Somewhere a clock is ticking.

[neptune_sleuth]

Veronica Mars wasn't given to nervousness. She had faced too much in the last three years to be easily unsettled, even here and now in this new place. She had, she told herself, nerves of steel.

But nerves of steel don't seem to count for much right now. What I need are a heart and stomach of steel. Maybe a new heart altogether. I never saw things

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[neptune_king]

To say Duncan hadn't seen it coming would be... a total and complete lie. Granted, as he walked down the corridor to Veronica's room, he had no idea what he was in for. He just assumed he was meeting up wit her for their daily snark-and-suckface, though of course it was more than that. He loved Veronica, to the point that he rarely to never thought about Meg. He still thought about little Lilly quite often, but that was a whole different story for a whole different page.

He got to the door and ducked his head in with a big grin.

"Good morning, sunshine," he chirped, and he had a smile to match... until he saw her face. Then his brows set and he walked fully into the doorway, hands in the pockets of his khakis. "Hey. What's the matter?" She looked... scared. Not the way she had when she walked up to the site of the bus crash, but it was in the same family, at least.

[neptune_sleuth]

Veronica mustered a hint of a smile, raising her head to look at him. There was no point beating around the bush with him, pretending that she didn't look like she was watching the end of an era.

"Come, sit down," she offered, patting the bed beside her. "I know these words never bode well, but..." She took a deep breath and let it out heavily. "We need to talk."

[neptune_king]

Duncan blinked for a moment, but eventually came forward, and took a ginger seat next to Veronica.

"No, that's never what a guy wants to hear," he confirmed. "What's up?" He already knew. He just had no clue why.

[neptune_sleuth]

The urge was there -- to reach out and touch him, small comforting movements, because his caution told her all she needed to know. Maybe she was the last to know. There was a first time for everything, after all.

Veronica resisted, though, keeping her hands on either side of her, resting what suddenly felt like her considerable weight on open palms. For a moment, she didn't know how to say what she'd been waiting to say.

"Without wanting to resort to cliche... I haven't been the best of girlfriends," she said slowly. "I keep thinking... If I was patient, if I waited, maybe something would click in me and things would go back the way they were before... I think... I guess too much has changed. I've changed, Duncan. I love you, just... not as much as you deserve."