VIII.

When she got home, the first thing she did was check the contact info on the packing of the test. After some hesitation, she punched in the number of the help desk on her cell phone and took a deep and shaky breath before putting on a grin and snapping into character.

A cheerful voice on the other side of the line rattled off a well-rehearsed message at a breathtaking speed.

'Hello, this is Lilly Kane speaking, I have some questions about one of your products I purchased a couple of days ago.' Another deep breath and she plunged right in. 'I've already taken one cheek swab, but unfortunately the other person involved… left town quite unexpectedly for something work related. So you see, I haven't really had time to get a sample from him. I was wondering if it is possible to use another DNA sample?'

'Well, there are some possibilities,' the woman on the other side of the line responded brightly. 'The lab can work with some other samples as well: hair, blood, nail clippings…' Gotcha. '… under the condition that they are clean and relatively fresh. You will have to pay some additional costs however…'

'Oh, that's not a problem at all!' The cheer in her voice was genuine now. 'Just tell me what to do and how to send it.'

Her dad barely had any hair, and she wasn't going to chase him with a kitchen knife either. But nail clippings wouldn't be that hard. The additional costs were quite high, but she had some extra money in her account and figured it'd be worth the effort.

Obtaining the sample was painstakingly simple. Her dad had broken one of his nails and after he'd cut it off to avoid further damage, she'd snatched it off the kitchen counter before he could throw it away. 'Honey, what are you going to do with that?' he'd asked, visibly surprised, but she'd just quipped about adding it to her vast nail clipping collection before opening the trashcan and complaining about how he never cleaned up after himself.

He probably thought her reaction was odd, even for her, but she was pretty sure he didn't really have a clue as to what she was doing. She put the nail clipping in a clean zip bag and put it in the return envelope together with her cheek sample and reveled in the feeling of accomplishment. Now all she could do was sit back and wait.

The test results would be back in approximately one week. For the first time since setting the plan in motion, she could think about the results. It seemed awfully simple: the samples would match or they wouldn't. In the first and best case scenario, she'd be Keith Mars's daughter, the man she loved, trusted and admired more than anyone in the world.

The test was more for her own sanity than anything else, but she'd probably tell Lilly as well. She wasn't sure as to how her best friend would respond to the news. Lilly'd been excited at the idea they were sisters, but of course Veronica hadn't been quite as enthusiastic and it had put a serious strain on their relationship. Call her childish, but she hoped that they could go back to the closeness they had before. The Kane heiress and the sheriff's daughter, instead of the Kane heiress and the Kane bastard.

She probably had to tell Duncan the truth, too. He didn't deserve to think that he was still hung up on his own half-sister. Still, she felt angry and hurt, and then there was the fact that he didn't even know that she knew. And if she told him, how would he react? Would he be ashamed, or embarrassed, for never saying anything? Or would he want to go back to the way things were before? More importantly, would she take him back?

She knew she wanted her old friendship with Lilly back, but wasn't really sure if there was still a chance for her and Duncan after everything that happened. She wondered if he'd be able to see the new Veronica, a person quite different from the sweet girl he'd loved.

Then there was option two: she'd be Jake Kane's daughter. Not an idea she liked to linger on, but a viable one nonetheless. What would she do with that information?

She knew what most people would do: go to the press, make a claim to the Kane fortune, pick fights with his bitch of a wife. But she wanted none of it. It would only mean losing everything all over again.

'Honey?' She put down her fork and lifted her gaze to see her father looking intently at her from across the table. Dinner. We're having family dinner.

'Yeah?'

'Are you alright? You seemed miles away.'

'I…' She halted for a moment, thinking of the best response she could give him. 'I'm just tired, I guess.'

'And school hasn't even started yet,' her dad chuckled, and she sent him a sour smile. He got up and pressed a kiss on her forehead. 'Take care of yourself, kid. That means no more late night parties at the Kane's.'

'That's totally unfair!'

'I'm your dad. I'm here to protect you from evil, not to be fair and logical all the time. I'm going to the office, we're working on a big case. Why don't you go to bed early, huh? Get some sleep.'

'I promised Lilly I'd be staying over this Thursday!' she shouted when he walked out the door. Seeing his warning glance, she grinned and gave him a small wave. 'Good luck on your case! Love you, bye!'

He just sighed and shook his head before closing the door behind him. As soon as he was gone, her grin faded. She returned to the dinner table, where her mom was poking in her now cold mac 'n cheese, clearly lacking the appetite. She seemed just as distracted as her daughter.

'Mom?' Lianne looked up, startled. 'Are you going to finish that?'

'What? Oh – no, I guess I've had enough.' She smiled, looking even more fatigued than she had before.

'You want some of that chocolate mousse we made yesterday?'

'I – I think I'll pass. Actually, I have somewhere to go tonight as well.'

She knew those words. She'd heard them many times before, in different variations, but they didn't fool her and they hurt just the same.

An old college friend… back in town for the weekend… we're just gonna meet up and have a couple of drinks… you don't have to wait up for me…

She heard her mother get up and pack her bag, patting Backup before heading towards the door. 'Mom!' She was surprised to hear the desperation in her own voice, a soft tremble that had slipped in without her even noticing. 'Can't you just… please stay. Please.'

But she already knew what Lianne's answer would be. 'Veronica…' her voice was soft, much too soft and gentle for the words she was going to say. 'You're all grown up now. You'll be fine tonight.'

'Mom…'

The look on her face was sharp, resolute. 'I need to get going.'

She held her breath until the she heard the door fall into its lock. Only then she exhaled and let the tears fall softly into her lap as she sat alone at the dinner table.