Title: Bathside Confession
Rating: PG-13
Summary: After the attack and after Keith takes Veronica out of the station Lamb goes to her for her statement, not even stopping when he realizes she's taking a bath.
Spoilers: 3x09
Characters/Pairing: Veronica, Lamb, Keith, mentions Sacks
Word Count: 1641
Disclaimer: Veronica Mars is not owned by me, but by Rob Thomas. I'm simply borrowing these characters for non-profit entertainment.
A/N: Clearly Lamb got Veronica's statement at some point since Mercer and Moe had been arrested. This is just one way I can see him having gotten it.

"Why are you here, Lamb?" Keith asked with a sigh when he opened his door to find the plain-clothes-wearing sheriff on his doorstep.

"I'm here for Veronica's statement." It was late, Sacks had called him to tell him Keith had taken Veronica home and it had been his night off and here he was still willing to listen to her about these guys who were apparently the Hearst rapists. If that wasn't enough to prove he was serious he didn't know what was.

Keith seemed to realize that himself as he stepped aside to let him in. "She's in her bedroom."

Lamb headed straight back, not even waiting for Keith to ask if he wanted him to get her, and knocked on her door. She didn't answer. He guessed Keith had stayed in the living room to give Veronica her privacy when he questioned her. Slightly unusual for him, but Veronica was an adult and he couldn't really remember the last time he had been in the room while he questioned her. Maybe he had finally gotten used to sitting on the sidelines, he decided. After another moment he tried the knob. It turned.

When he heard the softly sloshing water from the other side of her bathroom door, he stopped. Clearly she was taking a bath, or at least wanted her father to think she was. Either way he knew he should probably wait. Or just leave. But then that might have been what she was after by hiding out in there. Quickly that thought was followed by the idea of her accusing him of going through her things while he waited if he didn't leave, which was quite tempting… It was that thought that made him finally knock.

"I'm okay, Dad. Just, I'll be out in an hour."

"It's me, Veronica," Lamb told her, trying his best not to inhale her fruity-scented body wash or bubble bath or whatever the hell was filling his nostrils. Any other night he would be in there already, or at the very least fantasizing about all of that silken, soapy skin of hers. But this wasn't that kind of night, even Sacks' version made it sound like she had almost been killed tonight. For once those fantasies of her soap-covered body were going to wait.

She sighed. "You can go, Deputy. It's not like you'd believe me anyway."

"It was Mercer Hayes, wasn't it?"

"Lamb, just go. I'll come by the station in the morning if it's that important to you to hear a story you'll just end up ignoring. Just -"

"I'm coming in," he told her as he turned the knob. He was almost surprised that it was unlocked but it sure beat kicking it in.

"So this is what it takes for you to listen to me? Get beaten up, almost killed and be in my bathtub?" she asked as she watched him walk in. She didn't even move to cover up, it didn't matter. He was already there and she couldn't claim to be in her usual state of mind that would have her screaming for her father just to watch him shoot Lamb.

"You let your father take you out of the station when you knew I was on my way to take your statement. When have you ever been willing to let someone get away with this?" That was what really had him there, the fact she had walked away this time. It wasn't a secret what she thought of him, but that still pissed him off.

"Rape cases, Lamb. When haven't you been willing to let someone get away with it?" she shot back with a smirk.

"It's different when there's evidence and witnesses. One look at your face and I've got evidence, even if just of a struggle or an attack. And you can thank half that dorm for me having witnesses."

"Or just Parker for the whistle," she countered.

Lamb ran a hand through his short hair and sighed. Leave it to Veronica Mars to still be this infuriating even when she was naked. And speaking of being naked, he really tried not to look, but save for some patches of what had been bubbles some time earlier the water was clear. Not that he needed clear water to be able to see those perky little tits of hers. The water wasn't even high enough to cover them. Either that or she wasn't lying down far enough, whatever. It wasn't like he was looking anyway.

"You, uh, want some washcloths or a towel to cover up with or something?"

She shrugged. Somehow an overwhelming sense of modesty wasn't an issue after everything she had endured tonight. At least he wasn't staring or making lewd comments for once. He was even maintaining a respectable distance by heading over to the toilet and sitting on the lid. Whether it was because her dad was there or not didn't matter.

"Okay then. Was it Mercer Hayes?"

"And his wingman Moe," she nodded.

"Did they do that to your face?"

"Mercer," she nodded. "But it could've, it would have, been worse. But I got away and Moe found me. I thought he was rescuing me until he locked me in his dorm room and I realized he was in on it with Mercer. After that, when they heard my phone, they attacked me. Beyond that, I don't know. I guess something happened, I think someone showed up. The next thing I knew I was at the sheriff's department with my dad."

"How far did they get, Veronica?"

"You're looking at it," she told him in reference, surprisingly, to her face.

He wasn't convinced. "This bath of yours, you wouldn't be getting rid of evidence, would you?"

She looked at him then, she was almost impressed that he knew that much. "No. Mercer tried, but he didn't even get any of my clothes off. And I may have helped with that by stabbing him with some statue from the room. That's how I got away."

Lamb had to repress a smile that time. He always knew Veronica was a fighter. "Is there anything else you can remember?"

"A little. But I'll only tell you if you do me a favor."

"That's extortion."

She gave a soft laugh. When had that ever stopped him before? "I just want you to turn the water back on and add more bubbles for me."

He stood. That much he could do. "What else do you remember?" he asked when he had completed his chore, that time having to avert his eyes from her raising her feet up to the shower wall and revealing her very smooth, very bare legs.

"There was a box in the closet, the hair from the girls whose heads they had shaved. It started spilling out on me when I tried to call my dad from there. It was when my phone rang that they dragged me out, I managed to get my whistle and I guess the rest is history."

"Do you want to be there when I bring them in?"

She shook her head. "But I know my dad will. If he doesn't find them first at least. Shouldn't you go home and change into your uniform though? Or do you plan to make it a habit of arresting people in your civvies?"

"Who knows, maybe I'll even shoot first and ask questions later," he smirked.

She laughed. "Because the dead testify so well."

"I didn't say I'd kill 'em," he volleyed with a smile. He wanted to, but she had said it herself, dead men couldn't testify. Not like they would want to see Mercer having to.

"I already stabbed Mercer. Any more wounds and people might get suspicious. We wouldn't want you losing your title when you're finally about to do something good with it, would we?"

"My deputy title?" He couldn't help it, this was getting amusing. It was easier when she was like this, making jokes. The side of her Sacks had seen had terrified him to hear. That wasn't the Veronica he knew, not beaten, not broken, not giving up. This, despite the bruises, was his Veronica.

"Exactly," she grinned back.

That time he laughed. "Okay. Well I'm gonna go. Might as well get these guys before they have a chance to come up with new stories."

"Are you seriously going to arrest them in jeans?"

"Why? You want to come and watch the show?"

"And here I thought you were the one getting a show," she sighed dramatically for his benefit.

"How about next time we do this we do it without the bruises?"

"I'd settle for not having to give another statement but I guess I'll take what I can get. By the way, if you're waiting for a thank you, you'll be waiting until I see for myself that they're in a cell tomorrow morning."

"Deal," he nodded as he stood. When he reached the door again, he looked back to her and said, "Oh, and one more thing, Veronica."

"Yes?"

"You missed a spot," he smirked on his way out.

She laughed as she fought the urge to dunk her head under the water once he had closed the door after himself. Son of a bitch. He just couldn't resist.

"Did you get what you needed?" Keith asked when he saw Lamb return to the living room.

"Yeah, I'm on my way to go pick those guys up now. She remembered a lot more then I expected, so I figure I should pick them up before anyone else has the chance." He knew Keith would get his meaning. He couldn't blame his mentor for wanting revenge, but this was his job now.

Still, Keith beat him to the dorm. Even if only by ten minutes.

The End