--Chapter 14: To Catch an Echolls--

"Hey this is Logan with today's inspirational message: If no one did silly things, nothing intelligent would ever get done. Ludwig Wittgenstein."

"Logan Malcolm, call me back." That was all she needed to say before hanging up the phone; Even if he didn't know the sound of her voice, Ren was the only person who used Logan's middle name on a regular basis. She took another step toward the door, terrified of what she'd find inside. But Dick needed her--or at least, he needed someone. It was clear to her now that he'd probably only called her because Logan wasn't picking up his phone. From through the door, she heard shouts egging someone on. Uh-oh Dick; what did you get yourself into this time? What the hell is this place anyway? She took a step inside and almost immediately her fear melted. She felt like she was back in Boston. A pub? Why is Dick at a pub, and why did he sound so scared? Her eyes quickly scanned the room and found Dick being held against a wall with a pool cue beneath his neck.

"Someone want to tell me why a bunch of Micks are doing hanging around a place named for something out of Greek mythology?" All heads turned to look at her as she shouted in her Southie accent. "Or does one of you want to shed some light on why I had to skip my lunch to come down here and rescue my brother's friend?"

"No; Little Chick, I said get Logan," Dick managed to choke out. Ren's eyes fell on Liam Fitzpatrick.

"You," Lauren accused, recognizing him standing next to his cousin Declan--the one pinning Dick.

"Lauren," Liam answered familiarly. "I didn't think we were gonna see you down this way ever again."

"Didn't think I was gonna need to come down this way again." She squared off and lifted her chin a little. "Let him go."

"Look Honey, we got no problems with you."

"Well, Boyo, that's the thing--if you have problems with Dick, then you do have problems with me."

Danny laughed. "What d'you think you're gonna be able to do against five of us Sweetheart?" A couple of the others laughed, but Liam knew better.

"Tell you what?" Ren offered. "I'll play you for him." She reached for an unused pool cue. "Any one of you; one game of eight ball. If I win, we go free of whatever debt he might owe you."

"And if I win?" Brennan asked, indicating that she would be playing against him.

"What d'ya think Liam?" she asked, aware that Liam was more than likely in charge of this menagerie.

"Brennan wins, and you pay back the money he owes us, plus interest."

"What kind of interest?"

"We'll see when it comes to that." Liam flashed her a sly smile, but she was unfazed; he still didn't realize that, even surrounded by men twice her size, he couldn't scare her.

"Alright, your break." She looked at Brennan, who smiled and grabbed the cue from Declan's hand. Dick fell to his knees, then struggled to stand again. His face was bright purple from the lack of oxygen, and it was clear that he would end up with a black eye. It was more annoying to Lauren than anything. I just got his face fixed. As much as she wanted to go to Dick and see if he was okay, she knew it was more important for her to keep her resolve. She stood looking at him for just a second. Then she tapped the end of her cue on the ground, and turned to the table where Brennan was racking the balls.

The blue--scuffed cue ball flew into the saffron One ball heading the triangle. A small crash, and the group scattered; the orange striped Thirteen fell into the pocket to Lauren's right, giving Brennan another shot. The Fifteen and the Twelve followed their brother, but the others were reluctant. Ren lined up her first shot carefully, deciding on the Four because if she made it, the cue ball would then be perfectly aligned to take out the Seven. Number after number bit the dust; seeing each angle in her mind, Ren ran the table. "That pocket," she called, pointing to a chasm at the opposite end of the table."

"Sure," Brennan scoffed, obviously annoyed with the fact that a girl half his age was beating him in a game he'd been practicing at since he was nine. A long moment and a large exhale later, the ebony sphere dropped out of sight into the pocket Ren had indicated.

As soon as it happened, Ren almost wished she could take it back. Brennan's eyes flashed, he threw his cue to the ground, and lunged for her. She'd seen his muscles flex, and she shifted to one side at the last minute. But his right hand caught her arm and whipped her back around; his left grabbed her belt, and he threw her onto the pool table face-down, sending the remaining balls running; she felt her bottom lip split. She pushed against the table with her hands, but it only helped him flip her over to face him. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Dick pushing with everything he had to get to her, but she knew it would do him no good. Danny and Declan held him fast, and with a hard punch to his stomach, they dropped him to the ground. She dug her nails into Brennan's arm and kicked her legs, trying to get his hand off her throat. She wouldn't let this happen again. He yelled in pain as blood trickled down his arm and he switched his grip to pin her wrists down next to her ears.

Through struggling breaths, she screamed, "No!" She threw her legs up, hooked her left foot under Brennan's right arm, and pushed his shoulder back, breaking his hold on her left arm. She pushed herself to a sitting position and punched him in the throat. She pulled her right hand free and hopped down from the table. Sliding a leg behind his foot and pushing with all her might on his chest, he fell flat onto his back. She grabbed his beer bottle from the adjacent table and smashed the end of it, leaving a crown of deadly brown shards. She dropped to her knees, pinning his arms beneath her legs, and held the makeshift shiv to his cheek just below his right eye. "Fuck you." Still breathing hard, she looked up to find Liam staring at her, surprised. "Are you jackasses done? Or does he have to lose an eye?"

Liam nodded, realizing he'd been defeated. "Let him go," he said over his shoulder. Danny and Declan relinquished their hold on Dick, who stood up coughing a little. Ren turned her eyes back to Brennan, nearly shuddering beneath her despite his age and size. Dick limped over to where Lauren sat on Brennan's chest and touched her shoulder. She didn't even seem to notice he was there anymore. He knelt down next to her, took the bottle out of her hand, and wrapped an arm around her, helping her stand.

"You're even now." It was a statement, not a question, and Liam would honor it. If nothing else, this little girl had proven herself to him.

They hadn't taken two steps out the door when a siren blipped and a car pulled up near them. A dark haired man dressed in a deputy uniform stepped out. "Lauren Echolls?"

"Yeah." Ren was a little confused.

"You have a right to remain silent; anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law."

"Are you kidding?"

"I'm afraid not ma'am. You have the right to an attorney; if you cannot afford a lawyer, one will be appointed to you." Ren heaved a sigh and looked at Dick.

"Well, do you know a good lawyer?"

"I know a lawyer," he responded, with a pained look on his face.

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"I never thought I'd be walking through that door without handcuffs on," Logan commented as he and Veronica made their way into the station and to the front desk.

"Hey Leo," Veronica opened.

"Hey Veronica," he returned. "What can I do for you?"

"We're here for Lauren Echolls."

"She's in cell one." He gestured back toward the holding cells, then accepted Veronica's bag that she held out to him, knowing she couldn't take it back with her.

Logan followed Veronica back to find his sister sitting on a metal bunk bed behind a wall of iron bars. "You okay Ren?"

"Yeah," she answered, trying to hide her lip. Dick emerged with Cliff and Leo in tow.

"Good news Sweetheart," Cliff announced. "Brennan Fitzpatrick decided not to press charges, and the judge agrees that it was self defense."

"Thanks Cliff." Leo moved to unlock the door.

"Wait, Fitzpatrick? What were you doing around a Fitzpatrick?" Logan questioned sternly.

"Nothing," she covered, glancing at Dick. "I just had to take care of something, but we're fine now."

"Dude, it was my fault," Dick admitted. "I didn't exactly tell you everything about that night I woke up on the pier after having my ass handed to me."

"What didn't you tell me?" Logan was more than irked at this point.

"I wasn't buying from a PCHer; and I didn't have all the money to pay Conner Fitzpatrick. I told Little Chick to get you, but she came down there herself." His voice sped up, trying to get in as much detail as he could before Logan totally lost it. "You should have seen her; she . . ." Too late. Logan shoved Dick backwards.

"You know what she came from!" Logan yelled.

"Logan, stop it." Veronica stepped in between the two boys, but Ren pulled her out of the way. Logan ignored her and continued hurling insults and accusations at Dick.

"You're gonna get hurt; let me," she quickly whispered before stepping in front of her brother and yelling his name up at his face. It snapped his attention down to the girl whose auburn colored head crowned just below his chin. "It's okay. It's over now." Her eyes begged him to stop, and he melted. He reached a hand up and gently thumbed the dark line where the blood from her lip had clotted.

"I promised I wasn't going to let that happen to you again."

"This had nothing to do with you. I chose to go get Dick. Me." Logan wrapped his arms around her and held her tightly.

"By the way V," Cliff whispered to Veronica, "Now you owe me one."

"You got it Cliffy," she smiled.

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"Hello?"

"Hey."

"Did you call to apologize?"

"Apologize for what Piz?"

"You stood me up Ren."

"I didn't stand you up, I was . . ."

"You were what?"

". . . In jail."

"What?"

"I had a little run-in with the Fitzpatricks--it's nothing."

"If it's the same Fitzpatricks that Veronica told me about then it's not nothing."

"I'm fine Piz."

"You went to jail and nobody told me?!"

"It's not a big deal--Cliff got me off on self defense."

"Self defense? What happened?"

"A game of pool with Brennan Fitzpatrick got a little out of hand."

"Why were you playing pool with Brennan Fitzpatrick? Why were you even around a Fitzpatrick?"

"I had to go help Dick."

"You had to help Dick?"

"That's what I said."

"Why did you have to help Dick?"

"Because he needed help; now are you done? Or do you want my mother's maiden name and my first born child too?"

"You don't have to be rude--I'm just worried about you Lauren."

"Well, don't be Stosh. I can take care of myself. I've been taking care of myself since I was ten years old.

"Baby, don't be like that."

CLICK

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