserved Duncan, than the intense and attentive boy she'd come to admire. It pained her to think that but she couldn't help but believe it to be true. When she came out of her reverie, Veronica noted that Duncan was watching her and she tried bravely to give him a smile before she asked, "So, what are we going to do while those two dance the night away?"
Before Duncan could respond, Lilly called out, "Ten seconds till midnight! Nine, eight, seven, six..."
The other three join in counting down the last five seconds and, unbeknownst to Logan and Veronica, the Kane siblings prepared for the crowning achievement of their so far incredibly effective plan.
When they reached zero and all shouted, "Happy New Year!" Lilly grabbed two fistfuls of Logan's shirt and pulled him in to kiss her while Duncan took a breath and tentatively planted his lips lightly on Veronica's.
Veronica gasped in surprise and pushed Duncan away but she did so to her detriment. Immediately, she saw the deep and, to her eyes, expert kiss that was still ongoing between Logan and Lilly. She barely suppressed the sob that welled up in her throat and managed a hiccup instead as she quickly excused herself to run to the restroom.
Logan caught sight of Veronica just as the kiss Lilly had stunned him with ended. He felt guilty but didn't know why. He wanted to run after her but he was confused and couldn't make his feet move. Finally, he got his tongue to work and he demanded of Duncan angrily, "Dude, go after her!"
It hadn't occurred to Duncan to do so but as soon as he heard Logan's words, he sprang up and did as he was told. At first, Veronica wouldn't let him in, but as soon as she opened the door, she pulled him in and kissed him like there'd be no tomorrow. He was so swept away that he never saw her red-tipped nose or the glistening of tears still shining in her eyes.