Blackout Scream
Summary: Halloween brings another Horror Movie to the box office and Veronica's job on the paper lands her with a film review. But spending the night alone with the ghosts, ghouls and demons is enough to put her directly in the arms of something much scarier; a big bad biker with a throbbing crush.
Rating: M (Sexual situations, descriptive violence, language, racial/gender stereotypes)
Pairing: Eli 'Weevil' Nevarro and Veronica Mars (I just can't get over these two)
Disclaimer: I play with borrowed toy, make no claims to the rights and make no profit. If you do wish to pay me, it should be in smiles, reviews and a mental 'yeah, I liked this'.
Warnings: There is no place within the series for this, I'd guess season 1-ish. Presume there was no romantic stuff with Logan or Duncan or anybody else, because all we need in life is a hot biker with big strong arms, right?
Also, I do respect that a school teacher would not ask a student to review a film with an age rating that would fit a horror (18+) but you're gunna have to jump over that plot hole.
Chapter One: I'd do anything for the Newspaper, but I won't do that.
"And you're sure?" Veronica set the cornflakes back in the cupboard and turned around to her father as he asked her the same question for the fifth time. "You'll be alright?" He was halfway out of the door, carry-on bags in hand.
"I promise." She rolled her eyes and slipped onto the stool at the breakfast bar, cheerios, cookie crisps and cocopuffs had finally been joined by cornflakes in the ultimate bowl of breakfast goodness. "And I know the rules; only throw a rager if I can afford the cheap strippers and out of date booze."
"You forgot about all the unprotected sex." He narrowed his eyes at her.
"I know, I know." She smiled up at him, spoon poised to her mouth. "Encourage at all times." It was a twisted goodbye when it had happened so many times previously. The humour helped to cover the pain of the truth; her father spent a lot of the holidays away from her. It wasn't by choice, but by necessity of work, of money, of feeding them both and keeping the roof over their heads. "Fingers crossed you catch him pants-down." She mumbled around a mouthful of cereal.
"I've got my cell." he repeated. "Call me. If you need anything, or you know, if you get lonely and miss me." He rubbed the dozing dog on the head as he stepped out the door. Backup sat on his haunches, ready to miss his master. But Veronica's reply had her father pausing.
"I'll be fine. Eli will probably come over after school."
"Eli." Veronica watched her father tense, his upper body turn and then his feet step back into the apartment. Surely enough, every memory of slapping Eli in handcuffs had stormed back to her father.
"Don't." she warned, her empty spoon extended out to point at him. "You said you'd try."
"I am trying." he disagreed and set the carry-on bag down by the door. "I didn't interrogate him instantly when he stepped foot into the apartment."
"No, those five seconds you waited were very polite."
"And," he started, crossing over to the breakfast island. "And, I haven't had to arrest him for, oohhhh, let's see, a year?" he offered.
"I like that, see. Progress." she commented.
"Of course, perhaps some of my old friends on the force can't say the same." he pondered, resting his head on his hand and tilting it perfectly to make his point. Eli was far from perfect for his daughter.
"Relax daddy-oh, we'll catch a movie and get take-out." She smiled. "For you, I will even send him home the second the credits roll."
"Uh-huh, your mother used to tell her father that when she was meeting with me you know."
"And look how well that turned out." She grinned, scooping another spoonful of breakfast.
"Yes, you came along." he answered smartly.
"You're going to be late." She nodded at the clock on the oven.
He had a flight to chase a cheating husband across state lines for a 'business trip'. A flight that was going to leave without him if he kept stalling.
"Maybe I should cancel." he thought aloud, concerned.
"Backup will stay in the room the entire time." Veronica insisted, earning a flash of eyes from the grumpy looking dog that had also adopted his master's feelings towards Eli. "I promise. Nothing hinky." Veronica pushed off the stool and rounded her father picking up his bag for him. She knew too well he would 'accidentally' miss his flight if he carried on like this.
"Hinky." he repeated. "Is that a cousin of kinky, because you know how I feel about kinky."
"You're making me late for school and my cereal is going soggy." Veronica held out her arm, the bag extended out of the door. A clear direction. "Now be a good breadwinner and go catch a cheater. I will be here awaiting your steaks for grilling when you return."
"You'll get some more of that special hot sauce?" he asked, bartering with her in the doorway.
"Not if you make me late for school."
"And don't eat them all." He accepted the travel bag in a father-daughter bear hug. Veronica looked at the tub of candy on the kitchen side as her father tried to fuse her ribs into one protective shield. Halloween Candy.
For tomorrow night. "Alright, save me the gummy ones." He grinned and stepped out. "And don't forget the sauce." With the door closed behind her father, Veronica returned to grunt at her soggy cereal and decided to focus on surviving school on October 30th. A feat within itself.
Everything went well (as fine as could be with the various Halloween pranks occurring) until her afterschool newspaper class. She'd been sitting in the news room, fingers tapping out an article on the new English teacher, Mr Jefferson, when her current English teacher and editor leaned over her shoulder and asked her if she'd mind contributing a film review for the paper's special edition tomorrow; the schedules had cut tight and gaps needed filling. Not wanted to disappoint, but too engrossed in deciding how far to transcribe the passage about Mr Jefferson's failed marriage she replied a quick 'yeah, of course, no problem', and as such, it had landed her with the object currently in her hands under the scrutiny of an intense stare.
She hadn't even looked at the advanced copy of the DVD until 4 o'clock had rolled around and the news room had emptied.
But it had all come to sense as she walked under orange and black crepe paper decoration, courtesy of the cheerleaders.
Tomorrow was the special Halloween edition of the paper. It would include trivia on the holiday, origins, scary stories, haunted house and Halloween party information and apparently now; the film review of the latest horror.
Red writing scrawled out the title in her hand.
Blackout Scream.
It was still in its first week on screening, but through connections in the 09'er form, the AV geeks had been gifted a copy and thus, so had the newspaper.
Needless to say, it was the latest horror craze sweeping the school.
Even the cover image made the plastic spiders hanging from the lights and strategically placed 'bloody' handprints seem comically cute in comparison. The pep squad had more than enough pep for all holidays, regardless of theme. The school board had fought too many losing battles to even attempt to rein them in when armed with paper mache and coloured paper.
Veronica set her feet in the direction of her locker, walking under the obviously plastic skeleton that dangled from a glittery noose.
A film review would have been great; had it been an action or a romance.
But no, her too busy mind had forgotten the holiday season between her mound of biology homework and essay for English. Quite simply, Veronica hated horror movies.
Hated.
It wasn't greatly known and she worked to keep it that way. Last thing she wanted was the interrogation round of 'you see worse everyday with your PI side gig, how can you possibly be scared of this stuff?'. Simply; horror movies show the impossible and make you believe it to be possible, it turns true stories into fabricated fictional torment for kicks and money.
She tried watching Texas Chainsaw Massacre once at a sleepover with Lily. She hadn't slept a wink for three days. A chill had thundered up her spine at any unexpected buzzing machinery.
And now, she was stuck with this film, a task she didn't want, without anyone to trade with, and a deadline of tomorrow.
"Blackout scream." An appreciate whistle came over her shoulder, a familiar voice returning a smile to her face. "Some lucky lady won't be sleeping tonight, and this time, you can't blame me." He rested his back on the locker next to hers, the picture of carelessness. "How'd you land an advanced copy?"
"Detention again?" she guessed smartly.
"Disagreement with Chem lab." Eli shrugged it off and lifted the DVD case from her arms of folders. "So how'd you get this?"
"It's homework, you wouldn't like it." she teased.
"And here I thought DVD watching class was full." he sarcastically jibed, turning the DVD to the blurb, an appreciative eyebrow raised the further he read.
"It's for the paper, they want a review for the Halloween edition."
"And they chose you? What, they not letting you hide behind your flashy camera anymore?"
"The Halloween edition tomorrow." she expanded, sliding folders of completed work back into her locker, the extra time on the computers letting her polish off maths and physics homework. "It's short notice, they needed someone to pick it up, I volunteered." And boy was she regretting it.
"Good taste." he approved, passing it back with a smirk.
"You like?"
"Horrors? Sure, gives me a sick buzz." he joked. "Calms the inner need to kill that's burning inside me."
"Any chance you wanna do a review?"
"Woah, woah, what's this? Veronica Mars asking me to do her homework for her?!" he stepped away, hands in the air. "Somebody alert the press, this has to go down in the history books." he laughed lightly but at her tired eyes he decided upon a different softer route. "Why you trying to pawn this off? Thought you volunteered."
"Just thought you might enjoy it more, but… I mean, I can see my kindness of going to waste on you." She reluctantly accepted the DVD back into her school bag and shut her locker door.
"Nah, that's not it." he mused. Some days, Eli could be damn perceptive. "Oh, oh, I get it. You're scared."
"I'm no-"
"Can't blame you, V. That's some gruesome cinematic history you got in your hands. But it's not going to be much of a review if you can't peel your fingers back from your eyes long enough to watch it." He grinned, but slid in with a proposition before she could abuse him. "Of course, if you were to ask nicely, maybe, perhaps I could come over and watch it with you. Hold your hand, make sure the bogeyman doesn't jump outta the closet while you hide behind your pillow."
"I don't nee-"
"I can't speak for all of the serial killers in the world, but most know to stay away from the leader of the PCH'ers." He stepped in front of her, walking backwards as she made her way to the parking lot. "But, you gotta ask real nice, V." he grinned, eyeballing her figure. "On your knees perhaps. Mouth open?"
"And here I thought the fact my dad was out of the state would be enough to earn your presence."
"So you are scared." he confirmed with a grin. "You want a little company." He slowed his walk until she stepped into him, his hands sliding to her hips, keeping her there. "Just say the magic word."
"You want magic words?" she smirked.
"I'd accept other forms to pleading too."
She leaned in close to him, lips by his ear.
"Empty." He could feel her breath tickle his neck. "Apartment." she whispered to him, the teasing bringing back up her mood.
"You can do better than that." he continued. "I ain't that easy V. What about my morals? My virtue? My dignity?" he slammed a hand to his heart, mock swooning.
"No ex-sherriff. No firearms in the house." She sweetened the pot, not that it was necessary, she knew Eli wouldn't let her down.
"And your mutt?"
"Perhaps I'm going to pick up a jumbo bone from the store tonight…" she taunted. Back-up wore himself out chewing on those bones. Half an hour of gnawing and he'd be asleep until sunrise.
"Perhaps?" he questioned, his hands curling her closer possessively. She doubted she could look more like a caveman's prize than in that moment. "So… your dad's out all night? He… uh, not leave any specific visitation instructions?"
She laughed.
"You mean did I get told to lock the door and put on my chastity belt?"
"Did you?" he asked, his hands groping her ass to check. Fingers grazed her skin and her ticklish squirm had her back out of his grasp again, a smile on her face.
"He's…okay… with you visiting. Just… he said nothing kinky."
Eli paused for a moment, shaking his head slowly.
"Sometimes I really don't understand the relationship you have with your father. I mean, how much of what you two talk about is serious?"
"Neither of us know. I think it's better that way." Veronica came back to his side, linking her arm with his, fingers about to intertwine.
"Hey, what happened to school rules?" Eli protested, moving away, the too cutesy image shot back with sickly sweetness in the windows reflection.
"You mean the night janitor might snap a photo of you being all cushy on your girl? Why, it would ruin your bad ass reputation!" she turned to face him, hands on his forearms square on. "You wanna call me your bitch and slap my ass?" he shook her off and continued down the corridor fighting off a grin. "Throw me over your motorbike?" she suggested. "Just to get you back your cred?!" her voice echoed down the halls. "I could call you papi!" she offered, knowing he would be breaking his sealed lips with a grin. "So, I'll call you later about tonight?" she watched him ignore her, walking off to his motorbike. "Papi? Tonight?" she shouted across the lot.
Finally, she received a thumbs up from a hand shot into the sky.
It's going to be a three-parter and it will be short and sweet with a weird sense of humour throughout. Continue if you do so wish :)