A/N: Big thanks to everyone who reviewed the previous chapter. I hope you're still around and sorry for making you wait so long for an update!
(For disclaimer, etc. - see chapter 1)
Chapter 8 - Give It Up
"Are you sure you don't want me to come with you?" Logan asked and he leant into the passenger side window of Keith Mars' car, as the Sheriff waited a little impatiently for his daughter and the father of her child to be done so they could go.
They were off to the Kane house to break the news about the baby to Duncan and his family, and whilst both members of the Mars family were pretty sure Jake and Celeste, and maybe even Duncan, would be thrilled to know they were not about to welcome a child into the world via Veronica, it didn't please either of them to have to admit to the lies they'd told. Jake would be angry, Celeste would be bitchy, and Duncan... well, even Veronica wasn't entirely sure how Duncan would react. She imagined he'd be glad not to be a father at so young an age, but when he heard about her cheating with Logan, that was the part Veronica dreaded most.
"Honestly, Logan, it'll be worse if you're there" she said, not wanting to make him feel bad, after all he just wanted to help, and had driven over to her house early this morning to do just that, "I'd love to have you with me" she promised him, putting her hand over his where he leant on the door, "but I don't want the Kanes taking this out on you, especially Duncan, he's supposed to be your friend"
Logan knew there were a variety of answers to that particular sentence. After all, he'd hardly been the greatest friend, going behind Duncan's back and sleeping with Veronica. She had some excuse for cheating at least, and could easily play the 'we had a fight, we were on a break' card, but Logan had no such excuse. Unfortunately, his love for Veronica, that had always been there in some form or other since they were twelve years old, simply over-rode his need to be faithful to a friendship that had become rocky at best since his own father, Aaron, caused such unforgivable pain to the Kane family.
"We should get going" Keith cut in, knowing if he let the kids go on it was all going to get way too Romeo and Juliet, and they had other things to worry about right now, much bigger than High School friendships.
Veronica and Logan waved goodbye to each other then, him wishing her good luck, and her promising to find him at school later. So began the long drive across town to the Kane house, a drive that would not be long enough for Veronica. She would quite happily not go to that place or talk to those people ever again. Though she said she still loved Duncan, and that was true enough, facing him now was going to be so hard. The very last thing she wanted to do was hurt him, in spite of the arguments they'd had before where all they did was hurt each other. Their relationship had started to fall from grace before Lilly passed away but that was the straw that broke the camels back, Veronica knew. Duncan put all his hate for Aaron onto Logan, Veronica knew he did, but she couldn't be so cruel. She knew better than anyone how her friend had suffered at the hands of his father, and how much he was hurting just like she and Duncan were.
Unfortunately, Duncan's jealousy over what he believed to be an affair between his girlfriend and his best friend only served to push those two closer together. Any fight left the two of them with no-one to turn to but each other, and that was how, one fateful night, a child had been created. Veronica was at least grateful for the fact that she knew her baby would be born out of love. Logan may have been effectively a one night stand, but they did care for each other. Love was there, even if it had never been properly acknowledged or explored. What the future held, how far that love might get them, she honestly wasn't sure, but she doubted very much that any of the Kanes would be too keen on being a part of her life after this, which suited her fine where the elder two were concerned. Unfortunately, as much love as she could have for Logan, Veronica was not so sure she could switch off all her feelings for Duncan, that remained to be seen.
"You ready for this, sweetheart?" Keith asked his daughter as he pulled the car up to the gate and turned to her.
Snapping out of her deep thoughts, Veronica surveyed the Kane house with forboding before slowly nodding her head.
"I just want this over with" she told him as they drove on into the grounds of the house, neither of them too thrilled to be here but knowing the truth had to be told.
Jake was by the front door retrieving the newspaper as they got out of their car and was visibly surprised to see them.
"Keith, Veronica" he greeted them with a decidedly fake smile, "What a surprise" he said, clearly adding 'nasty' or at least 'unwelcome' into that sentence in his head, Veronica was certain.
"Good morning, Jake" the Sheriff replied, his own expression also forced, "Sorry to call on you so early but Veronica and I have something rather important we need to talk to you and your family about" he explained succinctly, his years as a law enforcement officer teaching him all manner of things about tact and so forth.
Veronica was so glad to have a this particular man for a father. She could so easily have been Jake Kane's daughter, and knowing the way he treated Lilly and Duncan sometimes, she was so glad that particular theory had been quashed. At once time she'd thought she was most relieved to know of her true parentage because of the closeness between herself and Duncan. Now she realised the biggest part to feel pleased about was that the kind and caring Keith won out over the domineering and business-like Jake.
Led inside by the head of the Kane house, Veronica was visibly shaking as she and her father arrived in a living room where Celeste and Duncan were sat, having just finished up breakfast. Both were obviously surprised by the presence of the Mars family in their home, but more shocks were yet to come as the visitors took a seat together on the couch and Keith began his explanation for being there.
"There seems to have been some confusion regarding Veronica's pregnancy" he told the Kanes, trying not to show the embarrassment he felt about this whole situation.
"You're not pregnant" Duncan gasped, his expression caught between shock and such pure relief, Veronica knew he wasn't going to mind too much about the real news she'd come to tell him.
"I knew it" his mother sneered, looking similarly pleased to know her son was in the clear, though she too would probably be surprised when she realised way exactly that was.
"I am pregnant" Veronica told them, hating the feeling she was getting, like an animal at the zoo with all eyes staring in at her, "It's just... I, er..." she tried to find the best words to use, but kept coming up empty.
There was no particularly delicate way to say it, and no way for her to come off as anything less than a cheater.
"Honey, if you want, I can..." Keith started to offer, and though Veronica smiled at his attempts to help, she gripped his hand tight and shook her head slightly.
"No, I'm good" she told him, taking a deep breath and facing Duncan, the only member of the Kane that mattered to he at all right now, "Duncan, I am pregnant" she said carefully, "but, it's likely that... you're not the father"
"Oh my God" Celeste gasped somewhere in the background, but Veronica barely heard as she stared at the boyfriend she'd forgotten how to be in love with somewhere along the line, and yet still cared so much for.
"What?" was all Duncan could find to say as his eyes went wide with shock.
It had clearly never once occurred to him that any child of Veronica's would have been borne of anyone but himself. It was clear now though as she watched his eyes turn from wide surprise to narrow anger that he knew who the likely candidate was for the baby's Daddy, and he was mad about it.
"I'm sorry, Duncan" Veronica said sincerely, as their parents looked on, "I should've told you before but..."
Before she could say another word he had bolted, up from his seat and out of the door in a flash. Scrambling to her feet, Veronica went after him without a thought, leaving her father and the Kanes alone in the living room.
"I knew it" Celeste repeated, though it was a ridiculous thing to say when there was no possible way she could've known this was coming, she could only have hoped for it perhaps, "I knew this was all just a game to her" she snapped.
"Celeste, please, you're not helping" Jake told her, in hopes of silencing her, but he ought to have known by now there was no keeping his wife quiet when she had something to say, consequences be damned.
"Like mother, like daughter" she shook her head, before turning her attention to Keith, "I hope you're proud of your little whore" she said nastily, pushing the Sheriff's level of tolerance to the limit.
"Hey, now that's enough!" he told her firmly, "Lest we forget, your daughter was no saint" he said with a definite shake of his head - the whole town knew of Lilly's antics, most especially the affair with her boyfriend's father, Aaron Echolls, that had left to her untimely demise.
"Don't bring Lilly into this" Jake warned him, "Just don't" he practically begged, and Keith being the better man at least had the good grace to stop there.
"I'm sorry" he apologised, "but my Veronica is not some cheap hooker that'll sleep around for kicks" he explained, as calmly as he could, fighting his daughters corner as he knew he would have to do quite a lot from now on, "She and Duncan had a fight, a big one from what I understand, and she and Logan got to talking..."
"Logan Echolls?" Celeste interrupted with an almost evil smirk, "I might've known! That family is poison" she spat.
"Celeste, please..." Jake tried to keep order in his own home, but it wasn't easy right now.
"Well, they certainly seem to have done you a favour this time" Keith pointed out as he got to his feet, "At least we won't sully the great Kane name with this child" he said, looking almost proud in spite of the circumstances as he continued, "My grandkid, who I will love, just like I will always love my daughter, no matter what mistakes she might make or problems she might run into" he said definitely, "Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to find Veronica and we'll see ourselves out" he said, striding away, leaving the still rather stunned Kanes in his wake.
"And where did you slip off to so early?" Lynn asked, her expression half way between amused and concerned as her son returned to the house and strode through the entrance way almost bowling a maid over, "Logan?" she called after him, when he didn't stop walking, acting like he hadn't heard a word she'd said when in reality she knew he must've done.
Logan stopped walking then, though he didn't turn around. At some point he was going to have to tell his mother the truth. Kept in the dark on so many things between them, he and Lynn had made a promise to be as honest as possible with each other from now on, from the day Aaron was gone. At first, Logan hadn't dare spill this particular secret to his Mom, for fear of how Veronica would react, but he couldn't deal with this alone, and besides if the Kanes were to be told the truth, his own mother ought to know too.
"Sweetheart, is everything alright?" Lynn asked, looking concerned as her son turned around and looked at her, his expression unreadable.
"Mom, I need to talk to you" he said then, looking towards the door of the living room with a door that could be locked, a silent signal for a very private conversation away from the possible prying ears of the staff.
It wasn't so simple as to say they needed to talk alone, because the moment any outsider realised you were trying to keep something from them, then that was the one conversation they'd be sure to overhear. Logan couldn't risk this particular secret getting out, not yet. Veronica had lost control of so many parts of her life, he couldn't take away her right to tell the world her news when she was good and ready.
Lynn followed her son into the living room without a word and closed the door tight shut behind them, even going so far as to turn the key and lock out any innocent wandering staff member who might barge in by mistake and hear something they shouldn't. Not that Lynn had any clue of what she was about to be told, but it was clearly something very serious to have got Logan in all this state. They'd been so good at talking and sharing lately, since she'd learnt not to search for answers in the bottom of a bottle so much, and he hadn't had to live in fear of what his father might do to him with a belt or his fists.
Logan was stood by the window, his back to the room as Lynn took a seat on the couch and waited for her son to tell her whatever it was that was troubling him. She was about to prompt him to go ahead when he suddenly turned to face her with a serious expression.
"Mom, you remember when Veronica was here the other day?" he said, knowing before the words had even left his mouth what it was dumb question, because of course she would remember, but then Logan had already struggled so much with where to begin, this seemed like as good a place as any.
"Of course I remember" Lynn nodded, a little worried that he would ask her that, almost implying that there was some reason she would have forgotten the event.
Perhaps he thought she was still drinking too much, and whilst Lynn would freely admit that perhaps she had a few more than she ought to, she was no Lianne Mars! She had some self-control, and even reason to feel better about herself now that her husband wasn't there to mentally and physically abuse her. There were other people in Neptune that required much more worrying about than her these days, Lynn told herself, and then recalled that one of them was indeed Veronica, as Logan continued.
"Y'know how she's supposedly having Duncan's baby?" he said with a strange smile that made Lynn just a little nervous, but then she guessed what he was getting at.
"Oh, sweetheart" she said with a sigh, "I know you always liked her, but if Veronica and Duncan are going to be parents..."
"They're not" Logan cut in, knowing his mother had got entirely the wrong end of the stick, not that she had any chance of knowing what was really going on here until he told her, "Mom, the baby isn't Duncan's" he explained as he came to sit beside her, "It's mine" he admitted, "I'm the one who got Veronica pregnant"
For a full minute Lynn sat and stared at her son, truly gob-smacked and not at all sure what to say for the best. She was going to be a grandmother and that thought didn't thrill her one bit, but she couldn't say she was disgusted at the idea of her son and Veronica Mars together. That girl was just so sweet and yet she had a way with Logan, she'd always noticed. Veronica was perhaps the only other person who could ever keep the boy in line, without losing his adoration. Lynn had known for years that her son favoured the little blonde above all others, in spite of his dating Lilly and keeping Veronica as only a close friend since they were kids. Now it seemed they had taken their relationship further, and whilst she could not condone the cheating that must have occurred behind Duncan Kane's back, or the lying that followed, Lynn was not overcome with hate at the idea of her son and Veronica Mars making a baby. Indeed, she could see in Logan's eyes how mixed up and scared he was by all that was occurring. He put on a good show for the public at large, but a mother always knew.
"Oh, Logan" she said, putting her arms around him and pulling him into a hug that he gratefully returned.
"You're not mad?" he checked as she held onto him tight, showing him the kind of love she'd been almost to afraid to show when Aaron was around.
"No, honey, I'm not mad" she promised him, "A little surprised perhaps, but then I suppose that's understandable, isn't it?"
Logan nodded that was true as he pulled out of his mothers embrace a little.
"I don't know if you're going to love me or hate me for this" he said, taking a deep breath, "but I'm going to stand by Veronica, Mom. I love her" he admitted, only hoping that the mother he was learning to connect with once again after too many years would understand what he had to do and why.
"Logan, I could never ever hate you" she promised him with tears in her eyes as she put a hand to his face, "In spite of everything, you have grown up to be such a wonderful young man" she smiled, though she was crying too, "And even if you are going to make me a grandmother at a disgustingly young age" she joked, before turning serious again, "I am so proud of you for owning up to your part in this and standing by Veronica"
Logan smiled at that, so pleased that his mother was taking this well. He had hoped she would understand, after all, she was a romantic at heart, and though he'd never come out and said it as such, he was sure she understood how he felt about Veronica and always had.
"I love you, Mom" he said then, making Lynn all the more emotional.
"I love you too, sweetheart" she promised her son, hugging him tight to her once more, as Logan wondered how Veronica was getting on at the Kane house, praying that she would be okay, until he could get to her and hold her again.
To Be Continued...