Rating: T/M for language and some sexual references.

A/N: Views on Duncan's actions are mixed which was totally expected! This kind of sets the story in gear which I am super excited for. Also, sorry for the slightly delayed chapter, I've been super busy with exams but I am finally off for the summer!

Also, this isn't edited yet because I've tried to rush it out so apologies for any grammar or spelling mistakes.

Questions, Introductions and Sisters

When Veronica opened her eyes, she didn't know what to think. The clinical smell of the hospital was still fresh and lingering, strong enough to instruct her that she was still there. Her eyes fluttered open and met with a soft pink ceiling, surprisingly, the lighting was dim and warm; a direct contrast to the hospital's usual stark whiteness. The sight was all most comforting; the pink reminded Veronica of being a little girl again. It made her feel nostalgic.

"Hey." A voice called from beside Veronica and she turned her head suddenly, only to find her movements restricted by a magnitude of wires. She was hooked up to multiple machines, all of them beeping monotonously. Veronica glanced down to see that she was no longer in her Java Hut uniform; a blue hospital gown now adorned her body. Her arms were a ghastly white and there was an intravenous drip fastened tightly to the flesh adjacent to her elbow. Veronica began to struggle against her restraints and Duncan stopped her. "It's okay, relax." Duncan placed one hand to the side of her head and another on her hip as he helped her sit up. A fluffy cushion was propped against her back and he used a remote to elevate her bed.

It was only then that Veronica realised how oddly opulent her room looked for one that belonged at the Neptune Hospital. Whenever Veronica or her father had been admitted into the hospital – which was rare, their rooms had peeling paint and awkward smells. In her current room, pastel coloured floral wallpaper sat against the walls and matching bedding was covering her torso. There was a plush couch on one corner of the room and what Veronica presumed to be a bathroom door on the other. Beside her bed was a love chair that Duncan had perched himself upon comfortably. Veronica couldn't even afford a doctor's appointment, let alone this room.

"What-" Veronica managed to choke out. Her throat felt like the Sahara desert, dry and scratchy. Duncan – who had received clear instructions from the doctor – gave her small sips of water. Once she felt slightly more hydrated, Veronica spoke up again. "What's going on, Duncan?" Veronica remembered why she'd been admitted into the hospital in the first place and she began to panic.

Was she really going to have Logan's baby?

"You're okay," Duncan paused before answering the question that was throbbing at the forefront of Veronica's mind. "You're not pregnant." Duncan confirmed the notion, his eyes silently conveying the fact that her life was not going to be completely turned on its head. Veronica stared at Duncan as if to reassure herself and he simply nodded, confirming that everything was going to turn out okay.

However, Duncan explained why Veronica was in the hospital and what had driven her body to become so malnourished that she had passed out. Veronica nodded as he spoke, acknowledging how her lifestyle had pushed her towards her current situation. Once Duncan was finished explaining the doctor's diagnosis, a heavy load of air escaped Veronica's lungs and she looked down at her stomach absentmindedly. She had prepared herself – mentally - she had said it over and over again … she was pregnant, she was pregnant … hearing that she wasn't pregnant was an unexpected relief. Veronica nor Logan had enough stability in their lives to deal with themselves, a baby would have been a whole different ball game. "I just need to warn you-"

"Warn me?" Veronica echoed in response, her voice still croaky and her throat still aching.

"Look, Veronica," Duncan ran his fingers through his hair, uncertain of how to explain everything to Veronica without making himself sound like a psychotic jackass. "I know we don't know each other well and I know you and Logan are broken up-"

"Duncan, what are you trying to say?" Veronica's natural inquisitiveness kicked in and she shuffled in her seat until she found herself in a somewhat comfortable position. Her whole body was leaning forwards now, curious as to what Duncan was trying to say to her.

"When you passed out, my family, Logan's family, they all saw me catch you," Veronica nodded in understanding. She remembered seeing Duncan's face and hearing his voice before everything went dark; she remembered his arms winding around her body as she lost all control. "They started asking all sorts of questions and well … I just thought of it suddenly and I said it! I can't take it back now and I think it could be good for you … and Logan. I mean we could make it work, right? Give Lily and Logan a taste of their own medicine-" Duncan was rambling frantically and Veronica placed her hand over his, willing him to slow down so she could make sense of his words.

"Duncan, slow down and start again-" Duncan sighed, rubbing his palm against his face clumsily.

"I told my family, that you're my girlfriend – Lily, Logan, mom, dad, and Logan's parents." Duncan blurted it out abruptly and Veronica's hand dropped from his in shock instantaneously.

"You did what?" Veronica's voice was regaining its volume and Duncan winced visibly, having not expected her loud tone of voice when just seconds earlier she was struggling to make a sound.

"I know it sounds silly but, I just thought I could push both Lily and Logan into realising what they're giving up to be in a marriage that doesn't even account for anything." Veronica just looked at Duncan, a blank expression on her face as she tried to let his words sink in. Duncan dissected her silence as positive and continued explaining himself and his actions. "I love Lily but she loves guys. And, as weird as this sounds coming from her baby brother, she should be allowed to be with who she wants whenever she wants; the same goes for Logan. He loves you and that's clear as day once you strip away his weird arrangement with Lily. I thought if he saw you and me together, it would force him to own up to his responsibility to his relationship with you-"

"I'm sorry, Duncan but it wasn't really your place to do anything." Veronica understood what Duncan was trying to say but, honestly, she was done pushing for more with Logan. After the whirlwind of emotions that she had had to face by herself today, she wasn't sure how she could move past how Logan had abandoned her the way that he had, for Lily, nonetheless. "Logan and I aren't together anymore and frankly, after all that's happened, I'm not entirely sure if I ever want us to be." The finality in her own words made Veronica's heart skip a beat.

Veronica Mars was going to have to let Logan Echolls go.

"Look Veronica, I know your relationship with Logan has been rocky and I can probably guess that he's neglected you more than you deserve but, from the little that I have seen you're good for each other."

"This plan of yours - making Logan jealous … getting him to fight for me, it isn't going to work." Veronica huffed. She knew it wouldn't work because nothing ever did. The one time Veronica had desperately needed Logan, he had run to Lily's side… leaving her to fend off her demons by herself. If a panicked trip to the hospital hadn't urged Logan to stay, in Veronica's eyes, nothing ever would.

"But that's just it; he's never truly had to fight for you. With me in the picture, we're forcing you both onto the battlefield. Logan's going to need to come at me, with all that he has, in order to prove his worth to you. I just see this … fake relationship between us as a hurdle to a larger victory for you, Logan and my sister." Duncan pushed the battle analogy further, his eyes igniting with a sense of purpose; a sense of purpose that was quickly extinguished with Veronica's next response.

"It's not much of a victory if you're the only one fighting the war." Veronica mumbled softly, the tears forming in her eyes.

In that moment, Duncan felt so sorry for the girl in front of him. He didn't know the exact details of her relationship with Logan but he could see the impact that it was having on her. Before he could talk himself out of the overly personal gesture, Duncan scooted onto Veronica's bed and wrapped his arms around her, letting her quiet sobs become non-existent and muffled against his shirt. Veronica didn't even have the energy in her to push him away. There was something oddly comforting about Duncan and Veronica let him hold her until she was done feeling like a teenage girl suffering from her first broken heart.

Outside Veronica's hospital room, Logan and the rest of his family were growing increasingly impatient. Duncan had left them at a cliff hanger when he had followed paramedics into Veronica's room, leaving them all with a thousand and one unanswered questions. The Echolls' and the Kane's were all puzzled by Duncan's secret affair with a girl that wasn't rich or famous. However, all of them seemed oblivious to Logan's inner turmoil. Logan didn't know what to think - was Veronica okay? How did she know Duncan? Why did Duncan claim that he was dating Veronica? … Was he dating Veronica? No, Logan refused to believe what Duncan was selling. There was nothing in the world that would make Logan doubt Veronica's love for him.

"Okay, you know what?" Lily had been dismissed from the hospital and had her sprained ankle was propped up against the arm of a waiting room chair. She slapped her palms against her thighs hyperbolically and glanced towards the door that concealed her brother and his mysterious new girlfriend. "Let's just go in, I'm done waiting for answers." In true Lily fashion, she limped over towards the door and turned the knob without even bothering to knock. Everybody else weakly muttered objections to Lily's actions but, truthfully, they all wanted to speak to Duncan and Veronica so they followed behind her closely. As Lily pushed the door open, everybody – including Logan – caught sight of Veronica in Duncan's arms. Logan's heart sank in his chest at the overly intimate sight.

"Lily!" Duncan scolded at his sister's intrusion as he unravelled himself from Veronica. She had stopped crying, thankfully, and she looked down at her comforter awkwardly, unable to look Logan in the eye. She could feel his gaze on her, heavy and pushy, but she refused to look at him … she couldn't. "Jeez, don't you knock!" Duncan claimed his previous position in the love seat, a slight smile forming on his lips as he acknowledged Logan's outraged expression. Duncan was right, seeing him and Veronica together angered Logan … it was going to make him realise what he was missing.

"I'm sorry but, you know how impatient I am, Donut." Lily took a seat on the foot of Veronica's bed -because of her injured leg - and Veronica took this moment to admire the blonde that had become a significant obstacle in her life.

Lily Kane was painfully beautiful. She was the type of girl that every man wanted to be with and the one that every other girl envied. Her hair fell into perfectly sculpted waves behind her back and her skin seemed to glow, even under the hospital's white, yellow and pink fluorescent lighting. Her piercing green eyes swam with hues of grey and blue that oddly seemed to match the mischievousness that was clearly evident in her personality. To top all of that off, she was exceptionally curvaceous. Lily had the body of a model, making Veronica cower into herself. She even began to ask herself toxic questions, why wasn't Logan trying to pursue Lily? She was absolutely gorgeous. So gorgeous, Veronica knew she couldn't compete. It made Veronica want to forfeit fighting for Logan even more. In Veronica's mind, there was no way that she held a candle light to the shining beauty that was Lily Kane.

"Impatient for what?" Duncan huffed even though he knew the answer; he knew his sister well enough to know why she barged into the room. Lily obviously wanted to know about …

"Veronica." Lily finished with a smirk on her rosy lips. She flipped her hair out of her face and glanced towards Veronica whose usual outspoken nature was suddenly being supressed. Veronica felt intimidated by Lily. "I want to get to know the girl who was stupid enough to date you." Celeste and Duncan both gawked at Lily for her flippant attitude and Lily quickly responded accordingly. "No offence." Lily added, raising her palms up in a surrender motion.

"None taken." Veronica chuckled softly, her eyes still refusing to meet the gaze of anyone other than Duncan.

"So, you two love birds want to tell us what's going on?" Lily wiggled her eyebrows suggestively and Duncan and Veronica both blushed, even though they had no reason to; Veronica just felt wrong insinuating a sexual relationship with Duncan in front of Logan and his parents.

"Before we start with … that-" Jake Kane trailed off before stepping forward to introduce himself. "I'm Jake, Duncan's father." Veronica looked up at him and smiled gingerly. Truth be told, she was a little intimidated by the presence of the Kane's and the Echolls' in one room. Logan was relatively humble regarding his wealth and it was never evident when Veronica and Logan were together. Veronica didn't even think about money when she was with Logan; he never liked to flaunt it. However, Veronica could clearly see Jake's tailored suit and Italian dress shoes; she noticed Lily's large ring, Celeste's expensive blow out … all of this wealth made Veronica … uncomfortable. How had she gotten herself into this situation? She was just ordinary Veronica Mars; daughter, waitress and student. "I hope everything is okay with you, Veronica." Jake glanced around the hospital room, his hands gesturing to the machines that she was hooked up to. "You gave all of us a bit of a fright earlier."

"She'll be okay," Duncan smiled reassuringly. "With some tender love and care – and some bed rest, Veronica will be up and running in no time."

"Well, you better take care of her then Duncan." Celeste spoke up for the first time and Veronica stopped to see the resemblance between Duncan and his mother. Celeste and her son were close and earlier, she had been slightly offended that Duncan hadn't chosen to confide in her about his relationship with this unheard of girl. But Celeste was ready to look past Duncan's secrets if that meant him settling down. Jake and Celeste were preparing Duncan for the White House and they'd always pushed him to find a good girl and settle down but he'd always refused. Duncan had proclaimed that he would only settle down when he was ready and him introducing a girl to the family was a big deal in Celeste's eyes. She was ready to get to know Veronica Mars; pick out her true intentions and decide whether she was fit to be Duncan's wife someday. "If you wouldn't mind, Veronica, why don't you come stay with us whilst you're resting up?"

Celeste suggested that Veronica move into the Kane mansion and everybody stared back at her in shock. Celeste was a conventionally catty rich woman and her nice gesture was definitely unexpected.

"Mom-" Duncan warned, his voice on edge.

"Wait, that's a stupid idea." Lily – as somebody who had experienced her mother's wrath, first hand – saw the look of pure panic on Veronica's face. Lily didn't know much about Duncan and Veronica's relationship … they could have only been dating for days and the thought of adding Celeste Kane to the mix would surely send Veronica running to the hills. For her brother's sake, Lily proposed a new idea. Lily met eyes with her brother and she smiled reassuringly; hoping both Veronica and Duncan would feel at ease by her new plan. "Why don't you and Veronica move in with me and Logan? Donut, you and Logan can spend some more time together, Veronica will be well looked after and it'll give us girls a chance to bond?"

"I don't know-" Veronica looked at Duncan in absolute panic, her mouth gaping open and closed. She was unable to form a coherent sentence and she hoped Duncan would drag her out of this sticky mess. She couldn't move in with Logan … at least not under the pretence of being Duncan's girlfriend. The whole idea stunk of heartbreak. Veronica knew that if she moved in, Lily and Logan would have to uphold their fake relationship façade and she wasn't sure she could handle that. For the past few years, she'd only seen Logan and Lily interact on television screens and in magazines. Those glossy pages and heavily edited gossip shows didn't impact Veronica as much as she knew seeing them in person would.

She was certain she wouldn't be able to stomach Logan and Lily kissing and hugging and smiling … she just couldn't.

"That's a great idea!" Logan jumped in, effectively cutting Veronica off. Veronica moving into his house meant he got to see her more often and … he could get answers to his multiple questions; he could make up for abandoning her earlier. "We would be happy to have you move in, Veronica."