Disclaimer: I do not own Veronica Mars, any of her contents, love interests or personal conflicts. Thank you, and have a nice day.

Her front door had never looked more daunting. She'd seen her father's car in the car park, knew he was inside, worrying to death about her, but she couldn't bring herself to enter. The longer she was out here, freezing, in an uncharacteristic bout of cold emanating from the coast, she didn't belong to anyone. She wasn't Keith Mars' daughter, or Duncan Kane's girlfriend. She was just Veronica, and she found she liked that. Her cell buzzed with yet another unanswered message, and she was shaken out of her reverie. Taking a few hesitant steps forward, she placed her key in the front door, and as it swung open, was faced with the worried faces of Wallace, her father and Duncan. Closing her eyes in agony, she shut the door behind her and looked at them. They stared back.

"Well, glad to see you're safe. Got to be going now." Wallace had stood and was by her side in a matter of seconds. Touching her arm lightly he left through the door she'd just come in through.

"Veronica-"

"…so worried."

"…never do that do me again."

"…never do that to me again." For some inexplicable reason, she felt her eyes fill with tears. Making a gesture of getting a bottled water from the fridge, she took her moment alone to wipe her eyes. As she came to stand in front of them again, she was struck at how comfortable they looked. She opened her mouth to offer some sort of explanation, but all excuses flew out of her head. She'd been planning to tell Duncan that her father wouldn't have let her go, and Keith just the opposite, but in retrospect, she realized, it wasn't the greatest of plans.

"I-I'm sorry." She whispered, walking from them to her bedroom, and closing the door with a very definite click. The two men merely sat on the couch for a few moments, trying to process what had transpired. After a moment, Duncan was there, knocking at the door, his warm, reassuring voice doing nothing to placate her.

"Do you want to come out here, babes? We're not mad, we just want to make sure you're Ok." Something inside of her snapped at how calm he sounded. How level his voice was, even though, she knew, there was probably a bloody battle waging inside his brain. Biting her already bruised bottom lip, she forced herself to sit on her hands, so that she wouldn't open the door and throw something sharp and pointy at his beautiful face.

"I'm really tired." She called, leaning back on the bed, rubbing her temples. Why was she mad at Duncan? It wasn't his fault she had had a not-so-drunken fling with his ex best friend, and her ex boyfriend. I'm not that girl, her subconscious screamed, but after last night's-and to be perfectly honest, this morning's escapades, she certainly was. The rumors that had followed her since the Lilly Kane investigation were finally true.

"Do you want to let me in?" Duncan asked, and in her mind she could picture exactly how he was standing. She'd watched him do the same to Lilly's bedroom door hundreds of times during the course of their lives. All of a sudden, she remembered Lilly with startling force. It was almost like her friend was in the room with her.

"I guess really did rub off on you." Out of nowhere, there she sat, cross-legged on the floor, not a trace of blood in her honey colored braids.

"Lilly?" Veronica breathed, a solitary tear falling down her cheek. Lilly smiled up at her, but shook her head in annoyance.

"Veronica Mars, you have to stop crying over me. Everyone else has." She blinked, and swallowing, gazed down at her friend, who, within in days would be dead two years.

"Lilly-" She murmured, but Lilly held up a perfectly manicured hand to stop her.

"Logan's in love with you, you know." She whispered earnestly, and Veronica shook her head, turning away. "Hey, you don't have to listen to the ghost. I am just a figment of your imagination, but he is. More than he ever was with me." Veronica frowned, and leaned forward to touch her, but ghost Lilly had scooted back. "I'm not looking for pity, Mars. I don't have time to have that girly, let's-talk-about-my-inner-feelings crap. And for once, this isn't about me." Veronica blinked again and swallowed, her mouth felt like it was packed with sawdust. "Just…don't stay with my brother through some stupid honor thing, Ok? Any loyalty you had to the Kanes was repaid ten times over when you put that homicidal asshole in jail." Veronica sighed, running her fingers through her ponytail and tugging on the end.

"Lilly-"

"Listen. If you love him, then that's great, you have my blessing, for what it's worth." She finished the sentence with flourish and flashed her trademark grin. Although she tried, at the sight of it, Veronica couldn't stifle her tears.

"I miss you." She whispered, the heavy tears streaming out of her eyes adding a reddish tinge to her normally pale cheeks.

"I miss you too, Mars. That's why I'm here." Veronica nodded, a fresh batch of new tears wetting her cheeks.

"What do I do?" The words were out before she could stop them, and she could feel Lilly rolling her eyes at her. She sighed, lying back on the bed, and Lilly came closer.

"That, little Ms. Mars, I can't answer. I have to tell you though; Logan is really good in bed. Although I bet you already know that by now, huh?" One of her perfectly polished golden eyebrows rose, and Veronica couldn't help but smiling. As she scrambled to playfully throw a pillow at her, she was gone.

"Veronica? Are you talking to anyone in there?" Duncan. Slowly she stood, squaring her shoulders for battle. She knew what she had to do, and she had to do it right. Turning quickly, she caught sight of the picture of Lilly on her desk, and it seemed to wink.

"I love you Lilly," She murmured, and as the wind rustled through her open window, she could almost swear she heard Lilly's response.

A/N: I know it's a bit different, but I really like it. Watching the DVD's has really made me appreciate just what a great character Lilly Kane really was. She was seriously one of my favorites. Anyway, I hope you guys liked this. It was so much fun to write.