A/N As usual not my sandbox just inside playing-building things up and tearing things apart. Also I do not have a beta so any mistakes are my own.

A/N2 Veronica is about 12 weeks along now.

My Mother, the Fiend

"Welcome to parenthood." Ms. Hauser says to the class as she opens a box and takes out a plastic baby.

"I hope my delivery is that easy." she snarks quietly to Duncan.

He just shakes his head at her and pats her hand mockingly.

"For the next five days, you will be paired up and the two of you will take care of a baby. Now this baby has the ability to let you 'parents' know when to hold, feed and other things of that nature. Just a warning." she holds the baby by the leg and hangs it upside down.

The baby stats crying instantly.

"If you want to pass, give you babies lots of the loving care." she tells them moving to hold the baby the right way to get it to stop crying.

A student aide comes into the class and hands her a note.

Ms. Hauser gives the note to her.

"Get us a good one. I got to go see the man." she tells Duncan as she grabs her things.

"I'll try to find one that looks like Weevil. You need the practice." Duncan mutters with a smile.

She smacks him upside the head as she leaves.

The instant she walks into Clemmons office, he tells her to open her purse and show him her keys.

Reaching in she takes them out and shows them to him.

"All of your keys, Miss Mars."

She takes out her other key ring and places it on his desk.

He picks them up and goes over to his door to test one of the keys. Of course it unlocks his door.

She opens her mouth to explain but he cuts her off with a look.

"Interesting amount of keys here, Veronica. You know I wonder how you were able to get copies made for some of these. If memory serves me there is a key maker in auto shop. Did Mr. Navarro or perhaps someone else help you with these?" he says looking at her.

"None of those were made in this school." she says calmly.

"Really." He picks a few keys at random and she coolly explains what they are for.

"I should suspend you for this however I am feeling generous today and will give you detention."

"I'll take it." she says quickly.

Cassidy enters computer lab, "Mac?" he calls looking around.

He sees her in the corner wearing headphones.

He goes over and taps her on the shoulder.

"Sorry." she says turning to look at him.

"Hey, do you think that you could help me with something?" he asks nervously.

"Any friend of Bond's is a friend of mine." she smirks.

"Bond...oh Ronnie." he laughs quietly. "Think you could help me build a website and design a letterhead for a company that I want to set up? I'll pay if that helps."

"No problem...Are you paying me to do your homework?" she snarks.

"Kinda, thanks Mac." he says and walks out with a smile.

"Open audtions for 'Hamlet' will begin next week. I am proud to announce that our own Trina Echolls will be directing the play." Moorehead announces as she is sitting waiting for he detention to start.

Oh joy Trina is in town. Better stock up on Duncan and Logan's favorites at my and Eli's places because they will be hiding out until she leaves.

"Miss Mars, school isn't over yet." Clemmons says coming up to her.

"I convince my last peiod teacher to let me out early." she snarks.

"Follow me. I have a project for you." he says as he leads her to the basement.

"The janitor had a dolly accident last week while he was moving permanent records." he says showing her files scattered around the basement. "Your detention will be complete when all these files are taken care of into the that cabinet, alphabetically."

She slowly gets to work and he leaves her alone.

She stops when she finds her mom's record. Curiosity killed the cat, Veronica.

Debating with her self she gives in the the little devil on her shoulder and looks through the file.

Suspended for three days for spreading vicious and malicious rumors about another student. My mom was Madison. Great.

Even though certain spots are blackout out she is able determine that her mom appeared at a disciplinary hearing with another student.

One Deborah Philipina Drummond. Wonder if any relation to Deborah Philipina Hauser.

"You know if you stop to read each file, you are going to be here for a very long time." Clemmons says from behind her. "Get back to work."

She grumbles and stands to start working on the files some more but the instant he is out of view, she sits back down with her mom's file.

"Hey mama." a random PCHer calls out as he runs past as she unbuckles the plastic baby out of her car.

She laughs.

"So have you heard about genetics?" she asks both unborn and plastic babies.

"Well, thanks to your grandma, mommy has a fifty percent chance of becoming an alcoholic. Luckily that goes down a little with you. However thanks to your daddy's mommy that percent goes back up. You my little one are out of luck. Still sure you want us as your parents."

She sees Ms. Hauser walking by and quickly runs after her.

Ms. Hauser won't give Veronica much to go on, telling her it was an embarassment and she's sorry for listening to Lianne in the first place, let alone having repeated the gossip. Many people got hurt because Lianne couldn't keep her mouth shut.

"You might learn something form her mistake." Ms Hauser replies dryly and walks away.

The baby starts crying and automatically fixes her hold and starts rubbing its back to quiet it down.

"Who knew that you would be a natural at that?" Logan says coming over to her.

"Not me." she replies as the baby stops crying. "Seen Trina?"

"Luckily, she has stayed clear of me. Maybe if I'm lucky she has forgotten that she has a brother."

She tilts her head and arches an eyebrow at him.

"Yeah, no one is that lucky." he mumbles as they walk into the school.

"So you've been here a long time, right?" she asks sitting down across from Clemmons as she places the baby, in its carrier, down next to her.

"Correct."

"What did my mom do that got her suspended for three days?"

"Concentrate on putting those files into order not digging into the past." he tells her motioning her to get out.

She sighs and stands up to leave, starting to pick up the baby.

'I was only a science teacher back then. I wouldn't have had any idea about what happened. Did you read the report?"

She sits back down, "Yes, but most of it was blacked out. Who else was here back then?"

"Ms. Hauser was a student. Principal Moorehead was vice principal and Mary Moony was also a student." he tells her.

"Who is Mary Mooney?"

"One of our lunch ladies."

She calls out to Mary, who is picking up the outside cafe.

Mary doesn't respond or even turn around.

"I think she's deaf or something." Corny tells her.

Mom had a aunt that was deaf so she taught me the alphabet a long time ago. Hope I remember enough.

She walks over to Mary and taps her on the shoulder.

"Did you know a Lianne Reynolds?" she asks signing as she speaks.

Mary shakes her head and turns away.

Apparently I suck at this.

She starts to walk away when Mary suddenly grabs her arm and starts signing like crazy.

"Please slow down.".

She reads Mary's signs as, "Lianne was a fiend."

"My mom, the fiend." she says not surprised and leaves.

She waits as Principal Moorehead takes some papers and walks out of the office. She calls out to him.

He turns not happy to see her.

"Seems Clemmons is failing in his main mission. To keep you away from me."

"You were vice principal here in 1980."

"Yes." he says skeptically.

"You suspended my mom for spreading a false and malicious rumor about another student."

"It's possible. Who was your mom?"

"Lianne Reynolds."

He just whistles. "I saw your mother more than I would have liked."

"Do you remember why she was suspended or what she said?"

"I do and I won't dare to repeat what she said. I'm sure your mom turned out to be a great person but when she was here, she was vicious."

Moorehead opens a door to a classroom and she follow him in.

Crap.

She sees Trina Echolls there, with several students around her.

Trina greets the two of them enthusiastically.

She gives Moorehead a kiss on each cheek and calls him her favorite principal and a big teddy bear.

Moorehead tells her it's great to have her back and walks away.

Trina kisses her on each cheek and gushes about how fantastic she looks. She casually mentions that she has a glow about her.

"How have you been? You know besides all that mess with my dad."

"Doing good."

"You know you should try out for the play. I need all the pretty girls I can get."

"I have so much on my plate right now..."

"I'll let you think it over. We really should get together while I'm in town."

She turns dramatically back to the crowd of students waiting for her.

Duncan answers the door, hoping that it is Eli or Ronnie to pick up the baby.

Only to find Kendall is standing there in a low-cut red, slinky dress.

She immediately begins to hit on him.

He makes it clear that he's not interested, but she doesn't give up easily.

"Logan isn't here."

Kendall waltzes in, "Loosen up. I am able to drop by." giving him a sultry look. Her expression turns to horror when she hears a baby's cry.

Duncan moves around her and picks up the baby to cradle her.

"It's part of a class project."

"It's creepy." Kendall says looking at him.

He sits on the couch, holding the baby.

Kendall sits close to him, 'You want to go for a ride."

He laughs and lays the baby in the seat in front of him.

"I have Dick's Maserati downstairs and you would look hot in it." she says as she sits down on his lap. "I could sell you the car for half of it's price if you like it." she tells him continuing to come on to him.

He sits up and pushes her off his lap.

"Do they chemically castrate the boys at your school?" she mumbles just loud enough for him to her

The door opens, and Logan and Trina walk in.

"Trina." he says happy to see her.

"You look good Duncan." she replies staring at the tramp on the floor.

Kendall gets up and rushes over to Logan, "Baby, what took you so long."

Removing her hands from his arm, "I would have come sooner if I knew that you were throwing yourself at my roommate."

The baby starts to cry again, and Duncan picks her up.

Trina looks annoyed and amused at the same time.

"I brought you something that you can play with. You can even share it with Duncan if you want to." Kendall tells him.

"Duncan isn't into that sort of thing."

"I mean Dick's Maserati."

"Are you sleeping with my baby brother?" Trina demands.

"Is this your much older sister that I have heard nothing about?" Kendall snarks.

Logan introduces them, insulting them at the same time.

"You know I would love to stay and chat but I have places to be." Trina says with a grin.

"Oh where, is it some bar where you meet with other not-famous people that have famous relatives."

"Of course. But you wouldn't like it. It's only 21 and over. If you want you join us for the after party at Chuck E. Cheese if you're free."

Kendall just stares at her with a glare.

"Now Logan here needs to be in bed by ten, he has school tomorrow." Trina says as she leaves.

"She'll be back. She came over to borrow my video camera but loves a good exit line."

She meets with an old friend of her mom's after finding a message about Lianne always having good gossip in her yearbook.

They sit down across from each other at the Hut. Patty has coffee while she drinks an iced tea.

"Your mom and I were lab partners. We would sit in class and gossip. The best parts were about your mom's love life."

"What do you mean?"

"Lianne and Jake were on-again, off-again during the summer before senior year but they were together for good by Homecoming or at least that is what your mom thought."

"What happened?"

"This shrew that Jake dated over the summer told him that she was pregnant."

"Jake Kane got someone pregnant twenty-five years ago." she repeats shocked.

"Your mom didn't think so. She was sure that Celeste was lying."

"Wait, Celeste? Celeste Kane?"

"We'' she was Celeste Conothan at the time. She was moving so she needed a way to break Lianne and Jake up for good. She went to Pan for senior year but was at Neptune for Prom."

"Let me guess, no longer pregnant."

"Correct. The baby had magically disappeared."

So either mom got dumped because Celeste was pregnant or she said Celeste was pregnant because she was dumped.

She and Eli walk in with the baby.

Logan had gleefully told them what had happened and Duncan still looked uncomfortable about Kendall coming on to him.

"So we are late."

"You almost missed my chili surprise." her dad says.

"Had to pick up the kid." Eli says as she sits down on the couch.

She debates asking her dad about her mom and just sighs.

"What's going on?" he asks looking a thte two of them.

"I found mom's permanent records during my detention and found out that she was suspended for spreading vicious rumors about another student."

"Really?" he says.

"Yeah, best part it's possible the rumor was that Celeste was pregant with Jake's baby is currently the number one winner on rumors."

"Honey..."

"I know dad. it's just..." she's not sure what she wants to say.

'You know who your mom was. Despite her behavior the last few years, she loved you and you loved her."

She's walking by the classroom that Trina is having rehearsal in when Trina steps on a prop and falls off the stage, hitting her head.

She rushes over to Trina, careful of the plastic baby that she is holding and demands one of the 'actors' standing around to get the nurse.

She, Mac and Marisol are doing homework together.

Well more like Marisol and Mac are doing homework while she walks back and forth with the baby, rubbing its back.

"You're a natural." Marisol says watching her.

'You know, you are the second person to tell me that." she says sitting down.

"I know. It's scary." Mac agrees. "Hey don't you have an appointment with you doctor today?"

"Yeah, later on. Eli is doing a couple hours at Angel's shop than coming to get me. Mac, what are you working on?" she asks finally seeing what she is working on.

"I'm helping Cassidy with something." Mac mumbles shyly.

"He finally made a move." Marisol says.

"What..no. It's just something for school." she says blushing like crazy. "How are things with you and Thumper?" Mac asks trying to change the subject.

"Things are going good. Let's just say that Weevil and V's announcement has made us extra careful." she replies with a grin. "They still don't want Weevil to step down you know. All of them are trying to aviod the prspect of someone else being in charge."

"I know and as much as my dad hates it. Part of me doesn't want him to step down either."

"Have you told him that?"

"Of course. he just doesn't want to hear it. Luckily he agreed to wait until I actually have the baby before stepping down. I'm working on him, I have six months to hopefully get him around to my way of thinking." she says with a grin.

Her dad walks in, stopping their conversation.

"There was no baby born in 1980 under the names Kane or Conothan." he tells her.

"Guess that means she was lying." she mumbles.

"Celeste could have had an abortion." he says.

"Any way to check that." she wonders out loud.

"Honey, do you really want to dig up twenty-five year old dirt on your friends mom when he is dealing with a lot of things right now?"

"I just want proof that mom wasn't one of those girls that I hate." she says deflating, knowing that he is right.

"You know if Celeste didn't break up your mom and Jake, I wouldn't be your dad and it's possible that you wouldn't be here."

He place a document on the desk and tells her that a baby Jane Doe was found abandoned in the girls' bathroom during the prom.

Eli picks her up shortly after Marisol and Mac head out.

"You ready, querida?"

"Yeah." she says. They grab her stuff plus the stuff for the baby and head out.

"See you later, Sheriff." he calls out.

"Hey Eli, wait a minute." he calls out.

She gives him a quick kiss, "I'll wait in the car."

"No bike?" he mumbles. She just smirks and leaves the office.

"How are you doing?" Keith asks when he comes into the office.

"Doing okay, scared out of my mind that I'm going to fuck up but okay."

Keith just smiles, "You're going to be a parent. Being afraid that you are going to screw up comes with the job. Eli, I..I can't believe I am going to say this but I don't think you should step down."

"Que."

"I know that you know about Aaron possibly being behind the crash. I think I can sleep better at night knowing you and all those boys are watching over her and my grandchild. Just think about it okay?"

"Yeah. I'll think about it."

She and Eli brush tears out of there eyes as the little to their baby's heartbeat.

"Te amo." they whispered to each other and each placed a hand on her small bump of a stomach.

Duncan answers a knock on the door to find Weevil and Ronnie there with the a bag or cheeseburgers.

"Wait a minute, tonight is your night."

"I know but thought maybe I could take a nap while the two of you play games and watch the baby. I need to get some sleep."

"I already have plans." he tells them.

The baby chooses that moment to cry and Weevil realizes that he left the bag with the 'diaper bag', one of her messengers bags, in the car.

He turns around and grabs the spare bottle off the table and gives it to her. She sits down and starts feeding the baby.

"You can stay here and hang out if you want but I am going out to dinner. you know I am surprised that mom didn't get one of those for Lilly." he says with a smirk watching Ronnie treat the baby as if it was a real one. "She was terrified that Lilly would end up pregnant."

She just smirks.

"You're thinking about badmouthing my mother, aren't you?" he asks with a grin.

"How could I ever say anything unkind about such a warm-hearted, good-humored, well-bred woman of impeccable social grace." she says sarcastically.

"Why thank you, Veronica." Celeste says as she enters the suite.

Weevil quickly moves over to stand beside Ronnie.

"Mom, you're early." he says looking uneasy.

"Just wanted to drop off some clean clothes before dinner." she says as a young woman comes in with a laundry basket.

"He has clean clothes. Letty makes sue to collect his clothes when she gets Logan's stuff. On top of making sure that both eat a healthy breakfast and Duncan takes all of his meds." Ronnie states not even looking at his mom.

"I see. I should thank her next time I see her. What are the two of you doing here?" Celeste asks looking at the two of them.

"Just grabbing some things for my and Duncan's lovechild." she snarks showing off the baby. weevil tryies to hide a smile behind his hand but all of them see it.

"Hmmmm, Astrid, just put the laundry in the bedroom." Celeste orders surprising all of them in the room when she sits down next to Ronnie.

"How are you feeling?" she asks softly looking at Ronnie.

"Wait, what?" he asks suddenly confused.

"Duncan. I have been pregnant before you think I wouldn't recognize the signs. I know Veronica eats a lot but I know a baby bump when I see one." she says looking at Ronnie's stomach.

"I'm okay. Heard the heartbeat today." she says quickly unsure how she was feeling.

"I'm sure that Letty and others are there for you but if you have any question or concerns. Please call." Celeste says placing her hand on Ronnie shoulder.

"Umm, thank you." Ronnie quickly gets up and hands Weevil the baby before running into his bedroom and shutting the door.

"Mom?" he asks confused.

"Don't." is all she says standing up.

He exchanges a look of pure disbelief with Weevil.

In Duncan's room, she brushes the tears out of her eyes. That woman is the devil, remember. She is the devil...mom where are you when I need you.

Astrid is sitting on the bed taking clothes out of the basket and placing them on the bed.

"You know, she has changed over the last few months." Astrid mentions.

"What?"

"She use to be a bitch and if it wasn't for her offering to pay for school I would have quit but she has mellowed out or something over the last couple months. You know that woman Letty calls her."

"Really?" she asks sitting down.

"Ever since she stated checking on Duncan. After the first phone call, she started to seem less like a bitch. It was funny to watch I could hear the woman screaming at her in Spanish and English. Once a week like clock work, she will call and update her on how Duncan is doing and tells her about you as well. About a month or so ago, I came back from the store and she was in tears but seemed happy. If that makes any sense."

She just sits there taking all of it in.

Mac sits with Cassidy and shows him what she has created on her laptop.

"This is awesome." he says about the flash animation she shows him.

She gins and tries to hid the blush she can feel coming over her face.

"Okay, I also have this one. In case you want something a little sleeker." she tells him showing the other version she has.

"As much as I love the flash, I think sleek is the way to go." he says.

"Okay." she clicks on the letterhead that she created to go with the sleek version to show him, with him as CEO. "I also made these."

"I love it." he exclaims.

"Well all girls love acronyms so soon as you go public you'll be fighting them off." she says flirtingly.

"Are you one of them?"

"Maybe." she says with a grin.

"Would you like to go see or movie or something sometime?" he asks nervously.

"I'd love too." she says grinning.

She sits in her dad's office dressed up older than she really is.

She and Mac got lucky and found one of the foster parents for the prom baby.

The woman, Mrs. Mahnoviski, remembers the prom baby.

She claims to be employed by the biological parents.

Mrs. Mahnoviski tells her that the child won't need it as she ended up in a local wealthy home but her recent history is less uplifting, what with her mom committing suicide and her dad in jail and all.

Oh, you have got to be kidding me.

She visits Trina, who tells her that she is being kept another day for observation.

Debating, she tells Trina what she found out and that she might be the daughter of Celeste Kane.

With glee, Trina comes up with a plan that she is sure will make Celeste admit it.

Grabbing Logan's camera, she tells her not to worry and to watch the the entertainment begin.

She goes to the rehearsal with a handful of magazines, Thumper and Felix with her.

Noticing them, Trina tells everyone to take a beak and hands her script off.

She hands Trina the tabloids.

Tina is excited to see so many headlines about are about her.

Mary Mooney enters the room and starts signing to all of them.

"Please go slower."

"Hi, she was always so nice to me when I was here but I can't remember he name."

"It's Mary." Felix says.

"She wants to help." she says fianlly able to get May to slow down.

"Oh, thanks but it's a student production." Trina says thinking May means the play.

Mary then makes a sign, indicating pregnancy, then motions toward Trina and pats her chest with her palm.

"What is she saying?" Trina asks softly.

Mary repeats the signs.

"Veronica..what is going on?" Trina asks.

Felix and Thumper just look on in disbelief.

"I think she wants to give you her bone marrow." she says shocked.

Mary signs some more and then hugs Trina.

Trina looks shocked as Mary lets go, then she smiles and hugs her.

She and Mary sit at on of the tables and she writes her questions on the laptop so that she doesn't misunderstand.

"Is Trina really your daughter?"

Mary confirms, patting her chest again.

"Is Trina was the prom baby?"

Mary nods.

"What did my mom do to hurt you."

Mary looks confused and types that Lianne was her friend.

oh, friend not fiend.

Mary types some more, telling Veronica that Lianne could sign and was the sweetest, coolest girl in school.

She places her hand over hers and they smile at each other.

"You know I always had this idea that my parents were movie stars."

"Trina, you parents were movie stars."

"No," she laughs, "My real parents. Why were you so interested in this, anyway?"

"Twenty-five years ago Mary told my mom that she was involved with a faculty member. My mom asks Ms. Hauser's advice but Hauser spread it all over the school. So they ended up in the principal's office. My mom recanted because Mary begged her not to tell anyone."

"Why did she dump me at the prom?" Trina asks cooldly.

"She didn't. She left you on your father's doorstep. Seems he panicked and left you at Pom, figuing everyone would assume that it was a student."

"What happened to him?"

"He got promoted." she smirks.

Principal Moorehead is talking to teachers about ways to raise academic scores when Trina bursts into the room.

"Hey Pops." Trina says snarky.

"Trina, so good to see that you are feeling better..." Moorehead starts.

"Yeah, so you plan on helping with hooking me up with any bone marrow."

"Perhaps we should talk in the hallway." Moorehead says tying to maneuver her out the door.

She evades him and walks to the front of the room, "It's the least you can do for you daughter after dumping me in the bathroom on prom night."

Ms. Hauser just shakes her head laughing silently.

"Hey kiddo you hungry?" Keith asks as he enters the office.

"I'm not hungry." she says standing up and going over to the fridge.

"Junio and I wee having this craving so I thought I would find a snack." she opens the freezer. "Instead I find this." she pulls out the ziplock bag with a rat in it.

"Shit." he mutters.

"Care to explain." she says.

"Umm what's going on?" Eli asks walking in to see him taking the frozen rat out of her hands.

"I found this taped under on of the seats on the bus." he tells them.

"It's a message. Was it for me? Am I the rat?" she whispers sitting down.

"I don't know. It could have been for you o someone else on the bus. You were right honey. I should have won the election. I should have taken over the case."

"You sly old dog." she says coming into Clemmons office.

"You know that your detention is up. Unless you are hear to admit to something that I don't know about yet."

"Figuring out that I had a key to you office was brilliant. Since you needed a reason to give me detention so that I would find my mom's file."

"What are you talking about, Veronica?"

"Did you read anything interesting over the summer, perhaps Machiavelli?"

He just stares at her.

"Not taking the credit is even more badass."

"Interesting theory but I have paperwork to do." he says dismissing her.

She just smiles and leaves.

She's standing in the parking lot leaning against Felix when her phone starts to ring.

Seems since they are unable to get in touch with any of his family, Able Koontz belongings are her responiblity.

Sending Eli a quick text, she drives ove to the hosiptal. Felix and Thumper following her.

Thumper carries the cardboard box of Able's things.

"That's all he had?" Felix asks in shock.

"Yeah,..guys I want to try to see Meg." she says turning the hall to Meg's room. "Stay here." she tells them not seeing anyone around and slips in quickly.

She goes to Meg's bed and looks at her. Come one Meg you need to wake up.

She tuns to go when she hears a sound that she knows well now.

Placing a hand on her stomach she turns and notices that there are two heart monitors.

She pulls back a tray over Meg's body revealing her pregnant belly.

She turns and rushes out of the room.

"V...what's wrong?" Thumper asks as he and Felix rush after her after she ran out of Meg's room.

"Where is my phone?" she mumbles as she dumps her bag on the ground next to her car.

They look at her, extremely concerned.

"Blondie..." Felix says picking up her phone and handing it to her.

"Hey, calm down a minute. Tell us what is going on." Thumper says.

"I can't.." she mumbles dialing a number she never thought that she would call. "Pick up, pick up."

"Hello." Celeste answers.

"I know why the Meg's parents having been refusing to allow me or Duncan to see Meg."she tells her quickly.

Both boys look at her, waiting to find out what the hell is going on.

"Veronica, what's going on?"

"Meg is pregnant."