Anthology, Part V, Chapter 12
V. Head First
Summary: Some light is shed.
Categories: Veronica, Logan
Genre: Angst, Drama, General, Mystery, Romance
Rating: PG-13
Characters: Logan, Veronica, Dick
Author's Notes: Can't believe it's been three months since I last updated! Sorry about that. Hope this was worth the wait...
Disclaimer: Most of the charaters and locations don't belong to me (although they did give birth to mine!)
Chapter 12 - Turning Points
Angelica padded out of the bathroom, dripping as she went. A quick look in her bedroom mirror reassured her that her eyes showed no signs of redness; nothing to betray the pity-party she had succumbed to beneath the spray of hot water. She pulled clothes randomly from her dresser and slipped them on before peering out her window. Her mother’s car was gone, but her grandfather’s was still parked at the curb. A peek through the cracked door confirmed that he was, in fact, still here, dozing in front of the television.
Quietly Angelica slid her feet into her sandals and slipped into the hallway with her bag over her shoulder. With a practiced silence she slid the DNA reports off of the end table next to the chair where her grandfather was sleeping. She made it out the door without waking him. When she got to the car without being discovered, she let out the breath she had been holding. She knew he’d hear her when she drove off, but it wouldn’t be soon enough to catch her. Releasing the brakes and popping the car into neutral, she rolled down the driveway and onto the street before turning the key in the ignition. Without bothering to look back she headed towards the high school. There was someone there she needed to see.
*****
Dick was startled from his moping by a loud pounding on his door. Irritated he hurried across the room to swing the door open. “What the hell - oh. Hey Ronnie.” His visitor did not look pleased, and he considered slamming the door in her face before thinking better of it. He had learned a long time ago to have a respectful fear for Veronica Mars. He stepped aside and ushered her in with a brief wave of his hand. “What can I do for you?”
Silently Veronica looked around the room as if searching for someone.
“There’s nobody here.” Dick was becoming intrigued despite himself.
Veronica sighed as she fidgeted with her cuffs, unable to meet his eyes. For a moment Dick began to feel that he might have the upper hand in this conversation, whatever it was about, but then she looked up at him. Her sharp eyes dared him to mess with her. “I’m only going to ask this once,” her voice was strained, as if it pained her to talk to him, “so you better be damn sure about your answers.”
“OK?” Dick shrugged in confusion.
“That night…”
“What night?” In response Veronica looked down at the floor uncomfortably. Finally something clicked in Dick’s head. “Oh. That night.” He found himself avoiding her eyes as well.
“You told me…promised me…that nothing happened.”
Dick, sensing a possible trap, paused to consider his answer. “I don’t think I said nothing…”
Veronica inhaled sharply. “Dick,” her voice held a warning he knew better than to ignore, “you told me we didn’t…” She seemed unable to say the words.
“Fuck?” Dick finished for her, wisely stifling a smile as she blushed at his word choice. “We didn’t. But I wouldn’t call what we did ‘nothing’.”
Veronica blushed harder but struggled on. “But there’s no way….” She seemed uncharacteristically tongue-tied, and Dick was surprised to find himself feeling sorry for her. “I mean it couldn’t have produced any…I couldn’t have gotten…”
With a jolt Dick realized what she was trying to say. “Whoa!” He held his hands out as if he could push the concept away. “Are you asking if I could be Angelica’s father?”
The blush that spread across her face was all the answer he needed.
“No.” He was freaking out, he knew it, but he felt he was justified. “No freaking way! We didn’t do anything that could have ended like that!”
“You’re sure?”
“Hell, yeah!” He had the audacity to be affronted. “I was married at the time.”
“Your point being….?” Veronica stared at him, eyebrow cocked.
“I never cheated on Madison.”
“And what we did…?”
“We didn’t fuck,” he explained patiently, not quite sure why she couldn’t understand his logic, “so I didn’t cheat.”
“Then what do you call whatever it was that we did,” Veronica was curious in spite of herself.
“Revenge.”
“Revenge?” Veronica stared at him as if he was insane, “For what?”
Now it was Dick’s turn to act uncomfortable, which only intrigued Veronica more.
“Wait,” Veronica had a horrible thought, “it wasn’t to get back at her for sleeping with Logan, was it?”
Dick looked up, outrage plain on his face. “What?? Hell no! What kind of asshole do you think I am?”
Veronica barely restrained herself from answering him.
“Didn’t you ever wonder why Maddy and I got married in such a hurry?”
“You knocked her up.”
“Well, yeah,” Dick was a little taken aback by her blunt response, “but didn’t you think that was a little odd? I mean, if there was one thing I did learn in college it was the importance of safe sex.”
“Glad to hear your tuition money was well-spent,” Veronica replied dryly.
“Whatever,” Dick continued unfazed, “the point is little Rick wasn’t exactly an accident. Turns out he owes his existence to a little sabotage with a safety pin.”
“Are you telling me Madison put a hole in your condom?” Veronica wondered why this revelation surprised her; it was exactly the type of action she normally would have attributed to her arch-nemesis.
“Not just one. The entire freakin’ box!” Dick swore loudly. “What a waste of money! I had just invested in the economy sized package the day before she came slinking back.”
As much as she loved bad-mouthing Madison, Veronica felt a need to return to get back to the point of her visit. “So this led to us how?”
Dick shrugged, “I’d just learned that I’d been tricked into marriage. You’d just found out that the love of your life was about to marry someone else. Plus we were both drunk.” He grinned at her, without even a trace of ire. “The way I figure it was just a case of a little mutual comfort between friends.” At Veronica’s skeptical look he quickly amended, “Or between acquaintances, anyway.” He eyed her curiously. “You don’t remember any of this?”
“I don’t remember anything,” Veronica sighed in frustration, “except waking up half naked in a hotel room with you.”
“Not true,” Dick supplied helpfully, “you woke up half naked in a bedroom at the frat house with me.”
“Yeah, that’s better,” she groaned, cradling her head in her hands.
“Cheer up, Ronnie,” Dick wrapped a hesitant arm around her shoulders, and Veronica was dismayed to find herself leaning into him. She thought about pulling away but, honestly, she was too tired to expend the effort. Besides, she rationalized, he wasn’t doing anything more than offering comfort, and if she was being honest she had to admit that she could use a little of it. She felt him relax slightly when she didn’t react. “No one saw you leave. You were very stealthy.” He smiled briefly before adding in a serious tone, “There’s no way I could be Angel’s dad. If it had been up to me…” he trailed off at her scowl and continued disgustedly, “but I was out of condoms,” he scowled briefly, “and that seemed to be a deal-breaker for you.”
“Thank God,” Veronica exhaled in relief, looking up at Dick guiltily as she realized she’d said it out-loud.
But Dick just grinned good-naturedly as he pulled away from her gently. “No kidding,” he snorted. “No offense. I think you’re hot and all. But I don’t think a night with you would have been worth losing my best friend.”
“Logan was about to marry Parker,” Veronica grumbled, catching her lip between her teeth. “He wouldn’t have cared what you did with me.”
“Yeah, right.” Dick’s face broke out in an amused smirk. “Have you met Logan? Don’t fool yourself. He would have cared.” He snorted. “Hell, considering the way he’s been going on about you since he got back in to town I’d say it’s a safe bet that he still cares.” At Veronica’s sharp look Dick’s face grew thoughtful. “Maybe he’s not the only one, huh?”
Veronica remained silent, unable to contradict him.
(When the hell did Dick get so insightful?)
With a shake of his head Dick stood up straighter, reaching for the door. “Well,” he said, “if you’re through giving me the third degree I’m going to have to excuse myself. There’s someone I need to talk to.” He eyed her shrewdly as he held the door for her. “Isn’t there someone you should be talking to as well?”
*****
When Steven heard the car come up behind him, he didn’t even have to look to know who it belonged to. He told himself he didn’t care and continued on his way.
Her patience didn’t last long. With an engine rev Angelica pulled around to follow along beside him. He heard the whine of the window rolling down but he still refused to acknowledge her.
“How about a lift?” Her voice floated out, annoyingly bright.
Without stopping Stephen turned to acknowledge her. “Hmmm,” his face screwed up as if he were considering her offer. “No.” Again devoid of emotion he faced forward and continued on his way.
Angelica followed him, matching his brisk pace. “Come on Stephen,” she coaxed, “it’s a long walk.”
Considering that she was indirectly responsible for him having to walk home, Stephen didn’t bother to respond to her observation.
“Stop being an idiot.” Angelica’s accompanying sigh was loud and, Stephen thought, unjustified. His jaw tightened in renewed anger; she was not the wronged party in this scenario.
“Sure. As soon as you stop being a bitch.”
“Please.” Angelica’s soft plea stopped him in his tracks. Encouraged she continued. “You’re right. I was being a terrible bitch. But I had a lot going on.”
Stephen shot her an unsympathetic glare and she hastened to continue. “Look, I promised you that I’d let you know what was going on as soon as I figured it out myself. Well, I’m still as messed up as ever, but I’m ready to tell you why. That is,” she added hesitantly, “if you’re still interested.”
Her pitiful expression chipped away at Stephen’s resolve; he wasn’t sure how much longer he would be able to hold out, or if he even wanted to, for that matter. He had been trying to worm his way into her life from almost the moment he met her. Was he really going to let a grudge get in the way of finally realizing his goal?
He considered her thoughtfully; as he watched a tear spilled down her cheek and he felt his heart thawing. “Well…”
Her eyes met his hopefully, her lip caught between her teeth. Sighing loudly, Stephen walked around to open the car door and slid in. Her relieved smile assured him that he had made the right decision. “So,” he muttered expectantly, “you said you had something to tell me…?”
Angelica’s expression became serious again, and she nodded awkwardly. “Yes, but not here.” She frowned slightly.
“The beach?” Stephen, still unfamiliar with the town, suggested the first place he could think of.
Angelica shook her head, “Not private enough.”
“Well,” Stephen was almost too embarrassed to finish his next thought, “there’s that motel on the outskirts of town, the Camelot. They look like the sort of place that rents by the hour.” He couldn’t quite look at her, afraid she could see the images that the thought of the getting her alone in a private spot had conjured up. He should be ashamed of himself, he silently chastised himself; she was obviously in pain and all he could think about was sex.
Angelica didn’t seem to notice, though. To his surprise she was nodding slowly. “Yeah,” she agreed, “I guess that will do.”
*****
Logan was taken aback by who he found at the door. “Veronica?”
“Is Angelica here?” She looked absolutely adorable as she chewed nervously on her lip, but Logan refused to succumb.
“No,” his eyebrow lifted querulously, “should she be?”
“I just…” she paused; Logan couldn’t remember the last time he had seen her so unsure of herself. It was unsettling. “Dad just called,” she began again, “to tell me she’s missing.” She shook her head at his alarmed look, “It’s not…I mean she’s not…” Veronica closed her eyes and took a deep breath as she gathered her thoughts, “We had sort of a …disagreement…and I think she probably just wanted to get away from…” she trailed off uncertainly.
“And you think maybe she decided to ‘get away’ with Stephen, huh?” Logan answered coolly.
“Stephen? No.” She looked startled. “I thought…do you think she’s with Stephen?”
“I don’t know,” Logan admitted grudgingly, “Stephen hasn’t come home yet.”
“Is that normal?” She frowned uncomfortably, “I mean for him to stay out late?”
“I trust him.” His look challenged her to say the same about her daughter.
She nodded clumsily, “I don’t suppose…I mean, would you mind giving him a call? To see if Angelica is with him.” She couldn’t meet his eyes as she added quietly, “She won’t answer her phone.”
Logan couldn’t refuse her request. He knew what it was like to have a child unaccounted for. “Come in,” he sighed, stepping aside so she could enter as he retrieved his cell phone and pushed speed dial.
“Hello?” Stephen’s voice filtered through the phone sounding a bit impatient.
“Hey son,” Logan responded. “Just wondering if you’d be home soon.”
“Um,” his son stammered, “I’m not sure about that Dad. Something important came up. It might be a while yet.”
“I don’t suppose that something has anything to do with Angelica Mars?” Logan frowned at his son’s answering silence. “You wouldn’t happen to know if she’s okay?”
“Yeah,” Stephen admitted, “she’s okay.”
Logan sighed, “Don’t stay out too late, all right? Her mom’s worried about her.” Before Stephen could disconnect he added, “And Stephen, don’t do anything I would have done, okay?” He could almost hear the eye roll his son was undoubtedly giving him, but he agreed before hanging up.
“She’s with Stephen,” he told an anxious Veronica and he could see the relief flood her face. “What? No objections to her choice of company?”
“Let’s just say I’m seeing their relationship from a different angle,” she mumbled, fidgeting with the strap to her bag, her eyes still averted.
“Veronica,” his demanding tone commanded her attention, “why are you here?”
“”I told you,” she hedged, “I was looking for my daughter.”
“But why here?” he repeated. “You told her to stay away from Stephen, right? Why would you think she’d come here?”
She remained silent, eyes fixed on the floor again.
“It wasn’t Stephen you were coming to see, was it?” He continued in a quieter tone, and her eyes rose to meet his. “You were already out when your father called to say she was missing. Were you on your way to Casey’s when he called? I hear congratulations are in or-”
Her interruption was uttered so quietly he had to ask her to repeat it.
“I said,” she repeated more loudly, “Casey’s in New York.”
“Like on business?” Logan searched her expression intently.
“Like permanently,” she stared back, watching for his reaction.
Logan’s heart did a little skip but he fought to hide it. “Are you planning on joining him soon?”
She shook her head slowly.
“So you’re not…”
“No.”
That one word hung between them as Logan pondered the possible implications for a moment. “Because of me?” he asked finally. “Because of what almost happened between us the other night? Do you want me to talk to him, explain…?”
Veronica was shaking her head again. “Actually,” she laughed weakly, “Casey was the one who suggested I talk to you.”
“What did he want us to talk about, Veronica?” Logan noticed that he had drifted closer to her, and he barely resisted the urge to reach up and touch her cheek.
She turned away from him. “I…,” she paused, taking a deep breath. “Is there someplace we can sit down?”
Her actions had him worried. With a hand resting lightly on her elbow, he led her to the study. She sank down onto a chair, but Logan stayed across the room, leaning back against a bookshelf as he eyed her warily.
“There’s something I need to tell you,” she began finally. “Something I should have told you a long time ago.”
Logan was suddenly overwhelmed by a sense of foreboding.
“I should have told you,” she repeated, “but I wasn’t sure how. I mean, you were married, with a baby on the way… It would have made everything so…complicated.”
Logan couldn’t stand the suspense any longer. “What, Veronica? What should you have told me?” He came to crouch in front of her as he whispered, “Tell me now.”
Veronica turned away, but Logan urged her to face him with a gentle hand on her cheek. “Please, Veronica, just tell me.”
“She’s your daughter,” her voice was barely more than a whisper, but it reverberated in Logan’s head.
He stood quickly, taking a step back. “What?”
“Angelica,” Veronica said a bit louder, startled by his sudden movement, “she’s yours.”
Logan’s mind reeled as he attempted to process this information. Duncan’s cryptic remarks came back to taunt him. His friend had known. Had everyone known but him? Was he really so blind?
“Logan?” Veronica’s voice held a note of concern.
“When?” It was all he could manage to get out, but she seemed to understand his question perfectly.
She shrugged. “When do you think?”
That night, he thought. The night Parker had come to tell him she was pregnant.
The thought that Veronica might be lying never even crossed his mind. He knew her too well; she would never lie, not about something like this. But how could she have kept this from him?
“Logan?”
“I don’t think I can talk to you right now, Veronica,” his voice rose he struggled to control his anger. “I have a daughter? I can’t believe you could keep something like that from me.”
“I didn’t want to make you choose.”
“I get that it’s just…,” he ran his fingers through his hair in agitation. “I have to get out of here.”
“Logan-”
“No. Not now, Veronica. I have to go”
Summary: Some light is shed.
Categories: Veronica, Logan
Genre: Angst, Drama, General, Mystery, Romance
Rating: PG-13
Characters: Logan, Veronica, Dick
Author's Notes: Can't believe it's been three months since I last updated! Sorry about that. Hope this was worth the wait...
Disclaimer: Most of the charaters and locations don't belong to me (although they did give birth to mine!)
Chapter 12 - Turning Points
Angelica padded out of the bathroom, dripping as she went. A quick look in her bedroom mirror reassured her that her eyes showed no signs of redness; nothing to betray the pity-party she had succumbed to beneath the spray of hot water. She pulled clothes randomly from her dresser and slipped them on before peering out her window. Her mother’s car was gone, but her grandfather’s was still parked at the curb. A peek through the cracked door confirmed that he was, in fact, still here, dozing in front of the television.
Quietly Angelica slid her feet into her sandals and slipped into the hallway with her bag over her shoulder. With a practiced silence she slid the DNA reports off of the end table next to the chair where her grandfather was sleeping. She made it out the door without waking him. When she got to the car without being discovered, she let out the breath she had been holding. She knew he’d hear her when she drove off, but it wouldn’t be soon enough to catch her. Releasing the brakes and popping the car into neutral, she rolled down the driveway and onto the street before turning the key in the ignition. Without bothering to look back she headed towards the high school. There was someone there she needed to see.
*****
Dick was startled from his moping by a loud pounding on his door. Irritated he hurried across the room to swing the door open. “What the hell - oh. Hey Ronnie.” His visitor did not look pleased, and he considered slamming the door in her face before thinking better of it. He had learned a long time ago to have a respectful fear for Veronica Mars. He stepped aside and ushered her in with a brief wave of his hand. “What can I do for you?”
Silently Veronica looked around the room as if searching for someone.
“There’s nobody here.” Dick was becoming intrigued despite himself.
Veronica sighed as she fidgeted with her cuffs, unable to meet his eyes. For a moment Dick began to feel that he might have the upper hand in this conversation, whatever it was about, but then she looked up at him. Her sharp eyes dared him to mess with her. “I’m only going to ask this once,” her voice was strained, as if it pained her to talk to him, “so you better be damn sure about your answers.”
“OK?” Dick shrugged in confusion.
“That night…”
“What night?” In response Veronica looked down at the floor uncomfortably. Finally something clicked in Dick’s head. “Oh. That night.” He found himself avoiding her eyes as well.
“You told me…promised me…that nothing happened.”
Dick, sensing a possible trap, paused to consider his answer. “I don’t think I said nothing…”
Veronica inhaled sharply. “Dick,” her voice held a warning he knew better than to ignore, “you told me we didn’t…” She seemed unable to say the words.
“Fuck?” Dick finished for her, wisely stifling a smile as she blushed at his word choice. “We didn’t. But I wouldn’t call what we did ‘nothing’.”
Veronica blushed harder but struggled on. “But there’s no way….” She seemed uncharacteristically tongue-tied, and Dick was surprised to find himself feeling sorry for her. “I mean it couldn’t have produced any…I couldn’t have gotten…”
With a jolt Dick realized what she was trying to say. “Whoa!” He held his hands out as if he could push the concept away. “Are you asking if I could be Angelica’s father?”
The blush that spread across her face was all the answer he needed.
“No.” He was freaking out, he knew it, but he felt he was justified. “No freaking way! We didn’t do anything that could have ended like that!”
“You’re sure?”
“Hell, yeah!” He had the audacity to be affronted. “I was married at the time.”
“Your point being….?” Veronica stared at him, eyebrow cocked.
“I never cheated on Madison.”
“And what we did…?”
“We didn’t fuck,” he explained patiently, not quite sure why she couldn’t understand his logic, “so I didn’t cheat.”
“Then what do you call whatever it was that we did,” Veronica was curious in spite of herself.
“Revenge.”
“Revenge?” Veronica stared at him as if he was insane, “For what?”
Now it was Dick’s turn to act uncomfortable, which only intrigued Veronica more.
“Wait,” Veronica had a horrible thought, “it wasn’t to get back at her for sleeping with Logan, was it?”
Dick looked up, outrage plain on his face. “What?? Hell no! What kind of asshole do you think I am?”
Veronica barely restrained herself from answering him.
“Didn’t you ever wonder why Maddy and I got married in such a hurry?”
“You knocked her up.”
“Well, yeah,” Dick was a little taken aback by her blunt response, “but didn’t you think that was a little odd? I mean, if there was one thing I did learn in college it was the importance of safe sex.”
“Glad to hear your tuition money was well-spent,” Veronica replied dryly.
“Whatever,” Dick continued unfazed, “the point is little Rick wasn’t exactly an accident. Turns out he owes his existence to a little sabotage with a safety pin.”
“Are you telling me Madison put a hole in your condom?” Veronica wondered why this revelation surprised her; it was exactly the type of action she normally would have attributed to her arch-nemesis.
“Not just one. The entire freakin’ box!” Dick swore loudly. “What a waste of money! I had just invested in the economy sized package the day before she came slinking back.”
As much as she loved bad-mouthing Madison, Veronica felt a need to return to get back to the point of her visit. “So this led to us how?”
Dick shrugged, “I’d just learned that I’d been tricked into marriage. You’d just found out that the love of your life was about to marry someone else. Plus we were both drunk.” He grinned at her, without even a trace of ire. “The way I figure it was just a case of a little mutual comfort between friends.” At Veronica’s skeptical look he quickly amended, “Or between acquaintances, anyway.” He eyed her curiously. “You don’t remember any of this?”
“I don’t remember anything,” Veronica sighed in frustration, “except waking up half naked in a hotel room with you.”
“Not true,” Dick supplied helpfully, “you woke up half naked in a bedroom at the frat house with me.”
“Yeah, that’s better,” she groaned, cradling her head in her hands.
“Cheer up, Ronnie,” Dick wrapped a hesitant arm around her shoulders, and Veronica was dismayed to find herself leaning into him. She thought about pulling away but, honestly, she was too tired to expend the effort. Besides, she rationalized, he wasn’t doing anything more than offering comfort, and if she was being honest she had to admit that she could use a little of it. She felt him relax slightly when she didn’t react. “No one saw you leave. You were very stealthy.” He smiled briefly before adding in a serious tone, “There’s no way I could be Angel’s dad. If it had been up to me…” he trailed off at her scowl and continued disgustedly, “but I was out of condoms,” he scowled briefly, “and that seemed to be a deal-breaker for you.”
“Thank God,” Veronica exhaled in relief, looking up at Dick guiltily as she realized she’d said it out-loud.
But Dick just grinned good-naturedly as he pulled away from her gently. “No kidding,” he snorted. “No offense. I think you’re hot and all. But I don’t think a night with you would have been worth losing my best friend.”
“Logan was about to marry Parker,” Veronica grumbled, catching her lip between her teeth. “He wouldn’t have cared what you did with me.”
“Yeah, right.” Dick’s face broke out in an amused smirk. “Have you met Logan? Don’t fool yourself. He would have cared.” He snorted. “Hell, considering the way he’s been going on about you since he got back in to town I’d say it’s a safe bet that he still cares.” At Veronica’s sharp look Dick’s face grew thoughtful. “Maybe he’s not the only one, huh?”
Veronica remained silent, unable to contradict him.
(When the hell did Dick get so insightful?)
With a shake of his head Dick stood up straighter, reaching for the door. “Well,” he said, “if you’re through giving me the third degree I’m going to have to excuse myself. There’s someone I need to talk to.” He eyed her shrewdly as he held the door for her. “Isn’t there someone you should be talking to as well?”
*****
When Steven heard the car come up behind him, he didn’t even have to look to know who it belonged to. He told himself he didn’t care and continued on his way.
Her patience didn’t last long. With an engine rev Angelica pulled around to follow along beside him. He heard the whine of the window rolling down but he still refused to acknowledge her.
“How about a lift?” Her voice floated out, annoyingly bright.
Without stopping Stephen turned to acknowledge her. “Hmmm,” his face screwed up as if he were considering her offer. “No.” Again devoid of emotion he faced forward and continued on his way.
Angelica followed him, matching his brisk pace. “Come on Stephen,” she coaxed, “it’s a long walk.”
Considering that she was indirectly responsible for him having to walk home, Stephen didn’t bother to respond to her observation.
“Stop being an idiot.” Angelica’s accompanying sigh was loud and, Stephen thought, unjustified. His jaw tightened in renewed anger; she was not the wronged party in this scenario.
“Sure. As soon as you stop being a bitch.”
“Please.” Angelica’s soft plea stopped him in his tracks. Encouraged she continued. “You’re right. I was being a terrible bitch. But I had a lot going on.”
Stephen shot her an unsympathetic glare and she hastened to continue. “Look, I promised you that I’d let you know what was going on as soon as I figured it out myself. Well, I’m still as messed up as ever, but I’m ready to tell you why. That is,” she added hesitantly, “if you’re still interested.”
Her pitiful expression chipped away at Stephen’s resolve; he wasn’t sure how much longer he would be able to hold out, or if he even wanted to, for that matter. He had been trying to worm his way into her life from almost the moment he met her. Was he really going to let a grudge get in the way of finally realizing his goal?
He considered her thoughtfully; as he watched a tear spilled down her cheek and he felt his heart thawing. “Well…”
Her eyes met his hopefully, her lip caught between her teeth. Sighing loudly, Stephen walked around to open the car door and slid in. Her relieved smile assured him that he had made the right decision. “So,” he muttered expectantly, “you said you had something to tell me…?”
Angelica’s expression became serious again, and she nodded awkwardly. “Yes, but not here.” She frowned slightly.
“The beach?” Stephen, still unfamiliar with the town, suggested the first place he could think of.
Angelica shook her head, “Not private enough.”
“Well,” Stephen was almost too embarrassed to finish his next thought, “there’s that motel on the outskirts of town, the Camelot. They look like the sort of place that rents by the hour.” He couldn’t quite look at her, afraid she could see the images that the thought of the getting her alone in a private spot had conjured up. He should be ashamed of himself, he silently chastised himself; she was obviously in pain and all he could think about was sex.
Angelica didn’t seem to notice, though. To his surprise she was nodding slowly. “Yeah,” she agreed, “I guess that will do.”
*****
Logan was taken aback by who he found at the door. “Veronica?”
“Is Angelica here?” She looked absolutely adorable as she chewed nervously on her lip, but Logan refused to succumb.
“No,” his eyebrow lifted querulously, “should she be?”
“I just…” she paused; Logan couldn’t remember the last time he had seen her so unsure of herself. It was unsettling. “Dad just called,” she began again, “to tell me she’s missing.” She shook her head at his alarmed look, “It’s not…I mean she’s not…” Veronica closed her eyes and took a deep breath as she gathered her thoughts, “We had sort of a …disagreement…and I think she probably just wanted to get away from…” she trailed off uncertainly.
“And you think maybe she decided to ‘get away’ with Stephen, huh?” Logan answered coolly.
“Stephen? No.” She looked startled. “I thought…do you think she’s with Stephen?”
“I don’t know,” Logan admitted grudgingly, “Stephen hasn’t come home yet.”
“Is that normal?” She frowned uncomfortably, “I mean for him to stay out late?”
“I trust him.” His look challenged her to say the same about her daughter.
She nodded clumsily, “I don’t suppose…I mean, would you mind giving him a call? To see if Angelica is with him.” She couldn’t meet his eyes as she added quietly, “She won’t answer her phone.”
Logan couldn’t refuse her request. He knew what it was like to have a child unaccounted for. “Come in,” he sighed, stepping aside so she could enter as he retrieved his cell phone and pushed speed dial.
“Hello?” Stephen’s voice filtered through the phone sounding a bit impatient.
“Hey son,” Logan responded. “Just wondering if you’d be home soon.”
“Um,” his son stammered, “I’m not sure about that Dad. Something important came up. It might be a while yet.”
“I don’t suppose that something has anything to do with Angelica Mars?” Logan frowned at his son’s answering silence. “You wouldn’t happen to know if she’s okay?”
“Yeah,” Stephen admitted, “she’s okay.”
Logan sighed, “Don’t stay out too late, all right? Her mom’s worried about her.” Before Stephen could disconnect he added, “And Stephen, don’t do anything I would have done, okay?” He could almost hear the eye roll his son was undoubtedly giving him, but he agreed before hanging up.
“She’s with Stephen,” he told an anxious Veronica and he could see the relief flood her face. “What? No objections to her choice of company?”
“Let’s just say I’m seeing their relationship from a different angle,” she mumbled, fidgeting with the strap to her bag, her eyes still averted.
“Veronica,” his demanding tone commanded her attention, “why are you here?”
“”I told you,” she hedged, “I was looking for my daughter.”
“But why here?” he repeated. “You told her to stay away from Stephen, right? Why would you think she’d come here?”
She remained silent, eyes fixed on the floor again.
“It wasn’t Stephen you were coming to see, was it?” He continued in a quieter tone, and her eyes rose to meet his. “You were already out when your father called to say she was missing. Were you on your way to Casey’s when he called? I hear congratulations are in or-”
Her interruption was uttered so quietly he had to ask her to repeat it.
“I said,” she repeated more loudly, “Casey’s in New York.”
“Like on business?” Logan searched her expression intently.
“Like permanently,” she stared back, watching for his reaction.
Logan’s heart did a little skip but he fought to hide it. “Are you planning on joining him soon?”
She shook her head slowly.
“So you’re not…”
“No.”
That one word hung between them as Logan pondered the possible implications for a moment. “Because of me?” he asked finally. “Because of what almost happened between us the other night? Do you want me to talk to him, explain…?”
Veronica was shaking her head again. “Actually,” she laughed weakly, “Casey was the one who suggested I talk to you.”
“What did he want us to talk about, Veronica?” Logan noticed that he had drifted closer to her, and he barely resisted the urge to reach up and touch her cheek.
She turned away from him. “I…,” she paused, taking a deep breath. “Is there someplace we can sit down?”
Her actions had him worried. With a hand resting lightly on her elbow, he led her to the study. She sank down onto a chair, but Logan stayed across the room, leaning back against a bookshelf as he eyed her warily.
“There’s something I need to tell you,” she began finally. “Something I should have told you a long time ago.”
Logan was suddenly overwhelmed by a sense of foreboding.
“I should have told you,” she repeated, “but I wasn’t sure how. I mean, you were married, with a baby on the way… It would have made everything so…complicated.”
Logan couldn’t stand the suspense any longer. “What, Veronica? What should you have told me?” He came to crouch in front of her as he whispered, “Tell me now.”
Veronica turned away, but Logan urged her to face him with a gentle hand on her cheek. “Please, Veronica, just tell me.”
“She’s your daughter,” her voice was barely more than a whisper, but it reverberated in Logan’s head.
He stood quickly, taking a step back. “What?”
“Angelica,” Veronica said a bit louder, startled by his sudden movement, “she’s yours.”
Logan’s mind reeled as he attempted to process this information. Duncan’s cryptic remarks came back to taunt him. His friend had known. Had everyone known but him? Was he really so blind?
“Logan?” Veronica’s voice held a note of concern.
“When?” It was all he could manage to get out, but she seemed to understand his question perfectly.
She shrugged. “When do you think?”
That night, he thought. The night Parker had come to tell him she was pregnant.
The thought that Veronica might be lying never even crossed his mind. He knew her too well; she would never lie, not about something like this. But how could she have kept this from him?
“Logan?”
“I don’t think I can talk to you right now, Veronica,” his voice rose he struggled to control his anger. “I have a daughter? I can’t believe you could keep something like that from me.”
“I didn’t want to make you choose.”
“I get that it’s just…,” he ran his fingers through his hair in agitation. “I have to get out of here.”
“Logan-”
“No. Not now, Veronica. I have to go”