Chapter Seven

[October 3rd, 2009.]

Between Logan and Tess's return to Neptune and Tess's sort of bachelorette party, there was only one day that Veronica and Logan had to get through to know they could face the rest of the week. October 3rd, the sixth anniversary of Lilly's death. A service was scheduled at her gravesite, as well as by the Neptune High fountain that morning, and since she had graduated such a long time ago, Veronica opted to just go to the one at the cemetery. Dressed in a black skirt and top, modest heels before driving the Saturn out that way.

When she arrived, about ten minutes before it was set to start there were a couple of dozen people there already, including Logan, sans Tess. That was a rare sight, and so, Veronica made her way over to stand near him and when she approached, he smiled solemnly at her. "Ah, I wasn't sure if you were coming."

"Neither was I," She responded softly, accepting a gentle hug from him. Across the small crowd that was encircling Lilly's beautiful monument, there was Celeste. Dressed up like quite the grieving mother, a veil over her face and all. Veronica briefly snorted, but otherwise just dropped her eyes to the black marble stone. It was large, a standing stone that covered room for four graves, Lilly's name was toward the middle, and when they were all dead and gone, Duncan, would go right next to her and Jake and Celeste on either sides. In the middle of the oddly shaped monument was a stone angel, carved and added after the rest was finished. A stone fit for a girl like her.

Veronica smiled at that thought and looked to Logan. "I haven't seen you in a monkey suit in a long, long time."

Logan smiled wryly, adjusted his emerald colored tie. "I was going to come in the tux I wore to that last homecoming but I couldn't find it in Aaron's stuff." His voice was soft, Veronica realized he always sounded most respectful when he was close to Lilly.

The ceremony came and went. Celeste gave a speech with dry eyes and a tearful voice. Jake had showed briefly and decided not to make a fuss with speaking, clearly angering his ex-wife quite a bit. Logan and Veronica were left when everyone else wasn't, and they quietly spent a moment with Lilly, wishing together that Duncan were there to complete their little circle.

Looking up at her, Logan offered her a gentle smile and placed his hand on the small of her back to lead her to her car. They were across the cemetery lawn and a few feet away when they spotted a strange person watching from a car shortly up the road. Logan went into defense mode before Veronica could think and she darted after him. Logan quickly grabbed the man by his jacket to toss him against the car. "What the hell is your issue, asshole?"

"Woah, woah," Veronica reached them just as the man removed his glasses, offering a familiar smirk, quirking his familiar blue eyes. "Easy there, bro, this is Italian leather." And she almost fell back on her ass as she stared Duncan Kane in the face, exchanging quick, shocked glanced with Logan.

Veronica watched, her head balanced on her hand as Duncan swept a fry through his milkshake, and popped it into his mouth. He looked good, he was tanned and lean and he looked like he was in a good place in life. His eyes would move to each of his friends, not even flinching when he noticed Veronica watching him eat. And she was embarrassed to admit there was something that was still sexy about. . .

"Veronica, could you please stop eye-fucking him? I can barely eat my own food." Logan grumbled, eying Duncan with annoyance as his own friend laughed. Logan took a bite of his double cheeseburger and chewed before delicately displaying the contents of his mouth, making Duncan laugh even more.

Veronica rolled her eyes. "So…you haven't mentioned…why you're here."

"Lilly's anniversary," Duncan answered nonchalantly, chewing his own burger before taking a sip of his shake. "And I'm moving back, now that Mr. and Mrs. Manning dropped dead and the case against me is defunct."

Logan and Veronica 'hmmed' in understanding and Duncan looked at them with a watchful expression, shook his head before delving back into his fries. "So what have you kids been up to?" When he asked, Duncan expected an answer like blissfully bickering through a marriage or newly engaged at the least. Although he did note the lack of ring on Veronica's hand in comparison to Logan's.

Before Logan could answer for himself (his mouth open, again displaying half chewed sandwich), Veronica cut in with her empty mouth, her chicken sandwich waiting to be bitten again. "I'm a recluse doing the same old thing, Logan on the other hand is pregnant."

The men both stopped eating to look at each other, and promptly burst into laughter. As Logan sunk halfway down under the table, holding his guts, Veronica pushed past an annoyed grimace and corrected herself. "By proxy."

"That is awesome!" Logan cackled, coming back up from under the table with his suit jacket closed over Veronica's purse, giving the look of a burgeoning belly, albeit, a lumpy one. She quickly took the bag back and smacked him with it.

Between laughs, Duncan managed. "So when are you due, V?"

And Logan's laughter immediately ceased, his hand making an appearance so he could point over at her. "Dude, she's not the father. Or the mother, I'm the father and I got a missus now. We're due Christmas week."

Duncan was taken aback and quickly found his footing, dipping two fries in his shake, eating them, and then he smiled at Logan. "Sorry I had no idea you. . .were hitched. Congrats, man. December's not too far away."

"It's far enough for me not to have a hernia," Logan responded under a muffled breath. Veronica took a bite of her sandwich. Boy, if Duncan knew the half of the past four years since he'd left with. . .

"Hey," She finally found a worthy thing to contribute to the conversation. "Where's Lilly?"

"With the nanny, I didn't want her first stop in Neptune to be at her Aunt's grave." He said, smiling suddenly. "She's so much like her, and she looks so much like Meg, you'd really get a kick out of her."

"We'll have to meet her, soon." Logan chimed in, his friends looked at him strangely before they went back to their food and he looked up as a figure approached the table, freed a hand, wiping the grease from it on a napkin. "Well look who the cat dragged out of the bag!"

"Sup, friends?" Veronica quirked a brow as Shawn Spencer scooted into the empty side of the booth next to Duncan, he and Logan exchanged high fives. "If it's not my brother from another mother."

"Duncan, this is my brother in law, Shawn. Shawn, Duncan Kane."

Gus had approached right behind him and he looked at Duncan. "Like, Kane as in Kane software?"

"My dad's company," Duncan confirmed with a friendly little smile.

"Our inventory system uses a catalog designed for us by his company. Kudos."

"I'll pass those on, uh…."

"Gus is a little bit of a dork when it comes to everything," Logan remarked with a smirk. "But don't underestimate his partying abilities. Which reminds me, I'm having a belated bachelor party this Friday dude, you should come."

"Wouldn't miss it!"

Shawn fixed his gaze on Veronica. "Hey, you got like, five minutes?"

"I guess," She said, wiping her mouth. "I'll be right back," she smacked Logan's hand as it moved to snake a fry. "You're not hard up for money, don't steal my food!" He laughed and went on to chat with Duncan and Gus as Veronica and Shawn exited the table. He lead her outside the front doors.

"Red Robin, huh? One of my personal favorites."

"Yeah," Veronica crossed her arms defensively. "What's this about?"

"Uh," Shawn dug in his pocket for his phone, and dug through his voicemail. "It's about Parker's dead fetus."

"Shawn!"

"Sorry but, you want to hear this." He got the message up and stuck his phone by Veronica's ear.

"Got your message Mr. Spencer, I'm more than happy to read the results so you can record them, just don't tell my boss, please. Based on the hair follicles and uh, other things you gave us we conclusively could match paternity of Logan Echolls with the fetus in question."

As soon as the words were out Veronica turned her head to look in on Logan, sitting in the booth through the glass window, laughing. Logan hadn't suspected anything could have happened with Parker when he was passed out. It looked like he was really wrong.

"How accurate are those results?"

"They did what they could with what they had but they guaranteed me 85-50%."

"Thanks, I'll look into it…he should know, just, not today."

"Yeah I'm sorry…about your friend."

"It was a long time ago." She said quietly, her gaze had dropped, and suddenly her hands were twisting. She looked up at him, and he was framed in sunlight, his brow furrowed. He looked at her and smiled, and Veronica felt her belly twist a little.

"I should be the one to tell Tess, so she doesn't get the wrong idea, but not before she sees Parker at her party."

"Then I'll wait until after it to tell Logan." She suddenly realized that they had mutually stepped forward, and Shawn was bending. Before she could think of how wrong it was, he had stooped low enough to kiss her, his lips gentle but. . .nice. It had been a while since she had had that with anyone.

"Uh."

"Yeah."

"I should go get Gus, um. I'll call you?"

"Great." She replied with a bright smile. Logan's laughing face and Duncan's sexy mouth forgotten for then, just then. Today was the last hard day before the party that Veronica had had to survive. She felt like she hadn't done a bad job of it.