Sometimes You Can't Make It on Your Own
Chapter 10 – A Bad Case of U.S.T.
Logan – Day Three – Sweet Dreams Motel – Somewhere in Texas
Logan woke an hour before the alarm was set to go off. He had been dreaming about Lilly, but he knew before even opening his eyes that it would be Veronica's head on his chest, and her hand curled around his right shoulder. She was similar in size to Lilly, but where Lilly had always felt solid and substantial against him, Veronica was feather light, as if she would drift away if she weren't anchored down. She was nestled up against his left side, and his left arm was wrapped around her, his hand resting gently on her hip.
He sighed and then allowed himself a tiny grin. This was a change. Waking up with a girl whom he didn't feel like instantly extricating himself from. He'd had a couple awkward mornings after one-night stands. Encourage the cuddling, and suddenly they're calling you their boyfriend.
But this was Veronica. There had been no one-night stand, and Veronica was the last person who would ever confuse him for her boyfriend. Plus, her coconut-scented hair smelled nice. He really didn't want to wake her; she'd had a rough night.
Stretching out his right arm to the nightstand, he fumbled for the T.V. remote. He grinned as Veronica clenched his shoulder to prevent him from getting away. Even in her sleep, she was a pushy little thing. Finally grasping the remote, he hit the power button, and lowered the volume, arranging his pillow to prop up his head.
The TV still broadcasted the cable channel from the previous evening, and he zoned out while they recapped some of the national news.
He began focusing again when he noticed his and Veronica's picture on the screen.
[C-NOW News logo – All News All Day – fades to an enhanced still of Logan carrying Veronica away from the scene of the crime]
Of course, they caught the exact moment where I softened towards her. I look like a complete sap there.
Anchor: Now for the story taking the country by storm: The fatal stabbing of an alleged drug dealer, Ciaran Fitzpatrick, by Duncan Kane – son of billionaire software tycoon, Jake Kane – while the victim was attempting to rape ex-girlfriend, Veronica Mars; and the subsequent disappearance of Duncan, Veronica, and witness, Logan Echolls – son of Oscar-winner Aaron Echolls. We take you now to Ann Marler, live at Neptune High School in Neptune, CA. Ann, have there been any new developments?
[Split screen displays showing the news anchor on the left half. On the right half, Ann Marler stands just off school property.]
Marler:Thanks Rebecca. No, there haven't been any new developments in the whereabouts of the missing kids.
Anchor: Have you spoken with the families?
Marler: Keith Mars and Lynn Echolls have agreed to sit down with me this evening, and the Kanes will be holding a press conference later this afternoon.
Anchor: And Aaron Echolls?
Marler: In the Czech Republic, filming a movie. He's unable to fly home due to contractual obligations. Lynn will be speaking for the family.
Logan's soft chuckle was tinged with bitterness. He'd known that his father wouldn't consider his disappearance worthy of coming home. Why should he be surprised?
Anchor: Have you been able to speak with any of their teachers?
Marler: Assistant Principal Van Clemmons stopped by to make sure that we remained off school premises. He refused to comment, except for to say that all three were excellent students with promising futures. In fact, Veronica Mars was already considered a contender for the prestigious Kane Scholarship next year.
Anchor: I understood you interviewed some of the classmates earlier this morning?
Marler: Yes, many of the students stopped by to tell me their stories about Logan, Duncan and Veronica. The stories were so conflicting that I thought a group interview might be a better approach.
Anchor: Are you ready to run the footage?
Marler: I am.
[Tracking shot of the Sac N' Pack fades to a split screen. On the left side is a photo of Veronica sitting between Logan and Duncan on wooden gym bleachers, all laughing. On the right side is a small nondescript room with several couches. The couches are occupied by Neptune High School students.]
Hail hail, the gang's all here…or flock…or whatever you call a grouping of vultures. Oh look, Veronica's only friend. Willy? Waldo? Wilber?
Marler: I'd like to thank the Neptune Sac N' Pack for allowing us to use their break room for this interview. Sac N' Pack - You'll keep coming back. Can each of you introduce yourselves?
[On the right side of the split screen, the camera moves from student to student as they introduce themselves: Wallace Fennel, Dick Casablancas, Cassidy Casablancas, Madison Sinclair, Meg Manning, Susan Knight, Caitlin Ford, Sean Friedrich, and Casey Gant]
Ahh…Wallace. I was close at least.
Marler: I'd like to thank you all for agreeing to speak to me today. Do you think Duncan, Veronica, and Logan are alive?
Dick: What, are you asking if we think they've been killed? No way man. Logan Echolls is invincible. They totally took off.
Marler: Do the rest of you agree with that.
Everyone:(Shrugs and nods)
Marler: So you think they ran? Can any of you tell me where Logan, Duncan, and Veronica are heading?
Everyone: (Laughing nervously, looking at each other and shrugging)
Dick: Well there's always Tijuana. That's where I would go.
And…if Weevil hadn't talked me out if it, you would have just blown my cover, Dick.
Marler: Are you aware of any vacation properties where they might be hiding?
Madison: The Kanes have their Napa house. I think they have a place at Big Bear also.
Casey: Aspen. I think both of the families have homes there.
Marler: Tell me about Duncan Kane. Has he ever displayed a violent side in the past?
Dick: Never.
Cassidy: No.
Meg: No, he wouldn't hurt a fly.
Sean: Not Duncan.
Susan: Yes.
Everyone: (All eyes turn to Susan)
[The left side of the split screen cuts to a recent photo of Duncan]
Marler: Susan, can you elaborate?
Susan: My friend's brother works in the ER. Sometime last fall, Duncan was brought in kicking and screaming, and foaming at the mouth, calling out Veronica's name. It took three orderlies to get him in a straightjacket. This was right after he broke up with Veronica.
Madison: I heard that story too. Of course, it's always about Veronica.
Wait...Duncan was calm after I pulled him off Jake that one night. He didn't even remember it happening the next day, so he must have flipped out twice that week he broke up with Veronica. What did she do to cause those kinds of meltdowns?
Marler: Why do you think they took Ciaran Fitzpatrick's duffel bag? Do any of them have a history of drug use?
Dick: No way, man.
Sean: No.
Susan: I've heard rumors of the boys taking X at parties, but not day to day.
Madison: Personally, I think Duncan takes a whole pharmacy of drugs every day. What else could explain the personality change? But nothing illegal.
Wallace (shaking his head): Veronica would have wanted the bag, if she was investigating the guy. She wouldn't let a clue like that get away.
[Left side of split screen cuts to recent photo of Veronica with short hair.]
Marler: Tell me why Veronica, a high school student, would be investigating a drug dealer.
Wallace: I talked to her that afternoon before she went to the park. Let's just say her client made her an offer she couldn't refuse.
Marler: Why would her client hire a teenage girl for such a dangerous job?
Wallace (looking shifty): She...may have...taken the job on behalf of Mars Investigations.
Marler: How long has Veronica been investigating cases with her father?
Wallace: I believe they opened Mars Investigations around the beginning of the year.
Casey: That's correct. My parents hired Mr. Mars right after they opened to locate a missing author.
Veronica shifted in her sleep, sliding her hand from Logan's shoulder down to his stomach. Logan eyed the hand with an eyebrow raised.
"Um…Veronica? You might want to wake up."
He felt her stir at his side, and braced himself for a verbal smack down.
"This feels dangerously close to cuddling," she mumbled against his chest.
Logan withdrew the arm that curled around Veronica. "Sorry. You were having a nightmare and screaming. I just thought…well…if I helped you…I'd be able to get some sleep."
"I know." Veronica said sighing and rolling onto her back. "It worked. I actually got a good night's sleep. Thank you."
"Who are you and where'd you put Veronica?"
Veronica flashed an I-can't-believe-I-just-thanked-Logan-Echolls smile/wince.
"Look!" Logan said, pointing at the T.V. "Our devoted classmates are waxing poetic over us."
"Oh, I can't wait to see how much they really love me!" Veronica said in a pep squad voice, sitting and snagging Logan's pillow to prop herself up. His head thumped against the headboard.
"Hey! Get your own pillow!" He whined. When she only smirked at him, he pushed himself up into a sitting position and tried to steal the pillow back. Veronica compromised by giving him half.
How strange is it that I can sit here with her shoulder to shoulder, knee to knee, and watch TV like an old married couple? Like we haven't been fighting for a year?
[Left side of split screen cuts to a photo of Duncan.]
Marler: Madison, let's go back to your earlier statement about Duncan's personality change. Can you elaborate?
Madison: It was after Lilly's death. Duncan was always quieter than Logan…
Meg: More introspective.
Madison: Right. He was introspective, but still friendly and outgoing. After Lilly died, he turned into a zombie: staring off into space, forgetting where he's supposed to be sometimes, looking lost. He's cold now.
Meg: He's never rude or disrespectful, just withdrawn.
Susan: He's drugged out of his mind. But to be honest, all three of them had personality transplants.
Marler: (with interest): Logan and Veronica changed as well?
Everyone (With various nods): OH YEAH!
[Left side of split screen cuts to photo of Logan and Veronica sticking their tongues out at the camera]
Susan: Logan used to be this...lovable goof. After Lilly's death he became...Can I say jackass on TV?
"Sure, if I can say 'bitch' in a motel room," Logan muttered under his breath.
Dick: Ronnie changed the most. She used to be…
Casey: Innocent, naïve , the peacekeeper.
Wallace: The last word I'd ever use to describe Veronica Mars is naïve.
Casey: That's because you only know the new version of her. When they were the Fab Four, Logan and Lilly were the wild ones. Duncan and Veronica were the quiet, responsible ones.
Meg: People were merciless with Veronica. She could either lay down and take it, or she could toughen up. She chose to fight back.
Susan: She had a 180-degree personality change
"They really know nothing about you, do they?" Logan noted. "You were always tough. That's one of the first things I ever noticed about you."
"You bet I'm tough." Veronica held up a bicep and flexed it.
Caitlin: She's not tough, she's mean.
Wallace: Mean? Because she found out what you were up to?
Caitlin (sulks)
"Wait, you cheated on me, and now you want to play the wronged victim, Caitlin?"
"The nerve of some people," Veronica said.
[Left side of screen cuts to photo of Duncan getting something out of a locker while Logan leans back against the adjacent locker.]
"Look at you all cool and unaffected. You practice that lean, don't you?"
"Always accusing me of practicing things. I practice walking backward, I practice leaning..." Logan shook his head as if injured. "Why on earth would I practice a lean? You ever think maybe I'm just too lazy to stand up straight?"
Veronica looked surprised, at his reference to an earlier time.
What Ronnie, you thought I didn't remember every single detail about the day I met you?
Marler: According to the video, Logan Echolls committed no crime. Why would he flee?
Dick: Because Duncan's his BFF.
Caitlin: Logan takes care of Duncan.
Marler: Takes care of Duncan, how?
Cassidy: Ever since Lilly's death, Logan's been helping Duncan.
Casey: Duncan's a scholar. He gets good grades and everything, but if it weren't for Logan, he'd probably spend the entire day contemplating the meaning of his shoes. Logan at least gets him moving and socializing. Somewhat.
Madison: I'm telling you guys, it's the meds. Duncan didn't used to be like that.
"Did you remember to grab any meds for Duncan at the Kane house?" Veronica asked.
"Never crossed my mind." Logan said. "Maybe that's a good thing? Hopefully?"
Marler: What caused Veronica's breakup and estrangement from the boys?
Logan felt Veronica stiffen next to him.
[The left side of the split screen cuts to a homecoming photo of Duncan and Veronica.]
Cassidy: That was two different things. Duncan and Veronica broke up first.
Madison: Nobody knows why. I heard that there never was a breakup. He just stopped speaking to her one day and left it to her to figure out.
Wallace: He still treats her as if she doesn't exist. That dude is cold-blooded.
Marler: When was the breakup?
Dick: A couple weeks before Lilly died. It was a rough month for all of them. I think first Logan and Lilly broke up for the thousandth time, maybe a week later, Duncan and Veronica broke up, and then a couple weeks later, Lilly was murdered.
Marler: So Logan took Duncan's side against Veronica and turned on her?
Susan: The rumors were that she had something to do with his breakup with Lilly.
Dick: She did, but he forgave her for that. Logan and Ronnie were friends right before we went to Tijuana.
Marler: What's significant about Tijuana?
Cassidy: Dick, Logan and I were there the day Lilly was murdered.
You ass! Why are you talking about Tijuana and the day that Lilly died?
Casey: Lilly was the glue that held them together. She was Duncan's sister, Logan's girlfriend, and Veronica's best friend.
Marler: So after Lilly's death…?
Casey: Without her boyfriend and her best friend, there wasn't much tying Veronica and Logan together.
"It wasn't like that." Logan said without any elaboration. He risked a glance at Veronica, but she wasn't looking at him.
[Left side of split screen cuts to a photo of Logan and Veronica sitting on a blanket on the beach. Veronica wears a turquoise one-piece and Logan wears an unzipped wetsuit.]
Dick: That's not true. Ronnie and Logan were good friends outside of the Kanes.
Marler: So what happened?
Madison: Veronica's dad, the sheriff, went after the Kanes for Lilly's murder.
Dick: Logan thinks of Mr. Kane like his own father.
Cassidy: He made her choose - stand by her father, or stand by her friends.
Madison: She chose to stand by her father.
Dick: She betrayed everyone.
Marler: How did she betray everyone?
Dick: I just told you. She stood by her father.
Everyone:(Nods of agreement except for Casey, Meg, and Wallace)
Marler: I'm not grasping how that is a betrayal.
Wallace: Trust me. You're not the only one.
Cassidy: Loyalty means everything to Logan Echolls.
Susan: So he declared war on Veronica.
Meg(rolling her eyes): He made her life miserable. And all of the sheep followed.
Marler: What did Logan do to make Veronica's life miserable.
Wallace: Just from what she's told me? He started rumors, marked up her locker, marked up her car, let air out of her tires, threw her clothing in the toilet while she was in the locker-room shower.
Dick: That was all of us, not just Logan.
Cassidy: Most of those things aren't Logan's style. When Logan does something to Veronica he wants her to know he's responsible. He wouldn't mess with her locker or her car unless she was standing there to witness it. What's the point if he doesn't get her attention?
Wallace: Well I was standing there next to Veronica last week witnessing him break her headlights.
Dick: Hey! She planted a bong in his locker. What did she expect?
Wallace: He loved it. He called her cute and acted like it was a fun little game between them, and then two days later, he's a psycho at the beach with a tire iron breaking her headlights.
Cassidy: It is like a game to Logan.
Marler: Did Logan physically threaten Veronica with the tire iron? Was she afraid of him?
Wallace: Nah, only her car. Veronica Mars afraid of that punk? Please!
"Cause I'm tough!" Veronica held up her fists in a boxing pose.
Dick: Hey, Ronnie is no victim. She gives as good as she gets. She's done some really crappy things to Logan in revenge. Even to the rest of us. She's messed with my truck a couple times so that it wouldn't start.
Sean: Veronica is vindictive. She hates anybody with money. I wouldn't be surprised if she staged the entire thing to lure them back into her web.
Everyone:(turns to stare at Sean with mouths open)
Logan and Veronica stared at the TV with their mouths open.
"Mind taking a little side trip back to Neptune, so I can put my fist in his mouth?" Logan asked finally.
"That would be a problem. I could probably sic' Weevil on him though."
"Never thought I would see the day where I would side with Weevil over an 09er." Logan said.
Marler: Why would Veronica run away with somebody she hates?
Wallace: There's no way she would leave with Logan Echolls. I think they kidnapped her or took her hostage.
"Hurray! I'm a kidnapping fugitive now." Logan said, running a hand through his hair.
"Well...technically we both are. Duncan never exactly gave us his consent to bring him along. I knew I should have emailed Wallace before we left."
Dick: That's ridiculous. They didn't kidnap her.
Meg: She doesn't hate them.
Casey: I like Veronica, but I have to agree. Logan and Veronica have a very unhealthy sort of relationship. He puts so much effort into his rivalry with her, and Veronica is no better. If she didn't want the attention, she would try harder to avoid it. There are 30 lunch tables, and every day she chooses to sit at the table closest to Logan and Duncan. Facing them. That's not something you do when you just want to be ignored.
Marler: Why do you think that is?
Casey: I don't think either of them wants to let go of the past, or be forgotten by the other, even if the attention is negative. Maybe they need each other to keep Lilly Kane's memory alive? Maybe they should just hug and make up.
"Umm…You need a hug Veronica?" Logan's eyes were large and innocent.
"Considering our positions when I woke up, I think we've already exceeded our hug quota for the year." Veronica answered, not taking her eyes off the T.V.
[Left side of split screen cuts to photo of Duncan holding Veronica's hand at the lunch table and smiling at her]
Sean: I think it's because she's obsessed with Duncan.
Susan: It's Duncan who's obsessed with her.
Marler: Why would you say that?
Susan: Actually, they're both obsessed with her. But Duncan…(voice drops to a conspiratorial whisper) A night or two before they disappeared, Duncan was making out with his girlfriend in his car, and called her by Veronica's name. When she questioned him, all he could do was laugh hysterically.
Logan was on the verge of laughing hysterically. He risked a peek at Veronica who was looking over at the sleeping Duncan with a scowl on her face. She glanced back at Logan.
"What's so funny?" She demanded.
"I don't know. Maybe the fact that Duncan and I both have a Veronica Mars-related 'wrong name' incident. Maybe we should compare notes."
Veronica's eyes narrowed into tiny slits. "You wouldn't dare."
Uh-oh. Ronnie's bout' to blow.
"No. I would never tell him about that. But can't you see the humor in it?"
"My humiliation? Yeah, it's hilarious."
"Humiliation? Shouldn't it be Shelly who's humiliated for that story getting out?"
"I wasn't talking about the Shelly situation." She sighed.
Logan sighed. "Why do you get so pissed off every time I mention that day?"
"Why do you need to keep mentioning it? Stop bringing it up already."
"I thought we'd left things on good terms that day. What's the problem?"
"I. Don't. Want. To. Talk. About. It.".
Caitlin: I think it would be romantic if they got back together.
Susan: If Veronica and Duncan get back together, I hope they never come back. They were the most
nauseating couple this school has ever seen. Like, they could not bear to stop holding hands and gazing
into each other's eyes, so they would even eat their sandwiches one-handed.
"She has a point. You two were pretty nauseating."
"And you and Lilly were any better?"
"Lilly wouldn't put up with any of that mushy stuff. She hated it."
"But you didn't."
Logan shrugged. He'd picked the wrong girl if he was looking for PDA's.
Or… face it Logan, maybe you just picked the wrong girl.
[Left side of the screen cuts to photo of Logan and Veronica at a party. He has both arms around her from behind and is whispering in her ear. By the laughter on her face, he's obviously flirting shamelessly.]
"That was a fun night. I think. I was pretty drunk."
Veronica looked at the photo wistfully. "When that picture was taken, you were trying to convince me that we should ditch the Kanes and run away together." She looked around the motel room as if in surprise. "Oh! What do you know?"
Logan sighed regretfully and pointed to Duncan. "We didn't do it right."
Veronica snorted in laughter. "Ahh…but is he really here?"
Marler: And Logan? You were saying that it's obsession behind all of the hostility?
Cassidy (laughing): Hostility? It's a total act. Logan pretends to hate Veronica, but yeah, I'd agree, he's a bit obsessed with her. He's constantly staring at her. He knows her schedule by heart. He's always arranging to 'just run into her'. All of those pranks? He's pulling the pigtails of the girl he has a crush on. Then there's Duncan, who is completely in love with her, but trying to repress it. One of those guys is going to get the girl. That friendship is doomed.
Neither Veronica nor Logan looked at the other.
Marler: Very interesting. So you think this is a love triangle situation.
Cassidy: Yes
Everyone:(several heads nod, while Wallace emphatically shakes his head in the negative.)
Marler: So who do you predict will 'get the girl'?
Cassidy: Well Duncan has that whole "first love' thing going for him, but I took Logan in the pool. I think Veronica has outgrown Duncan. She and Logan make much more sense now, personality-wise. Plus, I've learned to always bet on Logan.
Marler: What kind of pool?
Everyone (Looking away shiftily)
Logan did a little fist pump.
"Logan?!" Veronica turned to him ready to yell.
Logan looked abashed. "I like to win things, Okay?" He shrugged.
Caitlin: You have it all wrong. It's Veronica who's obsessed with Logan. I was dating Logan just last week, and she told him this awful lie about me, just to break us up.
Wallace (Eyebrows raised in disbelief): Oh…you just keep talking, girl.
Caitlin: She told Logan right in front of me that she switched to Journalism class just to be near him. She even wanted to switch to our fourth period class, but got it all wrong. She's obsessed with him.
"That girl is delusional," Veronica said. "The finer points of sarcasm appear to be lost on her."
"I didn't date her for her brains."
Veronica punched him in the arm and shook her head.
Susan: Well then it's very mutual. How's this for obsession? Logan was dating my best friend before Caitlin. And she didn't think his vendetta with Veronica was very healthy, so she gave him an ultimatum. Her or Veronica. He chose Veronica.
And I was hoping that bullet point wouldn't get a mention. You just couldn't keep that to yourself, could you?
"Did you rea-" Veronica began.
Logan cut her off. "Does she look kind of pregnant to you?"
Veronica just stared at him.
Wallace: Every single one of you is crazy. Veronica hates Logan. Logan hates Veronica. Veronica is dating Troy Vandegraff - or at least they had their first date the night before she disappeared.
"I am so glad I got you away from that douchebag." Logan said.
"Why? What is your issue with Troy?"
"Nothing. He just doesn't know how to follow instructions."
"Did you…" Veronica trailed off at Dick's next statement.
Dick: Logan and Veronica? They have this crazy U.S.T. - Unidentified Sexual Tension. (He pumps his hips suggestively in time with his words).
Marler: Isn't the U supposed to stand for Unresolved.
Dick: Yeah, that too! I wouldn't be surprised if they've been having crazy hate sex under our noses for
years.
Marler: If they were having sexual relations, wouldn't that negate the 'unresolved' part?
Dick: Huh?
Marler: Thank you Mr. Casablancas.
Both Logan and Veronica groaned at Dick's hypothesis.
"Awkward," Logan smirked, looking over at Veronica. She was avoiding his eyes.
Okay, sure. We'll pretend we didn't hear that, Ronnie. Fine with me.
Wallace: Dude, you are delusional.
Madison: Actually every single one of you is wrong.
Everyone (turns to face Madison).
Madison: Logan and Veronica are together. Dating. A couple.
"We had to know that was coming." Logan said.
"That doesn't' mean I have to like it. Now the entire world is going to think that something is going on between us," Veronica moaned.
Isn't there something going on between us, Veronica?
That question was written all over his face. Fortunately, rather than looking at him, Veronica's eyes were glued to the T.V.
Wallace: And you're even more delusional than your boyfriend. Did you miss the part where I said Veronica was dating Troy?
Madison:(smirks) I have it straight from their own mouths. I asked them point-blank if they were dating and they admitted it.
Everyone: (mouths open)
Marler: When was this, Madison?
Madison: The night they left town. I may have been the last person to see them before they left. I was at Target. (grimaces). I had a gift card. I thought I could use it to buy CD's and DVD's.
Wallace: Veronica would never ever date Echolls.
Madison: I figured some people wouldn't believe me. That's why I'm glad that I videotaped them on my phone. (Turns to Ann Marler) We can talk about the video afterwards?
Marler: Could they have been making it up as a cover story?
Madison:(considers) They were really into each other. Even before they knew I was there. Then the touching, and the forehead kissing. I think they were for real.
Veronica and Logan looked at each other.
"She freaking recorded us?" Logan said. "Sometimes I really hate that girl."
"Only sometimes?" Veronica wondered aloud.
Wallace: Stop before I vomit.
Caitlin: I want to vomit too.
"That's your bulimia talking." Veronica muttered.
Meg: I don't think there's anything romantic going on. But they love each other. All three of them. You would have to understand the kind of friendship they had before Lilly's death.
[Left side of split screen cuts to photo of the Fab Four, all laughing.]
Marler: Tell me about the friendship
Meg: The four of them were very very close. Veronica and Logan were good friends for three years before Lilly's death. Veronica and Duncan were good friends for two years before they started dating. Duncan and Logan have been best friends since kindergarten. Lilly and Veronica since they were seven.
Susan: The four of them used to be royalty. I mean, they hung around with everybody, but nobody could break into their inner circle. They were very...exclusive.
Dick: Sometimes, at a party, Logan would...imbibe…a bit too much, and he would always send us to go find Veronica.
Casey: And she'd always come. No questions asked.
Cassidy: Lilly wasn't very nurturing. Veronica would take care of him and drive him home.
Cassidy: Remember when Logan almost started a war with Pan High because that guy hit on Veronica?
Dick: Hey, that dude totally disrespected her. And Duncan couldn't be bothered to do anything about it.
Wallace: And now Logan is her chief disrespecter.
"Did that really happen? How come I never heard about it?" Veronica asked in surprise.
"He grabbed your ass, Veronica. You thought I was just going to let him get away with that?"
Meg: When Lilly died, they all suffered from temporary insanity, but I think they would have found their way back to each other eventually. Those kinds of bonds can never be truly broken. Battered and bruised, but not broken.
Veronica put her face in her hands and breathed.
"What, Veronica?" Logan asked, hand on her back. "You okay?"
"I hate this!"
"Being on the run?"
"No, this." She gestured to the TV. "Memories. I don't want to remember you like you used to be. You're not that guy anymore who defended my honor. You're the guy who ruined my reputation."
"I'm the guy that got you and Duncan away from that maintenance building." Logan said quietly.
"You're the guy who bashed in my headlights."
"I'm the guy who made the nightmares go away."
Veronica lifted her head to face Logan, searching his eyes, and then sighed in resignation.
Marler: Before we wrap things up here, do any of you have anything you'd like to say to Logan, Duncan, or Veronica?
Caitlin: I miss you Logan. Please come home.
Sean: Guys, what were you thinking? Veronica Mars? So not worth it.
Casey: Stay safe guys, and take care of Veronica. She's not as tough as she pretends to be.
"Am too!"
Madison:(smirking) Logan, I gave you the two days you asked for. Stay safe, all of you.
Cassidy:(laughing) I'd give anything to be a fly on the wall wherever you guys are. There's going to be fireworks. Stay safe. Stay cool. Try not to kill each other. And Logan, just admit already that you want her. I have a lot of money riding on you.
Wallace: (shaking his head in disgust). Veronica. You're a smart girl. I'm sure you'll find a way to get away from them. They have to sleep sometime. I miss you, girl.
Meg: I'm happy that you three found each other again. Lilly would be very proud of you guys for saving Veronica, and even prouder to see you sticking together. Stay safe. I miss you guys.
Dick: Yo! Logan! I totally took you in the pool, dude! Rock on with your U.S.T. with that hot little blonde! But remember to suit up!
"Hey, you want to hook up? We can split the money." Logan waggled his eyebrows at her.
"Guess that's a big 'no'," he said, when she rolled her eyes at him.
Marler: (shaking her head). I noticed that none of you urged your friends to turn themselves in to the police.
Dick: Dude, have you met Sheriff Lamb?
Wallace: That may be the first thing you and I have ever agreed on. Sheriff Lamb is as corrupt as...Sheriff Roscoe P Coltrane.
Madison: I don't know. I kind of like him.
Marler: I'd like to thank each of you for taking the time to answer my questions. Rebecca, back to you.
Anchor: Thank you, Ann. I look forward to your interview with the parents, later today.
Veronica sighed. "You know, our classmates are ridiculous. I was almost raped, and Duncan killed somebody, and all anybody cares about is who I'm hooking up with."
"Welcome to high school," Logan said.
"We're just three high school students who got in a jam. How does our love lives - or lack of one - become national news? Who could possibly care?"
"Veronica, people sit at home and watch Ozzy Osbourne's kids clean up dog-shit on TV. There are TV shows about Anna Nicole Smith. Nick and Jessica. Paris freaking Hilton. They're C-Listers, B-List at best. Daddy dearest is A-List. A 2-time Oscar winner. As much as it sucks, people want to know where I'm hiding, who I'm fucking, what I'm wearing, and what I ate for breakfast. I can't go to the mailbox without people on tour buses snapping my pictures. Now I'm a fugitive, on the run with a billionaire's kid and a hot blonde, who may be my girl or may be Duncan's or may be playing us both. People want to know. Welcome to my life." Logan sighed resignedly and shrugged.
[Split screen restores to a full screen showing Ann Marler in the present time]
Marler: So to recap… (she sighs), nobody at Neptune High seems to know the whereabouts of the three missing teens, nor where they are headed. Duncan Kane may have had a violent episode once in the past. None of them are regular drug users. Logan may have fled to take care of Duncan. Nobody knows why Veronica tagged along. A rift between the three started last year after the death of Lilly Kane, and may or may not exist to this day. They may be friends. Or enemies. Or lovers. Veronica may be obsessed with Duncan. Or Logan. Or Duncan may be obsessed with her. Or Logan is. Or all of the above. Logan has tried to make Veronica's life miserable. Veronica has responded in kind. The students of Neptune High feel there's enough potential for a love triangle that they've started a pool. And finally, Logan and Veronica may be suffering from a bad case of (she smirks here) U.S.T.
Anchor(chuckling): Thanks Ann, we'll check in with you later for updates.
[Cut back to the opening still of Logan carrying Veronica which then fades to the C-NOW call sign.]
"What in the hell was that?" Veronica asked when she could finally speak again.
"I have no idea."
"So…" She laughed nervously. "You think Penicillin clears that stuff up?"
"What? U.S.T.? Nope. Sorry Ronnie. There's only one cure for U.S.T." He raised an eyebrow at her suggestively. "So whadya think? Want to get to work on that?"
Veronica gave him her most flirtatious smile, and then pushed him off the bed.
He made a satisfying thump when he hit the floor.
Veronica – Day Three – Sweet Dreams Motel – Somewhere in Texas
They took turns showering and caring for Duncan.
"I'll go turn in the room key if you pack up the truck," Veronica offered, adjusting her curly dark brown wig in the mirror.
"Eww. Not that wig again!" Logan sneered. "It's funny how I always get relegated to packhorse duty."
At Veronica's glare, Logan sighed and held up his hands in mock surrender. "Fine. No problem."
"Back in a sec," she said, scooping up the room key and exiting the room.
As Veronica approached the front office, the door opened and a very large man came stalking out, clearly frustrated. He headed for a green muscle car, keys in hand, but changed his trajectory when he noticed Veronica.
"Excuse me, miss. Can you take a look at these pictures and tell me if you've seen any of these three kids?"
He held out what looked to be photos cut from a yearbook. Veronica glanced down at his hand and then back up at his face.
Liam Fitzpatrick!
She froze in place, staring. He suddenly recognized her as well, and bounded towards her. As Liam was about to reach for her, Veronica feinted to her left and took off running in the direction from which she'd come, screaming at the top of her lungs.
She could hear the sound of Liam's feet pounding the sidewalk behind her. Crying and gulping air, she ran even faster down the long stretch of rooms. As she rounded a blind corner, Logan was there. He pushed her behind him, and when Liam rounded the corner, he ran straight into Logan's fist. Liam stopped, but he did not go down. Logan hit him again in the face - obviously with all of his strength - to no avail. Liam remained on his feet.
A twisted smile came over Liam's face, and then he started hitting back. Logan managed to stay on his feet after Liam's first two punches, but he went down on the third.
"Oh my God! Logan!" Veronica screamed. "Don't hurt him!"
Before Liam could kick Logan in the ribs, Veronica leaped onto his back, grabbing a handful of hair with her left hand and scratching at his face with her right. She tried to dig her feet in to climb higher up his back, but couldn't get any purchase.
Liam rammed backwards into the brick wall of the motel, crushing Veronica, but she managed to hold on. As she tried to go for Liam's eye, he rammed backwards again. This time, her head struck the brick wall, and she slid to the ground.
Liam leaned over her menacingly. "You're going to regret that, Blondie." He grabbed her by the hair and dragged her to a standing position, but suddenly Logan was between them, shielding her with his body.
"Don't touch her," Logan snarled through gritted teeth. He punched Liam in the face. "Don't you EVER touch her! Veronica, run! Get out of here!"
Veronica slipped out from between Logan and the wall. She watched as Logan and Liam traded punches. Liam was bigger, stronger, and seemed to feel no pain, but Logan was faster and had more at stake. She noticed how when Logan punched, he put his entire body into it – as if trying to punch through Liam's face. It was graceful even in its clumsiness, which was a contradiction she would need to think about later.
Logan had Liam backed against the wall and on his knees when he noticed Veronica.
"Veronica, I told you to run," He cried in exasperation.
Liam took advantage of Logan's distraction, and caught him with a right-hook that knocked him to the ground. Liam was leaning over, fist pulled back to punch him, when Logan's foot came up between his legs. Howling, Liam hunched over in pain. Logan scrambled off the ground and began pounding Liam in the face again. This time Liam went down.
Logan crouched over to hit him in the face again, but Liam's foot swept out and knocked Logan off his feet.
Logan remained on the ground, the wind knocked out of him, while Liam slowly staggered to his feet. He pulled back a booted foot and kicked Logan in the ribs. He was pulling back his foot to kick Logan a second time, when Veronica pressed her taser against his side and pulled the trigger. Liam went down, and Logan scrambled backwards, rising unsteadily to his feet.
"Come here, Veronica."
"What if he tries to get up?" Veronica asked.
"Come. Here." He commanded.
Veronica walked over to Logan and he gently pushed her behind his back. Reaching into the back of his pants, Logan pulled out a gun and aimed it at Liam, who was just beginning to stir.
Veronica lost it. "A gun, Logan? Where'd you get a gun?"
"I took it off the other Fitzpatrick when you made me undress him. Did you turn in the room key Veronica?" He never took his eyes off Liam.
"Not yet."
"Okay, go unlock our room. Then run to the truck and grab your handcuffs."
"Logan did he hurt you?"
"Just do it, ok? Get a roll of duct tape, too."
"Okay." Veronica agreed. She put her hand on Logan's side, and he covered her hand with his own for a second, lightly squeezing.
When Veronica returned to the room, Logan had Liam backed up against the wall. Something about Liam's eyes terrified Veronica. As she approached him with the handcuffs, Logan stopped her.
"No, Veronica. Come here."
Veronica walked over to where Logan stood near the bed, and he reached out his left arm drawing her near. She could feel his breath on her ear as he whispered: "The minute you go anywhere near him, he's going to grab you and try to use you as a shield. He won't take being backed into a corner."
"What are we doing then?" Veronica whispered.
"I need you to hold the gun. And don't let him see any hesitation on your face, okay?"
Veronica nodded, taking the gun.
"Lace your hands on the back of your head, Fitzpatrick." Logan commanded.
Veronica had never seen Logan so self-assured. He was calm to the point of being icy.
Liam looked Logan up and down, and Veronica jerked the gun up, catching his attention.
"You're not going to shoot me, Blondie." Liam said, leering at her.
"You go right ahead and believe that," Logan offered. "I've made the mistake of underestimating her before. You have no idea of the lengths to which this girl will go. Now turn around."
Liam smirked, and slowly laced his fingers together at the back of his neck.
"Now walk slowly into the bathroom. Any sudden moves and she will shoot you."
Liam walked into the bathroom, and then turned back to look at Logan.
"You gonna cuff me to a toilet the way you did my cousin, boy?"
Veronica glanced at the toilet. It wasn't going to work this time. It was wider at the base, and Liam wasn't unconscious like Danny Boyd had been. There was a pedestal sink in this bathroom though.
Logan, apparently, had come to the same conclusion. "I want you to sit down very slowly, and wrap your arms around the sink. Any sudden moves and she will shoot you."
Liam smirked again before following instructions.
Logan approached very carefully. Ready to leap back at even a hint of movement, Logan carefully snapped the cuffs first onto Liam's left wrist, then his right.
"Okay, Fitzpatrick. I need you to straddle the sink, so that I can tape your feet together.
"Fuck you, punk."
"Excuse me?"
"I said, Fuck. You. Punk. The sheriff's daughter is not going to shoot a man who's handcuffed to a sink."
"Yeah, but I will," Logan promised, reaching for the gun.
"Logan…" Veronica signaled him with her eyes to step outside the bathroom.
Logan followed her out, and dropped to the end of the bed, running his hands through his hair.
Veronica dropped down next to him. "Let's just chloroform him, strip him, and get the hell out of here."
"We can't!" Logan said, frustration evident in his voice. "We can't get near him."
"He's cuffed, Logan."
"Did you see his eyes, Veronica?"
"What about them?"
"They're fucking evil personified. This guy isn't like Danny Boyd. I know a man like this. He's psychotic. He's not going to let us anywhere near him to chloroform him."
"Logan, you could hold the gun while I-"
"Veronica, he knows we can't shoot him while he's cuffed. You try to get near him, he's going to use his legs. First, he will kick you. Hard. After he's hurt you, he will lock his legs around you to pull you closer, and when he has you near his face, he'll bite. I don't mean bite to hurt you. I mean he will tear flesh from your cheek or your throat or whatever is closest. I can see it in his eyes. There is no line he wouldn't cross, and he will not stop until we're dead."
Veronica shivered involuntarily. It was going to take a long time to get that visual out of her head. "So what do we do with him?"
"We'll have to leave him like he is." Logan answered, running a hand through his hair. "How'd he find us anyway? You realized we're two for two. Two days. Two Fitzpatricks."
Veronica shrugged. "He was less than an hour behind us when we left Arizona. He obviously lost some time finding his cousin while he was there. Then I got us lost. He made the assumption that we stayed on Interstate 11, and after two hours without any motel sightings, it would make sense for us to have stopped here. We'll have to be way more careful in the future."
Veronica pulled out her mini digital video camera when Liam began yelling from the bathroom, and pressed the record button.
"You're going to die!" Liam shouted. "I was going to kill you quickly, but now I'm going to stretch it out very very slowly," Liam bellowed as Veronica turned the camera to the bathroom doorway capturing his rant.
"Veronnnnnica!" Liam yelled. "I'm going to finish what my brother started. Gonna find out if you're a real blonde."
Logan seemingly forgetting his own warnings, tried to push past Veronica to go after Liam. "You even think about touching her-"
"Logan, No!" Veronica said, gripping his arm tightly. Logan turned back to her, his face tense.
He's barely containing himself. If he doesn't calm down, Liam's going to be lunching on one of his cheeks. Can't have him messing up that pretty face.
"Logan, go out there, okay?" Veronica pointed, while pleading with her eyes.
Logan ducked his head, obviously torn between listening to Veronica and following his instincts to hurt Liam. Finally, he sighed and left the bathroom.
"Loooooogan!" Liam called. "You better come kill me now, punk. You won't get another chance."
Liam looked right into Veronica's camera, a smirk on his face.
"Come kill me now, Logan, or I'm going to make you watch what I do to your girlfriend here before I kill you both."
Logan was behind Veronica in the doorway again, trying to get past her. She turned off her camera, letting it drop to her chest on its strap. Grasping both sides of the doorframe, she pushed backwards with all of her strength to keep Logan away from Liam.
He was stronger than her and also holding on to the doorframe, so Veronica had to put her feet into it, pressing first one and then the other against the outside of the doorway and pushing against Logan with her back. Finally, she was able to push him back a few inches. Giving up, Logan wrapped an arm around Veronica's waist to prevent her from falling, before letting go of the frame. Veronica used the opportunity to pull the bathroom door closed behind them.
When she turned around, Logan was looking at her admiringly. "God, you're tough, Ronnie."
She nodded, embarrassed for having to resort to such measures.
"I'll kill him before I let him touch you," Logan assured her, staring at the door.
Veronica was more surprised at her answer than his statement, "I know."
We suck at this vendetta stuff, Logan.
Veronica took a good look at Logan and noticed that there was blood soaking through his T-shirt. "You're bleeding. I'll go get the first aid kit out of the car."
Duncan – Day Three – Through the Looking Glass
Duncan clasps the perfectly matched pearls around his wife's neck, and watches her eyes in the mirror.
"My engagement present! You found them! Thank you, sweetie." Veronica says to him, smiling as she reaches up to press them gently into her throat. "I thought I'd misplaced them in California."
She turns around and presses a kiss to his mouth. When her tongue tentatively slips past his lips, Duncan pulls away. He sees the hurt on Veronica's face.
"Duncan, I think we need to discuss this problem of ours."
"What problem?" Duncan asks.
"Don't play dumb, Duncan. We've been married for a year, and we still haven't consummated it. I thought it was because you were in D.C. and I was in California, but I'm not so sure anymore."
"Veronica," Duncan sighs. "I told you, it's not about sex. I love you."
"If you loved me, you'd want to have sex with me," Veronica insists.
"Veronica, I love you more than anybody in this world, but we cannot have sex."
Veronica's face displays shock.
"Cannot? Are you saying we can never have sex?"
"That's what I'm saying," Duncan answers, unable to meet her eyes.
"Then why did you marry me?"
"Because I love you! You're the only girl I've ever loved and the only girl I will ever love."
Stepping into Duncan's personal space, Veronica reaches up and forces him to look at her. "Duncan, are you gay?"
"Absolutely not," Duncan answers without hesitation.
"Have you ever been with a man?" Veronica asks.
"No."
"Have you ever been with a woman?"
"Yes."
"How many?"
"I don't know. Eleven? Twelve?"
Tears well up in Veronica's eyes. "You've slept with twelve other women, but won't sleep with me?"
"Veronica…" Duncan's hand cups her cheek. "Believe me when I say that I love you more than life. I want you to be my companion until the end of my days, but I cannot and will not ever sleep with you."
"Why not?" Veronica's eyes are icy.
"I can't answer that."
Veronica begins unbuttoning her blouse, eyes locked on Duncan's. Slipping the blouse off her shoulders, she reaches behind her and unclasps her bra, allowing it to slip to the floor. Duncan gulps as he takes in the sight of his beautiful wife. Her breasts are in perfect proportion to her tiny frame, and his hands ache to touch her. They don't ache for long, as Veronica reaches for his hand and presses it to her right breast.
Duncan loses his mind, squeezing and caressing his wife's breast, rolling the nipple between his fingers. She steps closer reaching between his legs and stroking his erection. Duncan groans and crushes his mouth to his wife's. Somehow, without him even noticing, he is backed up against the bed, and he's falling and Veronica is on top of him, straddling him, grinding against his erection.
Duncan is losing this battle. He has a breast in each hand now. He's lifting up. He's wrapping his lips around a perky pink nipple, and Veronica's hands are sliding down the front of his pants.
NO!
"This. Cannot. Happen." Duncan says, breathing heavily and forcibly removing Veronica from his lap. She is lying on the bed. Humiliated. Trying to cover her breasts. She begins to cry. This is odd, because she never cries.
"Veronica." Duncan sits and tries to pull her face to his chest. He loves her. He wants to comfort her, but she shoves him away.
"You want me, Duncan! Your eyes say you do, and your body says you do. Why can't this happen?"
Duncan looks at the floor, unable to answer.
"I want a divorce,"
"Veronica…"
She repeats herself. "I WANT a divorce."
"If you still feel that way in four years, I'll grant you a divorce," Duncan agrees , not revealing how much that hurts him. She doesn't deserve a guilt trip. She deserves better than a sexless marriage. "But you know why I can't until then."
Veronica nods. She understands. She redresses without looking at him, smoothes her sleek mid-length blonde hair and adds the matching Chanel jacket to complete her perfect ensemble.
A knock on the door. "Mr. President? Twenty minutes."
"Thanks, Ronald." Duncan calls out. He catches Veronica by the waist before she can storm off, pressing a kiss to her forehead. "I love you so much," He whispers. "I wish I could give you more."
Veronica nods curtly.
They hear a commotion outside the door and then it swings open as a man backs into the room.
"Trust me. I'm allowed in." He's saying to the Secret Service agents planted outside the door.
"It's okay," Duncan calls out. "That's Logan Echolls, my Body Man. He can be granted access at any time, for any reason."
"Yes, Mr. President," The Secret Service agent nods. "We'll have a badge made up for him."
"Thank you, Ronald,"
"We have a serious fucking problem," Logan announces, after the door closes.
"I'll leave you two alone," Veronica says, still angry.
Logan notices Veronica and holds up a hand. "Hey, Ronnie. No, you need to stay for this."
"What's going on, Logan?" Veronica asks. Duncan cannot help but notice how, as always, Veronica's eyes linger on his best friend.
"We have a situation." He will not meet Veronica's eyes. "Three days in office, and we already have a scandal about to erupt."
"What happened?" Duncan asks.
"Well, it's about Veronica's mom," Logan begins
"Oh God!" Veronica's voice quavers. "She's turned up? Drunk as ever?"
"Well yes, but that's not the scandal."
Duncan crosses to his wife and pulls her into his arms. "I'm sorry, Veronica." He mutters into her hair.
Not in the mood to be comforted, Veronica pulls away from Duncan and turns back to Logan. "Tell me the rest."
"Apparently, your mother is claiming to have had a twenty-year affair with Jake Kane. She's claiming that you are his daughter, and Duncan is your half-brother. Obviously, as soon as we get a DNA test…" Logan trails off. The look on Duncan's face says it all. "Oh Fuck." Logan whispers.
Veronica is staring at her husband.
"I never wanted you to find-" Duncan begins, his eyes tortured. He never finishes his sentence as Veronica pulls back and clocks the President of the United States in the face.
"You MOTHER FUCKER!" She screams. "You knew! You knew I was your sister! No wonder you wouldn't kiss me, or fuck me!" She is shoving and pushing, and slapping at Duncan. He doesn't defend himself, because he deserves this and God, he loves her so much. Even now.
Then she is in Logan's arms, and he's holding her close and running a hand over her hair, another hand up and down her back. "I'm so sorry, Ronnie. I thought she was making it up. Trying to get a payoff. So sorry."
"Veronica…" Duncan apologizes. "I'm so sorry. I loved you so much that I couldn't live without you."
"I hate you," Veronica practically spits, voice low, never leaving Logan's arms.
"I understand."
"So how should we handle this, Duncan?" Logan asks, his hands still traveling up and down the back of Duncan's wife.
"Pay her off. Double the amount she's asking for. Triple it! Whatever you do, don't let Weidman find out about this."
Logan nods, and pulls back from Veronica, holding her by the forearms and looking down into her eyes. "You need anything from me - anything at all - you only have to ask."
Veronica reaches up a hand, touching Logan's cheek. "Thank you," she whispers.
Duncan is the youngest man ever to take office as President of the United States of America. His father has been working on this since the day Duncan was born. Logan has been working tirelessly on this for years. Always by Duncan's side, doing whatever is necessary. But Duncan didn't do this for his father or for Logan. He did it for Veronica. To make her proud of him. He did not enter into marriage with her with the intent to commit incest. He simply wanted her to be his lifelong companion. He should have realized that her passion for seeing justice served would indicate that she had a physically passionate side as well.
It has been several days now, and Veronica is still barely speaking to him. He knows it is not proper behavior for the POTUS, but he's working his way through the everlasting bottle of single-malt scotch. It's hard to care about propriety when your world is falling apart. He's President of the United Fucking States of America, and he is sleeping on the couch, because his wife hates him.
Said wife is traipsing around in a slinky champagne-colored silk chemise with black lace trim that barely skims her thighs. Apparently, she's mistaking the fact that he is her brother for him not having a libido. That, or maybe she's purposely trying to punish him. She always did have a bitchy streak.
A knock at the door. "Open," Duncan calls.
"Mr. President? It's Mr. Echolls," The Secret Service agent announces. "I told him it's too late, but he insisted."
"Let him in," Duncan acquiesces . "Oh, and Ciaran? Get those knife wounds looked at, okay?"
"I have, Mr. President, but every day they come back." He shrugs, dripping blood on the floor. "If there's nothing else?"
Duncan shakes his head, and the door opens wider to allow Logan access.
"Hey, DK." Logan greets his old friend as the door closes. "I took care of that situation we talked about."
"Yay!" Duncan fakes enthusiasm with a cheerleader's pose.
"Are you drunk, Duncan?" Logan asks, searching his eyes.
Duncan lets out a bitter laugh. "I keep drinking the scotch, and they keep on refilling it."
"Is this about Veronica?" Logan asks.
"Everything is about Veronica," Duncan answers.
The bitch [love of his life] chooses that moment to enter the room.
"Logan…" She says, breathlessly. "I didn't know you were here." She runs her hands down her hips, smoothing out her chemise. Duncan watches Logan's eyes follow. He sees desire flare for a moment before Logan's mask comes up, and he takes a seat on the couch.
Duncan laughs. Duncan giggles. Duncan drops down onto his couch/bed and drinks his scotch right out of the decanter.
"DK?" Logan asks.
"Logan?" Duncan responds . "Have you ever fucked my wife?"
"God, Duncan!" Logan jumps off the couch. "How could you even ask me that?"
"Have you ever thought about fucking my wife?" Duncan asks.
"Dude. You're my best friend…" Logan reminds him .
"And...That non-answer was my answer." Duncan replies, turning to his wife.
"Ver-on-i-ca." he singsongs. "Have you ever thought about fucking my best friend?" He looks up at her.
"All. The. Fucking. Time." She answers, a cruel smile on her face.
Logan, for his part, cannot seem to breathe. His eyes lock with Veronica's and Duncan feels like an outsider in his own marriage - and really fucking turned-on.
"Well…" he says with finality. "She's all yours."
"Duncan?" Logan asks. "You're drunk. You don't know what you're saying."
"I know exactly what I'm saying. I can't touch my wife, and I can't give her a divorce until my term ends. I cannot give her pleasure. You can. If she wants you to."
"Duncan...our friendship…"
"I know, Logan." Duncan sighs. "It means everything to me too. But Veronica means everything to me, and she is not happy. You can make her happy. Please make her happy. For me"
Logan looks at the floor. He cannot win in this situation.
Veronica takes the decision out of their hands. She walks slowly to Logan and touches his face. When Logan raises his head, Duncan can see a storm of emotions chasing across his face: love, lust, fear, anticipation.
Veronica hooks her thumbs under the spaghetti straps of her chemise allowing the garment to slide down her body to the floor, pooling at her feet. Logan takes one look at the naked First Lady and gives up the ghost. His mouth is on hers; his hands are lifting her up by the ass. Her legs wrap around Logan's waist, and he turns shoving her against the wall. She is making breathy little moans while he kisses the living hell out of her.
Even before he knew she was his sister, Duncan had never kissed Veronica like that.
Veronica pulls away from the kiss long enough to turn back to Duncan.
"Can we have some privacy here?" she demands.
"Sure. Why not?" Duncan nods and walks to the door, opening it.
"Hey Ciaran," he acknowledges his bodyguard.
"Mr. President."
"So where do presidents usually go to hang out when they've given their best friend permission to fuck their wives?"
Ciaran thinks for a moment. "May I suggest the maintenance building?"
"Sounds like a plan," Duncan says. "Oh, and get somebody to clean up all that blood. You really should get those knife wounds looked at."
"Yes, Mr. President."
Duncan's trip to the maintenance building is a bust. The small brick building with a tall wooden fence appears out of place on the manicured White House Lawns. Once inside the gate, he sees only a spreading puddle of blood and a wickedly sharp looking knife. He feels like this should be important to him, but how can he care about anything when his wife hates him? He slides down the fence until he's in a sitting position, and rocks a bit while he waits, but nothing happens. Eventually, he decides to search for other amusements.
He's exploring a hallway he's never been down before when an open doorway beckons to him. Inside, he finds a row of chairs. Having nothing better to do, he takes a seat in the center chair. In front of him, a spotlight suddenly turns on.
A mustached man - is that Peter Lawford? - standing behind a podium gestures to his left. A spotlight turns on in the location where he pointed, illuminating…nothing.
The man appears flustered. "Mr President, in the history of show business, there has been no one female, who meant so much, who has done more…" His speech is cut-off when a woman approaches.
Lilly? Her hair is cropped short and fluffy. Not her natural honey blonde, but a platinum color – except where discolored from the blood dripping from her head wound. She rushes to the podium, although her dress is so tight that she can only move from the ankles.
Peter Lawford puts his arm around her and leans in to the microphone. "Mr. President, the LATE Lilly Kane."
He takes the white fur from Lilly's shoulders and steps out from the spotlight. Lilly is wearing a skintight flesh colored dress covered with thousands of rhinestones. She leans into the microphone and begins singing in a breathy whisper.
"Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday Mr. President. Happy Birthday to you."
Duncan finds himself clapping like a seal. "Like Logan," he thinks to himself. Which diminishes his amusement.
"Lilly, you're crazy." He calls out. "You know my birthday isn't for months."
"True enough." She says stepping off the stage. She looks down at her ensemble, admiring her own cleavage in particular. "But I was born to wear this dress. Actually, I was born in the wrong decade. I could have been filling out dresses like this one every day."
She drops down onto Duncan's lap. "Hiya Donut!"
Duncan looks uncomfortable. "Get your own chair, Lil."
"But this is more comfortable." She pouts.
"It's highly inappropriate. You're my sister!"
"I hate to break it to you, Donut." Her voice drops to a conspiratorial whisper and she shields her words with her hand. "But you married your other sister."
Sighing, Duncan rises and dumps Lilly onto a nearby chair. He begins pacing.
"So Logan and Veronica finally?" Lilly asks.
"What do you mean, finally?"
"You had to have known it would happen eventually, Duncan. You know how he feels. You've always known."
"But Veronica…"
"You've known that all along too, Duncan. Quit hiding your head in the sand."
Duncan sighs. "I miss you, Lilly. Hey! You want to go find the kitchen? We can eat out of the peanut butter jar for old time's sake."
Lilly smiles regretfully. "I'd love to, but I have a date." She looks up at the doorway. "Oh, there he is."
Duncan joins her as she wiggles her way over to her suitor. "Hello again, Ciaran."
Ciaran takes a handkerchief out of his inside pocket and dabs gently at the gash on the top of Lilly's head.
"I like your dress, Lilly." He smiles shyly.
"I like your gut wound. My brother does nice work. See ya later, Donut."
And with that they were gone, and Duncan was left to wonder what her last comment had meant.
It's an hour later when Duncan and his decanter of scotch stumble back into the Presidential suite. He tiptoes into the bedroom to grab a pair of pajama bottoms.
Logan is still awake, obviously naked under the sheets, and cradling Veronica tenderly against him.
"Hey man," he whispers, his eyes full of a mixture of the guilt of betrayal and the happiness of wishes fulfilled.
"Hey," Duncan sighs. "How long have you wanted this?"
"I don't know. Always, I guess. I never meant to act on it."
Duncan sighs again. "Isn't this the part where you tell me 'Not the same girl'? This one is mine'?"
"Nah, man," Logan says, lifting and displaying the strand of perfectly matched pearls around her neck. "Mine is short skirts and biker boots. She evaporated the day you put these pearls around her neck. This one is yours."
Veronica – Day Three – Sweet Dreams Motel – Somewhere in Texas
Veronica checked on Duncan when she ran out to the truck to get the first aid kit. There had been no change.
"Hang in there, Duncan. We'll be back in about ten minutes," she promised, squeezing his hand.
Liam was silent when Veronica returned to the motel room. Logan had the news on and his shirt off. He was holding a dry washcloth against the cut on his ribs.
"Oh, Logan!" She sighed, looking him over. "He did a number on you."
Logan looked up with the puppy dog eyes. "I almost believe you care."
"I can't believe how many hits he took without going down. Those were hard hits."
"He's a meth head. He feels no pain, Veronica."
Logan snickered when she sat down next to him. He reached over and plucked the curly wig off her head, and tossed it in the general direction of the bathroom.
"Much better," he acknowledged, smiling at her, his eyes soft.
Veronica ignored the thumping of her heart, and opened the first aid kit, fiddling with the contents. She found a tube of cotton squares and moistened one with peroxide.
Pressing a hand to Logan's chest, she gently pushed him, until he was lying down. He crossed his hands under his head, waiting, while Veronica tried to ignore the fact that something about his low-slung jeans and his hipbones was ridiculously hot.
She could sense Logan watching her eyes as she cleaned his wound with peroxide. Reaching for a tube of Neosporin, she dabbed it onto the wound. She then covered the wound with a gauze square and secured it with white medical tape.
There were other scrapes on Logan's chest and stomach. Liam must have been wearing a ring. Veronica gently cleaned each one with peroxide, and dabbed each with Neosporin before moving up to his face.
She steadied his face with her left hand, cleaning his scrapes with her right.
His eyes are so dark. Like a bottomless chasm - I could fall into them and never stop falling.
Logan's gaze intensified, exerting an almost magnetic pull upon her.
How easy would it be to close the distance and kiss him? If only he weren't Logan. And I wasn't Veronica. But he's always been this beautiful. How could I have forgotten?
She hadn't even been aware that she was leaning in to him, until he spoke.
"FYI, that U.S.T. thing Dick was talking about? This would be it." His smirk was on the nervous side of cocky.
Veronica pulled back quickly. "What are you talking about?"
What in the hell had I been about to do? Tell me I hadn't been about to kiss him!
"Never mind," Logan mumbled. "My turn."
"What?"
"Roll over onto your stomach, and take your shirt off."
"Excuse me?"
"You're all scratched up from that brick wall. There's some blood soaking through your shirt."
"Oh," she said, hesitantly. She looked Logan over, but he didn't appear to have an ulterior motive. Turning away, she pulled her shirt over her head and held it to her chest, covering her bra. She gingerly lay down on her stomach, crossing her arms under her chin and turning her head to the right, where Logan now sat.
Veronica felt her skin breaking out into goose bumps, and it had nothing to do with being cold.
She watched him douse a cotton square with peroxide. As he began cleaning her scrapes and scratches, a look of intense interest came over his face.
"What?" Veronica asked.
"Nothing. I just like watching the bubbles."
Veronica used her arm to hide her grin. Logan could go from grown man to little boy in five seconds flat.
When her scratches were clean, Logan began dabbing Neosporin on them, carefully smoothing the excess into her skin.
Everywhere Logan's fingertips brushed her skin, Veronica shivered.
"You're not used to being touched, are you?" Logan asked quietly, watching her intently.
"Not particularly," Veronica answered.
"That's a shame. The Lacrosse team needs to work on their foreplay skills." He teased, lightly running a fingertip up her spine.
Veronica nearly jumped out of her skin.
"You're such an ass," she laughed, despite herself.
Logan brushed his fingers along the inner curve of her waist, and Veronica trembled.
Logan chuckled softly.
Even his laugh is affecting me.
"Now you're just doing it on purpose," Veronica accused, lifting up on her elbows. "Well...as much as I'd like to remain here half naked and being groped…we need to go."
"You'd like to remain here half-naked and being groped?" Logan asked. "Might I also interest you in being all-naked and fondled?"
"Ugh!" Veronica said, sitting up and putting her shirt back on. She was feeling a bit perverse, so she didn't bother turning her back. He deserved it after the way he had just gotten her going...and it wasn't as if he had never seen her in her bra before.
But the last time, he wasn't looking at me like this…Oh hell!
Logan turned away to put his own shirt back on.
Even his back is hot! What the hell is wrong with me? Who even looks at backs?
"Um…so I have an idea..." she started.
A/N: Question: I typically go back and read a portion of the previous chapter to see where I am in the story before reading a new chapter. Do you readers do that too? Would it be helpful to add a 'Previously' recap at the top of each chapter? Let me know in the feedback if you'd like to see that, and if you want to let me know what you thought of the chapter, that works too! :)
A/N2: Thanks to debbieja for betaing. And super special thanks to DalWriter for betaing and giving me great advice on my news broadcasts. I wasn't able to implement all of her suggestions for this chapter due to the tightly plotted timeline, but it should be a huge help going forward. Oh, and if you liked MariLilly Monroe, she came up with that little gem, and I just had to run with it. Thank you so much!
A/N3: The next chapter is already monster sized. May have to be split into two. Not sure why I can't seem to spit out a chapter in less than 10K words. I think 5K is optimal, but my characters Just. Won't. Stop. Talking.