Title: Cousinly Coffee Capers
Rating: PG-13
Author: Bastard Snow

WARNING: SPOILERS FOR SEASON ONE OF VERONICA MARS! SPOILERS FOR SEASON ONE OF VERONICA MARS!

Disclaimer: I don't own any of it.

A/N: Yeah. This one had been rolling around in my head for a while, but I finally found a scene that said "You must write me now." So I bumped this one up the list.

A/N 2: Also, as always, thanks to Drake for the beta.

Feedback: Yes, please!

"It's a crying shame." Eli Navarro shook his head. He was extremely disappointed in his gang. "Although they tell me they put up a good fight."

"Are they okay?" asked Veronica Mars. She was walking through the halls of Neptune High with Eli – better known as Weevil – having heard that most of his gang was in some state of disrepair or another.

"For the most part. A couple of broken bones, cuts, bruises. Actually, for the number of guys they said jumped 'em, they didn't come out bad."

"How many is that?" Veronica asked.

"About a dozen," Weevil told her. "Still. It's disappointing."

"Hey, guys."

Wallace Fennel walked up to the pair.

"Hey, Wallace." Veronica greeted her best friend with a cheery smile.

"You hear anything last night?" Weevil asked him.

"Huh?" Wallace asked.

"Last night. A fight. Should have been pretty loud. You live near where my guys were jumped."

"Oh, I heard it," Wallace said. "But they weren't jumped. They were the jumpers. For the most part."

"What?"

"I couldn't sleep," Wallace told them. "And I happened to be near the window when I hear a screech and a little crash. Sounded just like a car hitting a motorcycle."

"You saw the fight?" Veronica asked

"In Technicolor."

"What happened?" Weevil asked.

"Like I said. Car. Bike. Bang. Guy gets out of his car, starts apologizing. One of your boys doesn't take it well, and then this chick gets out of the car, and a couple seconds later, all hell broke loose."

"So, what, the rest of the party pulled up and they rumbled?"

Wallace smiled at Veronica. "Oh, it was so sweet to watch. I mean, kind of brutal, in a way. Like out of a video game."

Weevil grabbed Wallace by the shirt and shoved him up against a locker. "What happened next?" he demanded.

Wallace looked down at his shirt, then looked at Veronica.

"Weevil, put him down. Wallace, tell him the story."

Weevil released Wallace, straightened his collar, and stared at him expectantly.

"Anyway. So the big guy – and he was pretty big, maybe six feet tall – launches a haymaker at one of your guys, and they all kind of jump at him. The girl rushes in and starts tearing them apart. Two minutes and some wicked moves right out of Def Jam Vendetta and the fight's over, and all your boys are unconscious."

"Two people?" Veronica asked, incredulously.

"Two people. And the girl wasn't that big. And the dude had an eye-patch. Half-blind and took out half your crew." Wallace shook his head. "Damn shame."

"Whatever," Weevil said, writing off Wallace's story as hyperbole. "That ain't at all what they said."

"Yeah?" Wallace asked. "Who you gonna believe? The guys who don't wanna lose face in front of their gang leader, or the guy who got pictures of them gettin' destroyed?"

"You got pictures?" Veronica asked.

Wallace pulled a memory card from his pocket. "You should see the positions they got left in. It's embarrassing."

"What did these guys look like?" Weevil demanded. He didn't even try to grab the memory card. The guy was a friend of Veronica's, so the pictures wouldn't go public unless there was an actual reason for it. Weevil just had to make sure there was never a reason for it.

"Well, the girl was hot. And I mean, like, smokin'. Long dark hair. Curves that moved when she fought… She was maybe 5'5"? I didn't get that close a look."

"And the guy?"

"Taller, like I said. Plaid shirt. Jeans. Eye patch, also had dark hair." Wallace's eyes shot wide and he pointed behind Weevil and Veronica. "Like that guy."

They turned to look. The man was large, although not overly so. He looked strong, though not like a body builder. He also looked lost.

Before Weevil could stop her, Veronica approached the guy, and Wallace followed. Weevil hung back, but stayed within hearing range.

"Can I help you?" Veronica asked.

"You the greeting committee?" the man asked.

"Something like that."

"Okay, well, I'm looking for a student named uh…" the guy consulted a piece of paper. "Eli Navarro? Also goes by Weevil, I think."

"Why do you want to see Weevil?" Wallace asked.

"I owe him something."

Weevil was very far from stupid. This guy had, apparently, taken out half of his gang last night, and now was here at the high school. Searching for Weevil. By both of his names. And the guy was saying he owed Weevil something. It sounded ominous, and he could tell by the way she shifted her stance, Veronica thought so too.

"Uh, it's not bad or anything," he said. He'd apparently noticed Veronica move as well. Not that that was a big surprise. She was kinda cute, for a short, blonde, white girl.

"What do you owe him?" Veronica asked.

"Money."

"Money?" Wallace asked. "How much? I'll take it."

"I'm not certain, but I figure a thousand should cover it."

Weevil stepped up to them. "I'm Weevil."

The guy looked at him. "Did you know you're named after a beetle? You're the leader of a motorcycle gang. You're supposed to frighten people. Are beetles scary?"

Weevil gave the guy his patented 'I'm not really amused but I'll tolerate you anyway' look. "You said something about money?"

"Yeah. My name's Xander. I had a little run in with your friends last night."

"I know."

"Right. So you know I hit one of their motorcycles?"

"Yeah."

"Okay. Well, here." Xander thrust his hand out and handed Weevil a wad of cash. "I figure that should cover the repairs."

"What about injuries?" Weevil asked. "Some of my boys got hospital bills."

Xander shrugged. "They brought it on themselves. The accident was my fault. See you around."

Weevil stared at Xander's back as the man walked out of the high school. He looked down at his hand and stuffed the bills into his jacket.

He shrugged. "Fair enough."

----------

Xander jogged over to the rental car, where Willow and Faith others were waiting for him. Buffy, Sam and Riley had gone to get some donuts.

"You paid him for the damages to the bike?" Willow asked from the back seat.

"Yup." Xander slid into the driver's seat and started the engine.

"Told him you were paying because it was your fault?"

"Uh huh."

"Basically showing him that you're above all the petty crap that's going on, and you can rise above the fight, but still hold his gang responsible for their actions?" Willow continued.

"Right."

Faith looked over at Xander. "You can be a real dick sometimes, Harris."

Xander grinned at her and chuckled. "Yeah."

Faith looked like she was going to say something more, but glanced at Willow and seemed to think better of it. Faith and Xander had been awkward around each other since the day after they had met Willow's twin, Michelle, and it was frankly starting to grate on her nerves.

"Hey, Faith, can I be really rude for a minute?"

Faith raised one eyebrow at her questioningly.

"Can you give us a minute alone?" Willow flicked some hair out of her eyes. "I need to talk to Xander. And it's kind of…"

"Friend stuff, got it."

"Not just friend stuff. Friend stuff you're perfectly welcome at, a-and even invited to. This is more… Xander-Willow stuff."

"I'm cool." Faith jogged off toward the school.

"What's up?" Xander asked.

"Stole my line."

"Huh?"

"Xander… what's up with you and Faith?"

"Nothing," he said a little too quickly. "At all."

She fixed him with a glare.

Xander sighed. "Well, you know how the hotel screwed up and gave us a queen-size bed in each room instead of two doubles?"

Willow nodded.

"Well, we got um… a little close, while we were asleep."

"How close?"

"Er. Close. There might have been, you know… groping… and um…" Xander cleared his throat.

"Poking?" Willow asked, grinning evilly.

"I hate you."

"No you don't."

"Well… fine. But I'm reasonably certain that you're not being very nice to me."

"So what are you gonna do about it?"

"About what? Faith?"

"No, sweetie, about global warming. Yes, about Faith."

Xander sighed, thrusting his hands into his jeans pockets. "I find that these things tend to resolve themselves, often with threats to my life, or the death of the girl after I have horribly embarrassed her in some way."

Willow stared and Xander scuffed his shoe on the pavement. "Okay, yeah, I guess that might be a little unfair to me. But I'm not sure… I mean, I guess I like her. And I think she likes me. I dunno."

Willow crossed her arms.

"I know, I know, I'm twenty-two," he conceded. "I should be able to do these things without acting like I'm in high school, or middle school or something. Adult relationships and all that. I should just be able to go up and say 'So Faith, you wanna get dinner sometime?'"

"Sure."

Xander froze where he stood. Willow grinned. Xander unfroze and continued looking at Willow. He pointed at her. "I'm trying to find a way to tell you that I hate you without insulting Faith, but it's just not coming to me. So… think of something to relay that to yourself, and we're good."

He turned around. "Hi."

"Hey," Faith said.

"So, um."

"We'll talk about it later. Riley's cousin's waiting for us."

"Right." Xander nodded. "Car. Riley. Good call. Shall we?"

Faith nodded at him. Willow, snickering, slipped into the back seat as Faith and Xander got in the front. There was a moment of awkwardness as their hands touched when they put on their seat belts. Xander and Faith grinned at each other sheepishly, and Willow mentally sent Buffy a message. 'Job done.'

Xander rummaged through his CDs, then pulled one out, lifting his arms in the air victoriously. He put the CD in the player and grinned.

"What are you playing?" Willow asked.

"Hmm? Oh. Sounds of the Rainforest, Volume 3."

Faith turned to him. "Wait. Isn't that the one with all the –"

The speakers began playing the croaking and chirping of the frogs of the rainforest. Willow shuddered as a chill ran down her spine.

Xander grinned. "Yes. Yes it is."

----------

End Chapter 2