A/N : So happy to still be receiving positive feedback on this fic - thanx all :-) Oh, and there was a comment about the title of the previous chapter - if anyone's interested, all chapter titles are song titles by various artists, in fact, the name of the story is a song title too!
(For disclaimer, etc. - see chapter 1)

Chapter 17 - Everybody's Talkin'

Veronica wasn't sure what to do or say after her conversation with Weevil. He'd just got done explaining what had really happened between himself and Duncan, and why those events had occurred, when Lilly returned from the bathroom and eyed the pair of them suspiciously. After some ridiculous comment about Veronica trying to steal her boyfriend, she giggled like the cheerleader she was and steered her man on out of the school building.

Veronica had forced a smile on her face and made herself behave as normally as possible as she rejoined her boyfriend and best friend for lunch. Apart from asking her where she'd been and if she was okay, neither Logan nor Wallace questioned her too much and Veronica was glad of that. She couldn't tell them what Weevil had told her, it was not his secret to share, and it certainly wasn't hers.

Duncan had epilepsy, a somewhat rare kind that caused him to black out, go into rages, lash out at people, and then have no memory at all of the events. Last night it was Lilly he'd flipped out on, and Weevil, who had been waiting just outside the window had swung in to save the day, earning himself a black eye into the bargain. Veronica guessed that happened because the biker was trying not to cause too much damage to his girlfriend's brother, but it scared Veronica to think how strong Duncan must be when he freaked out like that and had a fit.

It was frightening to think about his condition. He must have had it back when they were dating, it had only been a couple of months since the break-up. Veronica had to give up on the pizza in front of her when she realised Duncan could so easily have turned on her and badly hurt her, and though it wouldn't have been his fault, she didn't know how she would've dealt with it.

"You sure you're okay, Veronica?" Logan checked, when she was too quiet, and was doing more staring at her lunch than eating it.

"Yeah, sure" she forced that good old fake smile back on her face, "I'm just not so hungry right now. I had a big breakfast"

Logan nodded his head, though he didn't look entirely convinced. She was behaving oddly, not at all like she was yesterday. It made him wonder if he'd done something, or if perhaps in the cold light of the school day, Veronica might be regretting how close they'd gotten over the weekend. Now wasn't the time to ask of course, not with Wallace sitting right there, but later he would have to talk to her about this, however much it scared him that their conversation might take a turned into dumpsville.

A detention put paid to Logan's plan to talk to Veronica on the drive home from school. Instead she walked with Wallace, and though they would usually talk about anything and everything in a situation such as this, the young man found his friend still too quiet.

"Y'know I don't know what happened at lunch" he sighed, "And hey, if you got lady problems or whatever, or the thing on your mind ain't something you wanna share, then that's cool" he told her, "But I'm here for you, Veronica, y'know if you wanna talk, even if it's about Logan or..."

"It's not Logan" the blonde shook her head, "And it's not anything... womanly" she rolled her eyes.

Looking sideways at Wallace she suddenly made a decision. She had to talk to someone about Duncan and what she'd learned, there was so much going on in her head, and she really needed to share. Logan wasn't the best candidate, the two of them were already far too mixed up with the Kanes and everything. Then there was her Dad, but Veronica wasn't keen to talk to her father about Duncan either, she just wouldn't be comfortable about it. Wallace was out of the loop somewhat where the Kanes were concerned, and the whole past story she and Logan shared with them. He was like an outsider to the situation and for that reason, as well as his being a really great friend, Veronica knew she could talk to him about this in complete confidence.

"Wallace, if I tell you something, it stays between us, right?" she said in a low voice.

"Sure" he nodded, now starting to wonder if he ever should've asked what was up, after all, he'd only known Veronica a few short weeks and whilst she was turning out to be a very cool person and a good friend, he knew there had been a lot of trouble in her life lately, plus her Dad was the Sheriff. The secrets she might want him to keep could well be a little too much for him, but it would be very uncool to admit to such a thing, so he didn't.

"Let's go to my house" Veronica said, as she looked around and saw too many people she didn't know and/or trust.

When they arrived at the Mars residence a few minutes later, they found it empty of people, as Veronica knew they would. Her Dad worked way beyond the end of her school day whether he was supposed to or not, and with her Mom long gone, that left only Back-up to greet her.

"Hello, boy" the blonde greeted her dog with a grin and a pat on the head, before she dumped her bag and jacket in her room, leaving Back-up and Wallace to get acquainted.

"My Mom never did let me have a dog" he told Veronica when she returned to the room to find the pair still playing around, "She thought it'd be too dangerous to have the kind I wanted when my kid brother was born"

The jovial look on his face soon disappeared when Veronica's attempt at a smile failed miserably, and he remembered why he was here.

"So, you had stuff to spill?" he prompted as they headed over to the couch and sat down together.

"I... I just need to talk to someone about this, and it's all a little complicated" she sighed, "It's about Duncan"

"Are you two startin' up again?" Wallace asked her, already feeling bad for Logan, "Cos I know you two used to date..."

"No, we're not together again, and I wouldn't do that to Logan" she assured him, not really offended by the accusation since she knew Wallace didn't know her well enough yet, "It's about what Logan said, about Duncan having bruises and a cut on his head"

"Right, you got all serious right when he told us about that" Wallace recalled, "Then you disappeared on us for a while, and you ain't been right since, girl"

"I went to talk to Lilly" Veronica explained, "See, it wasn't just Duncan who was injured, it was Weevil too"

"So, those two got into a fight, so what?" Wallace checked, not really understanding, "I mean, I know those biker guys are bad news, and if one of them wasn't treating any sister of mine right, I'd want to clean his clock too"

"Clean his clock?" Veronica echoed, smiling a little more genuinely, "What movie are we in?" she checked, finding it quite amusing that little Wallace Fennell would use such a phrase.

"Whatever, you know what I mean" he squirmed under her gaze, "Just explain what the problem is already" he urged her, and Veronica was soon serious again as she continued, telling Wallace just exactly what Weevil had told her; that Duncan had this rare kind of epilepsy, that he'd lashed out in a rage at Lilly, that it had taken a fair whack to his head to bring him down, and that in the process of trying not to do too much harm Weevil himself had got a smack in the face from the Kane boy.

"Woah" was all Wallace could find to say after that, but it didn't matter that he was lost for words, Veronica still had plenty more to say.

"It just got me wondering" she admitted, looking down at her hands, "Is this what Duncan couldn't tell me? Is it why he broke up with me?" she wanted to know, "We were so close, and so good together, and suddenly... It just made me think today, maybe it was because he was afraid of hurting me that he ended things"

"Y'know you could drive yourself nuts with this, right?" Wallace told her, as she glanced up at him, "If you wanna know the truth, Veronica, you know what you gotta do to get it" he shook his head, "You're the Sherriff's daughter after all. You gotta talk to the man if you wanna know what he's thinking or why he did whatever"

Talk to Duncan. Veronica rolled the phrase around in her mind. Whilst they managed civilities these days, she couldn't imagine talking to him anymore, especially not about the time when they were so close. She'd thought their happily ever after was guaranteed back then, now it was shattered forever. She wasn't sure she knew where to begin in talking to him about this, but like Wallace said it was going to drive her nuts if she didn't just do it.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Logan asked for about the fifth time that morning as he pulled his yellow Xterra into the school parking lot, and Veronica jumped out of the car too fast.

"Yes, Logan, for the hundredth time, I'm fine" she snapped, a little too harshly, as she pulled her bag out of the back seat and swung it onto her shoulder.

"Fine" her boyfriend said, in a tone that suggested otherwise, as he pulled his keys from the ignition and hopped out of the car, slamming the door behind himself.

"Look, Logan, I'm sorry" Veronica sighed as she walked around the front of the car and stood in front of him, "Honestly, I am fine, I just... I have stuff on my mind right now"

"Then tell me about it" he urged her, "I thought we had a deal, that we'd never keep secrets, never lie" he said, gripping her hands in his, and coming down to her level a little more in an effort to meet her eyes, "Talk to me, Veronica"

"I will" she assured him, kissing his lips, "I promise, I will" she said, before sliding her hands firm his grasp and hurrying away.

Logan watched her go, his heart sinking a little. Something weird was going on, something not good. He trusted Veronica, of course he did, but he couldn't help but think she was keeping things from him and that didn't thrill him at all. He'd been through enough of that with Lilly, and his Dad, and too many friends that had proved untrustworthy over the years.

With an uneasy sigh, Logan got his own bag from the car and headed towards the building alone. He ran into Wallace shortly after clearing the doors and immediately realised he was the one other person who might know what was up with his girlfriend.

"Hey, man, you know what's up with Veronica?" he asked the other boy, who shifted a little uncomfortably.

"It's you she's dating, Logan, you who's known her for years" he shrugged, "Why should I know more than you?" he said, before making an excuse to hurry away.

"That keeps on happening today" Logan said to himself, watching Wallace leave, then glancing at his watch and pointing a finger at the ceiling just as the bell rang.

Time for class it seemed. The mystery of Miss Veronica Mars would have to wait til later.

Despite no longer dating Duncan, and not even talking to him much for quite some time, Veronica had made it her business to know his schedule. It was good for avoiding him most of the time, now she needed to find him and get him alone in order to talk to him.

Duncan had a free period this morning, and since Veronica had a gym class she was only too pleased to skip, she feigned injury, faked a note, and was easily dismissed by her pushover of a gym teacher. She was down in the library within moments of the bell, and knew she'd find Duncan there. He got much of his homework done during frees, since home was not always the easiest place to concentrate, especially with Lilly around who was usually having a drama of some kind.

"I knew I'd find you here" she said in a low voice as she crossed to a table at the back of the library, mostly hidden from view by the shelving full of books.

As Duncan glanced up, his eyes meeting with Veronica's own, an uneasy look passed between them. This had been their spot in the library, the place where, up to a few short months ago, they would whisper sweet words, and distract each other from studying and homework with kisses and promises. Things were so different now, but neither could forget what had been before.

"I'm surprised you wanted to find me" he said, sounding almost bitter, "You're spending a lot of time with Logan lately"

"I don't see that's any of you business" she snapped, perhaps a little too harshly, before catching herself and speaking more evenly, "but that's not why I need to talk to you" she sighed, taking a seat beside him, glad they could not be seen, and should not even be heard so long as they kept their voices low.

"Should I be afraid?" Duncan checked, as Veronica glanced all around, ensuring they were alone it seemed.

"That's actually a question I've been contemplating" the blonde admitted awkwardly when she finally turned to face him, "Duncan, I know about your condition... your epilepsy"

The look that crossed his face then had Veronica ready to bolt, overly aware now of the reaction that might occur. She'd never seen Duncan get really truly angry, not the whole time she'd known him. He kept his temper much better than his sister, or even Logan ever had, but now she knew what Duncan's condition did to him, now she was worried.

"Lilly" he spat, assuming it was his sister who had spilled, though obviously he wasn't thinking too clearly since he knew she and Veronica hadn't seen eye to eye for weeks, not since that night.

"It wasn't Lilly" Veronica shook her head, "but the who and the how are really not important" she urged him to be calm and just listen to her, "Duncan, I... I just need to know" she said, finding herself suddenly overly emotional, something she was not all that used to, "I need to know why you never told me. Is it why you broke up with me? Because you thought I wouldn't understand? Because you were afraid of hurting me?"

"Veronica" Duncan sighed, leaning his elbows on the table and holding his head in his hands as he turned away from her, "I didn't... I didn't know how to tell anyone, my parents didn't want me to, and I didn't know where to start" he admitted, "It's not that I didn't trust you, I did, I do" he promised her, and she knew it was the truth, as he looked at her again and she hastily wiped away a stray tear, "It was a factor, everything was a factor, I just... I wish I had a better explanation for you, Veronica, and I'm sorry that I don't" he told her, "but, y'know, I'm glad you know about this now"

"Why?" Veronica sniffed, pulling herself together by now.

"Because you mean... meant so much to me" Duncan corrected himself fast, glancing away for a moment and then back at her, "Veronica, whatever happened before, I never wanted us to be enemies" he told her sincerely, and that raised a smile from her at least.

"We were never enemies" she promised him, reaching for him suddenly and hugging him tight.

She'd been so on edge about all this. It was a relief to hear what Duncan had to say, good to know it wasn't just her he'd kept this secret from. Even better to know he wanted the same thing as her, for them to never hate each other, to always be at least civil, in spite of all that had happened.

As she hugged him, Duncan allowed himself to hug her back, despite the fact his insides were in knots the whole time. He was relieved that Veronica knew about his illness now, he hadn't lied about that, he was also pleased to have given his explanation without ever actually revealing why they'd been forced to break up - that she might be his half-sister, borne of her mother's affair with his father. His head and heart were conflicted now as he held close the girl he had once loved as a girlfriend, whom he knew he should now love as a sister, and yet probably never could.

Neither of the ex-couple had any idea that they were being watched. Just a few feet away, and completely by chance, Logan had caught sight of the pair through a gap in the books on the shelf in front of him. The embrace was of course nothing but a simple friendly hug, but from the angle at which Logan stood, and with his mind already in overload about Veronica and her odd behaviour today, it looked terribly suspicious.

"Oh, my, my" Lilly grinned as she sidled up to her ex, and followed his gaze, "Don't they just look so cosy"

"Shouldn't you be down at the docks, Lil?" he shot back at her, eyes never shifting, "Y'know, waiting for the fleet to come in?"

"That's right, Logan" she nodded, patting his shoulder, "Make jokes. That'll help so much when you get dumped... again"

With that, Lilly walked away, leaving her seething ex to stare at his girlfriend and old best friend getting too close for his liking. What he was going to do next, he hadn't quite decided, but Logan would be damned if he was going to get his heart stomped on all over again, not by Veronica Mars.

To Be Continued...