"What? Was I supposed to sign in blood or something?"

"You know what you just signed away?"

"There's nothing that I want from them."

"Nothing? Even if you knew for certain that Jake Kane was your biological father?" asked Keith, showing Veronica the paper that had arrived from Unified Genetics showing that he was not Veronica's biological father.

"I don't care about that Dad," answered Veronica, throwing her arms around Keith. "You're my father in every way that counts."

"Hey," answered Keith, hugging her back, "you think that charm of yours is genetic? That's learned behavior baby!"

"Be careful, okay?"

"Duncan, what happened, at Shelly's I mean, it wasn't your fault."

"What do you mean?"

"Just trust me, none of it was your fault." With that, Veronica turned to leave to bring the incriminating tapes to her father.

Veronica answered her cellular phone: "Hey."

"I can't find him," said Duncan.

"Did you ask around?"

"I've been asking everyone, but no one knows where he is."

"Thanks, well, call me if you find him."

"Let me know when you get home, okay?"

"Okay. Bye." Veronica hung up.

"'Call me if you find him'? Are you kidding? I'm not standing idly by this time." Duncan said to himself.

He ran out of the house, hopped into his SUV, and followed after Veronica.

When, only a few minutes later, Duncan saw Veronica's convertible crashed into a telephone pole, he went pale. Stopping his Mercedes, he leapt out and ran around to the open door of the black LeBaron. He only let out his breath when he saw that it was empty. On the floor of the front of the car, he saw Veronica's stun-gun; he grabbed it before running up the driveway that sloped off to the side of the road.

"You know, Lilly never told me where the tapes were hidden either. I, I kind of think there's a cautionary tale in that, Veronica. Something like: I'm not going to let a seventeen-year-old piece of ass ruin my life!" Ranting and kicking the fridge, Aaron never heard Duncan creeping up behind him.

Aaron was slumped over the fridge, still shaking from the electrical shock when Duncan hit him again with the stun gun.

"Veronica! Hang on, I just need to find something to tie him up with!"

"Duncan?"

Duncan glanced around, looking for a rope, when he spied an extension cord coiled up amidst the piles of junk lying around on the porch. He shocked Aaron again before jumping over to grab it. Aaron was still convulsing when Duncan grabbed him. In only a minute or two, Duncan had him effectively hogtied.

"Duncan, what's going on?" Veronica shouted from within the fridge.

"Hang on. I'll get you out." He ran over to the side of the fridge and hoisted it open. Veronica leapt to her feet and, crying, embraced him.

They held each other for several moments, until Veronica realized the effect it was having on Duncan. As they awkwardly pulled away from each other, they noticed that Aaron was starting to come around.

"Hang on," he said, as he took out his cell phone. "We need to call the police."

"Get an ambulance too. Watch him. I'm going to go check how badly the guy who lives here is hurt. And be careful, he could still be dangerous."

When Jake Kane arrived on the scene some minutes later, he saw Aaron Echolls being herded into the back of a Sheriff's Department cruiser while a deputy read him his rights.

"You killed my daughter. You killed my daughter! You're going to pay for it! I'll watch you fry Aaron! I'll destroy your family, and everyone you ever loved! You killed my daughter! You killed my daughter! I'll watch you fry Aaron!"

"You are under arrest for obstruction of justice. You have the right to remain silent."

"My daughter! My daughter! My daughter! My daughter!" Jake finally trailed off as two of Lamb's deputies led him away.

Watching the scene as the two of them sat in the back of an ambulance, Veronica, leaning against Duncan as a paramedic examined her injuries, turned to her half-brother and asked, "Do you really think he'll try to hurt Logan?"

"Honestly, I don't know," he answered, wrapping his arm around her shoulder and drawing her more tightly against him. "I've never seen him this angry before. You're worried about him, aren't you?"

"Aren't you?"

"Of course I am, but you know what I mean."

"I think I do," she whispered into his shoulder.

"Do you love him?"

"I think I do."

She felt Duncan tense up as he looked away and wiped at his eyes.

"Duncan, I'm sorry, but you know we can never—"

"I know. I just wish….I want you to be happy. You deserve it more than anyone."

"Thank you. You do to, you know."

"Come on, let's go talk to, to Dad—" Veronica tensed up. "My dad, just make sure he's going to be okay before they take him away, and then we'll go look for Logan."

"Thank you."

"Hey," he said with a smile as he extended a hand to help her up, "he's still my best friend."

"I know."

"And anyway, I want to get to him before he hears about this from the news or something. He should hear about this from us."

"Duncan, you know we both wanted you to hear about…us…from us," Veronica told him. "We didn't mean for you to find out like that."

"I'll be sure to let Aaron know that I'm very upset with him."

"Well, I intend to speak rather sharply to him too."

"Seriously, though, I shouldn't have just stalked out of there like that. I just couldn't face you. I felt so guilty."

"Guilty about what?"

"Standing idly by. Like I should have had the guts to do what Logan did."

By this time, they had reached the Sheriff's car where their father was being held. "Dad," Duncan began, "Are you okay?"

"Duncan? He killed Lilly. He killed her." He looked at his two surviving children holding hands. "Veronica."

"Mr. Kane," she answered, her voice cold.

"Are you okay? Did he hurt you?"

"Yes, but I'll be alright. Duncan saved me."

"Thank God."

"Dad," Duncan cut in, "we're going to go look for Logan. We just wanted to make sure you're going to be okay before we left."

"Logan? That bastard's son?" Veronica grimaced. "Why are you going looking for him?"

"We want to make sure he's okay."

"Why would you want to do that?"

Duncan, nonplussed, answered, "You can't seriously have meant what you said about destroying Aaron's children."

"What? Of course I meant it. Duncan, he killed Lilly, he nearly killed Veronica. How can you be so calm about this?"

"Maybe because he doesn't have a bad conscience about having helped Aaron get away with it," Veronica interjected. "Or maybe because he didn't tear a good man down for trying to get at the truth."

"Veronica, I, I'm sorry, but I thought…."

"Destroying Logan won't make up for what you've done. And if you do try to hurt him, I'll…." Veronica turned away with her jaw clenched.

"Veronica, please—"

"No, Dad. She's right. If you try to hurt Logan, or even Trina for that matter, I'll find a way to make you pay for it."

"Duncan—"

"Now we're going to go look for him. I'll make sure to call Mom on the way and have her call you a lawyer. Are you going to be okay?"

"I, I guess. Wait, tell your mother not to call Barry. He's Aaron's lawyer too, and anyway, he's not a criminal attorney. Have her get Phil Koenigsberg."

"Fine. Is there anything else you need before we go?"

"Just, I'm sorry, both of you."

"Alright. We'll talk soon, okay?"

Jake watched as his children walked away toward Duncan's car.

To be continued….