(For disclaimer, etc. - see chapter 1)

Chapter 19 - My Girl

Veronica felt like she was almost floating when she arrived home. It was crazy, she'd gone through so many emotions today, and the very last one she'd expected to be feeling right now was lovesick, but here she was, fairly certain she looked like she had a hanger stuck in her mouth right now, and floating along like a leaf in the wind.

"Hey, sweetheart" her Dad smiled when he saw her, "Somebody looks happy"

"What can I say? It's a bright, sunshiny day" she grinned, planting a kiss on her father's cheek as she practically danced by him to her room.

Coming to stand in her doorway, he looked in on her as she dumped her bag, flipped on the stereo and sat down at her desk to do her homework.

"This bright and sunshiny day you're having" Keith echoed her own words, though they sounded a little silly coming from a grown man's mouth, "This wouldn't have anything to do with a certain young man, about yay tall," he gestured, "drives an over-sized banana?" he smirked, at his own odd description of the vehicle Logan owned, based purely on the bright colour of the X-Terra.

"Letting the weirdness of that description slide on by" Veronica rolled her eyes, "Yes, this has everything to do with Logan" she admitted, "It may just be a love thing"

"Love?" Keith echoed, "It's a big word, sweetheart"

"I know" she nodded, "and to be honest, if you'd asked me this morning what I felt for Logan, I would not have been brave enough to dip my toe in the L-O-V-E pool" she told him, "but then we got into a fight, a stupid, lame fight over something that didn't even happen, and before I knew it, I'd said it, and I really meant it"

"And Logan?" her Dad checked, leaning on the door frame, arms folded across his chest as he listened intently to the things a girl should usually share with a mother were she not absent from the scene.

"He was a little stunned" Veronica nodded, "but he feels the same way, and I know you're going to do the Dad thing and think he just said it because he wants to take advantage or whatever but I don't believe that" she said firmly, "Logan isn't like that, I don't know that he ever was, but he certainly isn't with me"

"I trust your judgement, Veronica" Keith assured her, "I told you before, Logan is a nice boy, and I'm happy for you to date him, but..." he said, which she'd anticipated since there pretty much always was one, "I will say this, however wonderful Logan seems or even is, he's still a guy, and you're still a girl, and... well, you know where I'm going with this" he said, with a random wavy hand gesture, "Please, help me out here, honey, tell me I don't have to spell it out because..."

"It's adequately spelled" Veronica assured him with a smile.

He only wanted her to be safe and careful, and she couldn't blame him for that. As much as she trusted Logan, she was patently aware of the workings of the male mind. She was prepared for whatever came next, she knew that, and now she'd assured her father of that fact, she hoped he'd rest easy.

For Keith, it was good to know he had such a sensible daughter. Still, it was almost as painful to hear she knew how to take care of herself as the opposite might be. After all, she was just proving what a grown-up she was, how she didn't need him so much anymore. No father wanted to know that, not really.

"So, lots of homework tonight?" he checked, as she pulled a few books out of her bag.

"Yeah, I kinda blew my free period on Duncan" Veronica admitted, stopping her father from leaving her to it like he'd intended a moment ago, "Which was actually not such a bad thing since he caused the fight that led to the making up with Logan... and I think I should stop talking to you about this now because you're my Dad and to coin a popular Valley girl phrase... eeeew!" she over-acted, before going back to her books.

Keith stood in the doorway a while longer, thinking of what Veronica had just said. If Duncan had managed to cause a fight between her and Logan, it was likely down to the fact the young Mr Echolls had got jealous. Given the fact they were back together so fast and talking about love, Keith couldn't imagine that jealousy was well founded, but there was no smoke without fire. Logan knew what Veronica and Duncan had once meant to each other, though out of the three of them only Duncan himself would know the reason they were no longer together. All this reminded Keith of the envelope he'd stashed in his briefcase, unable to summon the nerve to open it. The contents of that package held the answer to a long overdue question – was Veronica really his daughter, or borne of Jake Kane?

Moving through to the living room without a word, Keith put his case onto the coffee table and popped it open. From inside he pulled out the envelope and turned it over in his hands. He had to know the truth, and Veronica did too, despite the fact she had no idea right now that her father's identity was in doubt.

Casting a look towards her bedroom, ensuring she was still there and had not crept up on him, whilst he was lost in thought, Keith ripped open the envelope, and pulled out the papers that were stuffed inside. Uncontrollable tears ran down his face as he read the results, knowing now he must explain all this to his daughter, it was the only fair thing to do.

So lost in thoughts and emotion, Keith didn't notice Veronica had appeared from her room and was now standing just a couple of feet away looking stunned and worried at the sight of her father in tears.

"Dad?" she said tentatively, "Oh my God, what's happened?" she wanted to know as she crouched down beside him! "Is it Mom?" she asked worriedly, and Keith shook his head, wiping tracks of salt water from his cheeks.

"No, sweetheart, nothing has happened to your Mom" he promised her, "Nothing bad has happened at all, I promise"

"Then what's going on?" she checked, not feeling convinced that everything could be so okay if her father looked so upset.

She was sure she'd never see him cry like this before, not ever. The only comfort she found was in the fact the smile wouldn't shift from his face any faster than his tears.

"Veronica, will you sit down, honey?" Keith urged her, and nodding she took the chair opposite him, "I have something to tell you" he said, regaining some control over his emotions by now, "It's not going to be easy but… I'm hoping you'll see the same happy ending that I do"

"Okay" Veronica nodded once, not really knowing what to expect.

"I should've told you this a long time ago, I know that" her father sighed, "but no time seemed like the right time and… well, when you started seeing Duncan, the subject came up again…"

"When I started…" Veronica echoed, "I don't understand"

"Listen some more and you will" Keith told her with a smile at her unwavering impatience, "Your mother, in High School, she used to date Jake Kane" he said, not quite able to look at his daughter as he explained, "Their love for each other never entirely died"

"Oh my God" the blonde's hand went to her mouth, "They were… they were having an affair?" she checked, wondering how long this had been going on, if this was why Lianne drank so much, and why her parents were now over, thinking of divorce and so forth.

"Off and on, yeah" Keith nodded, hating that he had to talk about this but knowing it was necessary.

He'd promised Veronica to always be honest with her. This was the only secret he had ever kept, and it would be the last, he swore to himself, as he continued to explain all.

"Veronica, when your Mom got pregnant with you, she wasn't sure… we couldn't be sure who the father was" he said, hating the pain and tears he saw form in the blondes eyes, "It's okay, sweetheart" he promised her, "I did a test, I would have loved you no matter what the result but… it was positive" he grinned, holding her hand tight in his, "I am your father, Veronica, I always was"

"Oh my God" she said again, as she flung herself into his arms and hugged him tight.

A rollercoaster of emotions was happening inside her, pain and hurt at being lied to, nausea at the prospect of being the daughter of Jake Kane and half-sister to her ex boyfriend, then relief and joy at knowing in spite of all this mess, the right man had come out on top. This man was her father, as she'd always thought, and she was overjoyed.

"I know it would've been easier to not say anything" Keith said, his voice muffled against his daughter's shoulder as they hugged each other tightly, "but I promised never to lie to you, Veronica" he reminded her, "That matters more now than ever, with everything that happened…"

"I love you, Daddy" she sobbed into his shirt, "I'm so glad you told me"

"I love you too, Veronica" he promised her, "I always have, as my own daughter, whether you were or not"

"And I am" she smiled as she pulled out of his arms and looked at him, "I can't believe you brought me up, loved me and cared for me, without even knowing if I was yours" she shook her head.

"You were easy to love" Keith told her, wiping tears from her cheeks for her, "You still are, my beautiful baby girl"

They hugged again, still crying, Keith glad to know he'd done this now, got through the conversation he'd been dreading and come out still with a daughter that loved him. He'd expected to be hit more than hugged, and it would've broken him to have lost the one person left in his life that he truly loved and trusted. He thanked God this had all gone his way, as he held his daughter tight knowing that was what she definitely was – his daughter.

Veronica couldn't believe her Dad had gone all this time, wondering if she was his child or that of Jake Kane. For all the fame and fortune, Veronica would've hated having any connection to that family now, though once her best friend and boyfriend would've welcomed her into their fold. Now one man held both those titles, and he was a better person than either of them.

"Oh my God" she gasped suddenly, "What about Duncan, and Lilly? Do they know?"

"I don't know, honey" Keith shook his head, "but when Duncan broke up with you without explanation, I guessed maybe he did. I should've told you, I know, but…"

"No, it's okay" Veronica shook her head, "I don't blame you, I couldn't" she promised him with a smile, "I know the truth now, that's what matters"

"Hey" Keith smiled, "Who's your Daddy?" he asked, like he often did, and Veronica burst into joyful tears and laughter once again.

It was shortly after the harrowing father-daughter conversation that a knock came on the door, and both Veronica and Keith were glad that they'd had a chance to calm down, and stop looking so tear-stained and odd by now.

It was Keith who went to answer the impatient knocking at the front door, only to find Logan on the other side, in shades despite the setting sun, a grin plastered on his face.

"Good evening, Sheriff" he said, still smiling, "I was wondering if Veronica wanted to come out and play" he said jokingly, as he was ushered into the house, only to have his girlfriend come bolting across the room and throw herself into his arms.

"I think that might be a yes" Keith smiled as the young couple held each other.

"Hey, Veronica" Logan said, removing his sunglasses as he looked down at her, "You okay?"

"Better than okay" she promised him, with a smile that barely fit on her face, "Life is good right now"

"Good to hear" Logan nodded, wondering where her enthusiasm for life had suddenly come from in such large measure, but not objecting to it at all.

Being with her put him in much better mood too, knowing she loved him and was so insanely happy to see him made him smile all the more.

"Er, I have Wallace waiting in the car" he told her, as he came back to reality, "I thought maybe we could all go do something, catch a movie, bowling,... ice-skating?" he suggested with a look that made her laugh.

"I don't know, Logan, I…" she began, looking back at her Dad, who smiled at her.

"Go, Veronica" he urged her, "Have fun with your friends, you deserve it"

"You're the best Dad ever" she told him, going over to kiss his cheek, before heading off to fetch her purse and change her shoes .

"She's extra-peppy tonight" Logan commented, as he and Keith both watched her disappear into her room.

Keith nodded, with a smile on his lips that he just couldn't shift.

"That's my girl"

To Be Continued...