A/N: Thank you sooo much for the fab review - I'm glad you're all enjoying the story despite the fact there has been no LoVe yet, not even any Logan! Have faith, because good things will happen. Hold on tight - here comes the plot twist! ;-)

(For disclaimer, etc. - see chapter 1)

Chapter 3 - An Awful Mess

Blinded by tears and running just as fast as her legs would take her, Veronica was only glad that no-one she knew spotted her as ran down street after street through Neptune. It was childish and ridiculous to run away, it would only lead to her father worrying, but she didn't know how else to deal. So much had happened in her life lately, so much that she shouldn't have to deal with at so young an age, and certainly didn't want to. The pregnancy she now faced, and the reaction of her boyfriend and his family was the final straw for Miss Mars and she'd just had to get out.

Veronica knew she would seem crazy to anyone who knew her situation. She cried so often for loss of those she loved, like her mother and Lilly, and yet now the one thing she wanted to do was bolt from those that supposedly cared. Her Dad would be worried about her, and yet he knew his daughter well enough to know she wouldn't do anything stupid. Sometimes she needed a little alone time, and that's what this was albeit a little more drastic than her usual tactic of locking herself in her room.

As for Duncan, well, Veronica wasn't sure she wanted to think about him at all. She shouldn't be so mad at him, not really. She'd dropped a hell of a motherload on him in there. He was going to be a father before he even graduated High School, and he'd clearly had no idea that was the news that would be imparted to him at the Mars house today.

In front of his parents, Veronica knew it was most especially hard for him, at least she did now as she thought about it clearly. Hidden amongst the trees at the back of some nameless family's estate, the little blonde allowed herself to breathe, allowed the cogs in her head to turn at a more reasonable pace as she sank to the floor. Her back against the tree and her body aching from sudden exertion, she went over the whole situation in her mind.

What she'd said to Duncan seemed unfair, and yet it was true. He had a terrible habit of just letting things happen, never contesting things even when he knew they were wrong, never having an opinion because it was just easier not to. He was the polar opposite to his sister, Lilly, in a whole bunch of ways, but that was perhaps the biggest of them all. Lilly had a view point on absolutely everything and she had no qualms in telling anybody who would listen what those thoughts and opinions were. Veronica smiled sadly as she recalled so many occasions when Lilly had waded in to somebody else's fight, sometimes on behalf of Veronica herself. Though Duncan should stand by her equally as well if not more so than her best friend had, Veronica found he was always lacking in the defence department. If anyone said anything offensive or remotely unkind they were barely berated by her boyfriend. That was not to say Veronica couldn't stand up for herself, but she shouldn't always have to.

Right now, Veronica Mars needed all the support she could get, and whilst she knew her father would always stand by her, it was entirely evident to her that Duncan was less than enthusiastic to be by her side through all this. Okay, so she hadn't waited around for him to formulate much of an opinion on their new and shocking situation, perhaps that made her unreasonable, but as things stood now she thought she had every right. This had been a shock to her too, perhaps bigger than the shock for Duncan since he had the choice to walk away - she didn't. There was a child inside of her, and one day it was going come out into the world and be a son or daughter that she must take care of. The idea was so frightening to Veronica and for more reasons than anyone could ever understand right now.

"I wish you were here, Lilly" the blonde said aloud, turning her eyes to the cloudless sky.

It was a pointless statement, and she cried as she realised it all over again. Lilly wasn't coming back, not ever, there was no chance at all. Of course, had the girl in question never died as she had there was a good chance Veronica never would have found herself in this situation at all. Life would have been so different, could've been the perfection the two best friends had planned. Their future was supposed to be so many things. Death and pregnancy at sixteen was never spoken of, never even considered.

"I can't do this by myself" Veronica said to no-one in particular as she began sobbing into her hands, "I just can't" she wailed, assuming herself to be alone in the middle of nowhere.

She had no idea where she had wandered to, or quite how far she had run. Far from the Sherriff's house that was her home, Veronica was now far across town, at the bottom of the very large garden to the back of a large house, belonging to one of the richest families in the 09er zip. Had she known she was here she would've started off running again in a whole new direction and as far as she could get, but she didn't know. She was oblivious to anything that was happening, until suddenly a vaguely familiar voice spoke to her.

"Veronica?" said the as yet faceless woman, as a hand landed on the blonde's shoulder and she spun around, only or be practically blinded by sunlight, "Veronica, sweetheart, what are you doing out here? Is everything alright?"

"I don't... I don't know" she admitted, feeling disorientated suddenly as she was helped to her feet, and her eyes forced themselves to focus on the woman before her, "Mom?" she checked, tears pouring from her eyes as she realised her mistake, and then everything went black.

"Wake up, sleepyhead!" a laughing voice called and Veronica fought through the fog that surrounded her, opening her eyes at last to see her best friend leaning over her, "Finally! Geez, Veronica, I thought you were just gonna lie there snoring all day!"

"Lilly? Am I...?" she began, but Lilly immediately shook her head.

"Nah, you're not dead yet" she assured her best friend, since that was what she would always be, in life or death, "You just passed out and I am a beautiful figment of your fantabulous imagination!" Lilly giggled as she pranced away from the couch on which Veronica was laying and spun circles by the window through which almost-blinding sunshine came.

"I wish this were real" Veronica all but whispered as she watched the friend she missed so much prance around looking very much alive, "I wish you were really here with me, Lilly, I miss you so much, and right now I could use a best friend"

"I know, right?" Lilly looked suddenly serious as she came back to Veronica's side and sat on the coffee table in front of her, "But y'know, it could all work out, if you just started saying the right things to the right people..." she suggested, her meaning overly obvious as she looked off in the other direction at a framed photograph on the mantle across the room.

Veronica followed her friends eyeline, took in the sight of the picture, and then the whole room that surrounded her. She knew where she was now, and she knew exactly what Lilly meant.

"I'm sorry" she tearfully told her, "I'm sorry we betrayed you, and..."

"Chill, V" Lily urged her, cutting her off mid-apology, "I get it, I do" she promised with a genuine smile, "Its not all your fault. Just remember that and, y'know, that I love you, best friend" she said as if she were embarrassed by the sentiment, and yet meant it all the same.

"I..." Veronica began to reply in kind to the girl that had been almost like a sister to her, but it was too late.

The light grew brighter, and then vanished just as fast, taking Lilly and the whole room with it. Veronica felt a horrible feeling come over her, as if she were falling down a well, or something equally as dark and deep, then suddenly she came back to reality with a startling bump.

"Veronica? Well, thank goodness you're back with us, sweetheart, we were starting to worry" said a kind female voice and the blonde opened her eyes, finally able to focus on the woman who had taken care of her when she most needed it.

It was not her own mother at all as she'd thought for a moment, and it was not the best friend she'd been dreaming of. It was perhaps the most unexpected of people.

"Mrs Echolls?" she checked a little dizzily as she took in the red hair and kind smile of her friend's mother.

"Yes, Veronica, that's right" she told her gently, "Are you feeling any better now?"

"I... I don't know" the blonde admitted, putting a hand to her head that had yet to completely settle.

She was just trying to decide how to explain what had happened, or if it would be best to ask Lynn if she knew herself, when she realised the woman was speaking again, only not to her now.

"Logan, why don't you fetch Veronica glass of water, I'm sure she could use one" she was telling her son apparently, as the girl on the couch finally found her focus and bearings and pulled herself up to more of a sitting position, just as Logan disappeared out of the door.

"I'm sorry" Veronica said groggily, "I didn't know I was here" she said vaguely as Lynn waved away her concern.

"Well, that's okay" she assured her, "We were really more worried about what might be wrong. You seemed so upset when I found you and then to faint like that..."

"I'm fine" she said quickly and decidedly defensively, "I just, I guess the sun got to me" she lied as Logan hastily returned and handed a glass of water to her.

She thanked him with a small smile, as she took the drink from him and sipped at it.

"You're welcome" he replied with a similar expression, noting the awkwardness of this situation just as much as she had.

It was odd to think that Logan and Veronica were once good friends, now they seemed to feel like they could barely look at each other, but there were reasons for that. Most people thought they had no reason to hang out together anymore, since the Kanes had been all that connected them. With Lilly gone for months now, and Logan and Duncan's friendship strained at best given how the latter's sister had come to die, Veronica and the Echolls boy really had no reason at all to spend time, but that was not why this moment was so very uncomfortable.

"Veronica, I know I'm not your own mother but if you need to talk about anything..." Lynn offered, at which the girl she spoke to found a smile at least.

"Thank you" she said sincerely, though unfortunately the effort of it soon crumpled the expression on her face back into one of misery and tears ran freely from her eyes.

Lynn immediately pulled the poor girl into a hug, sharing a look of concern with her son at the same time. He was hardly less affected by the blonde's tears.

Despite appearance, Logan cared a lot about Veronica and always had. It bothered him that she was upset and yet he knew less than his mother did about what was going on or how to deal with it. It wasn't like Veronica to cry like this. There had been a couple of times since Lilly but she didn't make a habit of bursting into tears without warning, and he'd never known her pass out like she had today.

"Come on now, Veronica" Lynn urged her as she rubbed her back and hoped to calm her, "Whatever the problem is I'm sure it can all be worked out" she told her, knowing from her own experiences, especially of late, that there was little that couldn't be worked through, given enough time.

If not for each other, Lynn knew she and Logan would have each chosen their own way to go off the rails following the scandals that Aaron brought upon their family. First his numerous affairs and then the murder charge. The only advantage to all this was that he was guaranteed to be out of their life for years enough, he couldn't hurt them anymore.

"Maybe Veronica wants to talk to you alone, Mom" Logan suggested, shifting nervously on the spot, "I, er, I could go..."

"No" the blonde said suddenly, her head coming up from Lynn's shoulder as she sniffed hard and shook her head definitely at the same time, "No, you shouldn't leave, Logan" she told him, "You should both know the truth"

"The truth about what, honey?" Lynn asked, looking genuinely concerned, though Veronica barely noticed as her eyes locked on to Logan's own and she delivered the blow that Lilly had advised, albeit in a dream-like hallucination.

"I'm pregnant" she admitted, strangely feeling a little stronger for saying it and at least glad that nobody looked disgusted by the words, just stunned.

Veronica wasn't sure she heard anything Lynn Echolls said then, though she was fairly certain there were words enough falling from her lips. Something about a surprise, a lot of other stuff until she finally said she ought to call Keith and hurried from the room, telling Logan to keep a close eye on Veronica and get her anything she wanted. He nodded dumbly in answer to his mothers request, but his eyes stayed on the blonde in question as he took in only those two words he'd heard from her.

I'm pregnant.

Two bullets to his brain, two lightening strikes to his heart, Logan didn't know how to take it in. Little Veronica Mars was pregnant, the world no longer made sense. One and one wasn't two, the Earth ceased to spin on its axis, and everything clear was out of focus.

"Logan..." she said only his name before he cut in and asked the question that was really more of a statement, since he was ninety-nine percent sure he already knew the answer.

"It's mine, isn't it?" he said, surprisingly calmly.

All Veronica could do was slowly nod her head, and cry all over again.

To Be Continued...