Symmetry 3b: When It's All Unravelling
Title: Symmetry 3b: When It’s All Unraveling
Author:princess72385
Pairings/Characters: Lianne/Jake, Lianne/Keith, Jake/Celeste (eventually: Logan/Veronica)
Word Count: 3,167 (2,916 without lyrics)
Rating: PG-13 (for mention of sexual situations, adultery, alcoholism, and character death)
Summary: There are similarities to the past and now. History always repeats itself, whether we realize it or not and breaking the circle is always the most difficult part of it all.
Spoilers/Warnings: Everything to 3.17 (Debasement Tapes), especially Season 1
Pre-Series
Disclaimer: None of it’s mine, and if it was it would all be going different right now. So don’t sue, because I have nothing and it’d be a waste of both our time. The Song is In the End by Linkin Park
A/N: This chapter is split into a kind of 'before and after' thing, so it's two parts.
A/N: This is the last part in the Lianne and Jake saga, although I might do a 'mini-chapter' between 3 & 4 to talk about the time between (which will only be about 4 years)
Chapter 1: Everything Has It's Beginning... And It's End
Chapter 2: Leave My Heart Behind
Chapter 3a: When It's All Unraveling
Symmetry
3b
When It’s All Unraveling
One thing, I don’t know why
It doesn’t even matter how hard you try
Keep that in mind
I designed this rhyme to remind myself how I tried so hard
Despite of the way you were mocking me
Acting like I was part of your property
Remembering all the times you fought with me
I’m surprised it got so far
Lianne drove to the beach and parked her car. She got out and settled in on the hood of the car. She was supposed to pick up Veronica from her pep squad thing, made sure to meet Jake early enough as to not be late. And here she was, getting later by the minute and not caring. She hadn’t slept with Jake since just before Lilly was born but he still affected her. Dammit. She had gone there to make a point, but all she did was get them caught by his wife. Celeste probably thought that they were starting up their affair again… or worse, never ended it.
It had been hours, the sun had set and she knew that Veronica had either walked to the station or Lilly had taken her home. Lianne had abandoned her daughter for the afternoon. She slid off the car and back into the driver’s seat, and started home.
~ * ~
She had only been home a few minutes when a squad car pulled in front of the house. The lights were going. Lianne squinted through the glare of the lights and the sheerness of the curtains to see Veronica climb out of the front passenger side door. Deputy Lamb got out and made sure she made it into the house. No doubt following Keith’s orders.
Veronica was sobbing when she came through the front door, and it took a moment for Lianne to realize the loud bang was the sound of her dropping to the floor. She rounded the corner of the foyer to find her daughter crying hysterically on the tiled floor.
It took Lianne ten minutes to coax Veronica into standing up and walking to her bedroom. She laid on her bed and continued to cry silently, offering no explanation for her current state. She just lay there, curling into a ball until she was in the fetal position, her low sobs echoing around her.
Then Veronica’s phone began to ring. Consistently.
The machine picked up.
“Veronica? It’s me, Ashley, I just heard on the radio that something happened to Lilly. Do you know anything about it? Call me.”
“Veronica, it’s Caitlyn. My dad just told me that something happened at the Kane house, something about Lilly and an incident. What the hell is going on? Call me back.”
“Veronica? It’s Lynn Echolls. Logan just heard the news about Lilly. He’s left and I don’t think he went to the Kane house. If he’s there will you have him call home? He left very quickly and I’m afraid he’ll wreck.”
Lianne could hear the clink of ice in a glass in the background, the pouring of liquid. It seemed that Lynn would be getting an early start on her weekend blitz. So much for being worried about her son. She’ll probably be drunk and passed out by time anything turns up on Logan’s whereabouts.
There was a stuttered and hesitant knock on the front door. She didn’t want to leave her daughter here alone, but if it was Logan he could offer more comfort. He knew what had happened.
Lianne swung the door open as Logan’s slumping form started to turn away from the door. He looked up to her with wide, scared eyes. Tear tracks making their way down his cheeks.
“Logan?” She greeted him questioningly, hoping to get some answers.
“Is Veronica home? Does she know?” Logan’s voice was hoarse and cracked, like his sobbing had been uncontrollable like Veronica’s.
“She’s in her room. You can-”
Logan pushed past her without waiting for her permission to go on in, muttering a “thanks” as he disappeared into Veronica’s room.
Lianne stood and listened at the doorway.
“Logan?” Veronica’s voice had that same harsh quality to as Logan’s had. She sounded so broken. There was a creak of the bed as Logan sat down, then the crying started back up again full force.
Lianne peeked in to find the two teenagers wrapped in each other’s arm, lying on the bed sobbing.
Something was definitely very wrong.
~ * ~
It was an hour and a half before she finally got to speak with Keith. She had called the office at least a dozen times. But he was the one who called her this time.
“Keith, what happened? Veronica’s upstairs sobbing after being dropped off by Don and Logan showed up a little while later. Now they’re both up there crying and I had to unplug Veronica’s phone because I swear everyone in her class has called.” Lianne didn’t even greet her husband, simply launching in the spiel she’d gone over and over in her head each time she had dialed the station.
“Hasn’t Veronica said anything to you?” Keith’s voice was full of confusion and concern.
“No. I couldn’t get her to stop crying long enough. Then all those kids from school called and left messages. Something about Lilly? What’s going on?” Lianne was starting to get irritated. Why wouldn’t anyone tell her anything?
“Lianne. Lilly Kane was murdered this afternoon. They found her by the pool.” Keith’s voice was like stone as he relayed the message.
She felt the phone slip through her fingertips and heard the “Oh my God” she yelled out at the news. But it didn’t feel like it was her, it felt like it was someone else. Lilly had been murdered by the pool in her backyard that afternoon. Murdered. Her daughter’s best friend had been murdered.
The phone broke apart at her feet as she realized something else with horrifying clarity…
Lilly had been murdered that afternoon. She had been alone because Lianne had called her father to the Grand and her mother had followed. They hadn’t been home as a result to the meeting Lianne had insisted upon.
Lilly’s death was Lianne’s fault.
Things aren’t the way they were before
You wouldn’t recognize me anymore,
Not that you knew me back then
But it all comes back to me in the end
You kept everything inside, and even though I tried it all fell apart
What it meant to me will eventually be a memory
Of a time that…
Lianne sat comfortably on the bar stool. Eight days. It had been eight days since the murder, and yesterday had been Lilly’s funeral. A big spectacle with cameras and paparazzi and people intruding on other’s grief.
Two more days. That’s all they had left. Two more days for Veronica to be a regular teenagers and two days for Lianne to enjoy a little time with her friends. Two days before Keith brought all of their worlds crashing down around them.
He was going to accuse Jake.
Lianne stared at the shot of vodka in front of her. Crystal clear and tempting as hell. Her fingers wrapped around the small glass as the guilt gripped her. She threw her head back as she took the shot, slamming the shot glass back down and scooting it closer to the bartender. It was her fifth shot and she had worked on two beers before that. But the alcohol wasn’t numbing her to anything this time. Instead it just made her a drunken mess.
They’d call her husband soon. They’d call and if she was lucky he’d send another deputy to pick her up and take her home. She hated they way he looked at her with those judgmental eyes.
The eyes that she’d seen the truth in over the past sixteen years, the eyes that judged her for Jake. The eyes that would judge her for taking another shot… like the one sitting in front of her right now. Like the one that she was picking up and letting slip down her throat right now.
Veronica was home right now, still devastated over her best friend’s death. Still reeling from the funeral yesterday. Logan had stayed the night Friday and had barely left her side since then. Neither he nor Veronica could get through to the Kanes to speak with Duncan.
Lianne sat inconspicuously at the bar as a several women came in, taking up space at a booth.
“Have you heard anything about whether or not they’ve done anything about that Kane murder?” A brunette woman’s voice carried above the sound of the jukebox, already loud and slurred.
“Nothing yet. But I heard that Sheriff Mars has a suspect, they’re having a press conference on Friday. The paper is sending Joe, even though he’s been trying to get a quote from Mars since Saturday.” Lianne recognized this brunette, she’d run into her at many of the Department fundraisers. She always came with her husband, who always did the articles for the paper.
Lianne nearly fell off her stool as she got down, stumbling into the bathroom. Once there she locked the door and leaned against it, taking a moment to try and regain her composure.
She moved to stand in front of the mirror, staring at her haggard looking reflection. She hadn’t been sleeping well, not since they night Lilly was murdered. Not since Lianne realized that she had officially ruined everyone’s lives. After sixteen years of not letting it ruin her daughter’s life, her affair finally did.
Veronica had lost her best friend, and possibly her sister, and soon she would lose everything else as well.
Lianne knew that the rest of Neptune’s elite wouldn’t stand for Keith accusing their beloved Jake Kane of murdering his precious daughter. In her death Lilly had been romanticized, and it hadn’t even been a full week. But she’d gone from hellion and out of control girl with too much time and money, to a sweet and enthusiastic girl. To a innocent teenager that was brutally murdered for no reason.
She splashed some cold water on her face and left the restroom. Keith would be home from work soon and it wouldn’t do well for him to find Veronica alone.
~ * ~
It happened Friday. One week from the day Jake’s daughter was murdered he was publicly accused of it.
He had known it was coming. Keith had told Lianne on Wednesday what he thought of it. Had actually given her the chance to play the alibi. But the phone call from Jake Monday night, before the funeral, had convinced her not to try and save him. He had convinced her not to.
Keith had told Jake Thursday that he was announcing that he thought Jake had something to do with Lilly’s murder at Friday’s press conference. Jake took that opportunity to prepare himself she supposed. Because after Keith’s announcement inside the city building Jake had made an announcement himself outside on the steps.
He told the world that he missed his baby, his daughter who had been attacked and killed by someone last Friday. That he loved her and wanted nothing more to find her killer. He didn’t know where Sheriff Mars got the idea that he’d been involved, but instead of looking at him he should be out looking for the real killer.
It was over now. Keith had pointed the finger at Jake and the rest of the town would react accordingly.
~ * ~
It had taken two hours before Lianne saw proof of the damage that had been done. Logan Echolls showed up on the doorstep again. This time he didn’t look scared and grief stricken. This time he was angry and looked ready to blow.
Veronica answered the door this time and stepped out onto the porch. Lianne could hear her daughter trying to calm him down.
“Logan, just calm down.” Veronica’s voice pleaded.
“What is wrong with you? With him? Don’t you know what this is doing to Duncan? To Jake?” There was no mention of Celeste. None of the kids cared about Celeste, and Lianne guiltily felt a twinge of satisfaction.
“I don’t know why, but my dad had to have a reason for doing it. For thinking it was Mr. Kane.” Veronica’s voice was desperate, and a little scared.
“So that’s it then? You’ve chosen.” It was all Logan said before walking away to his SUV. Lianne wondered what this would mean. What choosing her father over her friends was going to do to her.
I tried so hard and got so far
But in the end it doesn’t even matter
I had to fall to lose it all
But in the end it doesn’t even matter
A little over two weeks later Keith had been ousted as Sheriff. Boxes of his things sat in the hallway, unpacked. There wasn’t a reason to unpack them, they’d be moving soon anyway. They couldn’t afford the house with the loss of Keith’s job and he had already started looking for apartments.
Lianne tried to convince him to leave. Veronica was miserable, came home crying most days. Her friends had not only turned their backs on her, but they’d taken it upon themselves to torture her. And leading the pack was none other than Logan Echolls, who seemed hell bent on destroying her as some misplaced sense of loyalty. Logan had always been loyal to Duncan, taking his side in everything and this was just one more example. Starting the war against Veronica was his way of proving his loyalty, his way of showing that the ruling class was just that. The ruling class.
They fought constantly. Keith didn’t want to turn and run away with his tail tucked between his legs. He knew that Jake was hiding something. So was Celeste. Their stories hadn’t matched up at the time of interrogation, but they had supposedly been together.
She didn’t want to stay here in Neptune. She’d always loved it here, but now it had become a war zone. There was a war between the classes. The working class and the reigning class, the poor and the wealthy. Those who lived in the 09er zip code and those who worked in it. And the Mars family was on the wrong side. They had no money and no status anymore. With the loss of Keith’s job both her and Veronica had lost everything. Their places in society, the thing they could hold over everyone.
They’d lost everything.
~ * ~
It wasn’t until the end of October that Keith’s humiliation was complete. They had been in the middle of a fight, yelling at each other while Lianne packed boxes. And Veronica sat in the background watching television and tears in her eyes.
When the news came on announcing that they’d found the killer. Abel Koontz. A former employee with a grudge against Jake and his billions. Disgruntled and crazy he had bludgeoned the first born of one of the world’s richest men in a twisted form of revenge.
Relief washed over Lianne. They had caught the killer and Keith would finally let this go. But he didn’t. He still insisted that there was something off about Jake’s story. About the whole thing. An anonymous tip, and no one ever picking up the reward money for it. It just started more fights, no matter how many times both of them assured Veronica that they’d work it out.
They moved into the new apartment the day after the Abel Koontz announcement. It was a new place for them, but the apartment was old and run down. It was worse than the first apartment that Keith and Lianne shared when they got married. In the years when they didn’t have any money and Keith was just a rookie cop. They had less money now than when they were first starting out.
I put my trust in you
Pushed as far as I can go
For all this there’s only one thing you should know
It was the middle of November when she got the first package. A slim manila envelope with no markings, no address on it. Nothing but her name neatly typed on a white label. It was in the mailbox when she got home from the grocery store. She had gotten two bills and the envelope.
She opened the bills first, hesitant to even touch the ominous package. It was something bad, she knew it. Nothing good came in things like this.
After staring at the envelope for what seemed like an hour she finally undid the flap and pulled out a picture. A picture blown up into an 8X10 photo that showed her daughter in her car, talking on her cell phone. Another behind it showed Veronica sitting at a counter talking to someone. Her face looked distressed and if Lianne had to venture a guess she would say it was taken at school while a classmate ridiculed her. Both photos had the crosshairs of a rifle scope drawn over Veronica’s head.
It was a message… and a threat.
I’ve put my trust in you
Pushed as far as I can go
For all this there’s only one thing you should know
It was another week before Lianne got another set of photos. One with Veronica leaving her therapists office. And one with her in the school hallway, a book fair banner behind her. The same crosshairs were superimposed over her head. It was the same message and the same threat. This time it came with a note. The word ‘leave’ was typed out. It was all she needed.
She took the photos to the bank and got a safety deposit box. She placed them safely inside and headed to the school. Getting Veronica out of class had been easy, getting Veronica to leave had been harder.
The drove up to her sister’s for the weekend, Veronica skipping Friday in order to spend all three days in Palm Springs with Sheryl. She had complained about missing a History test and a Spanish project on Thursday and skipping a Math test of Friday. But Lianne had ignored her, telling her she was excused and she could make it up on Monday. It was just a little more time to prepare.
When they returned on Sunday Veronica had gone to bed. Lianne had snuck in and placed the unicorn music box on her dresser before picking up the suitcases she’d packed on Thursday morning.
Adrianna had agreed to let her stay. It would only be for a little while. Keith would be looking for her and with him just passing his detective’s test he would have the resources to find her. But he couldn’t.
She needed to disappear.
I tried so hard and got so far
But in the end it doesn’t even matter
I had to fall to lose it all
But in the end it doesn’t even matter
Chapter 4a:The Lines That Cross
A/N: This is the last chapter in the Jake and Lianne saga. The next chapter will focus on Logan and Veronica. Also, the story was conceived and outlined right after 3.17 (Debasement Tapes) so it's like the last 3 episodes didn't happen.
Author:princess72385
Pairings/Characters: Lianne/Jake, Lianne/Keith, Jake/Celeste (eventually: Logan/Veronica)
Word Count: 3,167 (2,916 without lyrics)
Rating: PG-13 (for mention of sexual situations, adultery, alcoholism, and character death)
Summary: There are similarities to the past and now. History always repeats itself, whether we realize it or not and breaking the circle is always the most difficult part of it all.
Spoilers/Warnings: Everything to 3.17 (Debasement Tapes), especially Season 1
Pre-Series
Disclaimer: None of it’s mine, and if it was it would all be going different right now. So don’t sue, because I have nothing and it’d be a waste of both our time. The Song is In the End by Linkin Park
A/N: This chapter is split into a kind of 'before and after' thing, so it's two parts.
A/N: This is the last part in the Lianne and Jake saga, although I might do a 'mini-chapter' between 3 & 4 to talk about the time between (which will only be about 4 years)
Chapter 1: Everything Has It's Beginning... And It's End
Chapter 2: Leave My Heart Behind
Chapter 3a: When It's All Unraveling
Symmetry
3b
When It’s All Unraveling
One thing, I don’t know why
It doesn’t even matter how hard you try
Keep that in mind
I designed this rhyme to remind myself how I tried so hard
Despite of the way you were mocking me
Acting like I was part of your property
Remembering all the times you fought with me
I’m surprised it got so far
Lianne drove to the beach and parked her car. She got out and settled in on the hood of the car. She was supposed to pick up Veronica from her pep squad thing, made sure to meet Jake early enough as to not be late. And here she was, getting later by the minute and not caring. She hadn’t slept with Jake since just before Lilly was born but he still affected her. Dammit. She had gone there to make a point, but all she did was get them caught by his wife. Celeste probably thought that they were starting up their affair again… or worse, never ended it.
It had been hours, the sun had set and she knew that Veronica had either walked to the station or Lilly had taken her home. Lianne had abandoned her daughter for the afternoon. She slid off the car and back into the driver’s seat, and started home.
~ * ~
She had only been home a few minutes when a squad car pulled in front of the house. The lights were going. Lianne squinted through the glare of the lights and the sheerness of the curtains to see Veronica climb out of the front passenger side door. Deputy Lamb got out and made sure she made it into the house. No doubt following Keith’s orders.
Veronica was sobbing when she came through the front door, and it took a moment for Lianne to realize the loud bang was the sound of her dropping to the floor. She rounded the corner of the foyer to find her daughter crying hysterically on the tiled floor.
It took Lianne ten minutes to coax Veronica into standing up and walking to her bedroom. She laid on her bed and continued to cry silently, offering no explanation for her current state. She just lay there, curling into a ball until she was in the fetal position, her low sobs echoing around her.
Then Veronica’s phone began to ring. Consistently.
The machine picked up.
“Veronica? It’s me, Ashley, I just heard on the radio that something happened to Lilly. Do you know anything about it? Call me.”
“Veronica, it’s Caitlyn. My dad just told me that something happened at the Kane house, something about Lilly and an incident. What the hell is going on? Call me back.”
“Veronica? It’s Lynn Echolls. Logan just heard the news about Lilly. He’s left and I don’t think he went to the Kane house. If he’s there will you have him call home? He left very quickly and I’m afraid he’ll wreck.”
Lianne could hear the clink of ice in a glass in the background, the pouring of liquid. It seemed that Lynn would be getting an early start on her weekend blitz. So much for being worried about her son. She’ll probably be drunk and passed out by time anything turns up on Logan’s whereabouts.
There was a stuttered and hesitant knock on the front door. She didn’t want to leave her daughter here alone, but if it was Logan he could offer more comfort. He knew what had happened.
Lianne swung the door open as Logan’s slumping form started to turn away from the door. He looked up to her with wide, scared eyes. Tear tracks making their way down his cheeks.
“Logan?” She greeted him questioningly, hoping to get some answers.
“Is Veronica home? Does she know?” Logan’s voice was hoarse and cracked, like his sobbing had been uncontrollable like Veronica’s.
“She’s in her room. You can-”
Logan pushed past her without waiting for her permission to go on in, muttering a “thanks” as he disappeared into Veronica’s room.
Lianne stood and listened at the doorway.
“Logan?” Veronica’s voice had that same harsh quality to as Logan’s had. She sounded so broken. There was a creak of the bed as Logan sat down, then the crying started back up again full force.
Lianne peeked in to find the two teenagers wrapped in each other’s arm, lying on the bed sobbing.
Something was definitely very wrong.
~ * ~
It was an hour and a half before she finally got to speak with Keith. She had called the office at least a dozen times. But he was the one who called her this time.
“Keith, what happened? Veronica’s upstairs sobbing after being dropped off by Don and Logan showed up a little while later. Now they’re both up there crying and I had to unplug Veronica’s phone because I swear everyone in her class has called.” Lianne didn’t even greet her husband, simply launching in the spiel she’d gone over and over in her head each time she had dialed the station.
“Hasn’t Veronica said anything to you?” Keith’s voice was full of confusion and concern.
“No. I couldn’t get her to stop crying long enough. Then all those kids from school called and left messages. Something about Lilly? What’s going on?” Lianne was starting to get irritated. Why wouldn’t anyone tell her anything?
“Lianne. Lilly Kane was murdered this afternoon. They found her by the pool.” Keith’s voice was like stone as he relayed the message.
She felt the phone slip through her fingertips and heard the “Oh my God” she yelled out at the news. But it didn’t feel like it was her, it felt like it was someone else. Lilly had been murdered by the pool in her backyard that afternoon. Murdered. Her daughter’s best friend had been murdered.
The phone broke apart at her feet as she realized something else with horrifying clarity…
Lilly had been murdered that afternoon. She had been alone because Lianne had called her father to the Grand and her mother had followed. They hadn’t been home as a result to the meeting Lianne had insisted upon.
Lilly’s death was Lianne’s fault.
Things aren’t the way they were before
You wouldn’t recognize me anymore,
Not that you knew me back then
But it all comes back to me in the end
You kept everything inside, and even though I tried it all fell apart
What it meant to me will eventually be a memory
Of a time that…
Lianne sat comfortably on the bar stool. Eight days. It had been eight days since the murder, and yesterday had been Lilly’s funeral. A big spectacle with cameras and paparazzi and people intruding on other’s grief.
Two more days. That’s all they had left. Two more days for Veronica to be a regular teenagers and two days for Lianne to enjoy a little time with her friends. Two days before Keith brought all of their worlds crashing down around them.
He was going to accuse Jake.
Lianne stared at the shot of vodka in front of her. Crystal clear and tempting as hell. Her fingers wrapped around the small glass as the guilt gripped her. She threw her head back as she took the shot, slamming the shot glass back down and scooting it closer to the bartender. It was her fifth shot and she had worked on two beers before that. But the alcohol wasn’t numbing her to anything this time. Instead it just made her a drunken mess.
They’d call her husband soon. They’d call and if she was lucky he’d send another deputy to pick her up and take her home. She hated they way he looked at her with those judgmental eyes.
The eyes that she’d seen the truth in over the past sixteen years, the eyes that judged her for Jake. The eyes that would judge her for taking another shot… like the one sitting in front of her right now. Like the one that she was picking up and letting slip down her throat right now.
Veronica was home right now, still devastated over her best friend’s death. Still reeling from the funeral yesterday. Logan had stayed the night Friday and had barely left her side since then. Neither he nor Veronica could get through to the Kanes to speak with Duncan.
Lianne sat inconspicuously at the bar as a several women came in, taking up space at a booth.
“Have you heard anything about whether or not they’ve done anything about that Kane murder?” A brunette woman’s voice carried above the sound of the jukebox, already loud and slurred.
“Nothing yet. But I heard that Sheriff Mars has a suspect, they’re having a press conference on Friday. The paper is sending Joe, even though he’s been trying to get a quote from Mars since Saturday.” Lianne recognized this brunette, she’d run into her at many of the Department fundraisers. She always came with her husband, who always did the articles for the paper.
Lianne nearly fell off her stool as she got down, stumbling into the bathroom. Once there she locked the door and leaned against it, taking a moment to try and regain her composure.
She moved to stand in front of the mirror, staring at her haggard looking reflection. She hadn’t been sleeping well, not since they night Lilly was murdered. Not since Lianne realized that she had officially ruined everyone’s lives. After sixteen years of not letting it ruin her daughter’s life, her affair finally did.
Veronica had lost her best friend, and possibly her sister, and soon she would lose everything else as well.
Lianne knew that the rest of Neptune’s elite wouldn’t stand for Keith accusing their beloved Jake Kane of murdering his precious daughter. In her death Lilly had been romanticized, and it hadn’t even been a full week. But she’d gone from hellion and out of control girl with too much time and money, to a sweet and enthusiastic girl. To a innocent teenager that was brutally murdered for no reason.
She splashed some cold water on her face and left the restroom. Keith would be home from work soon and it wouldn’t do well for him to find Veronica alone.
~ * ~
It happened Friday. One week from the day Jake’s daughter was murdered he was publicly accused of it.
He had known it was coming. Keith had told Lianne on Wednesday what he thought of it. Had actually given her the chance to play the alibi. But the phone call from Jake Monday night, before the funeral, had convinced her not to try and save him. He had convinced her not to.
Keith had told Jake Thursday that he was announcing that he thought Jake had something to do with Lilly’s murder at Friday’s press conference. Jake took that opportunity to prepare himself she supposed. Because after Keith’s announcement inside the city building Jake had made an announcement himself outside on the steps.
He told the world that he missed his baby, his daughter who had been attacked and killed by someone last Friday. That he loved her and wanted nothing more to find her killer. He didn’t know where Sheriff Mars got the idea that he’d been involved, but instead of looking at him he should be out looking for the real killer.
It was over now. Keith had pointed the finger at Jake and the rest of the town would react accordingly.
~ * ~
It had taken two hours before Lianne saw proof of the damage that had been done. Logan Echolls showed up on the doorstep again. This time he didn’t look scared and grief stricken. This time he was angry and looked ready to blow.
Veronica answered the door this time and stepped out onto the porch. Lianne could hear her daughter trying to calm him down.
“Logan, just calm down.” Veronica’s voice pleaded.
“What is wrong with you? With him? Don’t you know what this is doing to Duncan? To Jake?” There was no mention of Celeste. None of the kids cared about Celeste, and Lianne guiltily felt a twinge of satisfaction.
“I don’t know why, but my dad had to have a reason for doing it. For thinking it was Mr. Kane.” Veronica’s voice was desperate, and a little scared.
“So that’s it then? You’ve chosen.” It was all Logan said before walking away to his SUV. Lianne wondered what this would mean. What choosing her father over her friends was going to do to her.
I tried so hard and got so far
But in the end it doesn’t even matter
I had to fall to lose it all
But in the end it doesn’t even matter
A little over two weeks later Keith had been ousted as Sheriff. Boxes of his things sat in the hallway, unpacked. There wasn’t a reason to unpack them, they’d be moving soon anyway. They couldn’t afford the house with the loss of Keith’s job and he had already started looking for apartments.
Lianne tried to convince him to leave. Veronica was miserable, came home crying most days. Her friends had not only turned their backs on her, but they’d taken it upon themselves to torture her. And leading the pack was none other than Logan Echolls, who seemed hell bent on destroying her as some misplaced sense of loyalty. Logan had always been loyal to Duncan, taking his side in everything and this was just one more example. Starting the war against Veronica was his way of proving his loyalty, his way of showing that the ruling class was just that. The ruling class.
They fought constantly. Keith didn’t want to turn and run away with his tail tucked between his legs. He knew that Jake was hiding something. So was Celeste. Their stories hadn’t matched up at the time of interrogation, but they had supposedly been together.
She didn’t want to stay here in Neptune. She’d always loved it here, but now it had become a war zone. There was a war between the classes. The working class and the reigning class, the poor and the wealthy. Those who lived in the 09er zip code and those who worked in it. And the Mars family was on the wrong side. They had no money and no status anymore. With the loss of Keith’s job both her and Veronica had lost everything. Their places in society, the thing they could hold over everyone.
They’d lost everything.
~ * ~
It wasn’t until the end of October that Keith’s humiliation was complete. They had been in the middle of a fight, yelling at each other while Lianne packed boxes. And Veronica sat in the background watching television and tears in her eyes.
When the news came on announcing that they’d found the killer. Abel Koontz. A former employee with a grudge against Jake and his billions. Disgruntled and crazy he had bludgeoned the first born of one of the world’s richest men in a twisted form of revenge.
Relief washed over Lianne. They had caught the killer and Keith would finally let this go. But he didn’t. He still insisted that there was something off about Jake’s story. About the whole thing. An anonymous tip, and no one ever picking up the reward money for it. It just started more fights, no matter how many times both of them assured Veronica that they’d work it out.
They moved into the new apartment the day after the Abel Koontz announcement. It was a new place for them, but the apartment was old and run down. It was worse than the first apartment that Keith and Lianne shared when they got married. In the years when they didn’t have any money and Keith was just a rookie cop. They had less money now than when they were first starting out.
I put my trust in you
Pushed as far as I can go
For all this there’s only one thing you should know
It was the middle of November when she got the first package. A slim manila envelope with no markings, no address on it. Nothing but her name neatly typed on a white label. It was in the mailbox when she got home from the grocery store. She had gotten two bills and the envelope.
She opened the bills first, hesitant to even touch the ominous package. It was something bad, she knew it. Nothing good came in things like this.
After staring at the envelope for what seemed like an hour she finally undid the flap and pulled out a picture. A picture blown up into an 8X10 photo that showed her daughter in her car, talking on her cell phone. Another behind it showed Veronica sitting at a counter talking to someone. Her face looked distressed and if Lianne had to venture a guess she would say it was taken at school while a classmate ridiculed her. Both photos had the crosshairs of a rifle scope drawn over Veronica’s head.
It was a message… and a threat.
I’ve put my trust in you
Pushed as far as I can go
For all this there’s only one thing you should know
It was another week before Lianne got another set of photos. One with Veronica leaving her therapists office. And one with her in the school hallway, a book fair banner behind her. The same crosshairs were superimposed over her head. It was the same message and the same threat. This time it came with a note. The word ‘leave’ was typed out. It was all she needed.
She took the photos to the bank and got a safety deposit box. She placed them safely inside and headed to the school. Getting Veronica out of class had been easy, getting Veronica to leave had been harder.
The drove up to her sister’s for the weekend, Veronica skipping Friday in order to spend all three days in Palm Springs with Sheryl. She had complained about missing a History test and a Spanish project on Thursday and skipping a Math test of Friday. But Lianne had ignored her, telling her she was excused and she could make it up on Monday. It was just a little more time to prepare.
When they returned on Sunday Veronica had gone to bed. Lianne had snuck in and placed the unicorn music box on her dresser before picking up the suitcases she’d packed on Thursday morning.
Adrianna had agreed to let her stay. It would only be for a little while. Keith would be looking for her and with him just passing his detective’s test he would have the resources to find her. But he couldn’t.
She needed to disappear.
I tried so hard and got so far
But in the end it doesn’t even matter
I had to fall to lose it all
But in the end it doesn’t even matter
Chapter 4a:The Lines That Cross
A/N: This is the last chapter in the Jake and Lianne saga. The next chapter will focus on Logan and Veronica. Also, the story was conceived and outlined right after 3.17 (Debasement Tapes) so it's like the last 3 episodes didn't happen.