Day One
Veronica
Echolls' Pool House

The pool house bed beckons Veronica with the promise of a quick catnap before Logan puts her back to work. Turns out, being strangled is exhausting.

She still can't quite wrap her mind around the events.

I just partnered up with my worst enemy to hose blood and other bodily particles off my ex-boyfriend - the one who could not be bothered to officially break-up with me. The Prince of Neptune. I'm currently wearing said enemy's ugly orange plaid, ocean-scented shirt that is softer against my skin than the high thread-count sheets from that hotel where we stayed when we visited Aunt Cheryl. Oh, and in case I forgot to mention, Prince Charming is sitting at the bottom of the bed in a catatonic state. This stuff happens to everyone now and then, right?

Her mind can't stop racing long enough to allow her to drift off, and she stares at the ceiling in frustration.

Is that?...A camera in the ceiling fan?

She gingerly climbs out of bed, following a covered wire from the ceiling fan to where it disappears behind a bookcase.

A seam separates the shelving unit into halves, and with a small amount of force, they glide open revealing two TV monitors and a recorder. Some type of surveillance system, from the looks of it.

She presses the power button and the monitors light up. The left looks down on Duncan from above. A second camera must be hidden in the headboard, as the other screen shows him from behind - head, shoulders, and back.

Veronica gasps.

Freaking Logan Echolls!

How many girls has he seduced here? Did he record Lilly without her knowledge?

The French doors open, and she turns left.

"Hey! My grandma said you guys headed down this way-" Weevil charges into the room, and then stops, taking in the towel-clad Duncan, and Veronica who, to an observer, probably appears to be wearing only a man's button-down shirt. "Please tell me you didn't, V."

Logan chooses this moment to enter the room, soaking wet and wearing only a towel around his waist.

Weevil's gapes, staring back and forth between the three of them.

"Awkward." Logan says, drawing out the syllables.

Fuck.

"This is not what it looks like," Veronica says. "Trust me. It would almost be easier if it were."

"Well, at least one of us would be easy." Logan says.

She rounds on him. "Can you shut your mouth for two seconds?"

He starts to respond, and his eyes widen. "What the hell is that?" He rushes over to the monitor set-up.

"I was about to ask you the same thing," she says, crossing her arms. "Just when I thought you couldn't be any more despicable…"

"Wait, you think I put this here?"

"It's your pool house."

"Right…I can see it now: 'Hi mom! Hi dad! Ignore the workmen over at the pool house. They're only installing some illegal recording equipment. What's for dinner?' Is that how the scenario goes down in your head Veronica?" He pushes open a sliding cubby door, revealing three perfectly spaced rows of video cassettes.

"What are these?" Logan plucks one of the tapes and inserts it into the video player, fast-forwarding until the screen shows Aaron Echolls writhing over a well-endowed brunette.

"Who's that?" Weevil asks.

"Dick and Beav's step-mom." Logan answers, staring at the screen. "I think I'm going to be sick."

"Really? If you ask me, she's one smokin' step-mommy!" Weevil says.

"Because…" Logan checks the date on the tape case and groans. "Because I've had my dad's sloppy seconds."

He runs a hand through his wet hair, his face the picture of nausea.

"You slept with Dick and Beaver's step-mother?" Veronica's voice drips with disgust. "She's married!"

"Aren't you naive?" he says condescendingly, patting her on the head. "Not like she's not the first. Or even the last."

Veronica had suspected as much. She'd caught glimpses of him before at the Camelot - or his doppelganger - so she can't explain why she's so disappointed in him. The headlight incident alone, was proof enough that he's not the same person he used to be.

He ejects the tape, and inserts another random tape. This time Aaron's sex partner is a little younger.

"Emma Anderson!" Veronica gasps. "She graduated last spring. What's the date on the tape, Logan?"

He examines the tape box. "Before last spring."

"Maybe she turned eighteen before graduation?"

Logan gives her an ' if-that's-what-you-want-to-believe ' look, and ejects the tape.

He plugs in a third tape. This time the star isn't Aaron Echolls.

An unknown blonde, petite and small-breasted, with a low ponytail is sideways across the bed, on her hands and knees while Logan pounds her from behind. Hard. From the sounds she's making, she seems to be intensely enjoying the experience.

"Oh My God!" Logan whispers in horror. "He recorded me!"

She stares at the screen, mesmerized as video-Logan trails rough kisses up the blonde's spine. He pulls her up so that she's upright in front of him, and then bites her on the shoulder while sliding his hand down between her legs.

An intense shivery heat suddenly emanates from some place deep inside Veronica's core. It spreads out in waves and breathing becomes difficult. She spins away, face flushed and clutches the edge of the bookshelf.

What the fuck was that?

She suspects she's experienced some sort of sexual response to the video, but that can't be possible.

She was almost raped today. Her sex drive should be DOA. Put out to pasture, or at the very least, in a coma. Sexual reactions shouldn't even be a possibility, right?

Adrenaline would make more sense. Delayed-onset adrenaline rush. Or the Oxycontin. A drug reaction is much more probable.

Because that wasn't Brad Pitt, or Johnny Depp or even her first and only love, Duncan, on that tape. It was LOGAN, the person she hates above all others. And despite Lilly's never-ending oversharing about his...talents...Veronica wouldn't - couldn't - have been reacting to him.

Adrenaline. Or Oxycontin.

Logan still stares horror-stricken at the monitor, but Weevil had caught her reaction and now shakes his head disappointingly.

"Screw you." She hisses, and Logan snaps out of his trance.

"Huh?"

"Turn it off Logan. For God's sake, turn it off."

"Relax, Veronica." Logan laughs uncomfortably. "All you could see of me was part of my ass. I'm sure you've seen an ass before."

Yeah, but not an ass like that…Oh God! I need to bleach my brain out.

He hits the stop button. "I need to find any other tapes that might have me in the starring role, and torch them."

She narrows her eyes. "So basically, to hell with protecting Duncan. Let's just sit around and watch porn?"

"Dammit!" Logan moans, running a hand through his still-wet hair and pacing the small area between the foot of the bed and the monitors.

Veronica averts her eyes, afraid they might fall upon his ass - barely covered in that towel. She will NOT think about the way his gluteus muscles contracted on the tape as he...HELL!

She ejects the video tape, inspecting the markings on the label, and then examining the two previous tapes.

"Logan, there's a system." Veronica says, and he falls in beside her. "Look, the other tapes are marked A.K and A.E., but your tape says L.K"

" , ," he says, catching her meaning. Together, they dig through the remaining collection finding an L.C and an L.?.

He inserts the first tape and Veronica spins around, avoiding any further mental images. If only she could block out the incessant shrieks.

"This is that girl my cousin Chardo threw his life away for?" Weevil asks.

"The very one." Logan answered. "Traitorous bitch!"

"Hey!" Veronica calls out. " I'm the traitorous bitch. I refuse to share a nickname - derogatory or otherwise - with Caitlin Ford."

Logan flashes Veronica an honest-to-goodness smile. "Fine, traitorous bitch is all yours. Caitlin can have treacherous skank."

"Deal."

A low cabinet with a marble counter takes the place of a traditional headboard in the pool house. The view of Duncan's back on the monitors had been too unobstructed for the second camera to have been built-in. Too many pillows blocking the way. Nor was it embedded into the dry bar. The wooden doors are unmarred, and the lock is genuine. In addition, the distance was a bit too much, and the decorative objects arranged along the counter weren't in the frame.

She examines these. Framed photos. A few books. A bowl of fake pears. A gilded Buddha statue.

There. A tiny glass dot on the forehead. The Urna, or third eye.

Aaron Echolls, you disgusting pig.

"I broke up with this...treacherous skank...last Thursday," Logan is saying, "...and we were only together for a few weeks, so this is recent. Fuck my dad!"

"She's a little skinny for my taste." Weevil says. "I prefer a little more meat on their bones."

"Don't we all?" Logan agrees, ejecting the tape and inserting the third.

Veronica checks on Duncan, waving her hand in front of his face. No sign of improvement.

"Well dayum!" Weevil says. "That's more like it. Who is she?"

"Not a clue. I think I was drunk." Logan admits, "But if you find her, get her number for me."

"I'm getting her number for me!"

The sex noises on screen get loud again.

"God Logan." Veronica says, "Why do all of your bimbos need to be so loud? Your dad's companions were at least politely quiet."

Logan erupts into laughter. "It means that, unlike my father, I know what I'm doing. And if you don't know that, the swim team isn't doing it right."

"Damn man!" Weevil turns his head sideways. "You never mentioned your years traveling with the circus? How did you do that?"

"I have no idea. Is there a slo-mo button on that thing?"

Veronica's head pounds. "LOGAN!"

He mercifully ejects the tape.

"Can I keep this one?" Weevil asks.

Logan swats his hand away, tossing all three of his personal tapes on the bed and returning the bookcase to its pre-discovery state. "Can't let dad know we've discovered his secret."

"So...as much as I enjoyed the porn..." Weevil begins. "Can somebody please explain to me what's going on, why the three of you are basically naked, and why Golden Boy hasn't spoken a word since I got here?"

He turns to Veronica. "And you especially, why are you hanging out with the asshole who smashed your headlights just last week?"

"Can we just talk after Logan and Duncan get dressed," she says.

"Why? Too much hotness for you?" Logan asked, posing with his hands out.

Veronica glares.

"Fine. Back in five minutes."

Weevil waits until they're alone. "So, you...uh...have a thing for Satan there?" He motions to the doorway in which Logan just exited.

"Absolutely, positively not. I loathe Logan."

"Liar," He says, "I'm pretty sure you blew a love-gasket watching Opie pound that blonde."

She turns away. "That's crude and disgusting."

"V, I'm familiar with what an aroused woman looks like." Weevil says. "I've done my share of arousing."

"I have never hated anybody in my life more than I hate you at this moment," she hisses.

Weevil laughed. "What was it the Bible said about dothing and protesting too much?"

Veronica rolls her eyes, and plucks a thick leather-bound book from a shelf. "That would be Shakespeare," she says, handing it to Weevil. "The lady doth protest too much, methinks."

"Well methinks that's exactly what you doth be doing." He turns the book sideways, running his fingers over the gold-leaf page edges.

"It's not that!" Veronica insists, looking back to Duncan to make sure he's not listening. As if .

She moves over to the doorway separating the bedroom from the gaming area, and drops her voice. "I've just never seen anything like that before, okay? When I used to make out with Duncan, everything was always so tender...and gentle. Even the cheaters I stake out at the Camelot are relatively...uninspired. That...action...happening on screen was so...um... animalistic ? Or primal ? Or...I don't know."

Wow, Veronica. You just had to explain yourself. Nice job making it worse.

Weevil seems to catch her drift, though. "It's boy vs. man. That ooey-gooey-first-love lovin' you were getting from Golden Boy was the work of a boy. I may despise Echolls, but at least he fucks like a man..." He pauses for a second. "...or a double-jointed circus freak...and from your reaction, you're thinking..."

"Weevil..." Veronica warns, eyes narrowed.

He can't take a hint. "Did you get a good look at the girl on that tape?" He answers his own question: "Of course you didn't. You only had eyes for Logan. I got a good look at her, though. And the girl on the third tape, too."

"Your point?"

"My point is, they were both cheap imitations of you. Caitlin too, if you squint. They had longer hair and the one was curvier, but otherwise..."

"Just leave, Weevil!" Veronica commands. "If you can't understand how much I hate Logan Echolls, then we'll have to do this without you."

"Well that's not very charitable, Veronica." Logan says, returning to the room wearing jeans and a black T-shirt with a green button-up over-shirt. "Save a girl's life, and she treats you like gum on the bottom of her shoe." He pouts.

"People say if you save a person's life, you're responsible for them forever," Weevil says.

"Trust me, Veronica is the one person I most certainly do NOT want to be responsible for forever. She's too much trouble for her own good."

She narrows her eyes. "Says the guy screwing everybody's wife."

"Jealous?" Logan quirks an eyebrow and smirks. "Hey, I'm going to need some help getting D.K. dressed." He gestures to the pile of clothing in his arms.

Together, Veronica and Logan manage to get Duncan dressed in boxers (accomplished under the towel), a blue button-up shirt, khaki shorts a little too tight at the waist, and a pair of Logan's socks.

"What about his shoes?" Veronica asks.

"His are too bloody, and mine are too big. We'll have to grab some from his house."

"Bloody?" Weevil's suddenly alert. "Would somebody please start explaining?"

Logan lets out a puff of air, and stands. Veronica attempts to rise, but a shooting pain runs through her and she gasps.

Weevil raises an eyebrow when Logan leans over and gently lifts her up from the floor to the bed.

"Asshole punched Veronica in the gut a few times," he explains.

"Who?" Weevil asks, his voice lowering, and his eyes icy. "I'll fucking kill him. There's never an excuse for a man to put his hands on a woman. Ever."

"I think he's a little beyond your reach now, Paco." Logan laughs bitterly.

"I'll decide that for myself. Tell me what happened."

Logan flops down across the bed, staring up at the ceiling fan. "I went to pick D.K. up from his soccer game. Over at the Community Park. His SUV is in the shop, and his mom dropped him off. Anyway, we're just starting to pull away, when something tells me to go back and check the maintenance building."

"Something told you?" Veronica questions.

"Let me finish." Logan snaps. "I'm halfway there when I hear Veronica crying. I break into a run, shove the gate open, and find some fucktard trying to push his dick into her. Or at least trying to pry her legs apart."

Weevil's nostrils flare, and his fists clench. Unclench.

"This dude has his other hand around Veronica's throat and she's making this gasping sound like she can't breathe. I'm just about to lay into him, when Duncan comes up behind me and lets out this...wail like nothing I've ever heard before. He didn't even sound human. So he flips out. Loses it. Before I can even blink, he's got the guy on the ground with his hands around his throat. Trying to kill him. It takes everything I have to pull him off, and then all the fight drains out of him."

Not all the fight, apparently.

"The rapist is out of commission, just laying there groaning. Veronica's unconscious, so I go check on her. I'm fixing her skirt when suddenly Duncan wails again. I turn around, and he's got the guy's knife." Logan exhales, seeming to brace himself for what comes next. "I think he stabbed him like eight or nine times. I froze up, watching that knife rise and fall into the body over and over again. It made this horrible sort of noise when it slipped in." He shivers. "Then, as if somebody turned off the lights. Duncan wasn't there anymore. Same as he is now, but rocking back and forth. "

"Damn." Weevil runs a hand over his face. "What's wrong with him? I mean besides being batshit?"

"I'd guess some kind of catatonia from extreme trauma." Veronica suggests. "He was like this the night Lilly died, too."

Both boys look at her with interest.

"I was with my dad when he received the call. When we showed up, Duncan was rocking. I couldn't get through to him, so I gave up and went looking for my dad by the pool, where..."

Weevil steps forward, squeezing her shoulder, and her body recoils.

"I'm sorry. I wasn't thinking," he says.

"Don't apologize. You were only trying to be reassuring. It's just..." She trails off and watches a silent communication pass between the two conscious boys.

Logan brings them back to the subject at hand. "So Duncan zoned out the night Lilly died, and was still...zoned out...during the funeral. Which means this could potentially last for several days."

"Yeah, I think so." Veronica says.

Weevil rubs a hand over his head. "If you don't mind me asking, where exactly do I come in?"

"Logan's going to take Duncan and run," Veronica says. "They're going to at least need a vehicle and some passports."

"Why run? He's rich and white. They'll never pin this on him."

"There was a security camera pointed right at the scene of the crime." Logan says. "They've got him dead to rights."

"Of course there was." Weevil sighs. "The feeds for the park cameras record over at the Park Services department, and my friend who does security there is out of town because of a death in the family. I can't get that tape for you. Once they find the body in the morning, they're going to head straight to the tapes."

"It never crossed my mind to ask you to get the the tapes." Veronica admits.

"Why come to me at all, V?" Weevil asks. "It's no secret that me and Logan here..." He points back and forth. "...can barely tolerate each other on a good day."

"Way to spoil my prom dreams." Logan pouts. "Did we forget to mention that the dearly departed rapist bastard was a Fitzpatrick?" Logan asks.

Now Weevil perks up. "I may be able to make some arrangements." He strokes his chin, thoughtfully.

"Plus, our little quid pro quo has been a bit heavy on the quid and a bit light on the quo." Veronica says.

"I get it. I get it. I owe you," Weevil says. "But are you sure you want to waste your favors on these idiots? Logan's been a complete ass to you."

"Hey! I resent that!"

Weevil and Veronica both turn to face him. Logan wisely chooses to remain silent.

She turns back to Weevil. "You didn't see his face. He was going to murder me after he raped me. I'd be dead right now if it weren't for Logan..and Duncan. And it's not like I won't just earn back more favors the next time you get yourself in trouble."

"Which Fitzpatrick was it?" Weevil asks.

"Ciaran." Veronica answers.

His head jerks in her direction. "Please tell me that was a terribly bad pronunciation of Padraig."

"No, I said Ciaran. What does that mean in the scheme of things?"

Weevil pinches the bridge of his nose as if he has a migraine coming on.

"I'll tell you what it means. Start packing, Veronica." He sweeps a hand toward Logan. "Looks like you two idiots are going to have some feminine companionship on your extended trip."

"Like hell!" Veronica and Logan say simultaneously.

"Listen. Let me tell you a little bit about the Fitzpatricks," Weevil looks around for a chair, glances at the bed, where Veronica and Duncan sit, and Logan sprawls, and settles for leaning against the wall. "There's thirteen of the fuckers, and that's just the brothers and male cousins. Twelve hoods and one priest."

"A case for birth control, if I've ever heard one," Logan mutters from behind her.

"These thirteen Micks do nothing but fight amongst each other. The would sell out their mother if they thought they could turn a profit."

"But they protect their own?" Veronica interrupts.

"As a rule? No. With one exception."

"Ciaran Fitzpatrick." Logan stands, begins pacing again.

"Ciaran Fitzpatrick," Weevil points at him and nods. "He's done time for Liam. Took a bullet for him. Somehow, even in that crazy meth-head family, they are about as close as two brothers get. And Liam Fitzpatrick is one batshit crazy mother. He won't stop until the three of you are in the ground." He turns back to Logan. "So you're taking Veronica with you, whether you like it or not."

"My dad will keep me safe!" She insists.

"My predecessor, Gustavio Toombs - AKA Reaper Gus, thought he'd be fine. He got in a fight with Ciaran Fitzpatrick over dealing at the high school, and he's never been seen since. The same with Andrew Fitzpatrick – one of the cousins. He tried to make a deal - fingered Ciaran for a B&E- also never seen again."

"But my dad..."

"Liam Fitzpatrick is notorious for using loved ones as bait. You need to get out of town, and break off ALL contact with your father whatsoever, or he will end up dead. YOU will end up dead, and your two rich boyfriends will end up dead. Are we clear?"

She's still not convinced. "I'll go stay with my Aunt Cheryl in Palm Springs for a while."

"Your relatives are matter of public record. He will find you and kill you. You need to go with Logan."

"I don't even trust him! Have you forgotten how he bashed my headlights in last week?" She asks, glaring at Logan.

He glares back. "What did you expect? You planted a fucking bong in my locker! Got me suspended and arrested. You wouldn't believe the shitstorm my dad rained down on me at home, not to mention the arrest and suspension."

"Wait, so that's why you busted her headlights?" Weevil asks.

Both answer as one. "Yeah."

Weevil pinches the bridge of his nose again. "You know what? You two deserve each other. I will be smiling on the inside imagining you two driving each other crazy."

They both glare at him.

"I'm not arguing with you V, you're going on the run with these two."

"Fine." She mutters.

"Whatever." Logan grumbles.

"Do you think the Golden Boy over there might be a danger to Veronica? He did flip out and kill somebody."

Logan sighs. "...I never intended to tell anybody this..."

Veronica and Weevil wait.

"I've seen him wig out once before. He tried to strangle Jake Kane, and was yelling something about Veronica."

"So he could be dangerous to Veronica."

"No, that's just it. After I pulled him off his father, he went limp for a second, and then he snapped out of it. He didn't even remember trying to choke Jake. He didn't remember anything. And the weirdest part? This was only a day or two after he'd broken up with Veronica."

Weevil's eyes meet Veronica's. "So you think Veronica triggers some kind of berserk button for Kane?"

"Yeah, like he's King Kong, and Veronica's the blonde chick he needs to protect. Well…that other blonde chick."

"Will you take responsibility for keeping Veronica safe?" Weevil asks.

"I'm not going to let him hurt Veronica."

"Where's the body?" Weevil asks, changing the subject.

"Still at the community park in the fenced area by the maintenance building."

"Padlocked?"

"Broken padlock." Logan answers.

"OK. I'll replace the lock," Weevil says. "That should buy time until the morning. Nobody will bother with the security footage until the body is found. Get out of town tonight. And NO MEXICO!"

"Why not?" Logan demands. "I was actually planning to take Duncan down to Mexico."

"Of course you were. You need to go someplace where you can blend in. You'll stick out like sore thumbs in Mexico. Do you have fake ID's?"

"I do." Veronica answers. "And I made some for Logan and Duncan back before...You still have them?"

Logan nods. "I do. Pretty sure Duncan does too."

"Show me." Weevil holds out a hand.

Veronica produces hers from her purse. Logan hands over his own, and Duncan's (after a trip out to the truck to dig through his duffel bag).

"You'll need new ones, but we can extract the photos from these ones. I know a guy with the right equipment. Okay, go pack pretty boy. I'll meet you at Veronica's in two hours with some new wheels and ID's."

"I have my own wheels, thank you very much." Logan says.

"Is he always this dumb?"

"No. Trust me; he can be much, much more dumb." Veronica answers.

"Do you want to get caught Echolls? Think nobody will notice that yellow rolling eyesore?"

"It's not that noticeable."

"I'll bring you a mini-van. Nobody even sees mini-vans."

"You expect me to drive a mini-van?"

Veronica has to hide her face to keep from laughing at the outrage on his face.

"I expect you be murdered if you don't."

"Fine." Logan huffs.

"Leave your credit cards. Take as much cash as you can get your hands on. Don't try to leave the country. Get lost somewhere where you'll blend in."

Logan and Veronica nod.

"I'm helping you for Veronica! You had better take care of her. Is that clear?"

"Spare me the dramatics." Logan says. "I need to go pack." He stalks out of the room.

"Hey, I'm really sorry about that stuff I was saying earlier about you and Logan. If I had known..."

Veronica glares at Weevil. "If you had known that I was almost a rape victim, you would have walked on eggshells?"

"I didn't mean..."

"Your sexual innuendos are obnoxious, but that's who you are. If you start walking on eggshells, you're going to make me feel like a victim, and that's the last thing I want."

"So we're good?"

"Yeah, but if you ever insinuate Logan and I together sexually again, I'm going to taser you. Twice. Not because it's a sexual innuendo, but because it's Logan."

"Yes, ma'am." Weevil grins. "So where is all the bloody evidence?"

"Bathroom." Veronica points.

Weevil heads to the main house and returns with a trash bag, some rags and a bottle of bleach. He fills the trash bag with Veronica's ripped shirt, Duncan's bloody clothes and shoes, the towel, and Logan's bloody pants, and then cleans up any blood in the bathroom with a bleach soaked rag.

He takes the bag with him when he leaves, telling Veronica it'll be tossed over the Coronado Bridge later tonight.