Chapter Two: Love & War

Lilly, Duncan, and Veronica sat at the table, waiting patiently for the Kane guests to arrive. Under normal circumstances, Keith Mars may have also been invited. But ever since Lianne's not-so-mysterious exit from Neptune, Keith had been less welcome at the Kane household. It was well known among all that Lianne and Jake Kane had been high-school sweethearts, and even more well-known that Lianne was an alcoholic, the roots of which could be traced back to the discovery that Veronica was in fact Keith's daughter, and not Jake's. Veronica, on the other hand, had taken the news in stride, and welcomed Lianne's disappearance, smiling even when sometimes she cried, she missed her mother so much.

Ding-Dong! Lilly and Veronica leaped up from the table to go stand by the door. Duncan, gentleman that he was, pretended not to notice. Somewhere inside, he knew that Logan and Lilly had been done for a while, and in the wake of this development, Logan had fallen for someone else. He just kept wishing that it wasn't true, and therefore, he savored each touch from Veronica, and with each touch, convinced himself of a lie.

"Aaron! Lynn! So nice of you to stop by! We've missed seeing you!" Celeste cooed as the Aaron and Lynn entered the household. Veronica watched as Aaron scanned the room, and found Lilly standing by the door. Lilly winked coyly, and Veronica mentally gagged. She was about to gesture her disgust to Lilly, when the Echolls young and handsome son walked through the door. Suddenly, she forgot all about Lilly's affair with Aaron and the pregnancy that may or may not have resulted from their treachery.

"Well, hello Miss Mars. What a pleasant surprise." Logan drawled. Only Lynn Echolls noticed the dramatic change in her son's disposition when he found Veronica standing at the door, and she was smart enough to keep it to herself.

"It's nice to see you too Logan." Veronica blushed as he leaned down and pecked her on the cheek. Duncan turned slyly to face Aaron, shaking his hand.

"Oh, well, hi there Logan. By the way, we're over." Lilly blurted out. Logan rolled his eyes, before returning them to Veronica. Veronica's mouth fell open at Lilly's flippant attitude in front of both her parents and Logan's.

"Saw that one coming." Jake Kane's voice boomed. Everyone laughed, and it seemed that their 6-month relationship was nothing but a joke, a gag the two of them had agreed upon playing. Aaron stood near the door, shaking his head as though to say it's Logan loss, but his eyes examined Lilly Kane in a manner that made Veronica shudder.

"Shall we move to the dining room?" Celeste Kane gestured. Everyone marched into the dining room. Seating arrangements, turned out to be very interesting. Jake Kane took one end of the table, with Duncan at the other end. Celeste sat to Jake's left. Beside her was Aaron, and beside him was Lynn. To Duncan's left, Veronica sat. Logan had immediately grabbed the seat beside her, and Lilly sat, dismayed, across from her mother. Veronica read the look on her friend's face, and realized that Lilly had planned on sitting a tad bit closer to Aaron Echolls.

"Well, dinner is served!" Jake's booming laughter filled the dining room, and everyone couldn't help but join in.

Veronica couldn't help but fidget all through the dinner. Lilly kept shooting Aaron looks that ranged from "We need to talk" to flirtier and flirtier. To Aaron's credit, he held Lynn's hand throughout the dinner, and smiled at her multiple times. However, his true slime ball self couldn't help but rear it's ugly head, and he returned Lilly's gaze one time too many for Veronica's taste. Of course, no one else noticed. Lynn Echolls was so pleased her husband was paying any attention to her, an atom bomb could've dropped next door and she wouldn't have noticed. Jake and Celeste remained wrapped up in themselves, only surfacing from whispered arguments to ask their esteemed guests if they were enjoying themselves. And Logan and Duncan were engaging in a war of their very own.

Veronica jumped, smacking her knee against the table.

"Alright, babe?" Duncan asked, looking up from his plate.

"I'm fine Duncan. Don't worry about it." Veronica shot Logan a dirty look, and he merely chuckled. He had grabbed her knee from under the table, all the while holding a conversation with his mother about college applications.

"Something wrong, Ronnie?" Logan asked innocently, pretending to be oblivious to the reason behind her look.

"No Logan. I think a spider just brushed my leg though." Veronica shot back. Logan only laughed again, amused by his apparent effect on Veronica Mars.

Suddenly, Veronica felt someone grab her hand. She turned, and found that Duncan had grabbed it and moved it on top of the table. Celeste Kane eyed the entwined hands as though they were a poisonous snake that had just slithered onto her dinner table.

"Duncan…" Veronica whispered urgently. Duncan merely shrugged, pretending not to notice that Veronica glanced suspiciously at Logan when he took her hand. Logan was also staring at the hands venomously, although he seemed more likely to take off Duncan's hand and then claim Veronica's for his own.

"Dessert, anyone?" Jake Kane interrupted the war that was silently going on between the two teenage boys at the other end of the table. Duncan dropped Veronica's hand and she returned it to her lap.

"I'd like to Mr. Kane, but I need to get home." Veronica knew she had to get out of there, fast, before Logan and Duncan went Paris and Romeo on each other.

"Well, we'd love to stay." Aaron commented, and Lynn nodded enthusiastically. Lilly grinned widely, looking like the Cheshire Cat. If the Cheshire Cat was 16, blonde, and supermodel gorgeous, that is.

"You know, I wish I could, but I've got work to catch up on. Perhaps Miss Mars could give me a ride home?" Logan turned and Veronica was stuck. She couldn't say no without earning questions, but saying yes would raise it's own set of suspicions.

"Sounds fine, my boy. We'll be home later on." Aaron nodded his approval, and Logan leaped from his seat. In seconds, he had his hands on the back of Veronica's chair. Duncan had also stood, but Logan had beaten him to the chair by seconds. He sank back into his seat, smiling while his eyes shined with anger and a tiny bit of acceptance.

Logan brushed Veronica's arm on purpose while pulling out the chair, making Veronica jump. Goosebumps appeared all along her arm, leaving a trail of his touch. She walked past him defiantly, and sank down to kiss Duncan. Logan stared, and although no one but Lilly noticed, his hands clenched into fists.

"Well, goodbye Logan. Veronica." Celeste walked with them and opened the door for the two. Logan smiled his thanks, and Veronica graciously thanked her, before stomping stubbornly ahead of Logan. She climbed into her car and slammed the door behind her, earning a glare from Celeste before the Kane door closed.

"Something wrong?" Logan smirked as he climbed into Veronica's car.

"Could you be a bigger ass Logan? I haven't told Duncan yet and you know it!" Veronica hissed, pulling out of the driveway.

"Well, Lilly knows. She, thank God, broke up with me, in case you missed it. I'm a free man." His hand slipped past his own armrest and onto Veronica's arm. She shrugged it off.

"That's not the point. I care about Duncan, and I don't want to hurt him!" Veronica insisted. Logan's hand went for round two, this time only having to travel half the distance, as Veronica's met his halfway.

"I know, I know. You should dump him soon though. I'm getting antsy." Logan squeezed her hand, and warmth shot through Veronica.

"He is your best friend." Veronica reminded, and Logan brushed away the thought.

"Lilly was yours, and she took it well." Veronica bit back a response, knowing she wouldn't be able to stop herself from divulging the fact that Lilly had kept up two affairs during her and Logan's romance.

"You're right. And we're here." Veronica had been speeding heavily in her anger at Logan, and was now disappointed to be home.

"Thank you so much, Miss Veronica." Veronica turned to shoot a comeback at him, but his mouth met hers before the words had even fully formed in her head. She pulled away after a few moments, sighing contently. Logan laughed at the happiness in her smile and the pink in her cheeks, before turning and walking into his house. He stopped halfway and waved at her, and Veronica backed out of the driveway, nearly hitting the mailbox she was so busy staring at him.