Sequel to Demonstration and Can't Do This. Thanks goes to Lymelight for the suggestion for this sequel.
Fright
Unexpectedly roused from sleep, Veronica turns over with an annoyed mumble. She pries her eyes open and glances around the room… she's not at home, and she's not in a bed either. She's curled up on the large couch in Duncan and Logan's suite at the Neptune Grand. For a moment, she can't remember why she's here… or why she's on the couch and not in Duncan's room, but then it all comes back: Logan showing up at her apartment after being attacked by the PCHers, and her driving him back here in the middle of the night.
She looks at her watch; it's almost six-thirty a.m., which means she's only been asleep for a couple of hours. She lifts her head, listening out for any sounds which might explain why she's awake. At first, she hears nothing, but then there's a whimper, followed by a distressed cry. It's coming from Logan's room.
"Shit," she mutters, tugging off the blanket draped across her and crossing the room to his door. She knocks gently. "Logan? Everything okay?"
There's no response, other than another whimper, so she opens the door and steps inside. He's tangled in the sheets, his hair plastered to his forehead as he thrashes in the bed. Despite her better judgement, Veronica approaches the bed and perches on the edge, reaching out to touch his arm. He flinches, and she almost pulls back, but then he seems to relax under her touch.
"It's okay," she murmurs. "You're all right. You're home."
He frowns, then opens his eyes and blinks up at her in confusion. "Veronica? What are you doing here?"
She shrugs. "You were having a nightmare."
"I was?" He looks up to the ceiling, his mouth falling open as he presses a hand to his forehead.
"Yeah." She nods in sympathy. "Must've been some fright they gave you last night."
"Yeah."
Veronica moves to stand, but his other hand shoots out and wraps around her wrist.
"Where are you going?"
"Back to the couch."
He shakes his head. "Just sleep here. Bed's plenty big enough."
"I can't." She extracts her wrist from his hand and slides off the bed. "What about Duncan?"
Logan shrugs. "What about him?"
"He's my boyfriend, Logan."
"Maybe, but is he who you really want?" he counters, raising an eyebrow. "If you ask me, you deserve much better."
"Oh, yeah, like who?" she responds. "You?"
She regrets it as soon as it's out of her mouth, because truth is, her feelings for him are still very much lingering, and as much as she wishes she didn't, she still wants him.
"Maybe." He rises up on one elbow, his expression almost hopeful. "But certainly not Duncan. You know, Kendall was with him in his room the other day."
Veronica's eyes narrow, refusing to let him see that he's hit a nerve. "I'm not doing this with you, Logan."
He gives a shrug, flopping back down onto the mattress. "Yeah, whatever."
With a disappointed shake of her head, Veronica turns for the door and slips through it, closing it behind her as she lets out a heavy sigh.
"Veronica?"
She jumps, hand coming to her chest, and whips around to find a confused Duncan standing in his bedroom doorway, dressed in jeans and a t-shirt.
"Shit, Duncan, you scared me. You're up early."
He steps into the living area of the suite. "What were you doing in Logan's room?"
"Oh, um, he had some trouble with the PCHers last night. I gave him a ride home."
"He did? What happened?"
She glances back at Logan's closed door. "Can we talk in your room?"
"Sure." Duncan gives her a puzzled look, but turns and heads back into his room, leaving her to follow.
Veronica presses her lips together as she enters the room behind him, Logan's words—and his touch—fresh in her mind. She hates to admit it, but he has a point. At first, when she and Duncan got back together, she just wanted to be normal again, to go back to how her life used to be, but lately, she's been questioning whether she's just fooling herself. And of course, having Logan constantly hanging around, with his sarcastic digs and suggestive comments, has only made her question herself—and her relationship with Duncan—even more.
Duncan stops, turning to her with his arms crossed over his chest. "Okay. Spill. What's up with Logan?"
Veronica opens her mouth to explain what happened last night, but then quickly snaps it shut. For one, she doesn't even know if Logan wants anyone else to know, and secondly, it's not really her place to tell Duncan anyway.
"Actually, you know what, you should just ask him. It's his story to tell, not mine."
He looks at her with an irritated frown. "What, so you and Logan are all chummy now? I heard you guys talking here the other night."
"I'm helping him out with his case," Veronica replies, a little puzzled by his reaction. Has he always been this whiny? "He asked me to."
"Yeah, well, maybe he should have asked me first," he mutters.
Veronica's eyes widen in shock. "I'm not your property, Duncan. If I want to help Logan, that's my choice."
"He still has feelings for you, Veronica." Duncan looks annoyed. "Anyone can see it."
"So?" she retorts, even as the kiss they shared earlier in the night comes to mind. "I'm with you, not him."
"I don't trust him."
"He's your best friend."
"He might have been at one time." Duncan pouts. "But then his father murdered my sister, and he stole my girlfriend."
That makes Veronica's blood boil and she advances on him, eyes flashing as she points an angry finger in his direction.
"Okay, for a start, what his father did has nothing to do with Logan, and secondly, he did not steal me from you," she snaps. "You broke up with me, remember? And let's not get started on how you slept with me when a) I was drugged out of my head and b) you thought I was your fucking sister."
"Hey, I was drugged, too," he protests.
"That's not an excuse," she hisses. "You were conscious enough to know what you were doing, to remember it afterwards. You could have stopped it."
Duncan looks at her, hurt evident on his face. "Where is this coming from, Veronica? I thought we worked through this?"
Veronica slowly shakes her head. "So did I, but I can't ignore the truth anymore."
"What are you saying?"
She takes a deep breath, before saying the words that, if she's honest, have been on her mind for a while. "We're over, Duncan."
"What?" His head snaps up in shock. "No, you can't do that."
"I can. And I am."
"Is this because of Logan?"
"No, it's because of you, Duncan," she responds. "And me, and us together. Things just aren't working."
"Yes, they are," he counters, taking a step towards her. She instinctively steps back. "Veronica, I love you."
"You do?" she scoffs. "If you love me so much, then why have you been visiting Meg so often, and what was Kendall doing in your room last week?"
"Veronica, please…"
"No, Duncan." She holds up a hand. "I'm serious. We're done."
He just glares at her, his jaw twitching and his chest heaving with anger, before he lets out a frustrated shout. He spins, knocking the items on the top the dresser to the floor, and then storms out of the room. Veronica follows him, worried for a moment that he's going to confront Logan, but he heads straight for the suite door and stomps out, slamming it behind him.
Veronica can only stare at the door, breathing heavily as she tries to calm down.
"Veronica, everything okay?" comes Logan's voice from her left. "What's going on?"
"Nothing. Just Duncan." She tears her eyes from the doorway, shaking her head as she turns and walks past him into his room. "Come on, let's get some sleep."
