Chapter 10: An Unexpected Visitor

Everyone was lounging around, perfectly content, when things started to go wrong. Logan and Veronica were sitting in the chairs beside Lilly, and Logan had his arm casually around Veronica's shoulder. Duncan was across from them, and switched off from shooting jealous looks to Logan and pleading looks to Veronica. Logan merely smiled when Duncan shot him a look, and Veronica would always tilt her head towards Logan. Lilly and Weevil were lying together on the bed. Suddenly, outside the room, they heard the nurses whispering excitedly.

"What do you think is going on?" Veronica whispered to Logan. Logan looked towards the doorway.

"I dunno. Maybe Katie Holmes fell off a cliff or something." He shrugged. Veronica elbowed him in the stomach for not taking it seriously.

"Ow! Is that anyway to treat Mr. Perfect?" Logan gasped. Veronica made a face at him, knowing she would regret saying that when he was around him.

"Miss Kane? You have a visitor. He'll be coming in a few minutes, he stopped to sign autographs." A nurse swung her head around the door and informed Lilly.

"What do you mean autographs? Who is it?" Lilly asked, clutching Weevil's hand.

"Aaron Echolls." The nurse replied excitedly. Logan growled, and Veronica inhaled quickly. Lilly began to shake her head, and Weevil's face turned livid. Duncan merely remained seated in his chair, a disbelieving look on his face.

"Lilly…maybe you should see him. Let him offer some help." Duncan suggested. Logan and Veronica hit him at exactly the same time.

"Yeah, Duncan. And at the same time, maybe Logan and I could start having sex in front of you. Just so everyone here is equally uncomfortable." Veronica snapped. Duncan slid back into his chair, having offered his suggestion.

"Lilly…I can't be here. I've got to go. I'll kill him if I see him, swear to God." Weevil explained. Lilly shook her head.

"Will everyone calm down? I've got an idea." Lilly interrupted the heated discussions.

"What Lilly?" Logan asked, the only one capable of speech at the moment. He'd gotten out all his feelings at his father, and was now pretending Aaron Echolls was nothing more than a stupid movie star.

"Go lie down on the bed next to me and close the curtain. All of you. I want people to hear whatever he says to me, in case he lets something slip. I need witnesses to back me up. If one of you wanted to record it…that'd be great." She demanded. Eli and Duncan shook their heads, but Logan and Veronica nodded.

"C'mon guys. It's not a bad idea. Logan and I will share the bed while you sit in the visitor seats. We'll here everything, and if he tries anything, we're right here to stop him." Veronica explained. She could hear footsteps approaching the room, and knew Weevil and Duncan would have to agree soon.

"Fine." They both agreed tersely. Logan and Veronica ran to the bed and slid into it quietly, while Duncan closed the curtain behind them. Eli sat in a chair, sulking.

"Can you see us, Lilly?" Logan called.

"No! And shut up, he's coming in!" Lilly half-yelled, half-whispered. They heard the door open, and two pairs of feet walked in.

"Honey? Where did your friends go?" The nurse asked.

"Oh, they left. Logan and Veronica had a date, and Duncan and Weevil thought it best to let me rest." Lilly lied. The nurse seemed to accept the answer, as they could hear her footsteps leaving the room.

"Thank you for your hospitality!" Logan's fists clenched when he heard his father's fake-kind voice. It was a voice he'd heard one too many times as a child, and he was more than sick of it now that they'd had a falling out.

"Hello, Aaron." Lilly greeted coldly. Aaron chuckled.

"Nice to see you too, Lilly. Why are you in here?" Aaron asked, still chuckling. Logan had opened his mouth to speak, but Veronica covered it with her hand.

"I had some baby troubles." Lilly replied. Veronica wondered about the look on Aaron's face. She wondered if he was surprised, or angry.

"Is it alright?" Aaron questioned. Veronica recognized his tone as hopeful, and she knew he was hoping Lilly had lost it.

"It's just fine. Looks like you'll be a daddy all over again in 7 short months." Lilly said, sweetly. Logan had to fight back the laugh that bubbled into his throat.

"How can you be so sure it's mine, Kane?" Aaron was clearly implying that he knew Lilly hadn't been sleeping with just him.

"It's not Logan's." She challenged. Veronica wished she could see Aaron's face, so desperately that she moved as if to get out of the bed. Logan wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her back down, silently.

"Fine. If you're so sure it's mine, I'll pay to have it aborted." Aaron reported. Now, all three of the men behind the curtain with Veronica had their fists clenched and grimaces on their face.

"You will do nothing of the sort! I've talked it over with my parents, I'm keeping my baby." Lilly warned. Aaron let out a sigh of exasperation.

"Is that wise, Lilly? You'll ruin your future." Aaron threatened.

"It sounds to me like you're more concerned with your future than mine." Lilly laughed humorlessly.

"Please. If you tell anyone this baby is mine, I'll deny it." Aaron snarled. Lilly laughed again.

"It's pretty hard to deny genetic evidence, Aaron. My parents are making me get a paternity test once the baby is big enough." She mocked.

"Why? If you're so sure it's mine?" Aaron noted. Veronica began to panic when she realized Lilly's mistake, but Logan had a huge smile on his face, like he understood the trap Lilly set up.

"I can't exactly tell my parents it's yours. But they know it's not Logan's." Lilly informed him.

"This isn't a game, Lilly. If there's a possibility that child isn't mine, I want to know." Aaron growled. Lilly snickered.

"Fine. It's slightly plausible that the baby is someone else's. But I'm sure E! will manage to forget that part of the story." Lilly sneered. Veronica's face lit up, and her grin matched Logan's.

"If you tell the press this one Lilly, it'll be the end of you and me. I'll go to prison." Aaron's voice had an edge to it, and Veronica realized he was beginning to see that Lilly held all the winning cards in this game.

"Wow. Now isn't that a reason not to tell anyone." Veronica could hear the sarcasm dripping from Lilly's tone.

"I know you've already told Duncan, Logan, and Veronica Mars. No one else." Aaron warned. Lilly laughed again.

"Whatever you say, Papa." She gloated. They could all here Aaron stomp out of the room and slam the door behind himself. Eli, Duncan, Logan, and Veronica emerged from behind the curtain.

"So, does that make it sound like he tried to kill my baby?" Lilly asked immediately. Veronica shrugged.

"It didn't rule him out, but he didn't sound particularly guilty. I think he just wanted to confront you, and he's finally opening up to the possibility it's his child." Veronica assured her. Lilly nodded.

"I hope it's not his. Even though it would be nice to have that kind of dirt on him, I'd rather it was Eli's." Logan said. Everyone in the room agreed.

"So…" Eli said, sliding next to Lilly. His tone suggested everyone else should go.

"Well, be seeing you." Duncan, Logan, and Veronica exited the room, not wanting to watch the two of them making out.

"Hey, can I catch a ride with you, Ronnie?" Duncan asked, his motive clear. Logan shook his head fiercely.

"We're on a date, DK. Better call Mommy and Daddy." Logan drawled. He put a protective arm around Veronica, as if to ensure Duncan got the message.

"Oh. I get it." Duncan replied, sulking again. Veronica rolled her eyes at their mini-battle. She and Logan strolled ahead while Duncan called his parents, and they were so involved in themselves that they missed Aaron, flirting with a nurse. Aaron, who'd heard every word of the conversation in Lilly's hospital room.