Disclaimer: I don't own the Veronica Mars series and I don't make money from writing this fanfic...life is cruel...
Third Person POV
Shuffling closer to the desk, Veronica saw papers piled on it with a note on top from Cedric-
Make sure to organize and file these, Nancy Drew. Have fun. ;)
Grumbling under her breath Veronica balled up the note and watched it sail into the trash bin in the corner.
After meeting with the fidgety client and finding out that it would be a simple tailing job. Veronica starts in on her homework knowing full well that she could get in a couple more hours before having to tail the buxom blonde's philandering spouse.
"Hey, Cedric?"
"Yeah, Vee?"
"Am I going to be doing all the work for the cases?"
He chuckles and shakes his head, "We've had one client so far and you're already calling a quits? That's not the Veronica Mars I know and love."
"It's not that, I want to know if I should start sending some clients back to you. They don't really expect a seventeen year-old girl to handle their cases," Veronica states while her eyebrows furrow.
"I'll tell you what, if people ask to see me just tell them I'm out tracking down a bail jumper, but you are more than qualified to handle their case. Okay?"
With a blinding smile she agrees quickly, "Deal. I had better head out. Mrs. Phillips's husband get off work in half-an-hour."
"Happy hunting, Veronica and bring Back-up!" He calls as she slips out the door.
~*ADV*~
3:23 a.m. God, you would think that these late night-early morning trysts would a least come with and expiration date, but no. Here she was with a thermos of cocoa and a restless puppy in the backseat waiting for the cuddling to end and Mr. Phillips and his mistress to show themselves.
While contemplating going home and just starting again tomorrow, she heard the tell-tale noises of motorcycles. A lot of them. Their lights shining brightly in her rear view mirror.
She was ready to write it off as a coincidence considering not twenty-four hours ago she had the audacity to make fun of Neptune High's resident biker gang; that was until they circle around her parked car and came to a stop in the cheap motel's parking lot outside her window.
Well, this can't be good.
Their leader reaches up to take off his helmet- revealing none other than Eli Navarro, or Weevil as Logan had called him. He makes a gesture for her to roll down her window which, against her better judgment, she complies to.
"Car troubles, Miss?" Veronica schools her facial expression to hide her shock that less than one day he managed to figure out what car she drove.
"Yeah, as a matter of fact," one of them that looks far too old for high school got off his midnight bike, "I think it may be a loose belt, but if you wouldn't mind checking under the hood-"
The guy approaching her cuts her off as he leans toward he window, "Hey, Weevil, who gets the first-" I blur of tan fur leapt out the window and attacks the guy before Veronica can get a bigger whiff of the stale smell of liquor in his breath.
Back-up growls menacingly as he bit into the fleshy arm of the man, his shrieks filling the air. The one who had offered to 'show her his' at lunch pops off of his bike and appears outside her window.
"You better call off your dog-" before he can finish his sentence Veronica tasers him. His face stunned as he falls to the floor twitching as 30,000 volts of electricity course through his body.
While looking at the disappointment on Weevil's face, Veronica calls to her pit bull, "Back-up, chill." The puppy whimpers softly and promptly releases his victims arm as the biker scrambles away.
Not holding back her smug expression she says in a cool voice, "Tell you what, we'll call it a draw."
"Baby, come on, it's too late for that."
"Here's the deal: leave that kid at school alone for a week and I'll make sure your buddies walk."
"Why do you care for that skinny negro anyway?" Before she could answer, the one she tasered tried to sneak up on her by edging his way slowly up her car door. With a roll of her eyes the blue-eyed girl held the taser in front of his face and shows him the electricity coursing between the two metal prongs. Almost as if they were itching to reconnect with his skin.
"Alright, alright, alright, Felix, we get it. You're a badass, okay? But for once, don't be stupid," the spiky haired boy slowly backs away from the car as if moving too quickly would cause the girl half his size to shock him again.
Her voice nonchalant, "You know that's not bad advice."
Weevil hides a smile at the cheeky girl, "Alright, one week. After that we come for you, your boy," he sneers, "And your little dog too." A growl came from her puppy still sitting beside her door.
"Back-up, be cool."
"If you get lonely out here, remember, Weevil love you long time," the shrewd boy jests as he makes lips towards Veronica to punctuate his point. As they drive away all Veronica could think was, What is it with people in this freakin' town and the Wizard of Oz?
~*ADV*~
The next day as Veronica was dropping the pictures of Mr. Phillips off at the office she spots a manila envelope on her desk. It was from a local public defender named Cliff McCormack. Cedric had picked up Cliff's client's case and wants Veronica to look into tonight before they spar in their gym later. Dreading the onslaught she was bound to face when she got home she tucks in to the notes Cedric took in his meeting.
Scanning the loose-leafed pages she gets an idea. A heinous idea that was sure to get the bikers off Wallace's back. She set to work on the details so she could tell Wallace about it later.
~*ADV*~
Following Veronica's soccer practice after school, she and Wallace set to work getting the materials they would need to lift the tape out police evidence. They visited a stoner kid in one of the art classes that seemed to have developed a crush on Veronica when he saw her cut Wallace down from the flagpole. His brown perm seeming to have an extra spring to it when he saw the designs she needed him to sculpt for her. He even threw in a glaze gratis for the fiery blonde.
While Wallace was tweaking a remote control for one of his lesser loved model airplanes, Veronica was seated in her car outside the Seventh Veil, a seedy strip club on the wrong side of the tracks, with a video camera stationary on the cop car parked out front.
~*ADV*~
"Come on, let's go!" Veronica called back to Wallace as she bounded up the steps of the school.
"Hey, Flo Jo, slow your ass down," called Wallace as he jogged to keep up with the short-legged blonde.
Veronica paused and peered around a corner. Her eyes focused solely on the buxom blonde opening her locker for Vice Principle Clemmons and a deputy sheriff. One of the schools "random" locker searches.
"What's this, Madison," Mr. Clemmons said as he pulled a white, glazed bong out of Madison Sinclair's locker, "This would appear to be a device they use to smoke marijuana. The face on the bottle-blonde's face would have been well worth the fifty bucks Veronica shelled out to have Corny sculpt the statue. Then the bell rang signaling the change of classes and hundreds of students flooded the halls to see Mister Clemmons holding a little stripling shaped bong holding a horn in front of its privates.
"Tha-that's not mine!" Madison screeches, her eyes glued to the figure, making all the heads unaware of the situation swivel to the slight girl.
"Madison's busted!" a boy crows joyfully. Apparently Veronica wasn't the only person at this school with an agenda against Madison Sinclair. Her eyes scan the halls feverishly to find would be ballsy enough to plant a bong in her locker. They find Veronica who is sporting a Cheshire grin.
"It was you!" She screams crazily. The other blonde just yawned playfully as Madison points a finger in her direction.
"I know it was you! You won't get away with this!" She bellows as she is pulled into handcuffs.
Corny strolls past Veronica with his hand held out in a fist, "Solid," he chuckles.
"That was you?" comes a voice from her side. Logan. He had been mysteriously absent from their classes together earlier that day.
The tiny girl turns to Wallace, "Meet me at my car after soccer. See if you've done your part," she notes seriously. The boy looks between Logan and Veronica but still nods his head and starts off down the hall.
"Does this mean you won't need me to be your knight in shining armour anymore, because I was just getting the hang of it," he states impishly.
Eying him she replies off-handedly, "Well, when your knight is no where to be found us damsels tend to fight for ourselves."
Logan tries to discern her tone, "Wait, are you jealous?"
Veronica wipes her head around, "Of course not! I just thought it was weird when you made me promise to come to school the next day and then you don't show up yourself."
He gives a one-sided shrug, "It was just some stuff with my dad. No big deal."
"Whatever you say Logan..."
~*ADV*~
After school Veronica drives Wallace to the Sheriff's department and parked in a space across from the spanish-style, white County Commissioner's office. She turns to face him.
Gripping the dark remote control, he looks warily at the blue-eyed girl, "You know we could get in a lot of trouble for this, right?"
She leans over the console and reaches for the device in his hands, "Give it here."
The dark-skinned boy yanks his hands back, "Wait, I'm gonna do it...I just though one of us should state the obvious." Looking down at the model airplane controller he raises the antenna and flips a switch. Somewhere in the evidence locker a white glazed bong lets off a spark and starts smoking.
After a few minutes Wallace turns to Veronica, "I wonder if it worked." In the distance sirens blare as the approaching firetruck draws closer.
Veronica smiles mischievously, "It worked."
~*ADV*~
Stepping into the firehouse Veronica paused to admire the young men lifting weights in the corner. "Hey, Adam. Hey, Eddy, is the Chief around?"
"Well if it isn't Smoky the Barely Legal," comes the sing-song voice of Cedric's old Marine buddy.
"I saw you in action today, Phil, you were very brave.," she lowers her voice, "Did you make the switch?"
"Fait accompli," he murmurs as he hands her a thick manilla envelope, "Tell Cedric not to let you push him around too much, okay, Sweet Cheeks?"
"Deal, Chief, I'll see you at the barbeque this weekend, right?"
"Wouldn't miss it for the world. I've been waiting months for Elsa's home cooking."
Veronica smiles, "Be careful, old man."
~*ADV*~
"How did you know that they would be searching Madison's locker?" Wallace whispers to Veronica as they sit on one of the benches of the Cortez-Win prelim.
"You would be surprised how easy it is to call in an anonymous tip." Before he could answer Sheriff Don Lamb is called to the stand and sworn in. He was the one who had pulled Wallace in front of all the bikers when the Sac-&-Pack was robbed.
"Sheriff Lamb can you please give us your account of the events that transpired on the night of the 5th?" asked the stout prosecutor as he paces in front of the judge.
"Deputy Sacks and I were responding to the silent alarm pressed by the cashier of the Sac-&-Pack. When we find the defendants they still had twenty bottles stuffed in their pockets," he faltered when he saw Wallace staring at him in the audience. His laid-back demeanor changing as he sees the fair-haired girl next to him grin.
He continues, "They say they bought the beers but we've got it all on tape."
The prosecutor pipes up, "Your Honor, can we show the tape?"
"Let's see it," the plump women allows.
Lamb gestures to the old TV screen as the static clears, "Alright, what you're going to see here are the two defendants over there. They enter and..."
Except on the screen isn't the footage from the convenience store. It's of an officer leading a scantily-clad women out of the the Seventh Veil and into the front seat of his cop car as he races to the driver's side seat.
The robed women removes her glasses, "What are we seeing here, Sheriff?"
"Huh, Your Honor, I-"
She turns to the flustered man on the stand, "Sheriff Lamb, is this one of your officers? Is this how you run your department?"
Gasps fill the room as the women's head on screen disappears from view as she leans over into the deputy's lap.
The public defender's rumbling voice cuts in, "Your Honor, is this an appropriate time to ask for a dismissal in People versus Loretta Cancun?" Something clicks in the stupefied Sheriff's face as he shifts his gaze back to Wallace and Veronica, only to see the latter grinning wildly as she winks an makes a hand gesture that resembles a gun being fired.
Cliff McCormack follows his gaze to the couple sitting in the back of the room. The girl nods her head to him as they stand and exit the court room.
"I owe you big time," Wallace declares as opens the manila envelope Veronica handed him as they wait on the beach for the bikers to show up.
"I had my own reasons for doing it," the blonde assures.
"Oh no you don't," he cuts in as he levels his chocolate eyes with her cobalt ones, "You really think I'mma let you get away with that? That might play with the masses, but underneath that angry young women shell there's a slightly less angry young women who's just dying to bake me something," Wallace gloats as he bounds around her.
"You're a marshmellow, Veronica Mars," he pauses as she chuckles, "A twinkie."
"Whatever, Wallace, I still expect you to teach me how to fly one of your little planes."
An hour later Veronica has the controls in her hands with her eyes in the sky. "Okay, how do I make it loop de loop?"
Except the afro sporting young man wasn't looking at Veronica, he was looking at Lilly Kane who was currently lounging on the hood of Veronica's Le Baron.
"Uh, Veronica..."
"Yeah."
"Your car..." Taking her eyes off of the white and blue airplane she wordlessly hands Wallace the controller and starts walking back to her car. With the plane safely landed, Wallace quickly follows her.
"You know, if you weren't trying to steal my boyfriend I think we would be excellent friends," comes the lilting voice of the curvaceous blonde, "I mean, you're willing to take on me, Madison, the PCHers...who's next? Sheriff Lamb?"
"Already done," Veronica answers rigidly.
Lilly gracefully lifts a carefully sculpted eyebrow, "I can't tell if you like trouble or just have a death wish."
"Neither."
"Oh?"
"I just hate people who feel like they are entitled. And that includes sychophants like Madison and... Caitlin, was it?"
Lilly sneers in disdain, "And I hate rude bitches that don't know their place. And that includes you and Sundown over there," she nods her head toward Wallace. Veronica subtly shifts on her feet so that she stands in front of Wallace. It was if to say: Bitch at me to your black heart's content but if you so much as look at him wrong I will, for all intents and purposes, julienne your ass.
"Do you know what your little joke cost, Madison?"
Veronica made a show of looking around, "By the looks of it I would say bottle blonde got grounded," Lilly didn't answer, "Maybe she even got her car taken away and that's why you're here in her place."
Lilly let loose a humorless laugh, "No, she got thrown off the cheer squad. There's a zero tolerance policy at Neptune meaning not only is she not allowed to participate in extra curricular activities, but she was also suspended for a week!"
The private eye smiles excessively, "Even better." Before Lilly could give Veronica a piece of her mind the sound of motorcycles could be heard in the distance. Their exorbitant rumble growing as they draw closer to the group. Lilly beams as if she has just won something.
Weevil stops his bike next to the Le Baron and takes off his helmet, "Is she bothering you, V?" Lilly's grin drops like a rock. Something dark settling in her stomach.
"Actually Lilly was just leaving," her gaze turns to the perplexed blonde still sitting on her car's hood.
"Eli-"
"You heard the lady. You were leaving," he settles a glare on Lilly. Without another word she pushes off the car and looks between Weevil and Veronica. Veronica finds the look she gives Weevil to be like a puppy that just had it's favorite toy taken away.
"We don't have a problem," Lilly states, leveling her gaze with the head biker.
"See, that's where you're wrong. You mess with her," he jerks his head at Veronica, "You have a problem with me."
Lilly looks at Veronica, "She's not worth it; I hope you know that." With that parting dig, she slides into her silver BMW. The rest of the bikers catcall as she drives off.
Eli doesn't look at Veronica until Lilly's car disappears from the parking lot. His eyes holding something in them that he blonde couldn't quite read.
"So that, uh, surveillance tape, just poof," he starts hesitantly.
Veronica tries and succeeds in looking incredulous, "That's fortunate."
Weevil chuckles and looks back at his boys, "So you'll make sure that tape never sees the light of day?"
Veronica nods, but counters, "First say you're sorry."
"What am I? Five?"
Veronica smirks, "Fine, he's only one with a copy of the Sac-&- Pack video. Wallace, let's go decide what to do with it." They duo turns to walk away.
"Wait, look, look, I'm sorry, man. Uh, for you know, taping you to the flagpole."
Wallace bobs his head, "Alright."
"Can I have the tape back now?"
With his face screwed up in what might be a sneer he responds with a concise, "Nope." Veronica barks out a laugh as they walk to her car. Wallace grins at Weevil as he slips into the passenger seat.
"I knew you had it in you, Sodapop."
~*ADV*~
"You should all definitely join us for dinner sometime," Lianne coaxes as she sips her margarita across from Celeste Kane and Lynn Echolls.
"That would be wonderful, Lianne," Lynn automatically answers. Lianne's eyes slide to Celeste, the woman married to her Jake.
"I would love too, Lee-lee," Celeste pacifies as she tries to weasel herself out of the whole affair, "But you know how hard it is to corral everyone together these days," Lianne gives her a vacant look, "What with all the activities Duncan and Lilly have."
Lynn chimes in, "Oh, give the help a break, Celeste! Join us, it would be an fabulous way to reconnect with Lee-Lee back in town."
Celeste runs a hand through her hair and with an uneasy reluctance agrees to get everyone together for dinner at the Reynold's house.
As they look out at the sun setting over the marina, Lianne hides a smile behind her drink as she wonders how Celeste would feel about her and Jake's affair.
I hope you liked it, it was over 3,000 words. Leave me a comment down below and tell me what you thought. Sorry again for the wait, I've been dealing with track(made Varsity), finals(the woes of a high school student), and summer school(World History can suck it, I got an A+). Remember, you don't have to log in to comment(meaning: you can totally bash me for not updating sooner).
I would like to thank everyone who reviewed, favorited, and followed this story. I know I suck at updating in a reasonable amount of time, so it means a lot to me.
You stay classy fanfictioners.
Read On,
Mythgrl