Disclaimer: I don't own Veronica Mars. The show and all its characters belong to its appropriate owners.The lyrics used are the property of the fabulous group Lifehouse and I claim nothing. I was merely inspired by a particular track and honored it.

Rating: R 'cause of well, da smut.

Spoilers: Series thus far.

Pairings: WeeVer, some LoVe but believe me, WeeVer all the way.

Summary: Taking that final step will change everything.

Chapter Six: Breathing

I want nothing more

than to sit outside heaven's door

and listen to you breathing

is where I want to be lifehouse, breathing, track nine

Weeks pass and Veronica is caught up in the chaos of senior year; college and adulthood loom ahead of her and she finds herself remembering Lilly less and less, even though every now and then flashes of laughter and songs on the radio remind her of a pair of laughing eyes and a sinful giggle that makes her smile fondly now...

Duncan and Logan ease their way into her world; accompanying her on stakeouts when Wallace can't do it or Backup is with her father. Weevil is always a phone call away and she finds it amusing when he and Logan make cracks at each other during the wee hours of the morning. Duncan and Meg break it off but Mac finds the young heir interesting and she sees a light in Duncan's eyes when it comes to the computer hacker that she hasn't seen before.

Logan is single and happy; he misses Lilly still, she can see it in the lines of his eyes. He doesn't mention her though and she suspects he won't be able to forgive her dead friend for a long time especially when his sister decides she doesn't want to be his legal guardian and he finds his inheritance from his mother purchasing him a small apartment that he shares with Duncan who refuses to stay at his parent's home.

She's settling into her life easier now; her father's happy with Alicia and she's happy he's happy. So of course, it all comes crashing down when she walks up to her front door and sees a familiar blonde form huddled up for warmth on the ground. She freezes and stares at her mother who looks up and smiles warmly at her.

"Veronica," she says hope written in her face and she wonders to herself when did her mother get old? Wrinkles are prominent on her face and her eyes are sagging and she looks sallow. She swallows as she says, dully, "Mom..." as her mother struggles to her feet. She doesn't move because she's frozen, she can feel the anger and hurt at her mother's abandonment not once but twice and remembers how her father had told her how the check went missing and she thinks to herself how she can't believe her mother is here in front of her...

"What do you want?" she asks finally as they stare at one another. Lianne's smile slips slightly at the flatness of her daughter's voice and she says, "I wanted to see you sweetie..."

"Did you really?" Veronica asks bitterly. "Or did you just come to steal more money?"

Her mother winces but she feels no guilt or sadness. Just pain at the fact that her own mother abandoned her when she needed her and how her own mother had run away when she should've stayed to work things out...

"Did you ever love Dad at all?" she asks desperately and Lianne looks at her with surprise. Veronica continues, trembling as tears fill her eyes. "Did you? Did you feel anything other than relief when he agreed to marry you even though you knew that I might not be his? Did you care about him or how he would feel thinking his child might not be his? Did you?" she screams at her mother as she cowers away from her, saying, "Veronica..." in a trembling voice.

Veronica trembles and tears slide down her face; tears that she's fought to keep inside, tears she hasn't allowed herself to shed because she can't show weakness anymore. Not since the night her best friend was taken and her mother vanished into thin air...

Her knees buckles as she cries and her mother stares at her in anguish and suddenly, warm arms wrap themselves around her, and a voice murmurs, "It's okay, I got you chica, it's okay..."

She buries her face into a leather clad shoulder as Weevil gathers her into his arms. He feeds the blonde woman cowering against the wall a glare and walks over to the front door. Setting Veronica onto her feet, he gently finds her keys and unlocks it, ushering her inside. As the blonde woman takes a step foward, he slams it shut with his foot, ignoring the expression of shock on her features. She'll get over it, he figures, all drunks do.

He turns to look at her and shakes as his head as she trembles, tiny hiccups coming from her mouth as she looks back at him with red eyes and a runny nose. Sighing, he says, "You all right?"

Veronica wipes at her eyes and doesn't answer, turning towards her room. He follows dutifully, watching her shed her coat and shoes, crawling onto her bed and curling into a ball. He hesitates and says, "I'll go then?"

She opens her eyes to look at him and shakes her head.

"Stay," she says and he swallows, remembering his cousin's advice.

Don't waste your life on maybes.

He crawls in beside her and Veronica curls herself against him, trembling every now and then until he wraps his arms around her. She settles her head into the curve of his neck and shoulder, mumbling in her dreams and Weevil smiles to himself as he drifts off to sleep...

When they awaken, they are both sleepy and smile at one another before Veronica takes a deep breath and presses her lips to his in a soft, silent kiss. They continue to kiss, languidly and he is trembling with nervousness as her hands cling to his shoulders as he rolls her beneath him, tracing her pulse with his tongue as he buries her face into her neck.

The sound of a door opening has them freezing and Weevil swiftly rolls off of her as Keith's voice calls his daughter's name. The two teens stare at one another before Weevil leans over and picks up his boots, pulling them on swiftly as the bedroom door opens, revealing Keith Mars.

Veronica immediately says, "Mom was here last night."

Keith's eyes darken and he nods grimly, saying, "I know. I heard from the neighbors." He watches Weevil finish tying his boots and says, "Thank you for staying here with Veronica Eli."

The Chicano youth looks up, surprise written on his handsome features as he says, "Oh. Uh, you're welcome." He slips past the older man and Veronica says to her father, "He didn't do anything to me, you know."

"I know."

She sighs and leaves her room, rushing out the door to see Weevil walking towards the gate. Running after him in her socked feet, she grabs his arm and whirls him around, saying, "You're leaving?"

Weevil sighs and takes her hand, entwining their fingers, pressing their palms together. He studies her and finally says, "I can't be a secret, V." The word again hangs silent in the air and she swallows as she looks up at him, her eyes wide with tears.

"I'm not Lilly," she replies and he smiles warmly as he says, "I know you're not; I'm not askin' you to be Lilly. I was with Lilly and..." he sighs but kisses her hand before leaving her standing there, confusion in her heart and an ache in her soul that she knows existed since she first noticed him.

With a weary sigh, Veronica mumbles, "Why me?" as she turns to face her father and answer questions she doesn't know the answers too yet...

Next Chapter Seven: Somewhere in Between...