Chapter 8: A Brave Face

*****Saturday Evening*****

Veronica was watching both Lily and Richie while everyone else was at Faces working. Since Dick, Logan, and Mac had school during the week, sometimes they had to go in on the weekends. Veronica didn't mind. Spending time with Richie and now Lily kept her from getting restless or wanting to go back to work herself. She knew that Logan would not be happy if she took on a job or tried to help Weevil and Jason, especially not while she was pregnant. Now that she was going to be a parent, she couldn't help but weigh the risks a bit more. Did a mother have the right to take on a job that put her life at risk? Of course, she knew better than anyone that just walking across the street was risky, but chasing criminals took things to a whole, new, risky level. However, her decision to go into profiling instead of field work made graduate school a must. And as a parent, it would take her longer to finish her degree. If her career didn't actually start until she was thirty, would it be that big of deal? Thirty was still young. Work would still be there.

She was watching Lily play with Richie and thinking about this when Duncan arrived to pick up his daughter.

"Daddy!" Lily exclaimed, happy to see him. She ran toward him. He bent down and scooped her up in his arms.

Veronica watched nervously from the couch. She didn't like Duncan being upset with her. The night before, she and Logan had discussed it after Lily was asleep, and she agreed to try and work things out with Duncan. Logan was pissed at Duncan's remark, but he felt Veronica should have at least told him; then he could've warned Duncan. The downside to everyone being friends was it made things sticky when some friends weren't getting along or started dating and broke-up.

"Hey, Duncan. She was great. We had a lot of fun," Veronica said, offering him a friendly smile.

He nodded without returning her smile. "Good. She likes being here. It's good for her to spend time with other women besides her grandmothers. Thanks for having her. Did you put all her stuff in her bag?" he asked. He was reserved and offered her no olive branch.

"Yes, Daddy. I packed it!" Lily announced proudly.

"Good girl. Give Veronica a hug and say thank-you," Duncan ordered, putting her down.

Lily ran to Veronica and gave her a sweet kiss. "When are you and Logie gonna come stay on night wif me?" she asked.

Veronica looked at Duncan, who finally gave her a small smile. "Well, probably not as long as you are living with your grandparents. But one day, sweetie," she said.

"It's time to go, baby," Duncan said, holding out his hand.

"Duncan, wait, please," Veronica said, getting up and standing in front of him. "Please, don't be mad at me. I'm really sorry. You're right. You are more important to me than Parker, and I should have put you first."

"It's fine. I know now where I stand with you. No woman in my life has ever picked me, so why should you be any different?" Duncan said with a shrug. "No, that's not true. Lily's mother did but I picked you instead. And we both know how that turned out." Without saying another word or waiting for her response, he led Lily out of the house.

Veronica sat down on the couch a bit flabbergasted by his parting remark. His uncharacteristic bitterness really bothered her. She knew that he had still loved her or the memory of her when he returned home almost a year and a half ago. He had handled his disappointment so well that she forgot sometimes he had still loved her. Then Jazmin had come along, and he had really liked her. Veronica knew that he had started to fall for her when she'd broken up with him. Her rejection had hurt him, and he hadn't easily moved on. Now Parker's sudden break-up was hitting him particularly hard. His hurt and anger toward Veronica made her suspect that he was really in love with Parker.

Instead of being hurt and mad at Duncan for his harsh words toward her, she decided to take action. Maybe she could talk to Parker and find out exactly what she was feeling now that Piz had returned. Surely, there was a way Veronica could help Duncan.

******The Next Day******

After spending the night with Jazmin, Eli went to J & E to do some work. It was hard to focus, however, because he was worried about Jazmin. She hadn't seemed herself all weekend. Even though she had obviously been exhausted, she had kept putting off bedtime. It was almost as if she hadn't wanted to go to sleep—as if she had been afraid to go to sleep. Eli didn't know what to think about her odd behavior. When he had finally convinced her to go to bed, she had fallen into an exhausted, dreamless slumber. After breakfast this morning, he had thought she was going to burst into tears when he left. It was really upsetting. When he tried to press her and find out what was wrong, she had insisted it was an unusually bad case of PMS. Then she had apologized for acting ridiculous. Forcing a smile, she'd all but pushed him out the door.

Eli was relieved when Jason came into the office. He was wearing the bright smile he'd been wearing the past week since he and Daisy had finally sealed the deal. For some reason, though, Eli had a feeling that things with her wouldn't always be so relaxing.

"Good morning!" Jason said, flashing a sunny smile.

"'Morning. You're in another great mood, I see," Eli said with a smirk. "Did Daisy stay the night last night?"

"Yes," Jason replied, obviously pleased by that fact. "Piz got settled in. Daisy and I picked him out a dresser and desk yesterday."

"Oh, shopping with the missus? That's a big step!" Eli teased with a wide grin.

"Very funny," Jason said with a frown. "But she was very helpful and appreciated me asking her to help."

"I bet she did," Eli stated in exaggerated tones. Then he quit smiling. "I'm glad you came in, though. I need to talk to you about your sister."

"What? Did you already mess things up with her?" Jason asked with a raised eyebrow.

"No, of course not! I just want you to drop by and see her today. There's something up with her. She's been acting strange all weekend," Eli shared, frowning.

"What do you mean by strange?" Jason asked.

"I mean highly emotional, clingy, and afraid to go to sleep," Eli listed.

"Afraid to sleep? What?" he asked puzzled.

"Well, it seemed like it. She didn't want to go to bed last night, and I thought she was going to cry when I left this morning," Eli said.

"Cry because you're leaving? You wish!" Jason said with a laugh of disbelief.

"No, I'm serious!" Eli insisted. "There's something going on. She tried to tell me it was a really bad case of PMS, but I don't buy it. There's something wrong, and she didn't want to tell me. Please, go see her."

Jason could tell that he was really concerned. "Okay, man, I will. I'll go by this evening before my date with Daisy," Jason said.

"Thanks," Eli said, relaxing. If there was something wrong with Jazmin, Eli knew that she would tell her brother.

******Veronica and Parker******

Parker was a bit surprised when Veronica had called her wanting to have brunch on Sunday. Although she and Veronica had become good friends after their summer in Italy, they rarely spent one-on-one time together. However, she had her suspicious on why Veronica wanted to talk to her.

Her suspicious were confirmed when Veronica asked, "So how did your reunion go with Piz?"

Parker smiled knowingly. "Who wants to know? You or Duncan?"

Veronica looked a bit pained. She replied, "Me. Definitely me. Duncan's really upset with me because I didn't give him a heads up that Piz was returning. I found out from Wallace on Tuesday."

Parker was surprised by that information. "Yeah, I know where he's coming from. How could you not tell us?" she asked in annoyance.

"I told Wallace I was going to tell you, but he assured me that Piz was going to call you. I figured it would be best if you heard it from him and Duncan to hear it from you," Veronica apologetically. "Believe me, Duncan was really hurt. I'm sorry."

Parker gave her a sad smile. "The thing is, Veronica, if either of us had known, we wouldn't have went to the carnival together with Lily on Thursday last week," she said.

"But I didn't know then. I only knew this week," Veronica explained. She had heard from Dick how close the two of them looked at the carnival, so she knew what Parker meant.

Parker sighed and nodded. "It's just a hard situation. Duncan has been so great with me. He knew I wasn't quite over Piz, and he didn't push me. He was so sweet and just wonderful," Parker shared.

Veronica couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at the soft expression on Parker's face. It was clear that Parker did have real feelings for Duncan. "Yes, I'm very familiar with Duncan's patience. That the way he was with me in high school," she shared.

Parker laughed. "Is it pathetic of me that I've dated all three of your ex-boyfriends?" she asked Veronica.

"Well, you're a lot like I used to be before Lilly Kane died except you're more vivacious and out-going. Actually, now that I think about it, you are a lot like Meg, Lily's mom, was. I guess I hadn't really thought about it before," Veronica admitted. "Logan obviously saw that. He never loved that version of me, though. He likes me with my sharp edges. Piz was attracted to those sharp edges, but he didn't realize what exactly he was getting."

Parker laughed. "Very true. Men sometimes love their image of us more than who we really are. I don't have to wonder about that with Piz. I know he loves me exactly the way I am," Parker said. "With Duncan, I have to wonder if his attraction stemmed from his desire to give a mother to Lily, especially now that you've told me I remind you of Meg. I'm sure that hasn't escaped Duncan's notice."

Veronica realized that her comments may have worked against her and tried to recover the lost ground. "I don't think Duncan ever really loved Meg. He basically dumped her as soon as he found out he and I weren't siblings," Veronica said. When Parker's eyes widened at that admittance, Veronica grimaced. She should've thought this through more. "Another story for another day. Anyway, Duncan had a type like most guys do. Logan only likes blondes. Lilly was blonde, Caitlin—another high school girlfriend—was blonde, Hannah was blonde, and you're blonde. It doesn't mean we're all interchangeable."

"That doesn't bother you?" Parker asked.

Veronica shrugged. "Logan loved Lilly Kane. I became more like her after she died. Like I channeled some of her best qualities to get through the nightmare my life became that year. But I know that their relationship would've never worked," Veronica said.

"Why not?" Parker asked.

"They were very hurtful and had an ugly relationship. In fact, if Lilly hadn't messed with his head so much and cheated on him all the time, Logan and I may have had less issues in our own relationship," Veronica said.

"Do you think Duncan likes me for me? Or because I remind him of who you used to be?" Parker couldn't help but ask.

"Duncan may have initially been attracted to you because of our similarities. But Jazmin isn't much like me at all, and he really liked her. So it's not like he looks for me in every girl he dates. But Duncan never loved me the way Logan does. He couldn't because he didn't know me the way Logan does. I tried too hard to be the girl I was before his sister died, so he never got much of a chance to really know me. Then he was gone, on the run with Lily," Veronica shared. When Parker didn't seem satisfied with her explanation she continued, "You and I are very different. I took my ugly experiences and went to a very dark place. I was suspicious and distrustful. You used what happened to you to make yourself stronger. You didn't let your rape define you or hold you back. I spent two years obsessing on who attacked me. I don't let things go or move pass anything very easily. You're a lot more tolerant than I am."

"How so?" Parker asked.

"Well, did Duncan tell you why Wallace's father was here investigating last spring?" Veronica probed, not wanting to share a secret but find out if she already knew.

Parker nodded. "He told me almost from the moment we became friends," she confessed.

Veronica's eyes widened slightly in surprise. "Really? That soon? Wow!" she said in surprise.

"It was after he and Jazmin first broke up. I think he was tired of being taken by surprise. He wanted me to know who he was before we became friends," Parker said.

"Then you already know him better than I do. I probably wouldn't have gotten passed it if it wasn't for Lily, but you obviously accept him for he who is," she told Parker. Then she leaned over the table and said earnestly, "You fit him much better than I ever did."

Parker shook her head. "No. I fit Piz. I love him, and he loves me," she said with resolve.

Veronica sat back and examined Parker. She did seem torn and upset. "I know it's not easy loving two very different guys. I know how you feel. I thought I loved Duncan in high school after I had dated Logan, but I never could quit thinking about Logan or caring about what he was up to. It was a secret obsession of mine," Veronica said.

"Yes, but I couldn't quit thinking of Piz when I was with Duncan," Parker insisted.

"While you were with him? Or at night when you were alone and missing him? There's a difference," Veronica stated.

Parker didn't answer. She just looked sad. Then after a minute she said, "I love Piz, not Duncan."

"And you're sure about that? Piz returns and just like that Duncan's history? Is that really what you want?" Veronica asked.

"I care about Duncan. This isn't easy for me, Veronica. I hate it! But what can I do? Piz is the first guy I could see spending my life with. Our break-up devastated me. Now he's back. I can't string Duncan along. That'd be cruel," Parker said.

"I understand," Veronica said. And she did. "But I think Duncan more than likes you. I think he's already in love with you, and he won't move on easily. He feels things deeply—he always has. Jazmin was the first girl he dated after me. It was a while before he dated anyone else, and you were the only girl he noticed or wanted."

"Well, I'm not going to ask him to wait for me or to wait and see how things go with Piz. That'd be really selfish of me. He deserves better than that, and Piz deserves my complete commitment," Parker said adamant.

Veronica couldn't help but admire her. And she realized that Wallace had a point. If Veronica had been more mature and less selfish when she dated Piz, he might not have been so hurt or so insecure with Parker. Maybe none of them would be in the mess they were currently in. Veronica was suddenly very glad that she would never have to play the dating game again. Logan was the last guy she'd ever date, and she definitely wasn't going to miss the dating game!

******Sunday Evening******

Jason had picked up Daisy for their date. She kept giving him that looked that never failed to get him worked up. "Quit looking at me like that!" he ordered.

"Like what?" she asked with a coy smile.

"Like you're picturing me naked," Jason said, grinning.

"But I am picturing you naked!" she replied smugly.

Jason groaned. "Stop! I can't concentrate when you look at me like that!" he complained. For the first time, he wished bucket car seats weren't in vogue. He wanted one of those car seats from back in the day that allowed the passenger to scoot close and press their body into the driver. "You're too far way!"

Daisy smiled in pleasure when he reached over and took her hand. He was a very physical person, constantly touching her. Now that they had slept together his innocent touches weren't quite so innocent. However, she lost her smile when they stopped in front of his sister's house. "What are we doing here? We have plans, remember?" she reminded him.

"I know. But I promised Eli I'd stop by and check on Jazzie. He says something's going on with her, but she won't say," Jason explained.

Daisy pulled back her hand and crossed her arms, giving him a displeased look.

"Hey, don't be like that! I picked you up before I came here because I didn't want to be late and upset you. If I don't stop now, I know I definitely won't be thinking of my sister during our date," Jason side with a leer.

Daisy felt a reluctant smile form on her lips. It did mean something that he was thinking of her first. She didn't know if this day was ever going to come. And she did learn after dating Wallace not to push too soon. It was enough that he was genuinely trying. "Okay. But don't keep me waiting long," she said.

"Thanks! I won't," he assured her. He leaned over and kissed her. Daisy couldn't resist throwing her arms around his neck and taking the kiss deeper than he planned. Always leave them wanting more was her motto. Jason groaned as he pulled back. "You're the devil! Quit tempting me! I'll just be five minutes. I promise!"

Daisy laughed in satisfaction. "Remember it doesn't pay to make the Devil angry," she warned with a mischievous grin.

Jason laughed and got out of the car. If he didn't leave now, he might not. And he knew Eli would ask him as soon as he got home if he stopped and talked to his sister.

When Jason made it inside his sister's, the place seemed deserted. He went upstairs to her room. After knocking on the door, he opened it to find the room dark. He flipped the light switch. Jazmin rose up, startled from the bed.

"God, Jason! You scared me half to death!" Jazmin yelled, throwing a pillow at him. She had to take a deep breath and try to slow down her racing heart. He couldn't be allowed to see the very real terror that was never far away.

He grinned. "Sorry! I was just dropping by to check on you. Eli said you weren't feeling well. I was worried," he said, not sharing exactly what Eli told him.

Jazmin grimaced. "Eli is being silly. It's that time of the month, and I'm more emotional than normal. He hasn't really seen that from me before is all," she said casually. Waylaying her brother's concerns would be tricky. He usually saw everything.

"Daisy's in the car. We're about to go grab dinner. Do you want me to bring you back something?" he asked.

For once Jazmin was actually grateful to Daisy for distracting her brother. "No. I'm good. Besides, I doubt Daisy would like that," she said, forcing her mouth to form a smile. She had to put on a brave face, or this would never work. The truth would come out.

"She'd get over it," Jason remarked with a shrug. "You're my other half. No one is more important to me than you."

Although his devotion warmed her, Jazmin knew it was time for her to step back, especially now that she wanted to keep something important from him. "It's time for things to change between us, Jay. It's okay to let someone else come first sometimes. I know you're always here if I need you and that's all that matters. Just like I'm here for you," Jazmin told him.

Jason grinned, happy with her and pleased she was getting over her resentment of Daisy. "You really are the best sister. I love you! Are you sure you're okay? You'd tell me if something was wrong, right?" he probed, searching her eyes intently. For a moment, he thought he saw a flicker. Then it was gone, so he decided to trust her. She knew she could talk to him if she needed to—she always did.

"I love you, too. And if I needed to share something with you, I would. I couldn't be happy without you in my life. Knowing you're always there for me means a lot. But I'm fine. Eli's just being a good boyfriend," Jazmin said easily.

Jason was reassured and waved goodbye as he went to rejoin Daisy. Jazmin felt sick with guilt after her brother left. She had never lied to her brother before in her life. He was always the one person she could count on. The one person who never let her down. No matter how much he might blame himself for Joseph, she never had. She hadn't listened to his warnings or his advice to go slow. However, the nightmare with Joseph had made Jason even more protective. And now that she had been so hurt, so violated, she wanted nothing more than to turn to him like she always had. To hand him her burden to take care of. However, she couldn't be so selfish. She couldn't do that to him. Not only would he blame himself, but she knew what the result would be if she confessed. He'd be single-minded in his pursuit of revenge. Nothing else would matter—not school, not work, and not Daisy. Although Jazmin still didn't care much for Daisy, her brother did. Daisy made him happy. Jazmin knew that Daisy would not wait around while her brother focused all his energy on a revenge plan.

But most of all, Jazmin didn't want to watch her beloved brother turn into her father. She couldn't let him be destroyed. Not after all his careful plans, his vision, and goal to legitimize their father's businesses someday. He was so determined to be different, to be better. And she was so proud of him for that.

She'd get through this on her own. It was past time she quit expecting her brother to take care of her. She was stupid enough to walk into an empty bedroom with a guy who had made his obsession with her obvious. She had been naïve and foolish. Now she was paying the price. It was a price she must pay alone. Neither her brother nor Eli would suffer because of her stupidity. Somehow, someway she'd find a way to move passed what happened.

The silent tears that rolled down her cheeks betrayed her resolve. Luckily, no one was around to see her shattered face. She wiped the tears, got up, and turned off the bedroom light. For some reason, the darkness brought her comfort. All her energy gone, she crawled back to her bed. If only the darkness could just swallow her up.

*****Chapter End******