Welcome to Neptune
Disclaimer: I own nothing except the OCs and the storyline.
Veronica held the cup of coffee in her hands and stared down at it. She felt the heat of the drink warm her fingers but it hardly improved her mood.
"Veronica?"
Veronica looked up and smiled slightly for Mac. "I'm fine," she said, "Just a little down."
Mac nodded and placed her cup on the coffee table in front of her.
Veronica had been a little surprised when Mac had asked her to come over. She thought her friends would be mad at her. They had found out that she had a son and that son was friends with their kids. And they heard this from said kids, not from her. So when Mac had called her to come over for coffee she was a little unsure.
"You left to protect him," Mac said suddenly, "That's the main reason right?"
Veronica looked at her and nodded. Mac nodded her head as well and bit her lip.
After a few moments of silence Mac said, "When David was eight, he got hit by a car."
Veronica stared at her and she continued, "He was just crossing the street to get a ball that had rolled away. A car came speeding around the corner and-and it him."
Veronica replied, "But he's ok now?"
Mac nodded, "Yes he is. I mean he broke his leg but thankfully that was all. But Veronica…when I saw him, lying there on the road…I think my heart stopped for those few seconds. I couldn't breathe and then I was running towards him, screaming his name."
Veronica gave her a sympathetic smile and Mac said, "I could have killed the guy that hit him, I could have if he hadn't been the one to call the ambulance and apologise over and over."
Mac leaned forward in her seat and said to Veronica, "I know what it's like to want to do anything for the people you love." She laughed slightly, "I still tell David to look both ways before he crosses the road. It must annoy him so much. But he still looks thankfully."
Veronica smiled at her and said, "I just want to do anything to protect him. To keep him safe."
Mac nodded, "I know. And Logan will realize that's all you were trying to do."
Veronica replied, "I hope so."
Mac smiled at her. "And don't worry about the others either. They're not mad at you…much. Just a little put out that you weren't the one to tell them about Lucas."
Veronica shrugged, "I couldn't tell anyone about him really. Another way to keep him safe kind of."
Mac nodded and then stood up. "Well why don't we go talk to Wallace now then? Dick can come and I'm sure Weevil will stop by if we ask him. Since he already knew about Lucas, he's not really mad at all."
Veronica looked unsure so Mac said, "Why Veronica, has being a mother made you a softy?"
Veronica smiled and said, "Mac I've raised a teenage boy. If anything it's made me even more hard headed and tough skinned."
"Then let's go," Mac said as she and Veronica walked out if the sitting room.
-Lucas-
Lucas sighed and lifted the lid on the car. "I swear I think you break down on purpose just to annoy me," he mumbled to the car.
It had been a few days since the incident with Tommy's father and the police were working to catch him. Veronica had told him not to leave the house or the yard so he decided to fix the car for something to do. Lucas leaned forward and pulled a tool out of the box.
"Where's Tommy when you need him?" he said.
Tommy hadn't been aloud to leave the house and Lucas hadn't seen him in a while.
Lucas looked at car but froze when he heard footsteps walking down the street. He looked up sharply and saw Logan walking towards him.
Logan stopped, seeing that he was startled, held up his hands and said, "Sorry, it's just me."
Lucas nodded and said, "Listen my mom's not here for you to yell at so you can leave."
Logan walked towards him and said, "You're very protective of her aren't you?"
Lucas replied, "Of course I am. Aren't you?"
Logan shrugged, "I was. But it's you that I want to talk to though."
Lucas sighed and leaned against the car, "Then talk."
Logan folded his arms and said, "Look me and your…mom aren't getting along right now. And knowing us, it could take a while for us to get along at all. But I would like to get to know you more. I've missed out on fifteen years and I'd sure like to make up for that time."
Lucas bit the inside of his cheek and then said, "I'm your son."
"I know," Logan said. "That means I'm stubborn, sarcastic, hard headed and extremely loyal. Especially to my mom."
Logan sighed and replied, "Can't argue with that."
"I want to get to know you too. It's all I've ever wanted. But not at the expense of my mom," Lucas said, "So if you can't make the effort to at least get along with her, then I can't act all happy around you."
Logan sighed and said, "You're like her you know. Veronica was loyal too."
"She still is. Fifteen years and I've never seen her with another guy."
Logan raised his eyebrow and replied, "Really?"
Lucas smiled, "Yes. I mean she's gotten offers but she never took them."
Logan just nodded and Lucas said casually, "I guess she's just still in love with you."
Logan looked at him, smirking slightly and replied, "You really are a smart ass aren't you?"
Lucas smiled and Logan said, "That's my boy."
Logan stood up straight and said, "Look, me and Veronica will talk again-if she doesn't keep leaving the house during an argument- and I really would like to get to know you."
Lucas nodded and Logan gave him another smile before walking back to his house.
It was later in the day and Lucas was still working on the car. He had his phone held between his ear and his shoulder talking to Veronica and working on the car.
"Yes Mom…ok Mom…I know call every hour…I know you're at Wallace's…you'll be home in a few minutes…ok see you then."
He took the phone in his hand and hung up. He turned when he heard footsteps again and saw James, Carter, Tom, Chloe and David walking towards him. He stood in front of the car and they reached him and stood in front of him.
Lucas cleared his throat and said, "Hey guys."
Carter smiled at him and replied, "Hi Lucas."
Lucas smiled back and James said bluntly, "Just tell us that you weren't using us."
Lucas frowned and replied, "No, I wasn't using you. I didn't even know that your parents were friends with my mom. Not when I met you. In fact I didn't find out until that day in the park. The picnic?"
James nodded, "So you are our friend right? It's not about our parents being friends?"
Lucas shook his head, "Defiantly not."
"Then how about we start over?" Carter suggested.
Lucas smiled and held out his hand, "Hi. I'm Lucas Mars."
James shook his hand, smiling and said, "Hey, Lucas. Would you like to play some baseball with us?"
Lucas dropped his hand and said, "I would love to guys but I can't leave the house. Mom's orders."
His friends nodded and Tom said, "Well then we'll call you later."
Lucas nodded happily as his friends walked away.
Carter stayed in front of him and said, "Hey listen. I know you haven't talked to Natalie but give her more time. I mean you two were always going to more then friends. You really hurt her Lucas."
Lucas nodded and replied, "I know. I'm trying to make up for it."
Carter nodded, "That's good. I'll see you later ok?"
Lucas smiled at her as she walked away.
He sighed and looked up at Logan and Natalie's house. He hadn't talked to Natalie since their fight and he felt a little lost without talking to her. His eyes slide from Natalie's house to Tommy's which was across the street.
He was about to turn away when he noticed something. He stood up straight and squinted at the upstairs window of the house.
A wavy stripe of red ran across the bottom of the window. It looked too watery to be paint so his mind pieced together the solution.
Blood.
Lucas looked around but everyone seemed to be inside. His mother was who knows how long away and there was a little boy inside that house where someone was bleeding, badly.
Lucas quickly made his way across the road and up to the front door. He gently pushed the door and it swung open.
His breathing quickened as he want into the hallway. It was deserted and the layout of the house enabled him to see into the kitchen and sitting room. There was no sign of Tommy or his mother.
He heard a thump coming from the upstairs and a slight yell of pain. Lucas slowly made his way up the stairs leaning against wall.
He reached the landing and the thumps got louder. They seemed to be coming from the same room that had the blood on the window. Lucas made his way over to the room and he peeked in.
His eyes widened at what he saw.
Tommy was cowering in the corner of the room, his knees drawn up to his chest.
While his mother was lying on the ground being repeatedly punched by her ex-husband.
Tommy's eyes lit up when he saw Lucas but Lucas just pressed a finger to his lips. Lucas's mind raced, trying to think or something anything. But his only thought was for Tommy to get a chance to run.
So he stood up and raced into the room. Throwing his weight he tackled Tommy's father throwing him off Tommy's mother.
"Run Tommy!" Lucas yelled.
Tommy didn't need to be told again. The little boy ran towards the door and Lucas was glad to hear him ran down the stairs before a fist connected with his jaw.
Lucas's vision blurred but his adrenaline and training kicked in. He brought his own fist round and it hit the side of the man's face.
Lucas then jumped up and ran towards the door, hoping then that Tommy' mother had time to escape herself.
He was half way down the stairs when he felt a large weight hit his back and he slid down the last three steps.
Lucas shook his head and picked himself up, seeing Tommy's father standing up as well. He had practically thrown himself down the stairs at Lucas.
Lucas stumbled towards the back door but he felt the man grab his ankle and he fell hard to the ground.
And then the punches came. One after the other. On his face, his body, his head.
"Shit, it hurts when you get punched in the head," Lucas thought.
It was then that his mind went back into action.
He focused his vision on the man hitting him and brought his foot up to the man's chest. He gave the man a ferocious shove with his foot and the man stumbled back hitting his head against the kitchen island. The man slid down onto the floor unconscious.
Lucas's head lulled from side to side. "Why is everything so blurry?" he wondered.
He stretched his hand out and felt something wet. Looking sideways he saw his hand covered in the blood that was on the floor. His own blood.
-Veronica-
Veronica knew something was wrong was she had seen the car in the driveway and no Lucas beside it.
He worked on the car all the time and she never saw him just leave it with the hood open and the tools scattered around the yard. She had walked to Mac's house and back after visiting Wallace's because the car was broken.
She was about walk into the house when she heard hurried footsteps. She turned to see Tommy running towards her with blood on him.
"Tommy?" she said as the boy reached her.
"Lucas!" he said.
Veronica frowned. She had never heard him speak before.
"Lucas is in trouble!" he said again pointing towards his house.
Veronica's head snapped up to look at the house.
"Lucas!" she shouted as she ran towards the house.
-Logan-
Logan had just been going to see Lucas again. He had talked to him earlier that day and he wanted to speak to him again. He turned the corner and onto the street. He stopped when he heard a little boy say Lucas's name. The boy said something else and then Veronica was shouting Lucas's name and running across the street.
Fear gripped Logan's heart and he started running towards the house that Veronica had just gone into. He felt like he had never run so fast in his life.
He arrived at the door and through the hallway he could see Veronica bending over something, with blood pouring around it.
"Lucas!" his mind screamed.
Logan was over to both of them in a few seconds, bending down beside them. Veronica was crying, eyes drenched in tears while a phone was pressed to her ear.
"Just get the damn ambulance here! I already gave you the address!"
Her other hand was on Lucas's face pushing the blood drench strands of hair from his face. Logan looked down at Lucas.
His eyes were half closed and his face covered in blood. It was in his hair, on his shirt, everywhere. Logan was pretty sure his lip was split and his nose was bleeding.
Logan felt like crying himself. His son, his wonderful son, was lying on the ground bleeding and there was nothing he could do.
Lucas's head turned to him and Logan smiled slightly. "Hey," he said softly, "Hey my boy. You're not going to give up are you? You are going to be fine. Don't worry."
"Honey, you're going to be fine," Veronica said, "You're going to be fine."
Lucas only mumbled incoherently.
Tommy slowly made his way into the room. "Mommy's upstairs," he said, "He hurt her too."
Logan looked between the man lying on the floor to the upstairs. "Don't worry, the ambulance is coming."
Tommy nodded but kept standing against the far wall.
Logan looked at the man lying on the floor; the man who had beat Lucas. He had never wanted to hurt someone so much in his entire life.
But he stayed where he was by Lucas's and Veronica's sides.
The ambulance soon came and the paramedics walked into the house.
Logan and Veronica had to leave Lucas to them both of them standing against the wall. Logan told the paramedics about Tommy's mother upstairs and he pulled the shaking boy to his side.
Veronica was sobbing now and Logan took her in his arms. He had never seen her so broken. But somehow, he felt broken too.
He watched as they took Lucas out of the house, already linked up to tubes and a mask covering his face.
Tommy was taken in the ambulance with his mother and his father was taken in a separate ambulance.
That left Logan and Veronica standing on the street.
"His head!" Veronica said, "His head had a huge cut in it! His face was so bloody! Oh my little boy!"
Logan grabbed her face and said, "Listen to me! Lucas needs us right now! He needs you to be strong; he needs both of us to be strong."
Veronica stared at him for a few seconds. Then she straightened slightly, sniffed and said, "I need to get to the hospital," in the calmest voice she could.
Logan nodded, "Come on, we'll take my car." They quickly made their way to car and drove.