Veronica Mars and Angel belong to Rob Thomas and Joss Whedon respectively. Not me.
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Veronica and Wallace were walking down the streets of LA. It was night, so that was their first mistake. Their second was being too loud.
"I'm telling you Veronica, we're lost!"
"And I'm telling you we're not." Veronica replied in a rather waspish sorta way.
Wallace raised his eyebrow's and threw on a highly offended look.
"Oh stop it," said Veronica after seeing his face, "I'm the one who should be offended. You apparently think I forgot how to read a map."
Wallace grinned. "My fault. You're THE Veronica Mars. All right then, oh great detective, maybe you can tell me a couple of things. Like say ... where we are, and how we got here?"
Not missing a beat Veronica replied. "LA, and if you don't know how we got here, then you just didn't pay any attention in sex ed."
"Oh I did!" Wallace said with certainty, "I paid attention every time Lena Johnson would come to class in one of her painted on t-shirts. I was studying both her birds and her bees."
Now it was Veronica's turn to look offended. "Why Wallace!" she said in a fake southern accent. "When we decided to run off together, you swore to me you would be faithful! My Pa was right about you."
Wallace just rolled his eyes at her. "You figured out where we are yet? My feet are starting to hurt."
"I thought you were a big time baller, so how can your feet hurt from just a little walking?" Veronica asked, but truth be told (just not to Wallace) her feet were hurting too. Plus she was starting to get a little worried. She really did know how to read a map, but for some reason the map wasn't making any sense to her. Wallace, of course, wasted no time in pointing out that she didn't answer his question. Just when Veronica was going to reply, a badly beaten man stumbled out of an ally and collapsed in front of them.
-
He was bald, black, and in his early to mid 20's. He looked to be about six feet tall and roughly 200 pounds. Of course, it was hard to tell with him laying on the ground like that. Wallace went to help him up, but before he could, the man staggered to his feet. Startled, Wallace backed off. Now that the guy was standing, Veronica was able to get a good look at him. He was indeed bald and her earlier estimates looked about right, but what she didn't notice before was the black patch over his right eye. That, and the fact he was holding a great big ax.
Scary Ax Man took one look at the suddenly very nervous duo and told them to run. When they didn't move, he screamed it. Wallace jumped in front of Veronica while she pulled out her trusty taser.
"My dad knows where we are." She told him with only a little of the fear she was feeling in her voice, "If we don't show, he'll come for us!"
Before Scary Ax Man could say anything, he was tackled from out of nowhere, and slammed into the ground hard by someone who looked like he was a hundred pounds soaking wet. Their unknown rescuer looked them over, looked back down at Scary Ax Man, and called back into the ally.
"I told you I heard someone! Dude, you owe me a coke."
Out of the shadows, another figure emerged, this one looking like he was barely old enough for high school. "Whatever man, I don't owe you anything. You almost let the white hat get away!" The skinny kid raised his eyebrows and threw on a highly offended look. Rolling his eyes, the high schooler replied, "Dude! The spell was working! There was abso-friggin-lutly no reason he should have got away from us like that! Unless of course you stop chanting and start looking for food!" Skinny Kid tried to defend himself, but Schoolboy just shot him down. "We don't get paid unless we get the info that Morgan wants. The info that this guy," he pointed at the now unconscious man "has stuck in his enhanced brain! We don't have any real fighting skills. This dude could totally take us in a fair fight! So, in the middle of our 'interrogation," he paused making air quotes "you stop, just because you can hear some dumb happy meals walking down the street!"
Confused and kinda scared, Wallace and Veronica started to leave. But before they got even a single step, Schoolboy was suddenly in front of them blocking their escape. "Who are you." he demanded cooly.
Wallace again stepped in front of Veronica. "Back off man. You don't want any of this." Veronica helpfully set off her taser as if to make his point.
Skinny Kid started to laugh. "Don't worry pal, we won't rape her or anything."
"Yeah," chimed in Schoolboy,"she'll probably be dead long before we put it to her."
"Oh God." Veronica said, horror filling her eyes.
Wallace's response was a little less intimidated. He threw a punch. Incredibly, Schoolboy caught it, smiled, and then broke it. All in one clean motion.
"Hell yes!!" cried Skinny Kid. "That's the way to be a bad ass dude!"
Still smiling, Schoolboy tossed Wallace aside like doll, and made his way toward Veronica. Weakly she tried to get him with the taser but she just got slapped for her effort. On the ground now, she started screaming for help. Which naturally made her two attackers laugh harder.
"Dude she screams like a girl." Skinny Kid noted with glee.
Schoolboy apologized to Veronica while mounting her. "Sorry about that comment, Pete's never been any good at speaking."
Pete, picking up a dazed and groggy Wallace, said in a hurt tone "Come on Joe. That's not fair. You know it's the witty banter that I always have trouble with."
"Witty banter requires speaking." Joe said in a "duh" voice.
Pete just shrugged in response. Wallace became more alert and started to struggle, but stopped when Pete squeezed his broken arm. "Now listen dude." Pete whispered into Wallace's ear loudly enough for Veronica to hear. "We , Joe and I, are going to kill you and your girlfriend. We are going to drain you both dry. But because you tried to hit my buddy, we're going to make you watch us do her first."
With that horrifying statement Pete and Joe's faces changed. Later, Veronica wouldn't be able to put into words what she felt seeing something like that. One minute they looked normal, if homicidal and crazy, the next they were monsters. Their foreheads got bumpy. Their teeth grew fangs. But the worst, at least in Veronica's opinion, was the eyes. Those eyes that turned into a horrible yellow. It didn't matter to them that she was going to be a freshman in college, or that she was in LA on vacation, or that her dad was going to be lost without her. Those eyes just stared at her coldly like she was nothing more than some thing that was put there for their pleasure. Veronica knew in that moment when she looked into those terrible, pitiless orbs, she was going to die. Badly.
-
Of course, she didn't. Just as Joe was pulling her head aside and leaning down, he stopped. In his chest was a piece of wood. Then he exploded into what looked like dust.
Out of nowhere (or maybe the sky) jumped down two guys. Both dressed in black. Both in long leather coats. One had platinum blonde slicked back hair. The other had hair gelled to the max, causing it to stick up artfully.
"Spike." ordered Gel Head, "Take care of Gunn while I check on these kids."
Veronica was startled to see Wallace on the ground. Apparently Pete exploded too.
"Here!" Spike said indigently "Why do I gotta check on Charlie Boy and you get to chat up the pretty blonde?"
And if Veronica wasn't in the worst state of shock in her life she might have been flattered. As it was, she just giggled deliriously.
"Spike! Just do it!" The 'or I make you very dead' was left unsaid.
Surprised at the tone, Spike did what he was told. "Come on Charlie, lets get you fixed up some yeah?"
While Spike tended to Charlie, Hair gel checked on Wallace, pulled out a cell phone and called 911. Satisfied the kid wasn't in immediate danger, he went over to Veronica. She had yet to stand up. Crouching besides her, he asked in a very gentle voice. "Are you hurt?"
Veronica stuttered a response "Nuh, no. I don't think so."
"Good. I'm glad. My names Angel." he said in that same soothing way.
Again, Veronica kind of laughs. "An angel huh? Who knew they used so much gel in their hair?" Angel glanced up at his hair embarrassedly, and Spike laughed so hard he almost fell over.
Veronica looked over his shoulder and saw Wallace leaning against a wall. "How is he?" She asked worriedly .
"Your friend's right arm is badly broken, and he seems to be in a state of mild shock. Probably a concussion, but he'll be fine. Help is on the way." Angel started to get up,
"Don't leave! Please!" Shrieked Veronica, grabbing at Angels arm.
"We won't. Not until the ambulances gets here." He reassured, taking her hands into his own.
Meanwhile, Spike, finished with Charlie and tended to Wallace, muttering the whole time. "I'm Angel. I just saved your life you pretty thing. Oh Angel! How can I repay you! Oh! I know just the way! Take me! Take me you sexy man! I'm sorry. I can't because I'm dating a werewolf and if I take any nookie on the side she'll eat me. Wanker." Wallace just looked at Spike as though he'd never heard anything so ridiculous. To be fair, he probably hadn't. After the splint was completed, Spike went back to Charlie. He looked worried, like he just noticed something wrong. Checking him over again, Spike strode up to Angel, who was still holding Veronica's hand, and cleared his throat. "As much as I hate to burst this touching scene of nobility" and he did look kinda, sorta maybe a little regretful "Chuck's in bad shape. Worse than I thought initially. If we don't get him to a doctor soon, he won't be hitting things with his neat hubcap ax anymore."
Angel just smirked "Spike, you did hear me say the ambulances were on the way right? Or were you too busy crying?"
Spike glared back. "Yeah. I heard, but we can get him there faster. Faster would be better. Trust me."
Angel turned to Spike. "He's that bad?" Spike just nodded.
"It's all right. I'm all right. Go help your friend." Veronica said gathering herself. She can honestly say she was in situations like this before. Definitely not as bad, but being stuck in a burning fridge while your dad tries to save your life really helps to prepare you
for life's little adventures. Pulling her hands out of Angel's, she stood up. A little embarrassed at her outburst. Angel didn't look too convinced, but she gave him a shaky smile and nodded her head in answer to his unasked question.
"Right then!" said Spike loudly, eliciting a startled yelp from Veronica and a glare from Angel "Off we go. It's been a pleasure rescuing you pet. Oh, and I wasn't crying, I was giving an accurate and insightful commentary on Hair Gel over here." Spike waved a jaunty salute and carried Charlie off.
Angel directed one last look at Veronica and Wallace, then followed.
Once they were out of sight, Veronica let out a quite sob and sat next to her friend. "God damn it Wallace. Why do you have to be so brave?"
Wallace looked at her, humor shining through pain filled and hazy eyes. "You know why V. The hero always gets the girls."
Veronica laughed, a teary one, but with none of the hysteria of before, and leaned on Wallace's good arm as the sirens in the distance got closer.