"Yo, V!" Veronica heard him calling her and picked up speed. "Veronica, wait!" She whirled around and looked at Weevil expectantly. "Are you okay?" he asked. His concern touched her, but she refused to let it show. She was pissed at him.

"Just peachy," she told him sarcastically.

"Look," Weevil began, looking at the ground. "I'm sorry, but I couldn't let that jerk say that about you…and about Lilly."

Veronica just shook her head and walked away. She lost herself in her thoughts, her only escape. As much as Logan's comment had stung, she knew there was some truth there. Lilly, as much as Veronica loved her, had been a bit of a slut. And even Veronica herself noted the many similarities between her new self and Lilly. They were both expert liars, they knew how to play people to get what they wanted, both had more than their fair share of secrets, and both had a soft spot for a certain jackass—

Veronica's thoughts were interrupted suddenly and she had to admit she was glad. Thinking about Logan was the very last thing she wanted at the moment. She looked up and saw that she had run into a girl. She looked a few years older, with shoulder-length brown hair and an innocent face.

"Oh, sorry," Veronica apologized, picking up a book the girl had dropped.

The girl smiled sweetly. "Oh, it was my fault. I was reading and didn't see you." She held up the thick book Veronica had handed her as proof. "You're that new girl, right?"

Eyes rolling, Veronica acknowledged that she was. "And I thought news traveled fast back home!"

"Yeah, I always said the Army should use Stars Hollow people for messengers," the girl joked. "I'm Rory," she added, holding out her hand.

"Veronica." They shook hands and smiled.

As they walked down the cracked sidewalk, Rory asked, "So where are you staying?"

"Uh," Veronica paused. "Not sure yet. My friends and I just got here. Guess I should have booked ahead, huh?"

Rory smiled again. "Nah, it's okay. My mom owns an inn, actually. The Dragonfly. Maybe you and your friends could stay there?" Rory liked this new girl. Veronica was sweet and seemed nice enough and Rory wanted to help her out. A motorcycle slowed as it passed them and the rider mock saluted Veronica and made a rude gesture.

"Friend of yours?" Rory asked sarcastically.

"Keep it up, Felix!" Veronica yelled. "Remember the Camelot?"

Rory could almost see the biker – Felix – paling behind his helmet before speeding away. 'Okay, maybe she wasn't so sweet,' Rory thought, but she still wanted to help her out. "C'mon," she told Veronica, linking her own arm through Veronica's. "Let's go see a lady about a room."

Rory led Veronica back the way she had come and the further they walked, the deeper the sinking feeling in her stomach grew. They were headed to that diner, she realized grimly. 'Why does Lady Luck hate me?' she asked herself. She allowed Rory to lead her through the door, resigned to the suckiness that her time here would be.

"Wonder what happened to the window?" Rory asked aloud, voice filled with curiosity.

The diner had emptied considerably in the last few minutes and only two people were left inside. Luke looked up as they entered and his face darkened. "You, what are you doing back here?"

Rory stared at Veronica. "You two know each other?"

Lorelai walked over her daughter and pointed towards the broken window. "Her friends had a little argument." She turned to Veronica and added, "Nice right hook, by the way."

"Thanks," Veronica replied meekly. She turned to Luke. "Look, I'm really sorry about my…friends. And about your window. I'd offer to pay, but if I had any money, I wouldn't have ridden all the way from California on the back of a motorcycle."

Luke stared at the girl in front of him for a moment.

"Luke," the dark haired woman warned. "The girl apologized and it's not like she did anything."

Luke just shook his head and started cleaning off tables.

"Coffee?" the woman asked. "I'm Lorelai, by the way. Rory's mom"

"I'm Veronica, and yes, please."

Lorelai turned to her daughter and said, "I like this girl!" before walking behind the counter and pouring Veronica some coffee. Just as she put the coffee pot down, Luke looked up and yelled, "Get out from behind the counter!"

"All right!" Lorelai called back, throwing up her hands in mock surrender and sitting on the stool next to Veronica.

"Mom, Veronica needs a place to stay tonight."

Lorelai smiled at Veronica. "You can stay at the Dragonfly, sweetie. We had a few cancellations."

"Can my friends stay there, too?"

Lorelai's eyes showed her doubt and Veronica hastily added, "Not the drunk one. And I swear, Weevil's fine when Logan's not around."

After a moment consideration, Lorelai nodded her consent. "Okay, but your keep your friends in check." Then she laughed at the confused look on Rory's face and added, "Not your Logan."

"Will do," Veronica promised as Luke reappeared behind the counter.

That resolved, Lorelai turned to Rory and asked, "You get the mail, babe?"

"Yep." Rory pulled a stack of envelopes and a magazine out of her bag.

Tossing the various bills aside after declaring them "evil", Lorelai concentrated on the magazine. "Ooh, my new People magazine!"

For some reason, the mention of that magazine caused dread to pull at the pit of Veronica's stomach. She racked her brain to figure out why and just as she hit upon the answer, Lorelai clucked her tongue in disgust and sorrow.

"It's a shame," she said to no one in particular.

"What is it?" Luke asked, looking up from whatever he was doing behind the counter.

"There's a feature on the Lilly Kane murder in here," Lorelai told him.

Luke looked thoughtful for a minute. "Wait, you mean that girl that was killed in California two years ago? Didn't they already catch the guy that did it?"

Lorelai and Rory and stared at Luke. "Do you not own a television?" Lorelai asked incredulously.

Veronica looked around for an escape route.

"Enlighten me," Luke told her, crossing his arms.

"The guy that confessed didn't do it. It was Aaron Echolls, the movie star," Rory explained. Lorelai was too busy shaking her head at Luke.

Luke looked confused. "The one that makes all those crappy movies? He killed her?"

"Yep," Lorelai told him, flipping to the feature inside the magazine.

The name Echolls rang another bell in Luke's head. He thought for a moment and remembered why. That punk that had broken his window. Every time Luke told him the tables were for customers, the kid had held up a credit card for Luke to scan and ordered a plate of fries or something similar that always went uneaten. The name on the card was…Logan Echolls.

Luke shot Veronica a look and she knew he had figured it out. She pleaded with him with her eyes and he seemed to understand.

Lorelai was reading out loud now. "It says that Lilly Kane's best friend solved the case and," she turned the page, "almost got herself killed…" Her voice trailed off and Veronica figured that Lorelai had seen her name – and Logan's – and it had started her brain working. And in case that wasn't enough, when Lorelai laid the magazine on the counter, Veronica saw that she had turned to a two page photo spread of Lilly with her family and friends. There was Lilly in her pep squad uniform, Lilly and Duncan at their Sweet Sixteen, and the million dollar picture…Lilly with Duncan, Logan, and herself on Homecoming night, all of them laughing, unaware of the horrors that would befall them in a few weeks' time.

Lorelai and Rory's eyes landed on that familiar, heart tugging picture at the same time as Veronica's and when the three looked up, their eyes met. For the first time, they noticed the pain that was permanently etched into her beautiful blue eyes. Lorelai was the first to speak. "Oh, honey," she said comfortingly.

Try as she might, when Veronica saw the sorrow in Lorelai's warm blue eyes, she succumbed to the tears that had been threatening to fall for days, the ones she only let come at night. Veronica collapsed into Lorelai's arms and they sat like that for a few minutes, Lorelai rocking Veronica, Rory patting her back and Luke standing there awkwardly.

--x--

Stumbling along the well worn path, Logan cursed it, wondering why it was so…stumbly. He giggled a little at his new word but smiling cause his dark, new bruise to throb again, so he stopped and sank back into his depressed stupor. Rubbing the bruise gently, Logan realized just how screwed up he really was. Lifting his new bottle of whiskey to his lips, he drank thirstily, hoping to drown everything that was wrong in his life. Tossing aside the now empty bottle, Logan stared at his feet. Mission accomplished. His mind was blank once again. He resumed walking down the path, carefully placing one foot in front of the other. A single word floating across his mind. Stumbly. A giggle escaped his lips as he continued his deliberate walk. Away from Veronica and the circus that was his life. The way he figured it, he would reach the woods in a few days if he kept this pace.

"Should've bought more drinks," he muttered, slowly placing his left foot in front of his right.

Behind him, Logan heard the motorcycles pull up, but he ignored them. 'One foot in front of the other he told himself,' he told himself, tongue poking out of the corner if his mouth as he concentrated. Because he was ignoring the bikers, he didn't hear the one that was sneaking up on him until it was too late. The guy threw Logan over his shoulder.

"Hey!" Logan protested, still laughing. "I was walking!"

"And now you're not," the biker informed him in a voice that was trying to be rough, but didn't quite succeed.

--x--

Veronica sat up and wiped her eyes. "I'm sorry," she said to no one in particular. She had felt worse since catching Aaron than she had since Lilly had died. Now that she no longer had vengeance to concentrate on, Veronica had no choice but to deal with the grief.

"Sweetie, you have nothing to be sorry about. Nothing," Lorelai comforted her.

Veronica smiled weakly and opened her mouth to thank Lorelai but her words were lost as a fleet of motorcycles pulled in front of the diner. Weevil hopped off of his and sprinted into the diner.

"V, we gotta go. Couple of my boys were out by the edge of town and they saw some news vans headed this way.

Veronica swore under her breath. "They found us. Did you get Logan yet?" she asked hurriedly.

"Nah, we came straight for you," Weevil told her. "I don't really care too much about that spoiled rich boy."

Veronica stood up, livid. "Weevil, you know as well as I do that if those news vans get to him first, in the condition he's in, they'll have a field day."

"So then it's a good thing he's tripping over himself in the park across the street and laughing at God knows what."

Veronica glanced out the window and saw Felix throw a giggling Logan over his shoulder and smiled gratefully. "I knew I kept you around for something. Now lets g—" She was cut off by the arrival of a swarm of news vans.

Weevil pulled Veronica out the door and onto the back of his motorcycle, hoping they could make an escape.

"Miss Mars, why did you keep investigating Lilly's murder?"

"Logan, did you suspect something was going on?"

"Veronica, is there any truth to the rumors that you are Jake Kane's daughter?"

"Are you and Veronica still together, Logan?"

A truck sped down the road and came to a stop just outside the circle of reporters. Lorelai's head appeared above the crowd, calling Veronica's name. Veronica nodded to Weevil and raced into the back of the truck. Weevil tossed a still giggling Logan in after her and the truck took off, leading them away from the swarm of reporters now scurrying back to their vans to pursue.

Veronica looked down at Logan and saw that he was giggling.

"What's so funny?" she asked wearily.

Staring at the sky, Logan uttered a single, nonsensical word, "stumbly," before collapsing back into a fit of giggles.

"Sometimes I really hate my life," Veronica mumbled, leaning back against the truck.