Sorry this has taken me so long to update. I have just had no time to write since school resumed.

Chapter 25: Busted and Busted Up

*****Where We Left Off****

Keith was silent as his daughter declared her horror and intolerance for what Buffy and her friends revealed. When she got up to leave, he knew that as a father, he should follow her. However, she had always gone her own way, rarely asking for his help or heeding his advice. Now, he wanted her to abandon the woman he loved and her daughters. One who needed him more than he realized, and the other was even more amazing than he knew. How could walk away?

He looked at Joyce, who was clearly hurt by Veronica's rejection as she hugged Dawn and was waiting for him to leave. Keith knew her well enough to know she was bracing for his rejection.

Instead, he got up and put his arms around both girls. Then they heard a loud crash.

Buffy, of course, reacted first and was out the door with Faith on her heels.

Keith knew from the sound it was a car crash, so he pulled out his phone and called 9-1-1 to report it.

When he got outside, he was on the phone with a first responder. Then his eyes spotted the still form of his daughter, and he dropped the phone.

Dawn picked up the phone and shakily answered the dispatcher's questions.

"There's two victims on the road," Dawn told them. "We know them. One of them was the daughter of the man who called you, Veronica Mars. The other is Logan Echolls."

The ambulance arrived very quickly. Logan was conscious, but Veronica was not.

"Is she alive?" Keith was asking the EMT.

"Yes, she is, but her pulse is weak," she told him.

"Veronica!" Logan yelled. The other EMT was putting a collar around him and telling him to lie still.

"I'm okay," he said.

"You don't know that, sir," the male EMT replied. "You were hit by a car."

"It was a hit-and-run," Logan explained. "This car just ran us over. I couldn't get out of the way or push Veronica out of the way." He gave Keith a look of regret.

"It's not your fault," Buffy assured him.

Keith gave Joyce permission to let the police have access to his video recordings.

"Oh, you have cameras?" Faith asked, looking up.

"Yes," Keith said as he got into the ambulance with Veronica. "We should know who did this."

Joyce could not believe had badly the day had gone, but she did go to the hospital to be there for Keith as he had been there for her even if he might not want her to. First, she had dealt with the cops in Keith's absence, so she got to the hospital an hour later. Dawn and Buffy came in with her.

However, when Keith saw her come into the waiting room, he pulled her in for a hug.

"She has several broken bones, including broken ribs, internal bleeding, and a brain bleed," Keith said. "They aren't sure she'll make it through the surgery." His voice broke. Joyce pulled him into the seat and let him cry. Buffy and Dawn went to Logan and Dick.

Her friends were shocked, unable to believe the extent of her injuries. Logan's left foot was broken, and he had some abrasions. However, he had not been hit head-on the way Veronica had been as the car hit her full bodied while Logan was two steps behind. Normally, such a thing would not matter much, but it did when it came to getting hit by a car.

"Are you in a lot of pain?" Dawn asked Logan.

"Not really," Logan said. "I have a high pain tolerance. This is nothing compared to the bomb in my car."

Dawn winced. "Oh, yeah. I forgot about that," she said. "Your life kind of sucks, huh?"

"Sometimes," Logan said.

"I don't get why Veronica believes my life would put her in danger," Buffy said. "Clearly her own bad choices cause her plenty of danger."

"Not the time, Buffy," Logan said, glaring at her.

Buffy winced. "Sorry," she said.

"Are they gonna let you see her?" Dawn asked.

"She's in surgery right now," Logan said.

"What did you mean by that?" Mac asked Buffy. She had been sitting next to Logan, Wallace on her other side. Dick and Faith were across from them. Willow and Tara next to them. Weevil and Xander had gone to get food for everyone.

"By what?" Buffy said.

"By the comment you made about your life putting her in danger," Mac said. "I feel like I missed something."

"Yes, well, Veronica got really upset with me before rushing out of her dad's work because I told her the truth about my life in Sunnydale," Buffy said. "I guess the truth about what my friends and I dealt with there really rattled her. It was a dangerous place, and she was really angry when she found out. So much so that she told her dad he should walk away from Mom."

"I can't believe that. Veronica is the bravest, strongest person I have ever met. She would never back down from a fight, so I can't imagine what you would have told her that would have made her say that," Mac said, looking at Logan for confirmation.

Logan nodded. "Unfortunately, it's true," he said. "But now is not the time to discuss this."

Mac frowned, confused but refrained from asking more. However, she shared a look with Wallace, who shrugged, clearly in the dark.

They waited for several hours, and then finally the doctor came in. They all stood.

"She made it through the surgery," the doctor said. "She had internal bleeding her in chest cavity as well as in her cranium. We relieved the pressure, and now we wait to see if she wakes up."

"What does that mean?" Logan asked.

"She is in a coma," the doctor said. "However, she is young and healthy. Once the swelling goes down, we have every confidence that she will wake up. She has a fractured elbow where she landed, so we'll be putting a cast on her. Luckily, it was a clean break and didn't need surgery. We bound her broken ribs. One of her hands—the same arm that has the broken elbow—also has some broken bones in it. She must've landed hard or the car it her on that side."

"When can I see her?" Keith asked.

"She is in recovery," the doctor told him. "I'll have a nurse come get you when she is brought to ICU."

"She is alive," Joyce said. "Focus on that."

"Keith turned to Willow. "Can you do anything?" he asked her.

"Of course," Willow said. "We can boost her body's natural healing like we did with Logan."

"Anything you can do will be everything," Keith said. Then he hugged her, grateful for her and then Tara.

Mac looked at Wallace, who looked equally confused. Neither said anything, however.

"You know, she and Logan were wearing our protection crystals," Willow said. "After the hex, we knew that whoever had it in for was still out there. And then Logan's car bombing, we hadn't found the person who planted the bomb."

"Do they work?" Keith asked.

"Without them, she could have died on impact," Willow said.

"Keith, now that she's out of surgery, I need to tell you something," Joyce said. "We know who did this to her. The video showed who it was."

"Who? Who did this?" he asked.

"It was Celeste Kane," Joyce revealed.

By the end of the night, Celeste Kane was arrested for two hit-runs. Since Veronica was in a coma and had ugly history with her, one count of attempted murder.

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

Joyce didn't want to leave Keith alone sitting vigil with Veronica. Although she stayed through the surgery, she had left last night. She brought him breakfast and coffee the next morning.

"How is she?" she asked, handing him the coffee. "I brought you a sausage egg and cheese biscuit."

"Thanks," he said, pulling her in for a hug. "No change."

"Well, that is good," Joyce said. "She's not worse."

"That's true," Keith agreed.

They allowed two visitors at a time in ICU, so Joyce gave Logan, who she knew would still be there, his breakfast, and the older couple went into the ICU waiting room.

After they each took a few bites and swallowed some coffee, Joyce asked, "I can't help but feel like our discussion before the accident cause this. She was upset and rushed into the street."

Keith shook his head and reached over for her hand, giving it a squeeze. "Yes, she was upset, but Celeste Kane hates her. That has nothing to do with you but her mother, who had an affair with Jake Kane, her husband. Also, Veronica helped Duncan Kane runaway with his baby their senior year of high school, which had to be hard on her. Then, of course, there was my investigation of their daughter's murder. For a while the evidence pointed to Duncan because they were covering up evidence of his blackout seizures. He had found her dead, and it caused a seizure. They actually thought that he might've killed her, so they covered it up, which kept me from discovering the real killer, Aaron Echolls," he explained. "None of this had anything to do with you or Buffy. The hate Celeste has for Veronica is deep. Sure, Veronica might've rushed in the street because of our talk, but Celeste probably put the hex on her. She was gunning for Veronica. If this hadn't happened, she could've hired a professional to take her out. I'm glad it happened this way. There's a strong chance of recovery, and we caught her red-handed. She can't get out of it."

"I guess that is a good thing," Joyce said.

"You don't know this town, but it is," Keith said. "Of course, Aaron tried to set Veronica on fire, and we had video evidence of his affair with Lilly. We thought we had him nailed, and the jury ruled him not guilty."

"Well, he was an award-winning actor," Joyce said. "Hopefully, Celeste Kane won't get away with this."

"Not if there's any justice," he said. "More than likely, she will plead out and say it was an accident."

"God, I hope not," Joyce said. "It's not right."

"No, it's not, but the rich tend to get a lot less jail time than the poor in this country," Keith said. "They can afford the best attorneys, and they look better on paper."

Joyce just shook her head, disgusted at the reality of justice in America. "What about us? Veronica was very clear how she felt about my daughter and her life, Keith. She was both horrified and terrified," Joyce said.

Keith considered how to respond. "I know she was, and I was feeling a bit of those things myself," he admitted. "But I also felt incredibly proud to know someone like your daughter. To know what she's done. What's she been through—what you've been through. I just don't have the words to express my admiration and my gratitude."

Joyce was relieved at his words and reached for his hand. "I am really glad to hear that," she told him.

"When Veronica has time to process everything, I think she'll feel the same way," he said. "It was just a lot."

"I know it is," Joyce said. "It was for me, too. She's my child. Now I am told that the biggest threat she has ever faced is looking to sacrifice Dawn—my baby. There is nothing more horrifying as a parent. If I think too hard about it, I don't know whether to cry or scream."

Keith put his arm around her, and she allowed him to comfort her as the fear for Dawn overwhelmed her and concern for Veronica was pushed aside—at least for a time.

*****Two Days Later*****

Logan and Mac were sitting with Veronica when she finally opened her eyes.

"She's awake!" Mac exclaimed. "I'll go tell the nurse."

She got up to leave while Logan leaned over her, smiling in relief. Veronica was breathing on her own, so she wasn't on a ventilator. "You're okay, Veronica," he assured her. "We were hit by a car, and you were knocked out for a bit."

"Water," she squeaked. Her mouth was so dry. Logan reached for water they kept on the hospital tray and pushed the buttons to set her bed up.

After she took a long pull of water, Mac was back. "The nurse will be here in a few minutes," she said. "How do you feel, Veronica? We were so worried."

"I feel like I was run over by a truck," she said dryly.

"You'll be happy to know there was a video of the woman who ran us over, and she is currently in jail," Logan said happily.

"Who was it?" Veronica asked, narrowing her eyes.

Mac shook her head, but Logan knew he couldn't keep it from her.

"Celeste Kane," he said. "We think she was probably the one who put the hex on you, too."

"Hex? What hex?" Mac asked.

"There's a lot you don't know," Veronica said. "Logan will catch you up as I don't have the energy. How long was I asleep?"

"You've been in a coma for three days," Logan said. "I better call your dad."

"Three days? I've lost three days!" Veronica screeched.

"You were in a coma," Logan informed her.

"You're telling me that bitch put me in a coma?" Veronica asked angrily.

"Unfortunately," Logan said, squeezing the hand that wasn't in a cast.

"Well, look on the bright side," Mac said.

"How can there be a bright side?" Veronica asked. "One side of me is in a cast, and I hurt everywhere."

"At least it's your left hand and elbow that's broken. You'll still be able to do your schoolwork," Mac said with a smirk.

"I guess you're right. It could be worse," Veronica admitted. "Or I could have both arms broken or my legs."

"You do have some ribs broken," Logan said. "That's why you hurt all over. I have a broken foot." He pointed to his cast."

"Damn," Veronica muttered. "Has Duncan showed his face?"

"No," Logan said. "He's called. He's horrified. He's also terrified that he could lose his daughter since custody was given to his parents, and his mother was arrested."

"Surely, they'll just let him and Jake take care of her?" Mac said.

"How about we not talk about it?" Veronica said. "I don't have it in me to feel sorry for him or worry about his future. I have my dad and his fiancé to worry about. Buffy the freaking vampire slayer and the hellgod who is trying to sacrifice her sister. There is no time or energy in me to worry about Duncan Kane and his family drama." After saying all that, she felt drained and closed her eyes.

"What?" Mac asked.

Veronica didn't answer as she was already back to sleep as the nurse finally came in to check her vitals.

"Come on, Mac," Logan said. "I guess it's time for me to ruin your sleep."

Mac slowly followed unsure she wanted to know what the big secret they were all keeping was, but she knew one thing.

"Shouldn't we call Wallace?" she asked.

Logan didn't want to be the one to ruin Wallace's world view, but Veronica had a long recovery ahead of her. She would need the support of her best friend, and it would be best if Wallace knew the truth, too.

"He won't thank us for telling him, but it will be best for Veronica," Logan said. "Have him come to my place."

Mac was feeling some trepidation, but she texted Wallace the good news about Veronica. Then asked him to meet her at the Grand before going to the hospital.

He was quick to reply.

"He said he would see us there," she said.

Logan sent his own text to Dick, letting him know, "Time to tell Wallace and Mac about Buffy's world. Meet me at home."

"K."

Logan hoped the rational and science minded Mac would believe without proof because he didn't have time to take her to Sunnydale and show her a vampire.

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

Not terribly long but I hope you enjoyed the update. More to come. Thanks for reading!