Hello everyone! Thanks for all the reviews for the last chapter…I knew that would get a few responses. I lost my fic from my work computer, so I'm so sorry for the delay, but I had to re-write it and save to my external hd. You know how I love cliffhangers and to skip around in the lives of our favorite troublemakers, so here's a chapter on Volchek.

Chapter IXX: Fuel to the Fire

Volchek was awake at 3:33A.M. This was a highly unusual scenario, however, this time there were no substances assisting him in this feat. Just thoughts…of Marissa, of how he was going to lure Caitlyn back, of how he was going to exact his plan on Atwood if he couldn't even find out where he was hiding for the past few days. The last thought did provide him some comfort in that if he could not locate Ryan, which must mean his threats had gotten to him. Now, he just had to position his players into the right circumstances, and he would get exactly what he wanted without the fingers coming to point at him.

The key here was Caitlyn; he had to figure out where she had been staying for the past few nights, and how he could get in touch with her when she was obviously screening her calls. He figured that one of the ways he could assure her that he wasn't on her mom's payroll was to use the money Julie gave him to buy something for her. Mainly, he decided to buy things that would decorate the loft with many of the girly touches that Caitlyn seemed to like. He hated it, but he would have to stand it for the time being. Stubbing out the cigarette that he was dangling from his mouth, Volchek studied his new acquisitions with curiosity.

First, he had gone through his place, begrudgingly ridding it of his hidden porn stash and random girls' phone numbers, which he didn't technically throw away, but just placed in a safe spot. He replaced the numerous empty alcohol bottles and makeshift ashtrays with incense burners and candles, thus removing most of the "stank" that Caitlyn always complained about. Hoping that she would be cognizant of the effort, he plopped down on the couch and surveyed his home makeover. Smiling with amusement, he realized that he had gone out of his normal ways more for the Cooper girls than he ever had for any other girl in his life.

Well, except for Veronica. But, once she was gone, there had been no reason to think that any light or happiness could creep its' way back into his life. If there had been one ray of hope in his teenage years, it had been her. She had been devastatingly beautiful, with long light brown hair and even longer legs. The way that she nervously bit at her index fingernail drove him so mad with desire that he used to keep his surfboard firmly planted in front of him so as to not reveal to her how much everything she did turned him on. She was the only girl that Volchek had ever let fully into his world, into his heart. And, when she had died so suddenly, so tragically, it had taken him years to even begin to function without her.

Maybe that was what had drawn him to Marissa in the first place…her uncanny resemblance to the girl that had been pulled away from him too soon. He knew from the first moment that he saw her; he knew that she had to be his. He had to make his past mistakes right. But, things were different now. Where before there had only been pure intentions and innocent declarations of love, now there were drug-fueled sexcapades and the ever-present ex-boyfriend. Everything had gotten so fucked up, and too many people had not kept their noses out of it, and now, he was settling for the third-string quarterback in Caitlyn. Yes, if he squeezed his eyes shut really tight, she did feel like Veronica. But, she would never be Veronica, and the realization of that had sent him into a rage-fueled plan to get back at everyone who had ever hurt him. He wanted to kill that drunk who had run his beloved off the road, and the father that had abandoned him as a child, and the love of his life who had left him behind. They were all going to pay once this was over.

As he opened his eyes, he heard the distinct sound of his phone ringing. He hadn't bothered to fuck with all those personalized ringtones that people seemed to rely on, but instead, he relished the shrill sound of his alarm-clock style ringer. He picked up, not recognizing the number that shone across the screen.

"Who is this?" he cracked, forgoing patience as he figured that anyone who was calling him at this time of night must not have good news.

"Well, well…is someone getting a little restless without their nighttime lovin'?"

Volchek perked up at the surprisingly pleasant voice on the other end of the phone. She had called back; things were looking up. Wiping his eyes, Volchek tried to contain the smile hidden on his face. Things were definitely looking up.

"Well, well…if it isn't little miss disappearing act herself? To what do I owe this pleasure, princess?"

Caitlyn shrugged her shoulders, not realizing that she could not be seen. The silence that stood between them was deafening enough that she felt the need to fill it with some sort of reassurance, even though at that moment she was far from assured that everything was going to be alright.

"Oh…you know…just the old standard booty call, I guess."

His eyes widened at the thought of a Cooper girl once again lying underneath him. Despite his most persistent urges to hold himself back, when it came to sex, he knew that the Cooper women had gotten under his skin. Although they were different in their approach, he could remember the familiar uncertainty that resounded with both Marissa and Caitlyn. Most of the girls he had been with before had been very assured and sometimes even arrogant, but not them. They both were decidedly delicate in that way, and it was something that made it hard for him to forget. So, pondering what his next words should be, Volchek couldn't help but to let a small moan escape his lips as the imagery overtook him.

"Volchek….take a breath. I had no idea you missed me so much," she remarked, no longer disguising the amusement she took in hearing his yearning for her.

"Well, you know me…always a sucker for the late-night sex. So, how quick can you get here? I did plan a little sumpin' just in case you called."

Caitlyn raised her eyebrow in curiosity. Deciding that she should end the charade, she boldly knocked on the door, announcing to him that she had indeed been just outside his door the whole time. She checked her late-night attire, seemingly pleased with the teal tube top that she had snagged from Summer's closet before she left and her cropped white chinos. Her confident smirk was replaced by the nervous twitch that she always got when she saw him. As he opened the door, he slipped out through the narrowest of cracks before closing the door and leaving them both out in the hallway.

"What? So, now you're into the sex in public places…thought we'd already conquered that mountain?" she quipped, crossing her arms across her chest.

Volchek took in her appearance. She looked so innocent tonight that it brought a smile to his face. Maybe she wouldn't always be the third-string quarterback…maybe there was more to Caitlyn then a girl wanting to show off how cool she was all the time. Maybe there was really hope for another one like Veronica….maybe…

"Earth to Volchek? Are you gonna let me come in, or do I need to turn around so your other fuck-buddy can exit without incident?"

Maybe not. Volchek shook his head, hoping to clear those dangerous thoughts from overtaking his current plan of action. Revenge…yes, that's what he wanted. And, he couldn't let flirty tube tops and late-night booty calls get in the way. He was going to have to put his best foot forward tonight…play into exactly the role that she wanted him to be.

"Sorry…I just, I wanted you to be surprised. Come on…but close your eyes, and no peaking!"

Ushering her inside the house, he checked several times to make sure that Caitlyn was keeping good on her promise to keep her eyes closed. Surveying the room one last time, he smiled triumphantly as he nudged her to open her eyes.

She obliged, sharply inhaling a breath at the sight before her. This was definitely not what she had expected when he told her he had something planned. She had been thinking more along the lines of White Zinfandel instead of his perpetual favorite Milwaukee's Best. Maybe even some Rachel Yamagata or Lacuna Coil instead of the usual Bad Company or Styx. But, this…this was a cold day in hell indeed. For Volchek to transform his prototypical bachelor pad into this…something had to be up.

Taking care to commit every flower and candle to memory in case this was a one-time only event, Caitlyn couldn't hide the smile that was forming. She narrowed her eyes pointedly at him.

"Well, someone was a little confident in their abilities to entice young, impressionable girls back into their life. Or, does your new fuck-buddy like the whole "Notebook" fantasy? 'Cause personally, me, myself, I always went for the brooding, angry "Fight Club" look."

Volchek slipped over to her side, wrapping a protective arm around her waist. If he didn't know better, he would think that all this frilly girl décor had turned Caitlyn off. But, he knew that deep down inside, no matter how much Caitlyn wanted to be viewed as the tough, street girl, she really just wanted the old-fashioned American dream romance like every other girl did.

"Oh, come on babe. I know there's a little of that closet romantic in there somewhere. But, psst…," he motioned for her to come closer, as if he had some big secret to reveal, "I won't tell anyone if you don't. It can be our little secret."

Caitlyn leaned over and kissed him sweetly. This was a revelation…Volchek being sweet, thinking of someone other than himself. She wrapped her arms around his neck to intensify the kiss. He groaned softly against her lips as his arms snaked behind her back, grabbing her butt and pulling her closer against him. Now it was Caitlyn's turn to stifle a moan as she let his tongue wander inside her mouth. After a few minutes of intense making out, she pulled away slightly to look into his eyes.

"Thank you…you're right. This does mean a lot to me."

Volchek smiled with relief that his plan was seemingly falling right into place.

"I just…I wanted to say that I'm sorry…for what happened with your mom. That woman can be quite persuasive," he concluded with an arching of his left eyebrow.

"Tell me about it…just promise me that you won't pull a Mrs. Robinson on me….cause, seriously…she's nothing but trouble."

She scanned his eyes for some sort of signal of his true intentions. From the beginning, she had known Volchek to have no qualms about double-dipping in the family pools. And, he hadn't made any excuses for his crude behavior at the time. So, why did she hope that he didn't plan on triple-dipping with her mom? Could it be that she had gotten herself to feel something for him? She knew it could never end well, but her heart hadn't listened to her mind.

"Come on…you know me? Always the rebellious type," he smirked with mischievousness in his eyes that Caitlyn could only hope was to taunt her. "But…you also know that I don't bow down to anyone…even bitches with large bank accounts."

Caitlyn allowed the suppressed grin that she could no longer hold back to surface. He was telling the truth…he wasn't someone who could be bought. And, she really liked that about him. Snaking her arms around his neck, she pulled him in for a kiss. He responded to her advances by grabbing her up by the ass and wrapping her lean legs tightly around him. Guiding them to the bedroom, he dropped her lightly onto his bed. God, she really did look a lot like Veronica tonight. Sometimes even more so than Marissa. She had that fearlessness of him that reminded him so much of his lost love…it turned him on in that moment, and before he knew it, they had stripped each other of their nagging clothes and were ready to make up properly.

Volchek began to drop his head down to place kisses down her exposed stomach. Trembling slightly from the uncharacteristic tenderness he was showing her, Caitlyn couldn't help but love this new side of him. Fueling her desire was his clear intentions to spread her legs and give her the climax that she had been desperately missing for these past few weeks.

"Oh…that's it…oh God," she moaned as he expertly gave her everything that she craved.

Everything was going to plan, and Volchek would soon have his insider to get everything in place to enact the final revenge on Atwood. Just the thought that all of his plans were falling into place made Volchek erect with excitement. He was going to get back at everyone who had ever hurt him through this…at everyone who had left him. As he proceeded to wipe her juices from his mouth, he grinned in anticipation, nudging Caitlyn's already-quivering legs apart. Entering slowly, he felt the warmth that had so long eluded him after Veronica's death. For a moment, he could almost see her sun-kissed hair blowing in the twilight…for a moment…

"Oh God, Veronica…" he uttered so low that he wasn't even sure that it had slipped out. But, by the look on Caitlyn's face, she definitely had heard him. Retracting with a jolt that could only be compared to a full-force, head-on collision, she scanned his eyes for any admittance of guilt over what he had just done. Who the hell was Veronica? All of these seemingly noble gestures now felt dirty and cheap. Her eyes could no longer control the onslaught of tears that threatened to fall, and she hurriedly rushed from the bed to seek refuge in the bathroom.

Volchek wished that he had a superpower that could allow him to go back in time and change this moment. He was sure Veronica was looking down on this one laughing at him. But, at this time, a smile was the last thing he needed. And, judging by Caitlyn's reaction, his plan was about to need some major re-formulating.