~~Kane Residence: Friday Afternoon~~
Veronica mentally debated on whether or not to tell Duncan about his girlfriend's not-so-secret indiscretions. Her noble side won over and she briefly wondered if Duncan had truly cared about Shelly or if he was just with her for namesake. For once she hoped it was the latter because despite popular belief she didn't want to hurt Duncan.
Veronica knocked on his room door; she really didn't need to see him in compromising positions or in his birthday suit so these good mannerism skills stuck with Veronica while she was in the Kane household. Duncan opened the door and despite his lazy day at home he was neatly attired. For some reason it made Veronica feel better; Duncan hadn't completely changed, he would forever be a neat argyle shirt wearing boy. "What have you come to accuse me of now?" Even if he has lost his ability to be polite to her.
"I-" she wanted to apologise but the words just didn't seem to want to come out. "I found out who took Meg's laptop."
Duncan's eyebrows shot up in surprise; that was fast, he thought to himself, almost impressed with her skills. "Wow so your magnifying glass actually worked."
Veronica sucked in a breath, Dear Seventeen Magazine how do you tell your (cringe) ex-boyfriend slash brother that his girlfriend stole his ex-girlfriends laptop to expose all her secrets because his current girlfriend thinks he's in love with his ex-girlfriend? Oh yeah let's not forget that everyone thinks that he hates his ex- girlfriend and evidently me as well.
"It was Shelly," the words slipped out her lips before she could catch them which was probably a good thing since she wasn't exactly the type to beat around the bush.
Duncan drew back a little, clearly shocked at Veronica's words. "What?" He certainly didn't seem to want to believe the petite blonde in front of him. "Do you enjoy accusing every 09er you spot?"
With a grin masking her face she remarked, "Just the wicked ones." She allowed the grin to drop, even though it was easier to banter around the matter she felt that Duncan should know the truth, he may not deserve it but he should know it. "Apparently she wanted to expose all of Meg's deep dark secrets because she thinks you still like Meg." Veronica was not good with subtlety when it came to relationship-y stuff, nope, that was Lilly's job.
Relationships seemed to crumble when she snuck her nose in them. Take her own relationship for example; Logan had barely lasted a week and Duncan… She never liked to access that part of her memory anymore because ever since the revelation of Jake being the donor of half her chromosomes it made her feel sick. Maybe it's fate that she became a PI; after all it was her job to catch cheating spouses and give reason for couple separation, among other things.
Duncan seemed paralysed as he processed her words. Veronica decided it was best to give him space to think his thoughts; hopefully he doesn't hurt his head again.
~~Navarro Residence~~
As the leader of the PCHer bikers, Weevil needed to mark his territory; he couldn't just allow those rich kids to do whatever the hell they liked, whenever they liked. It was a bonus that he enjoyed ruining their fun.
As he closed the door on his way out, a certain blonde cheerleader popped up next to him and said, "On your way to crash another 09er party?"
Shocked, Weevil's mouth hung in agape but quickly recovered and questioned, "What are you doing here?"
Meg forwent a giggle in favour of an amused smile. "Can't a girl just say hi?" Her tone was playful and teasing, Weevil didn't know what to think of that.
"Not if it's a 09er princess," he remarked and looked at her curiously. She had two brown bags fill of what seemed like groceries.
Meg's smile didn't falter as she countered, "I'll be sure to tell Madison not to stop by then."
Weevil's confusion made him feel frustrated, what was Meg Manning doing at his house? He couldn't for the life of him come up with an answer and she didn't seem to be in the mood of providing him with one. "You-"
Before Weevil could even say another word, the door opened revealing Lettie Navarro with a stern expression on her face. "Eli!" His grandmother exclaimed with cutting edge eyes. "I know you aren't going to let the Meg Mija stand outside!"
Meg smiled at the elder woman and slipped past Weevil to give her a hug, "Oh, you know Eli was just being friendly as ever."
"He better be," His grandmother warned him. "Now come on inside Eli, we have a lot of work to do," the elder woman ordered him.
Weevil was stunned, what the hell just happened? "But-"
His grandmother gave him a stern glance and warned, "You better not be going out with your biker friends and leave Meg and me to do all the work."
Weevil frowned. "What work?"
Meg let a soft amused smile grace her lips as she coyly replied, "Oh Eli, don't you remember? We're baking for our church fundraiser this Sunday." Meg bit back a giggle at Weevil's horrified expression as he realised that the two woman before him expected him to help them bake.
~~Kane Residence~~
"Duncan, sweetie, you need to take your medication," his mother told him as she force fed him the small white pills.
Duncan usually took his epilepsy medication but he'd let the ant-depressant pills fall down the sink. There was no way around it this time, he had to swallow the damn pill because his mother apparently 'caught' onto his act or maybe it was because of his stupid jump of the bleachers. In all honesty, he didn't regret the jump. The jump made him feel – like he was flying and there was so much adrenaline in his body and for a moment he had actually felt good… That was until he hit his head on the ground. He wasn't going to try that again, he really hated the hospital and the stiches were a bitch so no… The moment of adrenaline was not worth the pain of the aftermath. Once was good enough.
In the lounge Veronica flickered through the channels on TV as she waited for Jake Kane to descend down the stairs. She wondered about what pills Duncan took, once again she found herself asking herself if he was sick? There was only one way to find out…
Her eyes caught sight of Jake and she reluctantly smiled. "Hey," she greeted to get his attention.
Jake was caught by surprise; Veronica never initiated a conversation with him, not after the paternity matter. "Hello Veronica, how are you?" He smiled genuinely pleased with her efforts.
Veronica internally grimaced at his 'fatherly' manner. "Uh," she really hated that she had to ask him for something but she really needed to find out what was wrong with Duncan. "I'm not feeling that was actually."
Jake's eyes grew concerned and worry entered his voice, "What's wrong?"
Veronica internally rolled her eyes; if he truly cared for her he wouldn't have forcefully taken her away from the man that she loved as her father all her life. If only Jake wasn't a rich, powerful man that everyone loved she could have gotten emancipated. "Well, I think I'm coming down with something, I've been having these aches in my tummy and headaches…" Veronica trailed off.
He looked concerned and immediately said, "I'll book you an appointment with Dr Al Levine for tomorrow." Veronica gave a smile and nodded thanks. "Veronica," Jake called as she was about to walk away. She turned to look at him and he said, "Thank you for coming to me." He looked as if he had accomplished something huge. Veronica simply nodded but inside she knew that if it weren't for the mystery that needed to be solved she never would have asked Jake for anything.
When Veronica reached her room, Duncan spotted her and just before she could close the door he called out her name as he jogged toward her.
For once the blonde detective was surprised; Duncan never made the initiative to come to her room before. "Duncan?" She looked at him puzzled; he was in his pyjamas, wasn't he going to the bonfire?
"Hey, uh- look did Shelly really do it?" He inquired, he wasn't one to accuse people of anything really but he wasn't going to date a girl that seemed to be going a little psycho.
Veronica was surprised at the question but nevertheless answered, "I'm pretty sure," she nodded her affirmation. "Kimmy told me." Kimmy was the type of girl that reinforced people's popular belief of dumb blondes. It was highly unlikely that she could lie on the spot without Veronica noticing.
Duncan's eyebrows lifted in doubt and he began to question the blonde's detective skills once again. "Kimmy? She's like a wanna-be Meg, how do you know she didn't take it?"
At his tone of disbelief Veronica's eyes narrowed on him. It really annoyed her when people undermined her. "I have good judgement," she confidently stated.
Duncan snorted. "If I break up with Shelly it'd be based on your judgement?"
Veronica's frown deepened and she retorted, "I didn't ask you to break up with her."
"So you expected me to date a girl that turning into that psycho-girlfriend type?"
"I didn't expect you to do anything."
"What?" Confusion clouded Duncan's mind.
Veronica let out a heavy sigh as she explained, "Why would I have Duncan?" She met his confused gaze as she continued, "You hate Meg so maybe you'd approve of Shelly's actions." She averted her eyes and didn't notice the hurt that passed through Duncan's eyes for a moment. "But then again your girlfriend is so sure you like Meg that she went to such lengths to make sure Meg wasn't a threat to her relationship." As she words passed her lips Veronica wondered about what truly went on in Duncan's mind. She wondered if Logan knew the mysteries of Duncan Kane that she was trying to figure out.
Veronica sucked in a breath when the moment of silence seemed too long. "I just thought maybe he'd like to know the truth and despite his recent actions he does have a brain," Duncan frowned; she was going to milk the bleacher jump for all the insults it was worth. "Maybe, just maybe he'd make the right decisions for once." When the last word passed her lips, she closed the door and left a confounded Duncan in her dust.
After a few minutes Duncan moved back toward his room. He had forgotten how much the anti-depressants had helped him before. It numbed the pain he felt. It was like drinking a glass of milk after eating an extra chilli dish; it cured the burn in your throat.
He sat with his laptop and for the first time since Lilly was attacked, he allowed himself to relive the memories they had.
The first video began… It wasn't a video of them as a Fab4, it was a video of Lilly and Veronica.
[Lilly's face zoomed into the camera with muffled sounds in the background.]
[Wannabe by Spice Girls boomed in background]
[Lilly shook her hips as Veronica panned into view]
[Lilly and Veronica began to jump up, down and around the room. Lilly had a short light pink skirt with a hot pink coloured top. Veronica had a green and white striped top with a short denim skirt]
[Ha ha ha ha ha echoed as Veronica and Lilly danced.]
Lilly: Yo, I'll tell you what I want, what I really, really want
Veronica: So tell me what you want, what you really, really want
Lilly: I'll tell you what I want, what I really, really want
Veronica: So tell me what you want, what you really, really want
Lilly: I wanna, (ha) I wanna, (ha) I wanna, (ha) I wanna, (ha)
Veronica and Lilly: I wanna really, really, really wanna zigazig ah
Duncan let out a chuckle; they looked so happy jumping around and singing. His heart longed for those days when they were carefree and had fun together.
Veronica: If you want my future, forget my past
Lilly: If you wanna get with me, better make it fast
Veronica: Now don't go wasting my precious time
Lilly: Get your act together we could be just fine
Veronica: I'll tell you what I want, what I really, really want
Lilly: So tell me what you want, what you really, really want
Veronica: I wanna, (ha) I wanna, (ha) I wanna, (ha) I wanna, (ha)
Lilly and Veronica: I wanna really, really, really wanna zigazig ah.
[Their knees were bent as they did the 'zigazig ah']
Duncan shook his head as he laughed; he remembered that they played that song at least 30 times in that day and he thinks that they had perfected that part.
Lilly and Veronica: If you wanna be my lover, you gotta get with my friends (Gotta get with my friends) Make it last forever, friendship never ends. If you wanna be my lover, you have got to give. Taking is too easy, but that's the way it is
Duncan felt his eyes tear, friendship never ends. He realised that when Lilly woke up Veronica will still be her best friend and Duncan would be demoted to worst brother ever, he probably already is with the way he treated Veronica. And as much as they didn't want to admit it, Veronica was his sister as well. For once Duncan wished that Lilly woke up and kicked his ass; he wouldn't be surprised if that's her first duty of business when she awoke.
Veronica: Oh, what do you think about that now you know how I feel
Lilly: Say, you can handle my love, are you for real (Are you for real) I won't be hasty, I'll give you a try. If you really bug me then I'll say goodbye
Lilly and Veronica: Yo I'll tell you what I want, what I really, really want. So tell me what you want, what you really, really want. I wanna, (ha) I wanna, (ha) I wanna, (ha) I wanna, (ha). I wanna really, really, really wanna zigazig ah. If you wanna be my lover, you gotta get with my friends (Gotta get with my friends). Make it last forever, friendship never ends. If you wanna be my lover, you have got to give (You've got to give). Taking is too easy, but that's the way it is
Duncan thought about the way he had treated Veronica and Meg; to be honest he hurt them that much because he had loved them that much. And because he hurt that much. On some level he felt that he deserved the pain he had and he knew that if he Veronica and Meg were with him, he would hurt less. His emotions clouded his judgement and everything had happened all too fast for him to comprehend.
He was angry at Veronica because she was what could have made everything better when it really shouldn't be. No, nothing was supposed to be better until Lilly had woken up. He was angry at Meg because she left him; the one last solace that he had but he had pushed her away because he wasn't supposed to feel ease and comfort that she brought him.
All he had was Logan and more often than not he felt that Logan would rather be with Veronica and that thought made him resent Veronica a bit more. The only person who didn't love Veronica more than they did him was his mother but she was different after Lilly's attack… he couldn't pinpoint how but she was.
Veronica: So, here's a story from A to Z. You wanna get with me, you gotta listen carefully. We got Em in the place who likes it in your face. You got G like MC who likes it on a...
Lilly: Easy V doesn't come for free, she's a real lady. And as for me, ha you'll see
Veronica and Lilly: Slam your body down and wind it all around. Slam your body down and wind it all around.
[Veronica danced out of view. The camera moves around for two seconds before landing on the mirror, revealing Veronica holding the camera. Lilly jumps around behind her and now they are both seen behind the camera through the mirror]
Lilly and Veronica: Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha. Slam your body down and wind it all around. Slam your body down and zigazig ah.
[Lilly is clapping as she jumps while Veronica laughs and moves the camera to pan in on their faces]
Veronica and Lilly: If you wanna be my lover…
[Lilly and Veronica are holding each other as they laugh, the image fades to black]
Duncan realised that Lilly loved Veronica and Veronica loved Lilly perhaps more than anyone else. Duncan wondered how Veronica dealt with her hurt and pain. He knew that Logan dealt with it by drinking, partying and playing protector to him and Veronica. He wasn't dumb he put the pieces together but he chose to ignore it after all Veronica had betrayed Logan as well and Logan had broken ties with Veronica before he himself had. Duncan wondered why… Why had Logan continued to be a protector to Veronica when she had caused his family so much pain? Duncan didn't understand, he couldn't understand… One day he'd ask Logan. One day but not now… He was too afraid of his best friends answer and Duncan wasn't ready to lose his best friend, he wondered if he ever would be.
He couldn't bear to watch another video; not even the extra dosage of anti-depressants could cure his heartache, his guilt and regret that he felt.
Around ten pm he made his way to the kitchen and caught a glimpse of the blonde hurricane that only succeeded in stirring his emotions. She had on a short skirt and a pink jacket with her boots; it seemed as if she was going out.
"I don't hate Meg," he blurted out and startled Veronica. He had taken an extra pill. Maybe he shouldn't have but he did. Logan was going to be pissed when he found out but he needed it for him to be able to have a decent conversation with Veronica. He needed it to numb his pain, anger and guilt.
She barely recovered from her surprise when she questioned, "Then why did you treat her that way, Duncan?"
He hesitated for a moment, there seemed to be so many reasons but none of them seemed to hold any validity to him anymore. "She dumped me and it hurt okay? I'm sorry."
Veronica definitely felt stunned. So Duncan had genuinely liked Meg and was possibly still in like with her. She didn't know what was going on with Duncan. One moment he couldn't stand to be in the same room as her and now he's trying to make amends? "Yeah, tell that to Meg."
Duncan swallowed; he knew apologising was the right thing to do. Before he experienced hurt, he had always done the right thing. "I'm sorry to you too," he confessed.
Shocked couldn't even cover Veronica's reaction as she sputtered out the word, "What?"
His thought's flashed to the moments he had seen on tape. "I'm really sorry Veronica. But you know despite all my crap, you were here." His lips curved in a genuine smile. Veronica hadn't seen the smile since their break-up. She gave him a look of suspicion as she lightly pinched her skin to make sure that this was reality. She gave him the benefit of the doubt and didn't argue his apology. After all she wanted them to be friends, she wanted nice Duncan back. "I gave as good as I got."
He nodded but said, "Yeah but you were still there for me."
She could have pointed out that it wasn't by choice and that she was forced to live in this haunting mansion but she decided to let it drop because this wasn't about them being siblings this was about them being friends. Neither of them could truly accept her being a Kane, not yet for him and not ever for her.
Instead of bringing their issues to surface she questioned, "Hey, aren't you going to the bonfire?"
"Mom has me under bed-rest."
Veronica cracked a light grin. "I think that's Celeste's code for 'Duncan you're grounded but you're my favourite and I could never ground you but you just can't go anywhere.'"
Duncan let out a good-natured laugh as he said, "Yeah I think so too."
Veronica wondered if Duncan's mind had truly changed or if this was because he was on medication. Yeah, she saw the anti-depressant pills that the doctor prescribed but she also knew that there were other pills and she was going to find out what it was. "So wanna make Lilly proud and sneak out?" For now maybe they could pretend.
~~Dog Beach~~
In the LeBaron were Duncan and Veronica ; Veronica wasn't sure how long Duncan's niceness would last and she assumed that he'd go back to his jackass-y self once his pills wore off... For once Veronica could barely wait to go to the doctor.
Veronica leaned back as she rested her hands on the stirring wheel; she looked ahead and watched the party goers from afar. She cracked half a grin and said, "You ready to get this party started? You ready to burn this mother down. Up, jump… the boogie."
Duncan laughed… For some reason the laugh made Veronica feel a sense of achievement. It had been too long since she had heard the sound without the pain and anger seeping out his voice. "Hey, this was your plan," he playfully defended. "I was perfectly fine with lying on my comfy bed-"
Veronica let out a light-hearted laugh as she good-naturedly shook her head when she interrupted him, "And reading Harry Potter?" Oops. She withdrew. He's not supposed to know that she went snooping in his room.
Surprise filled his features, "How'd you know-"
"Come on, let's go raise the roof," she effectively drew attention to the party.
Thankfully for the blonde, he went along with it, "Let's get jiggy wid' it." Perhaps he could believe that Veronica Mars really did know everything.
She lifted an eyebrow, amused at his words. "Jiggy wid' it, seriously?"
"Hey, you're the one with the 'boogie' and 'raise the roof'."
Veronica smiled, she had almost lost hope on Duncan ever accepting her as a friend again at least until Lilly awoke from her slumber but here they were… dare she think it, joking and laughing… here's the kicker – with each other.
As they head closer to the bonfire, Veronica can clearly see 09er girls fawning over Logan and he seemed to be enjoying the attention. She gritted her teeth and decided that a) she could act like a bitch to Logan and give him the satisfaction of seeing her jealous- not that she was. B) She could turn around, leave and ask Duncan to catch a ride with Dick. C) She could ignore Logan and pretend to have fun.
Before her decision could be made, Duncan started to say something and walked over to Logan, she thinks that he expected her to follow but she glanced around for a moment and then spotted Mac, Wallace and Jenny. Veronica decided that if Logan even noticed her, she'd give him a piece of her mind but she highly doubted. It wasn't fair that he could do whatever- whoever he wanted but the minute he spotted her with any guy she was the bad guy.
"What's up party people?" Veronica chirped; she was determined to hide her sullenness from her fellow party-goers.
"Logan," Duncan called out to the pre-occupied brunette surfer.
In his hazy state Logan barely recognised his BFF; nevertheless Logan smiled his confused smile at his arrival. "DK, my man," he greeted as he held out his hand for their 'brotherly' handshake. "What are you doing here? Thought you were under house arrest."
Duncan let out a light chuckle as he grabbed a beer, it probably wasn't the best idea because of his pills but rational thoughts were far from his mind. "Yeah, it was Veronica's idea for me to escape"
Logan's interest perked at the mention of the petite. "Veronica?"
"Yeah, we kind of, I think-" Duncan frowned when he couldn't explain what had transpired between him and the blonde. "I'm not sure what happened."
Duncan's confusion made Logan's head hurt. At this particular moment all Logan wanted to do was see Veronica, hold Veronica and be with Veronica. "Veronica's here?"
"Yeah," Duncan nodded in affirmation. Duncan took a swing of the bottle in his hand as Logan's eyes immediately scanned the crowd in search for the blonde pixie that had taken residence in his thoughts throughout the night and his lips curved in a smile.
After Duncan had been distracted by the other 09ers, Logan discretely slipped away and headed toward Veronica. At the moment the petite blonde was dancing with her fellow cheerleaders – and much to Logan's dismay it included guys. Logan tactfully pretended to dance in order to subtly get closer to Veronica. Even in his intoxicated state he swayed graciously and avoided most bumping, when he was close enough he slipped his fingers through Veronica's and gently tugged as he started to dance away from the crowd with her in tow.
Veronica was surprised when she felt someone enlace their fingers with hers, it took her a second but she realised that it was Logan. She had wanted to stop, she had wanted to yell at him but the tingle in her fingers and butterflies in her tummy stopped her. When they were a safe distance away Logan had pulled her into his arms and engulfed her in a warm and firm bear hug; he used the opportunity to nuzzle his nose in her hair taking in her sent of Marshmallow and Promises. "You came," he mumbled into her hair with a hint of relief in his voice.
Stunned at the contact, she froze; this was not how this was meant to play out. She was supposed to be mad at him. She was supposed to yell at him. She was supposed to tell him that she was not his play thing. She was supposed to push him away. But the thoughts of what she was supposed to do instantly flew away the moment Logan Echolls engulfed her in a big warm bear hug and started mumbling sweet everything's to her. She barely made out the words but she could tell that he was happy. He started to drop sloppy kisses onto her neck and cheek and for a moment she enjoyed the feeling but then she caught whiff of the dreadful smell of alcohol. The smell brought her back to reality and she started to pull away from him. The damned boy just had to be drunk and ruin everything for her.
"Logan…" She hesitantly whispered his name as she attempted to distance herself from him.
"You have no idea how happy I am to see you," he slurred as he held her in a hug. Veronica really wanted to believe his words but she couldn't help but think that maybe it was the alcohol talking. She was sure that any action he made tonight would be blamed on the alcohol tomorrow morning. She wanted to pull away and tell him to snap out of it because the next morning she was certain that this would all be forgotten but on the other hand she so desperately wanted to go along with it and allow him to make her feel the way he used to… Content.
For now she allowed him to pull her away from the noisy crowd, deeper into the beach where the music in the background was faintly heard.
He turned to look at her and smiled, he started to walk backwards and she gave him an amused look mixed with confusion. Their fingers were entangled as he brought her close to him. He seemed cheery… He wiggled his body a little bit and she let out a giggle. He smiled a soft smile as he stopped walking and looked into her eyes as he revealed, "It's been so long since I've seen you smile like that."
Veronica didn't know how to react to his words; she had come to a halt as well as withdrew from his gaze.
Logan cupped her chin gently as he softly whispered, "No, don't stop, I love your smile."
Veronica hesitated as she truly had no words for him. After their break up Logan had been a lot of things and he'd almost fit back into the boyfriend category in her life; he defended her virtue, he protected her, he was jealous when other guys were around her, he cared for her, he listened to her, he respected her and most of all she loved him. The only thing that differentiated in them being an actual couple was that 'Affectionate Logan' had never come into play. Heck they still had passion and shared kisses but they hadn't been hugs or hand-holding or sweet mumblings between them. "Logan…"
With an exhaled breath he let out, "I miss you, so much." The admission made Veronica's breath hitch.
No, no matter what he said, he was drunk. One thing she had learned from experience was that drunk Logan was vulnerable, emotional and experienced amnesia in the morning. "Logan, we really shouldn't-"
"Don't you miss me?" He almost coyly asked as his eyes swept over her face.
"Logan…" the little white lie refused to pass her lips, one tiny word; 'no' had bluntly refused to come out. She couldn't speak her true feelings, her earnest 'yes' had to remain unsaid.
Logan leaned in, barely an inch away from her lips and whispered, "I'm glad you're here with me."
Veronica felt her knees weaken and despite the protest in her mind she couldn't help but cave, oh how she'd dreamt of his soft, tender and desirable lips against hers.
The kiss was soft and sweet despite the taste of alcohol from his mouth. It was completely different from their usual passion flamed kisses yet it still sent the butterflies wild and the intensified their electricity.
As they separated they had taken in a breath of welcomed air and Veronica stepped back and told him, "You can't just kiss me whenever you feel like." She should have chastised him, she should have questioned him on his actions but she wasn't sure what she'd do with the answers.
Logan licked his lips as his eyes drifted to Veronica's 'kiss me' lips to her eyes. "Don't you want me to?"
She avoided his eyes because she knew that he'd see how much she wanted him to kiss her and she'd see the lust he had for her. His eyes were haunting because she had taken the time to memorise the intensity he felt for her and the hot touches he gave her. Despite their short time together, their emotions seemed to be ocean wide. "We're not a couple anymore," she reminded him. "You need to stop acting like my boyfriend." Her eyes flickered to his and she desperately tried to remember why she had to do this and not just wrap her legs around his rock-hard abs and let his muscular arms wrap round her body as they kissed as though their lives depended on it. She had to be the bad guy so that there would be no feud with him and Duncan in the morning, only the Heavens knew what he'd do and say once he had recovered from his drug induced state. She had to stay away from him so that he wouldn't find out who really told her dad about his abuse. She had to protect him just like he did her.
"So you do want me to kiss you." That was what he had made of her sentence; he had chosen to hear the words she hadn't said instead of the ones that she had.
"That's not what I said," Veronica tried to object.
"You didn't disagree," he waggled his eyebrows and took a step forward and Veronica simultaneously had taken a step back.
"Logan…" She breathed out, her eyes flickered to his lips and she really did want to feel his lips mould against hers. Logan was drunk, he wouldn't remember, right? What harm could a few small kisses do?
With a light grin Logan whispered in her ear, "I love it when you say my name." Veronica sucked in a breath, as she felt the warmth of him, he eyes rolled to the back of her head as he started to kiss along the spot on her neck that drove her crazy.
"Logan," she moaned in barely a whisper. Logan dragged his lips along her neck, to her cheek and finally found her mouth. Veronica hadn't hesitated in falling into the kisses she fantasied about at night.
When they had pulled away she made the mistake of looking into his brightly lit eyes that looked at her as if she were his most precious thing he'd ever had. She saw the pool of emotions in his eyes, the lust, longing and dare she hope, possibly love.
And with that one look she knew even if Logan had forgotten tonight, she never would. Come tomorrow morning and he remembered nothing but the hate he felt for her; she'd be the broken hearted girl. She placed a hand on his chest to keep him out of her personal space and said, "Logan, what are you doing? We're not- you broke up with me remember?"
Helplessness gathered in his eyes. "Veronica…"
Even though it was her intent to get him to stop, she felt disappointment. Even though she wanted to protect him, she wanted him to fight for her and tell her that everything would be okay and that they could be together but she knew she couldn't be with him and lie to him. She knew Logan wouldn't be able to be with her if he couldn't trust her. It was in his nature to wear his heart on his sleeve, and it was impossible to do that if you couldn't trust the person you're giving your heart to without it getting broken. "Logan you just have a lot of alcohol in your system. Tomorrow you'll go back to Team Duncan and hate me."
Hurt crossed his features. "I never said I hated you, why would you think that?" His soft tone made it almost impossible for Veronica to argue with him.
Confusion swept into Veronica's face, "What else was I supposed to think? You told me as much; when you broke up with me, remember?" Why did she have to go there? She was not supposed to go there but tonight she was doing a hellova lot things that she wasn't supposed to do. "Or am I just that forgettable?" She tried to joke but it only succeeded in being bitter.
"I think about you all the time," when he spoke his voice was heavy with emotion. Veronica didn't know how it was possible but Logan's emotions intensify. He feels with everything in him. "Everything I've done is because of you."
Veronica swallowed hard as she heard his words, because of you, echoed in her mind. She choked back her tears as she said, "Right, I betrayed you. I deserved it. I get it Logan. I got it. What I don't get is what you're doing now. Is this like the 'look at what you're missing' things?"
Logan shook his head; his heart ached when he noticed the pained expression on her face and tears glistening in her eyes. She had obviously misinterpreted his meaning. "Veronica, I did what I had to do at the time. It was the only way."
The truth had to come out because he needed to be around her to protect her. He needed her to understand his reasons so that she would allow him to work with her and he could protect her. If there was one thing that he had learned from Lilly's attack was that he would never let that happen to Veronica or Duncan. He would protect them with his life. And right now, Veronica was going out of her way to physically put herself in dangerous situations and he knew she wouldn't stop so he was going with her. He would tell her the truth. He would become her co-worker slash bodyguard. And hopefully she'll be his girlfriend again.
Veronica watched Logan with utter confusion but for some reason she sensed that Logan had regretted his decision about their relationship but that wasn't what she wanted. Actually, it was exactly what she wanted but she couldn't be with him and lie to him. She couldn't tell him the truth and risk everything that her dad, Lynn and Lamb had worked hard for. It would be over soon. Aaron would be out of town on another movie; next week. Then it would start. She wasn't sure if the aftermath would make Logan hate her more or forgive her but she reminded herself that this was what was best for Logan.
Tears glistened in his eyes as he relived the past memories that taunted him. "I couldn't let him hurt you." He breathed heavily and Veronica wasn't sure who the 'he' was. "I knew he would if he knew and I couldn't risk him finding out it was you." It was me what? She wondered. "I-I was so scared Ronnie."
He started to break down a bit. "I had to say all of those bad things to keep you away from me, to keep you away from him. That's why I broke up with you and that's why I took the blame. I told him that I was the one that told your dad by mistake under the influence; he couldn't do anything to me because I was under the lime light but you- he could have hurt you. And I will do anything in my power to make sure that doesn't happen."
Aaron. Logan was talking about Aaron. The pieces quickly fit into her mind. Logan had sacrificed their relationship to protect her. Logan had lied in confession to his father to protect her even though he thought that she had indeed tattled on him.
How could her dad and his mom possibly think they were risking something in letting Logan know the truth? Logan was practically the definition of loyalty. Logan knew how to keep a secret, hadn't he been keeping his abuse a secret for years. And when he thought she had babbled to his dad, he had kept it a secret from his dad as a means to protect her.
"Logan…" Tears swam in her oceanic eyes.
"I needed you to not hate me." He looked considerably sobered up.
Veronica shook her head as she softly admitted, "I knew you didn't hate me, a guy that hated me wouldn't be protecting my virtue."
"My father," he swallowed as if the words clogged his throat. "He's leaving to shoot another movie next week, he'll be gone and he won't be able to hurt you when he's not in the continent." Logan hurriedly explained. It was necessary that she knew the truth. She needed to know so that she would forgive him and he could protect her from the other big bad wolves that want to hurt her because she's taking the dangerous job of being superwoman only thing is she's not wearing a mask to hide her identity and everyone knows that she's a super sleuth.
"Logan…"
His voiced choked a little as it lowered in a pleading whisper, "I need you to not hate me." Veronica felt the pain in his voice in her body, she bit her lip to hold in her own tears. "I have a favour to ask," his eyes penetrated hers and she felt almost compelled to agree to anything he asked.
She let out a heavy breath to get her voice stable, "There's a string attached to this confession?"
He met her confused gaze and he slightly nodded. He fingers pressed against her hand as though he needed her to agree to him. "I need to be your partner."
Veronica was dumbstruck, his voice made it sound as though it was a life or death kind of favour. "Are you asking me to the prom?" She tilted her head as her confused eyes narrowed on his.
A light curve hinted at the edge of Logan's lips, to him his question fell under the category of life or death otherwise he wouldn't have told Veronica the truth but he wasn't about to pass the opportunity of snagging Veronica as his prom date. "Would you say yes if I was?"
It amazed Veronica that Logan could go from being self-sacrificing and heart-wrecking to a wistful teenage boy in mere seconds. "I wasn't planning on going," she admitted and was thankful for the darkness because she had a light blush cover her cheeks. Despite her persona of not givin' a damn, she still blushed, more often than she'd care to admit. The light pink on her cheeks was the result of her being asked to the prom by the love of her life slash ex-boyfriend. Who said Veronica Mars wasn't normal? This was pure high school drama… Except was it normal that the love of her life is her ex-boyfriend instead of her boyfriend and the reason that they are apart is because they want to keep each other safe and most importantly alive?
Logan caught her gaze and said, "Maybe we could not go together."
A smile passed her lips for a second. "Maybe."
Logan let a half smile slip on his lips before he exhaled. His expression turned back to the serious look he had before and he said, "I wanted… I want to be on stake-outs with you," he blurted out.
It took her a moment to realise what he said and took a double take once it processed. "You what now?"
~~Navarro Residence~~
"You are such an egghead," Meg lightly laughed as the words passed her lips. Her eyes flickered to Weevil's face and he was suddenly way too close to her. His eyes were unmoving from hers as a light smirk played on his lips.
"I'm not," he whispered as he edged a centimetre closer.
Meg had a light grin settle on her lips as she turned for a second and her hand reached out to grab an egg from the counter. Before Weevil could decipher her thoughts, she cracked the egg on his hairless head. The yolk dripped down his head and onto his shirt while he stood with his mouth hung agape. Meg let out a laugh but soon enough felt him fling baking flour onto her golden hair and pink-tinted face. He had a mocking look on his face as she gasped but her wide grin never left as she retaliated by dashing some cocoa powder on his face which sprinkled onto his shirt. His mouth was open wide but the hinted laugh was present. He had the 'game on' look on his face as he reached in the bowl with both his hands for the cocoa powder and hurled it on her. She shrieked with laughter and he laughed along with her. Soon enough more of the ingredients were flying between them and somehow during their war Meg ended up in Weevil's arms.
The playfulness evaporated and tension thickened as Meg swallowed hard while Weevil looked at her intently, she saw his eyes drift to her lips and she felt her eyes drift to his. He licked his lips and her breath hitched.
"Ay dios mio!" Lettie shouted in horror as she saw the mess they made instead of the position they were in. Weevil's arms dropped from Meg's waist and she looked embarrassed.
"We're baking," Weevil shrugged while his grandmother continued to look on in horror.
Meg refused to look at Weevil or his grandmother as she began to clean the mess they made. She didn't want to believe it but she knew that if his grandmother hadn't come in when she did they would have kissed and she would have probably enjoyed but she shouldn't and she shouldn't be disappointed that they didn't kiss because she has a boyfriend, a very sweet boyfriend that liked her a lot.
~~Dog Beach~~
Cassidy used to like being alone, he used to feel relief when he was alone. But now he didn't. All he felt a gut-wrecking feeling in the insides of him. He felt guilt, he felt like the guilt was consuming him, slowly munching away at his insides. That was until he found comfort in his friends – his true friends- that knew him literally knew him inside and out. He craved their comfort, he craved it so bad because they made everything okay for a moment – for a moment he could relinquish all the horrible feelings stuck within him – the guilt he felt for what he had done and for the lies he spoke time after time, the hate he felt for himself, the disappointment he saw when people looked at him, the frustration he felt at the world. But when the drugs entered his system- all of those feelings are drowned. For a moment he feels like everything is okay. And that's what he needs.
No one was paying attention to him at the moment, they were all busy with something or someone else – dancing, drinking, having fun and being normal. Cassidy wasn't able to do any of that without his precious friends seeping inside his bloodstreams giving him a little help in his awkward social skills and a little help numbing his bad feelings while giving him the good ones. Yes, they gave him the good feelings because he didn't have any of his own.
He glanced around the crowd searching for the people who might take an interest in him – he wasn't stupid, he knew that if anyone found out about his special friends they would take it away from him and they would try to make him better – and they wouldn't understand that nothing else would ever make him better because he'd drown in a pool of darkness without his special friends helping him.
Cassidy spotted his blonde, goofy, care-free brother and felt envy – Dick was always the popular one, Dick always got what he wanted, the only thing Dick lacked was intelligence. Other than that Cassidy thought his brother was perfect. But Cassidy couldn't hate his brother; he knew not what affect he carried with him. Currently the blonde surfer boy was gridding against his girlfriend Gia with a bottle of beer in his hand. Yes, Dick had a good, care-free life which was what Cassidy had wanted as well alas he couldn't have it without his special friends.
His eyes caught sight of Cole with a few 09er girls and instantly he started to scan for Meg. Cole most probably would shrug it off as being a teenage boy and most probably would ask for some when Meg wasn't looking however Cassidy knew that Meg was a saint of some kind would feel it her responsibility to make him 'see the light about his ways.' Even though Cassidy knew that taking drugs was okay because it made him feel okay, others did not feel that way. Meg, being the good Christian girl she is would probably take him to see her pastor. Cassidy was not looking to get baptised, thank you very much. He couldn't spot the tall blonde Christian girl anywhere and decided that if Cole was flirting with other girls Meg must not have attended this party.
He saw Veronica and Dick's knew friend Wallace, Cassidy didn't know much about the new arrival but he was sure that the boy was the 'goody-good' type and would most probably rat him out to either Veronica or Dick or even both. After all hadn't the PCHers labelled him snitch? Anyway the boy seemed to be getting awfully friendly with the head-cheerleader, Jenny Budosh. Oh, how the young flirt.
Thinking of Veronica, the boy looked around to find the petite blonde. Eyes narrowing to the figures down the beach, he glared. Away from the crowd, near the water was Veronica Mars with Logan Echolls. And they were awfully cosy with each other – if Cassidy hadn't known any better he'd say they were dating again. Veronica Mars was always the do-gooder. No matter how short she cut her hair and skirts. No matter how dark she painted her nails. No matter how dark her clothes got. No matter how fierce and snarky her attitude became. Veronica Mars always did the right thing and expected others to do it too. She could absolutely not find out about his friends. She would ruin everything. He was positive of it.
Life was unfair to him. Every other teenager was allowed drugs at parties but not him. So what if he was a year younger? So what if he used it more continuously? So what if he relied on it to make him feel better? They didn't know that. But Dick had made him promise not to take the substance that made everything better anymore and therefore it would be a big deal if his big brother found out that he had never intended to keep that promise and had broken that promise.
Cassidy remembered that Corny boy from school; he was the biggest stoner in the school, why couldn't he live freely like Corny? It just wasn't fair.
"Hey Cassidy," A soft female voice greeted and startled the nervous looking boy.
He returned and saw the smiling face of Cindy Mackenzie. He had to be careful of her the most. Why? For some reason she always has an eye on him and is suspicious of his every movement. He fears that she may want to try and help him. He knew that he wouldn't be able to explain that he didn't need help and that was why she simply could not know his truths.
"Hey Mac." He made sure his lips were curved in a smile and he hoped it worked because he felt rather uneasy.
"Are you okay?" Mac asked with concern glittering in her eyes. Ever since she suspected that Cassidy might be on drugs, she had tried to keep a close eye on him alas he always had a disappearing act that she could never follow.
"Yeah," he nodded; he hoped his nod was reassuring because he had lied. He wasn't okay. He wasn't going to be okay until he allowed his friends travelled into his body and helped him be okay again. "You?"
"Yeah," Mac nodded but didn't seem all that okay. Mac figured that maybe if she opened up to Cassidy, he'd eventually open up to her as well. "It's just; your brother is an idiot and a huge pain in my butt."
"As per usual," Cassidy remarked.
Mac cracked a smile. Cassidy was a good kid. And she was going to help him stay good. "Yeah, I guess I'm still annoyed at his reckless behaviour on the bleachers."
"He's a dare devil."
Mac smiled, this was definitely going somewhere… This was the moment that 'Mission Save the Beaver' commenced.
~~VM~~
I'm really sorry about this really long Author's Note but please read it.
Question: Do you enjoy reading long chapters or do you prefer the chapters that are average length? I'm asking because I realized that majority of the future chapters are going to be long because there are so many different characters and issues that are going to be explored. But if you prefer shorter chapters I could break it up. I personally prefer to read medium length chapters because I barely have any time but I like to write longer chapters because I can convey what's happening with each character.
Also my updates, as you've noticed is slow and that's because it's my senior year and I'm really busy but I'll try and squeeze in a writing session somewhere in my schedule.
To those who have read 'Summer Vacation', I've re-written most of the chapters and I will update once I have written the end so I don't keep replacing chapters. Here's a question though, do I delete the story and repost it or should I just replace all the chapters? I know people have taken their time to review and I really appreciate it, believe me, I really love those reviews but it's important to re-read it as there will be many newly added scenes as you know the chapters are short so the new chapters will be longer. Please let me know your opinion.
Thank you for reading till the end, your patience is greatly appreciated and your opinion will be as well