-1Background: Since Lil never died Keith is still Sheriff, which means that Veronica is still living around and hanging out with the 09ers. Her mother never left, but Duncan did break up with her for no reason, out of no where right before Lily graduated from Neptune High. I'm going to write Veronica as a mixture between the younger V and the current V. She'll still be quirk and tough, but also more demur and vulnerable.

Chapter 1:

"Lilly comes home from school for the summer tomorrow." Veronica mentioned, trying to sound like it hadn't been the topic she'd been attempting to bring up all night.

"So I heard." Logan nodded, as he grabbed the channel changer from her hand and pulled her backwards to lean against his chest.

She lifted an eyebrow and then nonchalantly asked, "Oh so you talked to her?"

"Yeah. She called last night after I got home from your place." He replied, flipping through the channels as he propped his arm on the side of his living room couch.

"Huh." She breathed, playing with her finger nails.

"Do I detect a hint of jealously?" He wondered, with a satisfied smirk. She didn't answer. "Veronica Mars is feeling threatened." He rubbed it in, wrapping his arms around her and burying his face into her neck.

"Well, there are many factors that give me just reason to be worried." Veronica pointed out, sitting up and facing her boyfriend. " One being that she's your ex-girlfriend. Two, she's the one who broke up with you. Three, you still have a picture of her in your wallet." Logan frowned. "Yes. I saw it. Four, nobody knows about us which makes it seem like you are available. And five, you are a boy and she is Lilly Kane."

"If I took the picture out would you feel better?" He questioned, half joking.

"Logan." She warned, giving him the death stare. "I'm serious?"

Gripping her face in his hands, he lean forward and kissed her nose. "Chill out. It'll be fine. I promise." He told her sincerely. She felt as if he had more to say but was holding back.

"Well, as long as you promised." She sighed, looking him in the eye.

"I've got something to show you." He grinned, pulling his wallet from his pocket. He opened the leather case and flipped to Lilly's picture and then after a few seconds of fumbling under the plastic holder, he pulled out a picture of Veronica.

"You have my picture?" She beamed.

"I can't exactly keep it out in the open just in case someone sees, so I hide it behind Lilly's." He confessed.

Suddenly she felt a million times better. "You are so gonna get lucky for that one." She smirked, with excitement as she surged forward and kissed him with such force that he fell backwards against the armrest of the sofa.

Veronica woke up early that morning and got dressed and ready within 20 minutes. She was really excited about her best friend returning to town. So excited, that it over shadowed her concern about what was going to happen between her and Logan now that Lilly was back.

At the Kane's front door, Veronica rang the bell and waited until it finally swung open. Her smile faded a bit when she realized that it was her ex-boyfriend, Duncan. "Hi. I'm just here for Lil."

"She's not back yet." He replied simply. He seemed tired and was still in his pajamas. "You can come in if you want."

"No I think I'll just stand out here until she gets home." Veronica told him sarcastically with a joking smile before entering the house. Everything looked the same since the last time that Veronica as been at the Kane home on the day that Lilly left for school last fall. "It's kind of comforting to see that some things never change."

"I guess that depends on what's changing and what's not." Duncan retorted, moving further into the living room. "Do you want to sit?"

Was that some sort of reference to me or something? She wondered to herself absently, but decided to dismiss it. "Umm sure." She shrugged awkwardly, moving around the side of the couch and taking a seat.

"You thirsty?" He wondered.

"No. Thanks." She shook her head before averting her gaze to the floor. "Awkward much?"

"I don't really know what to say." He nodded, gripping the back of the sofa with both hands. "I mean, when we see each other in school it's kind of different."

"Yeah."

"So, how's everything?"

"Everything is good." She smiled shyly. Could his question have been any more vague?

"Are you dating anyone?"

Veronica took a breath. I'm suddenly missing the vague questions. She never knew how to answer that question, due to the situation that she and Logan had gotten themselves into. She decided that since Duncan was the very person they were trying to keep the relationship from it would be best to divert him from any thoughts of her with another guy. "No. Not so much."

"Not so much. Just a little then?"

"I don't really feel…" She began to worm her way out of the web , when they heard a loud honk from outside in the drive way.

"I have returned!" They heard Lilly announce proudly in the loudest possible voice she could. Veronica quickly stood and made her way to the front door.

Wooo saved by the car horn.

She felt as if a weight had been lifted off of her after getting out of that conversation. "Little Brother!" Lilly squealed, wrapping her arms around Duncan's neck, "Get my bags for me?" She wondered, still hugging him. Before he could answer, she noticed Veronica standing behind him. "V!" She smiled, suddenly uninterested in her brother.

"Hey Lil" Veronica was immediately greeted with a hug that nearly knocked her to the ground.

If I could only use one word to describe Lilly it would be 'energetic'

"Oh my gosh. I'm so happy you're here. And you cut your hair! I love it." She gushed, hooking her arm with Veronica's and pulling her into the house while Duncan and her father unloaded her things from the car. "And I'm definitely liking the new wardrobe." She gives an exaggerated sigh. "My little Veronica is growing up."

"Yeah. Well…"

"So how's the boy situations in Neptune these days? Any new cuties?" Lilly asked, not letting Veronica get a word in edgewise.

"Umm I don't know. I haven't really been looking." Veronica shrugged, as Duncan entered the house with a box under is left arm and a bag in his right hand.

"Of course you aren't! I'm so excited that you and Duncan are back together. I knew you couldn't stay apart for long." She gushed. Veronica and Duncan froze, sharing an awkward glance.

"Uh we're not." She correct, looking away.

"Oh Opps. I just kind of figured that you were since you were here." She reasoned, unaffected by the awkwardness that had filled the room.

"Nope. Just welcoming you home." Veronica shrugged, following her best friend towards her bedroom.

After a few hours of unpacking Lilly and Veronica emerged from her bedroom to find Duncan and Logan standing around in the kitchen.

"Logan!" Lilly screeched with excitement , dashing towards him and throwing her arms around his neck. She jumped up and wrapped her legs around his waist, pressing her lips firmly against his.

Both Veronica and Logan were taken by surprise by her actions, but it was over as quickly as it happened. Logan wiped his mouth subconsciously and glanced over at Veronica who was trying to best to hide her jealousy. "Good to see you too Lil." Logan joked, trying to make it seem like the kiss was nothing.

"I missed that cute butt of your's." Lilly smirked, patting his ass with a devilish grin.

"Lilly!" Veronica yelled a bit louder and with more anger then she had intended. Duncan, and Lilly stared at her with confusion. "Sorry. I just forgot to tell you that Logan is seeing someone."

Duncan looked even more confused now. "He is?"

"I am?" Logan questioned nervously, afraid that Veronica was going to freak and reveal their secret.

"Well, I mean. I thought you were and I just figured Lilly might want to know."

"Not that it matters whether you have a girlfriend or not. Right Logan?" Lilly giggled, resting her arm on his shoulder.

"What do you mean?" Veronica questioned, trying to sound more curious then concerned.

"The first time me and Logan hooked up was at Jennie Copper's party, while he was dating Jennie Copper." Lilly grinned proudly.

"Huh. I did not know that." Veronica titled her head at Logan, biting her lip. "So you're a cheater then? I never would have known Logan Echolls."

"I'm not a cheater when I'm with the right girl." He corrected.

"You know what they say, 'Once a cheater, always a cheater." She shot back matter-of-factly.

"No, I don't think that's what they say."

"I must disagree."

"Disagree all you want. Who are the 'they' that you speak of anyway? I'd like to see the research that they've done to come to the conclusion that once one cheats they will always cheat, because I've got a contradiction to their finds right here." He pointed at himself.

"I'm so confused." Lilly interjected with a laugh. "Are you dating someone or not? And if so, am I gonna get some from you?"

"Oh man. I don't need to hear this conversation." Duncan made a disgusted face.

"The answer to the first question is unclear and the answer to the second question would be a No" He replied.

"Unclear? Since when did you find a girl." Duncan wondered. "I haven't seen you so much as flirt with a girl for the past few months."

Veronica smiled at that comment. Well, at least I knew he's been a faithful boyfriend up to this point. She had to admit that Lilly's return was worrying her much more after the new information that had been brought to her attention.

"Well, girl or no girl, games on babe." Lilly winked playfully. "Hey. So I heard the parents talking in the car on the way home. They are going to Malibu for the weekend and I say we party tonight. I'll invite a bunch of people. We'll get drunk. It'll be fun."

"I don't know. My dad kind of wanted me home early tonight." Veronica lied, not really wanted to spend the night watching her best friend trying to hook up with her secret boyfriend.

"Logan?" Duncan pleaded.

"Fine. I'm in." He agreed, only half reluctantly. The truth was that he really did want to get drunk.

"On second thought, I think my dad will understand." Veronica suddenly had a change of heart. "It's your first night back."

"Great. This is going to be fun." Lilly growled, giving Logan a wink.