Thanks for the feedback.

If you want more LoVe stories, please read To Strive, To Seek, To Find and Not to Yield and For Thy Sweet Love Remembered.

Part 2

iIt was surreal that a young woman who was barely twenty could stand in front of the graves of a best friend and that of someone she used to believe would be her husband. For Veronica Mars, it was fast becoming a force of habit. She had often visited the Kane house long ago, either to gossip with Lilly in her bedroom, or to hang out with Duncan beside the pool. Veronica then never thought of any future beyond the next day. She definitely never had to consider the possibility of either or both passing on.

She assessed the older marker that graced Lilly's grave. Once upon a time she wondered what Lilly would think of the subdued white marble with Lilly's name in print. Now, as much as she often missed Lilly, Veronica thought of the marker just as it was – a name set in stone.

Every day for the past month, Veronica Mars stood there. Her eyes wandered briefly over the stone next to Lilly's, but she never paused to touch it or look at it. Guilt clawed at her when she thought about the man who lay six feet under, devoid of justice. Now, almost fearfully, Veronica's gaze moved from Lilly's dirty white marker to the solid smoothness of the black granite that proclaimed in bold carving – Duncan Kane.

"I'm sorry, Duncan," she whispered.

It was not the first time. Veronica remembered all her nighttime prayers ended with those words.

She shivered, taunted by the memory of the sickly sticky sensation of warm blood drying on her skin.

Duncan was not the only one who lost the world that night, yet she doubted he would weigh it the same. No matter how much Duncan had stolen from her, it would not compare to what happened to him. No court would justify that. No court who knew the Kanes would; no community helped by the Kanes could.

She was wordless beyond that apology. Those were the only words that mattered.

Veronica looked up and saw a hazy dark figure standing under the tree several yards away. She sucked in her breath. He had been evading her too long. "Logan," she murmured.

From the distance she saw the figure stiffen and straighten, right when he recognized that she had seen him. Logan turned and stalked away. He had been avoiding her for too long.

"Logan!" she called, chasing after him. "Stop!"

Veronica ran, because she was not a passive woman too stubborn that she would be offended. Not after all he had given her.

"Logan, please!" she yelled.

Veronica's heels hit the pavement. For a moment she cursed the interview she had attended, because it prevented her from wearing her butch boots. She ran across the cement, hopelessly knowing he could outrun her any time. Longer legs gave him the benefit.

Logan reached his SUV and opened the door, and with the last burst of strength Veronica pushed forward, anxious to talk to him. That was when the heels decided that it had taken enough beating from someone who did not know that heels were for elevators and not for cemented streets. Veronica felt herself tip over and hit the street.

She felt the sting on her right cheek because it scraped on the pavement. She blinked away the tears from her eyes that blossomed when she looked down at her abraded palms. Veronica whimpered as she tried to pick herself up.

It was then that she felt the gentle yet firm hands take her by her upper arms and help her up. Then came his voice, so sweet because she had not heard him for so long, "I'm only doing this because you're hurt."

Veronica sniffled, ashamed that he would see her cry. "Maybe I should just make sure I get hurt all the time."

He set her to her feet. She looked up to him and recognized his unspoken words. 'That's not you.'

With an arm around her waist, Logan walked her towards his vehicle. She stumbled every few steps and he sighed. He picked her up in his arms. "Logan, I can walk." He didn't answer verbally, but she felt the way he lifted his arms to cradle her closer. If this was all she was going to get, then she would not struggle. Veronica lifted her sore arm and looped it around his neck. For that short distance at least, she would rest her head on his shoulder. Perhaps then he would remember what heaven felt, because that was how it was when they were together.

All too soon the moment was gone. Logan placed her in the backseat and left her. A minute later, he reappeared with a first aid kit.

"You weren't a boy scout," Veronica said softly, needing to hear a response, even if it was just a grunt. When he did not comment, she blinked away her tears. Logan unzipped the bag and took out a cotton ball and an antiseptic.

His hands on her face were tender. Lightly, he dabbed the stinging solution around her cheek. He worked quietly, and all she could do was watch the movement of his warm brown eyes. If he would not say the words, she would read them from his gaze.

As he finished working on her cheek, Logan took out another cotton ball and proceeded to treat her hands. She did not miss the way his fingers lingered on the red mottled areas of her palm. Then he lifted her arms one by one and checked her elbows for wounds.

Veronica tried to catch his eye, but he kept it on meaningless objects, such as cotton balls he was about to discard or the empty bottle of water sitting on his backseat carpet.

"Thank you," she said. Then, when he did not show any sign that he heard, she used the words she was certain he would react to. "I miss you."

The wince was so swift she wondered if it counted. "I'll drive you home."

Carefully, Logan helped her to the front seat of the SUV. Veronica was about to reach for the seatbelt when her hands found skin. Logan had already reached for the belt and was pulling it, then latching on the safety lock. She leaned her head back and breathed deeply.

"Your house or your dad's office?" he asked as he started the car.

The pause that followed was long, primarily because Veronica could not believe he could evade the topic so easily. "Please reconsider."

Logan did not glance at her. He pulled out of his parallel parking and soon they were on their way. "You won't catch a cab here."

Veronica reached out and laid a hand on his wrist, in a motion to stop the car. Logan drove. "I don't want to lose what we had."

He turned on the radio. Veronica flipped it off. Logan turned it on again. She turned it off. Logan opened the glove compartment with one hand while the other was on the wheel. He reached for a CD then slipped it in his player. The speakers blared with Pink Floyd.

"Coz we're two lost souls swimming in a fish bowl, Year after year!" he sang out loud with the music. "Wish you were here. Wish you were."

Frustrated, Veronica pushed the eject button, then snapped the CD in two.

That made Logan hit the brakes. He glared at her then said slowly, "Are you insane? Do you know how hard that is to find?"

Veronica's eyes narrowed. "Then don't push me away, Logan," she warned. "So please reconsider what you're doing. I'm right here. I'm right here. You can't ignore me or pretend nothing happened."

From his anger regarding the CD, Logan schooled his face to calm collectedness. "You know why we have to do this," he told her. "I won't let you suffer the windfall of mine and Duncan's fight."

A flash of pain crossed her face, because Logan did not even know half of what she did go through. "You didn't kill him. I did, right?" she demanded. Logan needed to affirm it. He had to learn to accept it sometime. He could not live in a world in which he would take the blame for everything because Veronica knew if she had been placed in the same position, with her faculties intact, she would jam that knife again into Duncan Kane.

Logan grabbed her upper arm in a viselike grip. "Shut up!" he hissed at her again. Logan looked around, as if anyone could hear them as they argued in his SUV. "If you're going to keep one promise to me, Veronica, then let it be that. Don't you ever talk about that night again."/i

Veronica leaned back on Casey's chest, gripping her stomach with laughter. Since the bowl was propped up on her lap, some popcorn spilled onto the couch. She chuckled at the antics on the screen, and she felt the rumble of Casey's laughter against her back.

Around them were discarded movies. Casey had rented a lot, but Veronica had not wanted to see a romantic flick or a murder mystery. Casey had rented several of those, because he thought that it would be a nice date movie. They had ended up with the video he had picked just in case, and Veronica was almost crying with laughter as the large scary man sang the Dawson's Creek soundtrack song. Veronica never thought she'd be watching White Chicks with Casey.

"Oh my God!" Veronica gasped. "Get me the remote, Casey."

She grasped the remote when he handed it to her and she quickly pushed on pause. Veronica tried to catch her breath, giggling still every few seconds. She turned to Casey, forgetting that the popcorn bowl was on her lap. The contents spilled onto Casey's legs and the couch.

"Oooops!"

Casey looked at the mess, then shrugged. "We'll let the maid worry about that," he told her. He grasped her waist with his hands and helped her as she straddled his outstretched legs. "I doubt you're tired of the movie," he commented when she pressed against him and kissed him on the lips.

She smiled, then shook her head. "I'll get back to it. It just occurred to me that you haven't given me a gift yet."

Casey's eyebrows lifted. "Getting greedy, are we?" He reached into his pocket and drew out the velvet box. "You want it?" He carefully allowed her to slide off his body as he stood out, using the considerable height difference as his advantage as he held it over his head.

"Ohhh," she growled playfully. Then Veronica smirked and jumped onto the floor, standing on the tips of her toes and jumping up to reach it. It proved unsuccessful.

They both knew how this game would go. It was tradition for him to bring her something from the university every time he came home. Veronica knew they kept the tradition because it was Casey's way of convincing her that she should leave the business and go to college the way she always wanted. Veronica continued the game because she appreciated Casey's support. She needed to pay her own way. She had saved enough for three years and soon she would be able to afford school. Veronica was determined to focus only on her studies without needed to take another job while in college, so she needed to save for the entire duration of the course.

He had given her a university jacket once, then a backpack with a logo. Afterwards Casey handed over a hoodie, then a tank top. Last time he gave her a velvet box that contained a university pin. Veronica wondered what was in the velvet box this time.

Veronica scampered onto the couch and kicked some of the popcorn off. Then she plucked the box from his hand. She grinned.

"You cheated," Casey said, his grin creasing the edges of his eyes.

"You let me," Veronica challenged.

Between the two of them they had created the rule. They were fairly competitive people. Rather, Veronica was, and Casey was trying to be. Whenever you're cheated, they agreed, it was only because you were lax enough to allow it. It was a rule that worked for both of them, and it prevented arguments on that regard.

"So tell me," Veronica said as she fingered the edges of the velvet box, "what brings you home so early? You weren't supposed to come until next week."

Casey's eyes followed the movement of her fingers, then he sighed. Grabbing her hand, he pulled her against him as he let them fall on the messy couch. "It's all business," he said. "We might not even get to spend too much time together."

She looked up at him. "Will we get to spend just enough time together?"

"Not enough for me," Casey grumbled.

"That's probably just enough then," Veronica pointed out, slipping the box inside her pocket. She flipped her hair playfully. "I'm so gorgeous you never let me out of your sight whenever you come home. I'm so hot you can't even let one night pass when you're in the university without calling me!"

Casey's hands flew to the sides of her waist, then tickled her. "Are you saying I'm obsessive?" he demanded.

"Ahhh!" she squealed, trying to jerk away from him. "Casey, stop!"

"Beg me." She fell flat on her back on the couch, and he knelt above her with his legs on either side of her thighs.

"Please!"

He stopped tickling her, then brushed away the hair that fell on her face. "So I'm obsessive?"

Veronica sighed and pushed away from Casey. "No, of course not."

"Good," he decided. Casey leaned down and placed a kiss on her lips. He sat up then extended his arms towards her. She grabbed his hands and allowed him to pull her up. He glanced at the television screen.

Veronica placed the remote control on the table and told him, "I'll get us ice cream, then we can finish the movie." She stood up and turned to the doorway.

When she came back a few minutes later, she handed him a spoon, then placed the big bowl of ice cream on the table. "Dig in!" she urged.

Veronica knelt in front of the table and started eating the ice cream, grinning at Casey with her mouth full. She closed her eyes and relished the feel of the ice cream melting in her mouth. While she ate, she felt a throw pillow nudge at her legs. She opened her eyes and saw Casey beside her holding the pillow.

"Kneel on this, or else your knees will darken." He held her up by her elbow as he stuck the pillow beneath her knees.

"Thanks," she mumbled through her full mouth. Since Casey still hadn't eaten, she scooped ice cream with her spoon and made a move to feed it to him. He opened his mouth. "Casey, what's wrong?"

He picked up the remote control and turned off the television. Veronica placed her spoon down, because Casey obviously wanted to say something.

"Have you heard of Logan-mania?" he prompted.

Veronica blinked. Even now, it was not easy to hear anyone refer to him. "Of course," she murmured. It's everywhere."

Casey nodded. "I want to know if you have any idea how I can reach Logan."

"Is this your business reason for coming back?"

"Part of it, yes."

Veronica stood up. "Well never mix business with pleasure," she advised. "Casey, if this is about your company, you should use your own resources." She looked around and spied her bag in the corner of the couch. She picked it up. "I'm going."

"Veronica," Casey said as she passed by him. He stood and grabbed her elbow. "Look, I know you probably think he's one great passion."

"It's not that, Casey."

"No, it's alright," he assured her soothingly. Casey stepped closer to her and wrapped her in his embrace. "The thing about great passions is they burn so intensely they often consume their own fuel fast. It leaves a mark. You were together for a month, and you still have the burn scars."

She did not respond, merely held herself stiffly in his arms. "I'd prefer not to talk about my relationship with Logan Echolls."

Casey nodded. "My type of love is steady, Veronica. I've been tending to the flame since before you even hooked up with him."

Veronica gave him a small, fleeting smile. "I never knew."

"Come on. We can finish the movie. You like it, don't you?" Casey took the bag from Veronica and led her to the couch. He flipped on the television, where the movie was still on pause. He handed her the ice cream bowl and sat beside her, then pushed play on the remote. "I'm sorry if I upset you. I won't bring it up again."

tbc